A 43-year-old asthmatic mother living at Bird’s Eye Ridge, St Patrick’s, Christ Church says she feels as if she is slowly dying from more than six years of being subjected to an “uncaring” neighbour’s indiscriminate burning of refuse.

Trying to fight back the tears, an emotional Melissa Wiltshire on Tuesday expressed fears of dying at an early age.

“I am dying. I just turned 43…. My mother had a stroke in November…. I don’t want to die yet. I want to at least live to see my son cross the university stage. And nobody cares, nobody cares,” the distraught mother lamented in an interview with Barbados TODAY, adding that despite calls to the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) and the Barbados Police Service, she and other affected neighbours have not been able to get any relief.

“I feel like nobody cares. I am at my wit’s end, I do not know what else to do. I am a really bad asthmatic and this person burns almost every week. Suppose I catch COVID and I have to isolate at home, what will I do? It is okay to say close your windows, but by the time I close the windows, the smoke is already in here so it’s like I am suffocating in the house. The police never show up. I don’t know what the Fire Service does, so I will not blame them.”

The St Patrick’s resident is also worried about the “severe” impact the large amounts of medication she is forced to take, because of the constant smoke inhalation, is doing to her respiratory system and her well-being, generally.

“I cannot keep taking almost 20 tablets a day, steroids and a Turbuhaler and all sorts of things because somebody is inconsiderate,” Wiltshire said as her voice trembled, adding that she does not even get any prior warning from the neighbour who burns the stuff. “By the time my son and I finish closing up this house, we are already suffocating.”

On the question of relocating, the homeowner said it was not something she could afford to do at this time.

Before the interview with Barbados TODAY, Wiltshire had prepared a letter for publication on behalf of the other affected residents.

Part of that letter read: “Once again, it is out of desperation that we, the residents of Bird’s Eye Ridge, St Patrick’s, Christ Church, write this letter to you the people who indiscriminately burn stuff in the Packer’s, Christ Church area around the Woodbourne Bird Sanctuary and the pig farm…. Please…we are begging you…please stop smoking us out…. Please stop killing us slowly.”

“First, to the people who are burning, we would greatly appreciate it if you would stop burning stuff almost daily. Many of us suffer from chronic asthma, sinus, allergy issues and migraines,” the correspondence stated, adding that the residents had video recordings and photographs of smoke from the fires from as far back as a year ago.”

“As we write this letter, one of our residents (who resigned from her job because it was affecting her asthma) is at home recuperating from surgery and cannot cough. So, when you decided to burn your stuff on January 12, 2022 at 2:55 p.m., she had to close all of her windows and try to restrain any coughs that would have torn her stitches. This was very sad,” the unpublished letter further stated.

The residents added that despite calling the Barbados Police Service and the Barbados Fire Service on numerous occasions while fires were burning, no one came to their rescue.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Henderson Patrick said he was not aware of the specific case but promised to launch an investigation into the matter.

“We will look into that matter to see how it can be remedied with the assistance of the Fire Service,” he told Barbados TODAY.

He explained that measures were introduced about 18 months ago to strengthen the legislation dealing with indiscriminate burning which could land non-compliant persons before the law courts.

“We, about 18 months ago, started what is called burn permits. Anybody who wants to burn fire or whatever the case may be, they have to apply to the Fire Service for their burn permit,” Patrick said on Tuesday.

“And, in essence, people who light fires without having that permission [are] really doing something illegal…because you should make that request, an assessment is carried out and the Fire Service will determine whether they would be granted permission to burn that fire depending on the circumstances.

“If it is not granted and you still decide to do whatever you decide to do, then the matter can be addressed through the courts and there is a penalty that is associated with illegal burning; and that was something that was put in place about 18 months or so ago,” said the top-ranking fire official.

He added that, generally, if there is a fire that is causing a public nuisance, the Fire Service will extinguish it.

“In some cases where people had fires on their private properties and they were causing a nuisance to the public, we always suggest to the public that they can raise that as a legal matter and use the health legislation to see if you can get a remedy for it. But, like I said, about 18 months ago we strengthened that position,” Patrick reiterated. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Barbados is considered the least corrupt country in the Caribbean, retaining its 29th position out of 180 jurisdictions in the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Apart from maintaining its ranking, the island’s score improved slightly, from 64 to 65 out of 100, in the 2021 report which was released on Tuesday.

Barbados is ranked ahead of the Bahamas, which has a ranking of 30th with a score of 64; St Vincent and the Grenadines which is ranked at 36th with a score of 59; St Lucia (42nd) with a score of 56; Dominica (45th) with a score of 55; Grenada at 52nd with a score of 53; Cuba (64th) with a score of 46; and Jamaica (70th) with a score of 44.

Among Caribbean countries, Haiti is considered the most corrupt, with a ranking of 164th, while Suriname and Guyana are ranked at 87th, with scores of 39 each. Trinidad and Tobago is ranked at 82nd with a score of 41.

The index ranks countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, measured on a scale of 0 to 100 with 0 being highly corrupt and 100 being “very clean”.

The report indicated that in the Americas, increasing restrictions on accountability measures and basic civil freedoms allow corruption to go unchecked, and even historically high-performing countries were showing signs of decline.

The Americas had an average score of 43, behind Asia Pacific with a score of 45, and Western Europe and the European Union with an average score of 66. The African regions and Eastern Europe and Central Asia each had average scores in the 30s.

“With no progress on an average score of 43 out of 100 for the third consecutive year, even high performers in the Americas are showing signs of trouble. While the worst scores in the region belong to non-democratic countries, many of which are facing humanitarian crises, major consolidated democracies have also remained stagnant or fallen down the CPI,” stated the 22-page report.

According to Chief Executive Officer of the Transparency International Secretariat Daniel Eriksson, this year’s index suggests that the corruption levels “are at a worldwide standstill”.

“This year, the global average remains unchanged for the tenth year in a row, at just 43 out of a possible 100 points. Despite multiple commitments, 131 countries have made no significant progress against corruption in the last decade. Two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating that they have serious corruption problems, while 27 countries are at their lowest score ever,” he said.

Eriksson noted that human rights and democracy across the world are under assault, while indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic has been used in many countries as an excuse to side-step important checks and balances and to curtail basic freedoms.

He said the latest analysis showed that protecting human rights was crucial in the fight against corruption, adding that countries with well-protected civil liberties generally scored higher on the index while countries that violate civil liberties tend to score lower.

Additionally, he noted, checks and balances were being undermined not only in countries with systematic corruption and weak institutions, but also among established democracies.

“Respecting human rights is essential for controlling corruption because empowered citizens have the space to challenge injustice,” Eriksson said. “There is an urgent need to accelerate the fight against corruption if we are to halt human rights abuses and democratic decline across the globe.”

The report recommended that to end the vicious cycle of corruption, countries should uphold the rights needed to hold power to account, restore and strengthen institutional check on power, uphold the right to information in government spending and combat transnational corruption.

In her analysis, Chair of Transparency International Delia Ferreira Rubio said since 2012, about 90 per cent of countries have stagnated or declined in their civil liberties score.

She noted that corruption undermines the ability of governments to guarantee the human rights of their citizens, adding that this affects the delivery of public services, the dispensation of justice and the provision of safety for all.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Former Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn says Barbados’ laws do not make provision for two ministers to be appointed to one ministry.

