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FRIDAY,

OCTOBER 03, 2014

VOLUME 108, No.40

NATIONALS EXPRESS OUTRAGE

www.thevincentian.com

EC$1.50

Sehon Marshall, an open supporter of the ULP, raised the ire of Vincentians living in N.Y., with a comment about the types of jobs they do there.

CAMILLO PLEADS FOR MARSHALL

Jones appealed to Gonsalves in the question-and-answer segment of the four-hour-odd long town hall meeting.

“Please FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Camillo reconsider.”

Gonsalves has pleaded with Vincentians ULP party in the United States to give prospective supporters, for diplomat, Sehon Marshall,“a chance” in the most part, his possible appointment as Deputy New retorted York Consul General. resoundingly: “I’m beseeching you: Give Sehon a “No!” chance,” Gonsalves, a former Liverpool ambassador to the United Nations, questioned pleaded at a town hall meeting, at the the prudence Friends of Crown Heights Educational of the Center in Brooklyn, New York, last government’s Saturday night. insistence in Many nationals in the Diaspora still considering have been incensed over remarks Marshall for the Marshall reportedly made on local diplomatic post Foreign Minister radio, in which he condescendingly in light of his Camillo Gonsalves alluded to jobs some Vincentian remarks. addresses town hall migrants hold in the United States, “The people meeting in New particularly as “dog walkers” and he’s (Marshall) York and makes a “baby sitters”. talking about — plea on behalf of Nationals have also been very irate and he’s not that the administration of Prime here (yet) — are possible NY Deputy Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has the same people Consul appointee Sehon Marshall. reportedly refused to back down from he has to deal possibly appointing Marshall as Edson with (if he’s Augustus’s successor. appointed),” Augustus, a former Seventh Day said Liverpool at the meeting.

Adventist Church pastor, who hails from Richland Park, was recalled Proud to be a baby-sitter earlier this year over alleged passport and visa issues.

Silvina ‘Jen’ Alexander, a babysitter in New York City for about two ‘Marshall, stay at home’ decades, also expressed outrage over Marshall’s remarks and the Some nationals in New York, such government’s seeming recalcitrance. as entertainment promoter Ulric Alexander, originally from Jones, Jr., popularly known as ‘Soca Georgetown, subsequently told THE Jones’, and lawyer Colin Liverpool, VINCENTIAN that she has been able were vociferous in their condemnation to purchase properties in New York of Marshall’s would-be appointment. and at home, and donate to charities They did not flinch in making their on her baby-sitting pay. feelings known at the town hall “I’m a baby-sitter, and I’m very meeting, even as they received proud of it,” said Alexander, who derision from die-hard Unity Labor works for the chief executive officer of Party (ULP) supporters. the Wall Street-based brokerage firm, “Let Sehon Marshall stay home!”

Morgan Stanley.

Story and photos by NELSON A. KING naking@verizon.net; neloking@msn.com US CORRESPONDENT

A section of the audience at last Saturday’s town hall meeting, hosted by the ULP. “I love Camillo, but I was very disappointed when he said to give him (Marshall) a chance,” added the ULP supporter. “Nothing’s wrong with giving him a chance, but give him a chance somewhere else. He’s an intelligent person, but keep him at home.

“They’re (government) only sending ‘rejects’ to represent us,” Alexander further charged. “I don’t know why our people don’t speak out about things like that.

“You mean St. Vincent and the Grenadines has so many qualified people, and you only have one choice?” she queried. “They don’t have any respect for us.”

‘Marshall is my hire’ Without stating specifically what Marshall said on local radio, Gonsalves acknowledged that Marshall’s remarks were “unacceptable,” adding that he was

“trying to make a point, but he said it badly.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister also said that, while the Chateaubelair native is yet to sign a contract for his appointment, “he was aware that he was being considered.”

Still, Gonsalves insisted that Marshall “will serve this Diaspora and this country (well).

“Sehon Marshall is my first hire,” the minister said. “I’ve served here in New York; and I want to upgrade the level of representation, and I believe Sehon Marshall can help to upgrade.”

He, however, acknowledged that since the departure of erstwhile Deputy New York Consul General Cyril ‘Scorcher’ Thomas, Augustus’ predecessor, the New York Consulate has been under “some scrutiny.”

In the aftermath of the Consulate scandal, Opposition Leader and New Democratic Party (NDP) President, Arnhim Eustace, had called for a complete shake-up of the office.

2. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 3.

News 3 PM expects speedy, complete recovery government sources.

In his absence, Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar was slated to deliver the feature address, but PRIME MINISTER Dr. Ralph came down with the Gonsalves says he expects Chikungunya virus. to recover speedily and Foreign Minister completely from a muscle Camillo Gonsalves tear. filled the void at both “I have very high hopes the UN Assembly and of complete recovery,” the town hall Gonsalves, who is meeting. currently hospitalized in The younger Cuba, told a town hall Gonsalves told the meeting in Brooklyn, New gathering, “The main York on Saturday night, reason why he tore a via a telephone link made muscle is because he possible by ardent Unity was working out.” He A section of the audience at the town hall meeting that heard an address via Labour Party (ULP) said that, when he supporter, South Rivers left New York to take video link by PM Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. native Chris Ralph. up the ministerial Right: PM Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told the audience at last Saturday’s town hall “I hope to be in very fit post, he had two condition in the not-toomain things in mind: meeting in New York, that he had lost some 30 lbs. distant future,” added the “I have an interest in prime minister in his freak Christmas storm Fancy. gets underway soon. the ULP staying in office surprised, 31-minute Construction of bridges Farmers will get a (and ) the only thing with last year to infrastructural address, disclosing that he the ULP and a fourth developments to in affected communities much-needed boost with has lost at least 30 lbs in the injection of $6 term was Ralph Gonsalves agriculture. Damage was will begin shortly, with recent months. estimated to be some 17 three in Chateaubelair million to the agriculture and his belly,” he said to Gonsalves was per cent of the country’s and its environs — Kakarta sector. laughter. “He has told us scheduled to visit New (in FitzHughes) and “We’re trying to he lost 30-something lbs.” Gross Domestic Product York for the UN General (GDP).

Sharpes and Plan in diversify the economy in The Vincentian leader Assembly Debate and to Housing has already Chateaubelair. many different ways,” used the opportunity to deliver the keynote been replaced for affected The prime minister said said Gonsalves, adding update nationals in New speaker at the town hall persons, primarily in the there will be additional that “the problem with York about his meeting, but was forced to government’s plans and north of the country, jobs for contractors, as the housing at Clare Valley, cancel the trip at the last namely Fitz Hughes, a Leeward Highway — from we’re solving that.” programs, ranging from minute, according to Chateaubelair suburb, and Hospital Road to Layou — reconstruction after the Story and photo by NELSON A. KING naking@verizon.net; neloking@msn.com US CORRESPONDENT

UNDP grants for local initiatives the fish as a culinary delicacy and the spines, tails and fins in jewellery EFFORTS TO PROTECT this production, as a means of creating a country’s natural surroundings, as livelihood for citizens. well as ensuring that the natural way The Music Association is trying to of life is preserved, took a huge step heighten the awareness of this nation’s last Monday, when Stephen O’Malley, youth through education and United Nations Development entertainment.

Programme (UNDP) Resident The North Leeward Tourism Representative to the Organisation of Association is working on restoring the Eastern Caribbean States, handed diversity of the Dark View falls, over cheques to several Vincentian prevent the degradation of the entities. surroundings and enhance the Those entities included the Mayreau protection of the area as well as Regatta and Sporting Committee, provide jobs for citizens.

Radio Grenadines Incorporated, Radio Grenadines is using resources Southern Grenadines Water Taxi to make the community aware of Association, and Sustainable issues of concern.

Grenadines Incorporated. The The Southern Grenadines Water Association of Music Professional Taxi Association has set their goal as Incorporation, North Leeward Tourism reducing garbage build-up in their Association, and Science Initiative for area. Persons entering the area will Environmental Conservation and be under closer scrutiny, and the Education (SCIENCE), and the Tobago cays Marine Park is expected Nyahbinghi Order made it a national to enjoy increased security. endeavour. Lions Club South, whose The Nyahbinghi Order, with their venture is aimed at encouraging Tabernacle based at Bois Den inside vegetation on the coast, completes the the Peter’s Hope district, is working on list of beneficiaries. getting farmers to practise techniques The Mayreau Committee will to prevent soil loss and flooding. continue their work aimed at reducing The SCIENCE initiative aims to the population of the deadly Lion Fish. expose citizens to biodiversity They will be encouraging the use of education and questions surrounding

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY

President of the Association of Music Professionals, Orande ‘Bomani’ Charles (left), accepts a cheque from Stephen O’Malley (UNDP) Resident Representative to the OECS. conservation measures.

Sustainable Grenadines is tackling environmental matters head on.

O’Malley pledged his institution’s commitment to this country’s development needs. He is hoping that the local operation continue the work that the sub-regional office, formerly housed in Barbados, undertook.

Hayden Billingy, National Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility, Small Grant Programme, facilitators of the assistance, outlined the unit’s accomplishments since it was set up in 2013.

Eleven Project Proposals were approved by the National Steering

A member of the Nyahbinghi Order of St. Vincent was on hand to accept his organization’s cheque.

Rep. of Sustainable Grenadines Incorporated accepts.

Committee, and commitments have been made to the Union Island Environmental Attackers and Action Bequia.

Billingy is hopeful that a US$1.5M allocation is dispensed by March 2015.

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4. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Court

Prosecution withdraws charge against dead man EVEN after Wilford ‘Wolf’ Woodley was shot and killed about two months ago, his name continues to surface in the court.

Woodley was slated to stand trial at the current sitting of the Criminal Assizes which commenced this week at the High Court. His matter was among 100 cases on the list. He was listed to be tried on charges of robbery, Wilford Woodley was aggravated, burglary, shot and killed. unlawful use of firearm, and discharging a firearm.

However, when the matter came up for arraignment on Monday, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Colin John told the court, “Woodley cannot be in Court today or any other day because he is dead.”

As a result, the matter was officially withdrawn.

When contacted, John told THE VINCENTIAN that in order to complete the court records, the matter had to be called up and formally disposed of.

The 28-year-old labourer of Revierre was shot several times at Belair around midday, August 15 this year , after three masked men reportedly alighted from a vehicle and opened fire on a group of men. He died on the spot.

Garvette Foster, 32, also known as Alvin John of Green Hill, received gunshot wounds to both legs during the incident while Romano Kydd suffered a broken leg. Two others managed to escape unhurt.

Following the shooting, the assailants reportedly went back into the vehicle and drove away.

The incident occurred about three months after Woodley was released from prison, on completion of a sentence for escaping lawful custody. He was granted bail on other charges.

Sad moment for the police added, “It is my hope that the general public will see that the “A SAD MOMENT for the hierarchy of the police force is Commissioner of Police and the doing all in their power to RSVG Police Force.” weed out the bad eggs and That was how Commissioner of bring them to justice.”

Police Michael Charles responded However, while the top cop to the conviction of Police admitted “there are bad eggs Corporal Erickson Browne and in the constabulary,” he retired police officer Raymond hastened to add, “the majority Stephenson, on charges of of police officers are honest, dishonesty last Monday, at the dedicated, hardworking Serious Offences Court. officers.”

Stephenson was charged with Charles assured that, once the theft of 29 grams of gold, there is evidence of police while Browne was accused of officers committing any Commissioner of Police Michael knowing or believing 29 grams of criminal offence, similar action Charles, while lamenting the gold to be stolen goods, conviction of a serving and a retired would be taken against them. police officer, assured the public dishonestly assisted in its disposal Asked whether Browne, that the majority of police officers at Kingstown between January 1 who was suspended from and January 31, 2013. The gold, duties pending the outcome of are honest and dedicated. made up of broken jewellery, was the matter, was or would be stolen from the exhibit room at dismissed the Criminal Investigation following his Department (CID). Stephenson conviction, the was at the time exhibit-keeper.

Commissioner Upon conviction, following trial, said no decision the men were each fined $500 has been taken forthwith. They paid the fines. on that issue Commissioner Charles told yet.

THE VINCENTIAN, “We as police Crown officers are charged with the Counsel Karim responsibility of policing St. Nelson Vincent and the Grenadines, and prosecuted the are expected to be above board.” matter, while He stressed that it would attorney Duane Continued from backpage. reflect negatively on the Daniel constabulary when members of represented the Webster Woodley also referred to the June 10, the organization are charged and defendants.

2013 date set by Justice James, May last year. convicted for criminal offences.

Chief James had said then, “You can’t have people in Highlighting the fact that the Magistrate custody for years. It’s just not right. People are police were able to act on this Rechanne languishing. There comes a time in any case when report, conduct investigations, Brownea decision has to be made”. He was responding to arrest and charge the officer and Matthias concerns Thomas had raised. former officer, and that a presided.

Bain was not at the arraignment. His lawyer conviction was secured, Charles Bacchus-Browne indicated that he was ill. She noted that the matter was about ten years old, and like Thomas, asked that it be heard in the interest of justice.

Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS

“We will cross that bridge...,” says DPP

Judge urges cooperation among court officers

Justice Esco Henry is sitting at her first Criminal Assizes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

JUSTICE ESCO HENRY has urged court officers to work together to dispense justice fairly and within a reasonable time.

Justice Henry’s comments came on Monday, while presiding over the High Court arraignment.

Henry said she noticed there are some matters on the list for the current sitting of the Criminal Assizes where persons have been charged since 2004. She indicated that justice demands that those matters be disposed of expeditiously. She noted that some of those matters have been tried and are back on the list for

retrial.

The Judge, however, made it clear that she was not casting fingers at anyone or at any particular case.

Declaring, “I am here as a servant of the people”, Justice Henry urged that, “as officers of the court, we could work together to dispense justice fairly and expeditiously.”

Henry, who had been presiding over civil matters, was welcomed to the criminal side of the court by the DPP, Assistant DPP, Carlyle Dougan Q.C and other members of the legal fraternity.

Ruling accepted In relation to Justice Persad’s decision to dismiss the application for Lee and Clark to give evidence by live video link, the DPP said he would have liked to see the Judge’s line of reasoning in arriving at the decision. Up to press time Wednesday, no written judgement was delivered.

