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Barbadians are being invited to nominate fellow citizens for the 2019 National Independence Honours and Decorations.

Nominations must be made and submitted on-line. The move to on-line submission is consistent with Government’s policy to include the use of technology in the conduct of its business. On-line submissions will also facilitate wider participation at home and from the diaspora, as well as, enhance the process used for assessing the nominations submitted.

The deadline for submission is August 31, 2019.  No nominations will be accepted by mail or delivery by hand.

The nomination form link can be accessed via the government portal  www.gov.bb, or the Government Information Service website  www.gisbarbados.gov.bb. Direct access can also be obtained via the link https://barbados.seamlessgov.com/cabinetoffice.

Nominees for the 2019 Independence Honours should be outstanding in sport, science, the arts, culture and civic or other areas, or must have provided meritorious service in the military or protective services.

The Knight/Dame of St Andrew is presented for outstanding and extraordinary achievement and merit in service to Barbados and humanity at large, while the Companion of Honour of Barbados will be awarded for distinguished national achievement and merit.

The Crown of Merit, in gold and silver grades, is conferred for highly meritorious service or achievement in science, the arts, literature, sports, civic duties or any other endeavour worthy of national recognition.

The Barbados Star of Gallantry may be awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

The Barbados Bravery Medal is presented for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.

Honorary awards may be made in the above categories to persons who are not citizens of Barbados.

Both the Barbados Star of Gallantry and the Barbados Bravery Medal may be awarded posthumously.

The Barbados Service Award is awarded in two grades - Service Star and Service Medal, and is presented for meritorious work in the civil, fire, military, police, prison or other protective services, or in any other field of endeavour.  No honorary or posthumous awards are made in this category.

For further information, persons may call The Cabinet Office, Government Headquarters, Bay Street, St. Michael at 1-246 535-5385 or 1-246 535-5499, during office hours.  (BGIS)

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ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says its future plans for the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, is to have it fly as far north as Florida, stopping in places like Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Antigua and Barbuda is seeking to become the largest shareholder government of the airline and is in negotiations with Barbados to acquire most of that country’s shareholding in the Antigua-based airline. The other shareholders are Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

Antigua and Barbuda currently holds 34 per cent of the shares and if it succeeds in convincing Bridgetown to part with its LIAT shares, would have 81 per cent of the airline that employs over 600 people and operates 491 flights weekly across 15 destinations.

St John’s said it would seek to acquire the LIAT shares owned by Barbados, through a take-over of the liability of Barbados to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Cabinet said it had been “informed of the state of the negotiations” which it later described as being “at a very sensitive stage” and that the government was informed that the negotiations would “continue until there is an agreement”

“Antigua and Barbuda’s object is to acquire sufficient common shares in LIAT that will give the administration a controlling position. Instead of collapsing LIAT or reducing the size of its operation, the Gaston Browne administration aims to enlarge LIAT’s routes and to operate LIAT as far north as Florida, stopping in places like Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic—leasing jet aircraft to achieve this bigger ambition.

“More than 700 LIAT employees will remain employed if this ambition is realized,” according to a note following the Cabinet meeting.

On Friday, Prime Minister Browne told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that he is not aware that negotiations with Barbados had broken down.

Media reports in Barbados had suggested that the talks, which began a week ago had broken down after only “a few hours”.

Browne said that “a counter offer was made by Antigua” telling CMC he would not be disclosing the  offer “at this time.

“I am not at liberty to discuss the details,” Browne said.

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The Ministry of Youth and Community Empowerment (MYCE) will host 32 National Summer Camps at educational institutions, churches, community centres and pavilions across the island, from July 15 to August 16.

The remodelled programme includes more community-based activities, engaging the specialized skills, talents and experiences of volunteers within respective communities.  Campers will engage in personal development and life skills programmes, visual and performing arts, digital media training, craft, sports, team building, tours and spiritual exercises, among others.

According to Minister Adrian Forde, “the importance of a structured, multi-experienced, dynamic, developmental programme for campers and volunteers cannot be underscored enough, and therefore every effort is being made to ensure that it is a memorable one for all”.

In addition, the Ministry has expanded its summer programme, rolling out a series of interest-centered youth activities to provide more options for young people during the 2019 summer vacation. They include the ITS for Teens Information Technology Programme at 23 community resource centres; the Community Sports Training Programme, featuring seven disciplines in various communities; Scoring Goals for Life Under-19 Football Tournament; the Community Arts Programme; Experience Enterprise for Teens; and several community skills-based projects.

