THE VINCENTIAN PDF - 24-11-23

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023

VOLUME 117, No.47

Health Clinic for Sharpes Page 3

www.thevincentian.com

The Nigerian issue Page 8

Celebrating Soufrière Page 16

EC$1.50

President chides teachers Page 17

NDP and the youth Page 28

MURDER COUNT NOW AT 49 pronounced him dead upon arrival”.

THREE MEN from the Central The atmosphere in Layou was Leeward community of Layou have quite tense when THE been shot and killed in just over a VINCENTIAN visited on Sunday month, igniting fear among and according to one resident who residents there. spoke with THE VINCENTIAN The latest killing took place on condition of anonymity, last Saturday, November 18, Gaymes’ death might have be in when Leon ‘Zacchaeus’ Gaymes of retaliation for the shooting death Texier Road, Layou, was shot and of Tambu Patrick, who was killed. gunned down on Sunday, Reports are that around November 5.

8:00pm, Gaymes was shot at least “The police did lock up Leon six times, and died on his way to but then release him,” said the the Milton Cato Memorial resident.

Hospital (MCMH).

Patrick’s death followed that of According to a police report, Delarno ‘Smokes’ Patrick, a 33“Mr. Gaymes allegedly suffered year-old construction worker at multiple gunshot wounds from an the Sandals Resorts in Buccamen. unknown masked assailant(s). He He was shot and killed at around was sent to the Milton Cato 1:00am on Sunday, October 15, in Memorial Hospital, where doctors Middle Street, Layou.

“I don’t know if all the shootings are related but Leon Gaynes was the third something need to be done to stop persons to be shot in Layou in this craziness. When ‘Smokes’ get just over a month.

Stories by KENVILLE HORNE

Oneil Delicia, homicide #49, succumbed to stab wounds. killed people suspected that it was connected to an outside incident that took place in Buccument. But now the last killings in November down yah (in Layou) have people really concern,” said another Layou resident on Sunday.

The shooting death of Leon Gaymes brought the homicide count to 48 for 2023, surpassing last year’s record by six.

Continued on Page 3.

POPULAR CONDUCTOR DIES AFTER FALL conductor died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital on Wednesday 22nd, succumbing to injuries received when he fell from the top of a building at the Eastern Caribbean Group Companies’ facility in Campden Park, on Tuesday.

Passengers travelling the Campden Park/Kingstown route knew that whenever they heard or saw a minibus approaching Corwin ‘Buss-a-shot’ with horn blaring and a Franklyn was a celebrated figure in his voice bellowing, “Boodow, down a town or native Campden Park.

Bomb a drop,” that A POPULAR CAMPDEN conductor Corwin ‘Bussa-shot’ Franklyn was PARK minivan

manning the door.

Franklyn was one of the most recognized, entertaining and celebrated figures in the so-called “van culture”.

The terms and phrases he coined became subjects of interest for many young people and adults alike.

A close friend of the deceased said Franklyn had decided recently to change his life; that he was leaving the conductor profession.

According to the friend, he went looking for a job and found one with Sea Operations SVG Ltd., a Construction & Civil

Works Firm, headquartered at the Campden Park Industrial Estate.

Shane Williams, a minibus operator in Campden Park, had developed a relationship with Franklyn that saw them working together for over 5 years.

He described his conductor as a selfless person who placed everyone’s concern and issues before his. “He had a talk that he used to say, that he would give you his heart and work off a battery. That was the kind of person Corwin ‘Buss-a-shot’ Franklyn attentively Continued on Page 3. addressed his new task with an engineering firm.

V

2. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . THE VINCENTIAN

Business

Republic Bank wins ECCU awards

tomorrow. The programme focuses on supporting the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through creating productive avenues for the youth of our nations, fostering entrepreneurship, and Pamela Herbert David, Country Manager St. Kitts empowering many and Nevis Republic Bank EC Ltd., accepts award individuals to aspire to from Governor of the ECCB Timothy Antoine. their greatest potential.

Since PMAD’s (Photo Credit: Republic Bank) inception, the Bank has worked together with REPUBLIC BANK (EC) ST. was announced at a civil society to fund and LUCIA has been ceremony held at the support several recognized as the 2023 Central Bank’s programmes including Eastern Caribbean headquarters in the Saint Lucia National Currency Union (ECCU) Basseterre, St. Kitts and Conservation Fund to Bank of the Year for Nevis on November 8, preserve our ecosystem Corporate Social 2023. and species; Saint Lucia Responsibility for its Launched in 2022 in Blind Welfare commitment to the wider the East Caribbean, the Association in supporting community, underpinned Power to a Make early detection of by its Corporate Social Difference programme blinding eye disease; Responsibility programme (PMAD) encourages National Council of and ‘The Power to Make a collaboration with likefor Persons with Difference’. This minded partners to prestigious award create meaningful impact Disabilities and their aquaponics project; presented by the ECCU to build a better

Daren Sammy Foundation and its support to disadvantaged families; and Obtronics through its promotion of digital literacy.

Through its PMAD Programme and many other projects, the Bank has demonstrated its support to community and social investment as one of its foundational pillars.

Republic Bank’s Senior Country Lead for Saint Lucia Branches, Gezella Claxton, expressed the elation of the management and

staff at being the recipients of this significant award.

“At Republic Bank, we are not just a bank,” notes Ms. Claxton, “we are a responsible corporate citizen with the power to make a difference and we genuinely care about the betterment of the lives of the people in the communities that we live and work in”.

Also receiving an award was Republic Bank Grenada as the 2023 ECCU Bank of the Year for support to

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Republic Bank is honored to be recognized for the hard work of its team members and partners and is proud of the strides made by the many recipients of this Programme. Through its steady efforts, the Bank has demonstrated its commitment to this Region and is excited to build upon the work done so far to even greater plans in the future.

(Source: Republic Bank)

The group of persons representing the sixteen green businesses who were hosted by the QFFD in Doha.

QFFD hosts Greenpreneurs in Doha QATAR FUND FOR DEVELOPMENT (QFFD) proudly welcomed selected Eastern Caribbean and Pacific Greenpreneurs to Doha as part of the QFFD funded Greenpreneurs Program in the two regions.

This impactful exchange visit aimed to immerse the Greenpreneurs in Qatar’s thriving sustainable industries, showcasing the nation’s commitment to green sustainable growth both at home and beyond, as well as to facilitate an in-depth exchange between the Eastern Caribbean and Pacific entrepreneurs.

Ms. Noora Khalid, Head of the Arab, Americans, and European Projects Department at Qatar Fund for Development, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “We are honored to host the Global Green Growth Institute’s Eastern Caribbean and Pacific Greenpreneurs in Qatar. This exchange visit reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and nurturing a culture of innovation.”

Sixteen (16) green businesses from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the Pacific and Eastern Caribbean (Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) participated in the exchange visit.

These included Vincentians Ricardo Boatswain of Solife Solar and Gordon Shallow of The Plant Doctor.

“The insights gained from this exchange visit is truly invaluable.

From engaging with successful Qatari environmentally conscious enterprises, to the illuminating moments provided by the business sessions, the learning experiences were abundant.”, said Talei Tora, Co-Founder of GingerLei, Greenpreneur representative from Fiji.

“Being able to see the way other cultures approach dealing with issues we as humanity face is inspirational.

The Greenpreneur exchange visit is as heartfelt as it is informative,” Efua Akoma, Founder of Think and Play Village, Greenpreneur representative from Grenada reflected.

The exchange visit not only served as a platform for knowledge exchange but also empowered the Eastern Caribbean and Pacific Greenpreneurs to apply their newfound insights in enhancing their existing businesses.

“Our partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development has been instrumental in developing green entrepreneurs and creating green jobs in the Eastern Caribbean and the Pacific, and this exchange visit has been an invaluable opportunity to showcase and amplify the impacts of these programs,” Dr. Kristin Deason, GGGI’s Caribbean Representative said.

The Eastern Caribbean Green Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Pacific Green Entrepreneurs Network are three-year projects funded by QFFD and implemented by GGGI since 2021.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 3.

News 3 Redemption Sharpes to get clinic St. Clair Leacock, MP for Redemption Sharpes, has been steadfast in advocating for improved services in his constituency.

Farm, Bequia. enquired about the As for the Redemption services that will be Sharpes facility, it’s location offered at the MCMH will be finalized in discussion once the Acute Referral between Parliamentary Hospital was Representative for Central constructed at Arnos Kingstown, St Clair ‘Major’ Vale.

Leacock, and Senator Benarva In response to Browne, Minister of Urban Leacock’s concern, Development.

Health Minister and MP Dr. Gonsalves recounted for Marriaqua - St Clair that professionals within the ‘Jimmy’ Prince, Minister Ministry of Health did not of Health, stated that support the construction of a the MCMH will continue clinic in Redemption Sharpes. to offer health services system in the country and “They say it is easy for the to the residents of Central generally, the health people to come down to go to Kingstown. infrastructure and staffing the Accident and Emergency As for a health facility for available were adequate to at the Milton Cato Memorial Redemption Sharpes, Prince provide health care to the Hospital (MCMH) and was of the opinion that that people. similarly there is a big clinic matter had already been And in furthering the in Kingstown,” Gonsalves said. settled. argument against a health However, Gonsalves said He went on to explain that facility for Redemption that he was of the view that based on the World Bank’s Sharpes, Prince said then that every community, and healthcare service the residents of Central especially one that is of a classification and services Kingstown had daily access to significant scoping report which stated a district medical officer and size as that health services are clinics through the Kingstown Sharpes, provided by health centres Health Centre. This he said, ought to have across nine districts, based on was staffed by four registered the presence that report, on average, each nurses, a family nurse of a state health facility in the country practitioner, one health facility. was equipped to provide a nursing supervisor, diagnostic The issue of service to an area with a facilities, all located centrally a health population of 2,900 people, at the MCMH and specialist facility in and that nobody is required to outpatient services at the Sharpes came travel more than five buildings, from where he remove same facility. up in kilometres to access health Continued from Frontpage. items brought up to him by a crane.

Following on the Prime “I use to talk to him and tell him be Parliament as care.

Minister’s promise, Prince’s he was,” said Williams. recent as According to Prince, the careful because it’s not like a van, if argument now becomes ‘null He said that Franklyn was really you crash you stand a better chance October 2022 report further indicated that and void’. (DD) trying to turn his life around. “He stop than if you fall from a height,” the when Leacock the state of the health care drink, party and was mostly focusing minibus operator recalled. on his family. He didn’t even go to the “The boy leave for work good and NDP event in Campden Park and you never return. Nobody get to say know he is a big NDP man. He went goodbye to him. He was well loved to Rose Hall instead to celebrate his throughout the country. Any funeral fiancée birthday,” said Williams, he attended he would always bring life Continued from Frontpage.

