FRIDAY, AUGUST
20, 2021
VOLUME 115, No.32
Carpie killed Page 2
www.thevincentian.com
Senator Morgan breaks silence Page 3
EC$1.50
Complaints against police a concern Page 4
No eruption at La Soufrière Page 15
DCash: making payments easier Page 16
ASSAULT ON PM DRAWS WIDESPREAD
CONDEMNATION Following a break in proceedings, the crowd ON THURSDAY, 5th August, surrounded his vehicle at approximately 5:15pm, making it difficult for Prime Minister Ralph his convoy to enter the Gonsalves was physically House of Parliament. assaulted and wounded He then alighted the while entering the House vehicle and attempted of Assembly during a to enter on foot. demonstration against an A projectile was amendment to the Public hurled at the Prime Health Act, which will Minister, which struck require most frontline him in the head, inches health workers to be above the temple. The vaccinated against Covid- Prime Minister, 19. bleeding profusely, was A few hundred taken to the Milton demonstrators, Cato Memorial responding to a call to Hospital by his security action from a number of detail and later unions, social activists transported to and Leader of the Barbados for an MRI Opposition, picketed scan at the Queen outside the Parliament Elizabeth Hospital in building in Kingstown. Bridgetown. The demonstrators Some protestors marched around the celebrated the Prime town, eventually Minister’s injury by congregating outside the chanting. “The World House of Parliament. Boss head buss and a Vehicles were prevented police man is guilty,” from moving freely and World Boss is in while opposition MPs reference to a conversed with proclamation the Prime protestors, those on the Minister made during government side were the 2020 election verbally assaulted. campaign. However, the brunt of The attack on the the protestors’ anger was Vincentian leader drew directed at the Prime regional and Minister and as he made international his return to the house. condemnation. Prime by KENVILLE HORNE
On August 5, 2021, on what is now being referred to as ‘Bloody Thursday’, Prime Minister Dr. Hon. Ralph Gonsalves was hit by a projectile originating from the crowd outside the House of Assembly, which had gathered in protest against an amendment to the Public Health Act. Minister of India, Narendra Modi condemned the attack. “I condemn the ghastly attack on Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Modi said. “Excellency, I wish you quick recovery and good
The Commission of the health. We will miss your Organisation of the presence at the UNSC Eastern Caribbean State Open Debate on Maritime Security today,” he said. Continued on Page 5.
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2. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
News
ÂCarpieÊ killed
POLICE SAY THEY ARE INVESTIGATING the circumstances surrounding the shooting of 29-year-old Romano ‘Carpie’ Thomas, a self-employed man of Mc Kie’s Hill on the Sunday 15the August. According to reports, at about 6:38pm, an unknown person disguised as a homeless man and armed with a gun, shot Thomas multiple times about his body in Paul’s Avenue. He was rushed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for medical attention, but succumbed to the injuries during the early hours of Monday morning . Thomas is the father of a son and is often seen in his company. According to a resident in Paul’s Avenue, “Carpie was a very easy going person. He always have his son with him and takes care of the little boy, so it really sad how Thomas in happier times with his son. somebody just kill him and left the Persons with information are asked little boy fatherless,” said the resident. Reports are that after Thomas was to contact the Assistant Commissioner shot, he asked to be turned over on his in charge of Crimes at 1784-456-1339 side, at which point he whispered to a or Officer in Charge of the CID/ Major Crimes Unit at 1784-456-1810 or “any lady to tell his son that he loves him. Police Station or Police Officer you are Thomas’ death is recorded as the comfortable with”. (KH) 25th homicide for 2021.
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News 3 PM defends amended Bill
PRIME MINISTER Dr Ralph Gonsalves has defended the amended section of the Public Health Act that was passed in Parliament on August 6 saying that there must be a roster of doctors to assess the medical grounds for an exemption for taking the COVID-19 vaccination. According to Gonsalves, there must be a roster of doctors to assess a medical condition. “And the medical officer of health, he is in charge of the clinics and hospitals…but even if a certificate is issued for the police or nurse to get an exemption, it must be the advice from more then one doctor,” he said. “For persons to tell me that there aren’t doctors who will write a medical certificate…it happens in relation to sick leave,” Gonsalves continued. The former Public Health Act allowed for a
person to be exempted if the individual made a statement in writing or furnishes a statement from a health officer. But as was explained by the Minister of Health, St Clair Prince while putting forward the Bill in Parliament, the amended law provides for an exemption from an order requiring the person to an accepted medical practitioner who as certified the medical grounds in writing and makes further provisions for the Chief Medical Officer to have the individual examined by an approved medical practitioner to determine whether an exemption should be granted. The health minister said that this measure was put in place to prevent certificate peddling. Meanwhile Leader of the Opposition Dr
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has elaborated on the issue of exemptions as it relates to COVID19 vaccination. Godwin Friday in his response during the debate in Parliament said that if the Bill was seeking to get at doctors who peddle certificates, then the government
ought to deal with the doctors. “If you know that, then deal with the doctors,” Friday said. (DD)
Senator Morgan breaks silence
Senator Ashelle Morgan EMBATTLED GOVERNMENT Senator Ashelle Morgan has broken her silence, 4 months after her
involvement in an incident in which businessman Cornelius John was shot in the left leg at his home in Diamond on April 13. After months of protest and public pressure, Morgan was charged with assaulting John with intent to wound him. Assistance Director of Public Prosecution, Karim Nelson is charged with wounding John and unlawfully discharging a firearm at him. The Senator in a slight admission of her involvement in the incident, attributed her action to a her intrinsic desire to empower women. In a media statement dated Tuesday 17th, Morgan said that she had previously reserved her right to comment and interact with the media before then, since she had assumed that anything that she said would have been misconstrued, twisted or sensationalized and that public reporting illustrated such. According
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 3.
Sheltering Abuse FACILITIES ADAPTED to accommodate persons displaced as a result of explosions at La Soufriere volcano are being put to wrong purposes. Elderly persons and children were being left without family supervision. That was pointed out by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves in a radio address last Wednesday, August 18. “We have to take care of the elderly,” Gonsalves stressed. He echoed a story of a trend whereby grown adults were leaving their parents at hospitals. He acknowledged that there are instances of poverty, but outlined that there are ways to get help. “We have a strong social safety net,” Gonsalves asserted and indicated his intention of seeing the practice of abandonment stopped. Other areas of concern to the Prime surrounds drug, sexual, verbal and physical abuse at Shelters to the extent that the Police had to be called. Shelter woes also centre on theft of equipment, utensils, and supplies. Persons have resorted to selling mattresses provided as part of the relief efforts triggered by the April 9 blasts. Another form of abuse is that of returning persons with guests. They come especially on Thursdays and benefit from relief packages. Explosions in sporadic bursts, on the mountain peak over 13 days unleashed tons of ash which spread wide. Scientists attached to the Seismic Research Centre based at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, reduced the alert level at the volcano, allowing for some form of normalcy in the endangered Red Zone. Some 1300 persons were reported to have been in shelters up to August 18, but they are expected to be relocated by Monday, August 23. That is to make way for the reopening of schools scheduled for October 4. Prime Minister Gonsalves is aware of the impact of children being out of the classroom and sees it as having significant repercussions. (WKA)
to her, at the risk of her reputation being ruined even further she had decided to speak up then. “It is disappointing that the underlying agenda here is set to destroy young, black woman leaders who are determined to pass on the baton of modernity and progression to the little girls of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Morgan. “I have faith in our legal system and I trust that justice will prevail. The unfortunate situation that I found myself is due to my intrinsic desire to help others, especially women who ask for my assistance. It was also due to my desire to find solutions to genderbased violence and domestic abuse in our communities,” said the senator on the reason she became embroiled in the incident. Morgan said that because there were malicious forces at play; her side
of the story will be overshadowed by a false narrative that aims to damage the reputation and career she worked so hard to build. “ Despite this, I won’t stop making efforts to improve the lives of others,” the statement concluded. The victim of the gunshot injury was also charged with one count of using threatening language to Morgan and two counts of using threatening language to his wife, Nicole John. When the parties showed up at the Calliaqua Magistrate Court on Tuesday, the Magistrate Zoila EllisBrown recused herself from hearing the charges because Senator Morgan happens to be her family counsel. The matter has been transferred to the Mesopotamia Magistrate Court for hearing on August 27. (KH)
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4. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
Court
Complaints against Police, a serious concern process of being arrested or taken into custody. Lawyers also make SENIOR MAGISTRATE such complaints on Rickie Burnett is behalf of their clients concerned about the during the hearing of number of complaints court matters. regarding police abuses One recent allegation that come before his involved Venezuelan Court, from time to time. national Elmundo Jose And while he made it Valerio Romero who clear that he was in no appeared at the position to say whether Kingstown Magistrate’s these complaints are true Court this week on three or false, he thinks he has charges of illegal entry enough judicial into this country. understanding to Romero, who cannot highlight the issue. speak English, told the Persons who appear Kingstown Magistrate’s before the Courts, Court, through an complain, from time to interpreter, that when time, of being beaten or the police met him at a manhandled while in house in Union Island he police custody, or in the was unable to Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS
Magistrate recuses herself from SenatorÊs matter MAGISTRATE Zoila EllisBrowne has recused herself from hearing the matters involving Attorney and government Senator Ashelle Morgan, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Karim Nelson, and Diamond resident Cornelius John, on the basis that Morgan is her family counsel. The matter in which Morgan and Nelson are Magistrate Zoila defendants has been Ellis-Browne transferred to the Mesopotamia Magistrate’s Court while the one in which John is the defendant, has been transferred to the Biabou Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate Bertie Pompey presides over both Courts. Morgan is charged with assaulting John with intent to wounding, while Nelson is charged with wounding John, and unlawfully discharging a firearm. John has been charged on two counts of using threatening language against his wife Nicole John, and one count of using threatening language against Morgan. He is represented by Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, while Attorney Ronald Marks is representing Nelson and lawyer Dwayne Daniel is representing Morgan. When the three initially appeared at the Serious Offences Court on June 25, they pleaded not guilty to their respective charges, were granted bail, and their matters transferred to the Calliaqua Magistrate’s Court. They have maintained their innocence. The charges against Nelson, Morgan and John reportedly stem from an incident at Diamond on April 13, during which John was shot in his leg.
understand what they were saying because of the language barrier, and when he replied in Spanish, he received lash from the police officer. Romero’s attorney Jomo Thomas told the Court that according to his instructions, his client, a 30-year-old father of a 1-year-old son, came to these shores to make life better for himself, because of the situation in Venezuela. Thomas said, “Romero rented an apartment, and when the police came there to execute a search warrant on August 8, 2021, they roughed him up and boxed him in his face”. The Magistrate said that while he could not say whether the
information that Romero was struck by a police officer, was true or false, he keeps hearing these complaints all the time. “It is something we have to rectify”, said Prosecutor, Sergeant Cornelius Tittle. “Based on what the accused is saying, he can’t speak English”, Burnett noted. “We are persons who have to deal with the public, and I am a father”, the prosecutor replied. The Magistrate then disclosed, in the absence of Romero, who had already left the Court, after being fined, and ordered to be removed from the state, that a few months ago, a person made an allegation of
police abuse, and he (Magistrate) checked it out and it was correct. “The police must stop it”, Burnett declared, “When I speak like this, and it is published, the police will curse, but they need to come into this court, and hear what I hear”. The Prosecutor suggested that a programme be introduced at the police training school in which constitutional law is taught, so that the police could know how to deal with certain situations. Romero had pleaded guilty to entering the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines at Union Island, other than at a port of entry, entering the state of SVG, and
Magistrate Rickie Burnett disembarking without the consent of an Immigration officer, and knowingly and willfully allowing himself to be landed as a prohibited immigrant. All three offences were committed on August 8, 2021. Romero was fined $300 forthwith in Union Island on August 8, 2021.
