1. law, govt and politics
2. government

TEACHERS LUKEWARM
TO MINISTER’S APOLOGY
Wednesday 14th January 2015
A n t i g u a
a n d
Education
Minister,
Michael
Browne, has publicly apologized to the
Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers over comments he made regarding
executive members of the union…but
the ABUT’s response can at best be described as ‘lukewarm’.
Browne took to the airwaves on Tuesday to publicly apologise to the ABUT
following his very public squabble with
the union over its representation to the
Board of Education.
During several media appearances, the minister also blasted the union’s
executive claiming that some members
were only interested in sitting on boards
for financial gain. That statement angered the ABUT and its president, Ashworth Azille, fired back in a salvo withdrawing all ABUT members from the
various board on which they sat.
But in an about-face, Browne offered an apology to the ABUT and he
expressed a desire to improve relations
with the union, noting that as a former
teacher, he too, was a member of the
union and that he and the union share a
B a r b u d a
Vol.3
No.76
$2.00
PM Announces plan
to tackle crime pg 4
Education Minister, the Hon., Michael
Browne.
common goal; the wellbeing of the students in the education system. He said
his comments were taken out of context
and he now wants to rectify any harm
they may have caused to his relationship
with the ABUT.
Azille told CT that the union heard
the minister’s statements and it will accont’d on pg 2
Police mourn with
their own.........pg 12
Governor-General visits centenarian pg 12
pg 23 For Voucher
2
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
Barbuda to lead the way with green energy
Plans are in the pipeline to establish Barbuda as a model for sustainable “green energy” development.
Minister of Barbuda Affairs Hon.
Arthur Nibbs said he is very excited
with such a great move made by the
Prime Minister Honourable Gaston
Browne in the 2015 Budget presentation.
Minister Nibbs said Barbuda
leading the way in green energy will
cont’d from pg 1
cept it ‘for what it is’.
He said however,
while the minister now
says he is available to
meet with the union to
resolve any outstanding
issues, he is not available
for any meeting with the
minister anytime soon.
The ABUT is conven-
make every single Barbudan justly proud, and since as Barbuda is a
small country to pilot the green energy project is a move in the right
direction.
Barbuda which has great potential in providing for itself and a net
contributor to not only its own development, but also that of Antigua will
be able to utilize renewable power
sources such as wind and solar ener-
ing an emergency meeting
on Thursday to discuss a
number of issues, including the impasse with Minister Borwne, but according to Azille, Browne has
not been invited to attend.
“We will extend an invitation to him to attend
our annual general meeting in May, but our meet-
gy. This, MP Nibbs said, will indeed
drive the transformation of Barbuda
over the next five years.
The construction of several hundred hotel rooms and condominiums all based on exclusive high-end
properties on the sister isle as well
will truly transform Barbuda into the
Green and Blue sustainable capital
of the Capital MP Nibbs further reiterated.
ing for Thursday is solely
for members to express
their views on matters directly related to their wellbeing,” he added.
The Ministry of Education is doing its best
to facilitate the meeting
as its will close all public schools on Thursday
allowing teachers in the
Two face forgery charge
Two people have been charged with
forgery in connection with a conspiracy
to defraud an elderly woman.
Head of the Criminal Investigation
Department, Assistant Commissioner
Nuffield Burnette, alleges that Natalie
Jarvis, aged 35, of Martin Village and
Georgette Simmons, 38, of Jennings are
charged with issuing a series of cheques
purporting to be someone they were not.
The pair is also suspected of using
fraudulent means to withdraw money
from the victim’s account.
Burnette said the criminal acts occurred between December 26 last year
and January 6 this year. He said one of
the perpetrators is known to the victim
as she often provided taxi services to the
woman. The police suspect that this was
the means by which the two came into
possession of the victim’s cheque book.
Meanwhile, the two people charged
in connection with guns and ammunitions following a police raid two weeks
ago…are to face further charges. Burnette
said the police plan to add robbery to the
charges they face in court. These charges
are likely to include robbery at the home
of businessman Phillip Abbott.
In related news…the police say they
are pursuing a number of leads following
the home invasion of businessman, Esau
Mansoor on Sunday night. There are no
arrests in this case.
public sector to attend.
The meeting will begin at 11:00 am as the
union wants to ensure it
has ample time to complete its packed agenda
and allow for teachers to
get home before dark.
“Many of our teachers are females and we
want to ensure that they
can attend the meeting,
fully participate in the
discussions and enable us
to complete the agenda in
reasonable time. The safety of our teachers is also
important to us especially
in these times of criminal
activities,” one ABUT official told CT.
Meanwhile the Thursday’s agenda includes….
health and safety in the
workplace… timely upgrade for teachers…
retroactive payment in
connection with the reclassification of teachers…and the condition of
schools.
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
3
Canadain Minister Hiebert pays
courtesy call to Minister of Tourism
The government is
working in earnest to develop and reform the country’s energy sector, this will
in turn bring tangible enhancements to the people
of Antigua and Barbuda.
On Tuesday Member of
Parliament in Canada Russ
Hiebert paid a courtesy call
to Minister of Tourism,
Economic Development,
Investment and Energy, the
Hon., Asot Michael.
Minister Hiebert, who
also represents the Toronto
based Company Hisel, has
a joint venture with Solaris
Energy which has an office
on island. He said providing reduced costs of energy
through solar power will
allow for more effective
foreign investment to prospective investors and Antiguans and Barbudans on
a whole.
