The Barbados Association of Office Professionals last evening installed a new board of directors, led by president Karen Carter, to serve the 2018 to 2019 term.

Also installed in a ceremony at the Radisson Aquatica resort were president elect, Rosalind Trotman; treasurer, Marcusa Farrell; corresponding secretary, Nicole Byer; recording secretary, Stephanie McConney; assistant secretary/treasurer, Harriette Rowe; and immediate past president, Sandra Hinds.

Formerly known as the Barbados Secretaries Association, the Barbados Association of Office Professionals (BAOP) describes itself as “the leading Association in Barbados for administrative support personnel”.

It has been in existence since 1974.

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Police are making a special appeal to witnesses of "criminal acts" which occurred during and after Puff of Colour in the early hours of this morning to come forward.

Police Public Relations Officer acting Inspector Rodney Inniss told Barbados TODAY that lawmen are still trying to ascertain what exactly occurred.

He said that there appeared to be at least three different incidents - gunshots were allegedly fired, reports of cars being broken into and vandalized, and disorderly conduct.

“The police are doing their investigations. These things were reported a little late after [the event]  and we're still trying to piece together what exactly happened…so we are trying to verify what is true and what isn’t,” Inniss said.

His comments come in the wake of a series of disturbing videos which have been making the rounds of social media, showing a group of rowdy people throwing rocks and fighting.

In the four short clip videos, a group of men can be seen running through the private graveyard armed with pieces of wood, metal and rocks and throwing whatever they could find to hit their target.

The men were also seen hurling rocks aimlessly at each other with no regard for the other pedestrians.

In the last videos, some of the men involved were also seen running through traffic and throwing rocks some of which hit parked and moving vehicles.

Even in the face of brazen act of lawlessness, which ensued after the six-hour paint, powder and water J’ouvert, the police spokesman sought to reassure the public that the Crop Over is still safe.

“The reason why we police events before, during and after is to try to eliminate the possibility of these things happening but we can only do so much,” he said.

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Motorists who paid their road tax between June 12 and June 30 are in line to receive a refund, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has announced.
In a wide-ranging interview with journalist David Ellis this evening, Mottley said Government would return 75 per cent of the sum paid once drivers write a letter to the Ministry of Finance.

The development comes on the heels of public confusion over the payment of road tax, which was replaced by the July 1 introduction of the fuel tax that has been levied at 40 cents per litre on petrol and diesel, and five cents per litre on kerosene.
Minister of Transport and Works Dr William Duguid had publicly told motorists that if their road tax was due by July 1 they would have to pay up or park their vehicles until the start of the initiative.

Motorists however later discovered that they were required to pay road tax owed before July.
Prime Minister Mottley said cabinet agreed to the payment of the refund last Thursday.

“Write the letter and we will check and see when your time came up at BRA [Barbados Revenue Authority] and once that is verified then the Government will give you back 75 per cent of what you paid and the Government will retain 25 per cent as an administrative fee.”
Meanwhile, the owners of commercial vehicles who paid their road tax will not receive a refund. They will however be exempted from paying their registration fee next year.

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A Christ Church man is nursing a gunshot wound following a shooting incident that occurred around 7:15 a.m., along Silver Hill Drive.

53-year-old Hugh Harewood of Wotton Plantation  was involved in an altercation with another man who allegedly shot him in the groin. He was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance.

The  assailant fled the scene on foot.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to report to the Oistins Police Station at 418 2612, police emergency 211 or any police station.

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When gunshots erupted just around noon today outside the home of Rafik Patel in Pickwick Gap, St Michael, his thoughts immediately turned to his granddaughter with whom he often plays near where the shooting was taking place.

[caption id="attachment_273720" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The area in Pickwick Gap, St Michael where this morning’s shooting occurred.[/caption]

“This shooting so close to my home isn’t a good thing at all. Usually I play with my grandchild out here and she could have easily been hurt, but luckily she wasn’t here at the time of the shooting,” an upset Patel told Barbados TODAY.

Up until the time of publication police had little details on the shootout, believed to have been between two men, and there were no reports of injuries.

However, it was a troubling scene for Patel, who has lived in the area for just shy of 60 years, and who recalls the days of peace and quiet.

[caption id="attachment_273722" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Resident Rafik Patel says his once peaceful community is now like the ‘wild, wild west’.[/caption]

“I was living here from the time I was ten years old in 1960 and the only thing we used to have down here is excitement at cricket when it played at Kensington,” he said with a tinge of nostalgia.

But things have changed, and his once peaceful community is now like the “wild, wild west”, with the regular sound of gunshots becoming a normal part of life.

“We hear gunshots here regularly. It is like the wild, wild, west. It is ridiculous,” Patel said. “Young boys have too many guns. They don’t want to solve disputes peacefully. It is very sad,” he added.

[caption id="attachment_273721" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Bullets pierced this garbage can and building in the area.[/caption]

While the brazen display of bravado by the gun carrying lawbreakers drives fear in the hearts of residents, seldom are they fatal, Patel told Barbados TODAY.

However, he said there was a killing two years ago, which shook the community to the core and shattered what was left of their peaceful lives.

And even as the community has come to expect gunfire on any given day, Patel was hopeful that those involved in the shootings would finally “get back to good morals” and change their ways.

“This used to be a peaceful area, but not now. You don’t need to watch a western movie, all you have to do is come here. I don’t know what is happening with the youth of the island. I am also concerned about the future,” he stressed.

