The contribution of Barbadians living overseas to the economic development of the country will be the focus of the third Barbados Network Consultation (BNC) that will be opened by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on August 5 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The central goal of the conference is to encourage and facilitate the contribution of the diaspora to the social and economic development of Barbados.

Local entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to display and promote their goods and services, with the aim of targeting possible export markets.

Over three days, about 250 Barbadians, their descendants and friends of Barbados, at home and abroad, will participate in seminars, workshop and panel discussions, centred around the theme One Nation, One Family – Building Pathways To Prosperity And Development.

A highlight of this year’s consultation will be the Cabinet-Diaspora Interactive Session on August 5 at 10:45 a.m., during which Prime Minister Stuart and other members of his Cabinet will be on hand to speak and respond to questions regarding their respective portfolios.

The consultation has enabled Diaspora relations to secure a critical place and space in the country’s foreign policy agenda, along with the traditional issues such as CARICOM ties, environmental issues, trade, security and human rights.

Among those scheduled to attend are chief executive officer of the Barbados Private Sector Association Anne Reid, Ancestry Expert Sandra Eaddy, chief archivist David Williams, president of the Barbados Film and Video Association Inc. Lynette Eastmond, author of The Silver Men:West Indian Labour Migration To Panama, 1850-1914, Professor Velma Newton, and head of the Task Force for the Preservation of Barbados’ Built Heritage Professor Henry Fraser.

The consultation coincides with the centennial celebrations of the opening of the Panama Canal, which 60,000 Barbadians helped construct.

Among the events of the BNC to commemorate this important milestone are: screening of the teaser for the documentary, Panama Fever; signing of a Sister Port Agreement between Barbados Port Inc and Manzanillo International Terminal; the Panama Canal Centennial Stamp issue; and a panel discussion with Professor Newton, a representative of the Government of Panama, Panamanian of Barbadian descent, Sheila Wilkinson and Manzanillo International Terminal representative Carlos Urriola.

Amidst Opposition warnings that the tertiary education of thousands of Barbadians remains in jeopardy, the Ministry of Education is today promising clarity on the issue.

In a statement issued today, Shadow Minister of Education, Edmund Hinkson said the Government continues to break its promises to put adequate financing arrangements in place for students who need assistance paying tuition fees at the University of the West Indies.

But Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Laurie King informed Barbados TODAY this afternoon that the relevant information would be made available to the country by tomorrow. King declined to say any more on the matter.

However, a brief statement from the Government Information Service (GIS) this evening indicated that application forms for bursaries will be available from tomorrow at the Examinations Section of the ministry.

Minister Ronald Jones was unavailable for comment.

Minister of Education Ronald Jones.

In his statement, though, Hinkson said: “The latest episode of this woeful saga is the failure by Education Minister Ronald Jones to ensure that his ministry is in a position to process applications for the 3,000 bursaries which he, on the 11th of this month, stated would be launched in two weeks’ time to help those financially challenged citizens who were already attending one of the three UWI campuses who wished to enter for the first time.”

The Opposition spokesman on education noted that on that occasion, Jones revealed that the bursary arrangements had already been agreed to, and that he was clearing up some of the “noise and mischief” circulating on the matter of paying tuition fees.

“However, both current and potential students of our three campuses continue to be clueless as to how they can even apply for a bursary,” he added.

Hinkson claimed that there are was no announcement of criteria or how the process for the selection of recipients would be conducted.

Additionally, the MP said, no indication had been given about who would be entitled to full bursaries, partial bursaries, how many of the declared 3,000 bursaries would be given in this coming academic year and to which faculty’s students.

“We do not know whether persons with disabilities and others who make up the most vulnerable segment of our society would be given preference in applying. We do not know whether potential students need to first apply for a loan before they can be eligible for a bursary,” the Opposition MP for St James North observed.

He said it was not known whether the selection process would be saddled with political considerations, with supporters of the governing party as well as relatives and friends of ruling Democratic Labour Party politicians having a distinct advantage in accessing these bursaries.

“I myself, incognito, contacted the Education Ministry last Friday and could obtain no response from any official on any of these queries. Has Minister Jones, under public pressure in yet another knee-jerk response . . . proclaimed an initiative without the finances being in place to fund it?” he asked.

“This political administration has created so much uncertainty over the funding by students of their tuition fees, whether on the issue of the student revolving loan funding, Government granted bursaries and otherwise, that over 40 per cent of the present students are today uncertain about whether they will be able to continue their courses,” Hinkson claimed.