Minister Michael welcomed the timely visit and
said his Ministry’s five year
plan focusses on the promotion and implementation
of the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
With the Renewable
Energy Act’s first reading
in Parliament on Monday
Minister Michael continued
that a proper tariff and the
regulation of the industry
will allow for a more leveled playing field for those
involved. Enhancing energy efficiency is also based
on the platform outlined the
Antigua & Barbuda Labour
Party’s Manifesto “The
People’s Rescue Plan”.
Member of Parliament in
Canada Russ Hiebert, right,
paid a courtesy call to Minister of Tourism, Economic
Development,
Investment
and Energy, the Hon., Asot
Michael.
4
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 14th January 2015
PM Browne Announces Government’s
Plan to tackle rise in Crime
The Government of
Prime Minister the Hon.
Gaston Browne has laid
down the gauntlet to
criminals operating in the
country - reform or face
the full force of the law.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday during
his presentation of the
2015 Budget Statement,
Prime Minister the Hon.
Gaston Browne said that
there are too many home
invasions and criminal activities in the country and
his government is fashioning programmes to give
opportunities for personal
advancement of individuals. However, those who
choose crime will be dealt
with severely.
“My Government is
fashioning programmes
for human development
by expanding opportunities for training, employment, proper housing,
sports and recreational
development that will
empower our people and
remove the temptation to
pursue a life of crime and
violence. We will not give
the criminal any excuses. “We are creating opportunities for economic
and social achievement.
Those who choose a life
of crime will do so because that is their disposition and choice.
“In such cases, they
will feel the full force of
the law,” Prime Minister
Browne pointed out.
The country’s leader
making his presentation to
a packed parliament with
standing room only also
cont’d on pg 5
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
5
cont’d from pg 4
gave an insight into his
government’s crime fighting plan which is focused
on strengthening law enforcement agencies. He pointed out that all
the agencies of law enforcement will join forces
in tackling crime and violence in the state.
“We will do so by ensuring strong and effective leadership of these
agencies’, and by providing the necessary resources to facilitate effective
implementation of the operational plans.
There will also be robust patrolling of communities and neighbourhoods
with special focus on the
high incident crime areas. In this regard, soldiers
will assist the police in
the night with patrolling
duties.
Standard rapid response times will be established and supported
by a strategic combination
of electronic monitoring
devices and special quick
response teams to support
general patrol teams. Our Defence Force’s
main task will be crime
fighting, especially in areas of intelligence gathering, special rapid response
units, and nightly patrols,”
he said.
A week ago, Prime
Law Enforcement officials were recently summoned to Cabinet to give explanation of their
stewardship and to hear government’s crime fighting agenda
Minister Browne and National Security Minister
the Hon. Steadroy Benjamin summoned the top
brass and other officials
of law enforcement agencies in the state to Cabinet, during which Prime
Minister Browne made it
clear that the full force of
the law must be brought to
bear on those who choose
crime as their means of
employment. He was emphatic in reiterating this
position in parliament on
Monday.
“Criminals must be
brought to swift justice
with maximum penalties
imposed on violent criminals. “Additionally, consideration will be given to
amending the law to allow
electronic tagging of re-
peat offenders, since most
crimes are committed by
repeat offenders known to
the courts. “Knowing
where
criminals are will aid in
the rapid apprehension of
guilty individuals. Let me
make it clear, that we will
be tough on those who
persist in crime,” Prime
Minister Browne sternly
pointed out.
Stating that the society cannot sacrifice to
give persons a leg-up and
a helping hand and at the
same time allow a handful
of criminals to thrive and
spoil the tranquility of national life, Prime Minister
Browne announced a standard reward of $50, 000
for information leading to
the arrest and conviction
of individuals involved in
a gun crime and rape.
“Government
will
provide assistance for the
establishment and operations of Neighbourhood and Community
Watch Groups. This
assistance will include
training and other logistic support. Proliferation
of home security electronic devices linked via
internet to homeowners’
phones, and neighbourhood watch centres and
police electronic surveillance centres, will be an
important component of
neighbourhood
protection programmes. In this
regard, government will
continue to waive duties
on the importation of security equipment,” Prime
Minister Browne concluded.
6
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Time – That most critical component
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston
Browne delivered the country’s 2015 Budget Statement on Monday and few
will disagree that this was
a delivery made by a man
who has the daring brashness of youth tempered
with an acute wisdom on
matters related to finance
and economy.
He was at pains to try
and get the people of the
country he now leads to understand that the situation is
dire. He was real as he stated with the necessary emphasis that what he has put
forward has nothing to do
with casting blame in the
direction of any individual
or group of persons.
It was, he said, to tell
the people of Antigua and
Barbuda the facts related to
their finances, the tasks to
be undertaken and the personal sacrifices to be made
to get things in any sort of
decent order.
“Had it not been for
swift and decisive action
by my Government immediately upon assuming office, calamity would have
become disaster with grave
and irreparable consequences for all our people.”
Strong words indeed
and enough to have the
people of Antigua and Barbuda wonder if the country
will ever again rise to the
ascendancy it enjoyed for
years, especially once it
closed sugar operations and
became a tourism-based
economy.
As I said in my New
Year’s Day Message to
the people of Antigua and
Barbuda, “I make no exaggeration when I say that
the most significant contribution my Government
has made to date is to save
our country from total collapse”.
“I will lay-out the calamity that my Government
has unearthed so far, but –
as you will hear from the
details of my presentation –
we are not yet certain of the
full extent of the previous
government’s legacy.