“They need to respect one another and be humble. We need to learn to say we are sorry and move on. If I step on a man’s toe he wants to stab me. Before, in the old days, if you do that you apologize and it won’t be no problem. Morality is going down and all this immorality is leading to gun violence.

“There is something wrong mentally, whether it is the parents fault in the upbringing of the children or they are watching too much violence on social media or television, I don’t know.”

The Pickwick Gap shooting was the second today, following an incident along Silver Hill Drive, Christ Church around 7:15 this morning, which left 53-year-old Hugh Harewood of Wotton Plantation nursing a gunshot wound to his groin.

Harewood, who was involved in an altercation with another man, was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance. The assailant fled the scene on foot.

An upsurge in gun violence saw
the island recording two killings last week, bringing the murder count for the year so far to 17, according to police statistics.

Thirty-eight-year-old Pauline Clarke was shot multiple times and killed around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday while exiting a gym at Civilian Road, Bush Hall.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Donasan Husbands was gunned down in the car park east of the Flour Mill off Spring Garden Highway, St Michael on Friday after disembarking the MV Dream Chaser after attending a cruise.

Today’s gun violence came mere hours after Prime Minister Mia Mottley appealed for an end to gun violence.

“It has to stop,” she told interviewer David Ellis last night in a 90-minute exchange, broadcast nationally and online.

Expressing concern that youth as young as 14 and up to 22 were often involved in worrying activity, the Prime Minister said it was important that the authorities engage those likely to get into trouble, and create programmes that would help to keep them occupied.

“We have just had some gun incidents last week, two of them. This afternoon I was sent a video from a fete that took place that had some people running lawlessly. This has to stop,” she said.

“In order for us to do that [stop gun violence], we have to put in the time and go and engage. This is not a case of being able to use the heavy arm of the law on people.

“This is a case of sitting down and talking with people and putting structures in place. The Ministry of Youth has to put back in place substantive programmes for young people . . . . Unless you have young people in structured activity, the devil is going to find work for idle hands,” she contended.
anmargboyce@barbadostoday.bb

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Barbadian undergraduate students at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) will not have to dig into their pockets to pay their tuition fees after all.

The university today said it had finally received official word from the Ministry of Education confirming that Government would indeed cover the costs.

This has put to bed concerns raised last week by a number of parents and students, who had complained that they were being told by UWI they would have to meet the tuition costs themselves in the absence of official word from Government.

“The university has been given the necessary assurances and has received the requisite correspondence about the new policy becoming effective from the coming semester,” Director of Communications Chelston Lovell told Barbados TODAY.

It was last Wednesday that Barbados TODAY reported that students showing up to enrol at the university for the upcoming semester, which begins on August 20, were being told they must pay tuition fees themselves by August 26, 2018, despite Government’s promise a month earlier to foot their tuition bill.

This came as a shock to everyone, including Marsha Lynch, whose daughter has been accepted at the Cave Hill campus.

Lynch said at the time she was advised by the campus’ admissions department that in the absence of official notification from Government, her daughter would be required to pay $6,000 in tuition fees.

The concerned mum said she was also told that the monies would be reimbursed as soon as the financial arrangements were finalized.

“They [UWI] is telling me that I could apply to be reimbursed or keep the money on the account to pay the amenities fee over the next three years. This not $600, this a lot of money.

“I was under the impression that all my child had to do was apply because Government was paying the fees,” Lynch said then.

This was confirmed by an official of the tertiary division of the Ministry of Education who told Barbados TODAY then there was “no official word on this as yet”.

“Students would have to wait on official word or follow the directive from the University of West Indies, which is to pay the fees,” the ministry official said.

Following the publication of the report, a meeting was held on Friday between the university’s senior management and officials from the Ministry of Education, after which, Lovell said, the ministry gave written authorization for UWI to proceed with the policy at the start of the new academic year.

However, Lovell explained that the situation surrounding postgraduate students was a lot murkier, as the university was still awaiting confirmation of how Government intended to address their tuition.   

“Where there was some uncertainty is in relation to the level of support that Government is giving to postgraduate students,” the UWI spokesman said.

“Bear in mind that Government only spoke specifically to undergraduate students, but they also promised some level of support to postgraduate students who were pursuing areas of study . . . considered critical, or if you got a first class or upper second degree at the undergraduate level. So there is some uncertainty there because it hasn’t all been spelt out as yet,” he added, while expressing confidence that the ambiguity would soon be cleared.

Therefore, Lovell advised those considering applying for postgraduate studies to do so, as the possibility continued to exist that their course of study would qualify for Government funding.

“People who are hesitant to apply for postgraduate studies because they are not sure whether or not Government will fund their programme must understand that significant support is coming for certain key areas,” he stressed.

In her mini Budget presented on June 11, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is also Minister of Finance, said effective September undergraduate students attending UWI would no longer pay tuition fees, fulfilling one of the signature campaign promises of the Barbados Labour Party.

“We will abolish undergraduate tuition fees for those attending the University of the West Indies with effect from the next semester. In return we will require each student to contribute to the development of social capital by giving back a minimum of 100 hours in approved service to the country,” she said at the time, while promising to introduce “safeguards against the explosion of enrolment”.

She also revealed that reversal of the decision made by the then ruling Democratic Labour Party in 2013, and which took effect the following year, would cost Barbadian taxpayers an additional $22 million annually.

colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

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A new Town & Country Planning Act is expected to go before Parliament before the end of November, with Prime Minister Mia Mottley today taking issue with the current state of overcrowded, low-income housing districts, including The Pine, St Michael.

