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Bajan Newscap 3/15/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 15th March 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), Loop News Barbados (LN) or by purchasing a Mid-Week Nation Newspaper (MWN).

WE ARE IMF BOUND - There is no doubt in the mind of former Prime Minister Owen Arthur that Barbados will turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help to tackle its fiscal problems. Speaking during debate on 2017/2018 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Arthur said the move was inevitable, warning that the island simply could not tackle its $3.3 billion debt crisis on its own. “A debt refinancing obligation of that order or magnitude cannot be accomplished without the help of the international financial community. “And Sir, there is a powerful reason for us to engage with the International Monetary Fund. We are not going to get over the debt unless there is some institutional arrangement that gives credibility to the creditors of Barbados that the Government of Barbados is not acting unilaterally on the matter,” he said. Noting that Caribbean countries that engaged in debt refinancing or debt exchanges were doing so under the auspices of the IMF, the former Prime Minister, who recently assisted Grenada with its IMF programme, said while a relationship with the Washington-based lending institution would not be easy, Barbados had nothing to lose. “When I hear of all the things that we need to do I say to Parliament that Barbados cannot turn its back on having its debt restructured under a Fund programme . . . . It cannot turn its back on the $750 million it can borrow under the Fund at one per cent.” Government has repeated said Barbados would not seek help from the global monetary agency, with Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler repeating the pledge at a recent news conference. “We do not at this time believe it is necessary for Barbados to enter into an International Monetary Fund programme, whether stand-by or structural adjustment or whatever terminology,” he said. It is a position that is at odds with the man who was recently tipped to head Government’s economic advisory council. Arthur today reiterated his position that an IMF programme would make it easier for Barbados to access policy-based loans from the Caribbean Development Bank and other international agencies to bolster the restructuring exercise. “Sir, this is not going to be easy. Weeping may endure for a night but joy can come in the morning,” he told the House. (BT)

SEEK HELP – Barbados faces A $3 billion debt crisis, and former Prime Minister Owen Arthur is pleading with the Freundel Stuart administration to seek foreign help right away, even if it means going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday in the pre-lunch session of debate on the Appropriation Bill 2017, the St Peter Independent Member of Parliament ranked the debate as the “most important on the economy” in his 33 years in Parliament. “I have no vested interest in seeing the collapse of an economy that I have spent more than half of my life helping to build,” Arthur said during the second day of debate on the Government’s Estimates Of Revenue And Expenditure for the 2017/2018 financial year. (MWN)

DOLLLAR APPEAL NO MORE $2-$1 - Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur made a strong case today for Barbados to end its currency peg to the United States dollar. In setting out his case before Parliament during the morning session on the second day of the debate on the 2017/2018 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Arthur said other currencies should be considered to help stabilize the Barbados dollar, which the fired Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell had warned was facing devaluation because of the continued printing of money to support Government programmes. In fact, the former Prime Minister would have taken many by surprise when he dismissed any talk of devaluation as “false”, explaining that the Barbados dollars devalued often, whenever the US dollar moves down against other currencies. “Our currency is pegged to the United States dollar that is not going down in value, but is going up in value and it is making Barbadian exports more expensive, not because we want them to be more expensive but because of how our currency is pegged. “Our currency is also making it more expensive for investors coming from the United Kingdom and Germany to be able to make investments in Barbados,” Arthur warned. Stressing that the US dollar would continue to appreciate, Arthur made the case for the country to begin a “debate on what should be an appropriate exchange rate policy that coincides with our contemporary goods, services and foreign capital flows in the context of what is likely to happen to the currencies against which we are pegged taking into account all the other currencies of countries we do business.” The former Prime Minister said dollarization- which involves a country using another country’s currency as legal tender for conducting transactions – had been recommended as a positive option for small open economies such as Barbados, since it offered the benefits of greater stability in the value of a foreign currency over a country’s domestic currency. “Can we not also look to peg our currency, not to a dollar that is appreciating at a time when our reserves are falling, but can we not have a basket of currencies that reflect the weight of respective countries in our trade in relation to goods, services and capital flows and for a while stabilize the Barbados dollar because it is not stabilized now? “ Arthur said. (BT)

JOB CUTS WILL COME – Workers need to brace themselves because job losses are inevitable at many of the country’s state-owned enterprises, Owen Arthur has said. The former prime minister said he tried to introduce a mature discussion on the topic of privatisation in the last general election but now there was no running from the issue. Arthur, who was the man behind the sale of the former state-owned Barbados National Bank and the Insurance Corporation of Barbados, told the House of Assembly yesterday during debate on the Estimates that rationalisation of the 63 state-owned enterprises had to occur and limits put on who could access services such as university education and health services free of cost. “I am disappointed when I hear the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) coming out against privatisation because I seem to recall that as Prime Minister of Barbados, I met with the BWU and told them the Transport Board has to focus on its core business and it should not be running a mechanical workshop. . . (MWN)