Bacchus-Browne informed the court that Assistant DPP Colin John, who represented the DPP’s office at the hearing of the application, accepted Justice Persad’s decision. In delivering remarks at the closing of the Assizes on July 27 this year, John stated, “I would have preferred it (ruling) to have gone the other way, but I accept the Court’s decision. I can understand the reasons for your decision and I accept it”.

Woodley and Bain were each sentenced to 25 years in prison March 2010 after being convicted of Joseph’s murder, but the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal had quashed their convictions, set aside the sentences and ordered a retrial.

The Appeal Court had ruled that a considerable amount of prejudicial evidence was let in, which rendered the conviction unsafe.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 5.

Regional

Police station attacked in T&T HOURS AFTER THREE MEN were shot in Laventille, Trinidad, last Friday, gunmen opened fire on a nearby police station.

The attack on the police station on Besson Street, Port of Spain, was, according to some quarters in Trinidad, to be a reprisal for the deaths of the three, whom residents say were shot by police officers. .

However, Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams moved swiftly on Friday to deny any police involvement in the murders of three men, including a Jamaican national and Dillon Skeete whom the media described as a gang leader He told a news conference that he wanted to give the There has been stepped up police public assurance presence in noted crime spots in “that we would be Trinidad and Tobago. working continuously to that the prime minister should ensure that we can in fact consider a state of emergency bring the perpetrators of this to be permitted in that crime to justice within the particular area. shortest period of time.”

But COP (Ag) Williams shot The acting Commissioner down this recommendation, also pointed to preliminary highlighting that there has investigations that, according been a heightened police to him, have shown that those presence in east Port-of-Spain involved in the killings “were since the two incidents, and as clearly not law enforcement,” such, there was no justification and that witnesses have been for a limited state of interviewed. emergency.

Meanwhile, President of the Police in Trinidad and Trinidad and Tobago Police Tobago have come under Social and Welfare Association intense scrutiny here, with a (TTPSWA), Anand Ramesar Roman Catholic priest, Father said otherwise, citing “an Clive Harvey, expressing analysis of the criminal concern at what he termed the activities taking place in the extra-judicial killings.

East Dry River (including Figures show that 35 people Lavantille),” and recommended

The Besson Street Police Station that was attacked by gunmen.

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams denied any police involvement in a recent shooting in Laventille, a crime hot spot in Trinidad and Tobago. have been killed by police so far this year, the most recent (up to press time) being on Saturday, 27th September.

The murder count stands at 306 to date.

No to Ernesto and Hugo perfumes WITHIN DAYS of news breaking about the launch of two new perfumes, those responsible for producing the products are in a spot trouble.

Late last week, the Cuban government announced that it will take disciplinary action against a state pharmaceutical company that created perfumes named after Ernesto Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez.

In a statement in the official Granma newspaper, the government described the project as “a serious error”.

The perfumes, ‘Ernest’ and “The symbols of the ‘Hugo’ were launched last Revolution are and will week. always be sacred,” it read.

The colognes - Ernesto and Hugo - were unveiled on Thursday by a state laboratory, Labiofam, in the capital, Havana.

Labiofam said Ernesto, the cologne named after the Argentine-born revolutionary who helped Fidel Castro take over in Cuba in 1959, would be a Che Guevara (left) was a close woodsy and refreshing citric scent with notes of confidante of Fidel Castro talcum powder. (right) and actually fought Hugo, named after the alongside Fidel during the late Venezuelan president, Cuban Revolution. would offer a softer, Left: Hugo fruitier fragrance with Chavez was hints of mango and a close ally papaya.

“They will be very of the Cuban attractive colognes, but government the names also mean a lot and a friend to us,” said Isabel of former Gonzalez, vice-president leader Fidel for research and Castro. development for Labiofam during the launch.

But the project was Hugo Chavez to use their mocked in the social networks names in the colognes. But and criticised by supporters of that has now been denied by the Cuban Revolution, who the Cuban government. considered it disrespectful.

But the Cuban “We didn’t want to create administration was firm in its propaganda, but rather pay denouncement, warning that homage to them and help “the appropriate measures their names endure,” said will be taken to deal with this Cuban biochemist Mario serious error,” and that “Such Valdes, who led the scent initiatives will never be design team, on Thursday. accepted either by our people The company said it had or by the Revolutionary obtained the agreement of the Government.” families of Che Guevara and

Earthquake warning for the region SEISMOLOGIST Dr Joan Latchman of the UWI Seismic Research Centre in Trinidad, says that the Caribbean region, moreso the Lesser Antilles, is well overdue for a major earthquake.

Dr. Latchman bases her assessment on what she describes as geological patterns that have been tracked for over a hundred years.

She was speaking in St. Kitts last week where she was involved, along with two research assistants, on a public awareness drive.

“We will see in our region about three earthquakes of magnitude 5 in the year, and every three to five years we would get a magnitude of 6, and every 20 years to 30 years a magnitude 7... and then every one hundred years or so we would get an 8, 8-plus earthquake, Dr. Latchman explained.

“In 1953,” Dr. Latchman continued, “we had a magnitude 7.8 earthquake northwest of St Lucia, so we were expecting 20 to 30-ish years after that we would see another one of that kind of size in the region, and there was the 7.4 in 1974 between Antigua and Barbuda, which caused damage in this area, and then in 2007 we had the magnitude 7.3 north of Martinique.”

According to the Seismologist, that pattern has been holding; that every 20 to 30 years we have the 7, but we cannot say the date, the time and the location.

The magnitude 8 hasn’t occurred since 1843, “so we are well overdue for the one that is the great earthquake, the one that can actually cause devastating damage,” Dr. Latchman warned.

Given the inability to predict exactly when an earthquake will strike, Dr.

Dr. Joan Latchman, Seismologist, says that the region is due a major earthquake.

Latchman advised that people living in quake prone area be prepared.

Memories of the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues to haunt the region.

(Source: Caribbean News Now/WINN)

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6. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

News

CWPPS celebrates its Silver Jubilee A YEAR- LONG programme of activities is slated to mark the Silver Jubilee of the C.W. Prescod Primary School.

The activities commenced last week Thursday, September 25, with a march from the school’s compound, through the streets of Kingstown to the Kingstown Methodist Church.

There, a service of thanksgiving was held, attended by the current student body and staff, past principals and teachers, past students, parents, guardians and well wishers.

Among the speakers were Deputy Chief Education Officer Beverly Neptune and Morine Williams, Education Officer with responsibility for primary schools. Both

Neptune and Williams, former teachers at the C.W.Prescod Primary, gave accounts of the (wonderful)experiences they had while at the institution.

Chad Greaves, a former student of the school, highlighted the values that were inculcated in him during his 1996 — 2003 enrollment at the school.

He noted that attending this institution, he has learnt the principles of respect, obedience, tolerance, among others.

“Be proud of where you come from,” Greaves told the present students, since he had to endure negative comments of the stigmas which then painted the school.

Delivering the sermonette, Fidel Taylor, a long standing

president of the school’s Parent Teacher Association, joined in acknowledging that the school has progress.

He too recounted the many hurdles and overcoming these, which set the school on a footing and path to becoming one to be reckoned with in many positive spheres of life.

Other activities

Students singing lustily at last week The Silver Jubilee, Thursday’s church service. celebrated under the theme, ‘Twenty-Five A grand New Kingstown Primary Years of Dedication, exhibition is School, and catered to over Quality Education and planned for 1000 students, from Achievement’, will see a March 2015, Kindergarten to Grade 8, and family night being hosted and a musical served by over fifty teachers. during November.

Chad Greaves – a expose of the The school replaced the In December, a past student varied talents Kingstown Methodist School. luncheon to recognise the making his which reside Grades 7 and 8 catered to seven past principals and delivery. within the students who did not meet the recently walls of the requirements of the Common retired school is slated for June, to Entrance Examination. These teachers of close the celebrations.

Grades were disbanded in the school, The C.W.Prescod Primary 2005. will continue School, opened its doors on The name change was the Jubilee 20th September, 1989. effected in 1991. celebrations.

It was known then as the

Harry reigns supreme in Reading competition A GRADE FIVE student from the Windsor Primary School, Rheanna Harry, has proved that reading can take you places, after she earned the right to represent St Vincent and the Grenadines in Grenada, at the finals of the Courts OECS Reading Competition this month.

Harry out-read six other finalists last Friday at the Frenches House in Kingstown, winning both the narrative round as well as the newspaper article piece, both of which the students were seeing for the first time.

She confessed that while the narrative (The Cracked Pot) was easy for her to maneuver, she had some difficulty with the news item (SVG wins ICT Project of the Year Award).

Placing second was Anelia Cato of the Kingstown Preparatory School, while Brielle Compton of the Bequia Anglican Primary School placed third.

The other finalists were Zonique Willims of the Georgetown Primary School, Shamiah James of the Bequia Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, Kaje Jack of the Colonarie Government School, and Rianna Blake of the Petersville Primary School.

Along with

Rheana Harry (centre) is surrounded by the other finalists as well as Courts and Education Officials representing her country, Harry also won herself $2000, an Iview tablet and one year’s esubscription to the Searchlight Newspaper, an opportunity to read a news segment on SVG TV, free dental services from Professional Family Dentistry and Oral Surgery, and cash towards a savings account from the law firm of Rochelle A Forde.

Other contributors to the prizes for the students included LIME, Multigraphics Services, CK Greaves, Accent Dental, and Jujube Bookstore.

Michelle Samuel, Courts Country Manager, said that her company was proud to organize the eagerly anticipated event, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, for the sixth year.

She pointed out that the competition gives students throughout the state an opportunity to sharpen their reading

Rheanna Harry at the podium, reading her way to victory in the Courts Reading competition. and comprehension skills, and admonished the students to make reading a priority.

As for Rheanna, she intends “to be bring the trophy home to St Vincent” for the first time in the history of the competition.

Smiling from ear to ear, she thanked her mother, her teacher and her principal for guiding here along the way, and promised to do her best on October 16, the date for the regional final.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 7.

News

SVG Port Authority celebrates 50 years The SVG Port Authority marks its 50th this year.

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Port Authority is celebrating its 50th birthday.

A Dinner and Awards function is slated for October 25 at the Aquatic Club. A number of events will precede that activity, but the Port Authority is not resting on its accomplishments.

The fifty years is marked as beginning when the construction of the Kingstown Deep Water Harbour

Wharf was completed July 11, 1964, with support from the Canadian government.

The construction of the Harbour signalled a new era in Vincentian trade and development.

That support was one expression of Canada expressing solidarity with the illanniversary fated 1958 West Indies Federation, the other major expression being the donation of two vessels, Federal Palm and Federal Maple., to enhance movement of goods and people within the region.

Chief Executive Officer of the Port Authority, Bishen John, told a press briefing on Tuesday that the Authority is looking to expand the Port Operations to the Grenadines. bastion of this country’s economic platform.

John pointed to a Port Rationalisation Study which he indicated is aimed at providing the

best facilities for this country to 2035 and beyond.

He described the Port’s advancement as an ongoing process, and assessed its place as a principal pillar of this country’s economic platform.

According to John, the Port employs close to 300 persons on a daily basis.

And handles 85 per cent of this country’s trade.

Chairman of the Port Authority, Edwin Snagg, highlighted the social and economic role played by the Port from its inception.

He reflected on the difficulty faced by citizens and business houses having to load and unload cargo from ships anchored off shore. Goods of every description and size were offloaded in large wooden boats and rowed or towed to shore.

The 50th anniversary celebrations will be held under the theme: ‘Globally connected; locally invested’. That slogan emerged from an internal competition run by the Port.

In addition to the Dinner and Awards function, customers will be exposed to treats at the Campden Park

Port (October 8), Cruise Ship Terminal Bishen John, (October 15), and Kingstown CEO/SVG Port Authority, spoke to (October 22) plans to expand between 8 am and 1 pm those port services to the Grenadines. days.

Radio programmes have been planned, and there will be activities aimed at raising the Port’s profile.

By January next year, a commemoration Magazine is expected to be published. That will document the Edwin Snagg, Port’s legacy.

Chairman of the The official SVG Port launch of the Authority, traced exercise was held how far Port yesterday at the services have Cruise Ship come over the Terminal. last fifty years.

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8. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 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

Litter is a problem LAST WEEK’S FRONT PAGE of THE VINCENTIAN occasioned a number of responses by telephone and face to face contact.

Suffice it to say, the majority reaction to the prominence of the article (on Littering) was all positive, with responders offering commendation to our decision to highlight the issue in the manner that we did.

If we are to draw a conclusion from all of this, it may be safe to say that we, Vincentians, are aware that we litter, and that we need to do something about it.

The simple fact is that litter is still a problem on the mainland and in the Grenadines. If it were not, we would not have to be speaking (as per front page article of last week) about having to resort to legislation to ensure that we desist from the dastardly act of wantonly dirtying our environment.

The many clean-up campaigns across the state highlight the large amounts of plastic and styrofoam items lodged in cutters, ravines, banks of rivers and open spaces.

Much of these non-degradable items find their way into our streams, rivers and waterways as pollution.

And when this mass of debris finds its way into the sea that surrounds us, marine life becomes threatened, and the collection of that debris will impact adversely on our fish stock.

One needs not here detail the impact and repercussions continuing the practice of the litter habit can have and do have on our livelihood — our economy, our environment.

May be it is that those who continue the practice see it as something not directly affecting his/her own space and livelihood, and therefore, do not consider it an act of transgression against community and nation.

One is wont to conclude that there is truth in this, hence the reason for legislation, laws to encourage better behaviour.

But why is it that we have always, it seems, to resort to laws to help cultivate an attitude? An attitude is something that we develop as part of our everyday routine. It ought to be that to desist from littering should become second nature, but we fall dreadfully short of doing something that we should see as our responsibility, and would comply only when/if because we are told if we don’t, we will be punished.

That, some may deem a legacy of colonialism with its unspoken inculcation of an attitude of accepting to do it only when someone (of higher authority) says that is the correct thing to do.

And if that is the case, we need to wake up to the fact that colonialism is long gone, and that we are makers, protectors of our own space and environment.

So let’s resolve today to be better tomorrow.