“We have a situation in The Pine, in Wildey [St Michael], in Silver Hill and Gall Hill [Christ Church], and we wonder why we have the social problems that we have without recognizing that we have literally participated in the calcification of Government policy and programming over the years,” Mottley said, explaining that houses built in the 1950s and 60s were not as wide as the platform she was standing on delivering her address, but were housing “three and four generations of people”.

She stressed that “in the absence of effective planning, people have done what they wanted to do in order to accommodate the overcrowded aspects of those housing [units]. When I go through some of those areas, and I think in particular of The Pine, it is the closest thing to a favela that you would see,” adding that “we have an urgent obligation to do right by our people both in terms of density and functionality and aesthetics with respect to our housing.

“So I would like to hear you, not just on the things that excite big business in terms of the process of planning, but the things that will lead to greater social cohesion and economic enfranchisement,” the Prime Minister told participants in a special stakeholder consultation on the reformation of the Town & Country Planning Act at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Insisting that Barbados did not have the luxury of time, Mottley said the over five-decades-old legislation was in urgent need of review and modernization.

“We do not have the luxury of time and therefore I have asked that these consultations take place within the next four to six weeks so we can move to the state of drafting, even if it means us engaging in a special purpose framework for that drafting to take place because we want this legislation before Parliament before the end of November,” Mottley said.

During the event, which was streamed live on social media, Mottley questioned if the general public should not have a “greater say” on the building development process.

The consultation was designed to, among other things, give stakeholders a chance to discuss the new legislation, specifically as it relates to appeals, development control and management and development planning and the physical development plan.

Among concerns raised were the length of time it takes for decisions to be made by the department; issues relating to the appeals process; the location for construction and whether simple and complex applications should be subject to the same process.

Mottley, who has responsibility for the Town and Country Planning Department, insisted that while it was important to “protect some Barbadian vernacular”, including architecture and aesthetics, it was equally critical that policies ensure buildings were of a certain standard to withstand hurricanes and storms.

She also raised several questions that she asked stakeholders to discuss, one being whether Barbados should consider building in the ocean.

“The question is, are we satisfied that we have done the work to determine what are the consequences of such construction to our environmental land and seascape or if we haven’t, should we not now do it . . . These are questions we must ask ourselves,” the Prime Minister said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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The organizers of Puff of Colour (POC) contend on the event’s website that it will help you “forget a few worries and leave with a smile on your face”.

However, the managers of Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens at The Ridge, Christ Church will not soon forget a brawl early yesterday morning that followed the six-hour event, neither has it left a smile on their faces.

On the contrary, President of Coral Ridge Group Peter Griffith was left fuming after several patrons who had left the paint, water and powder fete at Searles Quarry took their fracas to the cemetery and left behind a yet undetermined amount in damage.

[caption id="attachment_273736" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Peter Griffith[/caption]

Several videos surfaced on social media in which young men were seen hurling rocks and metal objects while trampling graves.

Griffith said the time had come for the POC organizers, who said on their website that “some see it as a soca rave, others a full playground, but most think of it as a chance to have an all out good time”, to take the event elsewhere.

“I don’t even know who the promoters are, and I read that they would not comment until they had a meeting with their entire committee. But it would be interesting to find out what their position is and I really don’t know how we can persuade these people to do something different or to move away from the area. But around Coral Ridge is not the place,” he said while adding: “You can’t come into a neighbourhood playing loud music and people can’t sleep all night and into the morning, and then the fireworks.”

Griffith told Barbados TODAY Coral Ridge was seeking legal advice “on how we can proceed with this matter of recouping any costs to us and at the same time we are going to be pursuing help from the police and neighbours to see if we can prevent the function from being up there”.

He said every year the event posed problems for the 26-acre burial ground, but “this is the worst so far”.

“We cannot sit back on it and let this thing continue and make matters worse,” Griffith said.

He said the damage to the cemetery had set back operations significantly, explaining that the rowdy group uprooted burial ground markers and used them as weapons.

“We now have to go through the burial register to see who was buried and where they were buried and see if they [the markers] are there. It is going to be a tedious job and unless we are sure about a particular spot we will not be permitted burial until the task is completed,” he said.

While stating it was still too early to determine the full extent of the damage, Griffith said the affected part of the cemetery might be out of commission for about a week.

“We are going to have to reinstate all the markers and it will involve getting a surveyor and all of that. We have to make sure that everything is done so correctly that there are no mistakes in interments with people going in to the wrong grave and that kind of thing.”

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There will be heightened security at this year’s Foreday Mornin’ Jam on August 3.

The event’s title sponsor, Barbados Light & Power (BL&P), made the announcement today, while explaining that there would be “about 70 or more lighting towers along the route”.

“Safety is a big area of focus and it is a part of our culture at the organization, so that is why we have taken the opportunity not only to partner with the [National Cultural Foundation] in the sponsorship of the event, but also to champion the whole idea of safety, and we honestly believe that not just Foreday Mornin’ but all events for Crop Over can be incident free. And we will work hard with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that is achieved this year yet again,” Managing Director of BL&P Roger Blackman said in light of a shooting death which marred last year’s Crop Over climax.

[caption id="attachment_273737" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Roger Blackman[/caption]

The victim, 20-year-old Taried Junior Rock, of 3rd Avenue, Chapman Lane, St Michael, died after bullets were fired after 6 p.m.  during the Grand Kadooment climax on the Spring Garden Highway.

