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revlyncox · 8 years ago

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Our Young Nation

This sermon was prepared for the UU Congregation of York, July 2, 2017, by Rev. Lyn Cox.

The soundtrack to the Broadway show, Hamilton, has given me a new way to embrace my country and, by extension, Independence Day. I love America, I am glad to be American and I am staying put. The love I have for my country is so strong that it demands honesty, and I think there are honest truths in song and story that are worth hearing. Today’s offertory, “Dear Theodosia,” is from Hamilton. In the song, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton sing to their newborn children.

You will come of age with our young nation

We’ll bleed and fight for you. We’ll make it right for you.

If we lay a strong enough foundation

We’ll pass it on to you.

We’ll give the world to you And you’ll blow us all away

Someday, someday.

In Hamilton, the roots of America are brought to life through a multiracial cast. The presence of diverse speakers and singers reminds us that people who have non-Western European ancestors have been here as long or longer than people whose entire claimed ancestry comes by way of Western Europe. The exploited labor, stolen land, and unattributed genius of People of Color and Indigenous people is soaked into the walls of the most cherished shrines of our country. Our country was built by people whose descendants are at risk in this climate of racism and xenophobia. History is more complex than some of us have been led to believe, and it is a history that we all share.

There’s a line in the play just before the Battle of Yorktown, where Lafayette, born in France, and Hamilton, born in the British West Indies, observe, “Immigrants. We get the job done.”

I’m told that the line never fails to bring wild applause from audiences. It has become the title for a coalition of immigration justice organizations for which Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda is helping to raise money and awareness.

The line, “Immigrants, we get the job done,” reminds us that some of the best things about the United States are contributed by its newest residents. Suspicion, harassment, and discrimination against immigrants does not become us, nor does help our country succeed. In particular, people of faith remember that it is a spiritual and moral imperative to welcome the stranger.

The premise of the show echoes Langston Hughes’ point that America has never fulfilled the fullness of its promise to African Americans, Native Americans, the poor, and the oppressed; and yet we have an opportunity to embrace what America can be, which is liberation for all of us. The idea of America is exciting, and we have had the chance to achieve great things in this ongoing experiment. Yet we also have to acknowledge that neither the work nor the reward of building this country have been distributed equitably.

I am grateful that the values I believe to be at the core of our shared national identity lend themselves to change and growth. I see courage every day among Americans of every generation. It is this courage that will give us the strength to face the mistakes of the past, the structural oppression we live with today, and the repairs necessary to bring us closer to the American dream of liberty and justice for all.

Within the narrative of the show, Burr and Hamilton say they are starting a new nation. They see themselves as starting fresh. Yet we are always building on the past. There are errors that we are compounding or reacting against, there are elements of progress that we are trying to advance further, there is a culture that we enter into that is open to reshaping, yet in no case is there ever a blank slate. The good news is that each moment in the story of a government or a people or a community is a new moment. It’s not a moment divorced from the past, but a chance to take what we have been given and to come into closer alignment with our deepest values. We are always a young nation.

Another thought that makes the song, “Dear Theodosia,” so poignant is that these two men, who disagree on a great deal, both want to leave behind something that will allow their children to flourish. They both want so much to give the world to their children.

I think this is the common ground for many people who put their hearts and souls and minds and bodies into activism or government or service to this country. Whether we are parents or not, there are people we care about coming up behind us, and we want to make room for them to live to their fullest potential, to be part of something larger than themselves that they can be proud of.

For me, knowing that younger people need us to expand liberation and equality as much as possible prevents me from exercising the privilege of willful ignorance. I can’t ignore how much there is left to do, I can’t retreat into my own fortress, I do not want to sleep through the revolution, because the next generation is counting on me. I pledge to stay present to the struggles of our young nation.

When we’re in a reasonable-people-can-disagree kind of discussion about what’s best for our country, coming back to the question of what we want for the next generation and why might be the thing that keeps us at the table. That’s not possible in disagreements where one or more sides fails to acknowledge the human rights or worth or dignity of one or more of the other sides, but if you’re in a place of mutual respect and dialogue, it’s worth a try. What is it that you want to pass along to the next generation? Who do you love that motivates you to help this country become the best it can be?

On the other hand, this question can reveal where we are holding on to “us vs. them” thinking. Who are we including in the next generation we want to pass the best possible legacy on to? Who are “our” kids? My personal answer certainly includes my own children, but it doesn’t stop there. I’ve told the story before of visiting the U.S. Capitol building with Dreamers, young immigrant students who are undocumented and unafraid. Hearing them sing the national anthem brought home to me viscerally that the Dreamers are our kids. They are in our churches and our classrooms and our scout troops.

