THE VINCENTIAN PDF-29-07-22

FRIDAY, JULY 29,

2022

VOLUME 116, No.30

Prisoners get attention Page 4

www.thevincentian.com

People are asking…

Page 7

EC$1.50

BLA treats customers Page 13

Commander Cain retires Page 15

Francis, “Bigs” fall ill Page 24

NO WRONGDOING IN PRINCE’S RECALL BY: DAYLE DA SILVA HOWIE PRINCE, CONSUL GENERAL to the United States, has said that he was not prepared to be dragged into any non-existent controversy regarding his recall.

Prince called in during a radio discussion on July 24, and thanked Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who was in studio, and the rest of the Cabinet, for the time he was allowed to serve as Consul General.

“I can boast that things are good at the Consulate as I speak, and as we get ready to handover to Rondy ‘Luta’ McIntosh, that he inherits a proper stage,” Prince said.

And in turning to what he said was clearing the air for those who wanted to drag him into controversy, Prince said, “I spent most of my time trying to avoid political controversies, I have worked here as the Consul General for five years and 10 months, and I have avoided getting in any kind of politics — concentrating on the task at hand and that is managing the Consulate, establishing good relations with those in the

Diaspora, making sure that people are able to get services.”

According to Prince, persons have been reaching out to him for comments, but he gave the assurance that all was well and that he wanted to convey his gratitude to the government for the opportunity that he had been given to serve.

“People have to understand that political appointments are what they are and that at some point or other, government will see the need to make some changes,” Prince said.

“When you have been given the chance to serve for five years and 10 months, that’s a significant time and for that I am extremely grateful,” he continued.

No reason for recall In an article which appeared in the Jull 22 edition of THE VINCENTIAN, Prince had indicated that he was not provided with any reason for his recall.

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Howie Prince, outgoing Consul General said, not in as many words, that he has left a clean record at the Consulate in New York.

RALPH AGAIN! NO CAMILLO, NO SABOTO. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is expected to be endorsed once again, as Political Leader of the ULP at the party’s Convention this Sunday.

COME SUNDAY 31ST JULY, 2022, the Unity Labour Party (ULP), which has held the reins of government in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since it was first elected in 2001, will hold another party Convention.

Given the build-up to the Convention, one of the expectations of

the Convention was that with the election of a ‘new’ Deputy Political Leader, this would have given indication of who would replace Party Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who has been at the helm of the ULP since 1998.

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2. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . 3.

News 3 CLICO settlements in the making THE BARBADIAN GOVERNMENT is preparing to finance settlements to stricken CLICO policyholders, including those here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves disclosed.

In response to a question posed by Leader of the Opposition Dr Godwin Friday during the July 25 Meeting of Parliament to give an update on the status of efforts to recover the investments of local policyholders affected by the collapse of CLICO, Gonsalves said that the Barbadian government has offered a bond of BBD$37 million, of which the sum of BBDS$9 million is expected to be allocated to settle claims here.

But while the Barbadian government has offered this long-term instrument to provide cash flows to settle claims of policy holders, Gonsalves declared that it was not reasonable to ask affected policy holders who have waited many years for a settlement, to now collect that settlement over a 15-year period.

So, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in its capacity as a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Insurance, have been working to find ways to monetize the bond to make cash payments.

“A trustee arrangement is likely to be put in place to manage the cash flows from the bond and as soon as a

final decision is made on the mechanism and the formula for making the payments, the currency union in collaboration with ECCU governments will issue a detailed statement,” the Finance Minister explained.

And in a communique following the 102nd meeting of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in July 2022, the council ratified the round robin decision approval of the trust arrangement regarding the bond proposal of BBD$37 million from the Government of Barbados.

The next scheduled meeting of the Ministerial Sub-committee on Insurance is August 12, 2022, Gonsalves said, after which the government of Barbados and the court system in that country will be duly informed of the progress of CLICO. He said further that the next court Indications are that there could be a ‘pot of cash’ at the end of the rainbow date at which it is expected to inform for CLICO policyholders. the courts of the trustee arrangement is August 18, 2022.

Gonsalves, though, gave the assurance that they were trying to monetize the bond as quickly as possible, and they hoped to give the policy holders a one-off settlement based on this bond Continued from front page. subsequent government notice in late sometime within a six to twelveMay indicated that he will be on a monthmonth period. (DD) HE DISCLOSED THAT HE WAS ON AN by-month basis until further notice.

ANNUAL contract which was renewed at On June 24, he received a notice from the end of May this year, but a the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he was being recalled.

No wrongdoing in Prince’s recall

Ralph Again! No Camillo, No Saboto.

Camillo Gonsalves and Saboto Caesar would have more time to establish themselves as worthy successors to Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. it was going to be a battle between the young Turks — Camillo Gonsalves, the AT LEAST, THIS IS WHAT THE PARTY Party Leader’s son, and Saboto Caesar, a machinery had established in the minds member of Parliament since 2010. of the people as the significant agenda As a matter of fact, there was more item of the 2022 Convention. than a hint dating back to the campaign The die was cast in the public domain; of the last general elections in 2020, that Continued from front page.

the future leader of the ULP would be either the younger Gonslaves or the tested Caesar.

All of this has now been put to rest by Dr. Gonslaves who, speaking on last Sunday’s episode of WE FM’s Issue at Hand programme, declared that “unless advised otherwise, I would lead the party in the next general elections,” which are due by 2025.

This, he said, was elucidated by the party’s General Secretary, Julian Francis, who informed him that he, Dr. Gonsalves, was the lone nomination for the position of Party Leader.

Gonsalves said on radio, “I am a party man; the organs of the party tell me they are not ready for transition. The leadership, the rank and file telling me that now is not the time for any transition, so I will continue.”

Dr. Gonsalves also said that he expected the party’s current Deputy Political Leader — Montgomery Daniel, would be returned to that position.

Efforts to ascertain the nominees, for the Deputy Political position, proved futile.

Dr. Gonslaves has successfully led the ULP in five consecutive general elections — 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.

No wrongdoing Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that not because Prince was being recalled, meant that there was any wrongdoing.

And it did not mean that Prince had to return to St Vincent but that he had come to the end of his contractual period, Gonsalves added.

According to Gonsalves, a Consul General posting of almost six years was a long time.

He explained, though, that in the region it was a norm for persons to remain in diplomatic positions for longer periods of time.

He mentioned Cenio Lewis, the High Commission for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Kingdom, who has been in that position for the entirety of the Unity Labour Party’s time in office, and Dexter Rose who spent seven years in Cuba as this country’s ambassador.

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4. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

Court

Making life better for prisoners Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS

PRISON authorities here are moving to make prisoners “better person” through the implementation of several rehabilitation programmes, with a special focus on the large number of young people Superintendent of behind bars.

Prisons Timothy Superintendent of Prisons Hazelwood spent Timothy Hazelwood gave the much time assurance as he delivered highlighting the the Prison Report at the rehabilitation closing ceremony of the High measures/ Court Criminal Assizes on programmes in place Friday, July 22, 2022. at the penal institutions here.

Certified programmes Among the major exercises to be undertaken is a certified woodwork programme.

Hazelwood explained that the programme, which is spearheaded by the National Qualification Department in the Ministry of Education has an enrollment of 20 inmates, ages 17 to 30, and involves mainly furniture making.

The prison boss pointed out that the programmes consists of three levels, and on successful completion of all three levels those inmates would obtain certification which will be recognized throughout the Caribbean.

Other ongoing programmes at the prisons include

welding, baking, auto mechanics, tailoring, small appliances repairs, carpentry, handicraft, bamboo craft, tye dying, and basic literacy. He also mentioned dancing, involving mainly female inmates. Business and social skills are also taught.

The Prison Farm and Sleeping Conditions The Superintendent of Prisons made special mention of the prison farm. He was visibly elated to report that the activity on the prison farm has taken an upturn, and more food is being produced for use by the inmates.

More pigs and cattle are being killed, and more vegetables and provisions are cultivated, Hazelwood reported.

“Every three months we are killing two to three pigs. We are not giving away any. We are not selling any. We are killing them for the inmates. They belong to the inmates”.

This heightened activity is in keeping with the objective to produce enough food to feed the prison population, and cut back on support from the Treasury, i.e. tax payers.

Hazelwood also highlighted a marked improvement in sleeping conditions. He said that when he and Dwayne Bailey took up duties at the prisons as Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent respectively on December 11, 2020, 70 percent of the prison population was sleeping on the ground/floor. Currently 80 percent have beds, and there are 100 triple bunks. He added that the situation is expected to improve even further by the end of this year.

The sexual rehabilitation programme is ongoing,

but the Prison boss is of the view that the counsellor needs help. “I am not qualified in this field. She (counsellor) is trying, but I think she needs help,” he said.

Having spent 39 years as a police officer prior to taking up duties as Superintendent of Prisons, Hazelwood is finding satisfaction knowing that he is now part of the process of helping to reform persons, some against whom he once brought criminal charges and who were sentenced to prison terms.

Hazelwood said he “understands the system…. that persons could make mistakes, but they could he reformed.”

He noted that Prisoners have families and relatives who care for them.

He expressed gratitude to ASP Bailey and other prison officers for their support generally.

After the Superintendent of Prisons completed his report, which also included the presentation of the prison statistics, Justice Brian Cottle said, “We are grateful for this information, and we are thankful for the many programmes. As I have always said, they (prisoners) are our people. They belong to us, and we have to do what we could to help to make them better persons”.

One hundred and twelve (112) male inmates, representing 28 percent of the prison population, are behind bars.

Four between the ages of 16 and 21 are serving sentences, imposed by the Supreme Court; seven doing time imposed by the Magistrate’s Court; one awaiting trial and five on remand.

Murder offences lead by far MORE THAN a quarter of the male prison population are there in connection with offences of murder.

This was revealed on Friday, July 22 during Superintendent of Prisons Timothy Hazelwood’s presentation of the prison statistics, at the closing ceremony of the High Court Criminal Assizes.

The statistics showed that there was a total of

101 prisoners behind bars, representing 25.8 percent of the male prison population, who were there in connection with offences of murder, significantly outnumbering all the other offences. This number comprised 48 serving sentences, another 48 awaiting trial and five on remand.

As of July 22 the overall prison population stood at 404, comprised

of 391 males and 13 females.

Two females are serving sentences for murder and one is awaiting trial. No females are on remand for murder.

Prisoners doing time for murder were all sentenced by the Supreme Court, as murder is an indictable offence.

Twelve males are serving sentences for

attempted murder, while one is on remand. None is awaiting trial.

There are 12 males serving sentences for manslaughter. None is awaiting trial, and none is on remand.

Eighteen males are doing time for unlawful sexual intercourse. None is awaiting trial, and nine are on remand.

Five males are serving sentences imposed by the Magistrate’s Court for

Ex-cop jailed for gun, ammo JUST OVER two years after former police officer Ettian Charles was cleared of a murder charge at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, he was jailed in the same Court for firearm and ammunition possession.

The 36-year-old Arnos Vale man was on Monday sentenced to three years in prison for possession of a .38 revolver, and six months for having six rounds of .38 ammunition without licenses.

The sentences, handed down

by Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, are to run concurrently.

Following a trial Charles was found guilty of having the gun and ammunition in his possession at Arnos Vale on September 16, 2018. He was represented by attorney Israel Bruce.