The Shadow Minister of Education also suggested that there was now a 50 per cent decline in new applications to enter the UWI for the first time.

Registration for the new academic year will begin in three weeks.

Veteran entertainers have given thumbs up to the possibility that the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions could become nighttime events from next year.

Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley announced to the media last night, during the National Cultural Foundation-produced Soca Royale at Bushy Park, that the transition may be “necessary and highly possible” given that artistes competing in both competitions have been increasingly incorporating lighting and special effects in their performances.

“I think this is something that we may have to do . . . Two years ago we moved one aspect of the competition into the night and one of the things that we may very well contemplate is putting both of the competitions during the night time and that is something that we may have to consult with our stakeholders about,” the minister said.

Stetson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire, Ronnie De Announcer Clarke, Anderson Blood Armstrong and Mac Fingall told Barbados TODAY they were in full support of any such move.

Wiltshire, who placed second in this year’s Sweet Soca competition said he was extremely happy to hear the minister talking about heading in that direction since he has been lobbying for that for the past three years.

“I have been saying for some time now that both competitions must be held in the night”.

In addition to providing more of a show for spectators, since lighting plays a vital role in both competitions, Wiltshire pointed out that the heat during the day is also a disadvantage for day performances since it saps the energy of both performers and patrons.

“When you are back there in the tent as a performer, it is extremely hot and draining and by time you are ready to go on stage you would have perspired and perspired and perspired and most of your energy is gone, and it is just not good for a performer,” the former monarch said.

“I know security is also going to be an issue, but I think that as a people we have been very well behaved and the forces have done an excellent job over the years and they can do it in the night as well,” he added as he expressed the hope that discussion would move to approval and implementation.

Meantime, Wiltshire insisted that any idea of giving the Party Monarch aspect of the competition more attention than the Sweet Soca should be discarded.

“It is a mistake,” he said. “To me the music that is going to take our music forward is going to be the Sweet Soca songs and we need to stop treating the  competition as being secondary to the Party Monarch.”

In giving his support to the idea, Blood also referred to performers and patrons benefitting from the grand spectacle of fireworks and lights illuminating the sky in the darkness of night.

“From a performer’s point of view it is not going to be a bad move,” he said. “But I don’t know how they are going to market it as a family day.”

Clarke, although agreeing to the move that he said would follow the tradition in the region of major events being held at night, also noted that it might no longer appeal to families because of the late hours.

“So you have to take those things into consideration. But without doubt I can visualize . . . what the competition that we saw yesterday would have been like if it had been held at night, especially when you look at how some of the artistes in the Party Monarch competition would have pulled out all the stops out in terms of their visuals and other elements of presentations,” said the calypsonian whose brother Rupert Rupee Clarke has been a finalist in previous Party Monarch competitions.

Fingall, who is usually Master of Ceremonies for Soca Royale, also believes there should be flexibility in the “order” of the competitions, giving whichever is deemed more exciting second position.

As for concerns that a later show would affect Soca Royale’s billing as a family event, Fingall said he saw nothing wrong with children being out at night to witness the competitions.

“Bring them out at night; they got to understand night life too. We are not going to be there until all past midnight or nothing. Both shows last about an hour and a half maximum. So let us say three hours with a little half hour break in between, we could finish that show in four hours. Even if we start at 7 o’clock, that should be finished by 11,” he said.

“It is just a matter of getting people out of there and that place is set up in such a way that there is a back gate that can be used to alleviate the flow. And you just need to get a little more lighting and put security in place and everything will be safe. You got to think about the good and just protect against the bad.”

This year, the Sweet Soca competition started at 4:30 pm, while the Party Monarch got underway at 7 pm.

The time is ripe for a third political force in Barbados, argued one local political strategist today.

However, Reudon Eversley’s assessment did not get the backing of his colleagues Dr George Belle and Peter Wickham, who said the idea still had not taken root.

Reudon Eversley

George Belle

Peter Wickham

In explaining his position, Eversley, who played an integral role in the ruling Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) successful 2008 campaign, led by the late Prime Minister David Thompson, noted that 40 per cent of the electorate had stayed away from the polls at the last general election held on February 21, 2013.

He said this was firm evidence of the growing disenchantment with both the DLP administration and the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), while arguing strongly that Barbadians were now more receptive to the idea of an alternative political party.

“There are Barbadians who will argue that Barbados is a two party country. I do not necessarily buy that,” said Eversley in an interview with Barbados TODAY in which he made reference to failed past efforts at forging a third party on the island.