DOWN TO THE WIRE - If the annual Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure are anything to go by, 2018 is definitely the year for elections in Barbados. While making a deliberate effort to control its spending in 2017/2018, the Freundel Stuart administration looks set to go all out to woo voters next year in terms of its financial provisions as it prepares to come face to face with the constitutional deadline. For starters, the Electoral & Boundaries Commission (EBC), the main executing agency for any national poll, will be operating on a reduced budget of $5.1 million for fiscal year 2017/2018, down from $8.6 million for fiscal 2016/2017. And while the EBC’s budget is to be maintained at $5 million next year, there is greater evidence of Government’s political intent in its increased allocations for its various social and political agencies. Chief among these is the Office of the Prime Minister, whose budget has been reduced from $167 million to $155 million for fiscal 2017/2018, but is due to soar to $210 million for fiscal 2018/2019, in keeping with the need for greater political largess. Defence and Security are also vital in any given year, but more so at election time. Therefore, it has come as no surprise that the budget, which has generally been maintained around $53 million, is set to be increased by about six million in time for Stuart’s much anticipated announcement. The Office of the Attorney General is also to be allocated $161 million, up from $146 million in what looks to be an election year. This includes an expanded budget for police services of $119 million up from $106 million in the current financial year. Equally unsurprising is the level of attention paid to living and working conditions of urban households. Already, Government’s vote for the Urban Development Commission is up slightly from $5.5 million in fiscal 2016/2017 to $6 million this year. However, provision is made in the Forward Estimates for 2018/2019 for a whopping $35.4 million for urban renewal, which encompasses many of the so called marginal seats that have known to decide the outcome of Barbados elections. The Rural Development Commission’s budget will also increase to $10 million, up from $4.4 million, as part of an overall boost to the Ministry of Housing and Lands, whose allocation is set to increase to $138 million in fiscal 2018/2019, up from $111 million. With Stuart expected to carry the country down to the wire, the spending of the Ministry of Transport and Works has been fixed at $125 million for 2017/2018. However, that figure moves up to $205 million next year, based on Government’s Forward Estimates. The budget for the Steve Blackett-led Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development is also due to increase to $82 million, up from $79 million in 2017/2018. This includes over $2 million more for the Welfare Department. Next year, the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Human Development can also look forward to its biggest budget in five years. A provision of $90 million is being made, up from $80 million in the Revised Estimates for 2016/2017 and the $84 million that has been set aside for 2017/2018. The figure includes $45 million to finance increases to non-contributory pensioners who are due to be added to the roll of the National Insurance Department, while provision has been made for $316 million under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs for prompt settlement of retiring benefits, up from $297 million for fiscal 2017/2018 and $242 million for 2016/2017. The first in a series of payments to CLICO and BAICO policyholders and investors are to begin this year, with CLICO policyholders due to receive $25 million and BAICO investors $4.9 million after waiting in vain for the past eight years for relief following the collapse of their Trinidad-based parent company, CL Financial. The Forward Estimates, which can only be considered a wishlist at this stage in the absence of parliamentary approval, also make provision for an increase in the vote for Health, with the David Thompson Polyclinic to receive $1.98 million this coming year, up from $793,370 in fiscal 2016/2017, with a further increase planned for 2018/2019 to $2.05 million. In terms of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the vote is set to increase to $70.8 million in the 2018/2019 financial year which begins in April, up from $64.6 million in the current Estimates and $57 million, based on the Revised Estimates for 2016/2017. Seven million has also been set aside for Technical and Vocational Training up from $3.1 million in the current Estimates. As part of Government’s planning for 2018/2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget is also set to increase to $57.7 million, even though the allocation made last year for the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations has been discounted. (BT)

DLP LEADER IN WAITING - Outspoken Government minister Donville Inniss is not hiding his leadership ambitions. In fact, he has told reporters that he would readily embrace the opportunity to lead ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP), if the position currently held by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart were to become available. The Member of Parliament for St James South, who has been openly critical of Stuart’s leadership style from the standpoint of communication, was responding to questions from the media following the launch of the Global Value Chain Analysis workshop at Accra Beach Hotel yesterday. Inniss, who is the current minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, said while the top position in the ruling DLP party was currently filled, he would be “a fool not to” throw his hat in the ring, should it become vacant. However he was silent on whether his leadership designs hinge on Stuart relinquishing the post of his own volition or if he plans to mount a challenge through the internal electoral process, should the DLP fail to regain power at the next general elections, which is constitutionally due in a matter of months. “When I say what I have to say and people say that, ‘oh Donville Inniss wants to be Prime Minister of Barbados’ but there ain’t no vacancy. However if a vacancy arises I will be a fool not put my hat in the ring,” said Inniss, who has also differed publicly with his leader on the matter of downgrades. “Every politician has a right to try to preserve himself, don’t let anybody fool you about that; even those who say nothing. I am a Barbadian first and foremost and I am the parliamentary representative for St James South and it is my intention to continue to do that. I have also been a member of the DLP for almost 33 years and therefore, whatever one may say about self-preservation, the simple truth of the matter is that I live in a very real world and I observe what is going on around me. . . . If people think that my comments are selfish then tough luck for them, but I have to do and say what is in the best interest of Barbados first,” he said, following two recent downgrades by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s that were effectively dismissed by the Prime Minister. However, despite these public contradictions, Inniss contended that there was no jostling for leadership, as he and his colleagues were satisfied with the stewardship of Stuart. “There is no vacancy for chairmanship of the Cabinet and I can tell you that we as Cabinet ministers do have good relationship with one another as we do our task. Whatever people may do behind the scenes, I don’t know, but I am a very up front and open person, so I don’t know about any jockeying for power,” he said. Inniss further suggested that given the turbulent economic times facing the country, now was not the time to be focused on leadership of the party. “Let us stay focused on how we can make this economy much stronger than it is now, I am not about the political games at all,” he said. (BT)