8:00pm last Tuesday. indicating the extent to which his to the funeral. I don’t know which He had been stabbed sometime friend had begun to turn his life church could even hold his funeral the between 6:30pm and 7:00pm that day around. amount a people going to be there. But From 48 to 49 by a 14-year-old, who was Williams confirmed that Franklyn I promised you, he will get a decent subsequently taken into police gave up his trade as a conductor and send off because he was a people And even before the ‘sun could set custody. started to work as a climber for Sea person who was well loved,” Williams on the passing of Leon Gaymes’, news The incident is said to have taken Operations Ltd. stated. reached THE VINCENTIAN that the place on Queen Street, in Georgetown.

He said that from what he Since news broke of Franklyn’s homicide account had increased to 49.

Delicia was taken to the Modern discovered, Sea Operations was doing death, social media have been flooded This, when Oneil Delicia, a 19-year- Medical and Diagnostic Centre, in a project at ECGC and Franklyn’s job with tributes, a testimony of his old unemployed of Georgetown Georgetown, where he died. required him being at the top of popularity and impact on others. succumbed to stab wounds at around

Redemption Sharpes have been promised their own health facility.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves made the announcement during a press briefing on November 20 at Cabinet Room.

The health facility will be constructed through funding sourced from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), which will also fund the construction of a St. Clair ‘Jimmy’ Prince has been made polyclinic in to eat humble pie, it seems.

Calliaqua and the reconstruction of THE RESIDENTS of the Central the health facility in Paget Kingstown community of

Popular conductor dies after fall

Murder count now at 49

V

4. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. THE VINCENTIAN

Court

Prison officer on trial for rape

attorney Grant Connell.

So far, six witnesses read to the Court, as it Galley, who was a testified for the Crown, was not necessary for Corporal of Police, Attorney Richie ANDY BROWNE, a 37-year- including the virtual them to be there in attached to the Sexual Maitland and Crown old prison officer, attached complainant, and her person.

Offenses Unit (SOU), at Counsel Renee Simmons to His Majesty’s Prison, are leading the case for mother. An electronic The matter was the time of the alleged Kingstown, is expected to interview the police adjourned on Wednesday incident, but has since the Crown. know his fate soon on a conducted with the to Monday, November retired from the THE VINCENTIAN rape charge.

27, to accommodate the constabulary. understands that Browne accused, was shown in Browne is on trial at Browne has pleaded has been suspended from evidence. doctor, Michael High Court 2 for raping a The evidence of some Goodluck, and the not guilty to the charge duties pending the 21-year-old girl on July additional witnesses was Investigator -, Josette and is represented by outcome of the matter.

2, 2020.

The matter, being heard by a nine-member Jury, five men and four women, and presided over by Justice Brian Cottle, started on Monday and is likely to Andy Browne awaits his conclude before the end OTTLEY HALL fate on a rape charge. of next week. residents Joel Williams, and Delroy Harry who reside at Lowmans Bay have been added to the list of persons charged in connection with a series of violent offenses, reportedly committed at Campden Park earlier this month.

The area of the Industrial Park at Campden Park where the burglars seemed Williams and Harry to have concentrated their endeavours. are charged along with Johnny Holder of Baptiste, causing him required to plea to the EC$150 and the other Lowmans Bay and CALDER RIDGE valued at EC$300. bodily harm, and without charges. Harry, Holder, Lemron Mason of Ottley resident Jason Williams They are also charged lawful excuse, damaging and Mason were each Hall. will have the issue of with using force to take granted $20,000 bail one chain link fence, However, while Harry bail reviewed when he Hazel from the with reporting conditions value unknown, the and Williams were taken returns to the Government warehouse and ordered to surrender property of Eastern before the Serious Kingstown Magistrate’s at Campden Park to Sea Caribbean Bottlers Inc., their travel documents.

Offenses Court last Court, on December 5, Stop notices will be intending to damage on charges of burglary week, Holder and Mason Operations at Campden Park. placed at all ports of such property. and damage to had made their They are further entry and exit.

All offenses were property. In the appearances in that charged with entering Williams, who is reportedly committed at interim, he will remain Court previously, on the Sea Operations Bunk Campden Park on serving a sentence, in in custody. separate days.

House at Campden Park November 3. connection with another Williams, who is Mason, Williams and as a trespasser, and at matter, was remanded Holder has also been originally from Long Harry are charged with Wall, has been charged the time had with them until January 15 when charged with these being armed with a gun with entering E. a weapon of offense, to the matter involving the offenses, with the and robbed Ricardo Jason Williams is Moussa Enterprise in wit, a firearm. They are Campden Park offenses, exception of the one for before the court on Hazel of Lower Kingstown, as a trespasser, charges similar to additionally charged is set for a Preliminary damage to property.

Questelles of two between November 17 and with assaulting Tevon The men were not Inquiry (P.I). previous ones for cellphones, one valued at 18, 2023, and stealing seven which he already men’s slippers valued at enjoys bail.

EC$420, nine school shoes valued at EC$990, 15 men’s T-shirts valued EC$300 and 21 men’s short pants “The evidence in this in his hand which had between June 23, 2021, ATTORNEY Michael valued EC$420, amounting to a total value of EC$2,130, the property of Elias Moussa of Cane case was so poor that the blood on it, along with Wyllie is of the view that and June 26, 2021, Garden. his clothing.

DPP should never have the Office of the Director murdered Travez Williams is also charged with, that between Fernandez of Park Hill.

Wyllie stressed that continued the trial with of Public Prosecutions the 17 and 18 of November 2023, without lawful He was also charged there was no these charges.”

(DPP) should not have excuse, damaged part of the roof of the E. Moussa with that on a date proceeded to trial on He expressed the view independent evidence Enterprise building in Kingstown, valued at unknown between June corroborating Lewis’ three charges, of which that “This was quite an EC$399.27, is the property of Elias Moussa of story, and the police easy decision for the his client Aldan Thomas 23, 2021 and June 26, Cane Garden, intending to damage such property.

2021, at Park Hill, stole Jury based on the found nothing at the was found not guilty last Williams, who was unrepresented, pleaded not and carried away Travez inconsistencies of the defendant’s home to week Thursday. guilty to both charges when he appeared before Fernandez without main prosecution witness support the story.

Thomas, a Park Hill Magistrate John Ballah at the Kingstown consent. He was further Zane Lewis.”

According to Wyllie, man in his twenties, Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. charged with, on a date Justice Rickie Burnett Lewis ‘s testimony walked free, after a 12Prosecutor Corlene Samuel objected to bail at this point, on the basis that Williams was already should have stopped the member Jury found him unknown, between June was the only one 23, 2021, and June 26, on bail on charges of a similar nature, and a dustaccusing the defendant of case when he (Wyllie) not guilty of murder, to-dawn curfew is part of his bail conditions. The murder. He claimed that made his no-case aggravated burglary, and 2021, entered the home of Fernandez at Park Prosecutor added that the police were the defendant had a gun submission, at the close kidnapping, in investigating other matters of which Williams is Hill, as a trespasser, of the Prosecution’s case. and knife, and used the connection with the a person of interest, and are concerned that if the with intent to steal, and knife to kill the deceased, death of a mini-bus Lewis had also been defendant was granted bail, he may obstruct the at the time of entry had but he did not see the conductor, Travez charged in connection process of investigations. with him a firearm. defendant kill him.

He Fernandez. with the matter, but the Based on the representations made by the Speaking with THE Thomas was charged claimed that the Prosecution withdrew Prosecutor, the Magistrate remanded Williams with, on a date unknown, VINCENTIAN on defendant had the knife the charges against him. until December 5 for bail review.

Wednesday, Wyllie said, Stories: HAYDN HUGGINS

Two more charged in Campden Park rampage

Alleged burglar awaits bail review

Park Hill man freed of murder

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 18.

News

Below: Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves (left) and Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, from which the loan comes.

Saudi loan: No big impact on debt

THE RECENT LOAN OF US$66 MILLION from the Saudi Fund for Development, while significant, ought not to have a significant impact on the country’s debt to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said.

Even if your debt increases as a proportion of the GDP, it will remain reasonable and manageable by all international benchmarks,” Gonsalves said.

“But very importantly the debt servicing, given the relatively low interest rate, would not be onerous taking into account the requisites of what we are spending on,” he continued.

According to Gonsalves, the terms of the loan negotiated is 20 years at two percent.

The repayment of the US$66 million loan, which is expected to be spent on several projects including the construction of schools and health facilities, is not expected to impact the external debt significantly according to the Prime Minister and former Finance Minister, because of the ability to substitute one type of debt for another.

So, for example, he said, the government must spend local funding for repairs to schools, housing, health, etc. however, invariably that funding is sought by way of government bonds which are located on the local and regional markets, but they are categorized as local loans.

The time for each bond is 7 years and the interest rates fluctuate between 6 and 7.5 percent.

“You don’t have to be any

investment genius to know if you getting money at 2 percent interest and the period of amortization is 20 years, it makes life much easier for you if you are replacing some types of borrowing with a much cheaper form of borrowing,” he suggested.

“So, I think that is a very important point to note up front as a policy,” Gonsalves said.

The other factor is that once your debt is manageable, there is nothing wrong with borrowing.

He said that the Saudi’s agreed to lend US$66 million, but he could have negotiated for more.

“But I have to be prudent and enterprising,” he said.

While in Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister also met with the Saudi Investment Minister KhalidAl-Falih with whom he discussed investment opportunities in the construction of a new cruise ship port, hotel development and in a new city at Arnos Vale.

In addition, Dr. Gonsalves was involved in the Caricom-Saudi Arabia Summit.

(DD)

6. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 20223 . THE VINCENTIAN

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 7.

News

UWI Global Campus SVG students shine

particularly when anxiety could set in.

She advised, “We are the leaders of tomorrow and if we cannot learn to build and leverage our networks now, what state will our nation be in the next 15 years down the road?

Maintain excellence and thrive as one.”

Delivering a message on behalf of the Chapter Chair of the Guild of Students, President Zilfa Joyette highlighted that learning was not just about lectures and assignments but about exploration, discipline, collaboration and personal goals.

Commending her Guild colleagues and UWI staff for their cooperation, Joyette highlighted that UWI Global Campus has 42 Sites in 17 territories, but SVG attained the highest number of Honour Role recipients in semesters 1 and 2.

She also revealed that this was not only for the Global Campus territories, but the overall campus sites of the Retired Head of The UWI Global University of the West Indies.

Campus St. Vincent , Deborah Officer-in-Charge of the University Dalrymple, was reognised for her of the West Indies, UWI Global steadfast role in guiding the Open Campus, St. Vincent.

Campus through challenging times.

Camille Lakhram noted that the UWI marked its 75th anniversary with

by SHERON GARRAWAY a series of yearlong activities.

She reinforced that with a student THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE SPIRIT community thirsty for knowledge and of excellence and working as a unified advancement, force has been emphasised by Breya there was a commitment to John, 2023 valedictorian of the dedicated teaching with a home-grown University of the West Indies, UWI Global but visionary approach to education Campus, St. Vincent. and learning.