When we are strategizing for our collective liberation, we need to be especially attentive to those who are not valued in society at large. Let’s lay a strong foundation and pass it on to immigrant children, whether they are documented or not. Let’s make the world safe and sound for Black children, whose lives matter. Let’s do whatever it takes to welcome and include young people with disabilities. Let’s give the world to all of our children, making sure every child has security of food and housing and education. Let’s swear to be around for the kids who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, agender, asexual, gender fabulous, and every variety of queer and questioning. All of these are our kids. These are our family and neighbors and students and loved ones. We see you. We value you. We celebrate you. I’m dedicating every day to you. We’ll bleed and fight for you.

This is the America I love and the America that I want to grow in strength and purpose. The young people who are “our kids,” this diverse and creative and powerful young generation, they are losing patience with built-in societal obstacles to their full thriving. Our young nation is ready for change. The American promise says that we can do better. I believe we will do better, and we will get there more completely when we lift up the voices and leadership of those who are most impacted by structural oppression. As Langston Hughes wrote:

Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again.

We need each other. Every kind of liberation is bound up with every other kind of liberation. We have said and sung and taught for over two hundred years that we want America to be the land of the free. This is a worthy goal. Listening to the people who are most affected by the not-yet part of the dream will help us get to the place where everyone is free. We cannot get there except together.

There will be mistakes. We will mess up. As a Universalist, truly I say to you that making a mistake does not mean that you are a mistake. I believe that we are all beloved of the Divine, and that humanity will find reunion and harmony with the Eternal and each other in the fullness of time. It is that unconditional love that frees us to admit when we have missed the mark and allows us to choose a different direction.

When we perpetuate the myth that America is already perfect, or that it was perfect once and we have to turn back the clock to a more homogenous and cruel time to restore that perfection, we disrespect one of the greatest fundamental values of our country, which is that we can grow and change. A process of amendment was built into the constitution. Participation of citizens in the regular transfer of power is integral to the concept of democracy. Learning and adapting are treasured elements in our national DNA.

Another myth, one that we are sometimes entranced by even here, is that all of history is a continual and inevitable march toward progress. We act as if victories are permanent, and tell the story of our nation as a straight line, onward and upward forever. Yet we know that there are setbacks. I don’t have to tell the civil rights workers of the fifties, or the peace activists of the sixties, or the women’s liberationists of the seventies, or the anti-nuclear marchers of the eighties that sometimes you move forward and sometimes you find your movement fighting the same battles over again. I say this so that we remember not to dwell in discouragement. Carla Christopher was here last week, sharing some spiritual practices for maintaining joy when a world of liberation, health, and safety for everyone seems far away. I urge you to listen to it on our website if you missed it.

We’ll need those spiritual practices. There is room for joy, even knowing pursuing the dream of what America can be will involve challenges. I’m going to borrow a few more words from another song in Hamilton, “History Has Its Eyes on You.” The song is a speech from General Washington to Alexander Hamilton. Here’s the second verse:

Let me tell you what I wish I’d known

When I was young and dreamed of glory

You have no control

Who lives who dies who tells your story

I know that we can win

I know greatness lies in you

Just remember from here on in

History has its eyes on you

People live and people die as we try our best to become the America that can be. Even our youngest activists have lost people. We all have. People I have marched with and strategized with have gone on to be part of the cloud of witnesses too soon. Some of them didn’t have access to the care they needed, or the daily stress of oppression was too much for their heart, or violence cut them down, or the demons that told them they were not welcome in this world finally got to them. The love I have for these ancestors fuels my energy for making this world better just as much as the love I have for the generations to come. I want to honor the work they have done, and I don’t want others to suffer in the way they did.

There will be losses and setbacks, but that does not mean all is lost. You have no control what happens to your story, but you do have some influence when you tell your story for yourself, when you write and draw and paint and drop verses and quilt your truth for others to see. Honoring the generations from the past and living your story to the fullest will help keep the flame alive during losses and setbacks. I know greatness lies in you.

Let us be unafraid of our mistakes and our imperfections and the enormity of the task before us. Let us hold on to the vision of what we can be together, even when there are setbacks. We will fail, and we will try again, and we will get there together. Let us be moved by love for all of our children to lay a strong foundation, and upright and true foundation to support a house of abundance and hope and joy. Let us celebrate the idea of America, one that leads us onward to the day when we may fulfill our dream of liberty and justice for all.

So be it. Blessed be. Amen.