GOVT TOO ‘HARD EARS’, LAMENTS SUTHERLAND - An Opposition Member of Parliament believes he knows exactly what is the problem facing the Freundel Stuart Government. Barbados Labour Party (BLP) representative for St George South Dwight Sutherland said today that not only was the Stuart Government “hard-ears”, but it was also suffering from “apathy and laziness”. On that basis, Sutherland flatly dismissed the request made by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler yesterday for the BLP to bring tangible solutions to the table to tackle the island’s economic woes, saying not only was it too late, but that Government had shot down many suggestions and recommendations over the years from economists, including former BLP leader Owen Arthur, as well as the private sector and even one of their very own. “Right in their backyard, Mr Speaker, the member for St Philip West, he too has offered many solutions on many occasions to the Prime Minister of the ruling party, who has failed to act on his recommendations,” Sutherland said, in reference to Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick’s alternative economic plan. The St George South MP also recalled that the Mia Mottley-led BLP had proposed the establishment of a joint select committee in 2009 to help address the country’s economic challenges when she “recognized” that “the ship had started to sink. “But that is not all Mr Speaker, the member for St Michael North East [Mottley] came again in 2013, ship sinking further, and she proposed an eminent persons grouping to address the fiscal issues, the economic issues of this country, but you know what Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister of this country, he responded to her call for the eminent persons group and he said, ‘all of the members of his Cabinet are eminent persons’, he does not need an eminent persons group,” recalled Sutherland. He said “worse yet” Sinckler had “pilloried” Mottley, telling her everything under the sun, “including to run down Broad Street naked if she wanted attention”. He therefore questioned if Sinckler’s request for help at this time was genuine, arguing that even with all the solutions staring it in the face, the DLP administration had simply refused to act. “So you are hard ears. And there is a saying, ‘hard ears you won’t hear, own way you gine feel’. But we will rescue this country,” said Sutherland, while calling on Government to call elections. “This Government continues to suffer from inertia, apathy and laziness, especially in our energy sector . . . While some work has been done in the renewable energy sector, this Government is lagging,” he stressed. (BT)

POOR BOWLING BY SINCKLER - Lacklustre and lacking in confidence! That’s how Member of Parliament for the City Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic has described Tuesday’s Estimates presentation by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler. Instead of restoring public confidence in the island’s ailing economy on the heels of two successive downgrades by international ratings agencies Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, Bostic said what Parliament was treated to was a game of “political cricket”. “What I heard yesterday, Mr Speaker, was a bowler pitching . . . what I would call political half volleys outside the off stump hoping that the batsmen from the Barbados Labour Party would be induced to driving at everything so that you get the edges to be caught in the slips by the Democratic Labour Party fielders,” Bostic said in making his contribution to today’s debate on the 2017 Appropriations Bill. He also took Sinckler to task for asking the Opposition BLP to offer suggestions on how to address the island’s economic woes. “Asking all the time for the Opposition to say what to do, what to cut, when I am certain that the honourable minister knows what he has to do, given the situation that confronts him, to be asking those questions to me really was playing political cricket,” Bostic said, stressing that the presentation was not serious enough and that Government still needed to have a proper discussion on the state of the island’s economy. (BT)

SEALY NO MONEY WASTED – The government has not been wasting money or going on any spending sprees, says Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy. Rather, the administration was looking to improve the social infrastructure that included modernising the welfare system so as to interrupt poverty that spreads from generation to generation, he said. Sealy, the Member of Parliament for St Michael South Central, was speaking during the debate on the Estimates Of Revenue And Expenditure for the 2017 -2018 financial year in the House of Assembly on Monday night. He said there was improvement in tourism, the sector on which Barbados largely depended to attract its foreign exchange. (MWN)