Second person jailed in gun, ammo disappearance
Former national footballer Myron Samuel has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. A SECOND PERSON is behind bars after receiving sentences in connection with the disappearance of four guns and a quantity of ammunition from the Armory of the Georgetown Police Station. On Monday 16, former national footballer Myron Samuel was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of one Glock .22 pistol without a licence. He was also fined $3,500 by December 31 or nine months in prison for possession of 15 rounds of .40mm ammunition without licence. The sentences will run concurrently if the fine is not paid. The 28-year-old Layou
man had pleaded not guilty when he initially appeared before Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne at the Serious Offences Court on June 21, but Browne recused herself from hearing the matter, and the case was transferred to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court. Samuel however, changed his pleas to guilty when the matter was called in that Court last week, but sentencing was adjourned to Monday. The firearm and ammunition were found at Samuel’s home on June 17, during investigations into the disappearance of three Glocks, a M-4 rifle and several rounds of ammunition from the Armory of the Georgetown Police Station. In handing down the sentences, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett followed the sentencing guidelines, weighted the aggravating and mitigating factors, and did the necessary calculations. Samuel’s lawyer,
Grant Connell, in his mitigating plea last week, told the Court that his client had received several threats, and obtained the firearm to protect himself and his family, as the defendant had unsuccessfully applied for a firearm license. But while Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett took into account that there was no evidence that the gun was used to inflict harm, or for anything unlawful, he contended that the Court cannot overlook Samuel’s intention to take the law into his own hands, and there was no voluntary surrender of the firearm. He noted that firearm offences attract custodial sentences, except in exceptional circumstances. He stressed that in the Magistrate’s Court firearm or ammunition possession carries a maximum penalty of $20,000 or seven years in prison, and a person could also be fined and confined. Burnett highlighted the prevalence of firearm
related offences in this country, and the role of the Court in sending a strong message to wouldbe offenders. He however, noted that Samuel cooperated with the police, and was a person of good character which will go in his favour. He also took into account his guilty plea. On July 19, 26-yearold Avi King of Diamond Village was sentenced on multiple charges in connection with the disappearance of the guns and ammunition from the Armory of the Georgetown Police Station. King, who had pleaded guilty to the charges, had his sentences run concurrently resulting in his having to serve two years and eight months behind bars. Zackrie Latham, 25, of Diamonds village, who was a Police Constable attached to the Georgetown Police Station, up to the time of his arrest, and Meshack Dublin, 26, also of Diamonds Village are awaiting trial, on multiple charges in connection with the matter.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 5.
News
Assault on PM draws widespread condemnation differing perspective and to exercise the rights to dissent peacefully and responsibly,” adding further that the commissioners extended their best wishes to the Prime Minister for a speedy recovery. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) also joined in the condemnation. “As Chair of the Caribbean Community, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and in my own capacity, I condemn the physical assault upon the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves,” said Gaston Browne, Antigua Prime Minister, adding that the assault was serious and almost fatal. Annamay Lewis of Layou has been He said that the introduction of charged with wounding the Prime violence into the political life of Minister. CARICOM is “shameful and deplorable”, stating that those Continued from front Page. responsible for it must be brought to justice with all due dispatch. Browne added its voice in the condemnation of further wished the PM a speedy violence perpetuated on the Prime recovery. Minister with, “The Commission urged The Prime Minister’s office also all parties including and especially issued a statement following the opposition elements in the OECS to unfortunate incident. The statement maintain a posture of respect to noted that Prime Minister Ralph
Gonsalves strongly reiterated belief in the solemnity of the vote, as a cornerstone of parliamentary democracy and basis of governmental legitimacy. It noted that in spite of his injuries, the Prime Minister welcomed all peaceful demonstration as a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution, but cautioned that legitimate peaceful demonstration should in no way impede parliamentarians’ rights of entrance and egress from the House of Assembly. “Moreover, the use of violence in
pursuit of political purposes is entirely unacceptable. We expect that the perpetrator of the actual act of violence will be brought to justice. Such an act is to be unequivocally condemned. Equally to be condemned are the instigators and back-room authors of this kind of violence,” according to the statement from the Prime Minister’s office. The Prime Minister has since been treated and has return to the state. 56-year-old Vendor, Annamay Lewis of Layou is charged with wounding the Prime Minister. She has pleaded not guilty.
6. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 7.
News
Safety training for fishers coming
THE SAFETY AND BY EXTENSIOn the equipment that fishers have access to at sea has been cause for concern by officials at the fisheries division. And as such, a policy decision was made to develop a basic fisher training manual for the training of new and existing fishers. So said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries etc. Saboto Caesar in response to the question posed in the August 5 Sitting of Parliament by Opposition
Senator Israel Bruce for the minister to indicate what was being done to address the problem with communication devices, live saving amenities and training. The question was raised in light of the recent incidents of fisher folk that have gone missing at sea. According to Caesar, in 2018 through the assistance of the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JAICA) and the Caribbean
Fisheries Co-Management Project (CARIFICO) 200 manuals were produced and distributed and some equipment — which included life jackets, VHF radios and compasses. He added that the fisheries division has been able to procure some additional equipment aimed at training and re-tooling over 200 fishers in safety at sea. Training is expected to begin this month with the
main purpose to improve the safety practices of fishers and to reduce the risk of getting lost at sea in the event of an accident under extreme weather conditions. “The overall goal is to minimize the occurrence of the loss of lives at sea,” Caesar said. (DD) Fishers should be better versed in sea safety very soon according to Minister with responsibility for Fisheries Saboto Caesar.
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8. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. THE VINCENTIAN
Views The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Managing Editor: Desiree Richards Editor: Cyprian Neehall Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129 Website: www.thevincentian.com Email: vinpub@thevincentian.com Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Editorial
Have people lost their trust in the police?
even in ‘normal’ times, the wanton brandishing and discharging of firearms have morphed into a THE LAST GENERAL ELECTIONS were situation in which anti-police held in St. Vincent and the brutality has become a major new Grenadines, 5 November 2020. The results of those elections threw up yet theme of the protests. Many recall the good relations again the first past the post anomaly between the police and the of one party gaining the majority of citizenry. Are those days gone? If seats but losing the popular vote. they haven’t, there is enough to Ever since, there has been an speak to the mutual trust between undercurrent of disrespect for the the police and the citizens being on return of the Unity Labour Party to the brink of collapse. government. Several factors can explain why The Opposition New Democratic our citizens have come to distrust Party, with its ‘majority popular the police, e.g. invasion of places of vote’, from Day One, took to the abode without due cause and legal streets in the name of one cause or instruments; excessive display and the other, but in an underpinning show of its ‘majority’ and ‘hope’ of a use of weapons; general heavyhandedness of the police. new election. Together these factors combine But even as they exercise the to create nuisance to the public right to protest, those who are and pose substantial threat to prepared so to do must realise that personal safety. the authorities, vested with This will, if it hasn’t done so enormous powers under the law, already, prompt more people to have an overwhelming advantage take to the streets to voice their over them, when it comes to power anger and to rally against the and equipment. police in defence of themselves, Citizen protesters are at a huge their property and communities. disadvantage and at the mercy of The driving force behind the those who wield state power but who, in accordance with this vested ongoing protests is the strong urge among our citizens to defend their public power, are supposed to be subject to rigorous legal constraints. freedom from fear and their human rights. We should be thankful that the The people of this country have action on the streets, even with its long been accustomed to a social recent demonstration that such system and lifestyle under which action can become violent, has not everyone is entitled to personal resulted in the invocation of freedoms. Emergency Regulations, under Any attempt by the authorities which the Chief Executive is given to mount a trail of unwarranted immense powers, thereby opening the door to the "totalitarianism’ and action against perceived perpetrators against the state dealing a shattering blow to the and/or to impose restrictions on rule of law. civil liberties will automatically Yet there are protestors and, if the truth be told, there is a growing provoke (further) widespread resentment among the public. number of persons not involved in At the heart of the values that the protests, who voice the concern characterise Vincentians are that law enforcement officers are ignoring legal constraints and their freedom, equality, rule of law, justice, democracy and human own code of practice, when dealing dignity. with the protests and protestors. If a party vested with public What appears to be the abuse of power and the use of excessive force power attempts to violate these by the police against protesters and core values through executive measures or forcible actions in the even ordinary citizens have name of law enforcement, there is infuriated the people. no doubt that the people will rise And if the police behaviour is up to defend these values. extended into the wider society
Close family circles as a factor in Caribbean politics in fact defeated by Austin who headed a CARIBBEAN POLITICS has been noted rival party! for its dominance of the family over the For some forty years Antigua had past seventy years or so. That historical been a Bird sanctuary led by Vere Bird, phenomenon is largely understandable then his son Lester assisted by Vere Jr. up to a point. What I wish to point out We wrap up this section by citing here is that its rationale gradually faded some interesting avuncular relationship: with time and that family politics is a Duncan O’Neal and Prime Minister thing of the past, whereas we in SVG Errol Barrow of Barbados; Joseph Gibbs seem bent on giving it a new lease of and Dane Hilda Bynoe Governorlife. General of Grenada; and the colourful Let us start with Jamaica. Its politics Robert Bradshaw and the currently today hardly bears the imprint of the controversial Denzil Douglas of St Kitts. “Great Cousinhood”- Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante- who headed Welcome Home Camillo in the early 1940’s the PNP and JLP which still vie for power. But Back home we followed the father significantly absent are the influences of and son tradition with, for example, direct descendants of the Great Men. Herman and Herbie Young, George We jump from North to South and Charles and son Kenneth Williams, note that the husband and wife team of Vincent and Glen Beache, and John and political leaders was born in Guyana Jerrol Thompson. with Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan. Current moves by SVG’s Prime It spread to the immediate North to Minister Ralph Gonsalves suggest that Grenada where a diluted form took in he desires to impose his son Camillo as Eric and Cynthia Gairy and SVG which head of his party, the ULP which has boasted Ebenezer and Ivy Joshua. been running the affairs of SVG since virtually the start of the twenty-first Then there has been a plethora of century. siblings which added lustre to the Absolutely nothing is wrong if politics of their country, like Siboonath Camillo had worked himself up through and Rudrinath Carpildo and Ashford the ranks of the party and/or and Mitra Sinnanan and A.N.R Government. Robinson and Lionel and John Donald The great examples in the West senior and junior all of Trinidad and Indies of yester-year, Michael Manley Tobago. and Tom Adams, sons of their more Travelling North, we encountered in illustrious fathers Norman Manley of St Lucia the Compton duo of John and Jamaica and Grantley Adams of Clive, the Bousquettes of Allan and Barbados proceeded by the democratic James, and the Odlums, George and route here suggested. The son paid their John. Generally, they followed a great dues, won their spurs, and eventually tradition probably started by Allan earned the top position. Lewis and son, Vaughn. Furthermore, in the Democratic In Jamaica there have been the Lloyd world the father to son succession brothers (P.N.P) and the Hills (JLP) normally takes place after the The classic pair in this category has intervention of one or two seasoned been the Dominican brothers of Michael party faithfuls. The Birds’ case is an and Roosevelt Douglas who both held exception to abhor. The Manleys were the Prime Ministership in succession separated by Donald Sangster and the Adams by Dr. Cummings and Bernard and both had their stints suddenly cut St John. short by fatal maladies. The latest news is that Camillo is to Montserrat has been an exception be sworn in as a senator and the that proves the rule. William Bramble country’s Foreign Minister. His next was succeeded as head of Government by his son Austin: that is, the father was promotion will be as the new leader of U.L.P when Papa has vacated. (An abridged version of an original publication in THE VINCENTIAN August 16, 2013.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 9.