In handing down the penalties, the Senior Magistrate said there were no mitigating factors in relation to the offence. He noted that the ammunition was found in the firearm, and there was no indication that he had it for any lawful reason.

“This is a trained man. For sure he would have worked in various units of the Police Force, and know the problems firearms are causing,” stated the Magistrate.

Charles asked the Court to consider the time he spent on remand. But the Magistrate said he would make that order on Friday, July 29, as he would have to get the information.

Charles was among four men charged with the 2018 murder of Security Guard Rodney George, 50, of Victoria Village.

However, at the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into that matter was into its final stages at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, then Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche who was prosecuting agreed with the submission of attorney Grant Connell, that there was no evidence to make out a prima facie case against Charles on the charge of murder.

As a result, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett discharged Charles on the murder charge.

The other men, Ulric Hanson

and Jerome Ollivierre, both of Mayreau, and Glenville Harry of Vermont were committed to stand trial in the High Court Lady Luck did after the Senior not shine on Magistrate Ettian Charles ruled that a (pictured) a prima facie case second time. was made out for them on the murder charge.

George’s body, with throat slit, was discovered in the GEC Auto Supplies building at Arnos Vale on the morning of September 1, 2018.

All four men were committed to stand trial for entering the GEC Auto Supplies building between August 31 and September 1, 2018, and stealing EC$2,074 in cash, the property of Gevandean Wilson, the owner of the business.

Both matter were heard in one P.I.

The Belle Isle Correctional Facility houses the majority of males serving sentences handed down by both the High Court and the Magistrate’s Court. indecent assault. Two are on remand. None is awaiting trial.

Eighteen males are serving sentences for rape, while one is on remand. None is awaiting trial.

One male is serving sentence for attempted rape, and one for attempted unlawful sexual intercourse.

Nobody is on remand for awaiting trial for attempted rape or attempted unlawful sexual intercourse.

There are 34 males doing time imposed by the Magistrate’s Court for burglary. Seven are on remand, and none is awaiting trial. There are no males serving sentences from the Supreme Court for that offence. Ten were sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court for aggravated burglary, while one is awaiting trial. None is on remand.

In relation to offences of wounding, 15 were sentenced by the Supreme Court and 12 by the Magistrate’s Court. Five are awaiting trial and ten are on remand.

Twenty-five males

have received sentences from the Supreme Court for robbery. None is on remand, and none is awaiting trial.

Twenty-five males were sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court and one by the Supreme Court for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Three are on remand. None is awaiting trial.

For possession of unlicensed firearm alone, 15 were sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court, none were sentenced by the Supreme Court, none awaiting trial, and none on remand.

Six males have received sentences from the Magistrate’s Court for theft while three are on remand.

Sentences were also imposed by the Supreme Court on seven persons and one by the Magistrate’s Court for drug trafficking.

In relation to the female prison population, five are serving sentences for manslaughter, two for wounding, two for possession of control drugs, and one for deception.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 5.

News

SVGCC Agriculture students give back THURSDAY 21st July 2022 was an especially gratifying day for the students of the Agriculture Science and Entrepreneurship Programme of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC).

That’s the day the students were able to give back to the community through the donation of one harvesting crate each of cucumbers to the Lewis Punnett Home, the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre and Home, and the Thompsom Home.

The cucumbers, along with tomatoes, butternut squash and bell peppers were grown in two large poly tunnels. In addition, the students were involved in nursery production of a variety of

herbs and field crop production of sweet corn and sweet potatoes.

The produce is usually available at school on a weekly basis to the general public.

The students elaborated that the involvement in actual cultivation of food crops and related items was importance not only for food security but also about nutrition security.

The Agriculture Science and Entrepreneurship

Students attend to the vegetables grown in the Programme/Student Manage Enterprise is an poly tunnels. integral component of the SVGCC, and aims to programme. (Source: the programme of the SVGCC) Division of Technical and address food sustainability, security Vocational Education of Sweet corn is cultivated and nutrition through in the open field. programmes and activities within the Hospitality and Agricultural Department.

In the upcoming semester the Agriculture and Entrepreneurship students plan to engage GOODWILL Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. the Sion Hill extends thanks and appreciation to its membership, past leadership and residents of Rose Government School in agricultural activities at Place for their support through the years. the school’s compound, to THE COOPERATIVE is especially thankful for include planting, the support of its gas station, the attendant harvesting and a small services and its business generally. component of value As we relocate to Lowman’s Bay where most of addition. the fishers from Rose Place have been relocated The activity has as its previously, we look forward to serving those theme, ‘Neighbour, Lets fishers and others in accordance with whatever Grow Together’, and is services we will provide through our new described as a back yard endeavours. approach to food security NB: A ‘transition get together’ will be held that would supplement throughout Friday 29th July, at the site of the old the school feeding gas station.

Goodwill says thanks

L-R: Rheanna Ryan and Mickella Williams (Greenhouse Managers- Students) handing over to a member of Thompson Home staff, while Mikasha Ramsaran (student) looks on.

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6. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. THE VINCENTIAN

Views The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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

Editorial

Towards a regional air carrier ACCORDING TO PRIME MINISTER Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, a decision has been taken by some regional countries to address the issue of a regional air carrier.

Dr. Gonsalves, we understand, went a step further to say that the revival of LIAT could not be excluded from these discussions.

Of course, if our memories serve us correctly, the hint of regional countries getting together to discuss a regional air service/carrier is nothing new. What is new is that conditions and air service needs in the region have changed while debate, if not argument, continued on the survival of LIAT without any plausible solution in sight.

The demand for reliable and affordable air services for the region is heightened as the international markets open ‘post covid’, and persons from extra-regional countries commence once again to travel for leisure. Equally important is the need for governments to facilitate the movement of stayover visitors into the significantly developed and developing physical tourism plants across the region, this being no easy task as competition abounds not only from within but also from without.

But back to the ‘talk’ of a regional airline.

What seems to be clouding the issue is the attitude of some of the (former?) LIAT ‘shareholder governments’, to want to retain LIAT in some form or shape as an integral if not a significant part of something new. The danger is that, if we hold fast to what is old, that which we now admit has not served our best and lasting interest, we would only be spinning top in mud’ regardless of how much we would want to think it’s a new top.

Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s utterance that whatever the new entity controlling shares must not lie in the hands of foreign investors, must be fundamental to our thinking as we proceed apace with filling the air transportation void in the region.

We would want to think that PM Browne is not ruling out the involvement of foreign investors in this ‘new’ regional carrier, though it would be instructive if he says so in unambiguous language.

He referenced an interest shown by investors from Nigeria, not saying whether the parties are Nigerian nationals or Nigeria-based businesses.

Whatever, it appears without indication otherwise that PM Browne wants no part of Nigerian investors or investors from Nigeria. Is he alone in this regard?

Herein lies further danger. To turn our back on legitimate foreign investment is to dissuade other foreign investor interest from coming forward.

One thing we do support, is that we should avoid at all cost, as Pm Browne articulates, that controlling shares of a “new carrier’ should not lie in foreign hands.

And when we go shopping for investors who are equipped to come to the rescue of a cash-strapped LIAT if the decision is to revive that airline, we must not rule out the possibility that there might be a consortium of Caribbean business people somewhere in the diaspora, who might be willing to partner with home-based interests, government and/or nongovernment, to advance the cause, albeit with some indication of a silver lining down the road.

Who knows, there just might be a consortium of Caribbean professionals right here in the Caribbean who might be ready to invest if given the opportunity.

One wonders if this option was ever explored even as we continued to pour money into a failing LIAT. But if the truth be told, we can only move forward with alacrity if we have a united pool of start-up investors. And where would that more than likely come from? Answer: Regional governments.

No investor would want to enter into a long term arrangement with entities that are not prepared to put their money where their mouths are. The question: Do out government have money to bring to the table?

And after all is said and done, this publication returns to a position it took very early in the discussions on how to salvage LIAT if not reform it.

That position: there should be no replacement of LIAT, no new regional carrier without the involvement of CAL. CAL ranks as the second largest airline in Central America and the Caribbean, second to the Panama-owned COPA airlines. Its rank is based on the number of transported passengers.

Regardless of the challenges, it would be folly to ty to establish another regional air carrier when there exists a structure and service upon which we can build and expand to the benefit of the whole region.

Maybe it is that we are blinded by our own prejudices. Isn’t it time we took a serious look at what already exists and see how we can improve that to our benefit?

Let’s begin to talk to one another and not bicker among ourselves.

Sentencing guidelines HAS ANYONE EVER ASKED what is the value of your crime? What price is the judiciary placing on rape?

Well, that seems to be 14-21 years, i.e. according to the latest sentence handed out by the courts to another rapist of a fourteen-year-old child. I cannot help but wonder if this victim was not a “Smallie,” would the sentence have been the same. This business of giving the perpetrator of criminal acts one-third discount on their sentence is becoming too much of a standard procedure. Hell, I read a few weeks ago a judge gave someone a suspended sentence even after he admitted to lying to the court. Be careful, folks. We are making a mockery of the judicial system.

By the way, I am appalled by how some reports document these cases in their newspaper. Do we need to know this level of detail?

What’s the useful purpose of providing such information? If those among us want to know the details, go to court and listen for yourself. This level of detail is victimizing the child (in this case) a second time. Some may say they are not naming the victims, which makes it ok. But, “come-on-now” we all know or can find out the victim’s name very quickly. We are still small enough to know what’s going on if we try.

What is the reason for practising a one-third discount for a guilty plea? Let’s examine it from a financial standpoint as it relates to this case, a one-third discount equates to seven years.

What is the cost savings to the government for this discount? I could only do my best estimates based on information in the public domain without this type of detail in our annual budget.

So here we go. The government thinks an honest day’s work for a labourer is $40 or $200/per week.

That is ten thousand dollars per year. I know when we look at it like that, it’s hard to understand how we make ends meet. That’s something you should consider, not me or this article.

Back to calculating the costsavings to the government for

going along with these sentencing guidelines. Let’s assume the cost for housing and feeding a prisoner is about one-third of the minimum wage, so that will be about $3,500.

Why did I choose 35% of the minimum annual approved living wage? Well, in most financial circles, this is the amount of our earned income expected to be applied to food and shelter.

So a seven-year discount on the rapist’s sentence is valued at $3,500 times seven years, or $24,500. I will leave it to you to form your own opinion on whether you think this is appropriate. I would pay that to keep him away from the children of this nation for another seven years. I could only imagine the conversation between the defendant and their lawyers and how they trade a reduced sentence for a guilty plea. I am having difficulty turning off those scenarios in my head. I don’t want to go there.

Now my opinion: We are being too lenient on the offenders at the expense of the victims. The longer this goes on, the more we are likely to see some people taking justice into their own hands. Then the table will turn, and we will begin seeing legislative action by the politicians in response to the public uprising for stricter sentencing. We will see things like minimum mandatory sentencing and three strikes, and you are put away for unreasonable amounts of time. Who knows, we might even see the privatization of the prison system, heaven forbid.

I have another suggestion for us to consider that I think is positive, but you be the judge of that. I think the government should be made to give us the actual cost of locking up a prisoner. The judge should then mandate that any savings to the government due to the discounted sentence should be spent on victim counseling and mental health care. Because often, the victims are forgotten in this process and left to deal with the trauma on their own.

