The selection of former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) general secretary Kemar Stuart as the party’s candidate for The City in the next general election is not sitting well with the branch.

A spokesman for the branch’s executive, who spoke to Barbados TODAY on condition of anonymity ahead of Sunday’s announcement of Stuart’s selection, said the candidate had been picked without either the input of the branch or official notification of the decision.

During the DLP’s annual conference on the weekend, re-elected party president Verla DePeiza revealed that Stuart will run in the constituency of the City of Bridgetown, while Marc Laurent will contest Christ Church South, and local footballer Rasheed Belgrave will vie for the Christ Church East Central seat.

Stuart previously represented Solutions Barbados in the 2018 election but switched allegiance to the DLP later that year and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming general secretary in 2020. Weeks later, he was removed from the post pending the outcome of a marijuana possession charge against him.

According to the source, the branch executive was not notified by party headquarters that either Stuart or four others were interested in the candidacy in the City of Bridgetown.

The members were aware of former Member of Parliament Patrick Todd’s interest, since he had written to both the branch and party headquarters to express it, the branch spokesman said.

While acknowledging that a potential candidate is not obligated to write the branch, the group contended that George Street could have at least clued them into what was happening.

The spokesman said: “If it is a collaborative effort between the branch and [George Street] the decent thing to do would be to notify the branch. Then to select the candidate without even having the branch or executive committee in place or ask a question or inform them, the branch ain’t feel left out, the branch feels disrespected.

“It is total disrespect, because how can they think that the same candidate who is not fit to be general secretary could be fit to run in The City as the representative?”

The branch also scolded DePeiza for comments she made during the Voice of Barbados call-in programme Down to Brass Tacks last week.

The spokesman demanded a public apology for her stating the party’s City of Bridgetown branch was “not functioning”.

The DLP leader had chided the branch as the only one of 30 that was not functioning.

“The City has not met. I will not be putting our private information in the public domain, but The City will be sorted in short order,” DePeiza had said on the radio programme.

However, the branch executive spokesman said that since former candidate and treasurer Henderson Williams resigned from the party in February, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the executive had not been able to meet as it would like.

“The City branch is a branch that does be functioning and Verla know that too,” the spokesman told Barbados TODAY. “They know they could call on any of the City people from the branch that work tirelessly, and then this is the way they does treat us? There is no other branch that them could have gone and do that to. That is the honest truth. They think anything goes for the people in the City; not anything goes.

“There are a lot of City people that got their respect and integrity and they just can’t come and throw something at somebody and say ‘hold this, this is what wunna gine get’ and then you supposed to go along with it and don’t say anything?

“The same way the City people gine give respect to headquarters, well then the City people in the branch and its executive deserve the respect also.” (KC)

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Yet another key figure in the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has challenged the validity of the union’s elections.

David Denny, who ran unsuccessfully for the post of Second Vice President, has called for an urgent review of the election.

He follows former acting general secretary Delcia Burke who on Friday joined losing presidential candidate Fabian Jones in voicing deep concerns surrounding Thursday’s presidential elections which was marked by an extremely low turnout.

Denny told Barbados TODAY that he had information about suspicious activities involved in the election process, and thus he has no confidence in the results. He did not present any evidence.

Denny said: “I don’t have any confidence in that election that was held last Thursday, and that is my position. For me, in order to have confidence in an election it must have certain principles and things about it that would allow me to respect it.

“I would like the union to do an investigation into this process in terms of how polling is done within the union. I would like the union to look inward and organize a team of persons to do an investigation, so that in the future all of the candidates would have some form of confidence in the electoral process.”

Kimberley Agard was declared president, receiving 393 votes. Her challenger, who amassed 183 votes, has voiced concerns about the integrity of the election process and called for an urgent review.

Jones claimed that several allies of another candidate dominated the election process and noted that there was an absence of transparency. He also questioned the integrity of the tallying process which he indicated appeared to be more secretive when compared to what took place in the past.

Jones said he received hard evidence of an intention by some to ensure an outcome not in his favour.

Denny noted that he agreed with the concerns the presidential candidate raised.

He said: “I also want to say that I congratulate Kimberly Agard and her team, because they are not the ones who were in charge of the elections. I hold the General Secretary responsible for the issues that I am concerned about.

“I can tell you that I plan to do a resolution for the next annual conference, regarding the electoral process within the union. And my position is that if the Acting General Secretary [Wayne Walrond] and his team were responsible for suspending [former President] Akanni McDowall then that can’t be the same team managing the same electoral process.

“The members of the union must have confidence in the electoral process and therefore we need to have a review of this year’s election.”

Denny also said that he supported McDowall’s decision to withdraw from the race because he too holds the opinion that there is some form of political interference in the union’s business. He did not elaborate. (AH)

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Many of the world’s leading universities were established using money generated via the slave trade and, as such, should get more involved in the reparations process.

That view was shared by Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, as he addressed the fourth annual celebration of the UNESCO Day for Remembering the Atlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition, put on by the Mayor of London’s office in the United Kingdom.

Speaking during the session, which for the second year was partially held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sir Hilary said: “While some universities, such as the University of London, have been doing more research into the history of the slave trade, they seem to have adopted a ‘research and run’ policy, whereby they do not acknowledge the fact that slave traders financed them in the first place. They have not checked out how they have benefited from the slave trade over the years and to my mind, a university cannot be excellent if it is unethical. Instead of ‘research and run’, they should have a ‘research and restore’ or ‘research and repay’ approach.”

The noted historian commended British benefactor, Bridget Freeman, whose ancestors were slave owners in the Caribbean, for making a substantial donation to The UWI recently.

The UK philanthropist has bequeathed her properties worth US$500,000 (BDS$1 million) to the regional university.

“It is good to see members of civil society and some private individuals making an effort, even though governments continue to refuse to acknowledge their role in the slave trade,” he said.

Earlier, Sir Hilary stated that London was the most fitting place to hold such an event, since that city, more than any other in the world, “gave direction, shape, form and sustainability” to slavery and the slave trade. He added that it was also important to see that the Mayor of London’s office was involved in the activity, since for many years it supported the work of the slave traders and indeed built monuments to them.