“Suffice to say, at this
point, that the conditions
we have inherited are grave.
“They require urgent,
creative and innovative attention to fix them, and to
grow the economy out of its
difficulties.
“But, fixing them also
causes a delay in the implementation of some of
the policies that my Party
had adumbrated prior to the
general elections.
Therein rests a major
problem for this young
ALP administration – that
matter of time.
Yes, they seem to have
several wonderful plans
and programmes and the
electorate love to hear this
sort of thing. They will,
however, be quick to question should these things not
come to fruition with bird
speed. The people who voted for change will not be
forgiving.
So, can a young and
energetic prime minister
with wonderful plans and
programmes be able to get
them off and running to the
benefit the great majority?
Time is the issue and
only time will tell.
Based on what PM
Browne outlined and
should he be able to produce the goods he could
well be soon wearing the
hat symbolic of one of the
great Caribbean leaders of
the modern era.
To retrieve Antigua and
Barbuda from the precipice
of disaster and in time to
earn himself and his administration a second term in
office will be no easy feat.
Prime Minister Gaston
Browne however, may just
be brazen enough in the execution of his duties to pull
off these things.
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
7
Police Mourn With Their Own
In a saddened and
somber moment, the
Commissioner of Police Vere Browne, and
the Rank and File of the
Royal Police Force of
Antigua and Barbuda ex-
presses heartfelt condolences to No. 217 Corporal Glenroy Michael, on
the tragic loss of his son
Glenroy “Glendon” Michael Jr.
Glendon
Michael
was one of seven teenagers, who were tragically
killed in St. Vincent on
Monday, when the minibus they were travelling
on plunged into the seas
of Rock Gutter.
Glendon was a 16yr
old Fifth Form student
of the St. Vincent & The
Grenadines
Grammar
School.
He was the only son
of his father Corporal
Michael, who is currently attached to the Dockyard Police Station.
He is survived by his
mother Gloridene Hoyte
of Fancy Village, St. Vincent, and the entire Michael’s family; to include
Sergeant Lisbon Michael
at the Criminal Investigations Department and
Constable Ian Michael of
Parham Police Station.
CONSULTANT FOR IMPLEMENTATION
SUPPORT ON BUSINESS TAXATION REFORMS
Glenroy Michael and Glendon Michael.
SAGICOR LIFE INC
Narissa Hodge of Upper Gambles, Antigua having
made sworn deposition that Policy No. S05043678 issued
or assumed by Sagicor Life Inc on her life has been lost
and having made application to the Directors to grant a
duplicate of the same, notice is hereby given that unless
objection is raised within one month of the date hereof,
the duplicate policy asked for will be issued.
Dated: January 13th, 2015
By Order
Althea Hazzard
Corporate Secretary
The World Bank Group (WBG) is seeking to hire a consultant for a six month appointment. He or she will be based in
Antigua and Barbuda to provide implementation support on
business taxation reforms. The consultant will work with a
WBG team to support the Inland Revenue Department by:
(i) providing technical input and insights on local business
taxation; (ii) collecting and analyzing data; and (iii) developing recommendations and implementing reforms.
Requirements: Degree in Accounting/Economics with a
strong background in Tax Policy and Administration; experience working with government institutions particularly
with regards to advising on process mapping and implementing new administrative solutions; and at least 10 years
of relevant professional experience.
For further details and to send expressions of interest, please
visit the World Bank Group’s eConsultant2 website (wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org) Selection #: 1167819 or send your
CV in English to LACProcurement@ifc.org Subject: Business Taxation Consultant. Deadline to apply is 23 January,
2015. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
8
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Missing the Point
- Part I -
I know a lot of people
will consider what I am
about to say quite disrespectful – but have you
ever wished someone
would run a Bishop of the
Cloth around the place with
a bull pistle? That rather
pleasant and cathartic image occurred to me early
last week, not too long after
Attorney General Steadroy
Benjamin announced that
our new ABLP government
was “mulling” a proposal to possibly raise the age
of consent to 18, while increasing the penalties for
the heinous crime of sexual
abuse of minors.
The Honorable Attorney General’s initiative
follows a significant increase in reports of adults
taking sexual advantage of
young persons who have
not attained the age when
they can legally engage in
sexual activity. Now, don’t
get me wrong … at least,
not yet: readers are free to
indulge in that very popular
pastime later. Right now,
as I rush in where bishops
fear to tread, I need you to
focus on the point, and not
the person.
As a disclaimer, let me
rather deceptively state at
this time that I do not have
any particular man of the
cloth in mind for such therapeutic treatment. I am a
peaceful man, except that
even though I do abhor violence as a matter of principle I would dearly love to
watch as some more sadistic individual takes matters
into his or her hands: sort
of like “The fear of the bull
pistle is the beginning of
wisdom.”
Voyeurism set aside let
us address the issue at hand.
There are two major forces
driving the apparently rising trend toward sexual exploitation of minors in this
country. The first of these
is our national tendency
toward paedophilia. This
is an undeniable fact of life
in our tiny two-island state
of mind. From time immemorial – and this goes
all the way back to Africa,
reinforced in our culture
by the molding hand of industrialized African slavery – men have sought the
pleasure of sexual relations
with girls whom we, in our
enlightened modern times,
consider to be of a disgracefully young age. Back
in the Mother Country, a
young girl became eligible
for marriage as soon as she
began to see her periods.