John who was the featured speaker Lakhram revealed that this has at the Second Annual Special Awards, propelled UWI into “The Times Higher Honour Roll and Recognition Education World University Rankings” Ceremony on Saturday 18th and to the Caribbean’s number one November, admitted that many tears institution, as well as the world’s top were shed as challenges arose. She one percent. noted, however, that “the prize is She admitted that while the journey worth the pain” as she realized her has not been easy and there is always ability to become a beacon of academic room for improvement, there continues excellence. to be programme offerings to support Adopting the Guild’s theme of diverse interests. Lakrahm said this “Maintaining Excellence - Thriving as ensures students take their place not One”, John echoed the importance of just in their individual islands or in professionalism, self-awareness, the wider Caribbean but anywhere in consistency and putting differences the world. aside. The educator also highlighted The Officer-in-Charge commended the need for solid support systems, the awardees and expressed gratitude

to the Guild, staff and public at large for their support, as she described students as the university’s most valuable asset.

Minister of Education Curtis King also expressed pleasure with the excellent performance of Vincentian students. He noted that those who spend time learning about the past are always the best prepared for the future.

Minister King called for a more balanced analysis of the education system, as the negatives are often more highlighted than the positives.

He gave credit to educators and students believing that the successes where as a result of a unified effort.

He praised the Guild and staff at the UWI Global Campus for recognizing the students as about 1,000 tuition scholarships were given last year and over 1,400 in 2023, with a significant number attending the Global Campus.

Appreciation was given to staff at the UWI Global Campus Site Programme Officer in the Student Experience Unit Ronnie Daniel, Library Assistant Samantha Williams, Officer-in-Charge Camille Lakhram and retired Head of Site, Deborah Dalrymple.

Breya John, 2023 valedictorian of the University of the West Indies, UWI Global Campus, St. Vincent, emphasized the importance of maintaining excellence.

The 282 Awardees on the Honour Role List for the First and Second Semesters of the 2022/2023 Academic year received certificates, as well as gift cards from Cariway.

Many members of the Guild of Students turned out to the Special Awards and Honour Role Recognition Ceremony.

V

8. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. THE VINCENTIAN

Views The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Managing Director: Desiree Richards Editor: Cyprian Neehall Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129 Website: www.thevincentian.com Email: thevincentianpublishing@gmail.com Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Editorial

Nigerians, Youth Council GARINAGU DISREGARDED, Youth stifled Life, the saying goes, is full of surprises.

But life is also full of contradictions and ironies. School might still be out on whether this is a truism or not.

What is certain is that along life’s path, every so often a few things pop up that cause a certain degree of discomfort because of the extent to which they relate yet contradict each other, all in the same space and time.

Take for example the second invite by our Prime Minister to an estimated two hundred or so Nigerians, who find themselves amiss in our country, to regularise their residential status and for those who qualify, (we assume that this will have to be verified by our immigration authorities and not be based on the ‘word’ of any politician, pastor or the like) to apply for citizenship.

While our Prime Minister invites these Nigerians to ‘become’ Vincentians, and therefore enjoy all the rights and privileges that each and every born/naturalized Vincentian enjoys, this is the same Prime Minister who denounced the proposal by the then leader of the opposition, that honorary citizenship be accorded those Garinagu who so desired to have it.

Without any ‘waiting to learn’ about how this honorary citizenship would be conditioned, the Prime Minister made it irrevocably clear, this proposal would never see the light of day ‘under his watch’.

Then we speak with reverence about our past of which we are so proud… a past painted indelibly with records of the struggles of the same Garinagu for their right to exist as a nation people. How we revere the organized visits by Garinagu delegations; how we fete them and make them feel at home when they visit; how we make political mileage from these visits; but denounce any intent to accord them some legal connection to their ancestral homeland.

All of that while we offer more to Nigerians with whom we do not enjoy the same organic relationship; though some might differ since as a predominantly Afropopulated society, those Nigerians are supposedly our brothers and sisters.

How can we be so disregarding of a people whose history is our history, whose spiritual and cultural expressions we share, by not according them some level of status as Vincentians, but open widespread our arms to another set of people who were in the first place itinerant as far as their relationship with this country was concerned.

Who is to prevent us, deter us from assuming that there is more in the mortar than the pestle, when we consider that the

history of our modern politics is laden with examples of gerrymandering, unexplained movement of voters and other acts of political ill-gain.

We should not allow the passage of Nigerians into the mainstream of our society and not extend some similar but conditioned recognition to our Garinagu brothers and sisters who have deep spiritual and cultural connections to Yurumein, their ancestral homeland which they hold sacrosanct.

Youth dependence And then there is the little matter of the commissioning of an Advisory Council on Youth… announced as the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Youth.

The Council, we understand, is comprised of some 29 young people who, for all intents and purposes, might well be qualified and able to hold and effect the tasks of the Council.

The hovering concern though is how were they selected and by whom. Are we to assume that they were selected by government officials? How much input was there by the governing party?

We understand further that this body will enjoy a “mandate,” according its chairman, “to advise on policy matters, projects, programmes, and advocating for youth involvement in the decision-making process of the government.”

Is this Council expected to deliberate among itself so as to arrive at how it can inform government on matters related to the Vincentian youth?

Or can we safely assume that these council members, individually or as a Council, will move to establish ‘independent bodies of youth in communities who are the best positioned to to advise the Council and by extension the government?

All in all, a Youth Council under the direct influences of and accountability to a government and whose very existence is still clouded in government’s perceived need to be protective of it, cannot in all honesty and fairness say that it is representative of Vincentian Youth.

Youth, in any society, is the basis, the energy source of effective change in society. Its independence is vital to its existence and operation as an integral part of society.

A National Youth Council, which breeds leaders in all endevours of national concern, and encourages and safeguards independence of thought and allows for debate and comsemcus nsus, is still the only true voice of the youth.

Government’s role is to facilitate development programmes for all youth not try to create a youth in its own image and likeness.

It’s Budget time again IT’S BUDGET time again. According to the Prime Minister (PM), he is working with his various departments (cabinet) on next year’s budget. Once again, I say we are missing an earlier step. You know, the phase where we meet with the people in the various constituencies to understand the community’s most essential needs/expectations.

Ok, since you are never going to do that, it’s time for the Finance Minister to give us the preliminary revenue estimates. A few weeks ago, I heard on a radio show that the PM said our local revenue is up by just over 9% from last year. How do these numbers compare to the final 2023 budget numbers? What are the projections for the next fiscal year?

Based on the Independent Day presentation by the PM, I assume that operating expenditures projected for next year are up at least 3%. (A 2% base pay increase for most government employees and other longevity and special pay allowances and adjustments).

I am unsure which new facilities will come online this fiscal year or will open early next year. I am asking this question because we must begin to budget for their operating and maintenance costs. I am tired of going into government-owned and operated buildings and seeing the maintenance neglect. We must do better. If the current building maintenance staff cannot handle the job, maybe it’s time to supplement them with a private contractor or go back to using the nonviolent offenders we have incarcerated to augment daily janitorial and minor building maintenance.

The NDP is suggesting we are currently experiencing 5-6% inflation.

Quite frankly, I am surprised it’s that low, but they are the ones doing the hard work in that area. If that is the case, I will venture out to say we cannot expect more in the form of new programming that would increase the ongoing operating expenditures. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. I hope we are finished with the overstaffing of the police department.

We have several new Capital projects coming online towards the end of next year that will significantly increase the operating expenditures. Therefore, a responsible fiscal approach would be to wait and see what next year

brings. I am a strong proponent of the idea of a balanced budget. For the record, we did not have a balanced budget this year or last year. I would also encourage the government to inform us about the upcoming operating expenditure associated with each new capital project proposed for the forthcoming year.

One reason why each department must know the anticipated outgoing operating revenues that will be budgeted and how much if any, is the one-time funding opportunity they can expect.

From a political perspective, it is also the time to take the draft budget on the road. This is also the time for the consultancy representatives to level with the people and tell them what they can expect. The budget presentation to Parliament is too late for us to have any input.

I don’t know what else the government has in mind for the upcoming budget, but I imagine they have a few more goodies to present, in addition to the increase in the minimum day wage. I am concerned some of these goodies would fuel a new round of inflation if we are not careful.

Here are a few things I would like to see this year: 1. An expansion of the list of items exempt from VAT; 2. A parking fee for long-term parking on the streets of Kingstown; 3. The construction of a multilevel parking garage in Kingstown; 4. Subsidy for life-saving medication not available at the government facilities, for senior citizens; 5. I would also like to see the government begin a new housing program to help existing homeowners retrofit their homes to withstand the ravages of climate change.

6. The beginning of the phased increase in the NIS contributions, with a view of fully funding the actual pension liability in ten years.

7. According to the NDP, a few locally-grown products are driving up the inflation rate: dasheen, cabbage, and fish, to name a few. We must rethink how we provide farm equipment and fertilizer subsidies to ensure local consumer benefits. This will not be easy to handle, but it must be done.

Horatio.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 9.

Letters

Public safety and drivers Unite against I AM WRITING to express my deep concern about the alarming manner in which large trucks, in particular container trucks, are being driven on our roads. The reckless and inconsiderate driving of these vehicles poses a significant threat to public safety and demands urgent attention.

These oversized trucks, often seen exceeding speed limits and engaging in aggressive maneuvers, create a hazardous environment for all road users. The sheer size and weight of these trucks

make them particularly dangerous in the event of an accident, putting not only the truck drivers and conductors at risk but also posing a huge danger to pedestrians and other motorists.

Furthermore, the frequent disregard for traffic rules and regulations by some truck drivers exacerbates the situation. It is disheartening to witness the blatant violations of basic road safety practices, such as lane discipline and proper signaling, which only serve to increase the

likelihood of accidents.

I urge the relevant authorities to take immediate action to address this issue.

Stringent enforcement of traffic laws, increased monitoring of trucking companies to ensure their drivers adhere to safety protocols, and comprehensive training for those operating large trucks are essential steps to mitigate the risks associated with the current state of affairs.

The safety of our roads is paramount and it is the responsibility of both the authorities and

the public to collaborate in creating an environment where everyone can travel without fear for their well-being.

I trust that through your esteemed platform, this issue will gain the attention it deserves, prompting the necessary actions to enhance road safety in our country.

James Sam

Absentee Papa HE SPENT most of his working life away from home. He travelled to many countries and had many encounters and experiences. It was not that he was not interested in what was happening at home, but he thought that it was necessary and essential.

His travels took him to the USA, Europe, and Africa. Canada was hardly on his agenda.

Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados were the Caribbean territories most visited. Because of our limited medical capabilities locally, he made sure that he got proper medical attention on his travels. For whatever reason, he did not want any of his children to follow in his footsteps.

It did not matter that his role at home was essential and could not be done by anyone else.