Citing an example, Sir Hilary noted: “Following the 1816 Bussa rebellion in Barbados, Colonel Codd, the British military officer that put an end to that revolt, killing thousands of enslaved Africans in the process, was the guest of honour at a banquet hosted by the Mayor of London, funded by the city as well as the biggest slave owner in the Caribbean who had plantations in Barbados, Jamaica and other colonies.”

The current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who spoke before Sir Hilary, said the reality of slavery was still very much present in modern society.

He noted: “While we must never forget the oppression and tyranny imposed on the slaves and their battle for freedom, history can also be a source of hope. After all, we put an end to the Middle Passage and the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa, so if we continue to raise our voices instead of staying silent, and fight for what is right, we can achieve a fairer, more equal and just society for our children regardless of their colour.”

In her contribution, Director General of Social and Human Sciences with UNESCO, Gabriela Ramos, said her organisation is making a determined effort to stamp out institutionalised racism.

“We are developing an anti-racism road map, and part of this process includes doing greater research on the history of slavery as well as the psychological impact on people descended from slaves. Part of this will involve developing a school curriculum highlighting Africa’s great contribution to the world and removing stereotypical images,” she said.
(DH)

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For the first time in its history, the Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition (BMEX) 2021 will be held virtually because of the uncertainty regarding COVID-19.

Executive Director of the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association (BMA) Shardae Boyce told members of the media during a press conference on Tuesday that even though there would be no physical gathering for the majority of events when BMEX is held October 29-31 under the theme ‘Resilience & Growth via Adaptation’, she is confident the main deliverables of the exhibition would be achieved.

She said in order to allow for greater involvement of a wider cross-section of local and global participants, the creation of an exhibition of substance, fitting for the current socio-economic environment, is the overall goal.

Boyce reported that over 30 businesses have already registered for this year’s exhibition, with more expected in the coming weeks.

“For the virtual BMEX, we are going to have a virtual set that really mimics the physical exhibition which people would have grown accustomed to. So, we are going to have a display of products and services that people can actually virtually navigate to see some of the products. In addition to that, we will have the e-commerce platform which is a marketplace and persons will be allowed to purchase the products,” Boyce explained.

“The experience of actually using your senses to experience the locally-manufactured product will still be there. So now you can purchase it online and we have a delivery facility so it can actually be delivered to your door. We are excited to bring those new services to BMEX, which is quite fitting for the kind of environment we are now operating in.”

BMA president John Marshall said the execution of a hybrid exhibition, which features a majority of virtual components, was introduced to BMEX this year to ensure Barbados continues to expose its products and services to the world.

He said that while hundreds of exhibitions around the world have been cancelled due to the pandemic, the BMA is moving ahead with BMEX because of steady demand from local, regional and international customers for quality Barbadian-made products.

The president said a series of webinars, shows and video content, aimed at sharing information and allowing businesses and potential manufacturers to learn from the experiences and best practices, would make up the components of this year’s exhibition.

“There will be a virtual exhibition which mimics our past physical exhibitions. In essence, this will be a business directory allowing customers to experience the products of our exhibitors through an e-commerce platform,” Marshall said.

He said the fashion show created by team members John Hunte and Adzil Stuart would be delivered in a hybrid format, and participants joining the event live will have an exclusive experience, while virtual participants will be able to view from the comfort of their homes, widening the scope of exposure for garment makers and designers. (AH)

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The Barbados Water Authority advises today Tuesday, August 24th that repairs continue on the 8-inch main in Date Tree Hill, St. Peter damaged while work was being conducted on a bridge in the area.

Recent intermittent inclement weather has delayed the completion of the job. However, crews from the BWA continue work to replace this section of main alongside personnel from the Ministry of Transport Works and Water Resources (MTWW) who are refurbishing the bridge.

The Authority will assist customers in the affected northern districts via water tanker until repairs are completed and the pipe-borne supply to the area is restored.

The Authority thanks the residents for their understanding and continued patience. (PR)

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Effective disaster mitigation training and vital emergency protocols must be taught at the community level, in order to have clear and practical responses in the event of emergency disaster situations.

This was the message delivered by Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), Kerry Hinds, on the opening day of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Course for members of the Oistins Bay Garden Association Inc. at the DEM’s headquarters on Monday.

The CERT training programme is designed to train volunteers in basic disaster response skills such as team organisation, disaster preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, first aid, water and sanitisation hygiene (WASH) and psycho-social training.

The training programme is being sponsored in part by the Organisation of American States (OAS) Department of Sustainable Development, and forms part of an initiative with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the United States, in building the resilience of small tourism-dependent nations in the Caribbean to  disasters.

Hinds told participants of the inaugural programme, which will run until September 13, that it will cover two areas DEM deemed significant for Barbados in national emergencies.

“Two of the areas identified in our Disaster Risk Management Country Work Programme include strengthening preparedness mitigation and response capacity, as well as strengthening community resilience. As such, the Department of Emergency Management and the National Emergency Management System have been spearheading capacity-building initiatives which have a focus on preparing and readying communities for response and ultimately improving and strengthening community resilience.

“We see this [CERT] programme as one such opportunity really to further our agenda of building a resilient Barbados. It is important that we entrust the community with the necessary tools to help themselves, and in turn assist the national system,” Hinds explained.

In expressing gratitude to the OAS and FEMA for sponsoring and partnering with Barbados’ National Emergency Management System in building capacity at the community and national level, Hinds added that Barbados, like other small island developing states, had reiterated its commitment to addressing those key areas by agreeing to integrate them into policies, plans, programmes and budgets at all levels.

She added that Barbados had made significant contributions to this process through its active participation in various consultations at the national, regional and global level, as well as gained considerable experience through the implementation of the Disaster Risk Reduction Agenda.

Sustainable Officer with the OAS Department of Sustainable Development, Charlene Solozano, explained that the CERT programme was designed to empower communities and build partnerships in the public and private sectors.