Letters
Is there a role for the A case of bad SVG Christian Council? precedence TODAY, I am calling on another group of leaders to step up in our time of need. Yes, St. Vincent Christian Council of Churches (SVGCCC), now is the time to step up and show some leadership. You cannot be an organization that simply issues greetings and messages to the nation on special occasions (Christmas, Independence, etc.), or call for calm and restrain after predictable activism and unrest resulting in injury and or destruction of life and property. If you haven’t noticed, we are on the verge of a breakdown of our civil society; this is not an overstatement. Our collective failure to objectively call out the political leaders in the past is paying dividends. In a statement last week, the Police Commissioner Colin John apologized to the Prime Minister for his failure to strictly enforce the law/provisions
governing public protests. Mr. John, that apology is owed to the nation. I am on record publicly decrying his poor job performance. It is not for me to say whether he should keep his job or not; I think those who know me know what I would do if it were my problem. Yet I appreciate his mea culpa, but I am worried, Mr. Commissioner, that in order to compensate for your negligent behaviour, you will be enthusiastically enforcing a law that has not been reviewed in over thirty years. I feel that this will lead to more chaos and possible abuse of power in the name of the law. Now, what do I see as the role of the SVGCCC in this process? First, before the complete breakdown in civil society, you should appoint a council sub-
committee comprised of members of both political parties and other civil organizations, to facilitate a review of the law (Public Order) for continued relevance. We need to ensure that every element of the law applies to where we are today and what we have considered acceptable over the years. Calm down, folks. I am not suggesting management or law enforcement by committee. But, I do not think a person in the current administration could be viewed as objective by the majority to interpret and enforce this generally neglected law. I think we may want to make some changes to the current law, but that’s not my playground, and I believe in letting people do their job. I believe we have a constitutionally protected right to protest peacefully in “traditional
Hatred is one hell of a thing
public forums” such as streets, sidewalks, or public parks. However, the government can impose “time, place and manner” restrictions; for example, the government may require a permit for large protests or prohibit unreasonably loud demonstrations that disturb others. No restrictions should ever be made based on content or the organization applying for approval to protest. Horatio
I CANNOT say how utterly aghast I am that this Government, in its attempts to get people to take the vaccine, would go to such a questionable length as to change a sacred tenet of the Constitution to remove “voluntary”. We must stop to question ourselves about the meaning and implications of such an amendment. In its quest to sway Vincentians to take the vaccine, the Government has moved in stages from perpetuating ‘grandiose’ claims of being vaccinated, to providing gifts and lotteries to incite others to take it, to issuing subtle and open threats of losing jobs to those who don’t, to now infringing on the rights of Vincentians by ‘amending’ the Constitution. Editor, the rights of all Vincentians are enshrined rights by the Constitution and protected and respected under the Constitution, the sacred law of the land. The Constitution is not someone’s personal novel which they can edit as they please, and as easily as they please, or whenever it pleases them. Furthermore, if the Opposition does not agree with the enacting of the amendment, there is no way the House of Parliament should pass it. Both the Government and the Opposition represent the collective
to replace the hatred collectively. Hatred can with love. I can testify to to criticize, disagree the fact that when we without hatred. HATRED of any kind is We ought to love each love and forgive those We need, as a nation, one hell of a thing. We other regardless. who have wronged us, it lead a person to become often overlook hatred as What is sad is that releases the power of violent; it has the a sin and something even many professed God where HE takes in potential to destroy dangerous. Even in the Christians are filled with charge and gives justice. others and is one of the religious circle, hatred is so much political hatred. It is my wish that as a contributing factors to often overlooked. But Sometimes, many of us nation, we would seek to high rises in crime. don’t fool yourself, it is are afraid to have love and forgive and May we look inward very widespread. We conversations where we remove the hatred from and gain the strength sometimes disagree because there is our hearts. It is only by from the Lord to love underestimate the so much venom of hatred removing hatred and and not hate. May God damages it can do. that is released in the replacing it with love can bless us all. Almost daily we hear words. But as a people if we move forward both on radio, talk show hosts we are really mature individually and Kennard King spurring out hatred. We enough we would be able have many times allowed this venom that comes from hatred from call-in programmes to fester, sadly, but true. This AS EMANCIPATION month paper) in the 1800s. This The Indians arrived and, by hatred manifested itself force of violence the black people nears its end, we cannot allow Afrocentric Religious/Political in the last protest. Now this piece of hidden history to slip Order demanded the right to own were driven down to Stubbs, don’t get me wrong, I am Victoria village and nearby areas. away from us. What is known and control the plantation in a not saying there should today as the Christian Pilgrim cooperative manner. They wanted The Indians lived in Calder not be protest. However, Faith, enacted under the to be the owners of the means of peacefully without intermarriage it should be peaceful and until the late 1950s. Today, there Marriage Ordinance, Cap. 151 of production. without hatred. That didn’t go down well with are almost 100% Indian the Revised Law of St. Vincent If we are indeed a intermarriages. And, the black and the Grenadines (No. 245), on the British plantation owners Christian nation, then people had no other choice than and their governments. They the 22nd May 1951 and the principles of God’s incorporated in the Parliament of went to India and deceived some to go back on the estate and Word must be followed. work, seeing the British had the Indians, telling them that they SVG, was gazette on the 11th We are told to love. Even March 2011, has a hidden origin. were going to take them to a very Indians working on the estate. to love our enemies as This page is too small to give This Faith was established on fertile country where they will ourselves. Of course, we the whole history. own their own farm land and ought to hate the wrongs the Calder/Argyle estate as soon home. That became a reality. as slavery was abolished (on but not the individuals. Christian Democrat
Some history of emancipation
body of Vincentians, not just the Government. This is why I strongly believe that this ‘amendment’ is a case of bad precedence. It not only takes away the rights of Vincentians under a now or future government, it also sets up and secures any future arbitrary attempts to ‘amend’ the Constitution for any selfserving interests of this or any future government. Moreover, we could no longer claim we have a Constitution, but rather a document subjected to the dictates of someone or some government. Editor, the integrity and high esteem of the Constitution must be preserved and respected, or we have nothing. Citizen of SVG
Just asking!!!! In the absence of ManAbout-Town, I would like, with your permission Mr. Editor, to ask a few questions upon which I hope the relevant parties would reflect. Here goes: * Why is it only after a series of protests, and especially after the one in which the PM was hurt, that we are hearing that the recent protests that overwhelmed Kingstown were illegal? * How come only two protesters were singled out to be the subjects of arrest, detention and charges in this regard? * If the NDP declared that it organized the protests (not all), how come the leadership of that party was not arrested and charged? * Was the Commissioner of Police asleep at his desk during all the noisy protests or was he patiently and silently, like a true servant, awaiting guidance from above? * Does anyone recall that we said then that Cato wanted to create a police state? Can we say the same thing now?
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10. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. THE VINCENTIAN
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Focused government providing focused leadership
Is SVG moving towards a Police State?
Introduction
DEMOCRACY is under threat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration is on a mission to destroy our democratic principles that we have practiced over the years. Since the ULP gained power, they have been chipping away slowly at our democracy. The raids on protesters’ homes by the police and the arrest of Kenson King and Adriana King are more signs that the police are being used to silence and intimidate Vincentians who oppose this government.
ALMOST two weeks after the illegal protests called for by the opposition that was responsible for the assault and wounding of Prime Minister Gonsalves, the mood in SVG is one of calm with lawabiding citizens going about their business. The conversation on radio, in bars, on the “blocks’ and on social media is still dominated by that unprecedented event where a violent mob that resorted to disrupting traffic and lighting fires in the street, turned their anger on the country’s sitting Leader and inflicted injury on him that could have caused his death. Some are still in disbelief, questioning whether this is the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines we are building, and the quality of examples being set for the future generation of our country. The robust campaigning is normal, political picong and satire is acceptable, but never ever before have we seen or experienced political violence like this. The clarion call to those protesting by opposition vice president St. Clair Leacock, stating that the ‘peaceful’ has been removed from the protest, signaled the intention to do what they deemed necessary to draw attention to the issues being highlighted. One protester felt it necessary to hurl a missile at comrade Ralph on his way to Parliament, an action that achieved great success, wounding our beloved Comrade, causing his blood to spill on his white shirt. Upon return from Barbados where Comrade had some tests performed on the advice of the doctors at MCMH, he swiftly returned to the business of managing the affairs of the State, the job he was elected to do by the people of this country.
Rebuilding and resettling in the red zone A priority of the ULP administration is to oversee a smooth and orderly resettlement process of residents from communities in the Red Zone that have evacuated since the April 9, 2021 eruption of La Soufriere. Many of these residents who still live in emergency shelters have been anxious to return home to their properties and livelihoods, but were unable to do so because the “allclear” had not been given for them to return. Much work in clearing and cleaning had to be done, as well as the restoring of pipe-borne water and electricity was ongoing in communities above the dry river. Exceptional work by BRAGSA, VINLEC and CWSA has finally seen a restoration of the amenities and significant work in clearing much of the large boulders and debris that prevented the free movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic in some communities. The all-clear has now been given for residents to return home from August 23, 2021 and this news was met with excitement and relief by the very patient residents who are ready to return to their love ones. The government can now focus on its promise to relocate a number of families whose homes have either been destroyed or are in areas that have been deemed unsafe. Comrade Ralph has assured residents that this caring ULP administration will not allow affected residents to “fend” for themselves, but continue in the tradition of assistance that will improve significantly the living circumstances of residents. Work will also begin on the Sandy Bay
Secondary School and the Sandy Bay clinic as part of the continued improvement in infrastructure above the dry river.
Securing citizen’s health Just this week, the first tranche of Pfizer vaccines arrived in in country, making it the third vaccine this government is making available to its citizens. The level of vaccine hesitancy remains a concern, especially among our frontline workers and the government is doing its best to ensure that options in vaccines are available to citizens as continued efforts are made to get as many Vincentians vaccinated. The AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and now Pfizer are readily available here, while some countries in the region are still having difficulty sourcing vaccines for their citizens. This is remarkable and the government continues to encourage all Vincentians to get vaccinated and to those frontline workers that are at greater risk of contracting Covid-19, the encouragement is even stronger. This country has made great strides in acquiring vaccines that are safe, and effective in reducing the spread of Covid-19 and also in significantly reducing critical illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus. Vaccines remains the most effective tool yet in the tool box used in the fight against Covid-19 and the government has ensured that options are available to Vincentians. While the government doesn’t intend to make the taking of the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory, it has become necessary in some positions that the taking of the vaccine be required to protect both the employee of the State and the general public from the severe impacts of Covid-19. The misinformation spread by some, designed to create political mischief through the use of fear, should be avoided and citizens should consult the guidance provided by the government in relation to the positions and their requirements.
Conclusion The focus of the government, even in the aftermath of the violent, illegal protest that took place on August 6, 2021 remains steadfast on the management of the affairs of this country for the benefit of all its citizens and residents. The attempts by the opposition NDP and those sympathetic to its long-lived frustration on the parliamentary opposition benches have had no success in derailing the excellent work of the government. Many other areas could be discussed; the work in agriculture being done to assist farmers to get back up and running on their farms, the work in tourism with the first cruise call made in this country in almost 2 years are examples. The tourism story is most remarkable, as the work by the Ministry to create a bubble that would accommodate the cruise ship, proved quite effective and has been welcomed by the agents so that another ship is due to dock. If their intention was to topple the duly-elected government through the use of chaos and violence, they failed miserably as this ULP government was not shaken, but has remained resolute in its pursuit of a modern, post-colonial, competitive, many-sided economy, that is as once local, regional and global.