And there are ‘little’ things that we can do that will impact others and keep St. Vincent and the Grenadines clean. A start can be made with adopting a spot in the capital or in your community to keep litter-free on a regular basis. The more often it is done, the better the chances of convincing those who litter that area to desist from making nuisances of themselves.

What is so wrong about keeping a litter bag in your vehicle — mini-bus and other service vehicles? If some means of disposal is made available, won’t it encourage commuters to stop throwing litter out the windows?

All in all, we need to take litter personally. Our mission must become one to clean-up litter wherever we can, and to share this mission with others, starting with our family and friends.

We must become advocates against litter; not just to talk the talk, but walk the walk by setting a good example.

Why on earth would anyone want to be dragged before the court or fined on the spot for an act that is totally unavoidable?

We can start acting in small ways. And sure it’s small — but it’s a start. The price to our pockets, not to mention nature, of not taking even the smallest of steps, is all too clear.

The riot and independence THESE SMALL CARIBBEAN islands owe much to the series of spontaneous popular uprisings which took place along the entire archipelago in the 1930s.

In our particular case, the outburst of October 21, 1935, marked a watershed in our political landscape. Nothing was the same after that. It formed the crucible out of which Independence was to emerge over time.

Yet, 72 years ago, few calculated the importance of the civil commotions. For obvious reasons, officialdom sought to downplay it. And the colonially brainwashed tended to ignore or even condemn it.

Noted historian Ebenezer Duncan saw the episode as a “blot” on the peaceful and orderly development of the country.

Even Mc Intosh seemed to have been riddled with doubt. The masses had taken things into their own hands and hit the street, flouting his constitutionalist approach of letters and petitions seeking compromises and accommodation.

It was the colonial office with a mind-set that could not understand that the people could rise up on their own, that put Mc Intosh at the head of the small insurrection, so to speak.

First of all, they simply asserted that Mc Intosh “is mainly responsible for staging the whole business.” Then they rationalized Mc Intosh’s own ambivalent and confused behaviour with the curt comment that “it looks as if he was trying to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.”

Ten days after the riot, the Town Board, then chaired by H.A. Davis, sent a resolution of solidarity, reportedly moved by Mc Intosh, to the Governor. This resolution tendered “its deep regret at the incident,” congratulated “the Government on the stand taken in suppressing the disorder”, and expressed its thanks to those “who readily came forward and rendered very valuable services.”

Numbered among those volunteers were officers of the Representative Government Association (R.G.A.) itself. The Vice President wrote a personal letter to the Governor condemning the rioters who he said had behaved “like a bunch of uncivilized savages”, and offered his services to the Government in any capacity.

In the prevailing climate, there was a total black-out of news on the riot. It was not until 1967 that Oswald Peters and myself put the event in its proper light in an article in “Flambeau” entitled “1935 Revisited.” After that break-through publication, the matter gathered speed.

The truth is that there was a strong dose of race coursing through the veins of the uprising and coloured members of the R.G.A. with one or two exceptions, ultimately took a stand behind the White banner.

Power and Whiteness coincided in colonial society so that any redefinition of the situation involved race. The preaching of Grenada’s Marryshow and, especially, Marcus Garvey had given filip to the Black cause.

Above all, Ebenezer Duncan had devoted much of the “Investigator” which he published, to the progress of the Italian — Abyssinian war. “Haile Selassie” became the name of a drink in St.

Vincent, as well as the sobriquet of the lower class leader, Sheriff Lewis, who handled matters on the streets.

The African bond was regional. The colonial office reported that at the time in Grenada a huge crowd had taken to the streets one day shouting “We Win. We Win.” The Governor’s staff thought that it was in celebration of a local football victory, only to learn that the cause of the jubilation was Abyssinia’s recapture of the lost city Aduwa!

In the circumstances, as soon as news of the disturbances circulated, Mrs Grimble, wife of the Administrator, organized canteen arrangement and accommodation to cater for children of European descent, who had sought refuge in the police barracks.

Three years before the outburst, a former Chief Justice of St. Vincent pontificated in the Port-ofSpain Gazette, “The negro will not work, as nature provides him with the necessaries of life so far as food is concerned. Two flour bags will make a suit of clothes and it is always possible to beg a couple of kerosene tins to help in the construction of a palm-thatched hut.”

The Moyne Commission, which investigated the disturbances, confirmed that the majority Blacks were consigned to a life of economic misery and political stagnation. Their plight was total. As an old man Mc Kenzie used to preach to Sheriff “Haile Selassie” Lewis and others under an almond tree in the Market Square: “St. Vincent needs a riot.” A cleansing force!

After the riot it was not plain sailing. Some local persons wanted to turn back the hand of the clock. Fortunately the Colonial Office got the message and arranged a time-table of constitutional advance leading up to full responsible government.

It is now “seventy-two years” since the riots of 1935 and twenty-eight years (later this month) since the formal recovery of our Independence in 1979. Both events took place in the month of October, accidentally, with no connections. We need to bridge them and demonstrate that there is indeed a common thread linking them, the one being a natural precursor of the other.

It really is amazing that in working out the question of a date for Independence, Premier Milton Cato had first set his mind on the 22nd day of January, a controversial date thought to be Discovery Day which has now been discredited.

Finally, he settled on 27th October, so close and yet so far from 21st October, the anniversary of the riots. But at the time, Labour and anybody who was somebody in the society, were mortally ashamed of the deeds done on 21st October 1935.

There was consensus among the higher-ups in 1979 if possible, to write that date completely off the social and political calendar. So the deliberate choice of the 27th October which hopefully would replace the 21st in the people’s mind.

Slowly but surely, we are coming to a properly balanced history of ourselves, done by ourselves which is an indispensable prerequisite and attribute of true Independence.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 9.

Letters

Islandwide disaster

Bish-I described the Clare Valley saga in a nutshell: it’s a disaster in the waiting and making. He fully described the different soils in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Mr. Cummings also pointed out a flaw in modern building in SVG, which is the majority of columns in houses now are 10x10 or 10x8, a practice which the Physical Planning Unit approves.

Sir, in SVG, the standard of construction has dropped. Imagine 40 years ago, a man building a house: the foundation was a minimum of 36’-40’ (normally) deep and usually that is being compacted by a jumping jack, flat plate wacker and wooden hand compacter. This practice has been totally abandoned, even on good projects.

Column footings were 4’x4’x3’, then the column of 12”x12” or 14”x12”. Not now!!

Today’s practice is: a man builds a 4-floor housing using 10”x10” columns up to the roof; the column base is not properly placed to distribute the stress or tension equally; as they are not on a level, they are placed up and down. Tension steels are not usually placed.

Sir, imagine in New York or London, the basement of a 4-floor building started with some 10”x10” or 8”x10” columns. We would not have the ‘Big Apple’ today.

In these new types of building, the top floor is enclosed for living quarters and those long, empty legs remain with all the weight at the top, while the foundation was not compacted or tied only from first floor. Look at the pattern of earthquakes in SVG and around the world (and), you will see the danger hanging over our heads.

As an old builder, I was taught the different soils and their impact in foundation. No foundation should be less than 36”- 40” on virgin soil, and it should be a well compacted column base of 4’x4’ square for houses. All column footing should be tied to each other. Columns should be able to shed the weight or stress equally.

Hutchie

Ban persons with Ebola SVG Green Party is very concerned that the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) could be brought into SVG, by persons who have passed through (visited) countries with EVD or are nationals of m countries with EVD. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said 3,091 people have died of EVD and a total of 6,574 cases have been reported in the 6 months since the outbreak.

The action of putting people in quarantine after they have arrived in SVG is far too late, as the incubation period from time of infection to displaying symptoms is up to 21 days. A person with EVD could enter SVG and then display symptoms indicative of EVD - high fever, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or haemorrhaging — weeks after being here. In that period, Vincentians could be infected with EVD. Also, a person with EVD could infect other passengers on the aircraft. Therefore, quarantine in SVG is a useless and ineffective process of preventing EVD from entering SVG. There is no vaccine for EVD, and hospitals in SVG would find it impossible to cope with an EVD outbreak. Most Vincentians do not have the money to fly off to Cuba whenever they are ill.

A system should be set up so that airlines that fly to SVG screen their passengers. Passengers that have passed through countries with EVD in the 3 months prior to scheduled arrival in SVG, or are nationals of countries with EVD, must not be allowed to board flights to SVG. An outbreak of EVD would destroy our country.

SVG Green Party calls on the ULP regime to immediately ban all persons that have passed through countries with EVD in the 3 months prior to scheduled arrival in SVG, or are nationals of countries with EVD, from entering SVG. Mr Ivan O’Neal BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA Leader and co-founder of SVG Green Party

Human predators KINDLY afford me a little space to remind some ‘extraordinary people’ in my community who are suffering from amnesia.

These people played such an important role in my life at a certain period that it will be truly remiss of me not to help them recover their sudden loss of memory.

I was stabbed so many times in the back that the imaginary pains refuse to go away. The scandal and the backbiting along with the “word throwing” know no end, yet these things escaped their memory.

They just can’t remember.

Despite such, they tell themselves they are still entitled to have

conversations with me.

The cunning underhanded way in which they went about these acts showed that they have gained mastery in this area over a long period. Yet, they will show you a different front, and want to impress upon you that they meant well.

The good book warns about ‘cunning people’, and the older folks refer to them as having ‘two faces’. I think I am unique from what I have received from some who claimed to be friends, but have proved to be none other but ‘wolves in sheep clothing’ and ‘snakes hiding in the bushes’.

Why would persons

who claim to be helping others, help them in such a way that their names are maligned and their livelihoods interfered with? Why would they do it when they know that, should these ones be affected negatively, they do not stand to benefit?

These human snakes are scattered throughout the length and breadth of this place, and should be dealt with very cautiously.

I wish that this article will be of some warning to those who tend to trust people who are too eager to let you know they are helping, and that they may not be fooled with a showing of the teeth. Some words of

wisdom from the older folks again to this end, “all grin teeth are not good”.

Afflicted

Answer to:„What must we do to be saved?‰ mention, “Acts 2:38 instructs us to NONE of the Old Testament repent and be baptized for the saints were baptized, but Peter remission of your sins and you declares Acts 15:10-11 “Now shall receive the Holy Spirit.” therefore why tempt ye God, to We know that the Holy Spirit put a yoke upon the neck of the only indwells believers. Therefore disciples, which neither our when Cornelius believed, the Holy fathers nor we were able to bear?

Spirit fell on him before he was But we believe that through the baptized! (Acts 10:38-47) He was grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we saved before baptism. He was shall be saved, even as they.” baptized because he was saved.

They looked forward by faith to That word “For” in Acts 2:38 could what Christ would do; we look be translated “be baptized back at what he has done. because (for) your sins have been Salvation is in Jesus Christ remitted.” alone.

Paul sure implies baptism is not part of the gospel in I Cor. In Christ, Alan Berry 1:17 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:” and baptism obviously must not REGARDING The Vincentian’s headline be part of salvation. The of 26 September 2014: jailor asked the very question you asked. Acts First, I applaud the police and the 16:30 “And brought them Solid Waste Management Unit in taking out, and said, Sirs, what action on the littering problems must I do to be saved? throughout SVG, including amending Paul’s answer was Litter Act 1991 to allow for ticketing, straightforward: Acts court hearings, fines and imprisonment.

16:31“And they said, However, nearly everything in that Believe on the Lord Jesus article could be said for the Protection of Christ, and thou shalt be Animals Act (amended Act No. 23 of saved, and thy house.” No 1988), except that this Act already gives mention of baptism being police officers the power ‘…to arrest, necessary for salvation. without warrant, any person whom he has reason to believe is guilty of an offence under this Act…’. So why isn’t this Law enforced? These are living, CAPTAIN, five years ago, I lb; in Sandy Bay it is sold for breathing creations being discarded and asked for the booklet of the $18. One large corn beef is ignored, not inanimate objects!

‘Yearly Report of the NIS’, sold in Kingstown for $7.00;in Kicking or beating an animal, only to hear, “It’s not ready as Sandy Bay it’s $9. And there dog/cock fighting, poisoning, shooting, yet. It is in printing”. I heard are many more examples like hanging, drowning, causing any this statement again this year these. unnecessary suffering — these are all July, when I signed my life’s Sir, who is to be blamed, against the law, punishable by fines and register. the Sales Truck or imprisonment.

Also, Sir, it came over from Shopkeeper? Does the Mention was made of the effects of the NIS office that they have Consumer Affairs Department littering on tourism. Don’t you think raised all pensions, but that’s know how these sales trucks visitors seeing abused and neglected not completely true. I have sell their product? animals, hearing about them on social heard from watchmen who The law says that all places media also affects tourism? claimed they got it, also nonthat sell goods to the public There are many other negative contributors got it, also maids should have the individual impacts involved with cruelty to animals got it. But I have been getting price marked, so the public — spiritual, psychological, health — but pension for the past 8 years and inspectors can see. Are those are for another time. What needs and only once did I get a raise, there inspectors going around? to be done NOW is to enforce the why?

Charges can pay their salary.

Protection of Animals Act. Captain, in Kingstown, codfish is sold up to $15 per Pensioner Pam R Dear Sheldon Govia, I read your confusing article, and notice that you must have your own Bible manuscripts.

Since the New Testament was written in Greek; you quote Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13 as though Yahweh is in the text. Please enlighten us as to which Greek manuscript you are quoting from, since, as you say, Yahweh is a Hebrew word. While you strain at Hebrew for YHWH and YWVH, you swallow the camel when you omit the word that is there and you insert an entire word, where there is no word in the Greek text. Without one Greek text that would agree with your view, you pass it off as though it were so. It is not.

When you mention Messiah, you seem to think Christ was something else. A woman with a water pot said, in John 4:25-26, “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things”. Jesus saith unto her’, ‘I that speak unto thee am he.” He understood her statement, and claimed to be that very Messiah. She believed him.

At the end of your misinformation letter, you

Open letter to captain of the ULP

Litter yes, animals also

V

10. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Views

Excerpt from the address to the 69th UN General Assembly by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Camillo Gonsalves Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: We gather this week to reaffirm our commitment to peace, justice and development.