She added that the programme was also designed to reduce dependency on government in the event of a disaster by empowering communities and local businesses through expanded disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Consultant with the DEM and head of the District Emergency Organisations, Selwyn Brooks, encouraged participants to maximise the benefits of the training they would receive, noting that the country needs to further boost its cadre of trained emergency disaster personnel, in light of recent heightened weather activity in the region.

“It is timely because we are in the middle of the hurricane season and from the forecasts, it is a possibility that we can be further impacted by weather systems that will be approaching the island around this time.

“The information you will gather from this exercise will build that level of resilience, so that when we speak about sustainability you will be able to put what you have learnt over the next seven to eight sessions into practical usage. You will be able to sustain your individual businesses and, at the end of the day, offer that level of community resilience that the DEM so readily espouses from time to time.”

Meantime, chairperson of the Oistins Bay Garden Inc., Kemar Harris, encouraged those undergoing training to share their knowledge with others.

“Knowledge is power only when it is shared,” he said. (SB)

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The need for full access to vital communication networks in the midst of a disaster cannot be understated.

This was the strong view expressed by Barbados Light and Power’s (BL&P) Manager of Communications, Jackie Marshall-Clarke, during the handing over of 90 Baofeng radios, worth $16 500, to members of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and the District Emergency Organisation (DEO) at the Radisson Resort on Monday.

While addressing attendees, Marshall-Clarke said earlier this year, the BL&P discussed how the company could further support the DEM and DEO. Having experienced the difficulties in communicating during and after the passage of Hurricane Elsa last month, the decision was taken by the company to provide robust, hand-held radios to the main local disaster management groups.

“Light and Power had a situation where we had several customers across the island without power for several days, and we did all we could using every means, trying to get information to them, but of course the people in some of those districts we just could not reach. They did not have a radio, they did not have a TV, they could not hear, maybe their phones were all out of charge by that time, and if we knew the DEOs were fully existing and working, the thing would have been to get the information to the DEMs, down to the DEOs and into the districts.

“Our plan then, to provide them with these radios, is making sure and seeking to ensure that should we have another situation that we are better prepared and that we have the help and they have the tools to make it happen,” Marshall-Clarke said.

BL&P’s Managing Director Roger Blackman also underlined the importance of a stable and reliable communication network between emergency organisations and BL&P, as communication breakdowns in the past have hampered power restoration work and also triggered delays in vital emergency assistance to affected areas in the aftermath of a crisis.

“Communication is key to the work of the DEM, the DEO and for us at Light and Power, and even more so during times of emergencies. People depend on information to keep them and their families safe and help them make their next critical decision. It plays an important role in keeping Barbadians safe.

“With this donation to the DEOs today, those on the ground in those districts across Barbados can communicate with the national emergency operations centre, and through them share critical information from Light and Power, back to neighbours in their area,” Blackman said.

Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Kerry Hinds thanked BL&P for the generous donation, noting that both citizens and corporations had a role to play in helping the nation be better prepared to mitigate disasters.

“We should never lose sight that disaster management and preparing for and responding to adversity, are oftentimes shared responsibility requiring the input from a myriad of individuals and organisations collaborating for the greater good and giving selflessly to this particular pursuit of national resilience.

“It cannot be underscored enough that we all have an invaluable contribution to make in preparing for and safeguarding ourselves, and in building resilience.” (SB)

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The Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory has identified 26 new COVID-19 cases, 14 males and 12 females. The facility conducted 1,300 tests on Monday, August 23.

There are 166 people in isolation.

Confirmed cases of the virus have reached 4,694 (2,291 females and 2,403 males) since the start of the pandemic in March last year. The death toll from the viral illness is 48.

Since February 2020, the laboratory has carried out 251,310 tests.

Under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, 103,822 first doses of the vaccine have been administered. The number of people who have received second doses and are fully vaccinated is 91,186. This figure represents 33.6 per cent of the population.

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Declaring frustration with the pace of rebuilding and repairs for the homes damaged by cyclones this year, Minister of Housing Dr William Duguid on Tuesday announced Government’s purchase of 150 emergency houses from China.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on a Supplementary Estimate, Dr Duguid said his Ministry required just over $50 million to complete the rebuilds and repairs and to buy the houses from China.

He revealed that a “cursory estimate” of the damages done by two weather systems, a freak storm and Hurricane Elsa on July 2 was in the region of $74 million.

Government received 2 106 damage reports from the Disaster Emergency Management (DEM) and Minister Duguid said 90 per cent of the technical assessments for all reports had been completed.

Assessments were completed in St Peter, St Andrew, St James, St John, St George and Christ Church, while work is still to be completed in St Lucy, St Joseph, St Thomas, St Michael and St Philip. Of the 1,980 houses assessed, 466 houses have to be totally rebuilt.

Minister Duguid maintained that the National Housing Corporation (NHC), the Urban Development Commission (UDC) and the Rural Development Commission (RDC) simply could not handle all of the work in a timely manner.

“With that quantum of houses to be done, 466 houses, we obviously could not get it done in the normal way that we do things; it would be impossible,” Dr Duguid explained. “In fact, the UDC and the RDC advised me that one house normally takes them about 12 to 14 weeks to do and that was totally unacceptable.”

He said a decision was made to equip six workshops where all of the cuts of lumber would be done, then transported as a bundle to the location and put together. But Dr Duguid said only three of those workshops had been erected and were fully functioning thus far.

The Housing Minister said: “Even with the best will in the world, those workshops can essentially produce only 18 to 20 of those houses in a week. It doesn’t mean we can get the houses erected, it means that even with the best will in the world, those workshops can only produce 18 houses a week.

“So, if we were to do 500 of those houses, that is like 25-26 weeks, just in cuts. So all things being equal six, seven months down the road and we still would not have been able to meet the requirements for the response; and that is just the rebuilds, it has nothing to do with the repairs.”

As a result, Minister Duguid said the decision was taken to purchase the houses from China.

He maintained that the houses were of good quality and would be constructed using new technology.