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thechasefiles · 5 years ago

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/5/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! HAPPY MAY DAY! Here is your daily news cap Friday 1st May, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

MAY DAY MESSAGE: A SPRING OF HOPE – From the Barbados Workers' Union. On this international day of worker solidarity, the Executive Council of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) headed by General Secretary Senator Toni Moore offers a spring of hope for workers in this very trying time as part of her May Day message. “We might not be able to gather to celebrate in the way we usually do marching in the streets, but we have been reinvigorated to find other ways to demonstrate our strength and solidarity,” Moore said. "The significance of this day and the recognition of your contribution to the growth and development of this country as its most important resource, its human capital, will never go unnoticed. This country and this economy churns because of you,” she said. This novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the cracks and frailty of our system. It has altered the rhetoric from “not business as usual” to “the new normal”, triggering the need for rapid changes to agreements and workplace policies, becoming the unlikely catalyst for positive change. The response to COVID-19 requires a revolutionary approach toward achieving a Barbados that works for all Bajans and we will continue our work to ensure sustainability that puts people at the centre – “Secure Employees, Sustainable Economies” – the theme of this year’s May Day celebrations. On this day, in this season of uncertainty, we must also give kudos to those organisations who have been working with the union to ensure protection of jobs at this time. Those companies that have recognised the importance of their most valuable resource – their people. To all who have been outstanding in their commitment to preserve jobs, the BWU says thank you for your support as we navigate these uncharted times together. However, today as we get ready to celebrate “inside”, we start by highlighting the efforts of a few like Chefette Restaurants and its Manufacturing arm, Chef Foods. During the current COVID-19 pandemic Chefette's Senior Management has distributed BBD$165 000 as a "monetary gift" to its line staff to help those people who had already used their vacation prior to the first three weeks of April 2020. Sir Assad, Ryan and Janine Haloute personally donated BBD$100 000 towards that $165 000 payment. Nicholas Mouttet – CEO ANSA McAL Barbados Ltd has committed to navigating together with us in this critical balance between lives and livelihoods, noting that more than ever we must work together to collectively face the challenge this virus has created for companies and workers in our beloved island. Log on to our social media pages and you will see and read messages from Barbados Light & Power management and their Barbados Workers Union division speaking to their joint communication and collaboration on plans for the evolution of safe, workable solutions to the benefit of the company and its workers. They too have committed their full support in navigating these uncharted times together. A part of our social media drive will include video, audio and photo messages throughout the day and over the next few days committing support, thanking essential workers and hearing from those essential workers with their own heartfelt messages from the frontline. We salute all workers of Barbados but particularly those who over the past five weeks have kept the very fabric of our society intact. This crisis has shown the world what we have always known – that all workers play an important role in the economy. Whenever this is over, we will continue to forge forward together. Comrades, workers and people of Barbados, Happy May Day! Stay Safe! (WN)