Horatio

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 7.

Letters

Margaret London missing from the action

AS IS NOW the distinct trend globally, the capable women of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are being called out by the circumstances currently prevailing in our land to assert themselves in the playing of a more decisive role in the determination of the way forward for our country and its people.

Quite clearly the point at which we are in St. Vincent and the Grenadines today, in terms of the socio-economic

and political development of our people, is nowhere close to the point at which we ought to have been after almost fifty years of being an independent nation.

We are clearly not on the same road we thought we had set out on in 1951 with the advent of “adult suffrage”, when the people elected a government, a group of men and women to advance their interests. The hope for the development of the people was

UWIOP Country Conference Kudos EMANCIPATION DAY is generally a day of reflection on the historical, social and cultural development of the nation. This year it is easy to put things in perspective because of The University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOP) St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), which held a two-day Country Conference on July 19 and 20 2022, entitled History, Ancestry and Heritage.

The Conference was informative, educational and left us with, not only a clearer perspective of the history, culture and institutional structures of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but with the desire to continue with our quest for more knowledge about the past as the future is embraced.

I fully endorse and appreciate the documentation and sharing of the subject matter elicited at the conference. It is so very important to understand the dynamics of the nation and so we thank the UWIOP, the planners, protagonists, presenters and attendees. Kudos. Keep up the good work.

Hopefully, this would be an encouragement to others to strive to research, document, preserve and share information.

I want to publicly thank the attendee who emailed me about my presentation on Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer and elected political leaders in SVG on the road to independence, namely — George Augustus McIntosh, George Hamilton Charles, Ebenezer Theodore Joshua, Robert Milton Cato and James Fitz-Allen Mitchell, saying: “The listeners that I spoke to all learned something. Cheryl, I enjoyed your paper. Even at this old age I did not know the intricacies of the personalities who became our leaders- all colorful people. I agree with you that we need the other gender to remind us that women are capable of running this nation.” Much appreciated.

Cheryl Phills King

not an unreasonable expectation in the Conrad Charles and Ebenezer Joshua era. We were then, just over one hundred years since the abolition of slavery, still an agriculture-based society and were renowned for our Arrowroot Starch and Sea Island Cotton. That was the platform Ebenezer Joshua endeavoured to build on. The historians must document that the main criticism against him was — “All he is doing is

Miss Margaret London has been for some time exhibiting her capacity to facilitate the discussions which we as Vincentians should feel impelled to involve ourselves, so that serious societal upheaval could be averted.

The men are distinctly impotent in this regard while Margaret London’s contributions may well prove to be valuable!

LeRoy Providence

‘Big School’ being constructed THE Mary Hutchinson Primary School is being rebuilt. Knowing the critical needs that water serves in Union Island, we all hope that adequate provision is being made to have sufficient water storage capacity. Since there is no public pipe-borne water in the Grenadines, any new construction should be required to have sufficient water storage capacity to support the planned activity of the building.

When the current Union Island Secondary School was constructed, water tanks were put in the underground foundation. This water reservoir has served the school well and the frequent dry season hardly disrupts school.

The plans for the new Mary Hutchinson Primary should include adequate provision for water harvesting and storage.

Accessing the underground water should also be taken into consideration and wells may be put in to provide water for the bathroom

People are asking⁄⁄. * Is it because Dr. Ralph Gonsalves realizes that his son Camillo is not a strong candidate why he has given indication that there will be no leadership succession in the Unity Labour Party this time around? * Has the New Democratic Party ever considered that it too might find itself in a leadership transition conundrum? * What services are citizens being charged for at the Accident and Emergency Department of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital? * Where is the General Secretary of the New Democratic Party? Is he too busy trying to ‘secure’ a constituency that he has forgotten the duties of the

building roads and schools”.

Today, over seventy years on, those same roads are now impassable and we are unsuccessfully endeavouring to eke out a living from Tourism on which our administrators of the last almost forty-years have been putting their emphasis. In the process, “smart-men” posing as wealthy investors have been ripping us off with the “blessed approval” of our “shallow administrators”.

position to which he was elected? * And by the way, what has become of the previous General Secretary of that Party? * Has Dr. Ralph Gonsalves ever received an Award from one of our traditionally friendly countries? Why is it that it looks like he is only regarded in Socialist/Communist countries like Cuba and Nicaragua? * Were there any principals/headmasters/headmistresse s who were dismissed because they didn’t take the Covid-19 vaccine? * How many of those boats that the Fisheries Ministry and a private sector colleague imported for sale to fisherfolk, have been taken up?

facilities.

The old building that was demolished had felt roofing and at some point, the deteriorating material in the felt leached into the water making the water unsuitable for drinking purpose. Therefore, careful consideration should be given to selecting appropriate roofing material.

We welcome the reconstruction of the Mary Hutchinson Primary School and

sincerely hope that the architects took into consideration that the ventilation should be adequate to allow the building to be as cool as one can experience under a shade tree on a hot day.

Enough water to drink and a comfortable learning environment are the least we can provide so that our students can learn well.

Anthony Stewart, PhD

Election results

WHILE I am not an expert in election analysis I would like to offer my two cents. We heard of the upcoming elections in St. Kitts and Nevis which is set for August 5th. While it is a short notice, the other parties have been expecting it since six of the cabinet ministers had withdrawn their support for the current Prime Minister. Will there be a change of Government like Grenada? Only time will tell.

The election results in Grenada where the government had all 15 seats and ended up with 6 seats, show that no matter how strong a party is, it can lose power once the people are fed up and there is a strong opposition. For the opposition which had no seat in parliament to be victorious by winning 9 of the 15 seats, says a lot.

There are two very important lessons to be learned, one of which is: never take for granted your supporters and tell yourself that you cannot lose.

This was seen in Grenada. Can you imagine a party having all the seats yet losing the elections? Sometimes, having all the seats can cause that party in power to become complacent i.e. they feel secured because they have all the seats.

Another lesson to be learned is: There is a need for a strong opposition headed by a strong leader. Imagine the current Prime Minister in Grenada took over as leader of his

party less than a year before elections and won so convincingly. Indeed, he had to be a strong leader and the opposition had to be strong and united.

It is important that parties learn from the Grenada election. No party can be too strong to lose, and for an opposition party to take the reins of power there must a strong leader and a strong party. It is important that supporters not be taken for granted.

Sometimes it is the small things that hurt and bring down a government.

When people feel neglected and second class they would react. Sometimes the reaction will be at the polls which can mean the downfall of a government and party.

In both countries, the elections were called long before constitutionally due.

In Grenada it resulted in a change of Government. In St. Kitts and Nevis, what will it be?

I am just wondering if this year is a year of change politically and if elections are called before its full term, if it would mean a change of Government? We know that in Barbados that was not the case.

Only time will tell. Importantly, the governing party must be wise, with its ears to the ground so that elections are properly timed.

Kennard King

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8. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. THE VINCENTIAN

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Strengthening ties with Garifuna communities in our Americas Introduction ONE OF THE MANY remarkable stories of the Unity Labour Party’s time in office, is undoubtedly the attention given to the Garifuna communities in this country.

The indigenous people of this country who suffered unspeakable atrocities by colonialists who came here hundreds of years ago, were never given the true respect deserved by previous governments. Our Garifuna communities that are generally found in rural Saint Vincent were largely characterised by extreme poverty, poor education, and inadequate amenities, as was the case with rural SVG prior to 2001. To emphasise this point, the Garifuna communities that are on the northern part of Saint Vincent beyond the Rabacca dry river, were not only underserved and underdeveloped, their communities were essentially cut off from the rest of the island because of the Rabacca. The refusal of the previous NDP administration to ensure electricity and other services beyond the dry river based on the notion that to put such services would represent a waste of taxpayers’ money since the residents were unable to pay for those services, offers a glimpse of the level of disdain shown to Vincentians of Garifuna descent.

There was no recognition of the paramount chief Joseph Chatoyer, beyond sporadic mention of the colonial viewpoint of a duel between him and an English swordsman who defeated him, there was very little information shared about the Paramount Chief and his legacy as a leader of the indigenous people of SVG. The ULP has completely changed the way Vincentians who are the descendants of the Garifuna are perceived and treated, and the administration continues to implement policies that embrace holistically that part of our Vincentian heritage. The naming of Paramount Chief, H.E Joseph Chatoyer this country’s first national hero and establishing an obelisk in his honour at Dorsetshire Hill where he was ambushed and slaughtered, was a first major step in recognition of our Garifuna heritage as a significant part of this Vincentian civilisation. This was further strengthened by the recognition of March 14 as National Heroes’ Day and the abolishing of the previously celebrated January 22 as “discovery day”. Those larger and more symbolic gestures that speak to our heritage were reinforced by practical policy initiatives that significantly improved the lives of rural communities such as those that are comprised primarily of the descendants of the Garifuna. The building of the Rabacca bridge to link the north with the rest of the country has been a magnificent catalyst that has opened up business and other opportunities for those communities north of the dry river. Improved housing, land reform initiatives, improved educational and professional opportunities and increased investments in infrastructure and other services have all occurred over the last 21 years to improve the lives of residents in Garifuna communities.

Linking with the Orinoco Garifuna Community in Nicaragua

Comrade Ralph accepted an invitation from the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, H.E Daniel Ortega, to attend the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 popular Sandinista Revolution on July 19, 2022. From the moment the Comrade accepted that invitation, he requested of the Nicaraguan government that accommodations be made to facilitate a visit by him and the other members of the delegation to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, where people of Caribbean descent including Garifuna of Vincentian descent live. The Nicaraguan authorities agreed and arrangements were made to have Comrade Ralph visit two communities on the Caribbean coast: Orinoco where descendants of Vincentian Garifuna live, and Bluefields where other Nicaraguans of Caribbean descent live. The visit by our Comrade Prime Minister was a very exciting one, and the residents of both communities welcomed the delegation very warmly.

For example in Orinoco, they celebrated the visit with a ceremony that featured speeches and cultural activities attended by large crowds. In Bluefields, the two universities in the region: The University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN), and the Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU) conferred on PM Gonsalves the “Doctor Honoris Causi Award”.

This was indeed a special moment for Comrade Ralph and signalled a critical moment in the relationship between the Garifuna communities of Nicaragua and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Both the events in Orinoco and Bluefields offered Prime Minister Gonsalves the opportunity to speak and address the large gatherings in response to the many statements of welcome and gratitude offered by the local government officials, and other leaders who spoke.

The fundamental theme of the Comrade’s comments was that we have been divided for too long, and that it’s now time to build bridges and develop closer ties and relationships.

The things in common between our Caribbean brothers and sisters on the Caribbean coast, and those of us here in SVG are greater than those things that differentiate us, and we must focus on those commonalities to build stronger ties. The cooperation between SVG and the Garifuna communities will be very real, through cultural and educational exchanges to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between us here at home and those descendants in Nicaragua. The Prime Minister also pledged to assist with the completion of a building already under construction in Orinoco to be used as a community centre type facility, both financially as well as with the help of some tradesmen from SVG working on the building.

The mission to Nicaragua and the visit to the Caribbean coast is just a first but very important step in linking the descendants of the Garifuna from SVG with those of us here at home. This ULP administration that has done excellent work in raising the awareness of our Garifuna heritage here at home, will expand that work to establish and strengthen ties with other Garifuna communities in OUR Americas.