Dr Duguid told lawmakers: “We made the decision that we had to buy some emergency houses and we decided that we would get about 150 houses, which will essentially be pre-fabricated houses which we are importing and using new technology called light gauge steel.

“We will be importing from China with a Barbadian company and getting those to be able to jumpstart and boost the response that we need to be able to respond as quickly as we can and as efficiently and effectively as we can to what happened from the freak storm and Hurricane Elsa.”

The importing firm has not yet been named.

Dr Duguid explained the China-made houses would be constructed of concrete board and light gauge steel which was used in the recent construction of the St Joseph and St Andrew polyclinics.

He also said the houses would come with photovoltaic electricity systems attached.

But Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley raised several concerns about Government’s latest initiative.

While making clear it he was not trying to demean the administration’s effort to help affected householders, he said certain questions needed to be answered.

Bishop Atherley queried whether the repairs and rebuilds would be completed within the six-month timeline Prime Minister Mottley had previously indicated.

“I heard the Minister say this is going to be a long undertaking, but the Prime Minister gave a commitment of six months… and that was July 2,” said the Opposition Leader.

“We are now at August 24 and the Minister does not seem to be thinking at all that this is an exercise to be completed in six months…. I am telling you there are those out there who are expecting swift redress.”

And while he said he was not questioning the quality of the emergency houses as he had not seen them, Bishop Atherley called for clarity regarding Government’s involvement in the project.

“There is a lot being left unsaid around what we do or contemplate doing in Barbados, and Barbadians have now reached a stage where they are so alerted to what is going on that they want to hear in clear terms the specifics with respect to just about everything,” he said.

In response, Dr Duguid said the NHC had issued a tender and received four responses.

He also acknowledged that the repair and rebuild process was “nowhere close to where he wanted it to be”.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)

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The site of the old Glendairy Prison is to be developed into a major tourism project led by the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTI) and involving local investors,  Parliament was told Tuesday, but Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley has offered alternative ideas for the old jail.

Lawmakers have also announced that the zone one classification of the nearby Bellevue and the Belle communities is to be changed to allow squatters the opportunity to own and develop the spots they have been occupying for decades.

The disclosures came as the House of Assembly passed a resolution to vest the more than 9.296 hectares (22.7 acres) of land containing the old prison to the BTI for a tourism related development.

The planned transformation of the prison, which was built in the 1854, comes years after much talk by successive administrations about its possible use after a riot-driven fire closed it in 2005.

Introducing the resolution, Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dr William Duguid suggested a dual track of tourism and housing development in the area.

“I understand that area will no longer be a zone one area and then development will be permissible in that area. That would redound not only to the benefit of those at Glendairy Prison but also to all of those in the surrounding community,” he said.

“Both at Bellevue and the Belle, all of the work to be done out there to put those people without title in a right frame is being worked on and is being given greatest attention . . . . In fact, the Prime Minister has reiterated that it must be given an absolute priority for both of those locations.”

Minister for Water Resources Charles Griffith, indicating that the Glendairy development was part of a wider repurposing effort being undertaken by Government, said work has already started in the Belle and other communities to determine the kind of septic system that can be put in place.

“We have sent out requests for proposal with respect to finding solution to that particular locale. We believe that particular solution can be replicated in [other] constituencies. It is now a priority project,” said Griffith.

“It is expected that early next month those particular requests for proposal will be looked at and a decision will be made for design built service sewage treatment plant within that particular locale (the Belle). It will entail the installation of individual communal septic tanks with filter technology. This was recommended by the Environmental Protection Department.”

Griffith said the submission and approval for the final design was expected to take about 12 weeks while the construction, installation and testing would then take about 11.5 months.

“We are on that particular road as it relates to resolution for those persons in the Belle, Bellevue and Bailey Alley,” he added.

Meantime, urging Barbadians to get involved in the “rejuvenation” of the old prison, Duguid said the reason it was being vested in the BTI was because of that agency’s vast experience in redevelopment initiatives.

“They did the (Oistins) Bay Garden . . . and it has been a tremendous upliftment,” he said.

Glendairy Prison, now a haven for rodents and a police storage area for vehicles, was decommissioned in late 2016. While no decision has yet been made on what exactly the location will be used for, Duguid touted the idea of it being used for heritage tourism to offer tours, or for it to be transformed into a similar setting as that of the Oistins Bay Garden in Christ Church.

In his contribution to the debate, Bishop Atherley rejected the idea of developing the 1854-built prison for heritage tourism, instead suggesting that the old prison be turned into a juvenile offenders’ halfway house.

Pointing to the prison’s small size, which was to comfortably accommodate up to 300 inmates but was housing up to 1 000 at some point, Bishop Atherley said greater consideration needed to be given to putting some people in a “halfway house” instead of sending them to jail.

He said Government and faith-based organizations could join forces to establish such a facility.

“So here is the opportunity perhaps to use the facility as a halfway house,” he said. “We need to be able to see it possible, as the country moves forward, to put investment into areas that can help us to correct some of these things we have not been getting right.

“A rehabilitation centre with a strong skills development component – this is a site that is big and spacious enough that could be used for something like that.”

Bishop Atherley also suggested the old prison could be considered for use as a “young offenders’ institution” instead of housing those first-time juvenile offenders at Dodds with hardened criminals.

“A young offenders’ institution is needed in Barbados. That has long been mooted and we are struggling with the facilities for the Girls Industrial School and the young male facility, and here is a space perhaps we can use to build the type of facility that would allow for proper treatment of the behaviour exhibited by those who are young… and perhaps ill-advised in their action and fall afoul of the law,” he said.

Failing that, said the People’s Party for Democracy leader, the Mia Mottley administration could consider using Glendairy to provide temporary relief housing for fire and hurricane victims.

“We still don’t have that relief housing available to us in Barbados and people who are faced with misfortune sometimes have to struggle to find alternative accommodation,” he said. “Here is a space where perhaps a specific deliberate project could be undertaken to provide temporary and relief housing to those who may need that from time to time.”

Bishop Atherley dismissed the idea that the old prison should be transformed into a heritage tourism site or a prison museum, saying it did not have the kind of fame that would attract a significant number of visitors.