This year, the Ministry introduced online registration for volunteers and campers, providing remote access to the registration process through its website www.youthaffairs.gov.bb.  Response to this initiative has been very positive.  (BGIS)

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The ‘pan-tastic’ weekend kicked on Friday night at Pelican Village with the return of Pan Yard Lime in association with Signia Globe.

Hundreds of locals and tourist dined and unwind with Barbadian delicacies and partied for more than five hours to the sweet melodies of the steel drums. The spectacle featured a parade and street party along the Princess Alice Highway. The crowd immersed themselves in the spirit of revelry as the dancers, stilt walkers and Mudda Sally, showed them how to get “down low”.

The star of the night was pan legend, Lennox Boogsie Sharpe who appeared with his band Phase II from Trinidad and Tobago. Every member of the crowd was jamming as the group performed with their set. His solo was received with cheers and rousing applause from the crowd. With some gazing in amazement as Boogsie poured his soul into the steel drum.

The youth steel orchestra from Antigua, Panache, was a crowd favourite as well. They performed a medley of pop, reggae and soca hits such as Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely, Shape of You by Ed Sheeran and Bob Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff.

Phoenix Steel Orchestra from Barbados had the homecourt advantage. Their performance included soca hits from local and regional artistes such as Nailah Blackman’s Iron Love, Krosfyah’s Pump Me Up and Feting Family by Mikey. The older members of the audience were elated as the band took them back to the early 2000’s and 90s.

The show also featured performances from the Combined Youth Orchestra, Reddy Panners from Barbados and Nutrien Sliver Stars from Trinidad and Tobago.

Barbadian soca artiste Mr Dale was the guest vocalist of the night. (KK)

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The National Sports Council’s (NSC) Blenheim office will be closed on Monday, July 15, in order to facilitate industrial cleaning.

As a result of this closure, all camps scheduled for that location will be cancelled on Monday.

All other camp venues and NSC facilities will be opened as usual.

Business will resume as usual at the Blenheim office on Tuesday, July 16. Members of the public are asked to arrange their business accordingly.

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Despite losing numerous active members to death and old age, the Barbados Legion continues to grow in numbers, even in its 62nd year of existence.

On Sunday morning, former Barbados Defence Force, Barbados Home Guard, Barbados Regiment and West Indies Regiment members attended the Legion’s annual Church Service at the St Matthias Anglican Church.

Patron of the Barbados Legion, Governor General, Dame Sandra Mason, Barbados Defence Force Chief of Staff, Glyne Grannum and Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard attended the service.

Chairman of the Barbados Legion, Lieutenant Colonel, Vere Owen Springer noted while the majority of former servicemen are either “called to higher service or housebound”, its membership continues to grow as more officers look to the organisation for comradeship.

With assistance from the Barbados Poppy League and Government, Springer said the Barbados Legion would continue to serve the country’s war heroes.

“Currently some 23 veterans or wives of veterans receive a monthly allowance from the legion. We assist with spectacles, toiletries, medicals and minor repairs to their houses and we also ensure the areas around their houses are clean and tidy.

“We try to entertain and have frequent events for the legionnaires where there is comradeship and friendly face to chat with,” said the Lieutenant Colonel.

“There will always be a need for a body like the Barbados Legion to assist in bringing comfort to our fine men and women, who in their youth put country first to serve or to be ready to serve to bring peace to this troubled world.”

A detachment from the Legion honoured the Governor General after the service with a March Past immediately after the service. (KS)

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In approximately two days, Barbados will have a plan to address the impending danger of life-threatening heat waves, currently facing the region, promised Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel, Jeffrey Bostic.

He made the commitment on the heels of a report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) which warned that people living in the Caribbean run the risk of suffering from heat stroke and even death due to an ongoing global heat wave.

Admitting his Ministry had not discussed the issue prior to the report, Bostic promised it would be made priority in the coming days.

“I am going to meet with my technical team tomorrow so that we can look at it and we will have to plan exactly how we are going to respond to that but I cannot say at this point in time because it is not something we had discussed prior to the release of that report.