However, without making any reference to the deadly incident in which at least 22 other persons suffered gunshot injuries and for which six young men were subsequently charged, NCF Manager of Administration Wayne Webster also assured that security was paramount.

He explained that even though the Royal Barbados Police Force and the Barbados Defence Force would provide security on the roads, “this does not negate the need or a requirement for bands to provide their own security to ensure the safety of their patrons”.

“. . . I say all of that because quite recently they were some concerns expressed apparently by some bandleaders as to the safety of the event and I wanted to emphasize that following the substantial review of our stakeholders that we have answered their calls and we have sought, with the assistance of Barbados Light & Power, to ensure that this event is probably the most secure event that happens in Barbados,” he added.

Event Producer Randy Eastmond said the concept this year was ‘mud, music and mass’. However, Eastmond acknowledged that there were only 37 bands registered this year, ten fewer than the 47 that took part in last year’s event.

This year, there are three starting points, namely Queen’s Park, Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. Lower Broad Street and Barbados Investment Development Corporation, Harbour Road. The start time is 1 a.m. and the event is scheduled to culminate at 7 a.m.

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An announcement last night by Prime Minister Mia Mottley that motorists who paid road tax between June 12 and June 30 will receive a partial refund has come like music to the ears of vehicle owners.

Mottley said in an interview broadcast nationally on radio and television, as well as online, that Government would refund 75 per cent of the sum paid once drivers write to the Ministry of Finance proving they had paid the road tax, which was abolished effective July 1 and replaced with a fuel tax of 40 cents per litre on petrol and diesel, and five cents per litre on kerosene.

Even those, like Bernard Boyce, who did not qualify for a refund, were pleased with the decision.

“I’m glad that those people will now get back their money,” Boyce told Barbados TODAY, while throwing his support behind the abolishment of the road tax, even though he acknowledged some drivers may be forced to spend more on petrol.

[caption id="attachment_273742" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Bernard Boyce[/caption]

“I believe the change from [the road] tax is working, but the guys who do a lot of driving, it will affect them mostly,” he said.

Another driver, Kemar Babb, also celebrated news of the refund, although he said it never bothered him that he had to pay the road tax because it was for the greater good.

[caption id="attachment_273743" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kemar Babb[/caption]

“The refund is good news to me, but if I didn’t get repaid I won’t have minded at all,” Roach told Barbados TODAY.

“For me it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day it is all about bettering the country. Those little things do come into play. There is a lot of debt that has to be repaid so I see it as steps going forward. Yes, it will disadvantage some persons but it is about the big picture.

“If people have to drive, they will drive regardless. The only thing that will happen is that those people who did not pay road tax in previous years it will catch them. But maybe that was the plan because a lot of people were driving without paying the road tax,” he argued, while advising motorists not to spend any more time than is required on the road.

“If you are going to Speightown Monday and then town on Tuesday you will have to look and see if you can either do all two in one day so there won’t be the back and forth. You just have to manoeuvre to suit.”

Like the other motorists, Bevin Austin said he welcomed a refund, although he felt the decision to abolish the road tax and replace it with the fuel tax would be costly.

[caption id="attachment_273744" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bevin Austin[/caption]

“Ms Mottley said that she would give 75 per cent back and I really don’t have a problem with that,” Austin said.

“My feeling is that I would prefer to pay the road tax based on my mileage. I will spend more. Normally $100 dollars would last me seven days but now I find myself spending like $200 a week because I’m a carpenter by trade, I live in St Lucy and most of my work is in St Philip,” he explained.

Mottley’s announcement came after there was an outcry when drivers whose road tax expired mere days before the levy was abolished found upon going to the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) for their documents, that they were required to make the payments.

Many were angry because, they said, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid had appeared to suggest that all they needed to do to avoid conflict with the law was to park their vehicles until July 1, although he had insisted that they pay their taxes.

Even as the outcry continued, Duguid told a news conference last week that all road taxes that were due before July 1 had to be paid, explaining that his previous statement had been misunderstood.

“The tax remains due. My comments really were related to how they would be with respect to the law in terms on if the police stopped them . . . not with respect to whether the road tax is due or not. Road tax continues to be due,” he stressed at the briefing, even as he sought to quell the uproar by announcing that provision had been made with BRA for those with outstanding road taxes to pay in installments.

However, Mottley said last night the minister’s comment could easily have been interpreted to mean all drivers needed to do was park their vehicles for a few days until July 1 and they would escape the road tax.

Therefore, she said, a Cabinet decision had been taken to give a refund to those who were made to pay road tax between June 12 when her new Budget took effect, and June 30.

“Write the letter and we will check and see when your time came up at BRA and once that is verified then the Government will give you back 75 per cent of what you paid and the Government will retain 25 per cent as an administrative fee,” the Prime Minister announced.

Meanwhile, the owners of commercial vehicles who paid their road tax will not receive a refund. They will however be exempted from paying their registration fee next year.

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Declaring that she was not giving any “free rides”, Prime Minister Mia Mottley last night staunchly defended her appointment of five special advisors.

These are Dr Hugh Sealey, who will tackle sewage and environmental matters; Dr Annalee Babb, digital technology; Dr Avinash Persaud, economic matters; Ben Arrindell, the international business sector, and Jonathan Reid, youth policy.

“These are not people we have taken from the side of the road and these are people who will be held accountable,” Mottley said during her first one-on-one interview since coming to power following the May 24 general elections.