“Third parties fail for a variety of reasons,” he said, noting that “Sir Richard Haynes’ National Democratic Party, while it showed promise, people saw him as power hungry and they felt that when he broke from the DLP basically he wanted to be Prime Minister”.

He also pointed to Sir Frank Alleyne’s People’ Democratic Party and Eric Sealy’s People’s Pressure Movement, saying “nothing much came out” of either effort.

However, he noted that when the DLP was formed in 1956, it could have been considered a third party, but in five years they were able to form the government, a development which he credits to the late Sir Cameron Tudor.

“Any third party that comes on the scene and is supported by effective political marketing, branding, positioning, all the techniques that have been effectively used to market goods and services can be used for a political party,” he contended.

“ At the end of the day, a political party is providing solutions to needs. When people go to vote, they go to fulfill needs, in the same way that when you go to buy detergent, you buy it to satisfy a need.

“Some people need to accept that the nature of politics has changed. The issue of loyalty to party is disappearing. My generation will probably be the last that will vote consistently to either D or B. Young people today are more inclined to vote for a party based on what it can do for them in terms of meeting their needs. That is the new dynamics not only in Barbados but globally,” the political scientist added.

Following the resignation of former Prime Minister Owen Arthur from the BLP on Friday, Eversley painted a bleak picture of local politics today, saying, “increasingly, as I move around this country, I find Barbadians are becoming more receptive to the idea of a third party.

“They are disappointed with both political parties, but more so the Democratic Labour Party,” said Eversley, who recently severed ties with the DLP.

“I think that if a new party can emerge and it comes with an agenda that can really capture the imagination of Barbadians, especially the middle class, I think it can be a success,” he told Barbados TODAY.

However, reacting to Eversley’s observation, Belle, said: “The history of third parties in Barbados for most of the modern period, but particularly post independence,                  is not good.

“Even if you go back to the 1940s, the last competitive third party would have been Wynter Crawford’s party and then that succumbed by the late 40s and he eventually carried his forces into the Democratic Labour Party when it was formed.

“The problem with a third party is that it is going against the natural division with a population between two major parties. A two party system is defined on that basis. It may sound theoretical, but it is grounded in human behaviour. It is not that you have only two parties, it is that one of two parties is likely to form the next government. That is how a two-party system is defined. Therefore, for a third party to be viable it has to become one of those two parties. Unless you can take the base of one of those parties in place, you are not going to to do it,” Belle added.

Also addressing the possibility of a third party surviving in Barbados, political scientist and pollster Peter Wickham said: “I basically do not agree with the third party talk. While I do agree that 40 per cent of the electorate did not vote in theory, in practice, you appreciate that the voter turnout was a lot higher than it appeared to be.

“The other reality is that in order for a third party to fly, it has to be able to capture a substantially amount of support for it to stay intact and Richie Haynes demonstrated that that was not possible.

“The voter turnout now in Barbados was not the lowest. It has been lower before and the environment was not right for a third party. While I think that it is a great idea, it is likely to do what third parties do across the region – capture 20 per cent of the electorate and 20 per cent is not going to be sufficient to make it work,” Wickham added.

nevilleclarke@barbadostoday.bb

As Barbadians prepare for the Foreday Morning Jump and the start of Bridgetown Market on Saturday morning, police have indicated that motorists will have to find alternative routes between 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. on that day.

Several traffic changes will be in effect to facilitate the flow of vehicles during Foreday Morning. The early morning jump up will start at Weymouth “B” Playing Field and move on to the Barbados Investment Inc. and Barbados Investment & Development Corporation car parks. As a result, Spring Garden Highway, from its junction with Holborn Circle to its junction with the Frank Worrell Roundabout, in St Michael, will be closed to all vehicular traffic.

In addition, vehicles will only be allowed to pick up or drop off passengers along Brighton Road, from its junction with Black Road to its junction with Spring Garden Highway; along Black Rock Road, from its junction with University Drive to its junction with Eagle Hall; along Deacons Farm, from its junction with Deacons Road to its junction with Brighton Road; and along Deacons Road and Westbury Road, St Michael.

Motorists are also advised that Brighton Road, from its junction with Spring Garden Highway to its junction with Black Rock Road, will be a one-way street, with traffic travelling in the direction of Black Rock Road. In addition, parking or waiting is not allowed along the emergency route, which runs from Spring Garden Highway and proceeds along Exmouth Gap, Westbury Road, Passage Road, Country Road, Roebuck Street, Halls Road and Martindale’s Road in St Michael.