He also brushed aside the idea of the Station Hill, St Michael location being used as a Crop Over venue, suggesting that this would produce too much noise that would disturb residents in several communities.

“Certainly it could be a site for craft and cultural enterprises and other activities of a less intrusive and less impactful character with respect to noise. If that is the case, I support that,” he said.
(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)

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It appears for now that not even the country’s public health nurses will be pressed into taking COVID-19 vaccines following meetings with Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

This was the consensus among the nurses who met with Mottley as she sought to gather the thoughts and concerns of frontline workers about the jabs.

The talks appeared to be consistent with a promise made during the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on Saturday, during which she pledged to respect the choice of those who do not wish to be vaccinated.

Mottley said she had started discussions on Monday with unvaccinated frontline workers and would meet with additional groups on Tuesday.

While requests for an update on the talks from a spokesperson in the Prime Minister’s Office were unsuccessful, Barbados TODAY was informed that those who initially entered the meeting with concerns about victimisation reported they were satisfied with the direction of the conversation.

Coordinator of the Steering Committee of Barbados Concerned Citizens Against Mandated and Coerced Vaccines, Winston Clarke, revealed that at the behest of some nurses, he turned up at the meeting but was informed that only nurses would be allowed to attend.

“It looks as if they are not putting pressure on them mandatorily for vaccinations yet, but I know the machinations of politics and I know that now they may give you a certain promise until certain things are done and then you would be up a creek, without a paddle after elections and after certain things have been done,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY.

He acknowledged that the legal opinion recently on the issue of COVID-19 mandatory vaccination and testing obtained by Government places tremendous pressure on essential workers to get the vaccine.

The legal opinion by Queen’s Counsel Leslie Haynes, which was disseminated to members of the Social Partnership last week, stated, in part, that vaccine mandates from the Government for individuals working in essential services, high-risk settings, moderate risk, or in industries that drive the Barbadian economy, are likely to survive a constitutional challenge in court.

Clarke said: “I understand what they are saying and they do have a point, because of their susceptibility to contracting an illness because of their jobs and their professions. However, they too have a choice.

“Remember, these were our heroes last year. They worked, they didn’t have any vaccines and a number of them have survived. In fact, I have only heard about two of them who have passed away relative to what they said was COVID. But this is something that they understood when they came on in the first place – that they would be in contact with people with infectious diseases.”

And while Prime Minister Mottley has indicated there would be no mandatory vaccinations, Clarke suggested the Steering Committee would extend assistance to take legal action in the courts, should Government change its position.

He claimed that several attorneys standing by to “continuously” represent aggrieved workers against employers, pro bono.

Clarke said he is optimistic of an audience with Mottley in the very near future to better understand the “direction the Government is going and what rights people and their children have as far as this agenda is concerned”.

He has written to several private sector businesses, threatening boycotts and lawsuits if they continue to press employees to get vaccinated.

Clarke told Barbados TODAY correspondence had been sent to Republic Bank (Barbados) Ltd, The Tides Restaurant, Cobblers Cove Hotel, Lionel C Hill Supermarket and The Club Barbados.

“I sent off to those last five and there are some names that are forthcoming,” he informed. “But I have on that list the Accra Beach Hotel and Soco Hotel. I also intend to write a letter to the BHTA [Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association].”

“We must remember that these [private sector] people do not fall under the suzerainty of the Government of Barbados. They are private. The only body that can deal with  them is the judiciary. So we need to make examples of them and we need to make them pay dearly.

“Redress is at the courts and if they do not do it here because of their close affinity to each other, it will be dealt with regionally at the CCJ [Caribbean Court of Justice] or at the international courts,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach leaders within the Social Partnership, including Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Anthony Branker, Barbados Private Sector Association President Edward Clarke, or officials from the BHTA for a comment on the way forward have so far been unsuccessful.

President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) Edwin O’neale, meanwhile, said the legal opinion presented to them was in line with their stance against mandatory vaccination.

The next Social Partnership meeting is scheduled for August 30.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)

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Some 30 to 50 tourists from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and further away have passed through the doors of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness (BAEH) this year, and the hike in the number of those seeking assistance is placing a heavy strain on its financial resources, the charity’s head said Tuesday.

Kemar Saffrey hinted at the possibility of drafting the visitors’ diplomatic representatives to pick up some of the burden of caring for them.

He told journalists: “One of the main reasons for the homelessness is COVID-19 related in itself…. Some persons would have been at hotels and cannot foot the bill any longer and then they find themselves homeless and when they do, they try to reach out to their consuls, they try to reach out to their embassies and in some cases the police are also involved . . . and then we are asked to assist because that person can no longer foot the bill, that person can no longer stay in the hotel and that person now becomes homeless.”

He explained that previously the BAEH sheltered mostly people from neighbouring Caribbean islands but that has changed, as Saffrey disclosed that the homeless shelter now has two visitors from outside the Caribbean in its care.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic started, people were really trapped in Barbados because of countries not letting them back in,” he said. “You were seeing people from Jamaica, Trinidad [and] Guyana. Now I am seeing Europeans more, English people more, we were seeing some US citizens as well. Now the two steady ones that I am constantly seeing are the European and the English.”

He added that the BAEH is ready to assist those in need but there was a “serious cost attached” to the organization housing the tourists, most times on a 24-hour basis. This, he added, is of “serious concern” as it also affected the level of assistance rendered to homeless nationals.

“We then have to operate the shelter as a 24-hour shelter, so we have to bring in security, we have to bring in a counsellor, and we have to cook for them three square meals a day. In some cases, we are transporting them if some have medical conditions,” said Saffrey.

“Most of them cannot pay for their PCR test to be able to fly back out. Also the agencies, the organizations, the embassies or the consulates are not in a position to even pay for their PCR tests or to assist financially in some cases and the person is left homeless in Barbados.

“On an average day, it would cost between $100 and $150 for any one person to stay here. That cost rises when you look at the weeks and weeks of keeping that person it could go higher. Right now, we have about two persons in-house but they have been coming and going.