Following Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announcement of her new Cabinet on Monday, an outspoken Franklyn has declared that the appointment of two ministers to ministries is an unconstitutional development.

However, he said Mottley is not the first prime minister to make such a move. Mottley who became Prime Minister in 2018 when the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won the General Election also appointed two ministers to ministries in a bigger cabinet.

“The Constitution requires that there is a minister in a ministry and if the minister needs help, he is helped by a Parliamentary Secretary, not by another minister. These ministers have no portfolio you know. They don’t have any responsibility; they can’t sign off on anything.

“We see Dr Sonia Browne as the Minister for the QEH, that is nonsense, there is a Minister of Health. A minister in the ministry is not allowed by the Constitution. But of course, when you have 30 seats, you could do whatever you like and the Barbadian public decided well, they will let her do what she likes. You don’t need all of these ministers, there is no work for them,” Franklyn said.

The General Secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at the union’s 6th Avenue Belleville, St Michael headquarters.

Prime Minister Mottley also announced that Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw and three other longstanding members of the BLP will serve as senior ministers. According to Franklyn, “There is no such thing as a senior minister.”. He said, in Barbados’ system of governance, a senior minister is considered an honorary position.

“Owen Arthur did it when we took down Billie Miller and then didn’t want to drop Billie’s pay so he made her senior minister and then gave her the same pay as deputy prime minister. This will mean now that all of those senior ministers now will get $1700 more a month on their salaries.

“So this is a salary increase through the back door when nurses are not getting their salary increases and the other public servants are not getting their salary increases. She is finding a way to give ministers by calling them senior ministers and tricking people. It is a way to get their hand in the treasury again. You cut down the number of ministers, but then you raise their pay on the sly so now you carry back up the wage bill again. Who do they think they are fooling?” he said.

The outspoken trade unionist also indicated that while Prime Minister Mottley has cut the size of her Cabinet compared to what was obtained in the 2018 Government, he believes there are still too many ministers.

“Ministers don’t really do work. It is the permanent secretaries that do the work. What they should do is to go and look for jobs and come to the Parliament on Tuesdays. But no, they want to give all of them a job to do nothing. They are still wasting the public’s money,” he said.

As it relates to Prime Minister Mottley offering two seats in the Senate to the opposition parties, Franklyn said the leader would be required to make changes to the Constitution to facilitate such a move.
(AH)

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Barbadian and Caribbean tourism giant Dr Jean Holder died on Tuesday at the age of 85.

In paying tribute, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Barbados and the region “will continue to owe this soft-spoken, always confident, forever reassuring son of the Caribbean Sea a debt of gratitude”.

Holder, who served his homeland for 14 years, was the face of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) for three decades and later, the Chairman of regional carrier LIAT.

Mottley praised his contribution to regional development.

“When the promotion and facilitation of strong regional ties were most needed, he took on the leadership of LIAT and kept it alive — against formidable odds,” she said.

Long before that, though – for three decades, to be more precise – he led the CTO, “a most important institution that breathed life into the Caribbean tourism product that today makes the region the world’s most recognised tourism destination”.

Holder, a Barbadian scholar who studied at Oxford University in London and the University of Toronto in Canada, served as First Secretary in the Barbados High Commission, which was established post-Independence, before returning to Barbados in 1968 to head the Economic and Policy Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to working in tourism and the Foreign Service, he contributed significantly to the development of Barbados’ cultural landscape. Holder and a number of prominent Barbadian artists in 1973 formed the first National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) committee, of which he was chairman.

The Prime Minister said Barbados will continue to honour Holder’s legacy and that of his previously deceased wife Norma Holder, whose names are both inscribed in the Jean and Norma Hospitality Institute of the Barbados Community College.

“We will extol him as a genuine Caribbean renaissance man, a patron of the arts and founding chairman of the National Independence Festival of Creative Art, Barbados scholar, public servant and consummate defender of regional culture,” she said. (SD)

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Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Association (SBA) Dr Lynette Holder has issued an early call to the new Mia Mottley-led administration to move with haste in tackling a number of issues affecting operators in the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) sector.

In fact, pointing out that businesses continued to buckle under the pressures associated with the high cost of doing business in Barbados, Holder called on the Government to review the burdensome Garbage and Sewage Contribution (GSC) levy with a view to providing an ease.

She said chief among the areas that should be addressed with urgency are government procurement procedures, taxes and high fuel costs, the continued lack of ease in doing business and challenges associated with small firms accessing capital.

Pointing out that the MSME sector was still reeling from the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holder said the urgency in tackling those and other issues were even greater, adding that there was need for policies that will help prevent more businesses from going under.

“On top of the fuel and the sewage tax that further compound the high cost of doing business, tangential to these issues are the two per cent foreign exchange fee,” said Holder, who called for a date to be set to phase out the two per cent tax on foreign exchange transactions.

“It has had a crippling effect on small firms in the retail sector, distribution sector, small manufactures and those who have to procure certain inputs for their business from foreign markets. These costs are compounding the cost of doing business.”

The SBA boss added that “at the end of the day, we need to have a credible plan to tackle the high cost of fuel because fuel is an input for many small businesses”.

A series of SBA polls during the association’s 2020-2021 financial year revealed that the GSC levy and fuel costs were continuing to have a negative impact on the operation costs of businesses across the MSME sector.

While dozens of businesses were started over the past two years, it is understood that scores of micro and small firms had to close their doors during the height of the pandemic.

In relation to government procurement, Holder acknowledged that a new law was being introduced to allow for greater ease and transparency.

However, she said: “We are calling for the necessary regulations now that would at least allow for setting aside a percentage of government procurement to small firms. We are not satisfied as a sector that small businesses are being given enough of a share of government’s procurement of goods and services.”

“Then obviously, we have to address the issue of doing business. We still have too much bureaucracy that exists in our country relative to doing business. You don’t have to go to the global competitiveness reports to know,” said Holder.

The SBA CEO also questioned whether the Mottley administration was serious about helping the productive sector survive and grow, as she compared the stimulus provided to small firms during the height of the pandemic to what was made available to the tourism sector.

Early last year, Parliament approved a supplementary budget of $3.5 million to assist more than 7,800 registered small businesses during a two-week lockdown period. Some $300 million was made available to the tourism sector under the Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation (BEST) programme.

Holder told Barbados TODAY that, to date, some SBA members were yet to benefit from the stimulus package despite submitting applications from inception.

“The truth is, some businesses have closed, some have tried to reengineer their operations, and some have tried to diversify into different areas of economic activity. So, there have been various responses but I think we have to do a lot better relative to facilitating business,” she said.

“When you can put $300 million behind tourism but you put behind small business $20 or $30 million, then you are not  serious. So, with all the other things I talk about you have to invest . . . you must be prepared to put a considerable amount of capital behind this sector and then marry that to financial literacy and business development support.

“We need to unlock financing urgently so that small firms and micro firms can benefit,” Holder added, while calling for laws governing the credit union movement to be changed to allow for small firms to benefit more from such institutions.

She also called for measures to facilitate number portability and greater regulatory framework support for e-commerce to allow for more trading across borders. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Nurses who have been striking for the past eight weeks are insisting that they are not fighting for themselves alone, but also to ensure a better healthcare system for Barbadians.

Insisting that the healthcare workers have not abandoned or neglected patients, Chairman of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) Nurses Division Gillian Dowrich said they were agitating for better conditions for all.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, she insisted they could not take the best care of their patients, whom they see as family, if they do not have access to necessary tools or if they operate in an unsafe environment.