There were sound reasons for this policy: In a
land where the life of a male
might be rather nasty, brutish and short due to wild
animals and tribal conflicts,
it made sense for females to
procreate as soon as practicable. And since women
tended to significantly outnumber males, a successful
man might have several
wives. A chief might have
dozens, as well as first pick
of the prettiest of the nubile
girls.
Typically, a complex of
rigid taboos reserved access
to post-pubescent females
for men who had passed a
set of qualifications. “Bride
price” also played a major
role, and indiscriminate sex
was firmly discouraged.
Early marriage did a lot to
compensate for the taboos.
It also gave sex-starved
males good reason to strive
as hard as possible to prove
themselves worthy mates.
The end of the British Empire Atlantic Slave
Trade put pressure on the
plantation economy to find
alternative sources of labor.
Plantation masters sought
to fill this gap by encouraging their chattels to procreate at a high rate; and since
the slaves were not given
the benefit of moral or religious education, everybody went at it with a will
– Massa included. Today,
when young girls claim
their womanly status with
the proud announcement
“Me done breed a’ready!”
they are echoing the ways
of slavery. In his important
book “Symbol of Courage”, Keithlyn B Smith records that the typical Antiguan male wanted to prove
that his prospective bride
could “ha’ pickney” before
actually tying the knot. In
those days before social security a set of offspring was
a useful old age security
blanket.
This brings us to an
even seamier side of our
culture of paedophilia;
and as I write this, a recent
news item out of St Lucia
comes to mind. HIV/AIDS
workers in that happy isle
are reporting a significant
increase of HIV infections
among adult males and
young boys. I may only
have a dirty mind, but I
tend to conclude that the
bi-sexual perverts who hide
among St Lucians posing as
decent citizens are having
unprotected sex with male
minors. My dirty mind also
tells me that the anti-buggery laws on our books
that date from very early
times were (and still are) a
response to historical predatory activity among Antiguan males in search of sex
without commitment.
The second major force
driving paedophilia in this
country is easy to understand: economics. Typicalcoint’d on pg 9
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
9
Darkest Hours, Citizens, Motorists & Tourists
Continued from
yesterday’s issue
THE ESCORT
Having arrived at the
“...Golden Grove intersection,” where it was initially
intended to break escort,
though there was no imminence of attack or lurking
highway danger, even remote possibilities dictated
continued escort to “...Jolly
Harbour.” There was continuous flow of vehicular
traffic northward and south
bound on the poorly-lit “...
Valley Highway.” Driving
along in relative safety, they
were eventually escorted
to the “...Security CheckPoint” at the entrance to the
resort.
Alighting from my vehicle and approached the
occupants to bid goodnight,
the female driver unexpectedly, but presumably
in good faith, presented an
cont’d from pg 8
undisclosed folded sum of
money (US Currency).”
This, undoubtedly, suggested their expression of gratitude and/or appreciation of
the assistance rendered to
them.
GRATUITOUS
REWARD
Seemingly recognizing
my discomfiture and polite expression of refusal to
the “...Gratuitous Reward,”
the driver insisted that it
was freely offered for the
“...welcomed assistance,”
thus, it shall be willingly
accepted. The folded currency comprised “...three
US$20 Notes.” This not
only speaks to their generosity, but also the “...spinoff effect” from the tourism
product. Though offered
in good faith, accepting a
reward for that which civic-minded nationals were
required to do in helping
ly, when we hear news of adult males exploiting young girls, the good citizens rise
up in indignation to hurl righteous condemnation upon the men involved. Not
many wish to confront the scandalous reality of our community, which is that poverty and the need to eat, to wear clothes
and to have “things” drives parents (many
of whom are single mothers subsisting
through man-dependent low level prostitution) to deploy their girl children as a
means of boosting the household income.
These are a few of our open secrets, here
in our slaphappy little la-la land, where
the good citizens prefer to avert their eyes
to make the tourists feel
“...safe, secure, appreciated and comfortable,” was
considered inappropriate in
utilizing it for personal benefit. Therefore, the unsolicited sum was contributed
to an out-patient who had
been privately raising funds
for follow-up medical attention abroad.
CONCLUSION
Though “...Road Signage” indirectly plays a
meaningful part in enhancing the tourism product,
evidence showed that nationally, other factors have
directly affected the industry. Foremost are “...crime
from reality while they wait for Spaceship
Jesus to arrive and snatch them away in
Rapture.
So our Honorable Attorney general is
“mulling” his rather limited responses to
the paedophilia problem. What else can
he do, other than raise the age of consent
and increase the penalties against statutory rape? In our coercive, authoritarian culture that is the only logical course.
The good news for the perverts and
paedophiles among us is that the word
“mull” has etymological roots that go
all the way back to the mills of the gods;
which as we all know grind exceedingly
fine, as well as exceedingly slowly.
and security; ...potholes
and obscured speed bumps
on highways.” These were
known to have adversely
impacted “...visitor’s driving comfort.” Evidence
also showed that likened
to many developing nations with “...tourism-based
economies,” the industry
has been made fragile, either by “...rampant crime
against nationals and visitors, compounded by “...
travel advisories and international terrorism.” These,
therefore, dictate that policy-makers shall concentrate, not only their energies and creativeness, but
also “...requisite resources
in helping to increase marketability of the product.”
Ultimately, these may help
in (i) ...luring visitors and/
or boosting their confidence; (ii) ...increase in
economic value and benefits from the industry; (iii)
...earning more foreign
exchange; (iv)...providing
employment opportunities;
(v) ...allowing for more
disposable income; (vi)...
greater empowerment to
the people; and (vii) ...a
better quality of life for all.”