“We treat them the best but when you have to render that service 24 hours a day the demand is hard on the organization,” Saffrey said as he called on countries, policymaking bodies for consuls, and embassies to better prepare for such contingencies.

“Where are the finances to help those people who are stranded here, that cannot help themselves? Where is the assistance? We understand that some things are beyond reach but we are a year into COVID and we are seeing more and more cases, even with our growing increase of homelessness from our local shores.

“Then we add to that the tourists and that is not fair, that we are being put in that position constantly to support countries and to support their people on a long-term basis. I am saying long term because some people are staying way longer than they should.”

The homelessness advocate issued a call for the diplomatic community to hold talks with his organization in an effort to look at ways to help foreign nationals.

“None of the embassies are without reach in terms of the people we are seeing,” Saffrey told journalists.

“We stand ready to assist, but at the same time, we can only go so far as an organization, obviously, because of the economy and how things are. We are struggling on our own with our own little funding that we have. We need a fix to that situation,” he added. (FW)

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A defence attorney on Tuesday accused the army of a conspiracy to target his client, after the top brass charged him with leaving duty without reasonable excuse – only one of three offences so far read to him at a court martial.

It was day two in which the hearing in Hodgson Hall of the Barbados Defence Force’s St Ann’s headquarters continued with submissions from Michael Lashley QC, statements from his client, Private Raheem Reeves, and supporting evidence from military witnesses.

In another presentation on behalf of Private Reeves who from the opening day has sought the removal of two members of the sitting panel and one from the alternate panel for fear they could prejudice his case, an animated Lashley suggested that a conspiracy was evident from the way in which his client had been treated by certain senior officers.

The Queen’s Counsel raised concerns that Private Reeves could be victimized by the panel hearing the case, simply because he dared challenge the likely bias which the defence believes could come from president of the court Lieutenant Commander John Mapp and Sub-Lieutenant Alexander Kellman, along with Sub-Lieutenant Jamal Wiggins, a panelist-in-waiting.

“We hope they would not punish our client because we seek to challenge the bias against my client,” said Lashley. “I don’t have any faith that my client would have a fair trial in these proceedings.”

Despite statements from the QC, his client and military witnesses Tori Quintyne and Stephan Murray, the court dismissed the objections and in the absence of two of the three named panelists, unanimously decided that the officers were fit and proper to try the case against Private Reeves.

On Monday, the court had already settled the challenge against the president who was also retained on similar grounds.

As a result, the entire panel was officially sworn in Tuesday in preparation to begin the trial Wednesday.

But the proceedings were not without its moments of drama as Lashley and Judge Advocate Krystal Delaney became entangled in a legal exchange over his line of questioning regarding the treatment meted out to a witness and his client, while they were in police custody in Speightstown as part of investigations into an unrelated matter of a missing soldier.

Quintyne told the court that normally when a soldier is in police custody, senior officers were expected to visit them and conduct welfare checks to ascertain their personal well-being. But he said none was done during the 10 days he, Reeves and Murray spent in a cell in Speightstown.

But Judge Advocate Delaney interjected to instruct Lashley to move on because the treatment of the soldiers with respect to a matter that was not before the court for consideration was irrelevant.

The senior counsel responded by telling her the treatment of his client spoke to fairness.

“It is not relevant to what we have to decide right now. You can move on from that question,” the Judge Advocate ruled.

“I am not moving on. It is relevant. It is about fairness,” the QC retorted.

Delaney insisted that the question, on which she had already ruled, was not relevant regarding the soldiers’ complaints and what was done.

“I object to your ruling,” the QC declared.

He eventually gave in to the Judge Advocate and agreed to allow his final witness, Stephan Murray, to make a statement in support of their objection rather than question him as he did with Quintyne.

Murray’s testimony was similar in nature to that of his colleague Quintyne.

In response to the witnesses, Prosecutor Captain Neville Corbin told the court that none of them had presented any evidence to show that the panel was partial or biased.

Captain Corbin contended that all members of the BDF are aware of provisions under the Defence Force Act which allow for individuals to take advantage of “redress complaints” service.

But he said none of them had brought any such complaints to the administration of the Force.

After being retained to the panel, Wiggins and Kellman rejected accusations of being biased.

The trial is scheduled to begin in earnest on Wednesday. (EJ)

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With the arrival here of 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has informed Barbadians that they now have a choice of three jabs.

As the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) handed over the vaccines to the Government in an airport ceremony, Prime Minister Mottley said just under 2 300 people received shots on Monday, declaring that Barbadians are voting with their feet on the vaccines.

This week began the public rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with a gift from the United States. Since February, beginning with a donation of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield from India, followed by purchases through the global COVAX and African Gavi initiatives, the leading jab used here has been the AstraZeneca.

Barbados has also received a donation of China-made Sinopharm jabs from Beijing.

Mottley said: “I promised last week that in the absence of mandating, that I will take the time to start talking with as many groups as possible. I started yesterday, I leave here today to go to that. There is no media because this is a talk. This is not a media moment, this is a moment of life, learning and progress.

“We come here today in the spirit of partnership because it is through the partnership of Gavi and COVAX and individual countries across the world, that we have begun to make a dent in this battle against COVID. We know that the vaccines are one of the most critical components in battle and we don’t go to battle armless and without any capacity to fight. We go to battle having prepared ourselves to fight.”

The Prime Minister stressed that while Barbados has been receiving assistance from the international community with its COVID-19 fight, Government needs Barbadians to play their role.

Mottley said she was not prepared to dismiss persons who want to engage in conversations regarding the vaccines. She added that on every occasion members of the public are engaged in conversations regarding the vaccines, they are also reminded of what else they are required to do to help fight the battle.

She said: “We now face the prospect of a variant. From the very beginning as we stood here in this location, we spoke about the race against the variants. It is no longer a prospect; it is a reality.

“And the only way we are going to ensure that we don’t have to fight variants more virulent and more contagious, and more deadly than Delta and others, is if we are able to have the equitable access to vaccines as a matter of urgency – from Africa, to Latin America, to Asia, to the Caribbean, to every part of this globe.”