“I can assure you that in a day or two, we are going to have a response, because we must,” said the health Minister, who was addressing members of the media during the opening of Pharmacy Week at the Barbados Defence Force’s headquarters.

In its report, PAHO indicated the heat wave is expected to worsen in July and August and warned of drought-induced stress, forest fires and harmful effects on human health as a result.

It recommended that health officials and meteorological agencies in affected regions work closely to implement strategies which could minimize the “adverse effects or heat waves” in the interest of saving lives.

According to PAHO, people with chronic diseases, older people and children are at greater risk of complications and death but ultimately depend on each person’s ability to adapt. (KS)

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Financial technology firm Bitt Digital Inc. has become the first company to pass stress tests to meet the standard as a mover of digital money, under a regulatory model set up by
the Central Bank of Barbados and the Financial Services Commission, the bank said today.

Known as the regulatory sandbox, the framework provided Bitt with the opportunity to test its blockchain-based fintech products, services, and business models in a controlled environment while protecting consumers, stakeholders and the financial system from undue risk.

In a letter to Bitt, Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes said: “On behalf of the panel, I can confirm that the Regulatory Review Panel (RRP) considers the type of business activity trialled by Bitt to be a candidate for regulation under legislation that is currently being drafted.

“The RRP now deems the testing period to be complete.”

The approval on July 5 follows a review of Bitt’s operations during the eight-month-long Regulatory Sandbox Framework, the letter said.

Responding to the announcement, CEO Senator Rawdon Adams said: “It is absolutely necessary that all financial services companies work with regulators and grant them full oversight of their operations.

“Technology is the ideal partner for the financial services sector to take on to boost productivity - and with it economic growth.

“The results of this Sandbox will provide great comfort to our potential partners and to consumers.”

Senator Adams also spoke about the relevance of the pending Data Protection Act to Bitt’s exit from the sandbox: “Consumers, businesses, licensed financial institutions, governments and investors can rest assured that Bitt is operating in full compliance with the laws of Barbados and is equipped to protect all client data from privacy risks.”

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Cabinet has approved a new policy for maintaining health and safety in the workplace, Minister of Labour and Social Partnerships Colin Jordan has announced.

In his speech to launch Occupational Safety and Health Week under the theme A Safe and Healthy Future of Work, Jordan said: “ Cabinet has just approved the Barbados Workplace Wellness Policy.

“We are now in the process of establishing the National Committee for Wellness in the workplace that will drive the incentives across workplaces.

“Safety and Health Committees at workplaces will be integrally involved in executing wellness initiatives. We recognize that we must move beyond the thinking [of] safety and health and embrace wellness as its natural corollary necessary for fulfilled, motivated, happy and productive workers.”

Telling the gathering at Accra Beach Hotel that the labour ministry will be focusing on mental health in the workspace, Jordan said the Occupational Safety and Health Week of activities will target mental health at a session facilitated by the Psychiatric Hospital.

With the increase of migrant workers in the labour force Government has established a protocol for how employers are to treat migrant workers, the Labour Minister added.

“The protocol stipulates the working conditions that must be provided by employers for migrant workers, the rights and responsibilities for those involved in migrant labour matters, migrant workers must be treated with equity and respect.

“To be clear, migrant workers are entitled to the same protections that are afforded to citizens and can avail themselves of the services of the Labour Department if they feel that their rights have been infringed.”

Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety (NACOSH) Anthony Rocheford highlighted   statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO) that showed that 2.8 million persons have died due to occupational related injuries and illnesses.

“The ILO report finds that the largest share by far of work-related deaths is associated with occupational diseases. 31 per cent of deaths are related to circulatory diseases, 20 per cent are work-related cancer, 17 per cent of respiratory diseases. Workers now use more technology and 36 per cent are working excessively long hours defined as more than 48 hours per week,” he said.

General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations (CTUSAB) Dennis De Peiza in delivering his brief remarks on the theme said a safe and healthy future of work can only be derived if there is a commitment to providing employment and decent work for all which protects the labour rights. 

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Cabinet has approved the Give Back Programme for students of the University of the West Indies to repay with service their taxpayer-funded tuition, Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson has announced.

Under the programme, UWI students will be required to complete 150 hours of community service over the three to four years that they are at university, and give back to Barbados.

Hinkson said Government believed that it was important for university students to give back to their society through volunteerism in this country.