“The nurses are suffering and we want to let the public know that this fight is for them because if we don’t have things to work with, we cannot give adequate healthcare in Barbados. They need to pour some funds into healthcare so that nurses can feel comfortable at work, so that nurses can have a voice in Barbados and advocate for the patients. The patients are why we are here. This is for Barbados; this is not for only the nurses,” Dowrich contended, adding that since starting her career in 2006, nothing has been done to enhance the working conditions for nurses.

“When we do not give adequate care because of a lack of adequate resources, we have a conscience and our conscience needs to be clear when we go home. I don’t think – and the nurses in Unity [Workers’ Union] do not think – that we should have to pull our pockets and provide materials for patients to use any longer, because our salaries are minute, they do not match our qualifications, and we have been trying to get this to the forefront.”

The nurses began industrial action in December 2021 after their colleagues at the Geriatric Hospital received a memo from the hospital management informing them of the commencement of weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees in accordance with the Safe Zone Directive No. 2, 2021. The then Health Minister Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic subsequently said the memo was sent prematurely, as the proposed Safe Zones would not yet take effect.

“Our fight was brought to [public] attention because of the Safe Zones, but how can you make these zones safe if there is a lack of security, if there is the lack of functioning equipment, if there is a lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

“They said there is no problem with PPE but yet nurses are given five masks per week. There are no gloves; if the nurses want to work, they have to buy their own gloves. I remember one of my colleagues stating that she had to reuse a nasogastric tube, something that is only for one-time use. Now you are putting the nurse’s licence at risk. How can we deliver safe care if we don’t have gauze, if we don’t have wool?” Dowrich questioned.

She stressed that the nurses had rushed to General Secretary of the UWU Caswell Franklyn for help because they felt let down and misrepresented by other trade unions and associations.

Dowrich said the nurses are tired of being disrespected and undervalued, and while they have been condemned by some in authority and the general public for the strike action, they intend to stick to their guns to see their longstanding grievances addressed.

They are demanding increased pay, health insurance, improved nurse-to-patient ratios, remuneration for degrees, and continuous training. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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If the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) gets its way, the emerging commercial town of Warrens, St Michael will become a new turnaround hub for privately-run public service vehicles.

Chairman of the AOPT Roy Raphael said on Tuesday, this is one of the raft of issues his organisation will be discussing with the new Minister of Transport Santia Bradshaw once she settles down.

Raphael said “the vexing issue of hubs and terminals around this country” will be on the agenda with the new minister.

“Shortly, this organisation will be visiting the Warrens area because we continue to get complaints from the medical people in that area, about the loud noise coming from the PSVs,” the AOPT chair disclosed.

He said some of the complainants claim that conductors and drivers walk across the zebra crossing to try to intercept potential commuters to lure them into boarding their individual ZRs or mini-buses.

“The time has come for government to look at a hub in the Warrens area. Warrens is almost completely becoming a town and most vehicles terminate from Six Roads to Warrens and from Speightstown to Warrens. We can introduce a new route from Bridgetown directly to Warrens to have Warrens as a turnaround point,” Raphael told Barbados TODAY.

He also reported an increase in the number of claims being made by passengers against PSV operators for minor injuries allegedly sustained onboard their buses or for damaged clothing.

“We are seeing a slight increase in the number of people making injury claims against our PSVs. The association has two investigators onboard and persons who make claims need to get the information in. As you know, we don’t have a ticketing system where people can say they boarded ZR 00 and they got their shirt torn. Because we don’t have that system in place, we find that people are just claiming,” the PSV official said.

“They claim that they got onto a vehicle and their shoe hooked into something and got damaged. The insurance had to end up paying claims, which also increased our premiums,” Raphael stated.

He said that as a result, his association will shortly be putting its investigators to work with the insurance companies to probe the claims before paying out any money to commuters.

He could not say what sums of money have been paid out so far.

Raphael also disclosed that a command centre will soon be set up in Black Rock, St Michael to monitor all member-PSV vehicles and taxis.

“We will be introducing a new system called Taxi Online similar to Uber where you can call a taxi and it will come immediately. We are working on that. The only reason why we have not got any further is because we had some issues related to the building, but that is being sorted out. As soon as that is completed, we should be monitoring our public service vehicles on the road,” the AOPT chair told Barbados TODAY.

A review of the licensing system for PSV is also on the cards to be discussed with Minister Bradshaw.

“The association will be seeking to ask government to review the whole licensing process for public service vehicles because there are four or five different classes of licence for public service vehicles,” Raphael said.

He identified some of them as licences to drive a coach, a ZR, taxi and a Transport Board bus.

“The association believes there should be one licence which should be known as the Public Service Vehicle Operation licence. In order to gain one, you should go through a training programme and qualify,” the PSV owner suggested.

“Too often we have people coming into the service and creating problems. That [licence review] would have to be part of the Transport Authority regulation coming forward and we are hoping that we would be part of that discussion,” he said.

Several other issues listed for discussion with the new Minister of Transport include compensation for those taxi operators who lost potential earnings after being displaced due to events in The City related to republic celebrations, proper parking for taxis in the Fairchild Street-Probyn Street area and the proposed Mass Transit Authority which will be responsible for the Transport Board and the Transport Authority. (EJ)

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Current and prospective entrepreneurs in community-based tourism in Barbados and other Caribbean islands are about to get a significant boost, as they compete for an opportunity to cash in on valuable assistance valued up to BD$12,000.

On Tuesday, officials of Compete Caribbean in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus officially launched the Regional Business Plan Competition, which will see a number of entrepreneurs benefiting from a range of services including technical assistance and networking opportunities.

Individuals or groups interested in entering the competition are required to register at www.open.uwi.edu/compete-caribbean , upload a business plan and submit a five-minute pitch in English, to be assessed by a panel.

Businesses do not have to be registered in their country to enter the competition, which opened on Tuesday, January 25 and will close on Friday, March 11, 2022.

The competition is opened to current and potential entrepreneurs in community-based tourism in the Compete Caribbean member countries of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.

Jody Grizzle, Project Coordinator in the Business Development Unit and the UWI Open Campus, said the competition was one way of helping to guide entrepreneurs and to highlight, recognise and reward innovation and potential impact of new or existing business.

“We support economic and social development. It is in that vein that we are providing both technical and/or cash assistance to entrepreneurs. Sometimes entrepreneurs need the direct guidance and business skills and business direction and not so much all the oodles of cash. So that is one of the reasons we want to do this competition,” said Grizzle.

“We also want to promote the community-based tourism toolkit and consumer research which was prepared by Compete Caribbean along with some of its partners. This is very useful information which provides consumer insights and guidance for the pricing of goods, services and experiences. It is actually what visitors would pay for the services you have to offer

“The competition also is an opportunity to facilitate access to a support network for entrepreneurs. So when you are stressing and things are not going well you can reach out to this select network and you get the support you need for your business venture,” she said.

The winner will receive technical assistance up to a value of US$2,500 while the second place competitor will receive technical assistance up to a value of US$2,000. Third place carries technical assistance prize up to a value of US$1,400. Each winner will receive a certificate of participation from Compete Caribbean.

There will also be spot prizes of Amazon gift cards to two attendees at each webinar to be held on February 8 and February 22, 2022.