The Prime Minister, who had earlier named a 28-member Cabinet, along with two ambassadors who can attend Cabinet meetings, told veteran journalist David Ellis that despite criticisms raised about the overall size of her Government, “we haven’t even come close” to the costs of the former Freundel Stuart administration.

“What I have asked the country to bear in terms of additional ministers in Government - all of whom have been voted for -  is less than a million dollars,” she suggested, adding that “in terms of the five special advisors that we are bringing on board, we believe that they add value and equally they are less than $750,000 [in annual costs],”

She also said that having inherited a situation where virtually every sphere in the country was under threat, she had to hit the ground running with the right team.

“The notion that I can come into a Government and find all kinds of consultants in tourism, international transport, Invest Barbados, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Transport . . .  I will give you chapter and verse on all because it comes into millions of dollars,” Mottley said.

But though armed with a blue folder filled with documents she said were the contracts of consultants hired under Stuart’s watch, Mottley stopped short of giving specifics in the 90-minute interview, even though she pointed out that there was a special events promoter in her predecessor’s office and another consultant who was being paid $7,000 from Invest Barbados and $5,000 from the Barbados Tourism Authority.

At the same time, Mottley revealed that all the positions in her office had not been filled even as she sought to justify her hiring of her Communications Director Charles Jong.

Revealing that she had a personal aide and she needed someone who could handle her communications with the rest of the country and within Government, the Prime Minister said that Jong was offered a contract and his salary was 50 per cent less than that paid to former DLP General Secretary George Pilgrim, who served as Principal Political Advisor to Stuart.

“When I go, he [Jong] goes. This is not a case of putting somebody in the public service, but this is a case of recognizing that I need to manage communications,” she explained.

With respect to her ministerial appointments, Mottley said the “complexity of governance has changed”, adding that she had to create more ministries to satisfy her mission critical objectives intended to stabilize the Barbados economy.

“And I have said so to the ministers, I have said that each of them must be accountable; that this is not a free ride for anybody, that their work must be reviewed, that they must be humble, that they must be caring and they must remember always why we came to Government and what we were elected to do.”

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Awkward and invidious!

That’s how Prime Minister Mia Mottley has described the decision by Bishop Joseph Atherley to cross the floor  a week after he was elected by the people of St Michael West on a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) ticket in the May 24 general election.

“If that were his intention, he should have communicated that to [his constituents] before Election Day,” Mottley said during a nationally televised one-on-one interview with veteran journalist David Ellis last night in which she suggested that the bishop’s move “does raise the issue of trust and we must ask whether we are doing a disservice by allowing this to fester rather than treating to the right of recall for those who cross the floor.

“This is something Trinidad has, and I strongly believe in it,” she stressed, while assuring the people of St Michael West that her ruling BLP would continue to look after their interests.

However, she strongly questioned how Atherley, who is yet to formally resign from the BLP, went about the process, especially in light of the fact that he was elected a BLP representative.

“Clearly what was offered to Bishop Atherley was not filling his eyes, and he felt strongly that we needed an Opposition to the Government,” Mottley said.

During her 90-minute interview, the Prime Minister also expressed strong support for term limits, saying, “I believe a Prime Minister should serve two consecutive terms only, and I also do not advocate situations where you can come back some years later after having served two terms as Prime Minister already.

“In my view, we have enough competent people for whom two terms should be enough for them to do what they have to do and then move off the scene altogether,” she insisted. 

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No murder, rape, robbery or kidnapping case should go beyond two years and three months, and ideally, should last six to nine months, according to Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

In a wide-ranging interview last night, broadcast nationally on television, radio and online, the Prime Minister outlined a series of issues that clog the island’s judicial system, and said things would have to be done differently to clear the backlog of cases.

“One of the first things that needs to happen is that when people are charged it must come to court quickly, particularly with the serious offences like murder, burglary, robbery, rape and kidnapping. We feel that the time frame should be no more than six to nine months from the charging to final appellate stage, and a maximum of no more than two years and three months,” Mottley told interviewer David Ellis.

She complained that the magisterial district segments dated back to the 1950s despite population increases and shifts, “and there are some rules that make no sense, and we need to deconstruct and reconstruct these elements”.

Mottley gave no inkling as to how she intended to effect the relevant changes, although she spoke of the need for courts to hear specific matters such as family issues.

“We need to change the rules in terms of case management, we need a separate commercial court, one for family law cases, including a separate place for single mothers and married mothers seeking child support, and I also support more community service sentences, because a criminal conviction for every minor offence does not make sense,” the Prime Minister stressed.

She also addressed the closure of the Supreme Court complex on Whitepark Road, St Michael, charging that the problem stemmed from the lack of maintenance.

Mottley also hinted at the establishment of a special sinking fund to go towards the maintenance of Government buildings.

“The problem with the court building was that maintenance was not carried out sufficiently. To my knowledge there were no flaws in its construction, at least none were brought to my attention,” she said.

“We allocated $2.5 million in our Budget to rectify the problems with that building, and one of the reasons I appointed Dr William Duguid as Minister of Public Works, Transport and Maintenance was that I wanted to have a minister responsible for looking after Government properties. Going forward, I think we should set up a sinking fund and allocate 1.5 per cent of the cost of any new building to this fund every year, which will go towards maintaining it,” she stated.

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Outspoken attorney-at-law David Comissiong today questioned whether a ban would be instituted domestically against the importation of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder, following a US$4.69 billion court judgment issued against the American manufacturer last week.