Statement concerning the arrest and charging of Kenson King and Adriana King On the afternoon of Friday, 13th August, 2021, Ms. Adriana King and Mr. Kenson King were arrested in separate actions by the police. Ms. King was taken to the Central Police Station in Kingstown and later transferred to the Questelles Police Station. Mr. King was taken initially to Questelles Police Station but was later moved to the Central Police Station. They were kept in police custody until Sunday afternoon. They were each charged with four offences. Following ceaseless efforts by their lawyers led by Mrs. Kay BacchusBaptiste, who called the Commissioner of Police and the Head of CID without having her calls answered, they were given station bail and released on Sunday evening. They had spent two days in jail under poor living conditions. Kenson King and Adriana King were each charged with four (4) counts of breaching the Public Order Act, as follows: that on July 29, 2021, each: (i) was concerned with organizing a public procession without notifying the Commissioner of Police at least 24 hours before the procession, and (ii) took part in a public procession in contravention of Section 5(1) of the Public Order Act, and that on August 5, 2021, they committed similar offences stemming from the protest action held in Kingstown on that day. Clearly, all the charges stemmed from the protest actions that were organized in Kingstown by the New Democratic Party, the Public Service Union and SVG Teachers Union and other social partners in opposition to the Public Health (Amendment) Bill and other serious issues. Despite widespread public disapproval of the Bill, the government pushed it through Parliament in the early hours of Friday morning, August 6th, when most people in the country were asleep and were unable to hear from the government why they were amending the law. Kenson King and Adriana King were taken to the Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 16thAugust, 2021. Present at the Magistrate’s Court in Paul’s Avenue were Leader of the Opposition, Dr. the Hon. Godwin Friday, Hon. St. Clair Leacock, Senator Shevern Lewis-John, Hon. Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble and family members and friends of both persons. Many other members of the public who came to express solidarity with Mr. King and Ms. King were stopped by armed police from coming near the court, suppressing the show of popular support for them against their arrest and charging. Dr. Friday commented that the
arrest and charging of Mr. King and Ms. King in this manner will not deter people from standing up for their democratic rights. He reiterated that Kenson King and Adriana King, like many other persons who were in the protest actions, had legitimate reasons to protest as the Bill being introduced by the government was very unpopular throughout the country. He committed the New Democratic Party to continuing to support the ideals of democracy, and the rule of law, and to standing with the people, including Kenson King and Adriana King, in the exercise of their democratic rights. We are not a police state, he noted, and therefore the rights and wishes of the people must be respected. When called upon by the Magistrate, Mr. King and Ms. King each pled not guilty to the charges brought against them. Their cases were adjourned to the 17th November 2021. They are represented by lawyers Mrs. Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, Mr. Israel Bruce, and Mrs. Shirlan Zita Barnwell.
Raids on protesters’ homes On August 7th, 2021, heavily armed ‘Black Squad’ police officers raided the homes of several persons. The only thing that these persons have in common is that they are perceived to be persons who were directly involved in the demonstration in Kingstown on Thursday 5th August, 2021. There is no indication whatsoever at that time and none now that any of these persons have committed any offence. It is clear that the authorities are coming for the people who they perceived as being in the forefront of the demonstration. We can expect therefore that other persons will also be on that long list of persons that they have targeted. This is clearly an attempt to intimidate and to frighten protestors, to frighten Vincentian citizens who have taken to the street because they are in disagreement with the government particularly regarding the Bill that was passed in the House recently to amend the Public Health Act. Further, the common denominator among all those persons who were harassed by the police and had their devices taken under warrants that were signed by a Justice of the Peace which say they were searching for firearms, electronic devices, documents, and to conduct an investigation into unlicensed firearm. This is clearly an attempt on the part of the authorities, on the part of police led by Commissioner of Police who is supposed to serve all the people, is an attempt to suppress the people from coming on the streets of Kingstown to voice their opposition to what the government is doing. The actions of the authorities and the police in this country are frightening. It is a dangerous course that they are taking. Undoubtedly, it is an attempt to take away our fundamental rights and freedoms that are enshrined in our constitution. We will not be deterred and they will not succeed in doing so.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 11.
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Follow the process
“Pay attention to detail … always.” Nigel Chambers, Inventory Control in Procurement at One St. Vincent Group Inc. (OSV). HERB HICKLIN, a Canadian animal feed specialist, was responsible for the management at East Caribbean Feeds Limited (a subsidiary of East Caribbean Group of Companies) when it was established in the early 1980s. He sought to develop a culture that encouraged employees to make every effort to avoid mistakes. This could be accomplished if/when individuals discipline themselves to pay attention to detail and to follow the established processes and procedures. However, he would remind staff that in the event that a mistake occurs, whether it be due to human or equipment error, every effort must be made to correct the mishap before the product leaves the plant. There is wisdom is following such a procedure in a manufacturing process. This is also an important principle in life – developing and maintaining the discipline to follow the established method if we are to avoid or minimize mistakes. Advocating that systems, structures, and processes be followed does not imply that we stifle innovation. Managers, leaders, and supervisors must continue to encourage improvement in product and service offerings. This is important if firms are to stay ahead of their competitors. However, there are basic principles that must be followed even when doing so. There should be a disciplined approach to the tasks performed in our homes, schools, and workplaces. To do otherwise would encourage anarchy and mayhem. Our goals are more likely to be achieved when we commit to paying attention to detail. Our objectives will tend to materialize when we seek to follow established processes. For example, as children we were advised to check the pockets of our clothing before placing them in the pile of clothes to be washed; there was a process of checking pockets before washing. Failure to do so may have resulted in items such as ballpoint pens, pencils, or pieces of paper smothering and causing damage to the garment and/or the individual engaged in the handwashing exercise. There was wisdom in following that process. We can understand and appreciate companies that establish systems, structures, and procedures that help to improve their effectiveness and efficiencies. Many companies now have manuals of procedures. Most of these documents would have been patiently crafted and edited by members of their respective management teams and with valuable input and insight from junior members of staff; individuals who are intimately involved in the particular process. Among other things, such documents highlight the step-by-step practices that should be followed in relation to procurement, finance, operations, fleet management, code of conduct, and so on. Such a document provides members of staff with a clear indication of what is expected of them and the roles played by various stakeholders in meeting a common goal. It is anticipated that the clarity provided in relation to the organisation’s systems and structures will enable staff members, departments, and the enterprise to better meet its objectives. Similarly, in life, we need to make
sure that the systems and structures that keep society strong are well entrenched and adequately maintained. Our justice system provides clarity in relation to what is acceptable behaviours for individuals, groups, and the society at large. As responsible citizens, we are expected to uphold the law. We are to perform our various tasks with honesty and integrity. We imbibe the wisdom that is entrenched in the old sayings; “Honesty is the best policy”, and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We cannot go far wrong if/when we follow these priceless rules. In doing so, we establish processes that guide individuals and societies to do what is right. Once these rules of behaviour and engagement have been established all we need do is develop the discipline to follow the processes that have been established. We will do what is right … and encourage others to do likewise. As we engage in following the processes that have been established for personal and corporate effectiveness, it is so very important to understand and appreciate why specific steps are created and followed. Parents and teachers need to bear this in mind when providing instructions to their wards. There may be some citizens who may argue that they do not need to communicate such benefits to their juniors or direct reports. However, this writer begs to differ. There is ample evidence that when an individual has an understanding and appreciation for why a task is performed (and done in a particular way) they are more likely to follow the process advocated. Communication is critical in enhancing the understanding of and commitment to the activity. There will be instances where individuals may stubbornly (and unwisely) seek to veer from the instructions or guidance provided. Such persons, for a host of reasons, may attempt to do things their own way; circumventing tried and tested ways of performing specific tasks. This may sometimes be the result of laziness. On other occasions it may just be that the individual is determined to be defiant; bent on bucking the system. This could be a most dangerous approach and may, depending on the situation, result in damage to property or people. For example, consider the electrician who knows that he should turn off the electrical power before seeking to repair an electrical fixture. However, in his haste, arrogance, or folly, he proceeds to engage in repairing the gadget without first turning off the main breaker. To his dismay, he erroneously makes a connection that results in electrical voltage passing through his body. This could have been avoided if he had followed the process of removing the electrical power source before embarking on his efforts to do the electrical repair. This scenario pointedly reminds us of the value derived from following the process. There is wisdom in doing so. Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to julesferdinand@gmail.com
The Taliban’s victory and America’s decline Guest Column by Chris Hedges
dissenter. Those who spoke out against the idiocy of the looming bloodlust were slandered and cast into the wilderness, where most remain. Those who sold us the war kept their megaphones, a reward for their service to empire and the military-industrial complex. Historians call the self-defeating military adventurism of late empires ‘micro-militarism.’ The historian Alfred Mc Coy says ‘While rising empires are often judicious, even rational in their application of armed force for conquest and control of overseas dominions, fading empires are inclined to illconsidered displays of power, dreaming of bold military masterstrokes that would somehow recoup lost prestige and power. Often irrational even from an imperial point of view, these micro military operations can yield haemorrhaging expenditures or humiliating defeats that only accelerate the process already under way.’ The death blow to the American empire will, as McCoy writes, be the loss of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This loss will plunge the United States into a crippling and prolonged depression. It will force a massive contraction of the global military footprint. The ugly, squalid face of empire, with the loss of the dollar as the reserve currency, will become familiar at home. The bleak economic landscape, with its decay and hopelessness, will accelerate an array of violent and self-destructive pathologies including mass shootings, hate crimes, opioid and heroin overdoses, morbid obesity, suicides, gambling, and alcoholism. The state will increasingly dispense with the fiction of the rule of law to rely exclusively on militarized police, essentially internal armies of occupation, and the prisons and jails, which already hold 25 percent of the world’s prisoners even though the United States represents less than five percent of the global population. Our demise will probably come more swiftly than we imagine. When revenues shrink or collapse, McCoy points out, empires become “brittle.” An economy heavily dependent on massive government subsidies to produce primarily weapons and munitions, as well as to fund military adventurism, will go into a tailspin with a heavily depreciated dollar. Prices will dramatically rise because of the steep increase in the cost of imports. Wages in real terms will decline. The unemployment level will climb to depression-era levels. Social assistance programs, because of a contracting budget, will be sharply curtailed or eliminated. These developments will fuel rage and hypernationalism. It will spawn an authoritarian state to keep order and a creeping Christianized fascism. The tools of control on the outer reaches of the empire, already part of our existence, will become widespread. The wholesale surveillance, the abolition of basic civil liberties, militarized police authorized to use indiscriminate lethal force, along with the censorship of the press and social media, will define America. We are not the first empire to suffer this fate. It is a familiar ending. Imperialism and militarism are poisons that eradicate the separation of powers, designed to prevent tyranny and extinguish democracy. If those who orchestrated these crimes are not held accountable through mass resistance, we will pay the price, and we may pay it soon, for their hubris and greed.