Too often it was said that “nothing could be done because Papa was not here.” The countless missed opportunities were not documented, but those at home did what they could to stay alive and afloat amidst the challenging times.

If an audit was to be done on Papa’s time, it will show that he spent 9 months overseas and 3 months at home. When Papa came home, he brought goodies with him, but they were insignificant and superficial. They added only to the aesthetics.

The same vehicle that landed Papa home took him to the ‘fellers’ on the

block or in the rum shop where Papa wielded his influence. Papa loved his children dearly and when offered some secondhand books from our cousin, he refused them stating “all you done read out all the knowledge from them.”

We do not know how many other children Papa had but his travels created many opportunities to have them. However, when one of them came home to live, he was apparently not welcomed. I understand that he is now exiled elsewhere in a country washed by the Caribbean Sea. For various reasons, Papa has been absent from many homes but here in the Grenadines

Suggestions for the newspapers Mr. Editor, I know we have a record number of homicides, and

newspapers need to sell so that they can attract advertisement. I also

PEOPLE ARE ASKING: * When was the last time an Auditor General’s Report was laid before the House of Assembly? * Has the Prime Minister made his last overseas trip for the year? * Anyone remembers when was the last year we didn’t have a murder in SVG? * How does BRAGSA decide which roads it is going to repair? * Then again, is there a road repair programme in SVG or do we simply let the roads deteriorate so badly that we will have to source money for a big road rehabilitation programme that the government can boast about? * How are things going at the Argyle International Airport? Are all systems working?

Is all equipment up and running? * Did Dr. Ralph Gonsalves fly in the face of his CARICOM colleagues when he made a private, personal visit to Venezuela to discuss that country’s dispute with Guyana?

recognize that we, Vincentians, like dramatic news so we like to read about who was killed and who did the killing and so forth.

But my concern is how much are the newspaper helping the country when they carry news of murder(s) on their front pages.

I for one don’t think it will help out tourism.

Nobody would want to come to our country if all they read and hear about our country is how many people are murdered.

The newspapers could perhaps think about carrying these murder stories inside the newspapers.

Thanks for printing my short letter.

Fourth Form Student.

where sailing is a way of life for many, the sailors are usually away most of the time leaving mothers to manage the homes and raise the children almost single-handedly.

Our longing has always been for Papa to come home.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD

crime

WE HAVE MADE ourselves “proud” as a nation: we have recorded 48 murders/homicides for the year (as I write this), and in the process we have exceeded the record of 42 set in 2022. I don’t want to think that the number will increase before the end of the year — 2023.

Yes, it seems we are fast heading in the direction of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago which are already rubbing shoulders with the rest of the world for countries with the highest murder rates.

And the thing that bothers me is that we seem to be doing the same things as far as measures to combat our crime are concern.

What I know is that if crime is a national concern, a national problem, and there is no doubt that it is, then it needs a national response if we are ever going to deal with the problem.

And the first step in this direction is for the government and the opposition to sit together to work out an effective plan. When the people see the two parties working together on an issue, they will unite around the effort. But when the government refuses to accept that it should sit with the opposition on this matter, this will merely serve to continue the division that politics has caused in this country.

In this regard, I can’t help but say that the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of National Security, must take responsibility for the failure to deal effectively with this most pressing matter.

People are getting more and more afraid, even in their own homes. We have to be a bunch of immature people if we allow some silly political difference, or if we allow our egos to rule our senses.

It is time we unite on this crime issue and the government must take the lead in getting this unified effort going, before it’s too late.

Bernard P.

Doing a good thing wrong IN A DESPERATE effort to gain some support for the upcoming elections, this government is again dispensing tablet computers without doing the necessary pre-programming, that MUST include content related to the school’s curriculum, an offline dictionary, and encyclopaedia for the relevant age group.

I have written on several occasions about this issue and the same foolishness is happening again. Yes, these educational devices are important in today’s world as a learning and entertainment portal, but it must be delivered to satisfy the learning needs of our children, if it is to be an effective learning tool.

Before these devices are distributed, they must be pre-loaded with content that is relevant to the age group to which it is given. Parental controls must also be included, so that parents and adult supervisors can monitor the content and time spent on these devices. Regular ergonomic breaks are required to avoid eye strain and carpel tunnel syndrome for those devices with keyboards.

At the time of distribution, a PTA meeting can be held for those students/parents who are receiving these devices, so that both parents and students have a basic understanding

how these new devices work.

Nowadays, soft copies of text books are available and should be pre-loaded to these devices as books (hard copies) are heavy and expensive.

Care of these devices is also of paramount importance. If you visit the Ministry of Education technician’s office you will notice a ‘mountain’ of damaged laptops and tablet computers, all destroyed through bad care and the loading of virus laden pornographic content which can and will cause hard drives to crash.

If the job is too much for the technical staff at the Ministry of Education, why not get all the IT teachers from all schools involved with pre-loading the relevant content including educational games and ‘learning to type’ programs, while blocking websites that promote violence, pornography and other irrelevant content, thereby making these devices what the original intention is, i.e. to provide a modern tool to enhance the learning experience.

I hope these words will not fall on deaf ears, but will be accepted by progressive Vincentian minds. Let’s do a good thing RIGHT !

Donald De Riggs

V NDP is the party of hope 10. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. THE VINCENTIAN

Views

Friday’s party or Nature’s party, but it’s ‘all ah we party’. The NDP tent is large and my arms are wide open, embracing all. Because MY FRIENDS, as I told you more than anything, we at the Rally in Georgetown must bring change to our earlier this year, the NDP beloved but suffering is the party of hope. It is country. But believe me, the only vehicle that can it will not come unless deliver political change in we put aside small the country now. differences and work So, it’s not just together under one (Excerpts of President of the NDP, Honourable, Dr. Godwin Friday’s Address at the ‘Hope for Youth’ Rally)

banner–the NDP. Come for your own reasons, but come and join the movement.

Let’s face it: Gonsalves is used up and he seems more concerned with world travel than with us–our little problems are not enough for him anymore. The encyclopaedia has gone ‘thru’ and is out-of-date.

So, the ULP now has

nothing to offer our country. They can only hold us back.

After two decades, despite their big projects and big promises, they failed to deliver a better life for our people. Only the privileged few with high ULP ranking have done well. Who eat already, ‘eatin’ again.

And the rest of the people are still catching hell. But, we will deliver for everyone regardless of party present or past.

Everyone will enjoy the fruits of their hard work and the bounty of our country. We all will share fairly in what we produce.

My dear people, we come here tonight for more than entertainment; we come to proclaim that we stand for economic progress, that we stand for unity of our people, and we stand for fairness. Young people, you can shape the future of our country the way it should be. You have high expectations for yourself and your country. You want to make your mark in your country and the world. You expect and demand better from political leaders and government. And while you learn from the past, you don’t look back but forward, focused on the journey ahead.

Like you, I love this country very much. I want it to move forward.

But we need to do better and we can do better than we are doing now.

It is that knowledge that drives me; that gives me hope for the future, a hope that I know you share. But, as you know, hope is not about ignoring challenges facing us, or merely imagining that things will simply work out. It requires the will, planning and work to make it happen.

Clearly, our country is on the wrong track. It has been on the wrong track for a long time, and sadly, we are now

reaping the bitter harvest. Too many people can’t find jobs to provide for their families; too many young people are unemployed. Wages are low, so even when you have a job, you can’t get ahead. Cost of living is crushing most families and they can’t make ends meet. And government does nothing about it.

Young people can’t buy a vehicle because Customs charges are too high.

Poverty has grown, so hardship has increased.

Crime, especially gunrelated crime, is out of control– making people afraid. 48 killings so far this year, with the killing today in Layou. We lose too many of our young men one way or another.

But we can’t give up.

We are children of Chatoyer! Giving up is not in our DNA. And there is too much at stake. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we may accept finite disappointment but we must “never lose infinite hope.”

My Friends, we stand for building a country where people are treated fairly. * A country that provides jobs and business opportunities. * A country where wages are rising, allowing you to build a home, to maintain and educate your children, and to do so knowing that your NIS pension will be there when you retire. * A country where everyone could realise his or her potential; * A country where you will not be left out but can make your mark and be rewarded for it.

But hope is only the beginning; we must also plan together and work together. The best way– the only way– to do that now is to change the

government and give the NDP the opportunity to serve you. I would be honoured to be our Prime Minister and work for you. I will serve you with every fibre of my body, with the vast experience I have gained over the years and with an enduring love and passion that will never fail.

No one believes in the people of this country more than me. No one will fight harder for you and this country than me. No one will do better to fix this country now than me, with my team.

So, believe me when I tell you, the NDP is the vehicle of hope and change. It is the best place for all of us who have been let down by the government, who have been left out of their progress; who are fed up with being called names and with being insulted by arrogant, out-of-touch government ministers; who are fed up of being told to keep your mouth shut because you don’t know enough to have an opinion worth considering.

Young people, for too long, you have been told to leave the business of governing to your elders, and to be thankful for what you get. And what did you get? Very little.

Nearly half the young people of this country are unemployed! ‘No wuk’ as they say. So, it is no wonder you feel neglected and left out. It is sad but not strange that so many of you say you don’t want to have anything to do with politics and politicians. I understand how you feel.

But, if the last few years has taught us anything it is that leaving it up to others to do will not make things better. You must do it yourself.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 11.

Views

What else died with John F. Kennedy

Memory Palace

(A Guest column by Patrick Lawrence.)

“No matter what term you use for the technique, relief from mental distress is made possible because this mental tool helps us remember and rapidly access positive affirmations and memories quickly and accurately, even during times of distress. These higher quality memories can help dissolve negative ones, both immediately and for the long term.” Anthony Metivier (born 1977) – Canadian author and memory training expert who has been referred to as the “Bruce Lee of Memory” THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES mankind has sought to develop skills that would enhance his/her ability to retain information. Within recent times, with the prevalence of such memory-depleting diseases as Alzheimer and Dementia, there appears to be an increased interest in the discovery of techniques that would keep memory intact. We anxiously await the scientific discoveries that would enable us to enhance and retain our memory storage capacity. In the meantime, there are some time-tested techniques that enable us to better memorize information. The Memory Palace, also known as the Method of Loci, is one such powerful mnemonic technique.

The concept of the Memory Palace can be traced back to ancient Greece as their politicians, orators, philosophers, and teachers engaged in activities to enhance memory and encourage the retention of information. It is said that the 5th century BCE orator and philosopher Simonides of Ceos was an attendee at a banquet in a grand hall when the roof collapsed. Most of the guests were buried beneath the rubble.

In its aftermath, Simonides was tasked with identifying the deceased individuals. He proceeded to do so by reflecting on where the individuals had been seated at the time of the catastrophe. His recollection was aided by the technique of using spatial associations to remember information.

This gave birth to the method of leveraging spatial and visual aspects of human memory to create a mental framework for storing and retrieving information.