Later in the morning, as Bridgetown Market begins, other traffic changes will take effect. They will be in place between 8 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. During those periods, the Spring Garden Highway, from its junction with Holborn Circle to its junction with Brighton Road, St Michael, will be closed to all vehicular traffic.

In addition, vehicles will only be allowed to drop off and pick up passengers along Brighton Road, from its junction with Black Rock Main Road to its junction with Spring Garden Highway; along Black Rock Main Road, from its junction with University Drive to its junction with Eagle Hall; along Deacons Farm Road, from its junction with Deacons Road to its junction with Brighton Road; along Deacons Road; and along Westbury Road, St Michael.

There will also be no parking or waiting along the emergency route which starts at Spring Garden Highway and proceeds along Exmouth Gap, Westbury Road, Passage Road, Country Road, Roebuck Street, Halls Road and Martindale’s Road in St. Michael.

All motorists are asked to comply with the directions of police officers in uniform to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.

(BGIS)

The country’s latest murder victim has been identified as Jermaine Harper.

The 26-year-old was shot dead around 6 pm in Wilkinson Road, Richmond Gap, St Michael.

Reports indicate he was playing dominoes in the area when a car drove by and an assailant shot him.

Police are investigating.

Polyclinics across the island will benefit from new medical instruments donated to the Ministry of Health by an international medical supply company.

Sphygmomanometers, wall mounted ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes, scales and balances, recognition pins and educational motivational charts, valued at $8,000, were handed over to the ministry by representatives of Rayomed, based in Miami, Florida.

The presentation took place this afternoon at the Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St Michael, where Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand accepted the supplies, which she said would go a long way in benefiting the polyclinics.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ellizabeth Ferdinand being presented with one of the medical supplies from Hubert Alonso, technical director with Rayomed.

She thanked the company with which the ministry has formed a business relationship for donating the supplies.

Technical director with Rayomed, Hubert Alonso, said he hoped the supplies would make life easier for staff members and patients at the polyclinics, noting that particular interest should be paid to the educational charts which are used to encourage preventative measures.

“A picture is worth a thousand words, and when you have some of these educational posters it is easier to make a person feel a little bit more comfortable with a disease they may be dealing with, in terms of showing them pictures and explaining things to them.

“As for the [supplies], they will help the patients because in many instances we have limited resources in some of the polyclinics and this would be additional products for them to use . . . and there is enough there for all nine of the polyclinics,” Alonso said.

Despite publicly heaping praise on former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader Owen Arthur, one of the party’s political hopefuls is making it clear that he’s committed to that institution and will be sticking with it through thick and thin.

Former government senator and BLP candidate for St Michael North West in the last elections, Gregory Nicholls, said today that Opposition Leader Mia Mottley has his “unwavering support”.

In a posting on his Facebook Page following Arthur’s resignation and move to sit as an Independent in Parliament, Nicholls referred to the former prime minister as his political father.

Former government senator and BLP candidate for St Michael North West, Gregory Nicholls

“Today, my father died,” he began, noting that he was speaking about a man who had been his political mentor for the last 15 years.

“Owen Seymour Arthur will always be for me, the most influential figure in my sojourn in politics and the reason I joined the fray and ceased to be a cynic on party politics in the Caribbean. His passion for the economic development of my country of birth was enviable and unassailable . . . I will always cherish the occasions where I sat and listened to a colossus on the development of Barbados,” he wrote, in part.

But speaking to Barbados TODAY, Nicholls said his praise of Arthur should not be interpreted as any dissatisfaction with Mottley’s leadership.

He stressed his commitment to the Opposition Leader and said she should be given an opportunity to lead the BLP in the next general elections

“Arthur was political leader of the BLP when I joined the party and he gave up leadership in 2008 when Mottley assumed the leadership. I gave her no less respect or effort on my part . . . My support for the party is not contingent on who is leading. Mottley is the current leader and unless something untoward happens to her she has my unwavering support. This does not mean that I cannot admire the giant of a man, Arthur,” he said.

“I look forward with eager anticipation to his contribution as an elder statesman. When he is critical of my party I will accept his comments as the positions of a man who has been involved in public policy both in Barbados and Jamaica for the last 40 years and accept his criticism as from a well spring of experience. However, I will be supporting the BLP in everything it does.”

The attorney-at-law gave the assurance that he would make any contribution asked of him by the party and he looked forward to being a candidate for the BLP when the next elections are called.