The judgment comprising US $4.14 billion in punitive damages and US $550 million in compensatory damages was handed down by a jury in the Missouri Circuit Court on Thursday.

The 22 female plaintiffs had specifically accused the company of failing to warn them about cancer risks associated with its baby and body powders.

The Pharmaceutical giant is also facing some 9,000 other legal challenges \ in a number of lawsuits across the United States.

Concerned that Barbadian women and children may have also fallen victim, Comissiong called on local authorities to take action on their behalf.

“The question that arises for us in Barbados is: who is informing the women and children of Barbados about these developments and looking out for their interests? And since we know that many Barbadian women and children literally lather themselves with Johnson & Johnson baby powder, we need to inquire whether any Barbadian females might have developed ovarian cancer from use of this product.

“And, if this is the case, we then need to determine what can be done to ensure that they receive the financial compensation that would be due to them,” he said, while suggesting that the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI) should take the lead in mounting a similar class action lawsuit against the American multi-national corporation.

“Surely, the court case in Missouri must have been based on credible scientific evidence and must have been going on for some considerable time before last Thursday’s verdict. In this age of information technology, does the BNSI or any other local regulatory agency monitor these types of developments internationally? And if so, why have they not alerted the Barbadian people to the cancer causing danger associated with this very popular product?

“And – most importantly – when is this product going to be banned from Barbados?” he asked.

Up to publication time no statement had been forthcoming from the BNSI on the matter. 

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Adorned in a beige hat, flowered dress and black shoes, Austin took center stage at her house in Mount Gay St Lucy as she celebrated the milestone with Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, MP for area Peter Phillips and former MP Denis Kellman. 

Austin who has three children, two of which are still alive and the same number of grandchildren, smiled from ear to ear as family and friends surrounded her. 

In her younger days, she was a labourer at the Mount Gay Plantation not too far away from her home. Life was hard as she became a single mother when her husband passed away. 

[caption id="attachment_273766" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Centenarian Rudy Austin was surrounded by friends and family as she celebrated her birthday.[/caption]

“My mum was strict because I lost my father when I was four, so she controlled everything. We had to go to school, had to go to church on Sunday mornings. Rain fall or sun shine we had to walk from Mount Gay to Rock Hall but we went.  I appreciate it. At the time I didn’t agree with it but it has helped me until today. That is why I thank God for her. It was either that or lashes,” said 64-year-old Douglas Austin, the firstborn son. 

He added, “She worked in the sun and rain. On bank holidays when the guys go to the beach or theatre, I had to be flying an iron kite and weed farm ground with her. I had no choice so we could get money to go to school. It did me good because it made me to understand what it is to work hard for what you need. I got nothing free.” 

Happily speaking about his mum, Douglas explained that Rudy displayed a great sense of generosity. 

“She loved to give to her neighbours. If she had yams, potatoes, it didn’t matter she would give. If she cooked, and you were hungry, you would get something to eat.”

Granddaughter Diann Clarke pointed out that Austin is a devoted member of Rock Hall Christian Mission Church and she ensured that her cousins recited memory verses daily.

“She didn’t really share a lot of licks, she would just threaten us with her stick.  Every day, we had to repeat Psalms 23 or you would get the stick.”

Clarke said she believes the secret to her grandmother’s long life was the food she ate which included, sweet potatoes, eddoes, yams and pumpkin.

She reminisced on some of her fondest memories while growing up. 

“Every morning we had to eat yard fowl eggs with biscuit and no bread. Then on evenings when we got home from school we had a warm meal.

 I had six grandmother plaits going to school, only six. We also would bake some delicious cake with the same eggs.”

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It will require an estimated $3 billion worth of investment in a diverse set of renewable energy sources if Barbados is to achieve its goal of 100 per cent renewable energy usage by 2030.

At the same time, officials are predicting that the island could reap as much as $2.5 billion in economic benefits within ten years of becoming 100 per cent dependent on renewable energy sources.

Chief Project Analyst in the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources Brian Haynes said investment was critical if Barbados was serious about achieving its vision for the sector, adding that without diversity “we are not going to make the targets that we are hoping to make”.

[caption id="attachment_273764" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Chief Project Analyst in the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources Brian Haynes.[/caption]

“This diversity needs about 545 to about 550 megawatts of power dependent on the configuration that we advance. We are talking about capital investment of between BDS$2.4 to BDS$3 billion. This level of investment is large, but it is not insurmountable because we have a certain amount of liquidity here. We also need to be able to unlock that liquidity to get that investment happening,” Haynes told the opening of a high level round table meeting on the renewable energy industry at the 3W’s Pavilion at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus on Monday.

“With that investment the expectation is, and we are talking about ten years in the future and beyond, BDS$2 billion to BDS$2.5 billion [annually on average] in terms of economic profit. That takes into consideration not only what is done with the firms and businesses and households, but it also the indirect – so those persons who are working and investing [in the sector],” Haynes explained.

A 100 per cent renewable energy policy means that the country would move from its current 944 gigawatt hours (GWH) per year usage to between 2,000 and 2,400 GWH/year.

Data showed that between 2006 and 2015 Barbados was importing an estimated 11,654 barrels of oils per day to meet its needs.

The rate of solar photovoltaic electricity going to the national grid slowed considerably in 2017 to reach a mere 0.01 per cent, after a spike in 2013 when oil prices reached an all-time low of about US$30 a barrel.