The Memory Palace technique revolves around the fact that humans have the propensity to have an exceptional capacity for remembering spatial and visual details. Teachers and parents should therefore not find it strange that a ward may seem to be drawing a totally unrelated object while appearing to be paying scant attention to what is being said/taught.

While such behaviours may appear to be reflecting a sign of boredom or lack of interest, in many instances, such action can be used to enhance the retention of the information received via the senses. The Memory Palace technique involves mentally creating an imaginary place and then associating the information that is required for retention by associating it with specific locations, objects, or patterns within the place. That imaginary place can be a room within a house, a familiar street, a particular landscape, a historical site, a wellknown neighbourhood, and so on. The idea is to anchor the memory or the learning to particular objects. Such an approach is not as difficult or fore

boarding as it may initially appear.

The basic idea is to mentally navigate through the location (or drawing as is the example of the student earlier in this paragraph) and to associate the information that is desired to be retained with specific landmarks, objects, markings, etc. along the chosen path. The memories can be retrieved by mentally retracing the steps through the Memory Palace.

The Greeks were not the only ones who sought to master the mental skills needed to maximize their benefits from the Memory Palace. Marcus Tullius Cicero (107 BC—44 BC), the accomplished Roman orator, philosopher, lawyer, scholar, and politician, was known to use the Memory Palace technique to aid in his speeches. He refers to the technique in his work titled “De Oratore”.

Giordano Bruno (1548-1600), the famous Italian philosopher, poet, and accomplished mathematician, is known to have advocated the use of the Memory Palace for memory improvement. In addition, Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), the Italian Jesuit priest and co-founder of the Jesuit China missions, is known to have used the Memory Palace technique to assist him in remembering Chinese characters and texts.

More recently, the Memory Palace technique has proven to be a valuable aide-memoire tool for students, professionals, politicians, orators, and individuals seeking to improve their memory and cognitive abilities. It has proven to be especially useful for exam preparation, public speaking, public quizzes, and any situation where memorization is considered essential.

Nelson Dellis (born 1984), a modernday memory athlete and four-time USA Memory Champion, has advocated the use of the Memory Palace technique through many of his workshops and books. Testimonials abound in relation to the improvements that participants have experienced when they accept the challenge to further expand their memory capabilities through such tools and techniques. Dominic O’Brien (born 1957), the British author of memoryrelated books, and winner of several World Memory Championships, credits the Memory Palace techniques for his victories. Thus, while there may have been some initial speculation about the benefits of engaging in such memoryenhancing exercises, this writer anticipates that the reader’s curiosity would have been ignited and that, sooner rather than later, personal testimonies will surface to provide evidence that the techniques have not diminished in effectiveness and value.

In the absence of physical or chemical damage to the brain, each individual can use the Memory Palace techniques to improve our capacity to recall facts, figures, bible verses, poems, and other data. These ancient and modern examples cited here bear testimony of its enduring popularity and proven effectiveness and a tool for memory improvement and cognitive enhancement.

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

PRESIDENT KENNEDY was assassinated while driving through Dallas, Texas 60 years ago last Tuesday. There is no danger of overstating the significance and or consequences of Kennedy’s murder.

Let us consider these. What else slumped over on the afternoon of November 22, 1963? What did America lose besides a president? Extending the thought to take in our decade of assassinations, what did Americans lose with the murders of Malcolm X (February 1965), King (April 1968), and Robert F. Kennedy (two months later)? Martin Luther King, Jr. was not the only one of these four to have a dream. They all did.

Many writers and analysts have implicated Dulles and the CIA in John Kennedy’s assassination with varying degrees of certainty. Most recently, we have David Talbot’s The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government and Oliver Stone’s two films, JFK (1991) and JFK Revisited (2021). As Stone asserted in an interview two years ago, Dulles was operationally responsible, in all likelihood in the service of various New York financial interests who considered Kennedy a threat to the order, global and domestic, from which they benefited.

I drew lessons from Stone’s remarks: One, by 1963 the government that is supposed to serve Americans would no longer be legible to them. Events, contexts, responsible parties and their motivations and intentions: None of this would any longer be transparent.

The age of secret government had arrived. When we consider the CIA’s confidence as it executed a coup in broad daylight–and the murder of a sitting president has no other name– we have to conclude that by 1963 the Deep State considered its power and autonomy beyond challenge. It could do anything and get away with it.

This is to say that JFK’s murder marked that moment when the national-security state put Americans on notice. That afternoon it asserted what we are best off recognizing now as its ultimate authority–its hidden hegemony, its anti-democratic preeminence–in determining the direction of postwar American society.

Anyone who may doubt this can fastforward to the Russiagate years, when the Deep State’s various manifestations–the intelligence agencies, law enforcement, the judiciary, and the media, conspired to take down another president, this time bloodlessly.

Two, the democratic process in America has been severely compromised since the early 1960s. If there is a Deep State that permits democratic procedures to take place but does not permit change unacceptable to it, can we speak of such a nation as a democracy, or do we speak of such a nation as a democracy so as to comfort ourselves, to avoid facing what has become of us and been done to us–to flinch, at last, from the hard work of retrieving our public life?

Am I saying that American democracy died in Dallas on November 22, 1963? That we lost that day an authentic democratic process the power of which, according to the Constitution, is supreme? It is precisely what I am saying, the truth once again proving bitter. Look at the decades since. Have we done much more than spin our wheels, getting nowhere close to the

kind of society with the kind of domestic and foreign policies we deserve? This is what comes of not, to keep it simple, facing up.

I am not among those who unduly glorify JFK, or for that matter his brother. Kennedy arrived in the White House a committed Cold Warrior with his share or more of the orthodoxies of the age. But the unmistakable feature of his presidential years was growth.

At the time of his death his vision of America and of the world, was very different from what it was at the start.

He seems to have achieved a certain new enlightenment.

Somewhat in the way of FDR, Kennedy came to favor a cooperative coexistence with the Soviet Union, in part, maybe, because of his experience with Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He had ordered the beginning of a radical withdrawal from Vietnam shortly before he was killed.

Kennedy wanted to cultivate and project another image of who Americans were, to display another attitude, to tell the world we would be different from what we had been by way of another posture and ultimately another purpose. We would go to others in peace and with respect, not war and one or another kind of abuse or coercion.

Can we count JFK an advocate of multipolarity decades before his time?

I think so. Multipolarity was the inevitable consequence of the collapse of the Cold War binary. Kennedy, we must wonder, may have seen that far ahead. Was he our first postexceptionalist president? The scholars can address this thought better than I, but I am perfectly happy to pose the question.

There is a photograph of Jack and Bobby standing in the Oval Office staring at one another in what looks to be a state of anxiety on the way to mild shock, as if to say, “Whaaat???” It was taken around the time of the Bay of Pigs episode, when Dulles tried to trap Kennedy into supplying air cover and JFK shut him down. I have always read the picture to show that moment when the two Kennedys realized the CIA and the national-security state altogether had become a monster, that they would have to take it on, and, maybe, that they were both courting trouble. It is well-known that Kennedy had concluded that the agency should be dismantled and that he fired Dulles in November 1961, seven months after the Bay of Pigs disaster. And it is better known what happened two years after that.

We lost the promise of a better way of life, a more honest way of life, a fairer and more decent way of life when Kennedy lost his life, one that drew from the well of common dreams, not separateness and self-interest– “Ask not,” etc. A better way of life and a better world, one that would have had aspects of beauty about it. America was to remake itself in a new image so far as I understand JFK’s aspirations as they evolved during his White House years. This promise was vibrantly alive during that decade.

Bobby and King and in his way Malcolm saw it as JFK did. Then the decade turned into a murder spree intended to extinguish it.

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

V

12. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . THE VINCENTIAN

Opinion

Towards the retrieval of the Vincie society IT IS EVIDENT that this country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has had the potential to have done much better than it has done when one takes a critical look at the circumstances which are strangling us today. If the British could have generated the wealth that they did from the trade of goods that they produced on the soils of our country, then we would have been much better off than we are now, if we were earning even ten percent of what they had earned annually.

It is imperative at this time that the relevant studies be energetically pursued, so that we may determine accurately the factors which have negatively affected our development. On the basis of the facts gathered from those studies, we will be able to avoid the pitfalls as we venture forward.

Given the distinct gathering of momentum relative to the reparatory compensation for the enslavement of Africans over those centuries, whose progeny are the majority in the Caribbean societies today, and given the traceable identity of the beneficiaries of the horrendous exploitation, we should hopefully in the not too distant future be able to quantify the reasonable compensation.

When those funds commence flowing in, they must be controlled by trustworthy people who must be made to pledge a very high degree of accountability. We must be particularly mindful of the fact that the politicians who had been elected to serve have to a significant degree proved themselves to be decidedly untrustworthy for so

delicate a task, the supportive evidence is abundant.

It has been forty-four years since we have been responsible for the management of our affairs. The citizens have over that period entrusted the management of their state to two groups, parties, the Labour Party and the New Democratic Party. The members of those two groups — organizations, have seemingly grown in prosperity and influence even to the degree of having substantial resources beyond our shores.

At the same time, ordinary Vincentians suffer a crippling of their economic base, to the degree that more than 50 percent of the population are not gainfully employed. The problem is exacerbated because the farmers who have traditionally produced a wide variety of good healthy food, at prices affordable to our consumers, are not able to get to their farms comfortably because the authorities have abandoned those roads. Those roads are in the worst condition that they have ever been in since 1945!

The reason for this suffering which this traditionally strong agricultural community has been reduced to has origin in the philosophy initially promulgated by then Prime Minister James Mitchell, when he declared that we could not use agriculture to enhance our economic development. He said we needed to be services-based and he pledged to effect the change.

To give life to his philosophy, he squandered the lands in Canouan. He

offered it to expatriates at very generous terms for them to build hotels. His view of development was that the locals would get jobs in these hotels! From the stories of discontent now coming from the community, there seem to be several significant question marks regarding the maturity of the James Mitchell development model.

So what season are we in now under the leadership of Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the current leader of the Labour Party?

It cannot be forgotten, that he had very aggressively criticized James Mitchell for his approach with respect to the overly-generous approach he had pursued, to woo expatriates to build hotels in Canouan. That approach had baffled many Vincentians who could not fathom, that in the very season that we were lamenting the lecherous hold that the Mustique arrangement was affecting the tax-payers, our leadership could have consciously endeavoured to replicate the agony in Canouan. We remember how Dr. Gonsalves and the ULP through the voice of the energetic Glen Jackson, were relentless in the condemnation of Mr. Mitchell’s approach.

So when Dr. Gonsalves and his ULP took the reins of governance in the land, the people reasonably expected a correction to the Canouan situation to be effected with urgency.

But what have we had after twentythree years? An energetic pursuit of the same policy which they had been condemning. What treachery!

But then when one examines the

promises made by the ‘aspirants’ in 2001 and the degree to which they have not been kept, it is clearly seen that ‘untrustworthiness’ has been the predominant feature of the persona.