There was already a list of organizations, entities and non-Governmental organizations that were waiting to come on board, he said.

As the Government’s national summer camps got underway today, Hinkson also pointed out the camps were an avenue for university students to volunteer.

“This is what being a Barbadian is about. Being a Barbadian is not only about what you can get out of your country… but also about what you can do for your country.

“We have to encourage and inculcate in you and your people and your contemporaries the concept and notion that you have to volunteer in communities, to the elderly, to people with disabilities; to the DEOs (District Emergency Organizations), which are a part of the Department of Emergency Management, which also needs volunteers during this season,” he said.

Young people are also needed to volunteer to clean up communities in the event of a disaster, and to ensure the people in the communities were safe, he said.

“These are the kinds of actions of citizenry that we require of our young people, especially in this country going forward. The Government cannot do it alone. We need the support of everyone, especially young people to volunteer,” Hinkson urged.

He noted that initiatives such as the Junior Cadet Programme gave young people the tools to be able to volunteer in society and to develop the kind of citizens that Barbados required.

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On a rainy Sunday evening, friends and relatives of young men who lost their lives tragically let their tears flow at the Restoration Ministries Church, Brittons Hill, St Michael, where they had gathered for fellowship.

The memorial service was held to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Dario Lloyd, who was gunned down on July 14, 2014, at 20 years old, in the Bonnetts Housing area.

Lloyd’s mother Angela Lloyd, who said the pain she suffered from the loss was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday, had invited other families reeling in pain from the loss of a loved one, to attend the service.

[caption id="attachment_304817" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Pastor David Durant praying with grieving families during yesterday’s memorial service.[/caption]

Delivering remarks at the moving service which was filled with hymns and encouraging words, senior pastor David Durant said from all reports, Lloyd seemed to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time when his body stopped a bullet that was released from a powerful gun in that vicinity.

“Five years later his mother Angela Lloyd, father and two sisters are still grieving the loss of a loving, thoughtful and helpful family member. It does not appear anyone has been held as yet in relation to this murder and this is not helping the pain and agony of the family. The mother asked for this memorial service this afternoon to mark the fifth year of Dario’s sudden and unexpected departure from this life,” he said.

Noting that he sympathised with Lloyd’s relatives, Durant heralded a passionate plea for young people to stop unwarranted violence and total disregard for human life. He urged perpetrators of gun violence to put down the guns, since life was worth much more than having to live with the premeditated murder of someone on their conscience for the rest of their lives.

“Being paid for a few hundred dollars for such action is an insult to your intelligence and the outstanding potential within you. When such violent actions are carried out, an entire family is left in pain, grief, emotional trauma and a sense of despair. And if there are little children of the deceased, this violent action can only increase their hardship in every aspect of life,” he said.

The senior pastor said he hoped for further healing, comfort and strengthening of Lloyd’s relatives and all those who have lost loved ones due to acts of violence.

He said the memorial service was also a time for relatives to forgive whoever killed their loved ones, because it was only through forgiveness that they would experience real freedom and peace to move on.

“May God help you to overcome the anger, grief and pain you are still carrying for these five years. My prayer is for your further healing, comfort and strength,” Durant said.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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Regular flooding in the Holetown and Trents, St James areas will soon be a thing of the past.

That word has come from Project Manager in the Project Management Coordination Unit, Ricardo Marshall, who today revealed that work has been started on the Water Resources Management and Flood Resilience Project.

The infrastructural work, which began today, will address flood management and drainage control along the island’s West Coast.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY following the ground-breaking launch ceremony at Sunset Crest Mall this morning, Marshall said the incidence of flooding in those areas would be greatly reduced.

He said while flooding could not be ‘fully eliminated’, the project would “significantly reduce the impacts of flooding” on businesses and residents on that section of the West Coast.

“Flooding is a phenomenon that once the watercourse cannot take the volume of water then you will get overflowing which will lead to flood conditions.

“So what we are trying to do is to reduce the incidence of flooding, to reduce the damage that flooding causes and reduce the length of time that the flood waters would impact on areas and so we’re trying to ensure that smaller events don’t result in flooding as happens now,” Marshall explained.

He said a two-year study had been completed, which provided the best solution to the problem of flooding along the popular tourist belt.