PAHO and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Dr Yitades Gebre, said PAHO, as the region’s vaccine procurement agent for COVAX Facility, delivered the 33 600 doses of AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, which is the third and final installment of the second-round allocation by the COVAX Facility originally targeted for June and July. This brings the total of 100 800 doses procured for the Ministry of Health.

Dr Gebre acknowledged the US, Britain and Japan for their continued support to the COVAX Facility.

Prime Minister Mottley also announced that African Swine Flu which has decimated animals and livestock in elsewhere in the world, is now in the region.

She said this means that Barbados has to take proactive measures.

Mottley indicated that she has asked Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir to have a conversation with the nation. (AH)

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The United States’ Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) elevation of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from emergency use authorization to full approval appears to be of very little consequence in the eyes of Barbados’ medical practitioners.

President of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr Lynda Williams believes the emergency authorisation granted for various vaccine brands currently in circulation on the island, was all that was required.

In a statement on Monday, the FDA described the developments as a “key achievement” for public health, declaring that the public could now be “very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product”.

The process of final approval, much of which was completed for emergency authorisation, requires an analysis of the drug’s benefits that also examines its risks and looks at clinical trials from the drugmaker.

For full approval, the FDA examined data on how people fared six months after being fully vaccinated and inspected manufacturing facilities in the intervening months.

The inability of most vaccine producers to satisfy the requirements for full vaccination, which generally requires years of research, has been cited as one of the main arguments used to fuel vaccine skepticism.

But according to Dr Williams, there is no need for officials here to rely on pronouncements from the FDA regarding the Oxford AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines.

“All of them have different regulatory bodies and the FDA is just one. Even before the FDA had started to use Pfizer under an emergency authorisation, the UK had already approved it,” Dr Williams, an epidemiologist, told Barbados TODAY.

“It is a regulatory body and we use drugs in Barbados that are not FDA [approved], but they are approved. There are many drugs out of Europe that the FDA will not approve, but we must remember there is a bit of politics in this thing,” the doctor contended.

She added that while some anti-vaxxers may be looking for the proverbial hook to hang their hats on, there is established precedent which supports the use of fast-tracked vaccines in emergency situations like pandemics.

“When polio immunization was rolled out, there was no emergency use authorization, there was not even phase one, two or three clinical trials, and they gave it to 1.8 million children and in four years had eradicated polio.

“That was 1960-something. So tell me then, in the middle of a pandemic you can’t do all of the testing that you need for years and years,” Dr Williams added. (KS)

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The Executive Council of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) says it expects issues of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and testing to be major talking points at its upcoming Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC).

The union, which has been silent in the raging debate, will convene the major annual meeting on Saturday, at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.

“The Executive Council has consciously reserved becoming heavily involved in the public discourse on this subject as we anticipate meaningful discussion at the level of the highest decision-making body of the BWU, its annual conference. The BWU represents workers with strong views that are choice-based and rights-based, on different sides of the argument, and all views must and will contend,” General Secretary Senator Toni Moore said in a release.

After being postponed last year, the ADC will be held this year under the theme, The Time is Now.

A number of other issues, which the union said it had been addressing as it seeks to gain advances for workers during this very difficult period, will also come under the members’ microscope.

“At the very least, the BWU has been solid in its fight to maintain industrial relations principles, standards and agreements during the period.

“In addition to a discussion of the Executive Council’s report, the conference will be revisiting a number of the demands we have made over time within the context of the changes which are taking place in the labour market globally and within Barbados specifically. As such, we will be revisiting our demands relative to safeguarding the vulnerable, recognising that beyond the introduction of a national minimum wage which took effect in April this year and which was championed by this union, we also have to ensure that more is done for all categories of workers to have effective terms and conditions,” Moore said.

For example, she said, the case must be made for gas station workers “who can now be paid a rate at the national minimum, but who still ought to have coverage for the predictable and the unpredictable hazards associated with the very important work they do”.

“A similar case can be made for security workers, hospitality workers, workers in the domestic area and others as well. The conference will also be examining the issue of remote work and a need to streamline policies related to working from home that take into account a number of factors, including health and safety, liability, burnout, work-life balance and access to a person’s home, within the context of labour administration,” Moore added.

The union leader also revealed that the contribution of President General Linda Brooks, who served in her post for the past 13 years and on the Executive Council for 29 years and who was a member of the union for almost half a century, would be observed on the day in a “big way”.

“While we will most certainly miss her and her active participation, it has created an opportunity for Comrade Shawn Knight who has served the union in several capacities as shop steward in Cable & Wireless, vice president of the youth arm and council member,” the BWU boss said. “He now has the opportunity, having served as vice president for the past eight years, to ascend to presidency unopposed.

“However, beyond the personal sentiments that I have, because I am truly happy for the opportunity to serve with him, we are also satisfied as an Executive Council that he is bringing that energy and a tremendous capacity which is required to steer this organisation through some very challenging times.”
(PR/BT)

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Government is shoring up the coffers of the National Insurance Scheme’s (NIS) Unemployment Benefit Fund to the tune of $180 million over the next three years, with the first tranche of $50 million now being made available.

The measure was announced during Tuesday afternoon’s session of the House of Assembly. Member of Parliament for St Michael South Central and Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Marsha Caddle, said it was essential to replenish the coffers of the island’s social security system, following the five-fold increase in unemployment benefit claims coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

“COVID caused a complete standstill in the private sector. The National Insurance Scheme received 52 282 unemployment benefit claims from over 32 000 people following the lockdown. The annual average is 11 000. Now, when the NIS was created, no one could have anticipated this demand on the system,” she said.

“The Unemployment Benefit Fund used up all its resources to pay these claims and borrowed from the National Insurance Fund as well as the Catastrophe Fund to help cover some of them. We had a duty to take care of our people first, and then, as we knew we could, to make sure we could recapitalise the fund, and we are here today to do just that.”

Caddle outlined how the recapitalisation process would work and also stated that an auditing process was underway to ascertain how the six funds coming under the NIS umbrella were faring.