Meantime, Nicholls has dismissed claims that there are factions within the BLP.

“In opposition parties there should always be strong contests for leadership. If the assumption of leadership in an opposition party is to mean that a person has been enthroned as a monarch and is free from any challenge – intellectually, politically or otherwise – then something is wrong with that political institution. Politics has to remain a contest of ideas,” he said.

“It does not mean that anyone who has a different point of view as to the strategy of the party is opposed to Mottley or creating a faction looking to overtake her as leader. I will not associate with any kind of nonsense . . . [In] a party as old as the BLP, and as diverse a grouping, there will be no unanimity in terms of a political perspective.”

Meantime, BLP parliamentarians have remained tightlipped about the discussions they held at party headquarters yesterday to determine the way forward following Arthur’s departure.

However, tourism executive Colin Jordan who is seen as a possible candidate for the BLP in the St Peter constituency has indicated he is willing to run for the party.

“I have been asked by individuals to consider representing those who live in my constituency. I have indicated my willingness to do so,” he told                                 Barbados TODAY.

“You must, however, be aware that the people of St Peter decide who represents them. In the fullness of time the St Peter branch of the Barbados Labour Party will make the decision on who will represent them in any future election. The executive and members are well able to make that decision. I trust the people and will respect their decision.”

nevilleclarke@barbadostoday.bb

Don’t expect Reverend Charles Morris to keep silent despite attempts by Government to discipline him for publicly speaking against the Freundel Stuart administration.

Rev Charles Morris

In fact, as he waits to see what sanctions he will face the controversial and outspoken priest told Barbados TODAY he would continue to share his opinions any time   he sees fit.

Earlier this month, Morris, who teaches history and sociology at the Combermere School, was censured for statements made at a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) People’s Assembly town hall meeting, which included that this Government is the worst Barbados has ever had.

He received a letter indicating he would face disciplinary charges for making the comments since he is a public servant.

But the Anglican cleric has insisted that he will not be silenced.

“I will speak as I see things. To me it’s a threat and if I stop speaking on issues then I would not be true to my calling as a priest,” he said.

“As long as I perceive something to be wrong, to be running against the interest of the people then I would continue to speak.”

Just yesterday, in the interview with Barbados TODAY, he was highly critical of the Municipal Solid Waste Tax that the Government recently implemented, describing it as “absurd” and “ludicrous”.

Urging the administration to reverse the decision, he said the revenue-generating measure would put a strain on many people despite the adjustments that give an ease to some pensioners and owners of agricultural land.

“My question is: how much more will they tax Barbadians? I have to go back to the words that Moses said to the Pharaoh, ‘Let my people go’. Right now the people are in bondage from a number of things. The people of Barbados are suffering. The more you tax the people, the more you are going to reduce economic activity,” he said.

Meantime, Morris’ attorney Dale Marshall, who is also an Opposition MP, told Barbados TODAY that Government has not taken further action since sending the initial letter to his client indicating he was being charged with misconduct.

He has promised to vigorously defend the teacher in the matter.

When the move to discipline Reverend Morris came to light, Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley accused the administration of trying to intimidate Barbadians into silence.

She also charged that the DLP administration was going after selective people while turning a blind eye to teachers and others who appeared on political platforms and political advertisements in the midst of general elections.

carolwilliams@barbadostoday.bb

Business leaders today charged that inefficiency at the Bridgetown Port as a major threat to the continued viability of local manufacturing companies.

They also insisted that unfair trading practices continue to hurt the sector.

The concerns were expressed by managing director of C & G Star Trading, Glendene Greaves, chief commercial officer at Banks Holdings Limited, Ray Chee-A-Tow and customs broker Louis Forde at a symposium organized by the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association at Almond Bay, Hastings, Christ Church.

Greaves said port costs and delays are threatening profitability in a big way.

“We just need to be real about these things and find solutions and don’t let us just talk about them; find solutions to fix them. I know there are others in this industry that suffer these same issues,” she said.

In his presentation, Chee-A-Tow lamented the “lack of efficiency” at the Bridgetown Port, which he indicated was adversely impacting the operations of manufacturers like Banks Holdings.

“You have a port; one door in. We all know the challenge. It opens at a certain time and closes at a certain time. I can’t tell my distributor in Antigua . . . or I can tell him, which I do sometimes, that we were unable to get in there before 4 o’clock because of the traffic jam or because of an issue somewhere along the line,” the business executive said.