Chaos in the Unity Labour Party THE MUCH anticipated Unity Labour Party (ULP) convention is heading for an anticlimax. Probably the most publicized contest for deputy leader of any political party was to have taken place on July 31. The excitement that was generated by the ULP’s supporters has disappeared. Neither Camillo Gonsalves nor Saboto Caesar will be deputy leader.

It was revealed by the political leader that Montgomery Daniel would be the deputy leader of the ULP. The decision to name Montgomery Daniel as deputy leader tells us that Camillo Gonsalves is incapable of being deputy leader. It tells us that Sobato Caesar is incapable of being deputy leader. So, Montgomery Daniel as deputy leader, does that mean that Mr. Daniel will be the next leader of the ULP? Searchlight Newspaper of June 14, 2022, in an extensive interview with Prime Minister Dr. Gonsalves reported, “We’ll just have a deputy leader and it is recognized that that deputy leader …… would rise to leadership” he said, adding that, “once the convention ends, there will be a clear indication of the party’s plan for succession.”

It is crystal clear for all to see.

There is no future for Saboto Caesar in the ULP. There is no future for Sabato Caesar in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And, there is no future for Sabato Caesar in South Central Windward. Also, the party does not want Camillo Gonsalves. East St. George does not want Camillo Gonsalves. And the people St. Vincent and the Grenadines do not want him.

It was said that Mr. Eustace was too old and he must go. Mr. Eustace went and is relaxing comfortably at home. Now, we are saying that Dr. Gonsalves is old and tired. He sleeps wherever he goes, and he has no new ideas. He must go. Dr. Gonsalves is not in a position at this time to manage the three warring factions in his party and still govern the country.

The cracks in the ULP have begun to widen; very soon it will fall apart.

It doesn’t matter who leads the ULP in the next general elections. Let it be known that the NDP will win the next general elections. The people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines need a government with innovative and creative ideas to move the country forward. The NDP will create new jobs and grow our economy; invest in small and medium enterprises; grow our agriculture and fisheries industries and provide funding for science and technology to support our economy.

Our way forward for youth development The recently held Youth Parliament created much discussion among some members of the Unity Labour Party (ULP), as if it were the first time a Youth Parliament was convened. That is far from the truth. It was done regularly under the New Democratic Party (NDP) government. As reported by an online publication, “The first sitting of a youth parliament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in over 20 years.” The NDP welcomes the return of the Youth Parliament.

The NDP is concerned about youth development in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We will ensure that our young people have the opportunities to succeed. We know that our most

valuable resource is our people and we need them to prosper. Our policy for young people is to ensure that they are earning or learning. This means that they are either employed or furthering their education.

We have stated on numerous occasions that our major priority is to create the environment to provide thousands of sustainable jobs for the youth of this country. We will implement a number of innovative programmes and policies that will create an enabling environment for thousands of jobs to be created, with Information Technology as one of the important areas that will provide opportunities for our young people.

Accordingly, we will place tremendous emphasis on Information Technology as a means to tackle the unemployment situation which exists among our youth.

We will increase and diversify the scholarship programme… more scholarships in more places. The existing scholarship programme will be improved to offer a wider variety of opportunities for young people to access higher education in properly accredited universities and colleges worldwide. Diverse scholarships will be sourced to encourage persons into non-traditional education, including opportunities for young people in culture, music and sports. We will also reduce the interest rate for students’ loans.

The NDP will design and implement non-academic incentive programme for youth. The NDP believes that young people in St Vincent and the Grenadines must be encouraged to believe in their selfworth. With this in mind, the NDP will organize targeted incentive programmes to encourage our youth in the many areas of non-academic achievements.

And, yes, the NDP will encourage and support the formation of a youth parliament where young people with an interest in politics can develop their understanding of the practice and methods of the parliamentary system.

Further, we will work to rehabilitate and reintegrate young offenders to society. An unfortunate mistake made by a young person should not be a life sentence that condemns him or her to hopelessness.

Under a new programme to be developed by the NDP, young offenders will be offered second chances through targeted programmes of technical and vocational training, counselling and rehabilitation.

Mentorship programmes for youth will be strengthened. Toward this end, the mentorship and career guidance programme will be reestablished. Also to be introduced will be the bonding of university students to give back to all secondary schools upon completion of their studies, by way of lectures, mentoring and other tangible ways of contributing to the education of young students. We see the talent and energy of the country’s youth as pivotal in the effort to move our beloved country forward.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 9.

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Forgiveness

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) – American Baptist Minister and Civil Rights activist. ability to forgive the unforgivable.

His autobiography captures Mandela’s IT OFTEN TAKES STRENGTH OF extraordinary life story and vividly character to forgive those whose words portrays clear images of his struggles, and/or actions have caused us setbacks, disappointments, unfair “grievous harm”. In some instances, treatment, renewed hope, and their words and/or actions may have ultimate triumph. This measure of a been unintentional. These “infractions” man was instrumental in charting may seem relatively easy to excuse and and sustaining South Africa’s forgive. However, there are occasions transition from the cruel government when the individual may have engaged by apartheid (imposed racial in the activity (verbal or otherwise) on segregation) to a democracy in 1994. purpose; with the intention of hurting.

The leaders of the new nation were Such occurrences may appear to be challenged with determining how to more difficult to excuse or to forgive. address the crimes committed under This is especially so when the apartheid being conscious of the fact perpetrator is classified as a friend or that even as the oppressed black cried relative. In such instances, it may out for and demanded justice; this appear relatively easy to hold a grudge had to also be balanced with mercy and/or to seek vengeance. Many and forgiveness if they were to avoid individuals, homes, workplaces and further deepening of the societal and communities are burdened by the economic wounds imposed by the “unforgiving spirit” that can so easily cruel apartheid system. emerge when it is perceived that we are Desmond Tutu (1931-2021), the wronged. This is especially so if the first black Anglican Archbishop of offending party is unapologetic or South Africa, writing in his book arrogant in relation to the incident. titled, “No Future Without William P. Young (born 1955), the Forgiveness” noted that, “We could Canadian author of the best-selling very well have had justice, retributive book titled “The Shack” (ISBN # justice, and had a South Africa lying 9780340979495) reminds us that, in ashes.” It was the maturity, “Forgiveness is not about forgetting. wisdom, foresight, restraint, and It is about letting go of another willingness to forgive, of South person’s throat. Forgiveness does not Africa’s new leadership that stabilized create a relationship. Unless people the country and prevented its speak the truth about what they have destruction. It was through the done and change their mind and establishment of the Truth and behaviour, a relationship of trust is Reconciliation Committee (and its not possible. When you forgive pursuit of truth, justice, and mercy) someone, you certainly release them that those guilty of crimes were from judgment, but without true offered redemption if they were change, no real relationship can be willing to publicly confess their crimes established. Forgiveness in no way and seek to make restitution. As requires that you trust the one you difficult as it was to practice restraint forgive. But should they finally as the revelations were unearthed confess and repent, you will discover a (with no punishment exerted), the miracle in your own heart that allows battered poor citizens of this rich you to reach out and begin to build country were able to face the painful between you a bridge of reconciliation. truth of the brutal and inhumane Forgiveness does not excuse anything. treatment that was meted out to their You may have to declare your loved ones. This was considered forgiveness a hundred times the first absolutely necessary as the country day and the second day, but the third sought to begin the lengthy healing day will be less and each day after, process. Forgiveness had to be a until one day you will realize that you prerequisite for the healing to take have forgiven completely. And then place. As individuals, families, one day you will pray for his communities, and a nation, they had wholeness.” His words are pregnant to avoid the quest for resentment and with wisdom. We are all challenged revenge. As Nelson Mandela (1918to be big enough to be small enough 2013) pointed out, “Resentment is like (humble) to forgive … and move on. drinking poison and then hoping it True and complete forgiveness will kill your enemies.” takes strength of character. Mahatma We can all learn from the example Gandhi (1869-1948), the Indian presented here. Regardless of the lawyer, and anti-colonial nationalist intensity of the pain that others may who employed nonviolent resistance have caused us as a result of their to lead the successful campaign for venomous words and actions, we can India’s independence from British grow to be bigger and better citizens rule, reminds us that, “The weak can as a result of the wounds they inflict. never forgive. Forgiveness is the They may have lashed out at us attribute of the strong.” This is such because their personal, political, or a sobering though. It coincides with religious views may be different to our words of wisdom and encouragement own. However, there is wisdom in our emerging from Oprah Winfrey (born avoiding the temptation to have these 1954), the American talk show host, engender a spirit of unforgiveness television producer, actress, and/or resentment. We must selfishly philanthropist, and author who practice restraint knowing that hate reminds us that, “True forgiveness is in our hearts will do us no good; it when you can say, ’Thank you for that will consume us; it will incarcerate us experience.’” We cherish these pearls making us mental and emotional of wisdom from Gandhi and Oprah as prisoners in our own bodies. we are encouraged to accept the Forgiveness, on the other hand, sets challenge to forgive … even the us free … as we set free those who are unforgivable. perceived to have wronged us.

Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom” (ISBN# Send comments, criticisms & 9781447275541) is replete with suggestions to examples of this outstanding leader’s julesferdinand@gmail.com

Betrayal is the cancer that destroys national liberation.

YESTERDAY MARKED FIVE YEARS Since Oscar Allen died. He was a giant of a man. His honesty, simplicity, profundity in thought, generosity and commitment to the struggle for a better life for our people remain beyond measure. Our people are yet to realise the massive gaping wound, the terrible loss our nation suffered on this sad and dreadful day.

To know Oscar Allen is to love him.

If I were ever given the task of caring for his memory, I would place on his tombstone ‘Oscar Allen, a national treasure is buried here.’

Five weeks before he passed, he penned a simple treatise that he hoped that more of us would hold dear and keep sacred. The piece entitled, ‘Betrayal is the cancer that destroys national liberation’ is reproduced in its entirety.

“The Portuguese dictator Caetano was a vicious ruler both in Portugal and even more so in the African countries, which were colonies of Portugal. Amilcar Cabral and the African Independence Party stood up in Guinea Bissau and the Cape Verde islands. They took on the struggle to free their people from tyranny in a political and territorial struggle for about 15 years. They won. It is a truly remarkable observation that although he faced such a criminal opponent, Cabral declared stoutly, ‘No matter what the enemy throws against us, the greatest battle we have to face is the battle within our movement itself’.

He made that profoundly disturbing statement at a conference in 1965, and in 1973, he amplified it.

‘Betrayal, (he said), is the cancer that destroys the national liberation movement’. Months later, Cabral was shot dead by one of his own, in Judas style, to satisfy the Portuguese!

Those of us with nation-building agendas need to put this question regularly to ourselves: ‘Is it I, the betrayer’?

The advice from Amilcar Cabral in the photo above is to ‘Never stop learning,’ which warns against both mental laziness and intellectual arrogance. The colonial rulers and today’s bosses placed the people’s minds in a dustbin, a useless obstruction to their power and command. Do you notice how many ways to learn Cabral listed? Book learning is only one. In the march for nation-building, therefore, to stop learning in all possible ways is to start betraying the future of our nation and ourselves.