DEMS NEED A MIRACLE, SAYS EVERSLEY – It will take a miracle for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to retain power in the next general election following Saturday’s March of Disgust organized by the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), according to political strategist Reudon Eversley. Eversley said due to the success of the protest, with an estimated 10,000 people turning up to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the current administration, only God could save the DLP now. “With less than a year to go before general election, I think it would require God to come out of heaven to reverse the situation for the DLP. I do not see any miracles occurring under Stuart’s uninspiring, lacklustre and ineffective leadership” the strategist and writer opined. The BLP has already said Saturday’s protest was just the beginning and there was a lot more pressure to come on Stuart to call an early poll. Eversley said BLP leader Mia Mottley would have been buoyed by the turnout, which would serve as a fillip for her political career. “I cannot say that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has to sit up and think, but I think it was a very strong statement as to how Barbadians feel about the current state of affairs in the country. In many ways Saturday’s march can be considered a turning point for Mottley’s leadership.” Despite being returned as BLP leader after former Prime Minister Owen Arthur stepped down for the second time following his election defeat in 2013 – Arthur had quit after the 2008 election loss and was replaced by Mottley, before a palace coup returned Arthur to the helm of the party in 2010 – Mottley has found it difficult to shake off speculation about her tenure. In fact, there had been suggestions that a faction led by Arthur sympathizer George Payne would lead another coup against the BLP leader. However, Payne, who was elected unopposed as BLP Chairman last October, came out strongly in Mottley’s support at Saturday’s rally, while calling on Arthur, who has made no secret of his dislike for Mottley, to “leave the political leader of the Barbados Labour Party alone”. This has prompted Eversley to conclude that Mottley’s problems were behind her and the BLP was settled. This has prompted Eversley to conclude that Mottley’s problems were behind her and the BLP was settled. “Any lingering suspicion that there would be an undermining of Mottley’s leadership has been effectively put aside with Payne’s firm declaration of support for Mottley. Payne’s statement is a very significant statement,” he stressed. Eversley said the BLP had been effective in mobilizing support for the march, which he described as a “tremendous success”, while arguing that people who had not participated for fear of victimization would be encouraged to take part the next time. It was also the turnout that led political scientist Dr George Belle to conclude that the BLP had to be at the centre of any resistance to the policies of the Stuart administration. “There are some people that were suggesting that we need to create some kind of consensus to allow the Government to act in a way that will be favourable to the recovery of the economy. The real point is that you are not going to be able to have an alternative Government or change of Government if the BLP is not the core of what will be the alternative Government and the core of what will bring about the decline of the regime’s capacity to survive,” Belle told Barbados TODAY. “The realpolitik is that this is what has to happen. There is no third party that is going to do that. Any attempt to divide the BLP will prolong the life of the Government to the extent that they want to stay as long as possible in relation to the constitutional distance that is given to them,” he added. (BT)

STEVE BLACKETT ATTACKS MEDIA - A government minister today launched an attack on the media over their coverage of the administration and the state of the economy, accusing several of them of being the extended media arm of the Opposition. Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steve Blackett, specifically targeted Barbados Today, Starcom and the Nation newspaper. His criticisms come in the wake of the media’s reporting of a number of issues affecting the state, among them the legal showdown between the former Central Bank governor and the Minister of Finance, a drop in foreign reserves, a credit rating downgrades and warnings about worsening economic conditions in the country. As he contributed to debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2017 this afternoon, the former Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news anchor blasted what he termed “rubbish” coming out of media houses. “We had moderators on call-in programmes day in, day out; [with] Starcom providing the platform for them to wash their mouths on this party and this government,” he accused. “We have people they bring in from all over the Caribbean, failed politicians, rejected politicians… that Starcom bring in to wash their mouths on Barbados. Their own country. How unpatriotic can they be!” Charging that some people were merely trying to score political points, he expressed anger that Barbados was being compared to Venezuela. Furthermore, he blasted the popular theatrical show Laff-it-Off, stating that it was “becoming the comedy wing of the BLP”. (LN)

SOCIAL CARE MINISTER THREATENS TO REPORT BLP TO CHILD CARE BOARD - The Minister responsible for the Child Care Board (CCB) is threatening to report the appearance of a 13-year-old boy on a Barbados Labour Party platform on Saturday to the CCB. Flanked by two adults, Khaleel Kothdiwala, delivered a speech that stirred the thousands present at Jubilee Gardens for the March of Disgust, and has been receiving much praise since. However, during the House of Assembly debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2017 this afternoon, Minister Steve Blackett suggested that his appearance was inappropriate. In fact, he likened the teen’s appearance to child abuse. “They had a young man, 13 years old I understand he is, parading across the stage with or without the permission of his parents, in full glare of all, exploiting the young man. That is equivalent, as far as I’m concerned, to sexual abuse or physical abuse. It is!” he insisted. Blackett also accused the BLP of exploiting some members of the disabled community. He went on to warn that bloodshed or loss of life is likely in the next general election. Indicating that this could prompt his exit from elected politics, the MP predicted that this would be the result of the actions of the BLP, which he blamed for spreading hate, racism and division and civil strife. “I pray it does not. And I pray that every single Christian, every single Muslim, every single Hindu get on their knees and pray for this country because the Barbados Labour Party is heading the country down a particular avenue that will cause bloodshed in this country based on how they are behaving and how they are conducting themselves in public life in Barbados,” the minister added. (LN)