THE US EMPIRE is in terminal decline and heading for a dystopian future. Yet no one – not the generals, or politicians, not the CIA and intelligence agencies, diplomats, or the journalist from the establishment media who serve as cheerleaders for war, not the compliant academics or the defence industry will be held accountable for all the military follies that herald its imminent collapse. The return of the Taliban to power is one more signpost of the end of the American empire. The two decades of combat, the one trillion dollars spent, the 100,000 troops deployed to subdue Afghanistan, the high-tech gadgets, Hellfire missiles and bombs, air commandos, black sites, torture, electronic surveillance, attack aircraft, mercenary armies, infusions of millions of dollars to buy off and bribe the local elites and train an Afghan army of 350,000 failed to defeat a guerrilla army in one of the poorest countries on Earth. Empires at the end are collective suicide machines. The military in late empire becomes unmanageable, unaccountable, and endlessly selfperpetuating, no matter how many fiascos, blunders, and defeats it visits upon the carcass of the nation, or how much money it plunders, impoverishing the citizenry and leaving governing institutions and the physical infrastructure decayed. The human tragedy — at least 801,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan is reduced to a neglected footnote. Empires tend to collapse in an orgy of military folly. The Roman Republic, at its height, only lasted two centuries. America is set to disintegrate in roughly the same time. The is the enemy within. It is one of the dark ironies that it was the American empire, led by Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, which spawned the mess in Afghanistan. Brzezinski oversaw a multibillion-dollar CIA covert operation to arm, train, and equip the Taliban to fight the Soviets. This clandestine effort sidelined the secular, democratic opposition and assured the ascendancy of the Taliban in Afghanistan once Soviet forces withdrew. The American empire would, years later, find itself desperately trying to destroy its own creation. The attacks of September 11, 2001 were not an existential threat to the United States. They were not politically significant. They did not disrupt the balance of global power. They were not an act of war. They were acts of error. The only way to fight terrorists is to isolate them within their own societies. If America had the courage to be vulnerable, to grasp that this was an intelligence war, not a conventional war, it would be far safer and more secure today. But the attacks gave the ruling elites lusting for control of the Middle East, especially Iraq the excuse to carry out the greatest strategic blunder in American history: the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. The architects of the war, including then-Senator Joe Biden, believed they could implant client regimes by force throughout the region, and use the oil revenues in Iraq to cover the cost of reconstruction and magically restore American global hegemony. It did the opposite. Invading Iraq and Afghanistan, dropping bombs on villages and towns, kidnapping, torturing and imprisoning tens of thousands of people, resurrected the discredited radical muslims and was a potent recruiting tool in the fight against US and NATO forces. There was little objection within the power structures to these invasions. Send comments, criticisms & Rep. Barbara Lee was the lone suggestions to jomosanga@gmail.com
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12. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. THE VINCENTIAN
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ULP regime put jail before education
FOR A LONG TIME, it seems that the ULP regime has had too much focus on locking our children up and not enough time on educating our children. A flagship project of the ULP regime is the Belle Isle jail. The fact that the ULP regime built a jail before creating a world-class education system is appalling. Even today, we do not have a free, universal preschool system for all our children. It is the children of the poor who suffer the most, as many thousands of them miss out on the opportunity of attending preschool before going to primary school. SVG Green Party is deeply saddened by the backward thinking policies of the ULP leadership. They built a thirty million dollar jail before building a world-class education system. We still do not have our own university. Under Gonsalves’ watch, black youths have been going to jail in larger
numbers than any other period in our history. In 2009, more boys failed common entrance than in any other single year in our history. We see fifteen and sixteen year old male youths entering into criminal activity and going to jail. The ULP has failed to deliver an effective approach to help our boys to stay out of trouble and jail. Too many black youths who do not get a good education end up in jail. This ULP regime’s incompetent governance cannot, and should not, be accepted by our society. Clearly, the ULP regime’s education revolution has failed when so many of our youths are herded into jail, rather than being given the precious opportunity of a lifetime of wealth which comes with a university education. If there was compassion in the ULP government then all children in SVG could look forward to a happy future. Unfortunately though, many
youths can only look forward to pacing up and down in a cell, as they are denied a proper education. From childhood, why don’t we give our children a proper preschool education, then a proper primary education, then a proper secondary education, then a free university education in SVG, then give them marketable skills so that they can compete in the global job market. Don’t our children deserve better? The effect of the ULP regime’s divisive educational strategy is horrendous. It has created an imbalance in our society, where those who are left behind — the children of the poor — will forever be struggling to catch up educationally and financially. They will be destined to a life of poverty and be unable to cope in a fast changing world. Crime is a definite offshoot of this sort of policy. No doubt the ULP regime will build more jails before they provide our
Dollars without sense by Anthony Stewart, PhD PENNIES and cents have been taken out of use officially but many shops continue to quote prices using them. The idea of rounding off has taken hold everywhere so that many no longer worry about using such small denominations to balance their accounts. Rounding off $95 million to $0 is quite a leap. School children no longer seem to want to deal with coins
less than 25 cents. Some do not bother to pick up coins of any amount from the ground. Of late, some shopkeepers have been refusing to accept 10 and 5 cent pieces for payment. But consumers must assert their right to make payments using the currency of legal tender. This includes 10 and 5 cent pieces. Some establishments have been quoting foreign currency in their pricing, distressing locals. The
Department of Consumer Affairs needs to look into this and ensure that our local people are not discriminated against in any way. Accounting for our own money is a challenge. Loans, mortgage, goods credited from shops, and monies borrowed from relatives, and friends are all recorded carefully. If my payments are not forthcoming, they give me a reminder so that they can collect. I, myself may not keep meticulous record of what I owe. If I am confronted about bills I owe from 5 years ago, I am not likely to remember. It appears that the Accountant General is in a similar position. Checks and balances should have been put in place so that taxpayer’s money can be safeguarded. This means that for every quantity of money that is spent, a corresponding check written in the name of the recipient keeps tract of it. Balance occurs when reconciliation is made with the Bank. Thus, the Bank as well as the Accountant General’s workers will be keeping records of the same expenditure. I call this Double Entry. Additionally, any receipt generated, and any minutes or directive from a responsible authority linked to each check is noted, lengthening the money trail. Receipt #s, photographs of the recipients and goods purchased may also be recorded. It is now easy to make electronic files. So, there is no shortage of documentation records. Text messages can also be used to record instructions taken on the go. Professional Accountants may have their own terminology with different meanings, but for me and many ordinary folks, my method may suffice. According to the Auditor General, $95 million dollars was removed from the Government’s Overdraft facility at the bank from 5 years ago and the Accountant General did not provide sufficient documentation detailing the whereabouts of the money. It is to be noted:
children with a world-class education system. According to the Leader of SVG Green Party, Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal BSc (hons), MSc, MBA, our youth are our future. We have a civic responsibility to allow them the opportunity of a world-class education from preschool to university. A Green government would create an environment in which the sky is our children’s limit — not the Belle Isle jail! www.svggreenparty.org https://twitter.com/svggreenparty https://www.facebook.com/SVGGreen-Party-1
1. 5 years is too long a period and those who did the reckoning in their head would not remember. Accounting and auditing needs to be done on a yearly basis. 2. The bank accurately records that the money of $95 million left the bank. 3. The Accountant General was unable to provide documented evidence of how the $95 million was spent. The appropriate action to be taken appears to be: 1. Determine where the money went if possible. Embezzlement? Theft? Misappropriation? 2. Resignation of the Accountant General? Minister of Finance? Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance? Prime Minister? Government? 3. Bring Motion of No Confidence in the Government if this is a normal democratic country? 4. Parliament provides sufficient staff and funding for yearly Accounting and Auditing. 5. Employ Forensic Auditors and Police to find and return the $95 million to the Government Treasury. 6. Provide the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee with office space, a secretary and sufficient funding to do their work. It appears that those currently responsible for the country’s finances are unable to account for the whereabouts of $95 million from 5 years ago. We were not given proper accounting for Argyle International Airport. Financial problems will be compounded if they are not dealt with expeditiously. The most recent 5 years may very well reveal additional potential improprieties. All this seems to lead to Misbehavior in Public Office and I am not interested in anyone going to jail but that all the monies be returned by those who removed it without proper authorization and documentation. Integrity legislation would have kept people with sticky fingers from putting their hands in the cookie jar. We need to act now before all of us are reduced to abject, EXTREME, poverty.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 13.
News
ROC (Taiwan) donates oxygen concentrators to SVG
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN), HE Calvin Ho, donated 30 sets of oxygen concentrators to the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on behalf the government of Republic of China (Taiwan). These items, handed over on 10th August, were received by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Mr. Cuthbert Knights. The ceremony formed part of the Embassy’s series events in celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. As both countries continue on working closely in all areas of mutual cooperation, the donation symbolized the partnership between the two countries. Ambassador Ho revealed that the donation was
following upon previous donations of ventilators, medical masks, protective gowns and other medical supplies to the government and civil society of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since the outbreak of COVID19 in 2020. In addition, the Embassy of ROC (Taiwan) has made several donations of medical resources to the Bequia Hospital and the Nurses Association of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He expressed his admiration for the resilience shown by Vincentians in the face of the volcanic eruption of La Soufrière. He affirmed the belief that the hardship would end someday and confirmed that Taiwan would stand firmly with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to address the global pandemic and natural disaster issues. Ambassador Ho also stressed his
appreciation to the support of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to Taiwan in participating international organizations and events. Permanent Secretary Cuthbert Knights expressed his appreciation for the support from the Embassy of
the Republic of China (Taiwan) as it continuously provides critical equipment and medical supplies at the time of urgent need. He reiterated that the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Environment would make the best use of the 30 sets of
Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), HE Calvin Ho and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Cuthbert Knights share a light moment during the presentation of 30 oxygen concentrators (inset) to the Governmnent of SVG. oxygen concentrators for the welfare of the people and expressed gratitude on behalf of the government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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14. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
Education
Teachers receive training in Teaching Reading Minister of Education, Hon. Curtis King
Caribbean Joint Board of Teacher Education, the “IT IS THEREFORE CRITICAL that University of the West Indies those who are charged with the and the OECS Commission. delivery of education, have the The course which centred capacity to deliver that quality around the Teaching of education; and it is within this Reading in the Primary context that we can see this Grades, formed part of the wonderful activity this morning.” Early Learners Programme These were the words of within the Ministry of Minister of Education, Hon. Education. The participating Curtis King at the ceremony of teachers went through three the presentation of certificates months of Specialised Training for a Reading Certificate Course and were presented with undertaken by twenty-three certificates upon completion. teachers, which was held at the The Education Minister Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, expressed heartfelt thanks to 10th August. those entities who came The programme was a forward to commit to the collaboration between the delivery of quality education. by GLORIAH…
He stated, “I want to commend the Ministry of Education and its partners: the USAID, the East Caribbean Joint Board of Teacher Education, the UWI as well as the OECS Commission for working together in producing this programme that sought to enhance the quality of our teachers, to put them in a position to deliver quality education.” Also on hand to give remarks was Mrs. Elizabeth Walker. She highlighted benefits of the programme as, “You are the beneficiaries of a reading programme that was designed to equip you with the
relevant pedagogical skills necessary for effectively teaching our students using the best approaches to enhance their reading performance especially in the foundation grades: Kindergarten to Grade Three.” She further urged the teachers to make maximum use of their newly acquired knowledge and skills in a consistent and effective manner, then ended with a mantra for programme outcomes. She articulated, “Let us all be rewarded with the shared joy witnessing our students read effortlessly and
happily as they develop into well-rounded, successful students.” The new school year is scheduled to begin on October 4, 2021. These teachers will have great opportunities to put what they have learned into practice.
YATE enrollment in Union Island
Minister of Finance, Hon. Camillo Gonsalves
RESIDENTS ON UNION ISLAND will be expected to improve their skills in a range of technical and vocational areas following the inception of the YATE program on the island on Tuesday. Youth & Adult Training for Employment (YATE) is one of three skills training and certification programmes currently underway in SVG , along with SKYE and ANEW. In 2020 YATE provided training to over 400
youth in a number of areas including plumbing, garment production and horticulture. Last Tuesday the Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves joined Minister of Education, Curtis King in welcoming the first 25 YATE enrollees in Union Island. According to Gonsalves, “This first cohort will be certified in bartending and restaurant operations, in light of the tourism developments in the Southern Grenadines”. He said that YATE provides a stipend to enrollees, and will continue training youth through July 2022. “This $5.7m programme is another small down payment in
Minister of Education, Curtis King (furthest left) with enrollees. facilitating a population of skilled, hardworking, certified and trainable youth in SVG,” said the Finance Minister. The YATE program is designed to assist adults between the ages of 17-45 to
develop and pursue further employment related training. It is the first time residents on the Grenadines Island will be able to gain training in two CVQ level 2 courses. Training begins on Monday 23rd.