Several ways to become a traitor.

‘Me, my family and I’. ‘Me, my party and I’. ‘Me, my business and I’.

We need to unlearn this nationcrushing teaching that is so deep in our bones. Let us examine ourselves honestly. When each family, each party, each individual and business closes its eyes to see first, second and third for its own opportunity, who will see for the nation? From top to bottom, in that order, this betrayal of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a cancer. Try not to point index fingers; let us look instead at an SVG where we love our neighbours the same way we love ourselves. Cabral used to say to the privileged people: ‘Turn yourselves around and become united with the deepest yearnings of the people’. There is your identity and destiny. Betraying the nation is a part of all of us. Let us learn that and stop the cancer from metastasising.

Our Colonial Subconscious abides within us, and in many tongues, we call for the comfort of a colonial mother from overseas who, as “help of the helpless, to abide with me”. We betray our own God-given and ancestor-delivered ability to grow and govern ourselves. Like abandoned orphans, we and our leaders seek a sick breast-sucking hold on to white, colonial, eurocentric and mammon kissing self-hate. We sell our fragile regional unity in the Caribbean for Europe’s promise of partnership. We dishonour Chatoyer, Toussaint, Garvey, Elma Francois and martyrs like Walter Rodney and Maurice Bishop. We abide in the arms of Elizabeth, Churchill, Cameron and May. We elect nation dividing Dons and Primadonnas in a hand-me-down democratic wardrobe. We refuse to tell our colonial minds to ‘Let My People Go’. We betray the nation within our grasp. A mental cancer is eating us out.

The Nation Building Agenda is calling for souls.

The present situation is becoming more and more a naked ulcer, a stinking sore for those with eyes to discern and noses to smell, and betrayal is no longer an option. The battle is among us, to learn again what we forgot. Mandela said it. ‘The march to freedom is irreversible’.”

Looking down on us, Oscar would be neither surprised nor disappointed as to what we have become. He would be saddened as we stare into a dark and dreaded abyss located just in front of the precipice of national destruction that awaits us.

He would command us to change course now. He would not want to see us perish.

Our commemoration of Emancipation Day is as good a time as any for us to embrace his saged wisdom, and rededicate our strength and energy to construct a better St Vincent and the Grenadines.

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

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10. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. THE VINCENTIAN

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No progress in the last 10 years TEN YEARS ago we wrote the following article. Sadly, we have had no progress in the last 10 years under the ULP regime, and the article is still relevant. SVG needs change. “‘Everything is dead, and many of those who live are cannibals, feeding off the blood and misery of the poor’.

Our country is suffering under economic cannibalism. Gonsalves allows the super-rich of Mustique, Canouan Resorts and Taiwan blanket tax and customs duty exemptions, yet the poor struggles to survive. This policy eats the poor to feed the rich.

Gonsalves sells off prime agricultural land to foreigners for tourism projects that don’t really benefit the poor, and uses prime agricultural land to build a jail.

Meanwhile, the agricultural industry is failing and our country struggles to feed itself. This puts the nation’s food security at risk.

Gonsalves sells off crown lands to fill holes in the budget, then wastes the country’s money with failed projects, then sells off more crown lands to fill the even bigger holes in the budget. The country is getting poorer and our people are getting poorer as our wealth is being sold to the rich.

Under Gonsalves, the economy is eating itself. He raises taxes and uses

VAT for income, but this just eats up businesses. Sales of businesses go down and they are forced to fire people. Fewer people then have money and fewer people can pay tax, so the government’s income gets lower.

In response, Gonsalves raises taxes again, increases electricity and water rates, then people have less money and so it goes on in circles. Our economy is like a hungry man eating himself to feed himself. This stupid policy chokes the economy and sucks money out of circulation.

Under economic cannibalism, desperation sets in as the inequality between the rich and the poor becomes greater, and crime and poverty become the main product, as people/families struggle to put food on the table.

As more and more taxpayers’ money is being spent on fighting crime, less and less is available to invest in education. As more and more people leave school without an education and without skills to be employable, more and more people turn to crime and more and more money is wasted fighting this relentless spiral of crime.

Gonsalves’ policies persecute the productive potential of the economy professionals, investors, entrepreneurs and skilled workers - stifling the private sector and creating a serious lack of innovation and growth. This

means no money is created by businesses and no jobs are created by businesses.

Why do we continue down Gonsalves’ economic path to ruin and destruction when it is so clearly lit by the beacon of our nation’s bankruptcy?

The monetary lifeblood of our country is being sucked out of our people under the economic cannibalism of the ULP regime. Taiwan exploits SVG’s deep sea fish licence and takes the country’s wealth, when this money should be used to fund free education from pre-school to university.

Economic cannibalism is creating

widespread social instability.

A Green economy is the solution to the economic cannibalism in SVG and will create thousands of new jobs and new, sustainable revenue for the country. We need to bring prosperity to our people and use indigenous resources to create new products for export to stimulate economic growth.

SVG must plough heavy investments into education and move away from economic cannibalism and the delusion of tourism.”

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 11.

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12. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

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BUNPAN awards 2022 scholarship/bursaries THE MARRIAQUA UNITED FRIENDLY Society, commonly known as BUNPAN, continued in its tradition of giving back to its membership and their children, when, on Thursday 14th July, it awarded two scholarships and 17 bursaries to

successful entrants in the 2022 CPEA. The two scholarship recipients this year were Daniel Cato of Calder and Aleah Skerrit of Calder Ridge.

They both received their awards, i.e. funding throughout secondary

school and community college, at a function at BUNPAN’s headquarters in Mesopotamia.

Those receiving bursaries will collect a one-time payment of EC$100.

BUNPAN started awarding scholarships in

1985 and to date, the development for its institution has members, and their distributed 53 children,” Vice scholarships and many President Leroy more bursaries.

Jackson said.

“Certainly, it’s a “And so, as an heightened expectation of institution we BUNPAN to provide endeavor to coadequate education partner with programmes and you(students) to ensure that you have an opportunity to pursue an educational career of your choice at various institutions that you will attend,” he continued.

Luke Browne, former Parliamentarian and a BUNPAN scholarship recipient in 1997, in delivering an address at the ceremony, said that he believed that the investment made by the institution contributed in part to his story.

“It was an investment that they made in me when I was about your (students) age. I was not sure about my future, what I was going to do, what I wanted to be when I grew up. But I knew I wanted to do well and make my parents and community proud,” Browne said.

According to the Government Senator and Health Minister, the scholarship he received from BUNPAN set the course for him in terms of being offered more scholarships.

He went on to receive a national scholarship, and even became a

Former Senator Luke Browne placed his BUNPAN scholarship at the centre of all that he has achieved to date.

Rhode’s Scholar.

Browne said that he has been able to not just do well academically but went on to serve his country all by starting off with the foundation provided to him by BUNPAN. “And the same can be for many of you,” he told the 2022 scholarship and bursary recipients, but cautioned that it was not going to be fun all the time; there would setbacks and challenges, but the key was to remain focus and keep their eyes on the prize.

(DD)

Scholarship winner Daniel Cato.

Scholarship winner Aleah Skerrit

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SVBLA hosts Appreciation Day: Local Businesses on display

Customers were greeted with The Wellness Zone, which offered basic medical checks, was well finger-licking foods and branded patronised. gifts from SVBLA.

The membership Lounge attended to inquiries about the services of SVBLA. their name was entered into a draw to win a gift basket from each business.

“All Building and Loan customers that came in as well, they also received treats and branded items from Building and Loan,” said Sealey who also pointed to the Wellness Zone where customers were able to get blood pressure checks among other basic health services.

Joanne Richardson, Human Resource Administrator at the financial institution had her business JR Biz Services - featured at the event.

JR Biz Services, she told THE VINCENTIAN, specializes in packaging items. “… we are talking about Vincy gift baskets, we talking about care packs and we talking about customized first aid kits. ….. Whenever we go into the supermarket, we pick up everybody else’s products from different countries but we don’t recognize locally made products, so that is what I am doing. I am like the middle man,” said Richardson.

She explained that when someone buys her product (form of packaging) and another person’s product is inside of my basket and they need that product otherwise, “they can contact the owner directly, they do not have to come through me because as I said, I am like the middle person.”

Joanne Richardson showcased here JR Biz Service with its concentration on attractive packaging.

Candace Sealey, Marketing Officer outlined all the treats that were available on the Appreciation day.

THE ST. VINCENT BUILDING AND Loan Association (SVBLA) , one of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ leading indigenous financial institutions, on Friday 14th July, 2022, celebrated its customers and employees with the hosting of an Appreciation Day Friday 14th July, at its headquarters, in Kingstown.

Candice Sealey, Marketing Officer at SVGBL, in an interview with THE VINCENTIAN, said, “All Building and Loan customers who came today received treats and branded items from Building and Loan. Birthday customers received special gifts, customers with loans and savings accounts were randomly selected for special attention, and new customers were given bonus cash.”

Making the occasion one with a difference, was the creation of a Business Zone which featured the products/services of a number of Vincentian owned and operated businesses, among these being: VincyFresh Ltd.; Jazzy’s All-Natural Vincy Products; Oh So Homemade Products; Emannie’s Homemade Condiments; Toks Violin Music and JR Biz Services.

“Everybody that came in today, once they visited one of these businesses,

The line of natural products, especially for the skin, produced by Jazzy. making sauces and condiments, was the largest such in SVG. “We are here today, sampling some of our authentic sauces and Elma Maloney, an employee at condiments manufactured right here Jazzy’s All Natural Products said that in SVG,” declared Fraser, who assured the product lines are of the highest that, “our packaging meets quality. The business is located at international standards.” shop Number 6 in the Cruise Ship The St. Vincent Building and Loan Terminal and the product lines include Association was incorporated on July soaps, lip balm and creams that are 04, 1941 but began operations on made from a variety of natural January 03, 1941 with the intention of products and, according to Maloney, providing Vincentians with a means to are good for treating eczema, rashes, practice thrift through regular, dry skin and anti-aging. systematic savings, and a way to Also at the appreciation day event experience the joy and pride of owning was an array of beautifully labeled their own home. products from Vincyfresh Ltd. ShellyToday, they are one of the largest Ann Fraser, Sales and Marketing mortgage providers in St. Vincent and Manager at VincyFresh Ltd., said that the Grenadines. (KH) the company which specialized in Samuel Toka sold his service by entertaining those who attended the SVBLA Appreciation Day.

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Commander Brenton Cain retires THE St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Service bade farewell to its Commander, Brenton Cain, last week Thursday, July 21, 2022.

A special parade was mounted on the Calliaqua Hard Court, adjacent to the Coast Guard Base, to mark the Commander’s send-off into pre-retirement leave, and in recognition of his contribution to ensuring the smooth operations and growth of the Coast Guard services here.

Commander Cain inspected the parade and was seen to give his approval of the turnout of those he had commanded.

Deputy CoP Frankie Joseph (right) presents Commander Brenton Cain with a plaque, in recognition of dedication to duty.