“If we are seriously looking to export we need to operate under way more efficient formats, and that is, if you think of the number of containers across the entire country that need to enter the port on a daily basis, then you need to see if 7 o’clock to 4 o’clock is suitable to have the gate open when the port is operating seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

Prominent customs broker Louis Forde also addressed the symposium and argued that the biggest challenge at the port was Customs.

“There is this problem they have with getting manufacturers’ goods out in under three days,” he charged.

Forde suggested that because of the limited working hours of the port, management should set aside a special area to receive empty containers after 4 pm in order to help reduce the backlog.

Meantime, Chee-A-Tow was also vocal about what he said was unfair trading practices. He said while Barbados practiced an open-door policy when it comes to goods coming into the country, exporters here do not get the same courtesy in other markets.

“Everything is here on the market. Anything that can come, comes to Barbados. Sit on the other side and try to ship. How many of you all have tried to ship something to some market and have been told, ‘sorry’? . . . This is something that we need to deal with because at the end of the day, we understand it is not the responsibility of the customs officer at the port because we have standards. But then we hear the standards guys don’t have the resources to police the standards that are set,” he contended.

The BHL executive said this was a challenge exporters faced every day and while he did not want to stop “anybody from coming” here, there was an urgent need for a level playing field.

Chee-A-Tow said it could no longer be a case of different standards for different CARICOM states.

Greaves also expressed similar sentiments, saying that there were major challenges that hinder manufacturers’ growth, including technical barriers to trade.

She said there were several non-tariff barriers, for example “one word being bigger than the next on a package”, that stood in the way of manufacturers getting their goods out.

“These are things that we go through quite often not only in the Trinidad market, but international markets as well,” Greaves said.

“It’s the cost of complying with all the different barriers that they come up with, because each thing that they want you to fix is a cost attached.”

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

A Barbadian-born British-based business development expert is advising Government that taxation is counter-productive and will not be the fix for an ailing economy.

Speaking against the background of the public outcry against the controversial Municipal Solid Waste Tax, chief executive officer of Summerwood Limited, Phil Walker, said the powers that be should take another look at the increased tax burdens on Barbadians.

“I’m aware of the recent tax rise and the outcry that it has caused. I think politicians might have to sit down and reflect and ask the question, ‘is this an effective way of trying to address the issue that pertains to the local economy?’” Walker told the media on the sideline of the monthly business luncheon of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) at Hilton Barbados today.

He suggested that Barbadian policymakers should examine the Lather Effect, which shows that when taxation got too high, revenue collected decreased.

“People are talking about this in the US, people are talking about it in Europe. What is the appropriate level of taxation that encourages people to pay tax, that encourages the wealthy to pay their fair share of tax as opposed to putting their money in offshore accounts and devising schemes to avoid taxes in the first place?” Walker said.

He suggested investment in infrastructure, roads and buildings.

“If you look at the 1930s recession in America. How did they get out of that recession? The irony is, they invested. They invested in infrastructure, in roads and in buildings. The debt was of course, government paying government debt. But they put people back to work and they built a lot of infrastructure. Now, I can’t comment on all of Barbados’ roads, but it does strike me there are a few roads that could do with some investment,” he said.

“People then have a job and guess what? They earn money, they pay taxes and taxation revenue goes up. So there are more ways of raising tax revenue, just than putting it on . . . a tax that caused everybody a lot of pain recently.”

A work in progress.

That’s how Speaker of the House Michael Carrington described plans to make the country’s 375-year-old Parliament more technologically savvy.

Michael Carrington

“When the Standing Orders as we have them were designed, we weren’t so advanced technologically, so the various parliaments have been looking at that. We in Barbados are looking at it as well, so in addition to making Parliament itself technologically savvy in terms of its outreach programme where it does business, we are also looking at of how we treat journalists and their equipment as we move forward,” Carrington said today.

The House Speaker made the announcement as he addressed a press conference at the 39th Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meeting underway at the Hilton Barbados.

Carrington, who is the outgoing Chairman of the CPA, also revealed that the grouping had unanimously endorsed the Speaker of the House in the Cayman Islands, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, as its candidate for the post of Chairperson of the International CPA.

The election will take place at the 60th Annual International Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which will be held October 2-10, 2014 in Cameroon.

In accepting the nomination, O’Connor-Connolly pledged to put the plight of the Commonwealth at the forefront if she is elected.

“I am privileged to accept the nomination and for the expressed confidence that has been nominated for our regional CPA and all of its delegates.