We are at the stage now where we ought to be having serious discussions, so that we may determine the construct of an approach we should embark on which could offer the next generation of citizens and their leaders, a platform on which they can confidently hope to build a society prospering in Peace and Justice.

I am confident, having heard a few of the contributions from students participating in the recent debate organized by the ‘Lions Club’, that there resides in the younger population, leadership material for the near future.

Those more mature ones among us must do what we can to encourage them so that they are appropriately prepared for their role as ‘Retrievers of the Vincentian Society’. They must be insulated from the corroding influence of those who have distinctly exhibited a propensity toward egotism, who may even now have set in motion, a scheme to ‘corral’ these intelligent young people, so as to facilitate they are being used in the political ‘draught-carts’ and made subservient to the whims and fancies of narcissistic leadership.

We have a country to rebuild and it is the duty of every able citizen to play his/her part to ensure that we are successful.

LeRoy Providence

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 13.

Source: Statistical Office, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

14. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 20223 . THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 15.

V

16. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . THE VINCENTIAN

Visual Arts

LetÊs celebrate La Soufrière

Submitted by: Camille Saunders of the Youlou Arts Foudation

IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE one of the biggest assets St. Vincent has, our famous volcano, La Soufrière.

She is beautiful and is commonly referred to as “Soufrière”. I like to think of her as the Goddess La Soufrière, who violently erupted on the 9th of April, 2021. Fortunately there were no fatalities. The public was informed about the impending eruption. People who lived near the volcano were evacuated and housed in safe areas.

It was a solemn time for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Soufriere” sent a huge plume of ash into the air, which appeared to be about six miles high. The plume was seen everywhere on the island.

The emotional impact was great! It was felt by all.

The eruption stirred the imagination. Creatives pai d attention and responded with great passion and vigour.

The volcano had

given significant, fresh, organic material.

Our soils were enriched since volcanic material does break down to form some of the most fertile soils on earth.

We were told the first recorded eruption of “La Soufrière” was March 26, 1718. A ship passing by recorded this eruption. What is interesting is that a year later in 1719, the French started to arrive on St. Vincent.

Claiming to be small farmers, they soon settled on St. Vincent with a special agreement with the Kalinagos.

I want to believe the French knew the value of having fresh, organic volcanic soil.

They knew their crops would produce.

Not too long after the British came looking for suitable lands to grow sugar cane. After many years and many battles fought between the French, the British and the Kalinagos, St. Vincent became a British colony.

The eruption of “La Soufrière”’ on 27 April, 1812 made St. Vincent the largest producer of sugar in the

Windward Islands and Lesser Antilles. The island continued to produce abundantly through 1834.

To this day, the Goddess La Soufrière continues to shower St. Vincent and surrounding islands with ash, enriching the soil and making the land very fertile. Many people have said that “Soufrière” should be considered the womb of St. Vincent; she gives the islands fertile soil which produce abundantly. It’s only fair that we celebrate La Soufrière.

Youlou Arts is seizing the opportunity to encourage the public to celebrate “Soufrière”.

Local artists were invited to come forward to display their work on the 2021 eruption. This show titled “The Power Of The Volcano” is currently on display at the Youlou Art Gallery.

A reception to celebrate the show is slated for Saturday, December 2. from 6 pm to 8

pm. During the reception we will celebrate with live music, stories written about the volcano and poems. Finger foods will be served and drinks will be on sale. This event is

free and open to the public.

You are encouraged to attend this celebration. It is an opportunity to support and encourage the visual arts.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 17.

News

Union President chastises teachers PRESIDENT of the St Vincent and Grenadines Teachers’ Union (SVGTU), Oswald Robinson has reprimand teachers for the poor turn out at their March and Rally on Friday 17.

Less than 100 teachers turned out to the event despite the schools being given halfday in support of the event.

“Some people think it

hard to take one day off to stand with their union. Today we got a half day. How many teachers we have in the country, about 2,000.

Where are they? The unions asked the authorities for half-day and the half-day was given and where are the teachers? We can do better than this. Too many excuses when the union calls but when we

have our problem we call the union,” said Robinson during the rally that took place on the compound of the Bishop College Kingstown.

The President asked rhetorically: “When the volcano erupted who responded? When government retired you, who stood up for you?”

Robinson said that there are important issues on the table, such

as pension reform, teaching appointments, a new collective bargaining agreement and the poor condition teachers faces, hence teachers need to support of the Union.

“Whatever function you have to perform in any organization, you have to be active. We can’t be spectators and if it is not the time now, now is the time to be more active so we will be

part of that essential ingredient to reap the success that we so desire,” Robinson declared.

The March and Rally coincided with Teachers Solidarity Week which runs from November 11 to 17, under the theme: “The Significance of workers’ Oswald Robinson, President of the Active SVGTU, addressing the annual Participation: solidarity rally during which he A Recipe for lambasted teachers for their poor Success”. turnout.

Lawyer for the SVGTU, tear gas, one person was Jomo Thomas, in his killed and several others address, highlighted the injured in the melee, and importance of teachers from that November 14 and posited that they on 1975, teachers have should be celebrated. been marching and He recalled being a rallying to keep this little boy when the event together and build teachers had their march the consciousness; and in 1975. that is something that is “And I remembered critically important,” said there were hundreds of Thomas, adding that, teachers and there were “…the march and rally is hundreds more of a tribute to the citizens who joined commitment and teachers in that very discipline of your historic march. And as organization and you that march progressed should commit to keep from the Peace Memorial this going.”

Hall down to the Market The rally also received Square, that March was messages of solidarity assaulted by the from the Public Service government of the day, Union, and Teachers St. Vincent Labour Unions in Jamaica, Party. ……. people were Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, as well as the Caribbean Union of Teachers.

(KH) Jomo: Attorney Jomo Thomas retraced the vents of November 14, 1975 to impress upon today’s teachers the significance of the annual March and rally.

18. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 19.

20. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 20223 . THE VINCENTIAN

Leisure

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Get on with business. Enjoy taking courses or lecturing others. Keep on your toes when dealing with others. Don't be too quick to judge partners or those you work with.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) You will easily blow situations out of proportion. You may have a problem at work with a female coworker. Avoid confrontations with coworkers who aren't pulling their weight. You may find it necessary to confront a situation that has gotten out of hand.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You are best to put your efforts into redecorating or inviting friends over. Try not to take others for granted. Tempers coulda get out of hand this week. You could receive recognition for a job well done. You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) You will be entertained and intrigued by the logic foreigners possess.

Uncertainties regarding relatives will make situations uncomfortable if you attend a family function. The existing problems must be dealt with one way or another.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Curb or cut out that bad habit you've been meaning to do something about.

You can look into new jobs but don't count on getting help from someone who may have promised you assistance.

Adventure will result in added knowledge.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Those who have been too demanding should be put in their place or out to pasture. Organize your house and be sure to include the whole family in the projects you have set out to do. You'll be angry if those you live with aren't pulling their weight.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Talk to someone you trust in order to see the whole picture. Don't be afraid to pursue unfamiliar grounds. You can expect opposition from family as well as colleagues. Investments may be misrepresented this week.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Make plans to attend group discussions or get together with friends who like to talk as much as you do. You will enjoy events that lean toward theater, art, or music this week. You may think gifts will win their heart, but it could add stress from lack of funds. Try not to be too lavish with your lover.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) You will be able to get good advice if you listen to close friends or relatives you respect. Personal problems may be hanging over your head but don't confront the situation. Romantic opportunities will be plentiful if you go out with friends.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Be careful that you don't spend too much time with a person belonging to someone else. You can get your point across if you don't beat around the bush. Investments may not be as lucrative as you thought.

You can make professional decisions this week that will affect your position.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19) Your emotional state will vacillate. You can make changes to your home that will be pleasing to all concerned. Do your work at home, if you can. Someone may be trying to make you look bad. You'll feel much better when your slate is clean again.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Any contributions you make to organizations will enhance your reputation and bring you offers. Take care of yourself or you can expect to suffer from minor illness. Most partner problems are a result of both people not living up to their promises.

ACROSS 1. Had had a dip 5. Lava rock 11. 1997 Best Picture “The _____” 15. General’s bodyguard 16. Dryness 17. Cultural group members 18. Skin pigment 19. Unwrinkles 20. Foreboding 22. Many-legged crawler 27. James Joyce or Samuel Beckett, e.g.

33. Midriff-revealing top 34. Marital 35. Symbolizes 36. Hockey statistic 37. Bird named for its colorful breast and tail 38. Agent that reduces 40. Coming into being 47. Clique 51. Reduce in worth 52. Wifely 53. Massachusetts city 54. Stripy NFL team 55. Be afraid to 56. Negatively charged ions 57. Buck

39. Nobelist Bohr 8. Spanish cordial 41. Gulf of 9. Fully grown pike Finland 10. One of the feeder Durbeyfields 12. Boy, to his madre 42. Declare 43. Weighed a 13. Pack ___ (quit) package 14. Jaded 44. “Mr. 15. Fasten anew Belvedere” 21. Decimal basis actress Graff 23. Secret plan 45. Words before 24. Singer portrayed

by Beyonce 25. Big game 26. Formerly, formerly DOWN 27. Much may follow it 28. Hurry 1. Make official 29. “Facto” intro 2. Electrician, at times 30. Hurly-burly 3. Serving a purpose 31. Expert on eras 4. Chairwoman’s 32. Yard goods address 35. Put down 5. Engaged 37. Gas station 6. Plato and Socrates abbreviation 7. Biblical transgressions

LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 21.

sight and mind 46. Like mesh 47. Actor, Gooding 48. They can take a yoke 49. Captain Daryl’s colleague 50. Thus in Latin

V

22. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. THE VINCENTIAN

Advice

Haunted by a dark past

Dear George, MY HUSBAND is getting frustrated over the fact that I cannot bear him a child.

The truth is, before I met him I had so many abortions that I was told by the doctor that I would never be able to bear a child.

I never told my husband about abortions and he is now suggesting we check ourselves to see where the problem lies. My fear is that he will learn the dark truth about my past, the reason for my inability to have children and opt out of the marriage. I am trying my best to convince him that we should not go to the doctor but he is adamant we should go.

Is there anything I can tell him to get him to understand why I kept this from him all these years?

Scared out of my Skin.

Dear Scared, The time of disclosure about your

past should have been at the very beginning of the relationship.

Admittedly, it is the kind of revelation that can cause your husband to lose trust in you and force him to part ways with you on the grounds of deception.

Your husband may not take this one lying down but you still have to level up and tell him the truth.

Telling of this truth will also liberate your own heart and mind from the burden of guilt you are now experiencing.

You have done your husband wrong by concealing this very vital information but still have the opportunity to do the right thing by confessing, regardless of the consequences.

George.

Bored with my marriage the idea of us seeing other people — like an open marriage.

AFTER 14 years of I have tried marriage, I am faced everything to bring some with a horrible truth - I level of excitement to the am very bored and fed relationship but to no up with my marriage.