10 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Toddlers out of control
Times have changed, to see these toddlers out of control;
You can get a full image of them, on the supermarket floor.
“I want a chips, I want a lolly,” with the loud crying in the
place,
And their tantrums that they display staring you in your
face.
To keep them quiet, you gave them your phone,
Now you want it back, it’s not your own.
Oh the parents are amused to see how they can swipe, Indeed times have changed, these toddlers are bright.
You move the TV channel, they start to cry;
Then you wonder why they are so spoiled.
You give them a lash, and they reply “don’t lash me,
Meh ha go tell fuh meh daddy.”
This is a serious message, toddlers are out of control;
Parents and guardians, their behavior cannot be ignored.
Please get a grip and straighten them from now,
Because years later teachers and society will be paying
somehow.
Written by Mrs. Jacqueline Wetherill.
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
11
12 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Joseph celebrates 100 years of life
Mrs. Deloris Joseph of Greenbay
Another
individual
has been named on the list
of centenarians for Antigua and Barbuda.
Mrs. Deloris Joseph of
Greenbay celebrated her
100th birthday on Monday
12th January at her home.
The celebration, coordinated by Director of
the Community Development Division and Co-or-
dinator of the Centenarian
Project Brenda Thomas
Odlum, was attended by
Governor General Dr
Rodney Williams, family
and friends.
Present were other
representatives from the
Ministry of Social Transformation and Human
Resource Development
to include Permanent
Secretary Valerie Smith,
Chairperson of the Board
of Guardian Mary Baltimore, Community Development Field Officer
with responsibility for the
West Zone Sharon Richards and Community Activist Esther Henry.
The Governor Gen-
eral along with Member
of the Grays Green Community Outreach Program
Annette Greenaway made
presentations to Mrs. Joseph.
Prayers were done by
Rev. Shawn Roberts of
the Greenbay Moravian
Church.
Construction Alliance, Coalition of Service
Industries meet to discuss results of
framework analysis in construction sector
ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA - Unveiling the results of a recently
concluded frame work analysis in
the construction sector will be the
main focus this Thursday at a forum to be hosted by the Antigua
and Barbuda Coalition of Service
Industries and the Construction
Alliance.Global trends, international competitiveness and best
practices are also among the topics to be discussed.
The intention of this research
was to uncover gaps in the construction sector that would lead
to a cleared path to greater competitiveness, while simultaneously
taking into consideration global,
regional, and international standards.
Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, General Contractors,
Electrical Contractors, Appraisers, Draftsmen, Tradesmen in Refrigeration and Plumbing as well
as all other relevant stakeholders
are expected to attend this forum
as issues germane to their various
fields will also be up for discuscont’d on pg 13
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
13
JCI Antigua celebrates 55th Anniversary
Junior Chambers International (JCI) Antigua
has begun celebrating its
55th year of existence with
the installation of its 2015
Executive Board and
award ceremony.
During the red carpet
event at the Grand Royal
Antiguan Beach Resort
on Saturday 10th January,
the organization installed
Senator with responsibility for youth, Shenella Govia, as its president.
Govia vowed that her
executive team, which
has been elected for one
year, will stay true to
the group’s mission, “To
provide development opportunities that empower
young people to create
positive change.”
Present at the event
was
Governor-General
His Excellency, Dr. Sir
Rodney Williams; Govcont’d from pg 12
FRONT- left to right: Melissa Joseph-VP, Cosria Farrell-Assistant Secretary General, Delacy Issac - General Legal Counsel, Shenella Govia- President, Kerri Anne Lewis-Secretary
General, Rosa Ladoo-Treasurer, Tammie Gage –VP; BACK- left to right: Kadeem JosephPublic Relations Officer, Aziza Lake- VP, Alexis Murrya- Immediate Past President, Ransford Simms VP
ernment Chief of Staff
Lionel Max Hurst; Leader of the Opposition Dr
Baldwin Spencer and
sion, including but not limited to
- the relevance of and challenges
associated with the sustainability
of respective associations, Caribbean building standards, policy
issues, human resources, financing, capacity building and market development.
In conducting the study, existing studies and reports, statistics,
standards, SWOT analyses, and
best practices were taken into account.
As JCI Antigua celMinister of Telecommunication,
Broadcasting ebrates 55 years of exisand Information Melford tence, the international
body celebrates 100 years.
Nicholas.
The data and information that
is gathered from the consultations
will be collated and reviewed and
used towards the future capacity
building of the sector.
The Meeting will be held this
Thursday January 15that from the
Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
Confirmation of Attendance
should be made to the ABCSI
Secretariat by email info@abcsi.
org or by phone (268)-462-6628.
The ABCSI is committed to
the development of the services
sector in Antigua and Barbuda
and will continue to engage in activities that will empower private
sector organizations.
To this end the Association
will also be holding an appraisal
workshop also related to the construction sector on Monday January 19th.
The presenter will be Wayne
Martin. More information on this
workshop can be found on the
Coalition’s Facebook page.
14 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Barbados places temporary ban
on poultry imports from Columbia
BRIDGETOWN,
Barbados,
CMC – The Barbados government
has announced a temporary ban on
poultry from Columbia “with immediate effect” following the confirmation of outbreaks of Highly
Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
H5N8 in poultry farms in British
Columbia.
“Personal imports of all fresh or
cooked poultry products, with the
exception of fully-cooked products
in hermetically sealed packages,
are restricted entry from Canada as
a whole, and all permits issued prior to this notice are revoked with
immediate effect,” said Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr. Mark Trotman.