During the online launch of the competition on Tuesday, Wayne Elliot, Productivity and Innovation Coordinator at Compete Caribbean, said he believed community-based tourism was a “powerful channel” for sustainable and inclusive economic development in the Caribbean.

Pointing out that over the years Compete Caribbean had provided some of the necessary insights and advice to policymakers and business operators who seek to diversify their tourism offerings, Elliot revealed: “We are also making investments valued at just about US$1 million to pilot three community-based tourism cluster initiatives as we continue to demonstrate the power of collective action.

“We have partnered with many practitioners and stakeholders within and outside the region to develop research, a toolkit and to begin discussion and chart the future for community-based tourism initiatives,” he added. (MM)

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Devere ‘Ill Blaze’ Birch is a Bashment Soca artiste who used music as a way to keep himself out of trouble while he was growing up.

The former student of St James Secondary School now Fredrick Smith Secondary said growing up in Black Rock he was surrounded by gangs, drugs and violence and he knew that he wanted to make better of his life, therefore he turned to music.

“I wanted to achieve more in my life, so I decided to pursue music as it was a way for me to keep off the streets and stay out of trouble. Growing up was not easy, life was a neverending action movie,” he said.

He was determined to make something of his life and began freestyle rapping to music at the tender age of 14-years-old.

“One day while I was hanging out with my childhood friend who told me that I was so good at freestyle rapping that I should take it seriously and do music full time. I took his advice and started to write songs to rap beats on sounddlick.com Another childhood friend of mine Kemar Mascoll introduced me to some older men from my area who were heavily involved in rap music, so they allowed me to be a member of their group called Infamous Bay Rules

(I.B.R) and they began teaching me the ropes to become an artiste,” he said.
But it was not all smooth sailing as I.B.R became defunct three years later and Kemar Mascoll introduced him to a producer named Dyce who was then recording music for Stainless Army Recording Studio.

“Three years after the group broke up and I was on my own once again until Kemar introduced me to Dyce who now resides in Canada. He worked then for Stainless Army Recording Studio, and he took me to meet the other artiste under his roster one of them being Junior Killa aka John Buck Wild and that was when I was introduced to Soca music,” he said.

Ill Blaze said that he got the name because back then he had an uncontrollable temper and also was ‘ill’ on each song that he recorded. He decided to put them together and his pseudonym was born.

Birch who is now 29 years old said since his introduction to music one of his greatest highlights was becoming a paid artiste.

“I would have to say my biggest highlight in my career so far is seeing how far I have come from and being paid for doing what I love the most – music. I struggled long and hard in Barbados before I travelled to reside in Guyana,” he said.

The Bashment Soca artiste said that despite his success he has realised that in Barbados his music is not widely played.

“Here in Barbados, I think there is too much favouritism in this country as far as artistes are concerned. I personally believe that every artiste should be given the opportunity to have their music aired on the radio once the music is of good quality and has a positive message.

“I have released plenty of songs in Guyana and emailed my music over here to DJs and when I returned to Barbados three years after hardly anyone heard my music and the most of whom heard my music was through social media. Over in Guyana I am recognised as an international artiste and I am recognised as and paid as such, but in Barbados,

“I am treated as though I am nobody,” he said.

Due to his lack of radio play, Ill Blaze decided to reach out to Islandlinks Radio Show as a way to ensure his music is played and reaches a wide cross-section of persons as the radio station is hosted on an online platform.

“After returning to Barbados becoming a part of Islandlinks Radio Show was an absolute honour as those guys embraced me with open arms and made me feel as though I was a part of their movement.

“I was never treated this way by local stations, and I never heard any of my songs played on local radio. If it wasn’t for my cousin Anderson DJ Timeless Birch on air, I probably would not have heard my music played,” he said.
The holder of a diploma in Computer Graphics from the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic had some words of advice for any young aspiring musician.

“My advice to anyone who wishes to become an artiste is to invest in the necessary education needed for this line of work like I did. I did a music marketing and digital advertising course while residing overseas plus I left Barbados with the creative knowledge to be able to sustain myself as an artiste.

Also, spend a lot of time perfecting your craft and do a lot of research in the field of marketing because music is a business you don’t just blow up on the airwaves in a day it is a consistent process,” he said.

Persons who are desirous of listening to Ill Blaze music can follow him on Facebook @illblazemusic. (PR)

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As England’s touring T20 and Test squads continue to agonise over selections for their Caribbean contests, more than 70 West Indian cricketers – men and women across the history of the sport – have been included in what is being called the most unusual book ever written about cricket.

Cricket’s Craziest Teams, written by Mark Slattery, draws on the names of cricketers grouped by themes. Two examples would be the Nativity, which features Antiguan bowler Alzarri Joseph, and a team of Fish names includes Bajan bowler Derrick Sealy who played in the 1930s.

“I made up fifty teams, each properly balanced with two openers, a wicket-keeper, captain and balanced batting. All the players are genuine international ones, and I’ve told stories about their lives to introduce young readers to them.

“It is the ultimate in fantasy cricket, because it crosses all generations and I’ve managed to get some 50 women’s cricketers into the book, too,” Slattery said.

West Indies women’s players include Tremayne Smartt (in the team whose names are all accomplished words), Stephanie Power (who is essential to the construction team) and Chedean Nation, who appears alongside Jamaican fast bowling legend Courtney Walsh in the international team.

“I like that I have a West Indian representing Wales,” said Slattery, “but I cannot imagine Courtney’s Welsh accent is especially accurate!”

The book is festooned with cartoons, one depicting Rory Burns, seems to have hoaxed the player.

“Rory Burns appears on my cover, putting out his stumps which are on fire,” said the author. “But since I picked him for my illnesses and ailments XI, he’s had nothing but miserable luck for England.”

Moeen Ali is also on the cover – cutting the lawn. Slattery said the book is not offensive and will entertain and inform a broad audience.

“I’ve got Sir Garfield Sobers in my Drinks XI, which must be one of the biggest ironies because he loved a drink, Wavell Hinds in the Doggy XI, and Alf Binns, the former ‘keeper, in my Household XI. I did think hard about that because after all, you are supposed to leave your Binns out.”

Other teams include fellow wicket keeper Ralph Legall who is in the law enforcement XI, while the fast-bowler turned commentator Ian Bishop is also included.

“I’ve got Collie Smith, Karl Nunes, Rahkeem Cornwall, Gavin Tonge, Joey Carew, John Trim, Junior Murray and scores of others brilliant West Indians who make up the names of my absurd teams.”

Other teams include one made up entirely of players called Smith; one themed on the names of motor cars; another based on reading and writing, and yet more on cakes and baking.

“I’ve found stories about a player whose name predicted the job he’d go on to do after he finished playing, and a woman who was dropped in favour of her own sister. Names are endlessly good for gentle amusement provided you are not being too cruel to anybody.”

One player who did not make it, but who is heavily tipped for volume two, is The Universe Boss himself, Chris Gayle.

“Gayle is obviously going to appear in the Weather XI, probably opening alongside Alex Hales. That’s the beauty of this idea: you get to mix players from different countries and eras together so long as they perform their real-life roles.

Former England fast bowler John Snow would make it into that. But I think we’d expect a lot of umbrellas with that opening pair.”

The book is available from Amazon.(PR)

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The Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) continues to celebrate its one-year anniversary on Thursday, January 27, 2022, with Reflections on the BMCLA & the Medicinal Cannabis Industry: Year One – a live online discussion with experts from the local, regional and international Medicinal Cannabis Communities.