When I got married, I avail. She seems content with the marriage and was happily in love and thought I was going to be wants to know what has happy for the rest of my got into my head all of a sudden. life. Over the years my I’m feeling like a wife has gotten boring; she no longer appeals to trapped animal and I need to break free. me.

Moreover, whenever I talk to other women, she Just my Luck. accuses me of flirting Dear Just my Luck, and even cheating. I would flirt sometimes It seems to me you are but as I have explained to her this is to help me now waking up to the reality that you never with the boredom I am understood fully the feeling in the marriage. commitment that comes She threw water on with marriage.

Dear George,

It is ridiculous to expect your wife to accept your flirtatious behavior and readiness to embrace an open marriage concept. At this point, I strongly suggest that you seek some much-needed counseling. I’m sure your therapist would recommend that your wife joins you at some point so she can speak to the hurt she feels as a direct result of your behavioral change.

A marriage that is not built on love and commitment will not withstand the rigors of the journey - mixed with the sour and the sweet.

George.

Rumours in the workplace Dear George, Dear Very Bothered, IT IS ALL OVER my workplace that my husband is “horning” me. I cannot look my coworkers in the eye because of the kind of things I’m hearing. No one has said anything to me directly but I can tell by their mannerisms that something is up.

I asked my husband about it and he simply asked me whether I’m going to be bothered by office rumours. I know my husband and I know he would never do the kind of things I’m hearing he is doing. I trust my husband and never had reasons not to, but what if even some of this is true? To be honest I do not know what to do. I’m just confused.

We are going into our 2nd year of marriage and it is very shameful for me.

You have admitted that you never had reasons not to trust your husband, and you have also said your husband asked you whether you were going to believe office rumours over his truth.

You do not, and may never know what is the motivation behind these rumours. You should treat them for what they are — rumours — until you are presented with solid proof of wrongdoings on the part of your husband. Mind you, I am in any way suggesting that you go looking for such.

Keep your focus on what’s positive about your marriage and leave the naysayers to do what they do best.

Very Bothered.

George.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 23.

Coombs’ matter: FIFA clarifies ambiguity addressed to SVGFF General Secretary — Devron Poyer, sought to shed light on some grey areas.

Schneider wrote: “We have been following closely the recent developments in St. Vincent and the Grenadines concerning the eligibility status of the subject individual to participate in footballing activities.

In view of the above, we have identified that our communication dated 18 September 2023 may have contributed to create a degree of ambiguity in interpretation”.

The September 18 correspondence, Venold Coombs, even in the face of being sanctioned by FIFA, must penned by Molly Strachan, Legal feel he still has support among the football fraternity as he appears Counsel of the Judicial to be making a go at returning to the national football set-up.

Bodies of FIFA, and addressed to Poyer, FOOTBALL’S WORLD GOVERNING Football Federation(SVGFF)noted: “Please be informed BODY- FIFA- has moved to clarity Venold Coombs. that following our previous what it called “ambiguity”, over Carlos Schneider, Director the status and eligibility of of the FIFA Judicial Bodies, in communication of 16 September 2022, whilst the former President of the St. a correspondence dated 16 therein-mentioned six (6) Vincent and the Grenadines November, 2023 and month suspension from all

football-related activities imposed upon Mr. Venold Coombs has now elapsed, it remains, irrespective of the foregoing, that according to our records the relevant amount(s) due to FIFA in accordance with the decision passed by a member of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on 11 August 2022, have not yet been paid (namely, the USD 40,000 due as a fine, in addition to the USD 3,000 due as procedural costs) by the Respondent”.

But Schneider in the 16 November, 2023 noted that enough information was provided to the office of the SVGFF, expounding the lifting of the ban on Coombs.

Schneider claimed, “In addition, your office was not provided with some details that could have assisted you to have a more adequate understanding of this matter.

In particular, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee accepted a payment plan which resulted in the lifting of the ban imposed against Mr. Coombs. In consideration of the above circumstances, we can confirm that Mr. Coombs

is no longer suspended from any football activities. This, without prejudice to the potential eligibility requirements of your association”.

The back and forth between FIFA’s legal team and the secretariat of the SVGFF stemmed from Coombs being engaged in campaigning for a possible shot at the Presidency of the SVGFF, whenever elections are convened.

On July 3, 2018, Coombs was given a two-year ban and fined US$ 40 000.00, after he was found guilty of breaching rules of ethics relative to bribery and corruption, conflict of interest and loyalty, pertaining to the sale of 2014 world cup tickets.

Then in August last year, FIFA imposed an additional six-month ban on Coombs that expired seven months ago, March, 2023.

As referenced in FIFA’s November 18, 2023 correspondence, Coombs has entered into an agreement to pay $1,200.00 monthly installment towards clearing the US$43,000.00 fine imposed upon him.

Vincy Heat ends CNL on high ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES’ senior men’s Football team- Vincy Heat - beat Belize 3-0 last Tuesday, November 21, at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium in Grenada, to finish runner-up in Group C of League B, in the Concacaf Nations League.

Diel Spring scored in the 3rd minute, with Kyle Edwards adding the second in the 84th and Oryan Velox completing the win with an 85th minute strike.

Any other result would have sent the Vincentians to League C of the

Diel Spring opened the scoring for Vincy Heat.

Kyle Edwards added a second for Vincy Heat.

Oryan Velox sealed victory for Vincy Heat.

next Nations League.

Vincy Heat thus ended on nine points from their six matches, registering three wins and the same number of losses.

Before yesterday’s wins, Vincy Heat had beaten Belize 2-1 and Bermuda 43 during the September window.

However, the Vincentians suffered

back-to-back losses to French Guiana, 1-4 and 2-3, in the October window.

The other loss came last week Friday, when they lost 1-3 to Bermuda in Bermuda.

French Guiana topped the Group with three wins, two losses and a draw, finishing on nine points, and in the process, gained promotion to

League B. Bermuda had two wins, two draws and two losses, to end on eight points.

Meanwhile, Belize ended their campaign with seven points, gathered from two wins, one draw and three losses.

Belize’s seven points were not enough to keep them in League B.

V

24. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . THE VINCENTIAN

Sports

Durrant celebrates milestone in Rugby DELLON DURRANT, the current President of the (SVGRU), commemorates his first year in office as the youngest president in the organization’s history.

Despite his youth, he has proven himself as a visionary leader within SVG and on the international stage, where he serves as a World Rugby Council member.

Durrant’s fresh perspective, innovative ideas, and dedication to the sport have ignited a new era of growth and development for rugby in the country. His appointment to the prestigious World Rugby group further highlights his immense potential and reputation as a forward-thinking leader within the global rugby community.

His most recent assignment was when he attended the 2023 World Rugby General Council meeting held in Paris in October, during the World Rugby World Cup Finals.

This outing provided him the opportunity to network with successful rugby nations and other rugby federations. This collaboration sets the foundation for building strong relationships, fostering growth, and solidifying Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ presence on the international rugby stage.

Reflecting on his first year, President Dellon Durrant expressed his excitement for the progress made and outlined his vision for the future, stating, “I am deeply honored to serve

as the youngest Dellon Durrant (left) President of the with Bill Beaumont, SVGRU and as Chairman of World a member of the Rugby Council, World Rugby during a reception Council. We at the 2023 World have achieved Rugby Council remarkable Meeting in Paris. milestones, from strengthening international alliances to growing our national teams. As we move forward, we are determined to build on the success of the Get Into Rugby School Program and continue improving the quality of the game.

Together, we will forge a bright future for rugby in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Compiled by I.B.A. Allen

System 3: SGCC Football Champion System Three Youths are the new champions of the 2023 National Lotteries/Unique Soccer SVG Community College Invitational Football Championship, on the weekend at the Victoria Park.

They took the title convincingly last Friday at Victoria Park when they defeated Hope International 5-2 in the finals.

Jaheim Kirby got System Three on the score sheet in the 6th minute but Chad Haynes of System Hope International Three - MVP of the finals and equalized six the tournament. minutes later.

System Three netted two more goals before half time through Chad Haynes in the 43rd minute and Jaheim Kirby, his second strike, in the 45th minute.

Zamaro Mofford pushed System Three further in the lead when he struck in the 67th minute. Hope International pulled one back in the 69th minute through Shemar Wilkes but System Three sealed their dominace with a 77th minute strike by Chad Haynes, his second.

In the third-place play-off, Jebelle FC Youths

beat Avenues 4-2.

Jebelle’s goals were accounted for by Jahva Audain in the 17th minute, a brace from Christoher Lewis in the 33rd and 44th minute, and Kamal Griffith in the 71st minute.

Dakari Hector and Kadel Hector were the goals scorers for Avenues System Three Youths – new SVG Community in the 5th and 39th minute respectively.

College Invitational Football Champion.

As for individual awards - Chad Haynes of System Three was named MVP of the finals and the - the best striker with 15 goals. tournament, Mikeal Williams of Jebelle Youths the Best Defender, Jimmel Lewis from Jebelle I.B.A. ALLEN Youths - the best goal keeper, and Jaheim Kirby from System Three

Referees Association loses loyal soul

Jaheim Kirby from System Three – Best Striker.

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Referees Association has lost one of its more committed and loyal match officials, Rohan “Ole Prime” Primus.

Rohan Primus The 43-year-old was known to be died last Monday willing to serve after a very brief even when illness. called upon to Primus was a do so at short registered central notice. referee with the association for over seven years, officiating in matches under the aegis of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, as well as the various

community leagues across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

According to a SVG Referees Association release, “Primus was an outstanding father with a burning passion for the game of Football, and his contribution towards elevating the sport here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was that of a referee.

The release also described Primus as humble in nature; one who was willing and would avail himself even at short notice.

Meanwhile, a release from the SVG Football Federation’s secretariat stated, “He exemplified as a devoted match official, never shying away from appointments and consistently approaching adversity with positivity, seeking the best solutions in every situation. His calmness, jovial and helpful spirit made him a true example of a team player”.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 25.

Sports

Coincidental coinage SOME MIGHT have looked at last week’s headline of the Vineyard with some perplexity.

The caption ought to have been ‘Flashing on Troumaca. Last version came as a hasty click, enough to allow to expand on the families that formed the basis of the settlement.

I wouldn’t have betted on remembering all the titles in one glance. I should have recalled the Mars for sure for personal reasons. They cared for me as an infant. The connection never alters.

The Sams and the Anthonys had a close contact, and that too should have been instinctive. For I recall being at Vick’s Preschool with Ynolde Sam. That is how long? I remember those days for the sincerity of that period. There was no clock at the small wooden building in the yard of the Alexander family on Bottom Village road.

That led to the clinic and the then Playing Field.

One could have seen up the street to the School park outside the Trouamca Primary School. The preschool teacher used to gauge the time when ‘Top School’ gave recess so that we could.

Invariably, Vick sent me to see if children were on the Park.