Coast Guard has seen “many reforms and innovations,” and he is responsible in no small Addressing the measure for the stage of parade, which was development at which witnessed by invited that service is at today. guests, members of the Cain, too, Joseph said, media and the general saw to it that his public, Deputy management team and Commissioner of Police, others under his Frankie Joseph, command, had the described the occasion as requisite training to the “end of an era in the ensure that the mission history of the SVG Coast of the Coast Guard was Guard.” fulfilled He reminded those Turning to the man gathered that and his measure, Joseph Commander Cain was at described the outgoing the helm of the Coast Commander as “jovial Guard for 15 years of his but a very no-nonsense 36 years at that and straightforward institution, which, person….calculated and Joseph said, made him methodical in his “intimately aware and deliberations… and supremely highly respected by the knowledgeable about its rank and file of the Royal workings, operations and SVG Police Force.” functions.”

For Joseph, “It is His 15 years at the without any degree of helm made him the uncertainty that he is longest serving leaving the Coast Guard Commander. in capable hands. That to And according to the me is one of the greatest Deputy CoP, under the principles of leadership.” leadership of Commander Cain the Achievements under

Sending off a leader of high esteem

Commander Cain Lieutenant Commander of the SVG Coast Guard Services Deon Henry also addressed the parade and listed some of the achievements during Commander Cain’s tenure at the helm.

Among these were: * The procurement of the Flag Ship SVG 01 ‘Captain Hugh Mulzac’; * Addition of eight vessels to the (sea craft) complement of the Coast Guard; * Establishing the Bequia and West Coast Patrols and command of the Mayreau Patrol; * Construction and commissioning of the Coast Guard Sub-base in Canouan; * Construction of Junior Female Quarters and the Commander David Robin Conference/Training Room; * Installation of the Advance Coastal Radar Surveillance System; * Increase of

Commander Brenton Cain (left) inspects the special parade mounted as part of his send-off.

enlistment from 74 officers in 2007 to 104 in 2022; * Addition of the Coast Guard Auxiliary; * Evacuation of over 2000 residents from the Red Zones during the volcanic eruption of 2021. Commander Brenton Cain takes and makes his final salute as Commanding Officer of the SVG From a classroom to the Coast Guard.

sea Brenton Cain was a teachers for four years before he joined the SVG Coast Guard Services on the 2nd of February 1986, six years after the service was established.

His service at the Coast Guard spanned 36 years and 4 months. He took command of the Coast Guard in 2007 in an acting capacity when the then Commander, Tyrone James, was

seconded to the Regional Security System (RSS).

Cain became the third Commander of the Coast Guard when he was confirmed to the rank of Commander in 2014, and was at the helm of SVG Coast Guard Services from then to his retirement in 2022.

He also served as an instructor of the RSS Training Unit in Barbados, Instructor at Trade Winds, and was on

secondment as Chief Instructor to the RSS Training Unit in Antigua for two years.

THE VINCENTIAN wishes Commander Cain an unperturbed retirement. He has laboured unselfishly on behalf of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and is deserving of our recognition and thanks, not to mention some rest and recreation.

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16. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

Honours

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados – listed by Time on its TIME100: The Most Influential People of 2022 list.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves being conferred the Order of José Martí by President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The UWI celebrates Gonsalves and Mottley The University of the West Indies (The UWI) proudly celebrates Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves and Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley who both recently received international recognition for their leadership and influence.

On May 26, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves was conferred the Order of José Martí

by President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel. The date marked the thirtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Cuba. The award is named after José Martí, a former nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the liberation of his country from Spain. The Order of José Martí is the country’s highest national award.

Prime Minister Gonsalves has been a firm activist for the inclusion of Cuba in hemispheric forums.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI stated, “It is an honour that is well deserved to our distinguished alumnus, Prime Minister Gonsalves. The UWI

applauds his unyielding efforts to promote Caribbean unity and persistence in nurturing strong relations within Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as his commitment to being a loyal ally to our Cuban neighbours.”

Prime Minister Mottley was lauded by the global media brand, Time on its TIME100: The Most Influential People of 2022 list. The publication annually recognises the world’s pioneers, leaders, titans, innovators, and icons. To celebrate this year’s laureates, Time published five worldwide covers in May, each highlighting a member of the TIME100, and Prime Minister Mottley was selected for the cover representing influential leaders.

In the rationale for the Prime Minister’s inclusion on the list, Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation reflected on

her staunch advocacy for the Caribbean at COP 26 held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, and described her as “an embodiment of our conscience, reminding us all to treat our planet and therefore one another with love, dignity, and care…”

Offering congratulations on behalf of the regional university, ViceChancellor Beckles noted that “The region salutes Prime Minister Mottley’s advocacy on climate change and the clarion call she has sounded, urging world leaders to do more to limit the potential catastrophic impacts for the Caribbean. Her service as Chair of the World Bank and on the International Monetary Fund’s Development Committee has also left an indelible impact and we continue to be in awe of her leadership and charisma,” he said.

(Submitted by The UWI)

V Commemorating World Day against Trafficking in Persons - 2022

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 17.

Letters

IN 2013, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the United Nations (UN) adopted Resolution A/RES/68/192 and designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. This resolution declared that such a day was necessary to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.” UN World Day 2022 is being held under the theme “Use and Abuse of Technology.”

“The Life of a Victim” Help assist law enforcement Officers and other partners in identifying Human Trafficking victims and putting Traffickers behind bars.

“Latoya” was homeless by the age of 12 and had been coerced by her boyfriend “Shawn” into working as a sex slave. She was only allowed 4 hours of sleep a night, and her trafficker also made her addicted to crack cocaine. One day he approached her and told her in so many words, ‘I want you to have sex with this guy for money,” Latoya said. “I was very uncomfortable and I kept saying no, I didn’t want to do it but he kept telling me, ‘If you love me, you’ll do this. It’s just one thing. Just try it.”

After nearly 30 more minutes of constant pressure, “Latoya” agreed to have sex with the man. What she thought would be a one-time thing became an everyday routine for the next few weeks. Night after night and bar after bar, “Latoya” would go out with “Shawn” while he advertised her to potential “suitors.” “Latoya” thought she loved him. She felt she could deal with the physical toll the trafficking

took on her body. It turned out that the hardest part to deal with was the emotional and psychological effects according to her.

“Being able to sleep with that many people and live with myself and get up every day and keep doing it and just lying there being helpless was so hard,” Latoya said.

“When I first started working, I would have breakdowns in the middle of a session. I couldn’t do it. Until finally, I kind of just separated me and who I am when I’m working.

Otherwise, I would go crazy. I would lose it. You numb your mind.”

“I remember one time, I was just outside smoking a cigarette and someone asked me for a lighter, and he had somebody watching me. I got beat for that later, and it was just because someone asked me to use my lighter.”

Because I wasn’t allowed to talk to anybody. When we went out, I had to tell him my order to tell the waiter. I couldn’t look at anybody. I had to look at him or the ground. And if you messed up in public, then you were going to get beat as soon as you got back home. And he’d make sure nobody heard. He’d turn up the TV. And if you cried or screamed or anything, then he would take you out for a drive, and you never knew if death was going to be an option. You never knew.”

Dear reader, These and other stories about human trafficking do not have to end in tragedy. Every contact

made with a victim is an opportunity to take them out of the cycle of exploitation. Latoya’s human trafficking story has ended, but her story as a survivor is being written right now.

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING! SAY SOMETHING! The Anti-Trafficking in Persons

Unit (ATIPU) Questelles Police Station Tel: 784-4571211/456-1750 Hotline: 999/911 Email: svgantitraffickingunit@gmail.com Facebook: anti-trafficking in persons unit, RSVGPF

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18. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. THE VINCENTIAN

Advice

Bleaching war⁄.

Dear George, THE TENSION in the relationship between my girlfriend and me is mounting. The issue is pretty straightforward: I told her if she continues to bleach her skin I’m done and gone.

She thinks I am being petty and stated categorically that I should mind my own business and leave her alone.

I’m a very conscious black man and I would take issue with anyone who sees their Blackness as a problem. I cannot look at her without getting angry and disappointed, and ready to fight.

I’m asking you to advise me on how to get her to see where I’m coming from. If she refuses to budge then it will definitely be a deal breaker for me. I love her but hate her bleaching.

Stuck

Dear Stuck, Fighting and shouting your points of view across at each other is not going to cut it, and getting your girlfriend to come around to your side might take more time than what you are prepared to invest.

You may very well need a third party, in the form of a relationship counsellor, to be an objective voice between you two.

For now you both need to lower your weapons, get that counsellor in and begin to have an honest discussion.

George

A church experience Dear George, A COUSIN of mine invited me to her church. Seeing that I do not have a home church I decided to accept the invitation, especially after she described her church as lively.

When I got to the front door of the church on the day in question, two female ushers made it clear that I was not appropriately dressed — jeans that were slightly ripped and a top they claimed was too “see through”.

Needless to say, I was upset since I didn’t think how I was dressed should have been a problem Nevertheless, I was allowed to enter and throughout the service I could focus on nothing else other that my experience at the entrance.

It was a case of not so much what was said to me but how it was said. I was made to feel worthless and I hated it.

Disappointed Dear Disappointed, It is always the best rule of thumb to know what would be the appropriate mode of dress for an event you wish to attend. If you are not sure, then there is no harm in asking questions. In this case, your cousin would have been the best person to ask.

Do not confuse the relationship with your cousin and what happened at her church. In fact, you should give it another chance. The second time around you might get to see what the church is all about, and might discover that is where you might be permanently comfortable. You never know!!

George

Leisure

ARIES (MAR. 21- APRIL 20) You will have extra energy; put it to good use. You can make the most headway if you put in some overtime. You can accomplish a lot if you direct your thoughts toward starting your own small business on the side.

TAURUS (APR. 21- MAY 21) You will have additional discipline that will aid you in your objectives.

Underhandedness will affect your reputation. Invite friends over rather than spending money on lavish entertainment.

GEMINI (MAY 22-JUNE 21) Heed the advice given by family or old reliable friends. Take time to do something nice for yourself. You can receive recognition for the work you've done. Don't be too quick to let friends and relatives know what you're up to.

CANCER (JUNE 22-JULY 22) You always seem to spend more than you make. You will have an inaccurate assessment of your status in society. You will need to take a look at the renovations that are necessary and try to find the cheapest way to get things done.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Someone you work with could have a personal interest in you. Loved ones may be annoyed if they feel restricted. You will need to take a look at the renovations that are necessary and try to find the cheapest way to get things done.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 -SEPT. 23) You can count on getting a pat on the back for your efforts. Invite friends over.

Have some fun, but draw the line if someone tries to fast talk their way into your heart.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) You can make extra money. Rewards will be yours if you put in the overtime required. You may find a rare antique this week. Be sure to take care of the needs of youngsters. Join a choir or a drama club.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) You may find a rare antique this week.

Travel will be fun and entertaining. Now is a good time to ask for favors. You need to be around friends and family.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Listen to the advice given by those with experience. Travel should be on your mind. Your selfesteem will come back if you take part in organizational functions that allow you to be in the lime light. Do things that involve children.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) If you act with anger you may blow the relationship. You can travel for business or pleasure. This is a great day to get out and enjoy an entertaining evening with friends or lovers. You may be angry if someone tries to take credit for something you did.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 21.- FEB. 19) Remember; talk to them, not at them.

Your business sense will be leading you in a direction that indicates more travel and communication. Real estate investments will payoff. You may want to have a heartto-heart talk with a close and trusted friend.

PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Expect some flak. Don't divulge secret information. Take on positions that offer on the job training or pay for courses related to the business. Rest and relaxation will be more favorable than you think.

ACROSS 1. Sacred Egyptian bird 5. Car in a Beach Boys tune 8. Wordsworth creation 11. Classic art subject 12. Expert eye-rollers 14. Opposite of all 15. Perplexed 16. Hello and goodbye 18. Prefix with chloride 19. Great painting 22. Hosp. procedure 23. One may pass the buck 24. Pointed ends 28. Produces 34. Hip 35. Jamaican fruit 36. Sight from St. Moritz 37. Great painting 42. Start to fall 43. Not ready 44. Arm bone 45. Hardy riding horse 48. Permission granted by a bishop 49. Days past 50. Loan figure, abbr.

52. Great painting “The ___” 60. Pumpkin dessert 61. Between-meal nibbler 62. Urban carrier 63. Golf’s Woosnam 64. Shrinking 65. Egyptian deity 66. Light bedstead 67. Big Apple inits.

68. Place to work

12. Bygone title 13. Simba, to Mufasa 17. Center chest protection bone 20. Trademarks, abbr.

21. “The Bourne Supremacy” opening locale 24. Terra ___ (brownish red) 25. Square 26. Mom’s newly DOWN married husband 27. Money that 1. Take ___ the waist (alter) is battled for 2. Shrub 29. French notes 3. ___ fixe Independent 30.

4. Limitless quantities charitable gp.

5. Baseball’s “Iron horse” 6. Remove a coupon the quick 31. Toymaker for Santa way 32. “The Vampire 7. Unique diaries” girl 8. Offered 33. Slapping sound 9. Filth 38. Borrowed 10. New Haven collegiate

39. Pursue a young lady 40. Vanity 41. “La Cage ___ Folles” 46. Go through life 47. Relating to breathing problems 48. Spider is one 51. Old telephone part

LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022.19.

52. “Later!”

53. Disney Park lover 54. “Beauty ___ the eye …”

55. “Heavens!”

56. Minimal amount 57. Rendezvous 58. Cancels 59. Fine fur 60. Photo

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20. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

SVG represented at Chess Olympiad

FOUR VINCENTIANS, ALONG WITH a Barbadian and a British national, comprised a six-member St. Vincent and the Grenadines contingent to the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, which began last Wednesday 27th July and ends on Wednesday 10th August.

The four Vincentians are Brian Cottle, FIDEofficials at the venue of the 44th Chess Chinedu Enemchukwu, From left – Chinedu Enemchukwu, Brian Cottle, Oris Robinson, Israel Bruce, Oris Robinson and Israel Olympiad in Chennai, India. (Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH; Photo Source: The Hindu Business Line) the four Vincentians who form part of the SVG contingent to the Bruce. Ugur Mentes is Chess Olympiad. the Barbadian and He noted that on the team’s return James Schneider the British national. from India, greater efforts will be SVG Chess Federation was officially in December, full membership was St. Vincent and the Grenadines will expended to promote Chess in the launched in March 2019. attained. be among one hundred and eightyThe Federation’s time line shows Also, in December 2021, the schools, as well as the wider seven (187) countries that will vie for that in October 2021, it was Federation hosted its first ever Vincentian society. honours in the Olympiad.

Chess Championships.

Bruce was the lead player when the provisionally accepted to the World Enemchukwu, who is the current Chess Federation. Three months later, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chess Champion, is the team’s captain.

He, as well as Cottle, Robinson, Mentes and ST. VINCENT AND THE Schneider will go toe to toe Grenadines will open its 2022 with Chess masters from Commonwealth Games across the world, as St Vincent participation in Birmingham, and the Grenadines as a team England, today, 29th July, in whet its feet in the big pool for three disciplines: Aquatics, the first time.

Squash and Table Tennis.

They will be coached by In Aquatics, Jamie Joachim Cuban grandmaster- Jose will contest the Women’s Vilela.

200m Freestyle and the 100m Despite their “underdog” Butterfly, while Tia status, SVG’s team captain Gun—Munro and Abigail De believes that they can spring Shong are in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke. some surprises.

The Men’s segment has “We may be underdogs, but The home-based members we can spring some surprises. Bryson George and Shane of the SVG Commonwealth We know the challenge we face Cadogan swimming in the Games team at the AIA , 50m Butterfly. will be stiff, but we will do before they left for England, Squash players- Jason outmost to be a credit to St. last Sunday.

Doyle, Jules Snagg and Vincent and the Grenadines,” Othniel Bailey are seeking the Enemchukwu said. honours in the Men’s Singles, Vincentian swimmers who will The team captain revealed with the lone female- Jada be at it again on Monday and that the team, i.e. the four Ross, battling in the Women’s Tuesday, August 1 and 2. home-based players — were Singles.

On Monday, Joachim swims involved in intense training as The four female Table in the 200m Individual Medley they prepared to take on the Tennis players- Jessica Mc and 100m Freestyle; George “best in the world.”

Carter, Shanecia Delpesche, and Cadogan in the 50m Meanwhile, Bruce, who is Leah Cumberbatch and Unica Breaststroke; and Gun-Munro, the President of the SVG Chess Velox, will grace the green the 100m Breaststroke.

Federation, and heads the table in the Women’s Team On Tuesday, George, The plan for the stadium that will host the XX11 contingent to India, will also championships.

Cadogan and Alleyne are in Commonwealth Games. Reports are that the construction represent St. Vincent and the The swimmers will return the 50m Freestyle and Grenadines at the World Chess to the pools on Saturday, 30th Joachim- the 50m Backstroke. crews have produced something extremely close to the plan.

July, with Gun- Munro, Federation’s Congress, that Also, on Tuesday, the and country’s Joachim and De Shong in the Vincentian Track and Field will be held alongside the the Grenadines’ participation first outing was in 1958 at the 50m Freestyle, with George Olympiad. athletes will start their in the XXII Commonwealth then EmpireGames, Elated about the opportunity and Cadogan in the 100m competition, with Javon Games will be Zefal Bailey, held in Cardiff, Wales.

Breaststroke and Joachim, the to be part of a global Rawlins and Mc Kish who takes part in the Cycling Medal wise, St. Vincent and happening, while extolling the 100m Backstroke.

Compton in the Men’s 100m.

Road Race on 7th August. the Grenadines in 1970 won a On Sunday, Kenale Alleyne values of Chess, Bruce related, On Wednesday, Desroy Jordan The 2022 Commonwealth bronze through weightlifter and George contest the Men’s and Handal Roban are in the “We are delighted to be Games runs from 28th July to George Manners and a gold in 50m Backstroke; Alleyne and Men’s 800m, and on Thursday, 8th August. developing the sport of chess in boxing with Frankie Lucas. In Cadogan- the 100m Freestyle; 4th August, Rawlins and St. Vincent and the This is the 13th occasion 2010, Natasha Mayers took with Joachim and De Shong in Jabari Michael-Khensu Grenadines... Playing chess can the 50m Butterfly. that St Vincent and the gold in the Women’s contest the Men’s 200m. improve memory, creativity Grenadines is part of the 100 metres.

More action is in store for Crowning off St Vincent Commonwealth Games. The and strategic thinking.”

SVG set for Commonwealth Games

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 21.

Sports

Blue Chip B’ball Camp closes

you can’t get to the other level without the things you need academically, THE CURTAINS came down last weekend on the 10th Annual Blue Chip Basketball spiritually as well, and basketballCamp, held at the Girls’ High School hard wise.”

The North Carolina-based coach court. posited that, “The passion for the And camp Coordinator Kishorn Bishop, who is the founder of the Hope game and their hunger to learn is what’s going to be the key to their of Hope and its arm the Blue Chip progress in the sport.”

Basketball Academy, organisers and The Camp focused on persons from sponsors of the Camp, were more than 6 years to adolescents. overwhelmed by the response of the “This is the 10th year… we’ve been young people. doing this programme since 2012,” “We had about 30 kids every day Bishop stated and pointed to the afterand as the camp grew and we would have had a maximum of 50 at a given school programme for the primary school kids, when school resumes in point.”

September.

Bishop explained that the Camp He recalled that, “We piloted the was targeted at the “whole person, so it’s more than sports for us. We spoke programme, ‘Little Jibblers’, with the Kingstown Prep School which is a new about education, reminding the kids

Participants taking in some instructions from one of the assistant instructors. school we will be adopting, so we just use them as a pilot to see what we need to fix, what we need to have, during at least ten months of the year.”

Bishop is pleased with the impact of the programme on the youths and is encouraged to continue. In fact, the programme is ongoing as; when he leaves, the local coaching staff will continue to engage the kids.

The programme now moves to Union Island in partnership with the Union Island Basketball Federation, for the Shad Thomas Annual Basketball Camp.

Kishorn Bishop (right) with assistant instructors Sancho Lyttle (left) and Shad Thomas.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Playaz Basketball Summer Camp is back

Orlando Ferguson, founder of the Playaz Youth Basketball Academy, is happy to be able to restart the Camp.

Seon SutherlandPRO of the Playaz Youth Academy, is hopeful that this year’s camp will exceed all expectations.

The Playaz Youth Academy Basketball Summer Camp attracted approximately 50 plus participants when it opened last Monday at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.

This year marks the fifth edition of the camp which is also a return after a two-year break occasioned by the Covid19 pandemic.

Speaking at the opening, Seon Sutherland- PRO of the Playaz Youth Academy, said the absence of healthy sporting activities for children and young people generally prompted Orlando Ferguson, founder of the Playerz Academy, coach and a former national basketball player, to initiate the camp.

“We do hope that this Summer Camp exceeds the expectations of everyone involved, our sponsors, our participants, our coaches, even the speakers that will from time to time come to address the kids on general life issues,” Sutherland said.

He added, “We also hope the Playarz Youth Academy will serve its true purpose which is youth empowerment through sports,” in keeping with the Academy’s motto ‘Each One Teach One’.

Rohan Providence, President of the SVG Basketball Association, also addressed the opening and expressed, inter alia, that he was pleased with the effort of Ferguson and recognized the struggle he and his team have gone through to make the camp an annual affair. He also registered his

hope that this initiative would stimulate the Ministry of Sports to make further input into the sports of basketball.

Apart from the Summer Camp, the Academy also runs a Saturday morning programme, and has a senior team that competes in various competitions at the national level.

At the end of the Camp the following awards will be made: Best Passer, Best Rebounder, Best Shooter, Best Ball Handler and MVP. I.B.A. ALLEN

Action in an exhibition opening game between Mavrix and Playaz Youths.

Shad Thomas aims for the highest level VINCENTIAN basketballer Shad Thomas’ short terms goals are to get better at his game and win championships for his college.

Ultimately, he wants to play at the highest level, namely the NBA. The 19-year-old Thomas, originally from Union Island, in 2019 gained a Basketball scholarship to attend the Salem Baptist Christian School in North Carolina. He currently attends the Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina, USA, and had an outstanding first season in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Championships.

The six-foot five Thomas, a power forward, in the 2021/2022 outing, was the top overall Rebounder (tops in Offensive and Defensive Rebounding) and averaged the most rebounds per game.

Thomas returned to St Vincent and the Grenadines on a short vacation last week and assessed his freshman year, saying, as “My first year was a fantastic year, it was a great year,” having ended with 15.5 field goals and 13.7 rebounds per game.