The event will be hosted on the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority YouTube channel from 7 p.m. where the three-part sessions will focus on: the regulatory environment, stakeholder engagement, and banking and spending in the medicinal cannabis industry.

The BMCLA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight said: “At the BMCLA, we’ve always said we are a reflective and learning organisation. In the context of our first anniversary celebration, we want to be able to demonstrate that quite practically by ensuring that you can all join us to be part of our reflection and learning.”

She noted that during the panel discussion on the regulatory environment, it will focus on how well the BMCLA has done as well as highlight what needs to be improved based on world trends.

In terms of the involvement of stakeholders, the CEO said: “For anyone that knows me or knows the BMCLA, knows that we are extremely passionate about ensuring that the industry looks, reflects and involves ordinary Barbadians.

Under this theme, we will explore some of the best models and best practices for ensuring local stakeholders’ involvement.”

Dr Munro-Knight added that while the third topic of banking and spending in the medicinal cannabis industry is a much-needed conversation, there may be no easy answers. “We do want to be able to tackle this.
We want to have a discussion that examines what other regions are doing because clearly the medicinal cannabis industry is growing and expanding. What are other models that are out there in relation to facilitating banking and spending within the industry? We are going to have a very illustrious panel of experts with us from local, regional, and international to discuss all of this, so join us as we reflect but most importantly plan forward.”

Visit www.youtube.com and search for Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority and subscribe and join the BMCLA on January 27, 2022, at 7 p.m. to be part of the reflection and forward focus of the local medicinal cannabis industry. (PR)

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by David Comissiong

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

During the short three and a half years of Prime Minister Mottley’s Barbados Labour Party (BLP) government, the Administration racked up such impressive achievements as the :-
• reinstatement of free University education;
• establishment of a National Minimum Wage;
• re-establishing of an effective partnership with the Barbados Workers Union (BWU);
• securing of a seat in the House of Assembly for the General Secretary of the BWU;
• provision of high quality mobile toilet and lunch room facilities for agricultural workers;
• transformation of Barbados into a Republic;
• increase in Non-Contributory Old Age pensions by some 40 per cent;
• establishment of Embassies in Africa – in Ghana and Kenya;
• preservation of the jobs of thousands of tourism workers through the Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation (BEST) plan; and
• development of Golden Square into a beautiful awe inspiring two acre Golden Square Freedom Park.

Not only are these achievements notable in their own right, but – collectively – they bear a tremendous historical significance in that they constitute a decisive rededication of the BLP to its original ethos of Labourism, black and working-class enfranchisement, social democracy, modernization and Pan-Africanism.
And I have absolutely no doubt that this decisive rededication of the BLP to its roots – to the various interlocking “ideological schools” that went into the making of this remarkable institution way back in the year 1938, did not happen by chance. Rather, it was – and is- the meticulously crafted handiwork of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

Note, for example, the great sense of pride and satisfaction that Prime Minister Mottley evinced when she reflected on the historical significance of Ms. Toni Moore – General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) and MP for the constituency of St. George North – standing on the stage at BLP Headquarters as one of a team of BLP Parliamentarians.

Note also, the roar of approval that came from the mass of BLP supporters assembled at Bay Street on the night before the Elections, when Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson declared that there is a place of respect and honour for the legacy of the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow in the “house that Sir Grantley Adams built”. No doubt, Ambassador Thompson is only too well aware that the Right Excellent Errol Barrow actually started his political career in 1950 as a member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), and that he served as a BLP Member of Parliament from 1951 to 1955, before leaving the BLP and establishing the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

But if we are to properly understand this holistic and enduring link between such entities as the BWU, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow, and Pan-Africanists like myself with the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), we have to go back and examine the founding of the BLP in 1938.

You see, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) was a product of the labour rebellions that rocked the British colonies of the Caribbean in the 1930’s – Belize (1934), St. Kitts (1935), St. Vincent (1935), St. Lucia (1935), Trinidad (1937), Barbados (1937), Jamaica (1938) and Guyana (1939).

The events in the Caribbean were being closely monitored by a group of highly conscious political activists of Caribbean origin who were resident in New York City, and after the horrific assault on the black mass of the Barbadian population in 1937 – leaving 14 dead, 44 wounded and 453 arrested – Reginald Pierrepointe, a Barbados born crusading journalist who was employed with the leading African-American newspaper of the day, promptly organised the West Indies Defense Committee to solicit relief aid for the victims of the brutal colonial establishment crack-down.

Other leading members of the New York-based West Indies Defense Committee were Richard B. Moore, the outstanding Barbados born socialist, Pan-Africanist and black liberation activist, and Hope R. Stevens, a St. Kitts-born lawyer imbued with strong socialist, anti-colonialist and blackliberationist sensibilities.

It was these men – outstanding representatives of the interlinked progressive ideologies of Democratic Socialism, Pan-Africanism, Caribbean nationalism and Black liberation – who conceived of the need of a political party to be established in Barbados to take forward the liberation struggle of the masses in an organised and focused manner.

It is against this background therefore that the West Indies Defense Committee sent the young Hope Stevens to Barbados in March 1938 with instructions to make contact with Wynter Crawford, editor of the progressive socialist-oriented Barbados Observer newspaper.

Hope Stevens subsequently described his historic visit to Barbados as follows:- “On a bright and cloudless morning in the spring of 1938, I looked at Barbados for the first time from the deck of a Canadian National Steamship tourist liner … Reginald Pierrepoint had sent me to Wynter A. Crawford, editor of ı. . . Our day was spent in discussing the way in which the disturbances in the island had developed, their aftermath and the inquiry made by the Moyne Commission.

“In the course of the afternoon we were joined by Edwy Talma, a young solicitor. It was agreed that a discussion of suggestions for some kind of political action would be resumed when I came back on the return trip from British Guiana and Trinidad two weeks later.

“And so it was that on the evening of the return of my ship to Bridgetown a group of eight of us gathered around a large table in the dining room of a local soda water manufacturer named martineau, and I was introduced as the representative of the Caribbean Community in New York . . . Those present were Mr. Martineau, Wynter A. Crawford, Edwy Talma, Dr. Philip Payne, John Beckles, Christopher Brathwaite and Dr. Hugh Cummins, the last two then being members of the legislature.

“During the course of this meeting it was made clear that no permanent political organisation had been achieved following the recent upheavals.
However, it was patent that a political climate had developed in the island and everyone agreed that the time was ripe for action aimed at crystalising the widespread interest in the social and economic problems of the people.

“Having informed the group of the desire of the islanders in the United States to see leadership arise in the islands behind which the American residents could rally, I proposed that a political party be formed by the seven persons present. I was asked to chair the meeting. By 2:00 a.m., we had written the constitution of the Barbados Labour Party and elected its officers, the Hon. Christopher Brathwaite being made first President.

“The organisers wanted to have as the first Vice President a young lawyer  . . . and Grantley Herbert Adams was elected in absentia to that office.”

It should be noted that by March 1938, Grantley Adams had emerged as the leader of the Progressive Movement in Barbados, and was committed to a democratic socialist solution to the predicament of the masses of the Barbadian people.

This had not always been the case. In the earliest phase of his public career, Grantley Adams had been an advocate of the political ideology of “Liberalism”, and had been a thorn in the side of such progressive leaders as Dr. Charles Duncan O’Neal and Clennel Wickham. However, in the year 1934 Adams made a crucial decision to break ranks with the conservative politics of the coloured professional class of which he was a distinguished member, and to join up with the then fledgling Progressive Movement.