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 15.
News
No eruption at La Soufrière
issued a statement …and so too Michelle Forbes ON SATURDAY, 14th from NEMO has issued a August, a huge, all-white lengthy summary cloud appeared in the statement about what same area where huge transpired,” he said, ash plumes have been “those persons who are appearing after the saying the Soufriere is explosive eruptions of the erupting again, they’re La Soufrière volcano. just wrong! It’s not true, As images of this it’s false! Richie phenomenon were Robertson has said plastered across social repeatedly and so too media, layman NEMO, that because of explanations followed. the heat of the rocks at Many felt that it was the La Soufrière, when the result of an ‘obvious’ rains come you’ll have follow-up eruption, while steaming and the plumes others described it as you see, is just that.” ‘just a cloud above the Adamant that there Soufriere’. In an online was no increased seismic post circulating across activity, the Prime platforms, a speaker is Minister reiterated that heard as saying, “La persons should listen to Soufriere is in motion. I the authorities before believe this is a slight spreading false eruption going on at this conclusions. Listen to moment.” Professor Robertson, Prime Minister Dr. listen to Michelle Forbes, Ralph Gonsalves listen to the speaking on Saturday, seismologists, listen to 14th August on NBC Ralph, listen to Radio, chose to calm “the Montgomery Daniel. anxieties of persons who What we are having at have been troubled by the moment is a lot of the reports”. “Our own rain as you know, and we Professor Richie have had some lahars, Robertson of the SRC some mudflows. There’s who is here in St. a lot of material up there Vincent, would have and the rain that is by GLORIAH…
Plumes of steam observed in the vicinity of the La Soufrière volcano after heavy rainfall last Saturday.
coming heavily will wash down in the river valleys in the North-east above the Rabacca River.” Dr. Gonsalves’ caution echoed the report of volcanologist Professor Richard Robertson. According to NBC Radio 705, in its communication with the scientist, he is reported as saying, “Earlier today, people would have noted white steam plumes
coming off the summit of the volcano. This is related to the excessive rainfall that we had. We’d expect that because of the hot rocks that are at the surface, …whenever there is a lot of rain, the rain is going to flash, to steam and we will have heavy steaming. Today when the clouds cleared the steaming started. The plume started quite
small and they coalesced and began getting bigger and bigger and became more visible for wide areas around the volcano. The volcano is not erupting. It’s not doing anything more unusual that it’s been doing.” Professor Robertson further stated that because this kind of activity was neither indicative of any
increased activity levels at the volcano nor any presence of new magma reaching the surface, the likelihood of any explosive activity is negligible. La Soufrière volcano began effusive eruptions in December, 2020; then began erupting explosively in April, 2021. Its final explosive eruption occurred on 22nd April, 2021.
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16. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
Business
DCash: making payments easier His delivery came from the ECCB headquarters in St. Kitts, in a Zoom link with its Vincentian counterpart. Antoine cited “payments” as the “lifeblood of every economy” hence the need to make sure that workers get their money in a timely fashion. The session was beamed at Frenches House in Kingstown marking the launch of the new money arrangement. Antoine Timothy Antoine, Governor of the Eastern expressed delight that Caribbean Central Bank St. Vincent and the Grenadines was into the who joined the press new era of cash conference via the dispersal. Zoom platform, lauded The Governor pointed the DCash initiative. to benefits of the DCash TIMOTHY ANTOINE, the interjection and sees it as Eastern Caribbean Central helping to “build our Bank’s Governor is keen digital economy in the on seeing workers getting Eastern Caribbean their wages more speedily. Currency Union (ECCU). And the best way of Antoine noted the ensuring this is embracing opening of the Argyle the use of DCash Internal Airport as a payments. Antoine plank of the nation’s conveyed his feeling last development, but noted week Thursday, August 12. that all sectors of the
economy ought to be engaged in the developmental process. To that end, Antoine sees the early receipt of payments as putting matters into the present day reality. “This is our future,” Antoine quipped, and added the “future is now.” The ECCB Governor praised Vincentian Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves for his endorsement of the DCash initiative. Representative for this country on the ECCU’s Monetary Council, Gonsalves welcomed the new platform for doing business. He laments this country’s continued reliance on raw cash. He describes that dependency as an “impediment” to rapid progress. He alluded to the multi-island nature of the state, and with the displacement forced by eruption of the Soufriere volcano, the Finance
Minister sees the introduction of the DCash facility here as “creating new opportunities for digital cash to thrive.” Government will be using the facility and persons will soon be able to get their Public Assistance payments through the DCash outlet. Those receiving Income Support as a result of the Volcano Relief efforts can also look forward to DCash payments. Gonsalves is urging Vincentian business houses to latch on to the DCash era. He also sees it as a pillar in regional solidarity with faster transaction across the region. “It will be a boom in regional commerce,” Gonsalves cited. He echoed the benefits of the new dispensation, with the features of speedy operations and
safe money dealings. His appeal is for merchants and the wider business environment to link up with the DCash system. “Get it early,” Gonsalves advised. There is no question as to Gonsalves’ anxiety to get the DCash train rolling. For him, DCash is “safe, effective, quick,” and he welcomes it as “critical to getting St. Vincent and the Grenadines out of this antiquated business environment.” It there was any doubt as to the credibility of the new business era, live demonstrations of transactions were displayed across the region with triangular interaction between governor Antoine, Minister Gonsalves and local worker Timothy Scott. A lively interactive session ensued with interest peaking as to the prospects of the new thrust.
Minister of Finance, Hon. Camillo Gonsalves endorsed the DCash initiative. The ECCB officials are making it clear that they are not in competition with any other digital cash providers and that there is space and opportunities for anyone. Antoine used the opportunity to point out the need for update laws in the financial sector. According to him, work is progressing on a ‘Modern Payment Services Bill’ which is slated for introduction in 2022. (WKA)
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 17.
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18. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
News
SVG Red Cross pledges to support Haiti
President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Bernard Morgan, has pedged the organisation support to Haiti which was hit by a devastating earthquake recently.
PRESIDENT OF THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES RED CROSS (SVGRC) Bernard Morgan is pledging support of the organisation to Haiti as that nation grapples with the aftermath of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on August 14th. Morgan said that SVGRC is in support of the people of Haiti and stands in solidarity with them during this
moment of need. He stated that through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) he is pledging his support of appropriate human resources to respond in the areas of disaster management and operations. He said the SVGRC has done it before and is more than prepared to assist Haiti during this time.
The President deeply empathises with the Haitian people and agonises about the suffering and economic hardship that they endure in the wake of such devastation. This, he said, is coupled with persistent poverty which creates a development dilemma that has plagued the country in its recent history. Despite the fact that
Vincentians are suffering from the effects of a volcanic eruption, Morgan is confident that Vincentians would see the need to assist Haiti at this time. He recounted that he received support during the SVG volcanic eruption from many Caribbean leaders including the President of the Haitian Red Cross who pledged his unwavering support to the national society. In speaking about the local disaster situation, he said “Although we are still in the disaster… we have to underscore that we have reached to the point of recovery. We are out of the immediate emergency phase and we are entering now into the recovery phase. We got tremendous assistance in terms of food, water, clothing and other relief items, that people needed immediately after the impact of the eruption. Now, we are going into a
phase where we are considering restoring livelihoods, rebuilding and rehabilitation. Isn’t it incumbent on us, because of this tragedy in Haiti to pause for a while, reflect on how gracious God has been to us, and that we can lend a helping hand to a Caribbean sister nation who is now in their immediate emergency phase?” Morgan said. He continued, that by supporting Haiti, it will only show the true character and strength of
the Vincentian people. The SVGRC President said that any support extended to the devastated nation of Haiti will be commendable. The Haitian government declared a state of emergency after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Saturday August 14th, leaving at least 1,297 people dead and more than 5,700 injured, according to the country’s civil protection agency. (Submitted)
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 19 .
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20. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
News
SVBLA gives a helping hand
PERSONS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES are that
much closer to benefitting from a facility that
specifically caters to their needs, thanks to a
financial contribution from the St. Vincent Building & Loan Association (SVBLA). On Monday, 17th August, the SVBLA handed over a monetary donation to the President of Voice of the Disabled, Mrs. Cheryl Adams, at the corporate head office of the St. Vincent Building & Loan Association. Voice of the Disabled, a rural, community-based, nonprofit organization, is pursuing the goal of establishing a Centre of Learning at the Old San Souci Community Centre. The President, Mrs. Adams, expressed her delight and gratitude to the SVBLA and stated that the donation will go a long way in assisting with the labour cost and repairs needed for the facility, especially since financial support has been difficult to come by locally. She further added that the centre will offer sessions in Craft, the teaching of Braille, Information Technology as well as the
Left to right (back): Mr. Sebastian Forde Insurance Manager, Mrs. Ava Weekes - Customer Service Manager. Left to right (front): Candice Sealey - Marketing Officer and Mrs. Cheryl Adams President of Voice of the Disabled. teaching of Home Economics to disabled persons so they can be more independent in their homes. The St. Vincent Building & Loan Association continues to focus on giving back to the Vincentian community. The public can have a glimpse of the work completed so far at the learning centre site by visiting the SVBLA social media pages over the next few days. St. Vincent Building & Loan Association: Incorporated on July 04, 1941 but began operations on January
03, 1941, is owned and managed by Vincentians, for the benefit of Vincentians. Located at Halifax Street, Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Association was founded with the intention of providing Vincentians with a means to practice thrift through regular, systematic savings and a way to experience the joy and pride of owning their own home. Today, the Association offers a range of services which include Loans, Deposits and Insurance products geared towards building lives one step at a time. (Submitted)
V TTSVGSG announces Diaspora
The EB John Memorial Bursary AUGUST 19, 2021 marked the first anniversary of the passing of colleague, friend and founder, Evans Bernard John. In commemoration, The Toronto SVG Support Group (TTSVGSG) announces the establishment of an annual education bursary, The EB John Memorial Bursary. The bursary will be awarded each year to a National of St. Vincent and The Grenadines pursuing post-secondary studies in the Communication Arts or related field at the Open Evans Bernard John Campus of the University of the West Indies. In the first year, the Bursary two thousand Eastern Caribbean dollars ($2,000 EC) will be awarded to one individual. Details on the application and selection process will be provided at a later date. The bursary amounts and awardees will be announced each subsequent year by TTSVGSG. The TTSVGSG expects this bursary will help deserving individuals achieve excellence in a field that was close to EB’s heart and thereby, be a fitting tribute in his honour. In addition to its charitable activities in Toronto, the following is a synopsis of some of the Group’s support efforts in SVG: * Worked together with CARI-ON, the SVG Association of Toronto, the Consulate General of Toronto and other groups and volunteers in sending 14 shipping containers of relief supplies to SVG in response to the recent La Soufriere eruption. * Donated to: - SVG Rotary Club South - Christmas toys annually - Lions Club South — Christmas family food baskets annually - Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre - Integrated Team Developing Athletic Talent (ITDAT) Academy - St. Vincent Autism Society - Various schools in SVG - books and printers - VINSAVE - video projector, popcorn machine and groceries * Sponsors two students through the SVG Association of Toronto’s Adopt-A-Child Program. * Donated together with The SVG Association of Toronto: - An SE-1200 ECG Unit to the Chateaubelair Hospital (2019); - Blood pressure units to SVG medical clinics (2018); - Funds to the School for Children with Special Needs in Kingstown (2017). * Initiated and facilitated the donation of 60 hospital mattresses to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital from Toronto’s West Park Healthcare Centre (2019). * Provided funds, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Toronto, to construct a house for a family in North Leeward following the December 2013 floods. EB founded The Toronto SVG Support Group in 2012. His vision for the Group, as stated among its core objectives, was to promote and facilitate positive interaction among nationals of SVG throughout the Diaspora, and to partner with or otherwise support any other SVG and Caribbean group or persons with a similar vision. Through its steadfast and consistent contributions, activities and support to other groups since 2012, EB’s vision has been, and continues to be, fulfilled. (Submitted)
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 21.