Up to the end of 2017, only 3.8 per cent of electricity or 27 megawatts came from solar photovoltaic systems.

Haynes explained that a lack of implementation, a lack of adequate financing and human resources, low technical capacity and low pricing certainty had led to low investor confidence over the years, which had hampered the expansion of the renewable energy efforts.

He said in order to achieve the island’s energy goal a multipronged approach was necessary, which would tackle energy for cooling, lighting, transportation as well as energy efficiency.

“We cannot only look at the 900 plus gigawatt hours we are currently consuming, but we have to speak about what is happening on the road. The transportation sector accounts for between 37 and 40 per cent of our fuel consumption and we have to address that,” insisted Haynes.

Executive Director of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) Meshia Clarke said she believed the recovery of the ailing Barbados economy depended heavily on the renewable energy sector.

She insisted that as Government embarked on its mission critical action plan to address Barbados’ balance of payment challenges, the renewable energy sector should be given priority.

“What is needed more urgently now than ever is the recognition that the country’s economic recovery must be aligned to an overall strategy [that addresses] economic growth and curtails our foreign debt,” said Clarke.

“Our position has been centred [on] the understanding that the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector present a pathway for the country to stimulate economic growth through the creation of new job opportunities, increased investment prospects and [an] overall reduction in the level of foreign exchange spend on purchase of oil,” she explained.

Acknowledging that Government’s policy objective regarding the sector will require significant levels of investment, Clarke said banking institutions and insurance companies have a significant role to play.

Monday’s meeting among private and public sector representatives, donor organizations and other stakeholders, and insurance and financial services sector officials, sought to among other things, identify a new coordinated and collaborative approach towards developing the sector.

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Without calling any officials by name, Prime Minister Mia Mottley today said she was prepared to grant immunity to those who served under the former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration and were involved in malfeasance.

But while terming it a “come to Jesus moment”, Mottley said during parliamentary debate on her Government’s draft Integrity in Public Life legislation, that those who knew they were guilty of such corrupt behaviour, must be prepared to come forward and confess to their crimes.

“I say to those today through you Sir, that the Attorney General is available to take and listen to anyone in this country who recognizes that there is a come to Jesus moment that ought to happen for some people in this country and that pending the passage of the legislation that they may want to do a sealed statement and give it to the Attorney General,” she said, while insisting that she was not seeking vengeance or engaging in any witchhunt.

At the same time, she made it clear that her administration was not willing to tolerate corruption and that “immunity does not extend to today’s transgression or tomorrow’s”.

“I appeal as leader of this country to those who knew that they helped participate, because it takes two hands to clap . . . so I ask Sir, that persons examine their consciences and persons recognize that this Government is prepared to give people the opportunity to come forward, ask for forgiveness and let us move forward,” she said in leading off this morning’s debate in the House of Assembly on the bill, which was tabled by Attorney General Dale Marshall last week.

She further warned: “If there are others who are part of the same transaction who choose not to come forward and they are found out, well, they will feel the full weight of the law as the law is to be determined, because as I said at the beginning, there is one law in the country [but] what we will not do is look to find tens of millions of dollars to go on a witchhunt.”

She also revealed that investigations had already begun, adding that once the evidence came before the Attorney General, the institutions and people who “have taken the country for a ride” would be punished.

“It must never happen again,” Mottley insisted, while explaining that “I am not saying corruption will not find itself in the national landscape, . . . but what I am saying is that the wholesale plundering that took place with the fiat of a Government must never happen in this country again.

“We are not trying to be sanctimonious, but we are trying to lay a line in the sand and we are simply saying, Sir, that there are standards. To whom much is given much is expected,” she said in reference to her less than two month-old Government which came to office here following the May 24 general election in which the DLP was swept from power.

Earlier this month, as he introduced the integrity bill in Parliament, Marshall had accused former ministers of the previous DLP Government of corruption, while warning private sector officials not to engage in bribery and other corrupt practices.

“For so long as I am Attorney General of this country I intend to strain every sinew of mine to the point of breaking. I intend to engage every agency of the Crown, either in Barbados or outside of Barbados. I intend to do everything that I can to bring the perpetrators of that dishonest activity to heel,” Marshall had said to sustained applause.

But while supporting that position, Mottley insisted today that though people must pay a price for their actions, they also deserved a second chance and should not be “condemned to purgatory forever”.

The former criminal lawyer stressed that those who came forward would most likely be treated with a level of leniency even though she said the population felt aggrieved because of the “all-out plundering and the extent to which public institutions no longer resemble what they ought to because of activities that took place” under the former administration.

“They are angry because they have had to bear a burden while seeing all of this unfold and I struggle at night because I remember in the book of Romans, ‘vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord’. [However], this is not about vengeance, but this is about setting a line in the sand for accountability,” she said.

“While we must make sure there is accountability, without doubt this Government must never become so obsessed with anything that approaches a level of vengeance that it forgets to do what it has to do to move the people of this country forward in a way that is sustainable,” she added while pointing out that a number of contracts that were “egregious in the extreme” were signed in the last few months leading up to the May elections.

Mottley said it was her intention to approach this matter through a civil process in order to lessen the liability to Government.

“Therefore, we have already asked people to walked back from some of these contracts because we cannot afford them. There are still others that I said we are about to do and negotiate with because we need people to walk away from them, to forbear, to move off, to take them from the balance sheets as a contingent or real liability because the country can’t bear the weight,” she said.