KELLMAN SEES DOLLAR SIGNS - Minister of Housing Denis Kellman has suggested a way for the cashed-strapped Freundel Stuart Government to earn much needed revenue. It is from the sale of land under Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act. Speaking in Parliament today during debate on 2017/2018 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Kellman mooted the idea of Government providing more Barbadians with house spots, instead of using the island’s “scare resources” to provide complete housing solutions. However, the minister of housing acknowledged that a shortage of land surveyors was affecting the purchase of land under the Act. Kellman also suggested that such transactions were not seen as lucrative to lawyers. He therefore said his ministry was considering hiring a legal representative to carry forward the vision of Barbados’ Father of Independence and National Hero Errol Walton Barrow of “ensuring that the masses of people were empowered by owning land” — a vision which he said was subsequently implemented by the Barbados Labour Party’s leader Tom Adams and completed by the ruling Democratic Labour Party “because we understood what has to be done”. The Act allows qualified tenants residing on non-plantation tenantries to purchase their lots if they had carried out substantial improvements such as “the construction in stone, brick and concrete, or a dwelling house and includes the construction of water-borne toilet facilities”. The Act also makes provision for a Government subsidy to assist tenants with the purchase of their lots. Under Section 10 of the Act, Government pays the subsidy up to 5,000 square feet. The tenant pays the market price for the remainder of the land. Kellman suggested it was time for the Act, which has already undergone numerous amendments, to be re-examined to ensure it was working in the interest of both tenants and landowners. (BT)

THOMPSON: ALL IS NOT WELL IN ST JOHN – Member of Parliament Mara Thompson says she is both “horrified” and “angry” over the lack of attention being given to the urgent plight of residents of St John. Speaking during debate on the 2017-2018 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Thompson zeroed in on the bad state of the roads in the rural parish, while voicing her strong displeasure over the current bus service provided by the state-run Transport Board, which she said also left a lot to be desired. “The buses don’t come on time or don’t come at all, namely the Sargeant’s and the Martins Bay bus. [Residents] are not pleased about the lack of action in acquiring the ground at College Savannah where Sussex Cricket Club plays cricket. I have numerous letters,” Thompson said. She also identified a number of communities that were affected by “ruts, potholes, bumps and craters”, resulting in “destruction of shocks, depreciation of cars, angry constituents and an angry Member of Parliament”. Reading from a prepared speech, the widow of late Prime Minister David Thompson, who took over the St John seat following his passing back in 2010, also expressed horror over Government��s plan for dealing with the current shortage of primary schools in the area, which has traditionally been a ruling Democratic Labour Party stronghold. “They [residents] are not pleased about the condition of the St John Primary School and the closure of the Society Primary School, and they are as horrified, as I am, at being told that the new school to house the students of these two schools will be located at the site of the old outpatient’s clinic at Gall Hill. An absurd idea! And they have told me to say right here on the floor of the House today that they will not permit this to happen,” she reported. The Government representative said she had written “numerous letters” to the relevant ministers outlining the residents’ concerns. And though acknowledging that Government was constrained economically at this time, with its proverbial pie “actually the size of a cupcake”, she was adamant that “whatever size the piece is, St John deserves and demands its share”. She was however pleased about the refurbishment of the post office at Four Roads, the pavilion at Gall Hill, the Lodge School, and the gift of a parcel of land for recreational use. “I want to say how pleased the constituents of St John are at the completion of the St John Polyclinic and indeed another complex, the David Thompson Health and Services Complex,” she added. In his contribution, Minister of Housing and Lands Denis Kellman acknowledged receipt of a letter “some time last year” from Thompson regarding the College Savannah land for the Sussex Cricket Club. He said that his ministry and that of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport visited the area and both agreed the land should be acquired to help develop sport in the parish. (BT)

MARCH DEM OUT – Political activist David Comissiong wants to march the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) out of office hurriedly, and he is calling for a multi-sectoral people’s campaign in order to achieve this goal. Comissiong told Barbados TODAY his recommended approach would prepare the ground for a new Government that clearly understood that it would no longer be business as usual. “We the people of Barbados need to send a very strong message that henceforth we will be resolved to do everything in our power to hold Government ministers and officials accountable and to decry and prosecute all vestiges of corruption in governmental circles,” the social commentator and attorney-at-law said. Comissiong, who participated in Saturday’s March of Disgust organized by the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), said he did so despite the fact that he was not a member or supporter of the Opposition party. He said there were thousands like him who simply felt they had to perform their civic duty and demonstrate that they had had enough of the Freundel Stuart administration. DLP General Secretary George Pilgrim had sought to ridicule the march, describing much of the estimated 10,000 protestors as a rent a crowd. Without presenting evidence to support his claim, Pilgrim charged on Starcom Network’s Down to Brass Tacks yesterday that the BLP had paid people to show up, a suggestion that those who took to the streets of the capital were feigning disgust. However, Comissiong today decried Pilgrim’s comment, saying it was an “insult” to the thousands of people who marched. “I denounce and deprecate the egregious insult that was levelled at us the citizens of Barbados by Pilgrim,” the political activist said. “What I experienced all around me as I marched with . . . my fellow citizens was a fierce determination and resolve that the DLP Government must go. There is no doubt in my mind that Barbados cannot, and will not go forward until it removes the broken, unaccountable and dysfunctional governmental administration that has weighed our country down and held us back over the past nine years.” Comissiong contended that the broad-based support for Saturday’s march was an indication that Barbadians were on their way to removing the current administration from office. However, he said the energy and determination displayed on Saturday would have to be maintained and intensified, broadened and deepened over the coming weeks and months. Meanwhile, political scientist and pollster Peter Wickham also took issue with Pilgrim’s comments about the march, saying the DLP spokesman ran the risk of losing his credibility. “I don’t know that he is able to present any evidence for the suggestion that the march was bought and paid for by the BLP. In a sense it is almost making a mockery of the fact that many Barbadians are concerned and valid concerns have been raised not only by Barbadians, but by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s,” Wickham said. He said while the BLP did not identify a clear objective for Saturday’s march, there was “an impressive showing in terms of the number of people in Barbados that are disturbed by the current situation”. (BT)