This caused Adams to be viewed and treated as a traitor to his class, but it earned him the praise and commendation of labour leaders like the Right Excellent Clement Payne, whom Adams represented as a lawyer. Indeed, during Payne’s speech to a massive crowd at Golden Square on 21st July 1937, he declared as follows:- “Mr. G. H. Adams and T. E. Brancker are helping you well. I hope to hear at election time that Mr. G. H. Adams gets an overwhelming majority of votes over his opponent.”

And so, it is not surprising that even though Adams was out of the island and was therefore not present at the meeting which conceived the Barbados Labour Party (also known as the Barbados Progressive League in its early days), that all of those present were keen to draft in Adams and to assign him the role of first Vice-President.
It is important to take note of the political origins and ideologies of the eight men who founded the Barbados Labour Party.

Chrissy Brathwaite, J A Martineau and Dr Hugh Cummins, for example, were all veteran “political men” who had been supporters of Dr Charles Duncan O’Neal and key leaders of O’Neal’s defunct Democratic League and Workingmen’s Association, while John Beckles was one of the major organizers of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Barbados.

All of the founder members of the BLP were therefore men whose political souls carried the imprints of Marcus Garvey and his black liberation ideology; of Duncan O’Neal and his Fabian-inspired Democratic Socialism; and of the deep-seated anti-colonialism and Caribbean nationalism that inspired Richard B. Moore and Reginald Pierrepointe.

And just to emphasise the point :- Brathwaite, Cummins and Martineau would have brought with them to the BLP such O’Neal policies as the abolition of child labour, compulsory education, minimum state guaranteed social welfare standards, universal adult suffrage, and working class organisation in pursuit of economic advancement.

And so, it was to be expected that in the aims and objectives that these men drafted for the BLP at that historic 31st March 1938 meeting would be included the intention “to provide expression for the law-abiding inhabitants of this island, enabling them to participate in the development of democratic institutions, promote the social and economic improvement of its people and … to stimulate on the part of the people an intelligent outlook on social, economic and political problems …”

Additionally, with Hope Stevens playing a leading role in forging the new organization, it is not surprising that the BLP’s original Constitution was imbued with a deep commitment to West Indian regionalism, as expressed in the party’s aim “to endeavour to promote and cooperate with the formation of similar organizations in all parts of the British West Indies.”

The fundamental point I am making is that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) was established as the new “home” in Barbados of the inter-linked political philosophies of Democratic Socialism, anti-colonialism, labourism, Caribbean regionalism, Pan-Africanism and nationalist modernisation.

Furthermore, from the very outset, the Barbados Labour Party/ Barbados Progressive League developed the profoundly wise notion that the progressive struggle in Barbados had to be conducted on both the political front and the economic front simultaneously, with a political party and a trade union working together, hand in hand. Hence, the establishment in 1941 of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) as an affiliated “sister” organisation of the BLP.

Indeed, the top leadership of the two affiliated organisations was entrusted to the two early “giants” of the BLP, with Grantley Adams serving as President of both the BLP and the BWU simultaneously, and Hugh Springer also serving as General Secretary of both organisations simultaneously.

It was therefore the BLP/BWU juggernaut that – during the decades of the 1940s and 1950s – worked as a unit to dismantle the egregious racist and feudalist Barbadian society of the day, and to establish in its place a modern democratic welfare state in which the human, civil and social rights of the masses of the Barbadian people were respected and upheld.

Back then, it was taken for granted that the General Secretary of the BWU would be included in any team of BLP candidates contesting General Elections, and would occupy a seat in the House of Assembly. Hence, the presence in the House of Assembly of BWU General Secretaries, Hugh Springer and Frank Walcott, in the 1940s and 1950s.

It was also the norm back then for young or aspiring politicians who subscribed to the political philosophies of Democratic Socialism, anticolonialism, labourism, Caribbean regionalism, Pan-Africanism or nationalist modernisation to join either the BLP or Wynter Crawford’s Congress Party as their political party of choice. And with Crawford’s Congress Party on the wane, it was not surprising therefore that when Errol Walton Barrow – the nephew of Dr. Charles Duncan O’Neal – returned to Barbados in 1950, he immediately joined the BLP; contested the 1951 General Elections on the BLP ticket; and won a seat in the House of Assembly as a BLP parliamentarian.

In the subsequent years, Mr. Barrow – a young and impatient nationalist moderniser and anti-colonialist – became impatient with the pace at which Grantley Adams was pursuing these aspects of the BLP agenda, and as a result, in 1955 Barrow felt constrained to leave the BLP and to establish his own political organisation.
And now, some 67 years after Mr Barrow’s departure from the BLP, the claim is being validly made that the imperishable legacy of Errol Walton Barrow has found a place of honour and respect in Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s BLP.

Of course, the foundation of this claim is that on Tuesday 13th August 2013, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) – under the leadership of then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart – callously dismantled Mr. Barrow’s great social achievement of free University education. And that Prime Minister Mottley – on the other hand – dutifully rescued Mr Barrow’s legacy and restored free University education on the red letter day of Tuesday 26th June 2018. So in a very real sense, Mr. Barrow – or at least Mr. Barrow’s legacy – has come home to the great man’s initial political home – the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

Similarly, the post of General Secretary of the BWU has come back to its original position of strength and influence both in the BLP Parliamentary party and in the House of Assembly! And anyone who doubts the significance of that development need only go and re-read the opening paragraph of this article and its impressive list of historic labour achievements. It is clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that, with Ms. Toni Moore MP strategically present in both the BLP Parliamentary party and in the House of Assembly, the original BLP/BWU partnership has been reconstituted and is already doing important work for and on behalf of the Barbadian working class.

And as far as we Pan-Africanists are concerned : well, that record too is absolutely clear and impressive – embassies in Africa; the first Africa/ CARICOM Summit; removal of the Nelson statue; removal of the Queen of England; the new Black History curriculum that is being piloted in our primary and secondary schools; the historic Black Lives Matter parliamentary resolution; the National Vending Act; Golden Square Freedom Park; the impending world class Slave Monument at Newton; and the list goes on.

Thanks, praises and congratulations to Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley for the invaluable work she has done in refurbishing the BLP and making it once again the natural home of the progressive forces of Barbados. Simply put, the BLP has returned to its roots.

David Comissiong is Barbados’ ambassador to Caricom.

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Members of the public are advised that the Electoral Department is closed for the remainder of the week.

The public will be informed of its reopening in a subsequent notice.
Any inconvenience caused by the closure is regretted. (BGIS)

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The Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources’ contractor, C.O Williams Construction Limited, commenced work today, Wednesday, January 26, along a section of Highway 5 between Culpepper Road and Marley Vale, St. Philip.

However, due to the construction of a culvert, the road is closed to all vehicular traffic and will be closed again tomorrow, Thursday January 27.

Motorists are asked to divert through Golden Grove Road, Thickets and Three Houses. All road users are encouraged to obey the signage and the instructions of the flag personnel and to proceed with extreme caution.

For the remainder of the project, which is expected to last approximately two weeks, traffic will be restricted to one lane. The work will be carried out between 7.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.