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES proudly recognises His Excellency John Ashe, son of our Caribbean soil and immediate past President of the United Nations General Assembly, for his invaluable contribution in advancing the international agenda during his superlative tenure. We joyously welcome you, Mr. President, as our new standardbearer. As part of the African Diaspora, we celebrate with the Continent in claiming you as one of our own, and investing the same faith and confidence in your role as do the people of your native Uganda.

Mr. President, Fifteen years into the 21st Century, the challenges of our times have caused some nations to question the value or role of sovereignty in an increasingly borderless world.

Globalisation and modernity have unleashed a number of forces that operate independently of national governments or borders: The ills of climate change, communicable diseases, and economic contagion spread like wildfire, and external shocks pose serious developmental and existential threats beyond the scope of individual states to address. Groups have emerged — from terrorists to drug cartels to certain rapacious multinationals — that span the globe and exploit systemic weaknesses to further their own nefarious selfinterest.

The pressures of keeping pace in an interconnected world have led to suggestions that we can no longer rely on a traditional rulebook that does not specifically contemplate our modern challenges. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emphatically rejects this suggestion. The “rulebook” that governs our international cooperation is the United Nations Charter, and its principal, golden, rule is that of respect for the sovereign equality of all States. To be sure, certain administrative aspects of our rulebook are clearly long overdue for meaningful reform — like the composition and working methods of our fossilized and increasingly irrelevant Security Council. However, the principles that inform our Charter and undergird this Assembly are timeless.

Any attempt to deviate from the Charter — in word, deed or spirit — would constitute an assault on sovereignty, a departure from diplomacy and the improvisation of international law on the fly. Loss of sovereignty has never benefitted the weak or powerless. Erosion of sovereignty has never restrained the interests of the powerful. The list of nations whose sovereignty has been violated in the interest of great power convenience grows inexorably longer; while the tally of those whose populations are demonstrably better off for such violations remains tragically short. Accordingly, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines rejects the choice between modern interconnectivity and traditional sovereignty as false, and intended to accelerate a global slide into lawless unilateralism.

As a small, open, vulnerable state,

we cannot accept the suggestion that our existence rests on the whim, generosity or benign neglect of powerful states. International law and sovereign equality are the bulwarks against the type of naked aggression and unilateralism that have too often led our nations to the precipice of war.

Mr. President, The cancer of terrorism continues to spread. The world has witnessed the celebration of savagery and the multiplication of misery by those who sow death and hatred in the name of religion. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, like every other civilised nation, is outraged at the global rise of militant groups that commit unspeakable acts of mass violence in their quest to enforce a brutal and indefensible social order.

However, the terrorists’ disregard of national borders and sovereignty is no excuse for us to do the same. We must not stoop to their level in neglecting the bedrock principles of the peaceful coexistence of nations. Nor must we ever repeat the mistake of believing that terrorism is something that can be harnessed or supported to further some greater political objective. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines cannot accept that the difference between noble rebel and evil “terrorist” can hinge on something as arbitrary as which side of a border they decide to perform their rapes, beheadings and bombings. We unequivocally support genuine efforts targeted at eliminating this scourge, and call for global solidarity and international cooperation in this urgent cause.

Politics may make for strange bedfellows, but in a civilised world, humanity must always trump ideology in the fight against murderous barbarism.

Mr. President, The political manipulation of the term “terrorist” threatens our shared resolve to eliminate its growing menace. Nowhere is this manipulation more glaringly objectionable than in the United States’ false designation of the Republic of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Cuba has been a victim of state terrorism, a condemner of state terrorism, and a collaborator in the fight against state terrorism.

Meanwhile, other actors nakedly support and lavishly fund the most despicable terrorist groups without so much as a hint of public reproach. It is unimaginable that the United States, an unquestioned global leader in the fight against terrorism, and target of the most heinous attacks, would want to distract itself, or its allies, from the fight at hand by maintaining its unfounded characterisation of Cuba.

Similarly, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines reiterates the call of the overwhelming majority of states for an immediate end to the illegal economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. The external projection of political self-interest is not a sovereign exercise, but a retrograde and anachronistic attack on the very principles that undergird this institution. The United States is a far greater nation than this petty, punitive and illegal embargo suggests.

We encourage it to demonstrate the courage to cast aside this Cold War relic.

We Ready for Information Technology (Excerpts from Senator Frederick’s address at the launch of the Young Demz mobile app.)

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP) has always been committed to the idea that the positive use of technology must become a way of life for our citizens. Our vision for Information and Communication Technologies for St. Vincent and the Grenadines is for our country to boast a wealthy digital society and economy and number one digital destination – the place of choice to connect, communicate, collaborate and co-create. The NDP is ready to create a wealthy, competitive society and economy through strategic human and infrastructure investments, within a thoroughly enabling environment in collaboration with world-class partners.

Globalization is real and irreversible — the World is our marketplace — our philosophy and approach is grounded in finding and exploiting the opportunities wherever and whenever they exist. It is our desire to create a society and economy that is intelligent, responsive and thriving, i.e. we want an SVG that knows how to find and occupy competitive and sustainable niches within a global marketplace. We want our people to exploit science, technology and innovation to be happy, healthy and wealthy.

To become a wealthy, healthy and happy people, we have to make certain well-thought out inputs or investments. These investments would be made within a well-crafted and designed enabling environment, with the help of our creative citizens and competent global partners. This relationship of investment and environment is like that of a good seed planted in good soil. The strategic investments are the good seeds and the well-crafted environment is the good soil. And like Jesus in the Parable of the Sower teaches us, good seeds in good soil bring very good fruits, some a hundredfold etc. The NDP Government would take seriously the example of the Good Sower and the Principle of the Harvest to make sure that our policies, programmes and projects are designed around the best seeds of investments within a fertile and well-prepared soil or enabling environment. Our government will not just throw around laptops in a stony, thorny, wayside environment, with no proper plan and preparation.

No sir, we would make sure that the system and the school environment and the educators are well-prepared for a truly effective and value-added ICT in Education Programme. Our NDP team is not about bells and whistles and bugles; we want our inputs, our investments in education to be genuine tools for learning, not just toys without proper purpose. “Hurry hurry bird don’t build good nests”, a matter of fact if this “hurry hurry bird” were a horse, he would put the carriage in front.

So, today, as you see what we have created using Vincentian know how, and our nation’s young bright minds, we ask you to envisage a St. Vincent where technology is a way of life. In this SVG, wireless internet connectivity would be available at no cost to the visitor and local alike in government offices, at tourism sites, over every square inch of this space.

The idea is to have every visitor and every individual able to be online from the moment they arrive on our shores.

We will make St Vincent and the Grenadines a hotspot. Online wireless hotspot for free.

In this version of SVG, government services would be accessible online to make business more efficient and less problematic.

Taking E-Government further, our plan is to make government available and accessible on the move in the palm of your hand, through mobile government or M-government.

Resource Centres will be smart labs where information can be accessed by those who are and are not tech savvy.

Why should the farmer who needs information about Black Sigatoka have to wonder where he can get it?

He should be able to walk into a smart lab, ask his question and get his answers. Or better yet, get it on his phone as an SMS or a message on his Smartphone.

The best and brightest creators are not those who want to be harnessed to a desk. In this space, our children who share a desire to learn and to exploit technology by developing that next great idea must know that that is no pipe dream.

Mentorship by some of the world’s best innovators and thinkers will become a reality in this new St. Vincent. Developing that type of capacity is critical if we are to become the next hub for tech development on this side of the world.

In this new world, tech businesses will thrive. With employees coming from among our youths, receiving training and certification that can never be questioned or doubted, receiving on the job training from businesses attracted to our shores through active marketing and incentives from a government that wants to see our youths gainfully employed.

Let this new St Vincent be a benchmark for how technology can change lives and empower people to populate that internet space and provide goods and services and make a living, being paid directly to their bank account because mobile banking can be as easy as an app on a smart phone in the palm of your hand. For example, our water taxis, our coconut vendors, our fruit sellers, our village kiosks operators, our tour guides, etc. can receive payment from visitors and locals alike right on the spot with the swipe of a card or a mobile money transfer through a simple code. In this new world, tourism would be enhanced through the advances in technology, marketing using GPS, attracting the internet savvy and the adventurous.

We plan to make our beautiful country a number one digital destination where persons from anywhere in the World can hike our mountains and trails, cycle through our beautiful countryside, snorkel and dive in our perfect waters or fly over our ruggedly beautiful terrain from the comfort of their home or gym through Virtual Reality. Long before they set foot on our actual soil, visitors can explore our virtual spaces alone or in groups, learn our history, buy our products and share with their friends the joy of their virtual experience in SVG the Digital Paradise. We have already identified the requisite technology and global partners to make this “Virtuality” a reality.

V

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 11.

Views

Considered hostile

“The secret of happiness is this — let your interests be wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.” - Bertrand Arthur William Russell 3rd Earl Russell (1872–1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer.

THE NEED TO WRITE this article emerged while I was in the departure lounge of one of our Caribbean countries (that will remain nameless). I had just had my passport stamped by an immigration office who appeared to be so very hostile. Looking at my completed immigration form he grunted “Occupation?” The bottom portion of the immigration form that was handed back to me when I had entered that country three days earlier, did not make provision for indicating my occupation and I, therefore, assumed that, having filled out all of the blank spaces on that immigration form, I had provided all of the necessary details. However, this unpleasant “exit officer” thought otherwise. I was therefore, not surprised that once he had stamped my passport he merely pushed it back in my direction without saying a word. And I pondered, “Why the hostility? Why so unfriendly?”

Just one week earlier I had received another unpleasant experience when I visited a business place (in another nameless Caribbean country) in search of a small plastic cap to cover the screw that held my lens to the frame of my spectacles. I was the only customer there at the time but the attendant appeared to be displeased that I was seeking service.

Her body language signalled that she wanted to be left alone. I presented her with the pair of spectacles and asked whether she had the cap that I was seeking. She did not reply. She merely removed a container from the desk where she was seated, found the replacement cap and mumbled, “Ten!” — meaning “Ten dollars for the service”. I was truly amazed ... and so very disappointed. And I asked myself, “What did I do (or not do) to receive such hostility? Why is it that so many service providers appear to be so very rude to customers or clients?”

Regular readers of this In Touch column know that the essays found here are intended to encourage and inspire. And although the two examples presented above appear to be negative, this writer is trusting that the revelations will result in a renewed commitment of all service providers (in the public and private sector) to seriously consider how we approach and react to customers and clients. They are human beings just like we are. They deserve to be treated with respect regardless of how boring our jobs may appear or regardless of how unfair or unpleasant we may think our working conditions and remuneration packages are. Customers and clients should not be considered hostile when they approach us for assistance.

As I travel the Caribbean I would regularly hear similar “horror stories” in relation to poor customer service.

Unfortunately, many of these unpleasant episodes are nestled in the hotel and tourism sector (where

service should always be excellent).

And as I key these words in I can almost hear some readers say, “Jules, I beg to differ! Such quality service should be displayed throughout our society.” Yes, I agree. However, the emphasis is placed on the service sector simply because this should be one of the hallmarks of this industry.

Being polite and helpful does not make us servile. It makes us decent.

It makes us attractive. It draws persons to us, the establishment that we represent, and our country. We should consider it an honour and most pleasant experience to serve others.

And whenever we have bad days or are exposed to unpleasant experiences, we have to drill deep down within us to muster the ability to reflect goodness and charm. We are considered weak and immature when we transfer our frustrations and anger on the innocent and unsuspecting.

The two experiences captured during the opening paragraphs left me feeling disappointed and hurt. I was temporarily deflated on both occasions. However, I reassured myself that the reaction of both individuals really had nothing to do with me. It was not related to anything that I had said or not said.

It was not a result of anything that I had done or not done. I concluded that both individuals were having miserable days (or were working at jobs that they did not like). That, however, did not justify them “taking it out” on me. To regroup and regain my composure, I reflected on the many other instances of excellent customer service that I had received in both Caribbean nations.

Individuals like my taxi driver (Michael) who was most entertaining and often went beyond the call of duty to make sure that I was well served.

And the outstanding chef (Rex) who always sought to make sure that breakfast was just right. I reflected on the outstanding service of a hotel receptionist (Keziah), travel consultant (Karen), librarian (Devika), and cleaners (Brenda, Kay, and Debbie) who were never too busy to share a pleasant greeting or word of appreciation whenever our paths crossed. Many of these service providers lift our spirits through their acts of kindness, pleasing personalities, and kind dispositions.

Many go beyond the regular call of duty to provide excellent customer service. They enrich our lives. They draw strength and inspiration from deep within themselves where there is richness of character and purity of thought. We are grateful for these heroes and heroines of service who remind us that there are still so many good customer service role models that will periodically cross our paths.

We are reassured, encouraged, and blessed because they are not all considered hostile.

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

The struggle for standards A LOT HAS BEEN SAID since the collapse of a house at the Clare Valley housing development. There are a few things that have not yet been said, and Plain Talk needs to point to some of them.

We begin from the premise that we should never have come to this. The oldest house in this development is about six years. There is no reason why any should have come crashing down. It’s my considered opinion that the collapse has less to do with soil type and drainage, and much more to do with shoddy construction.

Structures can be built on anything including water. However, the more ‘tricky’ the soil, the more demands are placed on the architects and especially the engineers to ensure that the structure is properly anchored.

Columns are not anchored in top soil.

To ensure structural stability and integrity, columns must reach and be connected to the rock beneath the soil.

Clearly, from the testimony of some home owners, who spoke so passionately and righteously indignantly, at their meeting with state officials last Saturday, many of these homes were poorly constructed.

There is no doubt that the structural integrity of some of them is dangerously compromised. One home owner expressed fear to play with his two-year-old child because his house ‘dances.’

The housing initiative of the ULP government has been one of the hallmarks of its tenure. It has built about 1000 homes for no income, low income and middle income citizens.

The collapse of just one house and the complaints of other owners may tarnish the entire initiative unless radical changes are made.

But all is not lost. PM Gonsalves has spoken forthrightly about the weaknesses and shortcoming at the Clare Valley housing development.

Ministers Daniel and Francis, echoing PM Gonsalves, took complete responsibility for the failings and committed the government to making all necessary repairs.