ROBERT DARLINGTON: HARD FOR STUDENTS TO GET LOANS NOW - Remember the government announced that students would have to pay tuition fees at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus almost four years ago? Then the Minister of Education said on television that students could access funding to go to university from the Student Revolving Loan Fund and that the Government would relax the surety requirements. Well, that is a joke because the Student Revolving Loan Fund just made things more difficult from this coming academic year 2017/2018 by making all student loans subject to the applicant putting sureties in place. This is difficult for young people and parents, because nobody in these hard and uncertain times will want to stand as surety for people. Also, the fund has reduced the limit that people can borrow by 20 per cent, and then they told me that for any shortfall between my university fees and expenses, and the amount I am borrowing, I must show the fund “upfront”, how I am going to finance the shortfall. These measures by the Student Revolving Loan Fund are in place and they are reducing my access to a university education by reducing the ease of my access to funding. What are young people like me going to do to become educated and productive in my country? It seems the Government, very quietly, has instructed the fund to put these hard measures in place, and said nothing about it to the people in this country. And then they want people to vote for them again when the election comes. Fat chance! We young people are not stupid and we don’t forget like the ones years ago. We are experiencing hardship and want a tertiary education just like those in office. (MWN)

CHRONIC DISEASES BLAMED FOR ABSENTEEISM – More than three-quarters of the population is suffering from a chronic non-communicable disease, Minister of Health John Boyce told the House of Assembly yesterday. This, he added, could be the reason behind the high absenteeism rate in both the public and private sector. Boyce, contributing to the Estimates Debate, said at least 80 per cent of the population was suffering from “one kind of non-communicable or the other”. “This,” he told the House, “is an impractical and unreasonable condition to perpetuate. It would start, if you want to take the discussion to its fullest, to explain the chronic diseases we have reported in some of our organisations of absenteeism because a couple of years ago we had a report which spoke to the fact that absenteeism in the public service was around 30 per cent. But truth be told, it was not much better in the private sector. So we have a very severe problem.” (MWN)

SYPHILIS OUTBREAK – Health authorities here are reporting an outbreak of syphilis on the island. Senior Medical Officer with responsibility for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Dr Anton Best said the outbreak was first detected in 2013 and the Ministry of Health immediately put systems in place to improve syphilis surveillance in Barbados. Nearly three-quarters of cases occurred in persons between the ages of 15 and 49 years, with the average age of a syphilis case being 34 years,” Dr. Best explained. The study investigators, concerned about the potential for syphilis to be transmitted to babies, also looked at syphilis testing trends among pregnant women. The Senior Medical Officer said they found that very high proportions of pregnant women, more than 95 per cent, were screened for syphilis during pregnancy. The health official explained that syphilis was a sexually transmitted infection that could cause serious health problems if it was not treated. “It is divided into stages (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary), and there are different signs and symptoms associated with each stage. Syphilis can be spread by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Sores can be found on or around the penis, vagina, or anus, or in the rectum, on the lips, or in the mouth. Syphilis can also be spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby,” he pointed out. Dr. Best stressed that the only way to completely avoid STIs was to abstain from vaginal, anal or oral sex. Those who were sexually active, he said, could reduce their chances of getting syphilis by being in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has tested negative for syphilis; and by using latex condoms correctly every time they have sex. Condoms, he noted, prevented transmission of syphilis by preventing contact with a sore. The health official stated that his Ministry’s HIV and STI Programme would continue to conduct ongoing surveillance for syphilis and other STIs in Barbados. He also reassured that the Ministry would also continue to implement strategies, including more aggressive health promotion and awareness, to prevent and control the spread of STIs and HIV. (BT)

BARP; PHARMACISTS CONCERNED ABOUT PLANNED CRACKDOWN ON MEDICINES - Two local associations have spoken out against plans by Government to enforce the law that requires Value Added Tax to be charged on zero-rated medicines. President of the Pharmaceutical Society Paul Gibson suggested today the best solution would be to amend the law to create a win-win for patients and the state-owned Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) after a meeting last week with BRA failed to resolve the issue. “The conversation continues. Their position is that VAT is to be paid based on the law. Our position was that additional VAT is not to be charged on zero-rated items on prescription. The reality is that we have not been charging VAT to patients on zero-rated items,” Gibson said. “The law however said we should . . . , so we are really looking at the two pieces of legislation . . . having conversations about it to see how we can come to a win-win where Barbadians don’t feel additional pain because of law,” he added. While expressing deep concern about the possibility of BRA enforcing the law, President of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) Ed Bushell agreed that the best way out was to change the law. “We started to investigate and what we found that this law was always there . . . but . . . they never applied it. But now the BRA obviously looking for every penny and said that this should be applied,” Bushell said, while expressing fears that poor people will suffer. (BT)