Minister of the Environment and Natural Beautification Trevor Prescod said the $7.1 million project, to which the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had contributed $5.2 million, would address the frequency of flooding in those areas.

He said the fast-rising water usually affected persons living in low, middle and high income housing on the West Coast.

The Minister revealed that some of the key components of the programme included an updated storm water management plan; strategic flood reduction civil works to water courses between the Holetown and Trents area; the holistic management of the Holetown lagoon and comprehensive storm water and ground water quality studies.

Prescod revealed that local construction company Infra Inc had been awarded the main contract to carry out work on the project.

“This timely construction work will deliver installation and the upgrading of the necessary flood alleviation infrastructures, including but not limited to, the improvement of various drainage culverts, as well as blocked dams at five strategically determined water courses between this current location and Porters area above Trents.

“The delivery of this project also demonstrates the firm commitment of the Prime Minister of Barbados and our administration with respect to the realization of our mission critical objectives for sustainable development and enhanced productivity, especially in an active commercial regime which has been affectionately called the Platinum Coast of Barbados,” Prescod said.

The Minister called on those businesses and residents who will be impacted by the works, to be understanding and “to bear” with Government as they conduct this critical work.

Linda Taglialatela, United States’ Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, said USAID’s significant contribution towards the project showed its commitment to help Barbados adapt to the serious impacts of climate variability, water management and flood control.

She said the project, which got underway in 2013, was now in its second phase and would see the upgrading of culverts and new drainage channels to handle increased volumes of run-off water.

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Government has been alerted that alternatives to single use plastic containers should be carefully screened before being introduced to members of the public.

The message comes from an organisation, which fully supports Barbados’ efforts to minimise the use of plastic, but understands the health of citizens is equally important.

On Tuesday, the British High Commission hosted a press conference with the UK Government’s special representative for the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance (CCOA), Stephen Harris ahead of talks with Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey and Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod.

The CCOA’s mission is to learn more about the challenges facing Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean and assist in the fight to keep oceans and seas clean.

Amid concern about the impact of plastic alternatives on Barbadians’ health, Harris encouraged Government to demand more comprehensive information about the alternative products being imported.

“I think it would be a small tragedy if people do the right thing and found out the consequences of that were going to be damaging in other ways. I think people would feel very let down, if not betrayed if that happens,” said Harris, who admitted the replacement process was often difficult.   

“That goes to the point about product information, because this is an issue that has received a media storm of attention over the last couple years. It’s incentivised the production of a whole lot of other alternatives, but those haven’t always come with the degree of information that consumers need. For example, what is biodegradable? What is compostable?” he asked.

July 1 marked the start of Government’s controversial ban on single-use, petro-based plastics, which was implemented ten months after it was announced.

However just ten days into the ban, Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland revealed replacement biodegradable products tested positive for high levels of fluorine.

Since then, other stakeholders have been questioning the extent to which alternative products break down after being used.

“My version of compostable is material that I can throw into a composter bin and feed to the worms. But actually a lot of compostable material has to be degraded over a long period using industrial cost and temperature facilities. That creates confusion in people’s minds,” said Harris.

“That in my mind, is one of the key roles that regulators can play… Insist on very consistent definitions of different products and what can be done with those products that can help to support the circular economy of products’ generation, use, reuse, disposal in a way that doesn’t lead to a whole lot of leakage into the environment.”

Harris said the environmental challenge was centred on social and business behaviour driven by the demand for more plastic without the necessary capacity to properly discard it.

“It’s a really big problem and my mission is to help raise awareness and help the 53 countries of the Commonwealth to collaborate around measures to try to deal with this problem at its source and as it expresses itself in some of our beautiful waters.

“It’s very hard for people in their daily lives to grasp the enormity of these environmental problems particularly when the cost of these products seem to come before the benefits,” he said.

After leaving Barbados, the CCOA official heads to Antigua and Barbuda and then Kingston, Jamaica to continue the mission.

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The Police high command today backed a call by the Crown’s chief prosecutor for ‘integrity’ and ‘character’ as she underlined the importance of avoiding any action, which might pervert the course of justice.

Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard, QC, warned law enforcers that their training would all be for naught if they failed to carry out investigations with integrity.

Babb-Agard told officers as the Regional Security System (RSS) began a course in the prosecution of drug offences at the RSS Training Institute on the Barbados Defence Force Base Paragon in Christ Church that the very appearance of impropriety or procedural shortcuts can derail a case when it comes up for trial.