The government posture regarding responsibility is commendable. But as any student of ethics knows well, while acceptance of responsibility is necessary, in this instance, it is clearly not sufficient. The tragedy at Clare Valley demands more. While some home owners might have been reassured by the government’s commitment to make amends, many remain traumatized by the collapse of this house in their midst.

Those still in unstably buildings will be preoccupied with worry until their homes are reinforced. Would a properly functioning physical planning unit issue certificates of occupancy for all of these homes? It will be prudent to swiftly determine if other home owners deserve temporary replacement dwellings until their homes are stabilized. We cannot chance another disaster which results in loss of life and limbs?

In SVG, we take our state of mind for granted. We should no more.

Government should publicly declare that it is immediately placing mental health professionals at the disposal of all residents who may need them. Incidentally, government should have made a similar gesture following every major disaster, especially after the December 2013 floods.

Psychological trauma assistance will not be enough. If we are serious, we must say never again. But never again chants will be meaningless unless we go to the very bottom of this disaster.

While former housing Chief Morris Slater may be held responsible for

what went wrong at Clare Valley, he cannot be made the fall guy. Slater has been dead for almost two years and was off the job for about 3 months before his death.

At all times, there must have been was a Board of Directors. After Slater’s passing, there was a manager. Did these people fall asleep on the job?

Home owners have said that they felt unwelcomed whenever they tried to visit and monitor the construction of their home. Was this an earlier indication that some of these homes were not being built to standard?

Any serious and credible investigation must ferret out those who had direct responsibility for these homes. The architect and engineer assigned to this development, the people at the Ministries of Housing with responsibility for HLDC must be called to account and made to answer.

Those responsible for the road construction must tell us why better care was not taken to deal with drainage. Clearly, no similar drainage problems obtain at Harmony Hall, where government acquired lands for those made to move to make way for the Argyle International Airport.

Homeowners spoke of the scant regard they received from the principals at HLDC. Many pointed to unanswered complaints, made to HLDC officials in writing and in person. Some owners claimed that they beseeched HLDC officials to visit the development. A home owner spoke of a call she made to the manager of HLDC on the very day the home collapsed.

None of this is made up. Plain Talk made representation on behalf of a number of home owners, even before becoming a ULP senator. In a communication less than three months ago, we warned that the situation at the housing development was ‘like a catastrophe waiting to happen.’

Nothing happened until disaster struck two Fridays ago.

The disregard and disrespect from HLDC officials was in full view at the homeowners meeting with officials last Saturday. An HLDC official entered the hall 16 minutes late dressed in a red sneaker, an olive green short pants and a red and white short sleeve shirt.

Utter disrespect. But the thing that took the cake, sweet bread, mauby, was that he came into the hall with a roast corn in his hand, and sat at the official’s table completely oblivious to the fact that he was in the hot seat.

Another was 46 minutes late and casually dressed. The rationale was that he had to attend a funeral. These HLDC officials failed to appreciate the gravity of the situation. No wonder HLDC officials made some owners feel as though they were being done a favour. Minister Francis declared that workers who laid tiles poorly will be black listed. All of St Vincent demands that the same strict standard apply to incompetent contractors.

If nobody gets reprimanded, transferred, fired or tried because of their criminal negligence and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of residents at the Clare Valley development, the ULP government could place in jeopardy all it has worked so hard to achieve in the last 14 years.

Send comments, criticisms & suggestions to wefirst@aol.com

V IMF agrees with Green Party 12. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Views

In its 74-page country report of SVG in August 2014, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) repeatedly called on the incompetent ULP regime to eliminate discretionary tax exemptions, e.g. abolish the tax and customs duty exemptions given to Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan.

Gonsalves is not a university graduate in finance, and has been utterly hopeless as the SVG Minister of Finance. The massive tax and customs duty exemptions given to Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan are plain foolishness; they have pushed up unemployment, and caused much pain and suffering to the poor and disadvantaged in SVG. SVG is going through its worst period of economic hardship in living memory. According to the IMF, the discretionary concessions have contributed to the recent decline in tax revenues (by as much as 2% of GDP). In addition, ad hoc exemptions at customs have almost doubled between 2008 and 2011.

The gap between the rich and the poor in SVG is getting wider, and our society is substantially out of balance. It is a gross injustice to Vincentians to grant blanket tax and customs duty exemptions to Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan, and force the poor and the disadvantaged to pay tax and customs duties.

The IMF has called for fiscal consolidation, the reduction of public sector debt and the improved

efficiency of revenue collection. This means the blanket tax and customs duty exemptions given to Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan should be abolished.

Discretionary exemptions have caused major problems in creating revenue for SVG’s dilapidated economy. The exemptions have contributed significantly to weakening the SVG economy and causing massive fiscal deficits for ten consecutive years, 2005 to 2014 (source: SVG Budget Estimates 2005 - 2014).

It is a gross insult to our people that a tiny portion of the money that the super-rich should have paid in tax and customs duties, is given back to Vincentians by way of a charity bowl. This 1940s mentality by foreigners in our country is totally unacceptable. These foreigners must stop this wicked social engineering of perpetuating a dependency culture in SVG, and pay tax instead.

The IMF agrees with SVG Green Party that the Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan are holding back our economy and stifling our people’s ability to become prosperous. To boost the SVG economy, the IMF calls to eliminate discretionary tax exemptions given to these parties should be implemented.

It is important that we put Vincentians first, not foreigners who benefit from what little we have.

Eliminating their tax exemptions would help create thousands of new jobs, as money could be spent on

projects to improve our country, projects such as a university, new hospitals and factories.

It is imperative that all of our young people are given real opportunities to fulfil their potential. This means that we must educate them to university level, and give them the skills needed to compete successfully in the global job market.

For instance, there are thousands of university graduate jobs, with starting salaries of over EC$ 90,000 a year, being advertised in the UK on the Guardian newspaper website — see http://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/graduate/?sort=Sala ry.

Vincentian young people should be equipped to apply for these jobs.

Taiwan and the super-rich of Mustique and Canouan should pay tax, or pack their bags and go back to where they come from. Our young people need a university, our people need jobs, and our economy needs to be strong.

SVG Green Party www.svggreenparty.org

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 13.

Health

No assessment yet on US Ebola case Stories by DAYLE DA SILVA IT IS YET TO BE determined if similar restrictions will be imposed on persons travelling from the United States, in light of the confirmation of the first

Dr. Rosmond Adams, Chairman of the National Surveillance Committee.

case of the deadly Ebola disease being identified in that country.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case of Ebola in the US after a Liberian national, still unidentified, had flown in to Texas to visit family over the weekend.

It had been reported that the Liberian national was admitted to an isolation unit at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Recently, the Ministry of Health here released an advisory restricting entry of persons from or who had visited Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia where the disease has reached epidemic proportions; but Dr Rosmond Adams, Chairman of the National Surveillance Committee in the Ministry of Health, told THE VINCENTIAN

Nigerians pose no threat THE FOUR Nigerian nationals who were quarantined on their arrival here, pose no threat.

This is the assurance given by Dr Rosmond Adams, Chair of the National Surveillance Committee within the Ministry of Health.

Dr Adams, while not disclosing where the Nigerian nationals were being housed, said that the disease was not transmitted airborne, but via fluids.

“So to question where they have been housed is of no concern,” Adams said.

“Where they are housed does not pose a public health threat,” he continued.

“These people are not infected.”

And while he said that it may have been a possibility that they were infected, Dr. Adams explained that they were taken into isolation, based on their failure to provide the requisite paperwork.

The four were quarantined after they failed to provide documentation to support that they were not infected with the Ebola virus.

They were required to produce a medical certificate and the results of blood tests, to prove that they had tested negative for the deadly disease.

With regard to the repatriation of the individuals, Dr. Adams said that this was a lengthy process; however, during the interim, the state is making arrangements to have them returned.

However, if after the period of incubation and observation, of twenty-eight days, the Nigerians show no symptoms of being affected with the Ebola disease, they should be released.

The Ministry of Health here, on September 1, had issued an advisory aimed at preventing the entry of Ebola into the country, by restricting the entry of nationals from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone; and nationals from Nigeria were required to produce medical certifications to prove that they tested negative for the deadly disease, before being allowed entry.

newspaper that ministry officials were yet to make an assessment on the situation as it pertained to travellers coming from the US. He did say that he did not think that restrictions would be placed on travellers coming from the US, saying that the process would have already started to have the individual isolated.

“If we do this, then we limit the persons coming

from abroad,” Adams said.

The Surveillance Committee head added that the case was an isolated one, and that there was no Ebola outbreak in the US, and based on this, he did not think that it warranted restrictions on travellers from the said country.

The way forward in the region would require a co-ordinated effort, however, with

discussions among officials at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CAPHA).

“We would have our own local assessment of the situation,” Dr. Adams said, and assured that all was being done to prevent the Ebola virus from entering the country.

“I want to reassure the Vincentian public that

measures are in place,” Adams told THE VINCENTIAN. He said that the policy implemented here has been effective, as has been evident when four Nigerian nationals were recently quarantined, after they entered the country without the requisite medical documentation to support that they are not infected with the deadly Ebola virus.

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14. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Arts

Questelles resident cops Miss Plus Size title SHAUNELLE DOUGAN, a resident of (Top) Questelles, is Miss SVG Plus Size Universe 2014.

The young lady took the title last Saturday, September 27, when the show, which replaced the Miss Big and Beautiful Pagent, was held at the Cruise Ship Terminal, Kingstown, in front of what was described as a wide crosssection of patrons.

Shaunelle copped the Best Evening Wear and Best African Wear segments, both designed by renowned local designer Kimon Baptiste, on her way to displacing five other contestants. The other judged segments were Introduction (featuring a Carnival Costume), Interview and Talent.

Organizers say that eight contestants were expected to take the stage, but two had to cancel for very personal reasons.

Clarissa Edwards, of Rockies/Belair and Lafeisha Haywood of Richmond Hill took the first and second runner-up positions respectively.

Looking to set a new trend When the three top-placed ladies visited with THE VINCENTIAN on Tuesday last, Shaunelle intimated that she always “had a passion for pageantry.”

She admitted to be proud of her full-

figure, and considered her participation in the show as an opportunity to be a role model for all full-sized women, “to say to them that they are just as much woman as regular-sized women.”

The Hot Spot Boutique sponsored Shaunelle, who offers private beautician services, specializing in make-up and manicures, and will pursue a one-year period of study at The Ephraim Hunt Cosmetology School in Trinidad, on a full scholarship, the coveted prize for having won the title.

She will also represent this country at the Miss Plus Size Universe Pageant set for Trinidad on January 4, 2014, where winners of all the national shows are expected to converge. Ms. Myra Commisssiong will assist with her preparations for this pageant.

2nd Runner-Up for Citing that she has a new Miss SVG Plus Size sense of self and improved 1st Runner-Up for Miss Universe 2014, self-confidence, and has SVG Plus Size Universe Lafeisha Haywood. learned to face up to the 2014, Clarissa Edwards. challenges of criticism, Shaunelle told THE VINCENTIAN, “I am hoping to set a new trend. I intend to return (from Trinidad) as the person wearing the crown, to do something most Miss SVG winners have not been able to do at the regional level.”

Better Off Second placed Clarissa Edwards is no stranger to the pageant stage. She was a contestant in the Miss SVG Pageant, and others, including the East St. George and Miss Impact shows.

Sponsored by Riks Original Pizza, Clarissa confessed to being attracted to the Miss SVG Plus Size Universe show because of the scholarship offered as the top prize. She has her eyes set on furthering her expertise in Cosmetology, and in the meantime, spends her working days as an employee of the Transformation Beauty Spa. Clarissa copped the Introduction and Interview segments at last Saturday’s show, and considers herself “Better off, …more confident, … enhanced” for having participated.

She is looking forward to her prize trip to St. Lucia, in December.

Miss SVG Plus Size Universe 2014, Shaunelle Dougan.

Universe Show has strengthened her self-belief, and reinforced adherence to her motto, “Believe in what you want.”

She will travel to Tortola in December for having placed 2nd Runner-up.

More activity

Pearl Williams, Managing Director of Beautex International, organizers of the show and local franchise holders for the Miss Plus Size Universe, told THE VINCENTIAN, that the programme of activities for the top three does not stop with the show.

They are set to become Ambassadors for AIDS, working with the SVG Planned Parenthood Association in awareness programmes in schools and communities.

Clarrisa and Lafeisha will also join the efforts aimed at tackling Teenage Pregnancy and Child Abuse.

The contestants are also expected to involve themselves in programmes with Believing in yourself the Ministry of Agriculture, to learn about “planting for a heathy life,” said Lafeisha has no problems with being a Williams. plus size lady, since such persons “are Efforts are afoot, according to Mrs. just as beautiful and talented as any Williams, to also secure an attachment other women,” she said. for Clarissa at one of the “journalism She was attracted to the show by its establishments here.” “catchy prize.”

And, buoyed by their newly acquired Already holding an Associate Degree and/or enhanced self-esteem, the in Sales and Marketing, Lafeisha is contestants are expected to interact with desirous of owning and operating her “plump-sized girls, to help with raising own beauty shop, and “of becoming an their self-esteem.” entrepreneur.”

Last Saturday’s show, at which She was sponsored and fully contestant Adonna Thomas won the Best supported by Diamond Girls Beauty Talent, marked a return after one year Supplies, where she is also currently absence of a local pageant for plus-sized employed. women.

Participation in the Miss Plus Size

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 15.

Arts

Jamaica artistes hype AGD concert followed by super star, THOSE RESPONSIBLE for putting Konshens who together the Arthur Guinness Day (AGD) belted out hit concert on Thursday 25th September, at after hit like the Solidarity Inc. Car Park, Kingstown, ‘Rasta must be feeling satisfied with their Impostor’, effort.