Promising that she was going to “restore collective responsibility and not just ministerial responsibility”, Mottley also gave an indication that she would not allow members of her administration to speak “wildly in conflict with each other and wildly in conflict with Cabinet”.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley is suggesting that he has no immediate plans to quit the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), despite crossing the floor one week after the May 24 general election.

In fact, Atherley has refused to rule out the possibility of contesting the next general election on a BLP ticket.

The Member of Parliament for St Michael West told Barbados TODAY this afternoon the issue about his party membership was moot, since crossing the floor was tantamount to severing ties with the governing party.

“It depends on what is meant by finalized [separation from the BLP] because for all practical intents and purposes, once you have crossed the floor of Parliament to sit in opposition to Government, you cannot be considered to be part of their councils and party life. So to that extent a severance has taken place,” Atherley said when asked whether the process was being finalized for his official departure from the BLP.

“I think what people have been harping about is whether a formal letter has been written by me to them [BLP] about resignation, or whether one has been written from them to me. I don’t think that is the issue because when we come to the parliamentary context the political party is not recognized as an entity inside the halls of Parliament. So that is an immaterial question, “ he added.

Atherley was quoted in the Sunday Sun newspaper as indicating a willingness to hand in his resignation, providing it was the will of his constituents.

“The reason why I have not yet written a formal letter of resignation is that I believe I must go through the process with the constituents of St Michael West first,” the paper quoted him as saying.

However, he said today the report was a mischaracterization of what he had said, while he said he had met with constituents as recently as two days ago.

Atherley did not reveal details of the discussion with the voters, but he said they were firmly in his corner.

Asked if he planned to contest the next general election as part of a BLP team, the ordained bishop said he would await a call from heaven.

“I go where God leads me and I listen for the call of the people. If I feel the leading of the Lord very strongly to continue, and if the people want me to represent them, then I would offer myself. I had a meeting as recently as two days ago and with unanimous voice the people of St Michael West are suggesting that they are behind me.

“We would have to wait and see the political context under which I run because as one can imagine there are some political realities that must be taken into consideration,” he stressed.

Atherley was the subject of discussion two days ago when Prime Minister Mia Mottley suggested that constituents should have the right of recall.

“If that [crossing the floor] were his intention, he should have communicated that to [his constituents] before Election Day,” Mottley said during a nationally televised interview, stressing that the decision “does raise the issue of trust and we must ask whether we are doing a disservice by allowing this to fester rather than treating to the right of recall for those who cross the floor.

“This is something Trinidad has, and I strongly believe in it,” she stressed, while assuring the people of St Michael West that her ruling BLP would continue to look after their interests.

She strongly questioned the manner in which Atherley went about the process, especially in light of the fact that he was elected a BLP representative, after having campaign heavily on the party’s platform.

“Clearly what was offered to Bishop Atherley was not filling his eyes, and he felt strongly that we needed an Opposition to the Government,” Mottley said.

During the Budget debate last month, Member of Parliament for St Andrew George Payne lashed out at Atherley, asking the Opposition leader to state whether or not he was still a member of the BLP.

“Have you resigned from the Barbados Labour Party? And I am interested in that because I am the chairman of the Barbados Labour Party,” Payne said at the time, adding that ,“I am not going to ask you to resign from the Barbados Labour Party, I am leaving that to your conscience . .  . and your conscience should prick you.”

colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

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The organizers of Puff of Colour (POC) remained adamant today that an early morning brawl on Sunday, which left the managers of Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens fuming, would not force them to change the venue for the popular soca rave.

In fact, even as he condemned those involved in the fracas, and apologized for the damage caused, spokesman for the organizers Wayne Simmons made it clear at a news conference today that the paint, powder and water event was going nowhere.

Simmons said the promoters did all they could to provide adequate security, including engaging the services of the Royal Barbados Police Force and qualified private security officers.

He also pointed to the fact that the disturbance took place after the event, and there were no incidents during the six-hour show.

“Within the actual venue where the event itself was held there were no reports of disorder brought to our attention,” he said.

President of Coral Ridge Group Peter Griffith yesterday called for POC to be moved after several patrons who had left the fete early Sunday morning, took their fracas to the cemetery and left behind a “significant” amount in damage.

Several videos which later surfaced on social media showed a number of young men hurling rocks and metal objects while trampling graves. Griffith said the rowdy group uprooted burial ground markers and used them as weapons.

An apologetic Simmons today extended “our deepest regret to the families of those who were affected by the lawless behaviour of a few attendees of this year’s event”.

“We do not condone the actions of those individuals who, after leaving the venue, trespassed onto private property, and by all reports conducted themselves in a disgraceful manner,” he stressed, while calling on anyone with information about the perpetrators to contact the police “as it crucial that the perpetrators are brought to justice, sending a strong message that such behaviours will not be tolerated”.

“The current social climate demonstrates that lawlessness does not discriminate and Barbados, as well as the entertainment industry as a whole, cannot afford a bad reputation because of the actions of a few,” the spokesman said.

Stating that the promoters were “appalled and shaken” by the images on social media because “members of this team have also loved ones interred at Coral Ridge Gardens”, Simmons said they had reached out to the management of the 26-acre burial ground, although he did not disclose details of the talks.

Griffith today confirmed that the POC organizers had contacted him to request a meeting, but he said nothing hadbeen mentioned about payment for the damage, now estimated at over $10,000.

He told Barbados TODAY he was looking forward to the meeting, but continued to insist that the event must find a new location.

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