In backing the DPP’s sentiments, the Deputy Commissioner of Police responsible for Administration and Human Relations Oral Williams went even further to issue a warning of his own that went beyond drug cases.

“All I can say is the statements made by the DPP are general in nature and are apt not only to drug cases, but any investigation being done by the Royal Barbados Police Force,” Williams told Barbados TODAY.

“I see no need for comment except one that is supportive of the DPP’s.

“So when the DPP cautioned the police officers about the consequences of their actions and the possibility of police files mysteriously disappearing, she is being assured of agreement from the leadership of the force.”

Babb-Agard told the officers: “My admonition to you this morning is that you give equal importance to the maintaining of integrity in the execution of your duties as investigators and prosecutors.

“How you conduct yourself often times has long-lasting consequences, which may adversely affect the outcome of the cases brought to court.

“Your abilities will serve little purpose if your integrity is compromised.”

Babb-Agard gave several examples of how the State’s case could be compromised at the evidence-gathering stage including where “a police file mysteriously disappears, where you fail to disclose evidence to the defence which may assist in exculpating an accused or a suspect, where you deliberately delete important digital forensic evidence, where you use your authority to intimidate witnesses to prevent them from giving evidence, where you allow people to unduly influence your decision-making, which should be based on the evidence or the lack thereof”.

Babb-Agard outlined the investigatory ingredients necessary to successfully prosecute cases of this nature.

She said: “A successful prosecution has, as its foundation, the submission of a well-prepared police file upon which prosecutors can rely. This cannot be overstated.

“It will assist in deciding what charges can be sustained based on the cumulative effect of witness statements and the background profile done by the investigators, of the suspects.”

She argued that the collection of evidence will support the elements of the crime with which the accused is charged, and this ensures that the Crown is able to meet the burden of proof when the matter goes to trial.

“In other words, avoid any action which amounts to perverting the course of justice. Ability may get you to the top, but character will keep you there,” she stressed.

The DPP recently came into public focus when she determined that charges against a local high-profile defendant should be dropped because of a lack of evidence. But she made no direct reference to this decision in her presentation this morning.
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colvillemousney@barbadostoday.bb

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Government is on a quest to ensure Barbados has no unemployed nurses before it deploys a team of experts to recruit nurses from Ghana, the Minister of Health and Wellness has promised.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, in fact said that before recruiting nurses from the African continent, Government would also look to the Eastern Caribbean for qualified healthcare professionals.

Last month, during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo, Mottley made known her intention to recruit just under 400 nurses from Ghana to respond to the country’s chronic nursing shortage.

While the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and the Barbados Nurses’ Association (BNA) welcomed the move, General Secretary of the Unity Trade Union (UTU) Senator Caswell Franklyn described the plan as “rushed” and not “adequately thought through”. At the time, he questioned how Government could afford to employ West African healthcare workers when Barbados Community College (BCC) nursing graduates were struggling to find work.

In Ghana, the move was also criticised by some, including the country’s former ambassador to the United Kingdom Victor Smith who said with a 1:1000 nurse to patient ratio, the West African country could not afford to lose its priceless human resources.

While Barbados’ Health Minister said local officials were ready and rearing for its mission to Ghana, he revealed Government would ensure unemployed Barbadian nurses received first pick.

“We are at the moment commencing a process to locate all nurses in Barbados who may not be working at this time. That includes those who graduated from the community college but would not have passed the regional exam. That is to ensure that we facilitate the process for our own people before going elsewhere,” assured Bostic, who said some countries in the CARICOM, would also be given
preference.

“We have been advised there are one or two islands in the Eastern Caribbean that may have excess nurses and if we can get some from there, we will go there.”

Of Government’s upcoming mission to Ghana, he added: “We have a team that is already assembled and ready to go to
Ghana as long as we get the word from the Cabinet and the Prime Minister for us to deploy.

“That comprises persons from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Barbados Nurses’ Council,” he said.

Bostic disclosed the mission would be focused on recruiting nurses to service all aspects of the country’s healthcare system along with specialist nurses in areas like gerontology for the district hospitals as well as the psychiatric specialists for the Psychiatric Hospital.