‘This Means Not only did Vincentians turn out Money’, ‘Good Konshens delivered with feeling and style. in their numbers, but they were Girl Gone treated to a top notch show, with Bad’, ‘Gal Dem featured artistes Jamaican Popcaan A Talk’, ‘Realest Song’, ‘Represent’, and Konshens alongside local artistes. ‘Do Sumn’ and the crowd favourite The stage was set for a fabulous ‘I’m Coming’. night, as some of the top deejays in All in all, it was a stunning SVG — from Simple Sounds Family, performance by the Jamaicans who, Hypa-active Sounds, Sound with all the entertainment they Definitions and Predominant Sounds provided, also helped to reinforce that — whetted the patrons’ appetite with ‘Dance Hall’ music has an extremely hit after hit. And the Guinness Girls wide following in SVG. with their choreographed seductive The AGD concert in SVG was one of dance moves raised the expectations of many held across the world in up to the hyped crowd who enjoyed 55 English speaking and non-English Guinness giveaways and the popular speaking countries, establishing the Stout at a knock down price of 2 for global reach of the Guinness brand. $8.00.

SVG’s own super recording and Local artistes Royale and First performing artiste, ‘Skinny Fabulous’ Lady set the tone for what was to was billed as a feature performer at come. the AGD concert held in Jamaica.

Popcaan’s entry on stage caused a sudden movement stage- side, as female fans especially, grabbed at his feet in homage to their star.

He delivered, and the hundreds of fans sang along to his many hits, including ‘Clarks’, ‘Ravin’, ‘Only Man She Want’, ‘Badmind a Kill Dem’, ‘She A Gwaan Good’, ‘Coolie Gal’, ‘The System’, ‘Diss Mi Friend’ and the concluding ‘Everything Nice’.

Adoring fans get a touch of their star The ‘Ravin’ King was Popcaan.

by KENVILLE HORNE

Kimya set for Dominicana Moda LEADING VINCENTIAN Agency (Caribbean fashion designer, Kimya Export), which will Glasgow, who specializes in also support in eco-luxury Resort wear, designers from is heading for the Jamaica, Haiti and prestigious Dominicana Trinidad and Tobago Moda 2014 (DM2014) in the to Dominicana Moda Dominican Republic, from 2014.

October 20th to 25th.

The designers are Dominicana Moda, the slated to participate official Fashion Week of the in the runaway shows Dominican Republic, is and the MALL and considered a very important the support will also platform for the Fashion facilitate the Industry. It has become the designers’ visit to fastest growing runaway manufacturing units show in the Latin American in Haiti.

Kimya Glasgow – region.

According to a renowned local fashion release for Caribbean Major fashion houses designer. have participated in the Export, “It is hoped past, and this year it it is that creating these expected to be even bigger than business linkages between regional before, organisers say. designers and manufacturing units Ms. Glasgow’s participation is made will promote vertical integration of the possible with support from the CARIFORUM economies.“ Caribbean Export Development

16. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 17.

Diaspora

US$20,000 for NEMO

The sum is a significant part of the monies raised by the New York group to assist the homeland in the wake of last Christmas freak storm that left at least seven people dead and a trail of THE ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES destruction primarily in the north of Relief Steering Committee of New York the country. last Saturday evening handed over a The Committee, chaired by New cheque amounting to US$20,000 to York Consul General Selmon Walters, Foreign Affairs Minister Camillo a former government minister, Gonsalves, to be delivered to the disclosed that a total of US$34,500.80 National Emergency Management was raised in the relief effort, and that Organization (NEMO). there were expenses amounting to US$5,671, leaving a balance of US$28,829.80.

With US$20,000 dispatched to NEMO, the Committee said US$8, 829.80 remains in the account.

The Committee told a town hall meeting at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn, New York, that to date four 40 ft.

The 2013 Christmas floods wrought extensive damage containers of to the housing stock on mainland St. Vincent.

Story and photo by NELSON A. KING naking@verizon.net; neloking@msn.com US CORRESPONDENT

SVG Foreign Affairs Minister Camillo Gonsalves (3rd from L) receives cheque from some members of the New York Relief Steering Committee. supplies were dispatched to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Committee said its efforts are on-going, thanking all Vincentians, organizations, businesspersons, musicians, friends and supporters for assisting in the relief effort.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told the meeting, via a telephone link from his hospital bed in Cuba, that the unusual Christmas storm caused damage to the tune of 17 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said, since the storm, his administration was able to raise $280 million, inclusive of concessionary grants from the World Bank and “a number of different countries.”

The Vincentian leader said 1012,000 nationals were directly affected by the storm that caused significant “damage and losses to the housing stock.”

He said the government has since

built and refurbished a number of houses, from FitzHughes, a village on the outskirts of Chateaubelair, to Fancy in the exact north of the country.

Camillo Gonsalves, who delivered the keynote address at the town hall meeting, said: “Any conversation with St. Vincent and the Grenadines has to begin with the floods at Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. “We got three Decembers’ worth of rain in three hours, and the devastation was tremendous,” the foreign affairs minister said.

“We lost water, we lost electricity, the hospital (Milton Cato Memorial in Kingstown) was flooded, the multimillion dollar CT scan was gone,” he added. “Agriculture was devastated.

People who had crops, no longer had crops, and the forests were destroyed…It was one in a lifetime event that hit St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

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18. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Feature

Remembering Cubana Flight 455 EACH YEAR, in the months of September and December, Vincentians mourn the tragic loss of the lives of two young Vincentian men, the victims of terrorist bombs in Lockerbie, Scotland (December 1982) and New York (9/11, 2001). In both cases, bombs planted on airlines were the cause of death and destruction.

Imagine, therefore how the people of two sister Caribbean nations, Guyana and Cuba, must have felt in October 1976, when they heard the horrifying news that 73 citizens of both countries were killed when Cubana airlines flight # 455, en route from Barbados to Cuba, was blown up in the air just after it took off from Barbados airport.

Terrorism had visited the peace and tranquillity of the Eastern Caribbean, a quarter of a century before 9/11.

Background A lot has changed in the world since 1976.

Then, Cold War rivalry not also fuelled local and regional tensions and wars, but was threatening the world with nuclear conflagration. The Vietnam War had just ended, leaving much suffering and bitterness in South East Asia and in war-weary USA. Vietnam remained an enemy of the United States, as did

China, in spite of the historic visit of US President Nixon to China four years before. Iran, yes Iran, was then a close friend and ally of the West.

In Africa, the battle to end apartheid and colonialism in Southern Africa was being fought on the battlefields of Angola.

That war was to lead to the military defeat of racist South Africa, paving the way to freedom for Nelson Mandela and his compatriots a decade and a half later, and the birth of a democratic, nonracial South Africa.

It must be remembered that in the hour of critical need, it was Cuba which came to the rescue of Angola, sending its own soldiers there, and that the Caribbean foursome of Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago had the courage, not only to open diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba, but resisted US efforts to get them to continue Cuba’s isolation.

not changed. The hostility to and attempted isolation of Cuba by the United States of America continues, 55 years after the triumph of its Revolution in 1959. That hostility led to some actions on the part of successive US administrations, unworthy of such a great nation.

terrorists who we are told are planning to use toothpaste bombs to down airplanes.

Supporting Criminals

Guyanese students who were killed in the ill-fated Cubana airlines flight # 455.

How then could the USA, in the face of mountains of evidence against Bosch and Economic Blockade Carriles, shelter them, refuse to prosecute them There was the economic all these years, for crimes blockade, bringing for which the US invaded hardship to the Cuban Afghanistan and Iraq and people and retarding its is now carrying out aerial economic development. attacks in Syria and Iraq?

But worse, much worse, How could such a country was the US support at which hounded Muamar state level for exile Cuban Gadaffi, for alleged terrorist, blinded by masterminding the hatred for Cuban Lockerbie bombing, President Fidel Castro harbour Bosch (till his and “communism”. That death in 2011) and led the USA, through its Carriles, until today when intelligence agency, the there is evidence of their CIA, to give succour to, complicity in the murder arm and shelter criminal of 73 persons off Cuban elements, who Barbados? Are Cuban, committed countless acts Guyanese and Korean of terror against the lives not as sacred as Cuban state and people, American ones? even right in sovereign This injustice towards countries like Chile, the Cuba continues. It is seen USA itself and Barbados.

Enemies have made Those elements, led by in the protracted incarceration of the friends two infamous terrorists, ‘Cuban Five’, Cuban Orlando Bosch and Luis citizens forced to serve Today, the global Posada Carriles, long sentences in the USA scenario is very different. organized the Cubana for the “crime” of tracking Vietnam, which inflicted bombing, using two down the activities of military defeat on the Venezuelans Hernan criminal Cuban elements USA, now enjoys Most Lozano and Freddy Lugo who have carried out Favoured Nation status; to plant the fatal bomb. terrorist actions against China is wrapped up in They confessed to Cuba and were plotting on the financial and Trinidad police, detailing commercial beds with how they put the bomb in American soil, in contravention of American American capital; Iran is a camera, using now public enemy number toothpaste to disguise the law.

It is seen in the refusal 1; the Cold War has ended plastic explosives. It is to lift the economic and Southern Africa ironic that today there is a blockade against Cuba liberated. global alert for would-be which has cost that But some things have country millions of dollars over the past half a century. When one recalls Cuba’s selfless role in helping to develop our own human and physical resource base, in spite of

Gold medal winning Cuban female fencing team also perished in the disaster.

US-backed terrorists Orlando Boach (left) and Luis Posado Carriles. such a blockade, then we would realize how much more it could have done if there had been no blockade. The blockade is hurting us too.

In spite of all this, the Cuban people and government continue with acts of solidarity. When others are waging war in the skies against Islamic extremists, Cuba has sent hundreds of medical personnel to West Africa to fight war- against the deadly ebola disease.

What greater manifestation of humanity

and solidarity can one wish for?

We in the SVG/Cuba Friendship Society greatly appreciate Cuban friendship and solidarity, from which our people have benefitted enormously. We reiterate our solidarity, call once more for the lifting of the blockade, and support the call for the freedom of the three remaining Cuban patriots (of the ‘Cuban Five’), still in US prisons.

(Contributed on behalf of the SVG/Cuba Friendship Society)

The Cuban Five: (From left): Fernando Gonzalez (released), Antonio Guerrero (in prison), Gerardo Hernandez (in prison), Ramon Labanino (in prison) and Rene Gonsalez (released).

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 19.

Finance

Financial Information Month 2014.

Editor’s Note: THE VINCENTIAN is pleased to join, once again, with the Local office of the East Caribbean Central Bank in marking Financial Information Month. We present the first of a series of articles that will run throughout the month of October.

First Citizens Investment Services The 60% Budget

At first, 60% may seem like a small figure, but an analysis of your monthly expenses may reveal a different picture. It may just be possible for you, based on your current position. If not, some minor adjustments to the budget are allowed. But remember, the point is to save!

The other 40% of your money goes evenly (that’s 10% each, if you’re keeping track) to the following categories:

Retirement Savings HAVE YOU EVER TRIED to live on a budget? It is definitely not an easy task.

There is always the temptation to overspend for that next must-have item, or even to manipulate the budget to allow for exorbitant lifestyles. But that defeats the purpose of a budget. The goal of a budget is to balance your finances, so that you not only live comfortably now, but also in the future, near or far, when you may no longer be employed. In other words, set aside funds now to maintain a minimum standard of living in the future.

Richard Jenkins of the MSN Money website proposes what he terms “The 60% Solution”, which is based on his own life experiences. Jenkins suggests that 60% of your salary should be devoted to what he calls ‘Committed’ expenses. The other 40% is split evenly among four categories, as outlined below.

Set aside funds for your golden years, either into a pension or some other long term savings plan. This money is untouchable, and to make life easier, a standing order can be set up from your paycheck or bank account, so that the money is automatically deducted, without you even seeing it. After all, out of sight is out of mind. Contact your insurance agent as to whether they offer pension plans.

Long-Term Savings

This is the money that is put aside for emergencies. But it should not just sit there waiting for you to need it.

Money should always work, even when you are not. So an interest-bearing account or even purchase of shares or bonds is acceptable. Something that is not so liquid you can easily Committed Expenses cash out, yet not so illiquid that you are unable to access it when you need If you were to do an analysis of your it. Maybe a Unit or Mutual Fund spending habits, you may come to the account, or possibly a Credit Union conclusion that it is not your day-tosavings plan. day spending that has you struggling to make ends meet, but rather the Short-Term Savings large irregular expenses, like repairs and vacations. The secret to budgeting, As the name implies, you save Jenkins suggests, is to plan for those money for the short-term. Not so much items, but also to focus at least 60% of for emergencies, but more for your earnings on expenses you have extraordinary stuff that comes along committed to having, be it basic food in a lifetime, such as repairs, and clothing, household expenses, appliances, gifts, and maybe even a insurance, premium items such as vacation or three. gym, cable, even your children’s private school, and most especially, all Fun Money of your taxes.

Fun money is basically funds you set aside… who are we fooling here?

Money for fun! Simple, yes? The trick is to set your limit and stick to it. This is where good friends come into play.

You know, the kind of friends who pay for you…

Seems straightforward and simple, does it not? The key, however, is to stick with it. And to take a good, hard look at your life, and your lifestyle, and see if maybe you can do without certain things you are doing with. Do you really need to have that expensive, and financed, car, or even that fourbedroom home? Must you take that Italian vacation this year, or can it wait until next year? Remember, if you do not spend it now, it can be earning money elsewhere, while you save up for those treats later on in life.

All information contained in this article has been obtained from sources

that First Citizens Investment Services believes to be accurate and reliable.

All opinions and estimates constitute the Author’s judgment as of the date of the article; however neither its accuracy and completeness nor the opinions based thereon are guaranteed. As such, no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of this article is given or made by First Citizens Investment Services in any form whatsoever.

First Citizens Investment Services and/or it employees or directors may, where applicable, make markets and effect transactions, or have positions in securities or companies mentioned herein. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed, shall be construed to be, or constitute an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell.

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20. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Advice

Cooking up a storm Third time runaway Dear George,

Dear George, I HAVE WATCHED my wife go out of her way to cook and prepare meals for visitors to our house, leaving me to wonder why she would not do the same for me. I would get home from work totally exhausted and ask about dinner, and she would mumble something like, “I don’t even know what to cook,” or ask, “Do you really want me to go in the kitchen now?”

I am not one to argue over food or order my wife around, but I think I am reasonable in asking about dinner, seeing that she is at home most of the time, and it is I who have to go out and earn money for us to survive.

I mentioned to her that she is quick to attend to guests, but does not give the same attention to me. She replied that guests should be treated like guests, meaning that they should always get what they ask for and more.