“Cabinet agreed to recapitalisation over a three-year period: $60 million by March next year; $60 million by March 2023, and another $60 million by March 2024. This recapitalisation, in concert with contributions that will continue to come in, will give us a certainty that we can cover immediately forecasted claims given the trends we are seeing. In terms of auditing, the six funds have been urged to submit more complete information and those submissions are taking place across four of the six funds, while the 2020 audit for two of those funds is already underway.”

Minister of Labour and MP for St Peter, Colin Jordan, stated that so far this year, the number of claims had decreased when compared to 2020.

“Owing to the second shutdown in February of this year, there have been 23 455 claims on the fund. The number is declining steadily. In fact, the amount for July was the lowest we have seen in 16 months, so we are headed in the right direction,” he said.

However, the Labour Minister expressed concerns about a trend among employers of hiring people on a contractual basis, thereby making them responsible for paying their own NIS benefits.

“I want to make an appeal to employing organisations to recognise the people who work for you are human beings, not just labour. They are people who need to be protected, so attempting to find ways of moving people from being employed, referring to them as contractors, sub-contractors, or self-employed, is not appropriate and does not recognise their humanity, you need to do the right thing by the people who work for you,” Jordan said.

“We are also aware of the move to what is known as a ‘gig economy’ work arrangement, where people work for short periods of time in a variety of different places, sometimes because they don’t want to be tied to any one place of employment, but these people need protection in the form of social security as well.”

On another note, Jordan reported that several outstanding matters before the Severance Pay Tribunal were completed or would be resolved shortly.

“The first set of LIAT workers who appeared before the Severance Pay Tribunal should be getting their payments if not the end of this week, by early next week. Arbiters have been appointed to look into the matter regarding the workers who fell within the Sunset Legislation passed last year. The information I have suggests that dates have been set for those hearings, so we expect that between the end of this month and next month their issue will be resolved. The matter regarding the workers at the Accra Beach Hotel will also conclude sometime in September.”

Leader of the Opposition Bishop Joseph Atherley was pleased to see that some action was being taken regarding the LIAT and Accra Beach Hotel workers, but questioned whether another issue concerning workers at Harrison’s Cave had been addressed. That matter, he said, dated back to when the tourism attraction moved from under the auspices of the National Conservation Commission to the Caves Of Barbados state-owned enterprise.

He also called for proper governance of the NIS and other related funds.

“Government has not spoken loudly or clearly in a sustained fashion about how funds under the NIS or the Central Bank of Barbados operate. With major funds like these, we have to ensure that there are structures and mechanisms in place that counter any attempts of the political agenda to influence decision-making at these institutions. We speak of the lack of properly audited reports from state-owned entities, and since these are the two primary ones, we must ensure these are done urgently and in a timely fashion, in order to sustain people’s confidence in the integrity and future viability of the funds managed by these agencies,” Bishop Atherley said.
(DH)

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is rolling out plans for workers of the Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) to treat cardiac patients in the field.

Deputy Chairman of the QEH Board Dr Abdul-Rehman Mohamed made the announcement on Tuesday during the official handing over of two new Toyota ambulances to the EAS, bringing the on-road fleet to eight.

The delivery of the vehicles took place at the ambulance service headquarters at Wildey, St Michael, where the doctor also highlighted the need for members of the public to be trained in CPR.

Dr Mohamed said the cardiac initiative is important considering that the first few moments of cardiac care are critical to the outcome of a patient.

“We need to get more public engagement and involvement in prehospital care,” Dr Mohamed noted. “Quite often you have scenarios where persons have called the ambulance and are hands-off, waiting for the ambulance to arrive, not knowing that, especially with a cardiac patient, every minute that passes decreases the patient’s chances of survival by 10 per cent.

“We need to have a national programme where we have the public trained in CPR, first aid and stuff. We know that it is nearly impossible, no matter how close the ambulance service is, for the ambulance to reach a scene of accident within the first few minutes, because of traffic, mobilizing and stuff, and those are critical moments,” he stated.

The deputy chairman further explained that the service receives approximately 15 000 calls annually, which is about 50 calls per day. He said 80 per cent of those are for non-trauma cases, yet callers expect an ambulance in quick time.

He also indicated that emergency workers are also limited in their ability to treat victims when they arrive at crime scenes, due to the behaviour of persons at the scene who may not always have the best interest of the victims at heart.

Ambulance Officer Wendy Cadogan said the EAS has been waiting a long time for the two ambulances which are replacements for ambulances that were involved in accidents.

He said the additional vehicles, which he assured will be well cared for, will enhance the service’s ability to respond to emergencies, helping to save and improve the quality of life for Barbadians and visitors alike.

“These ambulances are equipped with some of the latest technology,” Cadogan said. “You are going to see the cardiac monitoring oxygen delivery system and, in the very near future, we will also be featuring on the ambulances, a device known as the AutoPulse which is a mechanical device to assist us in doing CPR and takes away some of the hand movement.”

Nassco Limited, the local Toyota dealer, facilitated the moving of the ambulances from the TOYOTA factory in Japan to Thailand where they were retrofitted. (AH)

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A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is here on a one-week mission to hold talks on several economic and development-related matters, Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs Marsha Caddle told the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

“In those conversations we have with the Fund . . . we talk about every single issue that affects the development of this country, because while we have a responsibility to give people access to basic goods and services, we also have a responsibility to contribute to a thriving economy which can also then provide decent work for those same people,” Caddle told her colleagues.

“There are those who would like to suggest that it was a zero-sum game. It is not. All of these things need to be done. We need a balance of responsible, inclusive investment which is where our credit unions come in and all these instruments come in, and we need to generate the growth and prosperity that would allow us to provide to people.”

Barbados is currently in a four-year IMF-funded programme, which started in October 2018.

The last review of that Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme was done virtually in May at the request of Government.

Following that one-week meeting, an agreement was reached on the completion of the fifth review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement and Barbados subsequently received an injection of US$24 million (BDS$48 million) from the IMF in June.

This brought the total disbursement since the start of the programme to around $830 million. (MM)

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