Each unit carries a link in the Troumaca network. The announcement of the Hugh Wyllie National scholarship to one of this year’s awardees, is testimony of the village contribution to the nation.

The Wyllie’s may have indeed be linked to others, but they have identity. It might even broaden to the DaSilva for Hugh Wyllie and Frank DaSilva are brothers.

A Durrant family lived on the road one house from me. We used to raid the plum tree whenever we got the chance. So the owners decided to put a deterrent with an inkbottle on the tree, liquid inserted.

There after we stopped the stealing, and bought. We were duly served. It was surprising that the ‘bottle’ was removed. It must have been a prank poison. In any event it worked.

I should have clicked on the Huggins. The versatility and discipline of Robert Huggins reflects on community. He carries the Baptist tradition and so a sample of spiritual foundation.

The Crease family is a sample of the village.

They occupied the section commonly referred to Madame O’get. The story is that Troumaca was occupied by a that French lady. Troumaca people never leaned upon the French pronunciation and referred to the area as Madongoget.

The Crease family uplifts the community’s in ongoing fashion.

The name Sayers is original in Troumaca, for those were strong people who set the foundations of natural survival.

There was a Chapman family who lived in a small board house above the Grace and Truth Church. I remember the husband who cleaned the gutters along the road. It is no coincidence that I keep the environment clean. That was my awakening.

The London family is regarded as the core of the village existence. They formed part of the migration to Trinidad and different areas.

A check of the extent of the London connection will take to cities far and beyond.

The Farrell family has deep roots in Troumaca and the clan produced many of the village’s innovators. They handled the art of survival in dynamic ways and acquired admiration for their creativity.

There are the Spences, Fordes, and Theobalds.

Behind the doors of every family setting is an untold story. Some have impact that may reveal a mystery of the ties that bind.

Australia wins sixth ICC World Cup AUSTRALIA won the Cricket World Cup for a record-extending sixth time last Sunday, Nov. 19, ending India’s dominant run in the 2023 edition which it hosted, with a sixwicket victory.

In what can only be described as a low scoring finals, Australia had much to thank Travis Head for, as he took the Indians to task with a knock of 137 off 120 balls.

In the process, Head joined an elite group of batsmen who have recorded centuries in a final of an ICC World Cup. In addition to joining two other Australians — Ricky Pointing in 2003 and Adam Gilchrist in 2007, he now sits alongside Clive Lloyd (1975), Vivian Richards (1979), Aravinda Da Silva (1996 and Mahela Jayawardene (2011).

A heavily partisan crowd inside the 132,000capacity Narendra Modi Stadium was silenced as Travis Head combined with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out)

Australia – World Champions once again of One Day (50 Overs) cricket. (Photo Credit: ICC) in a 192-run partnership, to chase down the target of 241 made by India batting first.

Australia was wobbling on 47-3 after seven overs but Head and Labuschagne dug in to help their country regain its status as the king of one-day international cricket, adding to its 50-over world titles in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. India won the World Cup in 1983 and 2011. Its last major

Travis Head became the seventh batsman to score a century in an ICC World Cup Final. success was winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

Scores in the final: India 240 - Rahul 66, Kohli 54, Starc 3 for 55, Cummins 2 for 34, Hazelwood 2 for 60; Australia 241 for 4 Travis Head 137, Labuschange 58 not out, Bumrah 2 for 43.

I.B.A. ALLEN

SVG T20 Masters into Semi-finals RSVG Police Maters have taken another step towards reclaiming their title as Champions of Masters T20 Cricket in SVG. The lawmen beat Davis Construction Bequia Masters by 7 wickets to earn a spot in the semi-finals of the Maters T20 Championship.

Scores: Davis Construction Bequia Masters 127 for 6 off 20 overs - Sherlon Pompey 47, Vertil Davis 2 for 23; RSVG Police Masters 130 for 2 off 11.3 overs Salvan Browne 40 not out, McLean Williams 38, Hyron Shallow 39.

The other semifinalists are: North East Masters, Stanley Browne Stubbs Masters and 007 Sports Bar P’tani Masters.

North East Masters earned their spot by beating Stokes by 46 runs. Scores: North East Masters 112 all out from 16.5 overs - Romel Olliviere 25, Harvey Pope 24, Grantley Constance 4 for 23, Ezekiel Trimingham 3 for 22; Strokes Masters 66 all out off 18.1 overs Marcus Castello 4 for 16,

Deighton Butler 3 for 6.

Stanley Browne Stubbs Masters tipped Cato Heavy Equipment Glamorgan Masters by 5 wickets. Scores: Glamorgan Masters 142 for 6 off 20 overs - Dexter Small 59, Jerome Dick 47, Basil Andrews 3 for 27, Ricky Thomas 2 for

28; Stanley Browne Stubbs Masters 144 for 5 off 15.3 overs - Kissinger McLean 84.

007 Sports Bar P’tani Masters defeated Bugmart Pastures Masters by 7 wickets.

Scores: Bugmart Pastures Masters 81 for 9 off 20 overs - Marvin

Small 28, Aniston Lawerence 21, Reginald Jeffrey 3 for 10, Nurlan Williams 3 for 18; P’tani Masters 84 for 3 off 11.3 overs Romel Currency 35 not out, Patrick Thomas 22.

I.B.A. ALLEN

Vincentians trump Masters Squash titles VINCENTIANS Andre John and James Bentick won Masters Squash titles, last weekend, in different parts of the globe.

US-based John won the Men’s 55 and over category of the 2023 Milt Russ Masters Invitational Squash Tournament, held at the Harvard Club in New York, November 16 to 19.

John after getting a bye in the first round, beat Domingo Tiozon, 11-2, 11-4, 11-4, to advance from the quarter final.

John had to work harder against Timothy Luke in the semi-final, but prevailed 11-6. 11-7, 11-5, to set up a final James Bentick took out a Malaysian national player on his way to another Masters champion’s title.

versus Nick Monogenis.

John was pushed in the final but held his form 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2.

Meanwhile, Bentick topped all comers at the inaugural Penang Masters Tournament in Malaysia, Andre John November 17 to 19. took the First up, Bentick beat Chong Sen 11-8, championshi p title in a 11-3, 11-3, in his Men’s 55 and quarter final match up, then registered an over squash tournament 11-5, 11-6, 12-10 win in New York. over Colin Robertson in the semi-finals.

And, in the final, Bentick stopped former Malaysian national player Tan Tian Huat 11-5, 12-10, 11-5, to ink his name in the champions’ record book in the inaugural tournament.

26. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 20223 . THE VINCENTIAN

V

THE VINCENTIAN. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023. 27.

Classifieds

NDP focuses on the youth

From Backpage.

Four pillars of the economy Not for the first time, Dr. Friday highlighted the NDP’s commitment to build what he described as “four pillars of the economy, ….. agriculture, tourism, the blue economy and the new economy,” all of which he saw as means of creating prosperity.

In addition, and with an eye on the youth support, Dr. Friday committed the NDP to increasing emphasis on technical and vocational education, which he described as avenues through which to train people for existing jobs.

He promised the youth that his government will implement the Youth Guarantee Pledge, a party

promise, ‘that every young person in SVG would have the opportunity of a job, or a training programme, or a place or an internship with an employer, by the end of the first term of an NDP administration’.

And coming on the heels of government’s commissioning of a Youth Advisory Council, comprised of appointees of the government, Dr. Friday announced with much emphasis that the NDP “will re-establish the National Youth Council” which for all intents and purposes was made inactive and ineffective under the ULP. This he said, will guarantee an independent voice for the youth.

Vincentian youth, according to the NDP leader, can also look forward to the setting up of a jobs and

skills agency which will assist people, especially young people, to find work.

And as expected given the Rally’s attention on the youth, the NDP president and parliamentary representative for the Northern Grenadines, made a firm commitment to promoting the arts and sports, and to building a performing arts centre and an indoor sporting arena.

In a solemn promise to the youth of the nation, Dr. Friday told the thousands gathered at Campden Park last Saturday, “I will deliver on these commitments. Unlike the ULP politicians, they promised the world every election, and they blame everyone when they don’t deliver, I will honour my commitments.”

AI REAL ESTATE Lowmans Hill LD 23,698 sq.ft @ $5.00 p.s.f - $118,490.00 - BB172 Revierre 5,506 sq.ft. - $55,000.00 - BB171 Victoria Village 21,791 sq.ft. - $250,596.50 - BB402 Victoria Village 19,503 sq.ft @ $7.50 p.s.f.

- $146,272.50 - BB116 (784)- 457-2087/(718)-807-4376 office (784)-493-9431/(784)-533-0431 whatsappcell donp@vincysurf.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2023

VOLUME 117, No.47

www.thevincentian.com

EC$1.50

NDP FOCUSES ON THE YOUTH And the NDP took its message and campaign energy to a new level when it staged a Hope for Youth Rally at the Campden Park Playing Field, Saturday, November 18.

This followed on a Hope Rally staged in Georgetown on Saturday 13th May, this year.

The Hope for Youth Rally, as has become the trend with mass activities organized by political parties in recent time, featured a number of performances by regional (mainly Dr. Godwin Friday, Jamaican) and local Political Leader of the dancehall and soca NDP and Leader of the artistes, local DJs, who Opposition, challenged did not fail to excite the the youth to use their largely youthful vote to ensure a brighter audience. future for themselves The entertainment with the NDP.

AN ELECTION is in the air and each of the two major political parties has upped its campaign-like overtures to their supporters and the electorate in general.

In the case of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), it has been busy through its social media outreach, its radio station programmes, its weekly newspaper column, presenting itself as a viable alternative to the incumbent Unity Labour Party.

A section of the large and enthusiastic crowd at last Saturday’s Hope for Youth Rally.

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

MP Fitzgerald Bramble addressing the rally while the sign language expert (bottom right corner) ensures the hearing impaired were not excluded.

This is a new feature of activities of this sort. means giving our people, especially our young people, hope.”

The next election must be an opportunity for you (youth) “to make your voice so loud and so clear that it will no longer be ignored,” he advised the youth.

He urged them to become organised so as to “make this country feel your power. When Friday challenges the you come together, when youth you organise and you vote for something, The feature address nothing and no one can was delivered by Party stop you. So, vote for President and Leader of change and I promise the Opposition Dr. you change will come.”

Godwin Friday.

Dr. Friday directed As expected, given the them to help the NDP theme of the Rally, Dr. form the next Friday focused his government which, he attention on the youth.

“There is no reason to promised, “will look out for you, will create jobs fear change,” he and opportunity for all challenged them. and will bring a new era “Change for us means of hope and prosperity in making progress. It means keeping promises. our land.”

It means delivering a Continued on Page 27. plan for the future. It component was complemented by a number of abbreviated speeches by party members, whose speeches were interpreted by a sign language expert to ensure that the hearing impaired, present and/or following the rally on radio/television, were not excluded.

Printed by the SVG Publishers Inc., Campden Park.