I do not feel good about my marriage anymore, and to think that in the beginning it was never like that. I honestly do not know what to do.

Sad Dear Sad, Something obviously has gone wrong somewhere, and if you are interested in saving your marriage, you need to immediately take the appropriate steps to get to the bottom of it all.

A good place to begin would be to put yourself under the microscope to see if at any point you have stopped doing what you used to do, have not kept your promises to her, or whether you have become distant and started taking her for granted. (And the list goes on.)

Let her know that you do not feel important anymore in the marriage, and that you are willing to take a look at yourself to see if it’s you who

must take the blame for the breakdown. Your decision not to judge her will allow her to take an objective look to see where she too could have contributed to the

breakdown.

Maybe you can both go see a counsellor to help you continue the reconstruction of your marriage.

George

My 15-year-old teenage daughter has run away from home, making it the 3rd time in as many months she has done this. On each previous occasion, she returned home, but never told me where she went to or who she was with.

I am very concerned about her, and told her that if she runs away again, I am not going to take her back. My boyfriend, whom she refused to acknowledge as her step-father, keeps telling me not to take her back, just because they never hit it off since he came to live with us.

How do I get her to stop running away? Her father passed away rather suddenly one year ago, but I think it is high time she pulls herself together.

Concerned M.

Learning the hard way should have done that, seeing that it I MADE a mistake is not her business and accidently sent in the first place?

She claims she did a text, which was intended to another it because my wife, individual, to one of who is her friend as well, does not my friends (girl). deserve to be The text had my cheated on. picture in it, and this friend took the Angry information and gave it to my wife, Dear Angry, who is now threatening to The question is, leave.

Do you think she was she correct in her explanation to you, as to why she spilled the beans on you?

You said you made a

Dear George,

Dear Concerned M,

mistake and sent the text to the wrong person; but you should know that some mistakes are more costly than others. This one may very well cost you your marriage. It would have been useful if you had examined the advantages and disadvantages of cheating before going ahead, but then again, maybe you did, and now cannot live with the consequences.

Lesson learned!

How could you not see that the arrival and presence of your new boyfriend is most likely the ticking time bomb that needs your urgent attention?

Your daughter has issues with you replacing her father with that new boyfriend of yours. The dynamics between them could have a lot to do with her not wanting to be at home.

Take a step back and enter your daughter’s feelings for a moment. She may not have been ready for this change, and could very well still have grieving issues as a result of her father’s death. Take her to see a counsellor, and use that same opportunity to learn how you could be more supportive and understanding to her emotional and psychological state. This approach could cause the family dynamics to move in a more favourable direction.

George

George

Leisure

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Look out for those wanting to push you into a disagreement. Don't be too quick to judge those you live with.

Recognition can be yours if you present your ideas and stand behind your beliefs. Get back to basics and reevaluate what is important in life.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) You may need help with your financial situation. You will not be pleased with family members who try to put demands on you when you just don't have the time. Jealous attitudes may lead you astray. Overindulgence could lead to problems with digestion.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) Uncertainties regarding your love life will surface if you have neglected your mate. You can get ahead if you are willing to take a partner. Don't bother retaliating, just walk away. Travel opportunities look positive, but be cautious while driving.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Opportunities to pamper yourself may unfold. Don't be too quick to respond to a plea for help. Your high energy will enable you to take the role of leader in group functions. You have been going through a period of change that has caused problems for you with your loved ones.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Look closely at motives and honesty in your personal encounters. Take care of your own responsibilities before you help others. You can purchase items that will enhance your appearance.

Don't make large purchases unless you have discussed your choices with your mate.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Children may be on your mind. Take the whole family and make it an enjoyable outing. Partnerships will be favorable and contracts can be signed. Have a heart-to-heart talk with family and find out what the problems are.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Avoid too much discourse with colleagues this week. Be cautious not to get involved in office chatter that will cause problems for others. You need to concentrate on your business ventures more than on your relationship this week. Don't ignore any emotional issues that could be causing problems.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Do not expect others to do your work.

Travel if it's needed to start the ball rolling. This is not the best day to visit relatives who get on your nerves. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities that exist.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Assist a relative or good friend by setting of a budget for them. It's time to let loose. You may have difficulties with foreigners. You will attract potential lovers, but be sure that they're unattached.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Not everything you hear will be legitimate. Children could cost you more than you can afford. Someone important may be watching you from afar. Be quiet about your intentions or ideas that might bring added cash.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) You can make profitable investments if you purchase an art object for your home. Travel will promote new romantic en counters. Don't let your friends talk you into taking time off. You'd be wise to control your spending so your debts don't get out of hand.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Do not let them blow situations out of proportion. Your lack of attention may have been a factor. Visitors are likely to drop by and chances are, they may even stay a little longer than you want them to. Your partner may not understand your mood swings but if you are willing to communicate, a lot of grief can be avoided.

ACROSS 1.Load a suitcase 5. Air‐rifle ammo 8. Witch 11. Authentic 12. Not Dems. or Inds.

14. Like a Bohemian 16. Monogram part (abbr.)

17. Actor Ziering 18. Before (prefix) 20. Memorizes 22. Doc or Sneezy 24. “Live and __ live” 25. Studies 26. Hairspray type 30. Parisian pal 31. Not Dem. or Rep. 32. Gorilla, e.g.

33. Rotterdam’s country 36. Whips up a batch of cookies 38. Height (abbr.)

39. Figured (out) 40. “Crocodile __” 43. “__ to Pieces” (2 wds.)

44. Actress Balin 45. Study frantically

47. Interlocking toy block 51. Edge 52. Facet 53. Explorer Ericson 54. Paris summer 55. Welby and Kildare (abbr.)

56. Lingerie brand DOWN 1.School org.

2. Timetable abbr.

3. “__ it out!”

4. Touch‐tone phone part 5. Short 6. Actor Gazzara 7. Upset a liquid 8. Bald man’s lack 9. Comic King 10. Clear liquors 13. Ranch animal 19. Amtrak and Conrail (abbr.)

21. From __ Z

(2 wds.)

22. Car dealer’s model 23. Howl 25. Cheer‐ leader’s shout 26. As well 27. Personal welfare 28. Page for viewpoints (hyph.)

29. “__ Miserables” 31. Interval 34. Lass’s friend 35. Baldwin et al.

36. Peat marsh 37. God known for male beauty 39. March of __ 40. Critical 41. Army division

LAST WEEK’s SOLUTION

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 21.

42. __‐brand 46. Sum up 48. “Electric” swimmer 49. Band’s job 50. Three __ kind (2 wds.)

22. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 23.

Grenadians rule Âthe townÊ

GRENADA HAS UNOFFICIALLY put its patent on the annual NACAC/OECS Road Relay Classic, which has become the marquee road racing event put on by Team Athletics SVG. Last Sunday, for the fourth year in succession, a quartet of runners from the Spice Isle had the better of the now established two-way fight against their Vincentian adversaries.

But unlike the previous years, Grenada had to come from behind to earn the US $1000, which was at stake for the winning team.

Changing their race

strategy, St Vincent and the Grenadines put Pamenos Ballantyne to combat Sherwin Paul on the first leg. He established an approximate 80m lead on Paul.

Meshach Dublin maintained the space on the second leg, and although Junior Ashton, on the third, allowed the gap to lessen, hopes were high for a Vincentian triumph.

That was not to be. Caswell Lewis was unable to hold on to the 40 m head start. The powerful Bernard Joseph took advantage of a flagging Lewis and clipped him on the last

Grenada team – left to right- Bernard Joseph, Reon Raddix, Tallon James, Sherwin Paul.

leg.

The Grenadian four, which also included Reon Raddix and Tallon James, clocked 26 minutes 44. 82 seconds ahead of the Vincentians whose time was SVG’s Pamenos St Martin’s – winner of 27 minutes 20.37 Combined male and Ballantyne on his the male secondary female team from the Fitz seconds. way to schools’ segment – Hughes Primary School.

It was another establishing a Truloni Mc Kenzie, time of agony for Hughes Mocasa Bowman, Tyreke commanding lead the Vincentian public, who Primary, Anthony, Newman Peters. in the first leg. have to wait another twelve claimed the months to see if their The winners as well as the male and female categories of representatives can breast the the primary schools end of the second and third places of the tape in first place, at the open, primary and secondary race. intersection of the Halifax schools’ categories, all received The male outfit clocked a Street and South River winning time of 40 minutes 41 cash awards.

Road, which was also the .41 seconds, and the females This year marked a starting point. reduction in participation from clocked 49 minutes 15.20 Notwithstanding, it was seconds last year’s event when fifty a good day at the races for three teams contested, with In the secondary schools the IT DAT Club, who fifty-one finishers. Last segment, St Martin’s took first in the male and Secondary School, under the Sunday’s race had forty-one female open categories. starters, with thirty-nine tutelage of Pamenos The winning male team Ballantyne, topped the male completing the course . clocked 28 minutes 48.17 Sunday 5th October will see field in 30 minutes 10.33 seconds, and the females the Union Island 5k race, seconds, and among the recorded a time of 39 females, the Thomas Saunders which is the next event on minutes 57.19 seconds.

Team Athletics SVG’s road Secondary champed in 37 Likewise, the Fitz racing calendar. minutes 24.01 seconds.

Team Rivals eyes three-peat the team’s ambitions.

In Sunday’s final sponsored by “TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO”. These Digicel, Rivals were given a scare by were the words of veteran leg spinner Radcliffe’s captain Lindon James, who Orlanzo ‘Jacko’ Jackson as he sported struck a pugnacious half century that one of his now customary broad grins threatened temporarily to spoil their of satisfaction, after Team Rivals party. retained their Super40 title with a 55Scores: Team Rivals 205 (40 0vers), run victory in the final over Radcliffe Radcliffe 150 (29.3 overs). in the final played at the Park Hill James went in at the top of the Playing Field last weekend. innings and took the attack to the Team Rivals were triple crown Team Rivals with some powerful shots champions in 2013 after jointly to the fence and out of the ground, winning the Premier Division with with many of his shots possibly able to Victors ONE, easily clear bigger grounds.

The Neil On 36 he was given a life when Williams T20 captain Deighton Butler spilled a and the sitter when James miscued an inaugural attempted slog off veteran leg spinner Super40.

Orlando Jackson, whom he had struck Earlier this twice out of the ground. year, they James made his opponents sweat as retained the he set about dismantling the attack Premier with clean shots and sensible running Division title between the wickets, in a partnership and added the of 73 for the third wicket with Andrew Super40 on Thomas (18).

Sunday, The important breakthrough came prompting the when Thomas, who had grown in ebullient confidence after surviving two close Lindon James mixed Jackson’s LBW shouts, hoisted Butler to forward attack and defense rant about of square where Jackson took an easy

by E. GLENFORD PRESCOTT

catch moving in a few yards.

That wicket seemed to galvanise Team Rivals who moved in for the kill as Radcliffe slipped from 88/3 to 91/6.

James then found a useful partner in the big hitting Westrick Strough (35) who, not for the first time in the Westrick Strough competition, muscled the bowlers out of the ground as (35) hits a super shot. the pair added 49 for the unbeaten half seventh wicket. The threatening century (55*), to partnership ended when James struck take Marvin Small hit a a full toss from Casmond Walters to responsibility responsible half long —on, where Marvin Small expertly and see his century (55*). held a diving catch to send his team to what teammates into wild celebrations. He turned out to be struck five sixes and five fours. a winning total. He faced 96 balls and Hooper 2/21, Walters 2/22, Jackson struck three fours and featured in 2/25/ and Butler 2/38/ combined to important partnerships of 30 with push their team to victory.

Butler (22) for the eighth wicket, and Earlier, Team Rivals showed their 76 with Jackson (35) for the ninth never-say-die spirit to haul themselves wicket. from the bothersome position of 99/7, Darren Greaves got 32 at the top of to reach an eventual total of 205. the innings with medium pacer Jamal They had been sent to bat on a pitch Nash, who caused the problems in the which played a few tricks in the middle, finishing with 3/51. opening period.

Offspinners Dyke Cato 2/28 and Richie It was left to Small, with an Richards 2/29 also collected wickets.

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24. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

Sports

New Zealand Wins T20 Series

Victorious New Zealand team.

SUZIE BATES and Sophie Devine held their nerves in a Super Over to ensure victory for New Zealand Women over the the West Indies in the final match of the three matchT20 series, and clinch the series 2 -1.

In the match played at Arnos Vale

Deandra Dottin, West Indies alrounder, was voted Player of the Series.

Playing Field last Saturday, New Zealand was set a victory target of 6, when the West Indies mustered only five in their Super Over.

Deandra Dottin, the leading rungetter for the West Indies, was given

the opportunity to blast her team to victory, but she was stumped off spinner Morna Nielsen from the first ball, immediately putting the team on the back foot.

With 5 runs to defend, spinner Shanel Daley began well with a dot ball, but bowled a no-ball on the second delivery. Bates and Devine pushed the next two balls for singles, before Bates sealed the series by carting Daley over extra cover for four.

Earlier, set 112 for victory, West Indies were pegged back by accurate and steady bowling from the pacers Amy Satterthwaite, 4 for 24, and Hayley Jensen, 3 for 16. The hosts were, at one stage, 75 for 6, before Dottin’s 46-ball knock of 54 (including 3 fours and 3 sixes) brought them within four runs of victory. She was caught at extra cover with two balls left. Needing three runs off the final delivery for the win, Anisa Mohammed could only scoop over extra cover for

two, sending the match into a Super Over. West Indies lost eight wickets in their chase.

New Zealand had made 111 for 4 from their 20 overs. Their innings was built around a 43-run partnership between Rachel Priest, 29, and Devine 30, and an unbeaten 20-ball 31 from Katie Perkins.

On Thursday, West Indies had squared the series when they beat the visitors by 7 wickets in the second match. New Zealand opted to bat first and were restricted to 101, after an opening stand of 50 between Bates, 29, and Priest, 31. Deandra Dottin, the eventual Player of the Match, bagged 3 for 9 from 4 overs.