Recounting his three years of schooling and fine tuning his Basketball skills, Thomas assessed, “At first it was hard, but at the end of the day you got to keep focused, because if you are not, you are going to be distracted by the little things, but I was

able to keep my head on.”

Underscoring the need for youngsters and people in general to have the correct mindset, Thomas revealed that he always wanted to make the community of Union Island proud.

As such he stated, “It is the mind set that you have, you can come from anywhere and people who think that you cannot do it, you have to prove Shad Thomas has them wrong”. set his aim at the Thomas was spotted by NBA. fellow Vincentian- Kishon Bishop, at the 2018 Windward Islands Schools’ Games in St Lucia.

Recognising his potential, Bishop facilitated Thomas’ entry to the Salem Baptist Christian School.

Thomas, who previously represented the Union Island Secondary School and Tanty Ma Basketball team of Union Island, then became the first member of the Blue Chip Basketball Academy, founding by Bishop, to earn a scholarship to attend school in the USA.

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22. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 . THE VINCENTIAN

Sports

Games and seriousness THE INTRODUCTION of T/20 Cricket came as tailor-made for the West Indies style of operation.

The dynamics of that aspect requires a degree of mental application that spills over into all aspects of the sport.

The West Indies have used their muscles to maximise the range of T/20 cricket. There is more than runs to boundary hitting. The mental damage inflicted when your best delivery is sent swirling into the stands is hard adjusting to.

Bowlers lose their range, confidence, and performance level.

The One Day International has its intrigue, and players pace their game, take it in stages, and see how closely they can replicate the T/20 format.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation has to improve performances of the teams they send out. The senior national squad moved from within prospects of securing a place in League A, to be in the throes of relegation to League C. That is a dramatic reversal in fortunes in three years.

That is not the kind of heat fans have become used to, or will want to accept from their beloved ‘Vincy Heat’ outfit. Those in administration will have to assess the signals they send out to the players when decisions are made. There must be cohesion in the running of football affairs.

The fires have burnt down that pillar of pride that Vincy football is known for. We have to rectify the situation and stop the horse from galloping over the slope of decline.

A revival of faith, resurgence of spirit and resolution to overcome the odds must be part of the recovery effort. The resources are at hand to take care of the mission. There has to be the willingness to face the situation.

We have to approach the task in rational fashion and fix the areas of concern.

Best wishes to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines contingent to the Commonwealth Games. These events turn out champions, and persons grab the occasion when the competition gets intense. That is those who have the inner strength and determination.

Activities circling the Games carry as much weight as the action on the track, field, table, court, pool, are concerned. With a changing geopolitical landscape, reasons for the Games raise aspects for discussion.

As long as the Games continue to provide a platform for athletes, it will always be a source of attraction to Commonwealth nations.

Whether or not it serves any economic function, dismantling the Commonwealth may not be a straight forward isssue or warrant any urgent alterations.

But things can surface as they often do and the next episode can be different from what could they normally are.

Francis-Crick hosts netball camp Skiddy Francis-Crick, one of this country’s netball stalwarts, continues to challenge herself to give back to the game that has given her so much joy and success.

Towards this end, she has organized a netball camp for this year’s summer break. The camp will take place at the Marriaqua Government School hard court from August 1st to September 3rd from 9:00am — 2:00p, and will cater to girls 814 years old.

Skiddy FrancisQuizzed as to what inspired Crick, perhaps this her to host the camp after a country best long break, Francis-Crick said, shooter (netball) in “Actually I was inspired by a the modern era of child at church. She said to the game. me some time ago, she wants to play netball but she doesn’t want anyone else to teach her the game, she wants me to teach her the game, so I was inspired to push myself to start this summer camp.”

Added inspiration came from the results she saw from her first programme.

“I held one (camp) in 1991 when I gave children of Marriqua that opportunity to learn the game of netball. From that coaching programme persons like Geshell Peters and Saskia Diamond went on to represent SVG and further their studies through netball,” Francis-Crick recalled.

Francis-Crick, therefore, needs little convincing that the programme can bear fruit.

The still active and fit Francis-Crick also disclosed that she has been requested, and has accepted, to be part of the Coaching Committee of the SVG Netball Association.

Skiddy Francis-Crick began playing netball at the age of 9. She recalls being encouraged by Hermina Cambridge, a founding member of the Maples Netball Club, so it was no surprise that she entered the national competition playing for Maples in 1986, while still a teenager.

She moved rapidly through representing the national age category teams and by 17 years old, was called up to national senior service.

Many netball enthusiasts here are of the opinion that Skiddy Francis-Crick retired from national duty while still at the top of her game.

All things being even, she will continue working with the girls after the camp through sessions on Saturday mornings.

Douglas, Haywood: Top T20 performers POLICE TWO dethroned Guardian General Saints to claim the 2022 Neil Williams T20 cricket title.

And the new champs had much to be thankful for from their guest player Dillon Douglas, who stroked 67 in the final against saints, on his way to topping the batting in the competition. He was also second in the bowling department.

Douglas amassed 547 runs, including one century and five fifties, at a phenomenal strike rate of 203.35.

The opening batsman was followed by Atticus Browne of Victors One with 319 inclusive of five half centuries, at a strike rate of 151.9. Next was the Vee Jay’s Roof Top & Bar North Windward’s Shem Browne - 284

runs, including one century and one half-century at a 182.05 striking rate.

Saints top order batsman, Jaheil Walters, was in fourth position with 277 runs: one century and one half-century at a 127.6 striking rate. And completing the top five run scorers was Anson Latchman, representing Carlos Veira Rivals, with 261 runs made up of one century and one half-century at a striking rate of 111.54.

Off spinner Jeremy Haywood of Saints topped the bowling department with 19 wickets at an average of 10.63, and an economy of 5.86. He had one five-wicket haul. Haywood was followed closely by Douglas of Police Two with 18 wickets at an average of

Dillon Douglas topped the batting.

Jeremy Haywood was the leading wicket taker.

11.94 and economy of 6.32.

Off spinners Luke Wilson of Victors One and Othneil Lewis of FLOW Radcliffe finished joint third on 16 wickets apiece, followed by Chelson Stowe of Keegan’s Bequia X1 with 15 wickets.

All in all, by way of individual performances, it would be safe to conclude that Dillon Douglas was the Player of the Competition.

Table Tennis Camp held in fancy APPETITES were whetted for the sport of Table Tennis in Fancy and surrounding areas, when the SVG Table Tennis Association (SVGTT) and the Vincy Table Tennis Foundation (VTTF) joined forces to conduct a training camp in that northernmost community.

The 5-day camp, July 14 — July 18, was conducted at the Fancy Government School and was funded by the UK friends of the Mustique Charitable Fund, through the VTTF. SVGTTA coach Romano Spencer, the Camp Coordinator, was happy with the initiative. “As the Head Coach I am pleased with the turnout and the interest shown by the kids in the programme.”

There were up to 22 youngsters, Spencer said, with the youngest participant being 5 years old and the oldest 11.

Buoyed by the enthusiasm generated in Fancy, the Camp will be taken next to the North Leeward community of Troumaca, where it will be conducted

Coach Mikael Hazelwood with an enthusiastic group of Camp participants. at the Troumaca Ontario Secondary School.

Stories: I.B.A. ALLEN

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022. 23.

Classifieds

Francis, ‘Bigger Bigs’ on medical watch From Backpage He remained in the

A&E Unit for processing before being admitted to the Male Medical Ward.

Indications are that heart and that this Samuel has had concerns together with sheer about the state of his anxiety, given his recent hustle to “make a living” (his own words) could well have triggered the heart attack.

THE VINCENTIAN understands that Samuel has been diagnosed with tachycardia, which, according to a Google search, is “an irregular electrical signal (impulse) starting in the upper or lower chambers of the heart that causes the heart to beat at a rate of over 100 beats per minute.”

Up to Wednesday, Samuel was warded at the MCMH with a heightened heart beat and increased blood pressure and, according to a reliable source, was noticeably weak.

Many people have taken to social media to question why Samuel could not have the same level of overseas care and attention that Senator Francis currently enjoys.

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FRIDAY, JULY 29,

2022

VOLUME 116, No.30

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FRANCIS, ‘BIGGER BIGS’ ON MEDICAL WATCH Senator Julian Francis suffered a stroke and was flown to Barbados where he is having specialized care.

GOVERNMENT senator- Julian Francis was on Tuesday said to be in a stable condition at the Barbados’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, after being flown to Barbados on Monday following a stroke which he suffered on Sunday.

Word of this came from Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves while speaking on the Unity Labour Party’s STAR Radio on Monday.

“He is in good spirits; he is alert; there is no deterioration; they are trying to bring down the blood pressure …,” Gonsalves said, adding, “So all that is good news.”

Francis was expected to have another CT scan either

on Tuesday or Wednesday.

However, Dr. Gonsalves confirmed that as of Monday, there was no indication from the doctors that they will have to operate.

Francis, 71, a government senator, was admitted to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital on Sunday after suffering a stroke. Early diagnosis, after a CT scan, indicated that there was bleeding in the brain.

Given this condition, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves confirmed with one media house here that arrangements were being made to have Francis treated by a specialist neurologist in Barbados,

explaining that in cases such as Francis’ the government either brings the neurosurgeon to St. Vincent or flies the patient overseas.

‘Bigger Bigs’ hospitalised In related news, Leon ‘Bigger Bigs’ Samuel, well known businessman whose battle for compensation from the government continues over the forced closure of his mining operations at Rabacca, was hospitalized at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) last Sunday, after suffering a heart attack.

Reports are that Samuel was admitted to the MCMH Hospital hours before Senator Francis was.

A source close to Samuel said that Samuel had suffered a blackout on Sunday, perhaps as a result of a heart attack.

He was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of the MCMH, where he

Leon ‘Bigger Bigger’ Samuel suffered a heart attack and was treated by local medical personnel and remains warded at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. was treated for a heightened heart beat rate and high blood pressure.

Cont’d on Page 23

Water tanks still Âin storageÊ A LARGE number of the water tanks that were donated for emergency use during and after the volcanic eruption of 2021, remained noticeably piled up at Ottley Hall Marina and Shipyard.

Responding to mounting pressure by the public as per why the tanks remained undisposed according to what was expected, Director of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), Michelle Forbes, took to VC3 Roundtable Talk, to ‘clear’ the air’.

According to Forbes, a large percentage of the tanks has been allocated to farmers.

“Most of the tanks have been allocated to the farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture is really working out the mechanism to get the tanks to the farmers,” said the Director.

She explained further that, in fact, the tanks were earmarked for installation at educational

Michelle Forbes, Director of NEMNO, sought to explain the use the tanks are to be put. institutions and emergency shelters. According to the Director, the logistics are currently being sorted out to have the tanks installed.

“I know the various agencies who have the responsibility of erecting Water ranks having been sitting at Ottley Hall tanks are now working on Marina and Shipyard since 2021. the logistics to ensure that they have the platforms that are built for the tanks, the delay in the distribution of the tanks. and I think that has been the hold up in As for now, the tanks remain ‘in storage’ at the disseminating the tanks,” said Forbes concerning Ottley Hall Mariana and Shipyard. (KH)

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

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