NAB TO THE RESCUE – For three years Lionel Inniss lived in squalid conditions at Fustic Village, St Lucy with little more than rodents and pests for company. The old, dilapidated rented house which he called home was a disaster waiting to happen, with rotting boards and galvanize posing a danger to life and limb, and adding to the lack of sanitary facilities. His living condition got even worse over the past week when what was left of the building collapsed, leaving the 74-year-old Inniss to seek shelter among the rubble, under a torn tarpaulin. The National Assistance Board (NAB) came to his rescue today, after a concerned neighbour called to complain. “It isn’t easy. Look at this. Who would think somebody live here? As he goes out of there, let them call the bulldozer and push that from there,” the neighbour said in reference to the run-down lodging. “He don’t have no toilet or anything like that and all that stench blowing all over the place.” The woman told Barbados TODAY the landlord had tried to evict Inniss and had wanted to do repairs, but the elderly man had nowhere to go. Therefore, she said, the landlord had stopped accepting rent. NAB Chairman David Durant said it was painful to see the condition in which Inniss lived, adding that it was “no condition for an elderly man to be living under”. Durant, a Government Senator, told Barbados TODAY the NAB had no record of the elderly man’s situation, but after visiting him this morning, the necessary arrangements were made and Inniss was moved late this evening. “He was not reluctant to move at all. We took him to have a bath and get a change of clothes and a check-up at the doctor. We stayed with him all day because we could not leave seeing him like that. It was really disheartening to see,” he said. “We need to make sure that we facilitate older people in this season of their lives. They’re human and can’t be left out in the cold like that.” Durant said it would appear that Inniss had no close relatives, with the exception of an elderly sister who was unable to assist. He was also full of praise for the neighbour who rang to plead for assistance for the 74-year-old man. (BT)

FISHERMEN RESCUED –Three bajan fishermen may have been in a sinking vessel but they were not totally out to sea. Thanks to the swift efforts of their colleagues, Captain Mark Davis, Troy King and mechanic Kurtis Norville made it back to dry land after having to abandon their vessel Eureka S22, which took on water. Yesterday afternoon at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex on the Princess Alice Highway, The City, after the ten-hour trip, the men thanked Nicholas Squires and Clifton Bourne (right) of vessel Justina L22 who came to their rescue after hearing the distress call. It was not the first time the three rescued men were in such a situation, nor was it the first time that their rescuers Bourne and Squires had to take such heroic action. (MWN)

DEPORTEE WANTS HELP WITH REHAB – After spending 25 years in Montreal, Canada, and building a life with her daughter, son and grandchildren, Patricia Simmons was deported to Barbados late last year and is now struggling to find her footing. Simmons, who was involved in drug abuse that apparently played a major role in her deportation, said she was trying to get herself clean and her life back in order so she could apply for a pardon to get back to Canada with her family. However, she said after a brief stint at Marina House, St John, she was put out of the rehabilitation programme on Saturday. She feared that her efforts to stay away from drugs would now be derailed. Simmons said what made life even harder was the fact that since she had returned to the island, her relatives had not been supportive. (MWN)

STEPPED UP FIGHT – He was recently unsuccessful in his bid to get the court to overturn the planned dismissal of Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell. However, attorney-at-law Gregory Nicholls will be hoping that the second time is a charm, after appearing in court today in defence of the President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Akanni McDowall, who was unceremoniously removed from his senior acting post in Government last October. The matter came up before Justice William Chandler in the No. 10 Supreme Court around 10:30 this morning, after Nicholls filed the lawsuit back in February challenging the Public Service Commission’s decision to remove McDowall from the acting positition of Health Planning Officer 1 and revert him to his substantive junior post of Environmental Health Assistant 1. An hour later McDowall and Nicholls emerged from the court room, telling reporters that there was very little they could say at this stage, since the matter was now going through case management. However, while acknowledging that his client’s appointment was “temporary”, he took issue with “how they [Government] purported to fill the post”. Insisting that the action taken against him was “illegal” and a case of political victimization, McDowall, whose union had previously called out Customs and Immigration officers in protest of his controversial removal, told reporters today that the union was not prepared to give up the fight. In fact, he warned that the NUPW would be addressing the matter on two fronts. However, when asked by Barbados TODAY whether the country should expect further industrial action over his removal from the post, he declined to comment. In the meantime, McDowall, who is scheduled to return to court on March 31, said the Council would issue a formal statement on the matter in the coming days. Earlier this month, Nicholls took the fight to his former political opponent Chris Sinckler, challenging the minister’s right to fire the head of the island’s monetary authority. However, after a two week legal battle the application was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, clearing the way for Worrell’s sacking, even though the substantive case is still to be heard. It is therefore left to be seen how the court will rule in McDowall’s case. (BT)