“This is because there are shortages in all areas, so that is why a team was selected in the way it has been selected, comprising both the Ministry and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It’s because we are looking to recruit so that all aspects of the healthcare system can benefit from the recruitment process,” said Minister Bostic.
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The Programme Manager at Starcom Network has had his 2019 calypso Reading for Pleasure banned by his own radio station and the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

In addition to that, Ronnie De Announcer Clarke has been yanked from the popular Fireworks programme, staged annually during the hectic Crop Over season.

Reading for Pleasure, which is shaping up to be one of Clarke’s biggest hits, has apparently offended the listening ears at the Starcom Network and CBC.

Declaring that he is aware his job may be impacted, Clarke said he is contemplating taking legal action against the two stations for damages to his reputation.

The crafty social commentary which plays on the work of noted American author Eric Jerome Dickey is no longer getting airplay and the decision is not sitting well with the radio personality.

Heaping disdain on the move, the Cave Shepherd All Stars calypsonian is crying foul saying that songs such as Popsicle’s Don’t Sell Cornwall, Mac Fingall’s Tonight You Eating Bacon, John King Sing Fuh Cree and Malik’s World Cup Cricket continue to be played on
airwaves.

“Starcom Network and Redifussion have a rich history of playing songs that stand alone but people may interpret them as something else and Reading For Pleasure is definitely in those parameters and less shocking than any of them,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY.

“It takes a certain degree of cultural apathy or ignorance and sexual immaturity to only hear genitialia when there is no reference to any genitialia other than the reference to a man’s surname, a well-established author who has come to Barbados from time to time and in Barbados is well known,” he continued.

Clarke disclosed that station manager of Starcom Network, David Ellis classified the song as “smacked of vulgarity” and one that “belonged in the tents”. Clarke said he was then informed that the song would be banned from the airwaves.

Having received word that the tune would be pulled, Clarke, the presenter of Fireworks on VOB 92.9 FM, went on air last week Tuesday, and explained to listeners that his song would no longer be played. He read the email correspondence between himself and station manager David Ellis. Because of his actions, he said, he was pulled from Fireworks for the rest of the Crop Over season and has received disciplinary action.

Clarke said: “My listeners and the audience are wondering what happened to this song, I am not supposed to bring some clarity to it?

“It is nonsense about being too passionate in the delivery of the surname, I have come up with something called “dickey phobia”. Dickey phobia is the irrational fear of a man’s surname and the symptoms include banning the calypso by the announcer.”

This evening Barbados TODAY contacted Station Manager Ellis for comment but he declined.

While speaking to Barbados TODAY, Clarke criticized CBC for its lack of transparency as they were unable to give him a reason for the ban and also charged that his employer Starcom Network was trying to cover it up. He was unapologetic about the stance he has taken and claimed that broadcasters are expected to inform and keep the public aware of things that are of interest to them, and Reading for Pleasure was a topic of discussion.

Efforts to reach CBC management for comment proved futile.

The seasoned broadcaster said he was contemplating taking legal action against CBC and Starcom for damages to his reputation.

“I know my job is at stake but I don’t care about that, I stand for what is right and facts and truth,” he stressed.

Clarke argued that his only demand was for the media/broadcast agencies to retract their decision on his music. The calypsonian told Barbados TODAY he hoped the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) would not follow suit as his arrangement and the construction of his song on judging night abided by the rules.

“I can hope and pray I make it into the finals. A lot of people are concerned that with this ridiculous decision by Starcom Network and this pathetic following by CBC that the NCF will feel moved to do the same but my judging night performance spoke for itself. If you have any issues according to the rules, you present them to me once I have been selected,” he asserted. katrinaking@barbadostoday.bb

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One of Barbados’ most prominent educators has delivered a sharp reprimand to people who believe that issues of crime, students’ underperformance and parenting challenges belong exclusively to those experiencing it.

Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies Professor Eudine Barriteau is warning that such attitude could lead to social implosion.

She has also cautioned those who have ‘made it’, saying this should never mean turning their backs on persons who are not family members or in their close circles.

The Cave Hill principal was addressing the 30th Anniversary Reunion of the Graduating Class of Ellerslie Secondary School, 1989, on the weekend.

“When crime in the country becomes part of a national conversation, the discussion usually sounds as if safety and security are concerns only for our middle and upper-class neighbourhoods. It is as if community watchgroups and crime prevention strategies are only for those of us who are less economically challenged, for those of us who are propertied,” the principal noted.