West Indies raced to 102 for 3 from 17.1 overs. Deandra Dottin led the runs chase with an unbeaten 40 and Shemaine Campbelle was 29 not out.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Warriors, Hillsiders into Tape Ball final RIVERSIDE WARRIORS and Kelipar Hillsiders will contest the Inaugural Prime Consulting Richland Park Casper Davis T20 Tape cricket competition, following contrasting victories last weekend at the Richland

Park playing field.

In the first semi final, Riverside Warriors beat Shantytown Ballblazers by 10 runs. Riverside warriors opted to bat first and made 179 for 7 in 14.4 overs, with a top score of 32 by

Donwell Hector and 24 each from Kenyon Davis and Kevin Samuel.

Javil Harry took 3 for 42 and Calty Phillips 2 for 37 for Ballblazers.

Ballblazers made a gallant effort towards their victory target, but even with 55 from Caltry Phillips and 44 from Roneke James, they fell short, closing on 169 off 14.1 overs. Kevin Samuel, named Man of the Match, returned figures of 3 for 22 and Kenyon Davis 3 for 27.

Kelipar Hillsiders booked their spot in the playoff with a 5-wicket win over Limehill Knightriders in a low scoring match, in the second semi finals.

Limehill were bowled out for 87 in 14.5 overs, with a top score coming from their mainstay, Gosnel Cupid.

Jeremy Layne inflicted most of the damage with 4 wickets for 34.

Kelipar Hillsiders replied with 88 for 5 off 14.5 overs, recovering from a precarious 29 for 5. Kenroy Peters, 38, led the recovery and earned himself the Man of the Match award.

Donwell Hector would hope that Kenroy Peters will his form will expect to play a continue to click, crucial role in so as to help Kelipar Hillsiders’ Warriors to an quest for the title. unbeatable total.

Amread Bobb took 3 for 15 and Norland Davis 2 for 18.

The final, is schedule for this Sunday from 2.30pm following the third place play-off between Shantytown Ballblazers and Limehill Knightriders from 11am, at the Richland Park playing field.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Police subdue Printery AS MUCH AS Government Printery tried to resist arrest, they were eventually subdued 25 — 23 by Police in last Friday’s round of matches in the Hairoun/Printery Sports and Cultural Club’s 2014 Dominoes Competition.

It was a back and forth affair, but the Police stood their ground.

The two matches scheduled for last Saturday failed to materialise.

The St. Vincent Brewery and Transport and Works failed to turn Action in the Police –Printery match up and they lost by default to Port played last Friday.

Authority and CWSA respectively.

Organizers are hoping that there versus CWSA; Saturday 4th October — will not be a repeat of last Saturday’s Police against Mini Bus Association. no-shows, and have scheduled this All matches are to be played at the weekend matches as follows: Friday Kingstown Anglican School.

3rd October — Government Printery

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 25.

Sports

Ambris making first ‘A’ team tour which also included two other half TALENTED St. Vincent and the centuries.

Grenadines’ batsman Sunil Ambris He was selected for is off to Sri Lanka with the West the St. Lucia Zouks in Indies A Team, after being called up the 2014 edition of the by regional selectors as part of a Caribbean Premier 14-man squad to make the tour.

League but saw The tour will end November limited action.

Shane Shillingford, Sunil Ambris on the 5th and will comprise three A diminutive right Another move.

“Tests” and three Limited Overs handed batsman, who Windwards player. matches. also keeps wicket, Nikita Miller.

Barbados Carlos Braithwaite Ambris is a former Leg spinner Davendra Bishoo, has been named captain of the West Indies Under19 and U15 team. player, and is the younger brother batsman Assad Fudadin and pacers Sheldon Cottrel and This is the first major outing of Windward Islands and former Miguel Cummings, as well as for the 21-year-old Ambris who CCC middle-order batsman, wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, had an impressive regional debut Romel Currency. He represented who have all represented the season for the Windwards in the UWI Vice-Chancellor eleven 2014, when he scored two against the touring Bangladeshis, senior team at some time, make up the remainder of the squad. centuries. He registered a century scoring 34 and one.

Former Windward Islands against Guyana in his first The Guardian General Saints opener Lockhart Sebastien is the firstclass innings and ended the batsman is one of three Windward team’s manager, with former season with a second century players named in the squad, the batting maestro Sir Vivian against Jamaica in the four-day others being off spinner Shane Richards as Technical Director. final at the Beausejour Ground, Shillingford and hard-hitting Squad: Carlos Brathwaite St. Lucia. wicketkeeper/batsman Andre (Captain), Sunil Ambris, Questionably ignored for the Fletcher.

Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine 2013 regional first class season by The squad also includes out of Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Windward Islands selectors, sorts West Indies batsman, Kirk Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel despite many of their batsmen Edwards, current West Indies struggling to put scores together, players opener Kraigg Brathwaite Cummins, Kirk Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Assad Fudadin, Ambris, when given the chance and middle-order batsman, Shannon Gabriel, Nikita Miller, (in 2014), impressed all who saw Jermaine Blackwood, pacer Shane Shillingford, Chadwick him play. He totalled 468 runs Shannon Gabriel and spinner Walton.

by E. GLENFORD PRESCOTT

Nationalism and pride VINCENTIANS turned out in relative numbers in support of the West Indies Women Cricket Team for the three T20 matches against New Zealand last week. Without the lure of a local representative on the squad, a show of solidarity was the order of the day at Arnos Vale.

The crowd peaked for the third encounter which came as a tournament decider.

New Zealand had made light work of the West Indians in a low scoring affair in the first game.

That roused the home team into action, and they roared to victory urged, in the second, on by a throng of vociferous supporters.

Anticipation was high for a West Indies win in the third. The spectators were kept in suspense to the last ball. They breathed a sigh of relief when West Indies scrambled two runs off the final delivery to tie the game. Hopes were dashed when the home team mustered five runs in their Super Over. That turned out to be inadequate, but the Vincentians proved themselves to be genuine hosts when they analysed the results and accepted the outcome with resolve. Many were disgruntled that West Indies didn’t have things their way.

Fans were appreciative of the home team’s efforts.

The crowd must have become used to the unpredictable nature of the game, especially as displayed by the males in recent times.

Arguments are part of the West Indian culture, and Vincentians are familiar with the trend in regional cricket.

The senior men are in India doing battle there.

This tournament is ever so timely for the Indians.

They are still writhing from the humiliation they suffered from England in the Test series earlier this year. The Indians rebounded in the One Day Internationals. The West Indians will fancy their chance of putting up a good show. But as has become customary, they are faced with a burden.

Having placed their trust on Sunil Narine, they find themselves with a dilemma. Narine will be preoccupied with the focus on his actions. That might take its toll and potentially have an impact on the team’s performance.

The pundits have jumped on the controversy by questioning Sulieman Benn’s omission. Ironically, that came when he appeared to have settled into his own. Benn had shown his willingness to shoulder the burden of the West Indies workload.

West Indies selectors are not an entity on which one can rest any degree of reliance. They have proven their unpredictability time after time.

Sometimes they hit, most times they are rewarded with misses. It appears a matter of going through the motions.

Attention swings to national borders as the bid for places in the final of the Caribbean Cup heats up. By Sunday, October 12, the six other finalists to join Cuba and hosts Jamaica in the finals will be known.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines might have believed that having placed second in Antigua secured them an easier path. In any event, they have to contend with Guadeloupe, Martinique and Curacao. That seems plausible as long as the squad achieves the degree of fitness above their state of preparation for the Antigua leg.

The Vincentians seem to have a knack for placing second. That will be sufficient to get them to Jamaica. If they continue the pattern, it will be enough to see them heading for the Gold Cup. By that time they ought to be ready to make the step up.

The contingent must be aware of the requirements, and once they come to grips with the task, they should be able to fulfil the mission.

Ajuba, Somerset in winnerÊs row AJUBA AND SOMERSET secured victories over Police and Rudy’s Electrical in the Vinlec North leeward T/20 cricket competition last Sunday.

Ajuba were spurred to their win by an 89 run unbroken fifth wicket stand between Shaquille Browne 47 and Harley Skerritt 37. They came together at 120. Opener Kenny Stapleton 66 made an early attack into the Police bowling.

Kenneth Dember 2 for 37 was the best bowler for the lawmen. They were dismissed for 203

Kenny Stapleton belted the Police to record the weekend’s top score of 66.

off 20 overs. McLean Williams continued his high scoring with 43.

That took his tally to 179 from three innings.

Salvan Browne 30, Gerald Gould 26 and Elron Lewis 22 contributed to the Police cause. Walliston Stapleton 3 for 49, Shaquille Browne 2 for 23 and Reginald Jeffrey 2 for 28 were also among

the wickets for Ajuba.

Somerset owed their victory to a 57-run sixth wicket stand between John Williams 51 and Rellan McKie 37, both undefeated. They steered Somerset to 176 for 5 in 17. 3 overs. Omar Tucker 25 and Ralmore Pierre 23 kept Somerset in the hunt. Joe Horne 2 for 43 had the best figures for Rudy’s electrical.

Defending Champions Rudy’s Electrical reached 175 for 6 from their 18 overs. Christopher Campbell 44, Chrisroy John 39, Ronald Slater 34, and Bill Edwards 20 added to the Rudy’s total.

Jadial Chance 2 for 37 and Rellan McKie 2 for 45 were the chief wicket takers for Somerset.

SVGCA thanks the public THE JUST about sixmonth-year-old Executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA) is grateful to the general public for their support during the recently held test matches between the West Indies and Bangladesh, and the T20 Series between West Indies and New Zealand women, played at the Arnos Vale playing field.

Reports are that the players, WICB and the ICC officials expressed satisfaction with the Kishorn Shallow, hosting of the President of the international matches.

SVGCA. “I am elated at the outcome of the matches, the WICB has trusted SVG to host

these two different series, and we have stepped up, not only as an executive, but as a country, and have even exceeded expectations,” said Kishorn Shallow, President of the SVGCA. “None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the spectators who journeyed to Arnos Vale. I am most grateful for their invaluable support,” Shallow said, adding, “September has been an overwhelming month for this relatively new executive, and I must thank each of my executive members for accepting the challenge and delivering with exceptional quality.”

I.B.A.ALLEN

26. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

D.Th degree for Pastor Daniel RECENTLY, the massive congregation of the Streams of Power Church during its morning worship service at Ratho Mill exploded into rapturous delight and prolonged applause, on hearing from Brother R. Theodore L.V. Browne of the conferment of the degree of Doctor of Theology on Pastor Errol Daniel, by “Faith Theological Seminary” of Tampa, Florida.

Brother Theodore Browne pointed out that Dr. Errol Pastor Daniel now Daniel, inter alia, excelled holds a degree of in the Ministry of encouragement at all levels, Doctor of Theology. and has been consistently encouraging members and students to maximise their potential for the greater glory of God. Brother Browne also stressed that Pastor Daniel has been a national pioneer in the broadcasting of the gospel on radio and in the televising of Christian church services for many years.

The Streams of Power Church is the custodian of a radio station — “Praise FM”, which operates twenty-four hours a day, every week. It has facilities which enable it to communicate the gospel to the world.

It is well known that many persons who have been encouraged and motivated by Pastor Daniel and his wife, have excelled as National Scholars, medical doctors, lawyers, theologians, mathematicians, engineers, economists, surveyors, entrepreneurs and post graduates.

THE VINCENTIAN extends its congratulations to Dr. Errol Daniel and wishes him God’s richest blessings.

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THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014. 27.

Classifieds

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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“WE WILL CROSS THAT BRIDGE …,” SAYS DPP

by HAYDN HUGGINS THERE HAS BEEN no confirmation from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as to whether or not the main prosecution witnesses, Melissa Lee and Ronella Clark, will return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to testify in the retrial of those charged with the November 2004 shooting death of taxi driver Peter Joseph.

“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” DPP Colin Williams told THE VINCNETIAN on Tuesday, when asked whether Lee and Clark will be brought back to give evidence.

Webster Woodley of Villa and Grenadian Sheldon ‘Dutch’ Bain will be retried for the murder of the former Lodge Village resident, whose bulletridden body was discovered in a sheep pen at Cane Hall, November 30, 2004, a short distance from his home.

Justice Esco Henry, who is presiding over the current sitting of the Criminal Assizes, has scheduled the retrial for November 3. The decision was made at the arraignment on Tuesday after hearing from lawyers on both sides.

Evidence by video link denied Temporary High Court Judge Rajiv Persad had on July 27, 2014 refused an application made by Assistant DPP Colin John, on behalf of the DPP’s

Office, for Clark and Lee, who both reside abroad, to give evidence and be cross-examined by live video link, as they were fearful for their lives. The application, filed June 17 this year, was the first of its kind to be made under the Witness (Special Measure) Act 2013. Jomo Thomas and Kay Bacchus-Browne, representing Woodley and Bain respectively, had successfully resisted the application.

In handing down his Defense attorney Kay Bacchus-Browne cited the oral decision, Justice Assistant DPP’s acceptance of Judge Persad’s Persad contended that what was before the court ruling as binding. was an affidavit from a the best of my ability,” but declined to member of the DPP’s team, but no comment further. Thomas commented direct evidence from the witnesses to similarly. say they were fearful for their lives.

When the matter surfaced at the While the DPP did not confirm arraignment on Tuesday, Thomas told whether Lee and Clark, on whose the court that Justice Wesley James evidence the prosecution’s case had scheduled the case for June 10 primarily relied at the first trial, last year, but “nothing happened”. He would return to the state to testify at declared that, “In the interest of the retrial, or disclose how the DPP’s justice, we would like to see this office would proceed in relation to the matter go on.” matter, he told THE VINCENTIAN But the DPP rebutted that it was that they intend to lead all the incorrect to say that nothing evidence they led at the first trial, happened. He noted there had been except what the Appeal Court found to case management in relation to the be prejudicial. matter, an application was made and He explained that the law provides there was an oral decision with a for how the evidence could be led. promise to deliver a written judgement

Colin Williams, DPP, would have liked to see Judge Rajiv Persad’s line DPP corrects defense lawyer of reasoning in arriving at the decision to refuse an application for When contacted, Bacchus-Browne the main prosecution witnesses to said, “I will be defending my client to give evidence by live video link.

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in relation to that application which has not yet been delivered.

Continued on Page 4.

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