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22. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. THE VINCENTIAN
Advice
Not too old for sex
Dear George, I AM 65 YEARS OLD and my wife is 58 years old. We have a problem in our marriage: my wife thinks I think too much about sex at my age. I have a very strong sexual desire 90 percent of the time. My wife keeps saying, “Me too ole for sex now” and this gets me mad. She criticizes me and is asking me to “cool out”. George, if my wife has resigned from sex, I am very much still on the job. I find her highly unreasonable to expect me to live the rest of my life sitting on ‘dry dock’. I told her to get her act together or I’m getting my satisfaction whether she likes it or not. There is nothing physically wrong with her! In her late twenties and early thirties, she would make me beg for my bedroom pleasure. When I began looking for another woman she wised up and did a little better. Now that we are getting down in years she is holding fast to the view that sex is not for old people and I have a serious problem with that. It would be a sad affair if this becomes a deal breaker in our marriage.
Not happy. Dear Not happy, It would be indeed be sad and unfortunate if this issue ends up being the cause for the breaking of your marriage. One of the golden rules of marriage is that neither partner ought to withhold themselves from the other. Your wife may not be aware how much you are affected by her lack of interest in sex and may therefore need to see a sex therapist or a marriage counselor. This is a matter that should be discussed at length and its imperative that both of you start thinking about ways to meet the needs of the other, putting aside selfishness and replacing it with understanding and heightened intimacy.
George
A question of trust
after, saying they had fun and it was just like old times. He further FOR THE PAST 2 said, “Now you are months my wife and I reminded what you have have not touched each been missing.” She other. I feel that she is explained that statement either having an affair by saying he was with her ex or had one. She tearfully denied this, referring to his funny but I do not believe her. jokes. This has been a major stumbling block to One day, I got home from work and met them us carrying on as usual. both sitting in the living Somehow I have this annoying feeling in my room having a gut that I’m being conversation over drinks. I work from 7am played. to 7pm and she told me Disturbed that her ex who lives overseas “dropped by” the house since 12 noon. Dear Disturbed, She admitted she knew The circumstances he planned to visit her days before. She told me that you have described she advised him to come do not prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that when I am not home your wife is having or because she knew I had an affair with her would object to him visiting. What made me ex. Yes, her actions can be described as even more suspicious somewhat shady. Yes, about this visit was he she showed poor texted her not too long
Dear George,
judgment by having her ex at the house during your absence; and yes, the text message can be interpreted in more than one ways than one. But, at the end of the day, this is a question of trust. This matter needs to be properly ventilated until both of you can see the point of view of the other and find a way to write this off as something that should have never happened and will never happen again. It would help if your wife could understand that by keeping the Ex out of the equation, it allows for a healthier relationship. If you two cannot resolve this civilly then I advise that you get a professional to assist you.
George
Fraudulent representation of love Dear George,
So much for real love.
I MIGRATED to New York three years ago and promised my girlfriend I would find a way for her to join me soon after. Things did not work out as planned and she is still in SVG. Word came to me that she moved in with another man while telling me she is patiently waiting on me. I asked her about the rumor I heard and she denied it. I was so in love with this woman that I was actually contemplating moving back to be with her. When I mentioned this to her, she quickly discouraged me and begged me to stick it out for both our sakes. George, the truth of the matter is, she was living with another man and is carrying his second child. It is beyond me why she did not tell me this at the beginning.
Hurt. Dear Hurt, Unfortunately, some people are fraudulent representatives of love but that does not mean there is something amiss with the concept of love. Love does not allow certain practices to take place. You went away with the intention of making things better for you both but she probably had other ideas. It would have been best if she had honestly communicated her feelings about your prolonged absence and intentions not to wait around. Take it for what it is and start focusing on improving your lot until you are ready to love again.
George.
Leisure
ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) They will not have the patience to wait for you to complete things that they've asked you to do. Try to be fair in your dealings with acquaintances. Deceit with coworkers is apparent. TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) Physical activity will help defuse your frustration. Investments may be misrepresented this week. Your ideas may be good, but they aren't necessarily right for everyone. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Try to iron out any friction over money with your mate or conflicts could prevail. Sign up for tours or courses that will enlighten you. You will be in the mood to socialize. You will gain a lot if you listen. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Avoid friends or acquaintances who drink too much. You can't lose this week unless you get involved in gossip or overwork to the point of exhaustion. You need to get down to basics with regard to yourself. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) It will be all around you. You can win points with children if you take the time to show interest in their accomplishments. You may want to get involved in some kind of creative group. Spend time getting to know each other. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) You can make career moves that will bring you a much higher income. You may be angry if someone tries to take credit for something you did. You may be emotional about the way an organization you belong to is handling its business.
LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) You should be able to get a lot done. Travel and communications will not run as smoothly as you had hoped. Travel will be favorable. Your involvement in organizational events could open doors to new and exciting opportunities. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Show what a dedicated person you can be. Opportunities to make financial gains through investments look promising. You will meet exciting new people through interest groups or functions that you attend with your children. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Visit someone who hasn't been feeling well lately. Reevaluate your position and make decisions about your future goals. You should consider getting your whole family involved in a project at home. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) You'll regret every word for some time to come. You may be looking through rose colored glasses. You will find yourself tied to the phone. Try not to get involved in other people's problems. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19) Satisfy your passionate mood. You are best to do something energetic with friends instead. Make changes in your domestic scene. You can make new friends if you get involved in group activities. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Pleasure trips will turn out to be better than anticipated. Sign up for courses that will bring you more skills. Close deals that have been up in the air and move on to new ones that appear to be profitable.
ACROSS 1. Added fuel to 4. Sleeve end 8. Antlered animal 12. Furious feeling 13. Eye flirtatiously 14. Swinging Horne 15. Ascot alternative 16. Game birds 18. Cloth remnant 20. Feathered critter 21. Ink-holding implement 23. Shiny fabric 26. Caesarian title 30. Snatch 32. Beneficial 33. Aries symbol 35. High point 36. Sticky slime 37. Threw a fist at 39. Hauls 6. Went airborne 43. Juniper-flavored 7. Worries liquor 8. Incline 44. 24-hour spans 9. Six plus four 46. Duck cousins 10. Colony insect 50. Text division 54. Unopened blossom 11. Vaporous element 17. Saltwater body 55. Resting on 19. Imitated 56. Single group 22. Neither this – that 57. Massive 24. Ruler segment 58. Sum owed 25. Christen 59. Dogs and cats 26. Souffle item 60. Farmyard shelter 27. Frame of mind 28. Unacceptable DOWN 29. Knock loudly 31. Snooze place 1. Temper tantrums 34. Coffee container 2. Rocker Clapton 35. Skin blemish 3. Forest dweller 4. Reddish-orange metal 38. Dark times 40. Become 5. “How repellent!”
accustomed 41. Comedic bit 42. Maple sweetener 45. Mentally healthy 47. Loses power
LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 23.
48. Three-piece – 49. Irritable 50. Steno tablet 51. Enjoyed oysters or oatmeal 52. Be a thief 53. Cherry see
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24. FRIDAY, APRIL 03, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN
SVG gains top ten finishes in CCC
From left: Trevor Bailey (President of the SVG Cycling Union), Albert Quammie, Zefal Bailey, Cammie Adams, Emmerson Holder.
ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES gained two top-ten finishes when the Caribbean Cycling Championships (CCC) took place last Thursday, 12th August, in the Dominican Republic. This, as Zefal Bailey placed ninth and Cammie Adams tenth, in the 57 miles Road Race. Bailey clocked 1:54.04, while Adams’ tenth place, was a hundredth
of a second slower than Bailey’s. St Vincent and the Grenadines representative, Albert Quammie, finished twelfth. The event was won by Joshua Kelly of Barbados in a time of 1:53.31. Seventeen cyclists started the race, with only fifteen completing. Meanwhile, the Vincentian trio also participated in the Pan
American Championships on Sunday 15, where Bailey alone completed 106 miles course, which was won by Andre Martinez Soto of Colombia in 3:38. Bailey, who placed thirty-sixth, was seven seconds behind the winner. Quammie dropped out of the race after 60 miles, while Adams crashed on the last lap and was
unable to finish. Bailey, Quammie and Adams, will turn their attention to the Elite Category of the Antigua and Barbuda Cycling Federation’s Subway Three Stage Invitational, this weekend. They will be joined by Peter Durrant, Martin
Bollers and Desron Bynoe in the Masters Category and Amber Glasgow of Squash fame, who will participate in the Elite Female segment. Shimano Bailey and Emmerson Holder are accompanying the cyclists as mechanic and
Manager, respectively. The Three Stage Race includes a Time Trial, a Criterium and a Road Race. Peter Durrant is the defending champion in the Masters category. He champed in 2019, the last occasion that the event was held.
X-Cel Summer Camp opens THE X-CEL SPORTS CLUB 10th Annual Summer Camp was officially opened earlier this week at the Richmond Hill Playing Field. This year’s camp is being held under the theme ‘Developing Quality’. Over 50 athletes, inclusive of persons as young as nine years old, are expected to participate in the twoweek camp, and Godfrey Harry, X-Cel’s Head Coach, emphasized that this year they are going back to full schedule. “We are focusing on three basic track and field events - the throws, jumps, sprints — and will also have a netball component.” There will also be “development sessions,” Harry said, “with persons coming in to speak to the athletes on different life topics.” With the intention of going beyond simply bringing athletes together, the Head Coach noted that they will be
Godfrey Harry, Head coach of X-Cel Sports Club, aims to assist athletes to acquire the competency required to move from one level to the next. Left: Athletes get briefing at the beginning of the camp.
focusing on specific events like the long and high jumps, and the sprints where the concentration will be on using the starting blocks. “Even if they do not perfect it, we want to make sure that they get the basic and the
understanding of what is expected at the next level,” Harry explained. Camp participants will also be involved in some minicompetition events as a means of judging their progress. Coach Harry needed no
convincing that his Sport Club’s Annual Camp has borne fruit. “We have athletes who came out from these camps who are overseas — Kyleann Kirby, Zenron Chance, Uroy Ryan, and Zamisha Myers who
will be going off to a scholarship in the United States,” Harry cited. He also highlighted, “We also have athletes from the camp who are now coaches — like Shantel Legear, Javid Marksman, Ronique Dowers. So we want to make sure we can continue developing athletes with quality so they can move on to the next level.” I.B.A.ALLEN
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 25.