“In response to rising crime, we can build more gated communities, employ 24-hour security systems, deploy more police officers, expand the prison population and turn our backs on providing social policy and publicly-funded support for altering the quality of life for low income families. But we do so at our own peril and greater social alienation and implosion. We would be seeking to cocoon ourselves in our economic and social privilege while contributing to destroying the social fabric and social capital of this society.”

Her comments come amid rising concern about gun crimes in the country, with 32 people murdered for the year, so far.

Law enforcement officials have said that several of them are reprisal shootings, and the incidents are no longer confined to what were once viewed as problem areas, but have spread to normally tranquil communities.

Principal Barriteau has called for a collective responsibility for the social issues plaguing the society, including from the corporate community and the government.

She suggested a more structured long-term relationship, driven less by filling requests for gifts and various sponsorships, but rather exposure to mentoring and the provision of basic internships to help boost self-confidence.

“We should not take the position that those caught in the web of crime, that those who are not paying sufficient attention to raising their children, or do not know how to raise children to be socially and morally responsible, that their failure is their problem, that we have to look after our own, so they should look after theirs,” she urged.

“Not only would we be occupying a fool’s paradise, but that attitude taken to its extreme, would result in the social implosion of Barbados. What is needed to move Barbados forward is accepting and acting upon our collective responsibility for what happens in our society. That responsibility belongs to all of us as citizens, the corporate community or private sector and the government.”

As the veteran educator addressed those attending the ceremony at her alma mater, she made a case for policies and strategies that would result in children growing up to reject destructive behaviours.

She recommended improved community services and co-curricular programmes for more children before the age of ten.

If Barbados is serious about preventing young men and women from being enticed into a life of crime, this is necessary, she said.

“I urge all private sector organisations working with the Ministry of Education and through their various membership bodies to adopt a primary or secondary school in the country. Note well, this school should not be the alma mater of the CEO or the management team,” she suggested. 

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Private minibus and route tax operators might not like it but shifting their base from the roadside to the Speightstown Bus Terminal is for the safety of the travelling public, Transport Authority chairman Ian Estwick declared today.

He revealed that approximately 130 PSV operators on northern routes have been ordered to move to the western side of the terminal from September 1.

On a tour of the Speightstown terminal this afternoon, the chairman told reporters that the main road where PSVs were currently operating from was not safe for either them or commuters.

“This visit has been occasioned to afford the Transport Authority another look at the Speightstown terminal as we are planning to have the privately owned PSVs integrate with the Transport Board buses in this terminal.

“I haven’t had any feedback yet, but it will be naïve of me to think they will be responding positively, because it has been my experience in my first year [as chairman] that this is one sector that is extremely resistant to change.

“So I don’t expect that it will be a bed of roses for everybody, but it is something that has to happen. It is much too dangerous out there and I have seen schoolchildren climbing through bus windows, not only to the eastern side but to the western side, which means they are exposing themselves to traffic and we can’t sit back as an authority and let something like that happen because we wouldn’t be able to justify our existence.”

The authority is awaiting changes to the Omnibus Terminals Act - which allows only Transport Board buses to use the space - to allow PSVs to use the terminal, he added.

Estwick said: “We are looking to move in here September 1.

“The big thing we are waiting on is legislative changes to the Omnibus Terminals Act which right now only allows for Transport Board buses to come into any terminal except the Constitution River Terminal, so we’ve got to get that legislation changed to allow all three forms of public transportation to come in.”

The Transport Authority chairman said while some renovations had been done on the outside of the building to facilitate the PSVs, additional work had to be done internally, especially to the public bathrooms.

“We’ve done some alterations outside and I think some more have to be done in here,” Estwick told reporters. “I know the public toilets here are not in the best conditions and those have to be done very shortly and definitely before we move in the PSVs here, because then we will be increasing commuter traffic in here so we have to make sure everything is done properly.”

The Terminal Coordinator at the Transport Authority Rhonda Scantlebury took reporters on a short tour of the Speightstown station where she showed handrails and steps had already been built to facilitate the move.

She said five terminals would be made available to the PSVs.

Accommodations for disabled people was also being worked on and would be finalized before the transition process, Estwick said.

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