However, he said that “the import restrictions do not apply to
commercial imports or products
originating outside of British Co-
lumbia, to products originating
from British Columbia that were
produced prior to November 9,
2014, nor to processed poultry
products and by-products that have
been processed (e.g. heat treated)
to ensure the destruction of the avian influenza virus”.
The Ministry of Agriculture,
Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management said the ban
would affect the importation of all
live birds, hatching eggs, and on
fresh, frozen and chilled poultry
meat and products, including table
eggs.
Paralysed man killed by gunmen acting
as Trinidad & Tobago police officers
P O RT- O F - S PA I N ,
Trinidad, CMC – Gunmen, pretending to be
police officers, shot and
killed a 36-year-old paralysed man as the murder
toll in Trinidad and Tobago climbed to 20 since
the start of the year.
Police said Kerwyn
Scott, 36, of Blue Basin,
Diego Martin, west of
here, had been shot sev-
eral times as he lay in his
bed on Monday.
The police said that
the gunmen entered
Scott’s home after claiming to be police officers.
Scott had been shot several times last November,
and left paralysed from
the waist down after the
attack
His girlfriend, who
did not wish to be iden-
tified, said that four or
six of the men, some of
whom were dressed in
police uniform, entered
the bedroom where Scott
was and fired several shot
at it.
“Scott’s
girlfriend,
Tishan
John-Baptist,
questioned how the killers were able to access
law enforcement uniforms” reported the Trin-
idad Guardian.
According to the Trinidad Guardian, police indicated “Scott was killed
for one of two reasons—
to silence him as the main
witness in the attempt on
his life last year—or to
ensure he was dead after
the first attempt failed.”
Police said no one
had been arrested following the murder.
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Tuesday’s Sudoku Solution
15
SUDOKU
C R O S S WO R D
Across
1. Beat the air
5. Concords
10. Small price to pay
14. Plentiful
15. Garden-variety
16. Candid
17. Take in
18. Tester of Solomon’s wisdom
19. Catalog
20. Let it go
23. Second ending
24. Help wanted notice?
25. Berlin’s ‘’A ___ With an
Umbrella’’
28. Light touch
31. Very sophisticated
35. Paleozoic, e.g.
36. Potential boat capsizers
39. Settled down
40. Clean one’s clock
43. Manipulator
44. Liked
45. Prefix with conservative
46. Pass twice on the track
48. Word with black or private
49. Book maker?
51. Apple variety
53. Hymenopteron
54. Hope to get a hand?
62. Cry like a baby
63. Jump for joy
64. Incongruous mixture
65. Dueler’s choice
66. Hand measures
67. Gruyere coat
68. Realm
69. Now
70. Director’s unit
Down
1. Wilma’s hubby
2. Untrustworthy one
3. ‘70s ‘do
4. Distant communicator
5. Forward
6. U.S. tennis great
7. Table sticks
8. ‘’Hands off!’’ (Var.)
9. Thick portions
10. Side dish
11. Monumental
12. Cozy spot
13. It can be a real blast
21. Riffraff
22. Old Testament book
25. Leg bone
26. Jagged
27. Boutonniere setting
28. ‘’Moll Flanders’’ author
29. Amalgam
30. Chap
32. Put in a row (Var.)
33. Locales
34. Guiding beliefs
37. Anti-prohibitionist
38. Another 37-Down?
41. Crushed
42. Hawsers
47. A way to stand
50. Zinger
52. Treasure container
53. Harold Robbins novel (with
‘’The’’)
54. Bear of literature
55. ‘’The Virginian’’ author
Wister
56. Big showcase
57. Campus area
58. Arm bone
59. Pelvic bones
60. Berkshire response
61. Orbital point
62. ___ Paese (cheese)
16 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
“The life you save could be someone you know”
Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross Is Offering Certified FIRST
AID/CPR Training Course Mondays and Thursdays 5:00pm
to 8:00pm Starting on Thursday January 15th, 2015 For Further Information: Call Tel # 462 0800/ 771-8253
LEARN HOW TO MEDITATE
Find out for yourself how a few minutes a day training your
mind to focus improves the quality of your day.
Free class. 10am at the Museum on Long Street, St.Johns.
Any questions? Phone 776 2566
The Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross in collaboration with the
American Red Cross has a First Aid App to launch. The Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross wants the residents of Antigua to
know the importance of the App and the long term benefits
to our Society. What you can do in case of an emergency or
life threatening condition. It also has the Red Cross history,
activities, sponsors, and quizzes. We would like the general public to be aware of the App and feel free to download
same, if you have an android device such as a phone or a
tablet kindly use the Android link and you can use the iOS
link for your iPhone device.
iOS devices: 3cu.be/shareatg
Android devices: 3cu.be/shareatg
If you have any questions contact Mr.Martin 723-7258 or
email redcross@candw.ag or todtom27@yahoo.com
Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your continued support.
To:
All food-handlers/vendors with expired food-handler’s identification cards, as well as new food handlers
The Ministry of Health, Central Board will be conducting
training in Food Safety for Food Vendors, Restaurants, Hotels, Caterers, School Cafeterias, Community Groups, and
their Assistants who will be vending around Antigua and
Barbuda.
Food Handlers are asked to bring along:1.
The Expired ID or 2 Passport sized photographs,
2.
A Note Pad, and
3.
A pen.