“I will work assiduously for the preservation of the goals and objectives of the CPA, which include, but are by no means, limited to the preservation of peace throughout the Commonwealth, the eradication of poverty, the empowerment of our young people and the engagement of the populace at large,” she said.

“I look forward with great anticipation in going to Cameroon, knowing that I will be the candidate of the Caribbean and I assure you that if successful I would work diligently throughout the duration of the term to ensure that the Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of transparency, accountability and properly administrating whatever forum we find ourselves in.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s House Speaker Wade Mark said the Caribbean would go all out to ensure that its candidate is elected.

“We are mobilising our 19 territories and their various delegations to go to Cameroon so that we can all collectively vote for our candidate and at the same time mobilize different areas of the Commonwealth, the African region, the Asian region, and other regions, whether it’s Australia the UK, Canada, so that we can get unanimous support for the candidature of our nominee.

“We feel confident that our honourable colleague will emerge victorious in that contest if there is going to be one. We look forward to her assuming that prestigious office and playing a very critical role in promoting and expanding the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association during the period when she would serves as its new chairman,” Mark said.

It is important that Barbados continue to play a leading role in informing their citizens on the programme of action of small island developing states (SIDS). Furthermore, national coordinator of the Global Environment Facility’s small grants programme, David Bynoe, says that he believes that as long as the island and other partners in the region have the capacity to contribute to that information dissemination they should.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY during a Civil Society Organization (CSO) consultation on SIDS and post-2015 development agenda held at the United Nations House in Hastings, Christ Church, this morning, Bynoe said it was important Barbadians were aware of the sustainable development challenges facing SIDS. Particularly, he added, because though the region did not contribute significantly to climate change in terms of the amount of carbon emission created, “we nonetheless were most impacted”.

National coordinator of the GEF’s small grants programme, David Bynoe.

“Generally, Barbadians are not as aware of the process as they should be, but you have significant pockets of persons who make sure that they make it their goal or task to be informed. But what we want to do is to ensure that the average person understands what  is happening in the global agenda as it relates especially to SIDS, because as a small island developing state we are [exposed] to several major impacts in climate  change.

“We are seeing it in out coral reefs, change of weather patterns . . . days are getting hotter, sea levels are rising, very strange weather patterns, more significant downpours and people generally feeling there is something happening that is very different from before,” Bynoe said.

Bynoe, who is also an agriculturist, stateed that because everyone did not identify this issue as climate change, more education was therefore needed, so more people would be willing to take action. And this workshop, he said, was also part of the process.

“. . . Because we can’t rely on Government and international agencies like the United Nations alone to disemminate the information but the average citizens through community-based organizations can play a role in getting that information out to their constituents.”

The GEF provides special grants for opportunities for training in areas such as: climate change, international waters, biodiversity and the prevention of harmful waste, climate change adaption funding, as well as land derogation, which is particularly important to Barbados since a large portion of the Scotland District is prone to land slippage.

The workshop was opened to CSOs, and Bynoe was hoping that it would not be a “talkshop”; rather he wanted it to be a platform and opportunity for these persons to hopefully form a formal major group structure and have their voices heard.

“It is not a one-off workshop. We will have others following on and building on the foundation that has been laid today. We  are also going to have grants specifically targeting certain issues that were raised, and these grants are opened between US$50,000. Some of the key benefits of having a formal major group structure is that for you to influence policy within the UN system, you need a conduit to go through.

Traditionally the main conduit would be through Government, but following the Rio Conference what happened was that we wanted to get more citizens involvement. If countries in the Caribbean don’t have this major group structure, it makes it more difficult going forward,” Bynoe added.

Emancipation Day must be the priority of the Barbados Government, says social activist Onkphra Wells.

And according to him, unless the Emancipation season is taken up as a national agenda then it will remain subservient to the Crop Over season.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY after a media briefing held at the Clement Payne Centre to discuss the plans for this Friday’s Emancipation Day celebrations, Wells called on the Government to take the lead role in getting all Barbadians to support the movement.

Chair of PACO Onkphra Wells believes that the Emancipation Season should be held with much more esteem.

“What they will have to do is to give Emancipation Day status and that can only come about through having a planned programme through the television, the media, schools – everything has to be coordinated to have this celebration,” he said.

“The Government is the leader in certain sectors and therefore they rally the other people around them. We have limited resources and we are doing the best that we can but regardless of the limited resources the dignity of Africa will never be surrendered,” added Wells, the chair of the Pan African Coalition of Organization (PACO).