HAIRDRESSER FACING DRUG CHARGES – A 36-year-old hairdresser is out on bail after appearing in a Bridgetown Court today charged with several drug offences. Rochelle Diana Gill, of Accommodation Road, Bush Hall, St Michael, is accused of possession, possession with intent to supply, trafficking and importation of cannabis. Gill told Magistrate Douglas Frederick she was not guilty of the charges leveled against her. With no objections from the police prosecutor, she was released on $25,000 bail when the magistrate accepted her surety. As a condition of her bail, Gill must report to the District ‘A’ Police Station every Wednesday before 10 a.m., with valid identification. A release from police Public Relations Officer Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler stated that Gill was arrested yesterday while at Freight Handling Services Freightliner in Brighton, St Michael. A quantity of cannabis, concealed in 11 cans labeled peas and beans, was allegedly found and Gill was subsequently charged. The accused woman returns to court on June 25. (BT)

THREE INJURED IN ACCIDENT – Three people are nursing injuries following a motor vehicle accident this morning along the Adams Section of the ABC Highway. Police said the accident occurred sometime around 6:55 am and involved two motor cars. The first motor car was being driven by 35-year-old Gabriel Jones of Rendevous, Christ Church, while the second was being driven by 47-year-old Rudolph Archer of Hastings, Christ Church. Archer was accompanied by 46-year-old Rosalie Shaul of Oxnard Heights, St James and 60-year-old Wilfred Francis of Sion Hill, St James. Both Archer and Shaul complained of pain to the back, chest, and neck, while Jones suffered a broken right arm. They were all transported by ambulance to the QEH where they were treated and discharged. (BT)

WOMAN CAUGHT WITH MARIJUANA IN BARRELL – Police have arrested and charged 36-year-old Rochelle Diana Gill of Accommodation Road, Bush Hall, St Michael, in connection with a number of drug-related offences. A statement from the police said Gill made arrangements with another person to have cannabis, concealed in a barrel of foodstuff, imported into Barbados. During an inspection of the barrel at Freight Handling Services Freightliner, the cannabis was discovered concealed in 11 cans labelled peas and beans. The police were informed and Gill was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of cannabis, trafficking of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and importation of cannabis. Gill appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today where she pleaded not guilty to the offences. She was granted bail in the sum of $2500, with one surety, to return to court on June 25. (BT)

COACHES STAND – The smooth running of today’s semi-finals of the National Primary Schools’ Athletic Championships (NAPSAC) could be affected by some form of action. That’s because disgruntled coaches at the National Sports Council (NSC) have had enough. And though, it is not clear what type of action will be taken, sources close to the situation have told the MIDWEEK NATION that the coaches, who are responsible for the efficient running of the meet, were “fed-up over the blatant disrespect” meted out to them. The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) will be sending a clear message to the NSC over the non-appointment of six sessional and 13 temporary coaches within their ranks. (MWN)

JAGUARS TARGETING THIRD STRAIGHT TITLE – Guyana Jaguars head coach Esuan Crandon has said his side’s sixth-round victory over Jamaica Scorpions is a huge boost to their push for a third straight Regional 4-Day title. The Jaguars, the defending Regional 4-Day champions, completed a seven-wicket victory on Monday to again take leadership in the six-franchise tournament from the Scorpions, the previous tournament front-runners. The Jags moved into the lead on 84.8 points, leaving the Scorpions in second on 73, just five clear of traditionally-strong Barbados, another sixth-round winner. Crandon said: “All in all, I am happy with the victory. I guess there are some areas that we need to work on as we go on, so we just have to try and put in the work and take it one game at a time. Jaguars will continue their road show, when they travel to Port of Spain to face Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, the other sixth-round winner, at Queen’s Park Oval before travelling half-hour northward to Bridgetown, where they will renew the oldest rival in the regional game against the Pride at Kensington Oval. At the same time, Scorpions captain Nikita Miller said it was a major disappointment for his side to lose on home soil and for a second time in the tournament to the Jaguars, following a 181-run defeat in the first round last November. Miller said: “Every game from here on is like a final, so we have to double our efforts. I think that we have to close out games when we get that opportunity because it was a second innings game. The Scorpions host the flagging Leeward Islands Hurricanes on Friday at Sabina Park in Kingston in the seventh round, which also features the Pride welcoming the Windward Islands Volcanoes to Kensington Oval. (BT)

CARIFESTA LOGO READY FOR USE - Barbadian artistes can now apply to produce items for sale using the CARIFESTA XIII logo. Local registered artistes desirous of producing indigenous items for the Festival can now do so, free of charge, if they apply to the CARIFESTA Secretariat via the application form on the website www.carifesta.net no later than April 18, 2017. The logo, designed by Barbadian Graphic Artist, Allan Lowe can now be reproduced on indigenous or handmade items for free by registered artistes. If a business person wants to duplicate it on commercially produced, or imported branded items (like cups, mugs, pens, t-shirts etc) then a license fee of $500 BDS for reproducing on one item or $1 000 BDS for up to three different items is required to be paid to the Secretariat for its use. Full details on the use of the logo can be obtained on the CARIFESTA website where the completed form has to be submitted online along with a photo of the prototype of the intended product by the stated deadline. Artistes applying must be registered with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority (BCIDA) Artiste Registry or the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation (BIDC) and must attach a copy of their registration certificate, or a letter from any one of these approved agencies as proof of their registration. Approval should be received within a week of submission of the application or no later than one week after the final deadline. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks. There are 291 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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