Venue: Multi-Purpose Centre Perry Bay
TIME: 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
DATE: Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th, January, 2015
“Together We Can” is the theme for Child Evangelism Fellowship 2015, We are presently inviting pastors and children
ministry workers to a very important meeting on Thursday
15th January 2015. Venue: Ottos Wesleyan Church, Time:
6:00 pm. Our Regional Coordinator Myron Tschette from
the U S A will be present, partnering with us as we seek to
reach children in schools.
Remember “IT IS BETTER TO BUILD A CHILD THAN
TO REPAIR A MAN.’
please to be on time.
Service
Barbuda Express is sailing everyday except Mondays &
Wednesdays. Tours available 4 days a week, For more
info and reservation, please call 764-2291. You may also
visit our website http://www.barbudaexpress.com.
EAG field trip to Fort Barrington on Saturday at 6:30 am.
For this beautiful morning hike, meet at Pensioner’s Corner at 6:30 am on Saturday 17th January. Our loop trail will
take us through the part of The Flashes that was converted
from swamp land, past the building site of the proposed new
University of Antigua & Barbuda, and on to Ft Barrington
before returning to Pensioner’s Corner. Difficulty: Easy to
moderate / What to bring: Shorts or long pants, no slippers.
Bring drinking water, and camera. For more information,
call 462-6236.
The Hon. Paul Chet Greene Member of Parliament for St.
Paul’s invites all constituents to a Town Hall Meeting on
Thursday 15th January at the Liberta School starting at 7:30
p.m. This a very important meeting as he would like to get
some feedback from as he prepares for his Budget Debate
presentation next week. All constituents are asked to make a
very special effort to attend.
This is a general notice by the Antigua & Barbuda Little
League, to all its Board of Directors members, informing
you of its 1st Executive Meeting for 2015, to be held on
Thursday Wednesday 15th January at the Ministry of Culture on the corner of Corner Alley and Redcliffe St. starting
at 6:30pm. For more information if necessary, please feel
free to contact us at at 717-0068 or 720-5660. Please make a
special effort to attend.
Wednesday 14th January 2015
caribtimes.com
17
DEAR LADY X HOROSCOPE
I am 40, married and
busy. I work a full-time
job and go to school parttime. My schedule is filled
with just my normal activities.
I have a busy social
life and many family
members, so every weekend my husband and I are
invited to something.
I enjoy these gatherings, but sometimes I just
want a weekend to myself to do what I want to
do -- go to the beach, a
park, take care of something that needs to be done
around the house, or just
sit and watch TV or go to
a movie.
I find it hard to say no
to the invitations. How
can I politely decline some
of them without offending or hurting friends or
family members? -- SOCIAL ENOUGH IN THE
SOUTH
DEAR
SOCIAL
ENOUGH: So you’re a
people pleaser. It is not
rude or hurtful to refuse
invitations by saying,
“Thank you for wanting
us, but we already have a
commitment for that day.”
It’s also not rude to tell
the person your schedule
has been so full that you
have been buzzing around
like a bee in a fit and need
to just plain rest and catch
up on chores.
That’s what I recommend you start doing
without feeling guilty
about it, because everyone
needs a certain amount of
downtime so they don’t
make themselves sick.
Tuesday’s Crossword Solution
ARIES (March 21-April
19). The way you become a
powerful force in the world
is very simple: Be yourself.
Honor your joy. Get to know
what makes you happy and
keep doing that.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
You’re a leader, and you like
to follow, too — it’s how you
learned effective leadership
in the first place. This conundrum will show up in your
life, and there will be moments when you’re torn about
whether to lead or fall in line.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Your social graces will be
in top form today, and it’s a
good thing — this is what the
world needs. You’ll make it
easy for people to get to know
who you are and what you’re
about, and you’ll share yourself in many ways.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
In order to speak well on a
topic, you have to first understand it thoroughly. That’s
why you’ll do so much research and listening today.
You’d rather not have to correct yourself later.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your
dietary needs are changing
with the physical demands
of your life. With each meal
you eat, ask yourself how you
could make it better for yourself. Probably the answer is in
fresh vegetables.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
There are life stressors that
you can’t do anything but
laugh about. The key is to determine quickly which are the
ones that you can’t do anything about and consciously
decide not to take them on.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
If you think your family is
complicated and weird, just
ask the person next to you to
tell you a story about his family. There isn’t a person on
the planet who doesn’t have
weirdness in the family.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). There’s something you
want to put off, but the very
fact that you feel that way
about it means you probably
shouldn’t. Handle the hard
stuff early in the day just to
get it over with.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You are highly influential and may be able to
convince an entire crowd of
people to do something. This
is, of course, most efficiently
accomplished with social media.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). You don’t usually consciously decide how you want
people to treat you, until they
happen to mistreat you. Then
you understand clearly where
the boundary is, and you work
to reinforce that boundary for
the future.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). You’ll be a great showman today with a production
that is truly magnificent. You
don’t even want credit. The
artful aspect of it is that you
dazzle them and make them
feel as though they had a major part in it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). Stress is among the most
harmful of outside forces. Do
what you can to make it easy
on yourself. Reduce the tension. There are simple ways
to dial down the pressure.
Start by asking for help.
18 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
Bravo puts Windies behind T&T and
Mumbai Indians
Did Dwayne Bravo
expose his true loyalties
when it comes to cricket? In an interview with
the Hindustan Times, the
West Indies all-rounder
who was excluded from
the regional team for the
ICC One Day International (ODI) World Cup that
comes up in February,
spoke on several cricket-related issues. Bravo spoke to the difference between the T20
leagues across the world,
his admiration for fellow
Trinidadian Brian Lara
and Indian icon Sachin
Tendulkar.