Sports
National U-20 Female Football Provisional Squad named NATIONAL Female Under-20 selectors have named thirty-nine (39) players ahead of the final selection for the CONCACAF Qualifiers next month in Curaçao. The squad includes ten members who were part of the 2019 team: Samonique LaBorde, Ashanti Douglas, Kitanna Richards, Areka Hooper, Arenna Grant, Denel Creese, Cassian Samuel, Shaielle Williams, Kendra Findlay and Shannel Lampkin. They are joined by Aresia Miller, Ashante Bowens, Cavorn Delpesche, Clenetta Brudy, D’ Andrea James, De’ Andrea Barbour, Denella Creese, Jayana Glasgow, Jefiesha Ackie, Jonella Alexander, Kacy-Ann Providence, Kayanna Douglas, Keyrena Jordon and Kaywana Byron. The rest of the provisional squad is Kaylra Jackson, Kendra Isles, Khadiah Ashton, Kiara Jackson, Kizzy-Ann Providence, Kyla Gibson, Monella Lavia, Rhondo Augustus,
Rachel Edwards, Samayaa Connell, Saquana Duncan, Shelicia Joseph, Shakeyra Kydd, Sonja Mc Kie, Teia LaBorde and Tishana James. St Vincent and the Grenadines is placed in Group A, along with Bermuda, Dominica and the US Virgin Islands. The Vincentians are slated to open their campaign at the Hato Ergillo Stadium in Willemstad on 13th September versus Dominica, and engage the US Virgin Islands on 15th September. The final qualifying match will be against Bermuda on 17th September. Should St Vincent and the Grenadines top the group, a place in the Knock Out stage awaits. The rest of the qualifying phase sees the Cayman Islands, Anguilla and Martinique in Group B, while St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and Curacao are in Group C. Group D is made of Grenada, Suriname and Belize. The winners from each of the
groups will be combined with the twelve teams emerging from the group stage, in which sixteen teams, divided into Shaielle Williams four groups will contest for honours. As such, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guyana, Guatemala, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Nicaragua and St Kitts and Nevis, are the sixteen, based on their rankings. The group stage takes place in early 2022, to be followed by the Knock-Out, which is a single-match elimination. The three teams from the elimination round, will book Areka Hooper places to the October Finals, which are scheduled for Costa Rica.
Kendra Findlay
Shannel Lampkin
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26. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 . THE VINCENTIAN
Sports
Caribbean Premier League kicks off IF THERE is hint of the “Indianisation” of the Caribbean Premier League, it might be true. But there is nothing sinister about that, for India is proving itself as the foundation of modern-day cricket, even though they are not the official Test world champs. New Zealand eclipsed for that honour, recently. Reflecting on the last week of Test cricket and the results, India might be the happiest nation in the world. They crowned the pleasure with an ecstatic and enthralling victory over England at Lords last Monday. And we have not heard the rest of the drama as it unfolded. Whatever your perspective, India must be commended. There are activities, events, analyses, and speculations that take place off the field of play, but it is what happens on the day that matters. India stormed to victory in dazzling fashion, and with that has emerged a new era of Indian cricket of having not to rely on their traditional spin bowling. Once ridiculed for their fragility to fast bowling, India has turned the tables. So when the Caribbean Premier League winds up Wednesday September 15, there will have been some influence on the tournament. Three teams have the Indian signature. First it was the Trinbago Knight Riders, a spill of the Indianbased Kolkata Knight Riders. This season sees the St. Lucia Kings, with a franchise controlled by the KPH Dream Cricket brand, the consortium that owns Punjab Kings. The Barbados Royals, formerly Tridents, have some Rajasthan Royals connections. The other teams in this year’s CPL are Jamaica Tallawahs, Guyana Amazon warriors and the St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots. This year’s showdown begins Thursday, August 26 when Jamaica Tallawahs play St. Lucia Kings, followed by Trinbago Knight Riders against Barbados Royals. All matches will be at Warner Park in St. Kitts. The Indian nation would have enjoyed the result of the first Test West Indies versus India, if only for the fact that their neighbours and arch enemies were beaten by a West Indies outfit, by the slimmest of margins. The second test in that series is into its first day today August 20. No less drama is anticipated at the Sabina Park in Kingston Jamaica. That match, once out of the way will provide the platform, for perhaps a late surge by some players, at earning a call up for duties in the ICC World Cup carded to start in October. One like Keswick Williams will be keen to make a statement to the selectors that their decision to leave him out of contention for recent duties was a mistake. He will be doing his best to impress, even if it means filtering his way into the heart and soul of the Punjab Kings dynasty. There will be many issues to consider while the tournament gets going. With the sporting events prevalent and dominant on the international stage, the appetite for competitive local action is increasing. But except for the fourth version of the Vincy Premier League, there has been no other cricket competition. If the reopening of schools is anything to judge, there might be some sprinkling of competition on the threshold. For if youths continue to be out of the fold owing to the restrictions, in addition to the breakdown of civic values which the educational system triggers, the sharpness and coordinative requirements of a well-rounded student will be lost.
Ryan has shown marked improvement UROY RYAN, a resident of Gomea and a past student of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, is currently enrolled at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education & Sport, Jamaica. Ryan is a field athlete, specializing in the Long Jump. His training under the expertise available at the G.C. Foster College must have been a major
contributing factor in Uroy Ryan him winning the has no NACAC Under-18 Long complaints Jump, when those about his Games were held in enrollment at Costa Rica early this G.C. Foster year. College. He is looking forward to complete his external far at G.C. exams next year after Foster, which he will pursue Ryan advanced studies in admits, “I Coaching and can’t Management. complain And as for his time so because I am improving
drastically and have to thank God for the opportunity. “Before I left SVG I was jumping 6.5 meters and within a year’s time I am jumping 7 meters which is the currently the national Under-20 Long Jump record in SVG. As for the high jump, I am now jumping Coach Ricky Dean 1.94 meters which is my said that he had high personal best. I am expectations for his always looking to athlete even though he improve but as my long got into swimming just and high jumps specialist over a year or so ago. advises, it will take hard “As the first work and dedication to Paralympian from SVG, achieve more.” it’s a historic moment, so And even a he is doing I expect him to do his well academically, he best… he is a very also has his eyes set on determine and confident qualifying for the next guy as he always strives Olympics. for gold, and once he “I know the Olympics improves on his time in is of a high standard but Berlin he will more than once God has plans for likely advance to the me and I continue to semis,” Dean said. train, I definitely believe Like Creese, Dean I can make the Olympics said that going into team,” he said. Japan earlier to train in Ryan is now home the 50 meters at Nippon enjoying some rest and Sports University before recreation, but he is also the Games start will be a committed to assist the plus, in that he will be X-Cel Sports Club Dexroy Creese (left) and coach Rickey Dean more mentally prepared Summer Camp, which comprise this country’s delegation to the 2020 as well as acclimatized to began earlier this week. Paralympics in Japan. the water temperature. “Based on his body I.B.A.ALLEN structure, I believe he THIS COUNTRY’s first which permits a will have a good reach in ever Paralympian has swimmer to compete in the water as he is very headed out early for Freestyle, Butterfly and tall, and I expect him to Tokyo, Japan, host of the Backstroke events. do better than in Berlin,” 2020 Summer Creese will compete in Dean said hopefully. Paralympics branded as the 50 meters Freestyle. As part of his Tokyo 2020 Paralympic As he prepared for his preparation, Creese had Games, to be staged from departure, Creese said, his first taste of August 24 to September “Going into Japan earlier international competition 5. is important for me as it when he participated in Swimmer Calville will allow me to get the traditional Berlin Creese, aka Dexroy familiar with the 50 World Series, Germany, Creese, and his coach meters’ pool.” from June 17 this year. Ricky Dean left here for He didn’t hide his He competed in the Male Tokyo last week excitement saying, “I am 50m and 100m Freestyle. Thursday, Aug. 12. upbeat about the Creese’s first plunge He is classified as a opportunity and I am into the pool in Tokyo Paralympic S9, i.e. an going to give it my 100 will be on August 30th. above-elbow and/or percent. My aim is to go above-knee amputee, for gold.” I.B.A.ALLEN
Creese makes early departure for Japan
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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021. 27.
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HILLAN WASHINTON POMPEY Monday, 16th August, 2021 Church of God Worldwide Mission Redemption Sharpes Viewing: 9:30 a.m. Service: 10:30 a.m. Interment: Kingstown Cemetery JANET ALBERTINA SAMUEL a.k.a. J.A.S Sunday, 15th August, 2021 S.D.A Church Richland Park Viewing: 10:00 a.m. Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment: Richland Park Cemetery
AGIVA VERONICA JOSEPH Sunday, 15th August, 2021 St. Bethel Spiritual Baptist Church Block 2000 Viewing: 10:00 a.m. Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment: Kingstown Cemetery WALTER AUGUSTUS BUTLER a.k.a. Jango Saturday, 14th August, 2021 Bellevue Pentecostal Church Viewing: 10:00 a.m. Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment: Colonaire Cemetery
JULEYLET SOLOMON Sunday, 15th August, 2021 S.D.A Church Barrouallie Viewing: 10:00 a.m. Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment: Glebe Hill Cemetery
MARY ADINA SIMMONS Saturday 14th August 2021 NTCOG, Diamonds Viewing: 10:00 a.m. Service: 11:00 a.m. Interment: New Adelphi Cemetery
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PUBLIC SERVANTS FACE PUBLIC ORDER BREACH by HAYDN HUGGINS JUST ONE WEEK after Commissioner of Police Colin John declared recent protest actions in Kingstown illegal, two public servants have been arrested and charged in connection with two of those events. On Monday, Adriana King, 41-yearold secondary school teacher of Belmont, and Kenson King, 34-yearold Prison Officer of Park Hill, appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, on four charges each, in violation of the Public Order Act. Adriana, a teacher at the St. Vincent Grammar School, has been charged with, that on August 29, 2021, around 9:30 a.m. at Kingstown, she was concerned in organizing a public procession/public meeting, without notifying the Commissioner of Police at least 24 hours before the procession, contrary to Section 5(1) of the Public Order Act, Chapter 396 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2009. She is also charged with knowingly taking part in that procession, on the same date, in contravention of Section 5(1) of the Act. The teacher is additionally charged with committing two similar offences on August 4, 2021 around the same time, contrary to, and in contravention of Section 5(1) of the Act. Kenson is facing four similar charges, two for being concerned in organizing the event, and two for knowingly taking part. Those offences were also allegedly committed in Kingstown on July 29 and August 5, 2021 around 9:30 a.m., contrary to, and in contravention of Section 5(1) of the Act.
Kenson King has also been charged for matters stemming from the recent protest action in Kingstown on August 5, 2021.
Adriana King (right) in conversation with Attorney Shirlan Barnwell (left) and members of the opposition after being charged on Monday.
“Any person organizing or concerned in organizing any public meeting or public procession, (exclusive of Both defendants were charged separately, and were called separately funerals), shall notify the Commissioner of Police at least 24 to the dock where the charges were read to them. They pleaded not guilty hours before the time fixed for such meeting or procession, and shall state to the charges before Senior the time and place proposed for such Magistrate Rickie Burnett, and were assembly, and in the case of a represented by Attorneys Kay procession, the route proposed to be Bacchus-Baptiste, Israel Bruce and followed. Shirlan Barnwell. Section 5(2) states that, “The Following an application by Bacchus-Baptiste for full disclosure of organizers or any person who knowingly takes part in any public all relevant material to the case, as soon as possible, the Senior Magistrate meeting or public procession held in contravention of Subsection 1 is guilty ordered disclosure by September 10. of an offence under the Act. The matter has been adjourned to The Commissioner of Police told November 19. THE VINCENTIAN last week Kenson and Adriana were taken Tuesday that all recent protest actions into custody last Friday afternoon. They were subsequently charged, and held in the vicinity of Parliament and around Kingstown were illegal, as no granted station bail on Sunday notification was given to the evening, station bail will continue. Commissioner of Police, and therefore Section 5(1) of the Act states that,
Published by The VINCENTIAN Publishing Co. Ltd, St. Vincent and the Grenadines;
the organizers, and anyone involved in those actions could be charged. Monday’s appearances in Court of Adriana King and Kenson King came about a week after Annamay Lewis, 56-year-old vendor of Layou, was taken before the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court to answer a change of wounding Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves by striking him with a missile in his head, as the Prime Minister and his security entourage were returning to the afternoon session of Parliament on August 5. Police reports are that protesters blocked the road leading to the Parliament building and, as the PM and his security attempted to get to Parliament by foot, a protester threw a projectile, and struck him in his head, resulting in a wound. Lewis has pleaded not guilty to that charge, and the matter has been adjourned to September 15.
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