The Ministry of Transport Works and Water Resources apologises for the inconvenience and thank the public for its patience and understanding. (MTW)

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Public officers are being prepared to function effectively in simple authentic foreign language situations and are honing valuable skills in the process.

The Learning and Development Directorate (LDD) of the Ministry of the Public Service has organised Beginner’s Chinese for Business and Tourism and Beginner’s Portuguese for Business and Tourism courses for public officers. They are being offered by the Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning, The University of the West Indies.

Director of the LDD, Fay-Marie Browne, said one Portuguese and two Chinese cohorts had already been conducted.  Another Portuguese course would be held in March/April of this year, she added, noting that officers may begin applying for it.

Explaining that the courses target public officers at all levels who desire training in beginner’s conversational language for business and travel purposes, Mrs. Browne said they are held for eight weeks, via the Zoom platform.

Underscoring their importance, the Director stated: “The courses seek to expose all public officers to a second language, in keeping with the national objective of having all Barbadians becoming bilingual.

“Barbados sees the globe as its oyster and some public officers interact with many non-English speaking officials professionally and socially, so this training will allow them to feel more comfortable in their interactions and may even propel them to take steps to further their studies in the areas.”

During the training, participants learn greetings and expressions of courtesy; grammar; how to introduce self and others; make business calls; ask for and give directions; express their likes and dislikes and leisure time activities.

Mrs. Browne continued: “The public officers even get to listen to and interpret simple communications from a native speaker, thus they are able to develop and improve their foreign language skills and proficiency.”

Persons interested in taking the courses should download the LDD’s in-service nomination form from the website www.mps.gov.bb and complete and email it to ld@mps.gov.bb.

For queries, officers may contact Human Resource Officer, Fay-Ann Jordan, at 535-6719, or email fay-ann.jordan@mps.gov.bb. (BGIS)

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Barbadian consumers are being put on notice not to expect any ease in prices, at least in the foreseeable future, as importers continue to battle with global supply chain disruptions.

This caution came as Governor of the Central Bank Cleviston Haynes reported it was possible for the Government to provide an ease in some taxes, but it would have to weigh that carefully against possible impact and also search for other revenue streams.

He made the comments on Wednesday as he delivered his Barbados economic review for 2021.

Haynes noted that while freighting costs have “eased off the highs of late last year”, prices were likely to remain elevated, at least for the first half of this year, though it could improve based on global economic recovery.

“Sharp price increases, together with further disruptions to the supply chain, could have a negative impact on the pace of recovery,” he said.

“From our perspective, right now what we see is that prices will remain elevated. As always, some prices will go up and some will come down, but I think on average prices will remain elevated . . . . Based on what we have seen with how prices moved in the last half of 2021, it is likely to see that moving average inflation rate going up and possibly the point-to-point rate going up in the short term,” he said.

The local business community has been crying out for reduced taxes on imports, which it indicated could provide some ease in prices for consumers. There have also been growing calls for the Government to review the burdensome Garbage and Sewage Contribution (GSC) levy, especially for the agriculture sector, so that meat and vegetable prices could be lowered.

Haynes agreed that a reduction in freight costs could help to stabilise prices in the event of ongoing global pressures, thereby providing a “small assistance” to consumers.

However, he explained that while it was possible to review the taxes, it meant that an alternative source of revenue would be required, or the Government would have to find ways to further slash its expenditure in some areas.

The Central Bank Governor reported that the global trend of rising inflation was reflected in domestic prices in 2021. The retail price index at November was 4.6 per cent higher than at 2020 year-end, driven in large measure by higher import prices.

“Soaring international freight costs arising from disruptions in the global supply chain added to the hikes in energy and food prices caused by the revival of global economic activity. Domestic food prices were elevated mainly due to meats and vegetables,” Haynes reported.

He noted that while price increases were also acutely felt in gasoline, diesel and electricity, the continued discounting of clothing, footwear and furnishing and household equipment dampened the domestic inflationary pressures somewhat.

Presenting an economic outlook for the Barbados economy in 2022, Haynes said he was optimistic that recovery could be accelerated based on the economic activity witnessed over the last nine months of 2021.

“This should be driven in part by the continued revival of the tourism sector. All indicators are for a strong, though partial, recovery in the first quarter, aided by the favourable impact of the influx of visitors for the English cricket tours, the expansion of airlift into the country and the positive benefits of enhancements to the tourism plant,” he said.

Haynes noted that in addition to the ongoing five-match Betway T20 International Series between West Indies and England in Bridgetown, the island was in line to welcome about 5,000 more English visitors in March for a Test match.

“I think this will have a positive impact on our tourism because on the one hand, it fills rooms, but when they come they spend and, therefore, our small business sector benefits from their presence,” he said.

The economist said he was also encouraged that some large-scale tourism development projects set to get started this year, infrastructure upgrades by the Government, and other smaller private sector investments should provide a further boost to the revival of economic activity.

This, he said, should result in positive spill-overs and new jobs.

“The Bank has developed multiple scenarios for growth but is optimistic that, absent the re-imposition of travel restrictions or the deepening of the supply chain disruption or significant geopolitical shocks, there is potential for a robust recovery leading to double-digit growth in 2022,” said Haynes, who indicated that the 14.2 per cent growth rate reported in the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update Report was a best case scenario “if everything were to go perfectly well”.

The Central Bank boss reported that the stock of international reserves increased by $398 million during 2021 to reach a record $3.058 billion, or about 9.6 months of imports, driven mainly by policy-based borrowing from the multilateral financial institutions and the proceeds of the new allocation by the International Monetary Fund.

There was a slight improvement in government revenue, which is around 28.3 per cent of GDP for the current fiscal year, when compared to 28 per cent of GDP during the same period in the prior fiscal year.

Government expenditure increased last year as the Government sought to address the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has rejected an offer from Prime Minister Mia Mottley for the defeated party to nominate persons to fill the two vacant Opposition seats in the Senate, declaring that it is not hers to gift.

Acting DLP President Steve Blackett said Wednesday the offer was not made within the “four corners of the law” and his party will therefore not be complicit in any such arrangement.

During an address to the nation on Monday when she announced her new Cabinet and Senate picks, the Prime Minister said she would consult with the opposition parties that contested the January 19 general election on the appointment of two Opposition Senators.

Mottley’s Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly.

“It is the intention of this government again to engage with the opposition parties which contested the last two elections to determine how best they may participate in the appointment of two opposition senators provided for in our Constitution,” Mottley stated.

“I am equally awaiting a legal opinion from the Honourable Attorney General on this matter before we start those formal discussions with the opposition parties,” the Prime Minister added.

But the DLP, which garnered the second-highest number of votes at the polls, cited Section 75 of the Constitution of Barbados to ground its reason for rejecting the prime minister’s offer.

Blackett said the party looked at the matter and took guidance from its “legal brains” with respect to the constitutionality of the offer.

“The part of the Constitution which spoke to that is Section 75 which clearly states that in the absence of a Leader of the Opposition that the Governor-General or the President now, names nine candidates instead of seven,” he said.

“So the gift that Mottley is offering is a gift that she cannot offer. It is not an offer to us that is hers to give. You see, once you start wrong, you are going to end wrong,” Blackett contended.

The interim DLP leader added: “We are not going to be complicit in agreeing to something being offered to us, when it does not fit within the four corners of the law or the Constitution.”

“I know people are saying we should take the offer. You can’t do that. In this interim period, while I am acting president, I am not going to be complicit in an offer that is not framed in the four corners of the Constitution.