However, Bravo, who
was the captain of the West
Indies ODI sqaud during
the embarrassing aborted
tour of India in October
2014, may have tipped his
hand as to where his current loyalties lie.
“I am a Mumbai Indian at heart, and they think
the same way…,” he said,
in response to question
about his feelings regarding the addition of two
teams to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
His loyalty to the West
Indies, however, does not
rank so highly. Asked
which he prefered, the
Mumbai Indians or Trinidad and Tobago, Bravo
replied “Of course T&T.
It’s my country. Mumbai Indians come second,
T&T come first and the
West Indies third.” (DigicelSportsMax)
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 14th January 2015
cont’d from page 20
just in the Caribbean, but also outside.
Former West Indies fast bowler
and Lloyd’s former team-mate Michael Holding raised the question of
why Bravo had been dropped when
he was part of the ICC ODI Team of
the Year for 2014. Pollard and Bravo
are fourth and fifth on the list of highest run-scorers for West Indies since
the 2011 World Cup.
Lloyd said there were already too
many allrounders in the squad and
that the selectors had to take a call.
He also hinted that the performances
of Bravo and Pollard that have registered in the fans’ minds had mostly come in the domestic T20 leagues
like the IPL.
Lloyd revealed that he had spoken with both players in person last
week in Cape Town: “Yes, I spoke
to them in Cape Town. They understand what the situation is. Don’t forget, these guys have been playing for
West Indies for a while. And they will
be disappointed.
“But they have a chance of redeeming themselves and getting back
into our cricket in the future. One is
31 (Bravo) and the other is 27 or 28
(Pollard).”
14 January 2015
Lloyd also said he did not need
to respond to Chris Gayle who called
the selectors’ move “ridiculous”.
Gayle had said that he was stunned to
hear from Bravo that one reason for
the pair being dropped was that the
selectors wanted to rebuild the team.
“He (Gayle) might think so, but
the point is that he is not a selector.
He is a player,” Lloyd said.
“I have the greatest respect for
him. But he will have to read what
we are trying to do. He is part of that
team that is going forward. Once he
has been told what the situation is he
will understand what we are doing.”
Immediately after Bravo and Pollard were dropped from the South Africa ODI series but included for the
T20 leg, the players’ lawyer Ralph
Thorne said that “a gentle form of
ruthlessness” by the WICB led to
their exclusion from the World Cup
squad.
Thorne accused the WICB of
victimisation and not honouring the
word of the board president Dave
Cameron who had said that the players who abandoned the tour of India
last October would be treated fairly.
Lloyd said he had explained the
reasons, in writing, to all concerned
Until 17 January 2015
19
parties, including the WICB, the West
Indies Players Association, as well as
the players’ lawyers. He insisted there
was no discrimination by the selection panel.
“No, no. That is not the way I live.
I don’t believe in things in that nature
at all. There is no axe to grind with
these guys. There are other people
that could have…You know we could
have said, “What about X, what about
Y?
“This is the combination we came
up with. And I am not one of those
people who are going to direct to me
what to do. I take orders from me, and
nobody else. I am not into that situation where I will be worrying about
what happened in India. That is past.
That is gone. We are moving on.”
Lloyd backed his statement by
pointing out that the WICB had shortlisted Bravo as one of 12 players to be
given a central contract for the 201415 season.
“Doesn’t that tell you about
something? He has been given a central contract. So that means he is not
thrown out. That is what we should
be talking about. We want people to
feel they are still part of our cricket,”
Lloyd said.
19 January 2015
20 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 14th January 2015
‘There is no axe to grind’ – Lloyd
Clive Lloyd, the former
West Indies captain and
current chairman of selectors, has said that the absence of “exceptional performances” from the pair
of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, coupled with
the selection panel’s vision
to move forward and look
for young talent, were the
chief reasons for omitting
the two senior allrounders
for the ODIs against South
Africa and the World Cup.
Lloyd said the decision
had been a difficult one and
was debated heavily. He insisted that it was not the end
of the road for the discarded pair and it was up to the
players to regain their spots
on the back of performances.
“It was a very difficult decision. I can tell you
it went on for two days.
We suspended it to give a
chance to think about things
and so on. There were a lot
Dwayne Bravo lost his bat completing a run during a tense finish.
of discussions,” Lloyd told
ESPNcricinfo in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
“But then you get to a point
where you say, right, this
is where we want to go. It
is very difficult for people
to understand or to accept.
But we want to move on.
“I don’t think they
have had any exceptional
performances. Nobody (of
the pair) has got exceptional performances as far as
(playing for) West Indies is
concerned.
“They have been there
and thereabouts. We really
and truly want to pick people on what they have done
for our cricket and not for
anyone else.”
Despite being part of
the 30 probables for the
World Cup, Bravo and Pollard had already been left
out of the five-match ODI
series against South Africa. Considering their popularity in domestic global
Twenty20 competitions,
the news created furore not
cont’d on pg 19
Caribbean Times is printed and published at Woods Estate /Friars Hill Road By Kimon Drigo who is also the Editor and resides at
Sugar Factory. Contact P.O Box W2099, Wood Estate /Friars Hill Road, St.John's Antigua/ Tel: (268) 562 - 8688 or Fax: (268) 562 8685.Email: editor@caribtimes.com/Advertising: advertising@caribtimes.com/www.caribtimes.com