However, he contended that as long as Emancipation Day is celebrated within the Crop Over season and “the majority of people still do not see themselves as having a responsibility to their ancestry and the sacrifices made”, then Crop Over will always be dominant.

“And it will remain a sad, sad contradiction because in order to have Crop Over one still has to be free,” he added.

Wells acknowledged, however, that economics plays a major role in the decision to prioritize the Crop Over season.

“People are making a lot of money around Crop Over so no one is saying anything because the economy needs an injection of finances; but there needs to be balance . . . Anytime you forget your roots, you are going to forget your humanity. The best of clothes, the best of jump-ups don’t matter unless you have a foundation to take care of one another.”

Wells added that while there may be excuses that the administration has limited resources, just as they were able to make a thrust in schools during Black History Month celebrations, Government could also utilize the Barbados Government Information Services and the National Cultural Foundation to do the same for the season of Emancipation.

As is customary, Emancipation Day celebrations will start with a march at 6 am from the J T C Ramsay roundabout, better known as the Bussa roundabout. However, the final route has not been determined.

Entertainment will be provided at the end of the march by DJ Simmons, Sonia Williams, Kaleb Batson, Rhesa Garnes, Charles Legend Odle, Ras IkoLion Souls and Nuwaupian Voice.

Imani has become the  first female to win Starcom Network’s People’s Monarch.

Her Crop Over hit Bacchanal Road secured 64 per cent of the votes, beating out Feeling by Lead Pipe & Saddis.

In a message to her fans following this afternoon’s announcement, the soca artiste said, “Wow! I am in awe.”

“Team Imani, you voted for me and constantly encouraged and believed in me every step of the way! Thank you so much guys!!! To my back bones; Biggie Irie, my big brother, you have always been there for me though thick and thin, thank you so much,” she stated, before listing a number of other people who have supported her.

“To all the DJ’s, thank you for supporting each and every single artiste and making sure that our music is heard. Once again thank you so much “Team Imani” for all the love and support, let’s look forward to a bright musical future. Team Imani to the world!”

The People’s Monarch, which is selected based on audience voting, has been won in the past by other popular artistes, including Mr Dale and Mikey.

Terriesha Niles, a representatives of Barbados TODAY’s Sales and Marketing Department hands over the Foreday Morning costume to Akeila Pile.

Akeila Pile was all smiles this evening after being presented with her Foreday Morning costume to play with the Kolour Me Bad band with the compliments of Barbados TODAY and Wednesday 2000.

She was one of two persons, who were selected for the giveaways.

Police are treating the discovery of a body at Castle Grant, St Joseph early this morning as an unnatural death.

Police public relations officer Inspector David Welch said the man’s body was found in some bushes, a few feet away from the road.

The identity of the victim is being withheld until the next of kin has formally identified the body and the completion of the on-scene investigation, the PRO said.

The man, whose body was discovered this morning in Castle Grant, St Joseph, has been identified as 36-year-old Corey Layne of Branchbury.

He was formally identified by a family member.

Police PRO Inspector David Welch said they will now await the results of a postmortem to determine the cause of death.

Layne’s body was found by a passerby a few feet from the main road not too far from his home.

Police are seeking your help to locate the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a hit and run accident this morning.

Lawmen say 72-year-old Victor Bradshaw of Jackson, St Michael was riding his pedal cycle at the Everton Weekes roundabout in Warrens at around 5:30 am when he was struck by a vehicle, which did not stop.

The vehicle, believed to be a white Grand Vitara, proceeded towards Hothersal on the ABC Highway.

The victim is in serious condition.

Anyone who witnessed the accident or have information that could lead to the identity of the driver should call 467 2725, or the Emergency hotline at 211.

Elvis Goodman was very interested in the jewelry made by craftswoman Asha Prescott.

A record number of stalls are on display at this year’s Bridgetown Market.

There are a total of 326 stalls, 96 in the Bajan Craft Village and 230 on Spring Garden Highway.

“This is unprecedented. Never has this happened before in terms of those numbers,” Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley

A visiting troupe from Guadeloupe took part in yesterday’s ceremony.

said last evening at the Celebration of Emancipation Day and the Official Opening of Bridgetown Market held at  the Bajan Craft Village.

The most visible change this year, Lashley noted, is the installation of double decker stalls to cope with the overwhelming demand for more space.

Lashley implored the thousands traversing the highway to support the entrepreneurs, even as he and other dignitaries laid wreaths in tribute of Barbados’ nation heroes.

Dr Deryck Murray, director of the Commission of Pan African Affairs