“And from all that I am hearing from our legal brains in the party, the offer cannot come from Mottley. It has to come from somebody else. I am not going to say the President, because as you know, political parties are not recognised in the Constitution. Therefore, the President cannot find herself immersed in the business of political parties,” the acting DLP president pointed out.

Blackett however said the party is willing to take up the offer once it is done properly.

“When it properly comes to us, the organs of the party will sit at George Street and decide, if we first will accept the offer and once we accept the offer, we will identify the two people to occupy those two seats in the Senate,” he stated.

Asked if there was any need to amend the Constitution, Blackett told Barbados TODAY the party’s legal counsel has advised that it is not necessary to “tamper” with the island’s supreme law.

“Depending on the advice of the legal brains in the party, they are saying there is no need to tamper with the Constitution…embedded in the Constitution at Section 75 clearly speaks to who should act and who should make the offer,” he said.

Also weighing in on the issue was the leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley.

He said the APP, which fielded 20 candidates in the election, would also be interested in being represented in the Senate once given the opportunity.

However, like the DLP, which vied for all 30 seats in the recent general election, the APP would only do so if the process was constitutional.

“My party is interested in preserving democracy in Barbados and developing democracy in Barbados. If there is something that is proposed that includes us that is legal, it is constitutional, it is moral, I am sure that the Alliance Party would seriously consider them,” said Atherley who had crossed the floor to become the Opposition Leader when his then BLP party accomplished its first 30-nil victory in the May 2018 election.

He also raised questions as to whether Section 75 of the Constitution applied to the appointment of two Opposition Senators.

“I think what Section 75 is saying that where there is no Leader of the Opposition and where the Constitution requires that the Governor-General [President] makes a decision after consulting with the Leader of the Opposition…in the absence of that leader, the Governor-General can make that decision at her own discretion.

“But I am saying that I do not know if that applies to the appointment of two senators on behalf of the Opposition,” Bishop Atherley told Barbados TODAY.

Again like the DLP hierarchy, the APP leader believes the Head of State should be shielded from any semblance of political involvement in the appointment of a party representative in the Upper Chamber.

“Certainly, you would not want to know that the President, the Head of State is in the business of identifying two people, apart from the independent senators…You would not want to put the office of the President in a position where the President is identifying two people to speak on behalf of the Opposition,” Bishop Atherley argued.

He said he would prefer to see a Constitutional arrangement where, in the absence of an Opposition Leader, one or two political parties are allowed to name the persons to those positions and all the President would therefore have to do is to confirm the appointments.

Atherley said while he accepted that the Prime Minister’s offer was a good idea in the circumstances, he thought she went about it in the wrong way.

“I hope it can be appreciated now by a few more people as to why I did what I did because it helps us to get out of this bit of a mess that we are in. I think the Prime Minister, rightly so, is suggesting that we need to have that balance in the Senate and therefore she might have gone about it in terms of speaking to it publicly. That may have been an error in the way she did it. But I think she is recognising that those positions are critically important.”

He noted that whatever is done, there is a need to get the Parliament properly constituted because there are some serious issues to be addressed.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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The sharp escalation in COVID-19 cases has come as no surprise to Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who says her recently elected administration’s response would be commensurate with the risk posed by the Omicron variant.

On Wednesday, the country recorded 723 new cases of the virus after logging more than 900 the day before. More than 8,000 people are infected.

But with the vast majority in home isolation, PM Mottley declared that the “shadow of death” which was present during last year’s outbreak of the delta variant had somewhat subsided.

“We expect the numbers to continue to rise, just as we expect them to rise globally,” said Prime Minister Mia Mottley, during a more than 40-minute address Wednesday at State House.

“From the very beginning, we have said that we can think and we can reason and it was clear to us from the outset that Omicron was not going to be the same level of seriousness as Delta and that there is simply not the shadow of death that Delta and others had portrayed with Omicron and to that extent, we will respond appropriate to risk as we always do.

“We have said all along that we must continue to accept that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and the reality is if we try to treat it otherwise, we will cause more people to be affected by non pandemic reasons than by omicron itself, which is proven to be significantly less serious than the other variants that we have had to manage during the course of the last two years,” she added.

The Prime Minister stressed that high-level officials from the Pan American Health Organisation had advised that more than half of the world’s population would have been expected to contract the Omicron variant.

As a result, she said the onus was on Barbadians to exercise personal responsibility for their own actions.

Still, Mottley revealed that the first meeting after the swearing ceremony would be with newly-appointed Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill.

She said her government would have to “think outside the box”, cognizant that the pandemic could not be fought as a “single source issue”.

“We also fight it as a global community that has seen a significant disruption in the supply chain and therefore our capacity to access things as basic as tests, right through to other aspects continue to be issues with which we must continuously engage as we go forward,” said Mottley.

Over the current five-year term, Mottley stressed that the climate crisis would be high on her agenda in response to threats like Hurricane Elsa and last year’s ‘freak’ storm which displaced nearly 2500 families.

She noted that most of the affected people are below the poverty line, underscoring the relevance of the roofs to reefs project.

Other areas of concern highlighted by the PM include the country’s chronic non communicable disease crisis, the declining workforce, and the loss of social capital because of crime.

She added that former education minister Santia Bradshaw had laid the groundwork for promised education reforms which would allow newly-appointed Minister, Kay McConney to hit the ground running. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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The continued rise in COVID-19 cases in Barbados has come as no surprise to the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP).

That is according to its public relations officer Dr Russell Broome-Webster who said the increase in cases had been predicted by health officials.

On Tuesday, Barbados recorded 923 new cases, the highest ever number of positive cases in a single day, while the second highest number, 723, was reported on Wednesday.

In a press conference three weeks ago, after it was confirmed that the Omicron variant of the virus had been detected here, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Best reported that a University of the West Indies study had predicted that, in a worst-case scenario, Barbados could see a wave lasting six or seven weeks with as many as 3,500 cases per day.

A shorter wave lasting a month had also been forecast, with up to 1,200 cases per day at its peak.

“We certainly were aware that due to the transmission dynamics on the island, that something had changed towards the end of last year and that change was in keeping with the new variant being present on the island, which is extremely transmissible,” Dr Broome-Webster said in an interview with Barbados TODAY. “Some places would quote it to be as transmissible as a virus such as measles, which is the most transmissible respiratory virus that we are aware of.”

“Once Omicron arrived, we anticipated that there would be very high numbers of cases. I would say, fortunately and unfortunately, we do still have a large portion of people who are vaccinated. We are approaching 70 per cent or so and that is still a good thing but because of the transmissibility of the virus we still worry that we can have large outbreaks,” he added.

The BAMP PRO noted that there was some suggestion from the Pan American Health Organization that Barbados would be a country of concern, especially with increased tourist activity.

“And, obviously, anytime there is increased gatherings such as political meetings or any other gatherings – I mean, people have been gathering with pretty limited restrictions since December or so – then you’re going to have an increase in cases,” he said.

“There were a lot of tests done yesterday, which is encouraging because if we can do more testing then we can obviously find more cases but it just shows that we have to continue to drive in terms of vaccination. Certainly, Omicron in particular has more escape from previous natural immunity and that is something that we must take into consideration.”

Dr Broome-Webster said BAMP would continue to encourage persons to get vaccinated and boosted, especially as the third shot had shown to provide added protection against the Omicron variant.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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