MAY DAY MESSAGE: REFLECT ON SEISMIC CHANGES – President, Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) In 2019, the local labour movement joined the world in celebrating the centennial year of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). At that time, no one would have remotely entertained the idea that in less than 12 months, the world would be firmly gripped by a pandemic which threatens to wipe out societies and alter the structure of civilisation as we know it. Despite the fact that the pandemic threatens to bring the world to its knees, there are those who have resorted to the use of the public airwaves to advance their narrow sectoral interest and pose as serious commentators on the way forward as though they have the panacea for society. On this, the commemoration of the Workers’ Day, I wish to advance a few comments and observations. The United Nations has designated the year 2020 as the year of the Nurse and the Midwife. It was as if the United Nations was being prescient. In the midst of the pandemic, nurses are in the forefront of the fight, along with their other frontline colleagues, as they meet the challenges head on. It is ironic that over the years, nurses and policemen have consistently argued that they represent special characteristics of the economy and, as such, they should be treated specially. The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) supports the legitimate aspirations of our member units for the benefit of their respective members. It would be remiss of us as a people at this time, if we did not salute our frontline workers (nurses, policemen, members of the medical fraternity and their associates), for the heroic job and the selfless contributions to the efforts of managing the state of the health emergency and the attendant restrictions. As adverted to earlier, May Day Celebrations cannot have the celebratory impact as though these were normal times. Instead, I invite every citizen (workers) to look inward with a view to doing some introspection. Let us think of the disadvantaged, the poor, homeless, unemployed and all of those less fortunate. There is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a major threat to the world’s economy and our very existence as a civilisation. Some will ask what can we do and where will it end? We can only speculate but, in the interim, we are called upon to pause and reflect. When the Barbados labour movement was formalised nearly 90 years ago, there was also a level of uncertainty. As with any major movement, there were those who questioned its sustainability and viability. Eighty-seven years later, organised labour is still in our midst and the voice of labour resonates throughout society. With labour as a derivative of Civil Society, now being part of the social partnership, it encourages other civil society groups to join with us in fighting and holding back the worst ravages of the pandemic. There are workers in our midst who have been hit with double and triple whammy. They have lost their jobs in the restructuring exercise, some have lost their livelihoods as tourism has collapsed around us, while some have lost loved ones to the dreaded disease. Let us on this May Day, celebrate labour by extending hope and assistance to our more unfortunate members. CTUSAB has called on our member units to support the Adopt-A-Family Programme, and help to ease the pain that some members of labour are experiencing. The labour movement does not have access to large amounts of money but it is incumbent on us to support this initiative and give to this noble cause, even to the extent of the widow’s mite. Apart from being the Christian thing to do, we would also want to demonstrate in a symbolic way that we empathise with the suffering of our fellow man. Because of the adjustments that have come about as a response to COVID-19, it is expected that the workplace will not be the same on this Labour Day. I invite us all to think, reflect and ponder on the seismic changes that are about to become the new norm. As for example, what will the new school look like? Is society prepared to invest more in teacher training to ensure that they are equipped to do “virtual” teaching? Is society able to invest more in the acquisition of the necessary hardware and software to make sure that the “new” school is functional and relevant? Is society prepared to invest in actions that will ensure that every house has access to electricity and WIFI connectivity so that every child can be taught “virtually”? What impact will such a development have on the socialisation of our youth on the school plant, on the makeup of school sporting teams, traffic on the roads, or the effect of exhaust fumes on our environment? The larger question is, what will the workplace look like as we emerge from the experiment of working from at home? Will the necessary safeguards be put in place to ensure the absence of harassment and exploitation, and what thoughts will be given to the issue of health and safety? All of these scenarios serve to make us aware of what potentially exists in the “best of times and the worst of times”. I need to remind the public that the Congress continues to work towards solutions for the benefit of our country and the sustainability of our society of Barbados. It is against this backdrop, that the Congress wrote the Chairman of the Social Partnership to request the convening of a meeting, with a view to discussing in a very practical way the reopening of the Barbadian society and economy. As we look to the future, the indicators point to the fact that the way ahead will be painful and difficult for Labour. The Congress pledges to continue to articulate and press the demands on behalf of the Barbadian workers, for the best possible eventualities on the basis of available information. Let us on Labour Day 2020; remain optimistic of the future, despite the challenges of the time. Stay safe, and God Bless. (WN)

MAY DAY MESSAGE: DECISIONS PEOPLE-CENTRED –Message in Recognition of May Day 2020 By The Honourable Colin E. Jordan M.P Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations. As we acknowledge International Workers’ Day 2020, commonly referred to as May Day, we can be sure that this day, May 1, will be remembered as one of the toughest days for workers, as well as for employers, Barbadians generally and the people of the world. We are operating in unprecedented times. Unions and Governments in Barbados have over time highlighted the importance of the workers’ contribution to gross domestic product through work in the formal and informal sectors, and their contribution to national development generally. Today, we do the same and acknowledge the outstanding contribution of workers to nation-building. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the scaling down or temporary closure of many businesses across various industries and sectors, and to challenges for workers and families across Barbados. Government has taken measures to ensure that the impact on workers and their dependents is cushioned. Appropriate safety nets have been provided whether through the National Insurance Department, social welfare agencies or civil society organisations. In this “downtime”, technology will be utilised to provide opportunities for workers and laid-off employees to participate in training and retraining, preparing and equipping them to excel in a post-COVID-19 Barbados. Our country must emerge from this pandemic stronger and better equipped to successfully take on the world.During this period of curfew and shut-down there are many workers on the frontline who every day place themselves in harm’s way and go to their jobs with a determination to keep this country afloat. These workers are in health care, sanitation, Central Government, retail, agriculture, banking, security and other sectors. There are also many working from home, while at the same time taking care of children and other dependents who are also at home. Civil society organisations continue to provide invaluable service to their clients and communities. In this public health emergency, decisions have to be taken balancing the health, safety and welfare of workers with the economic activity which is necessary to sustain workers. Our decisions will continue to be people-centred. Collaboration among the social partners, for which Barbados is recognised worldwide, is providing the ideal platform for addressing the current and the anticipated challenges of a world impacted by COVID-19. Many lessons will be learnt from this novel coronavirus pandemic. There will be new ways of teaching, learning, and working; new ways of doing business and improved ways of communicating; and new ways of adapting technology to develop ourselves and our country. This pandemic has allowed us to recognize our shared humanity and our interdependence. COVID-19 recognises neither race, ethnicity, social or economic class, religion, sex, colour or any of the other categorisations that so often divide us. As we celebrate the contribution of the workers of Barbados and the workers of the world on this May Day 2020, we look with hope to a future of partnership and improved worker-management relations. We look to a future of improved dialogue and a deeper respect for workers and managers. We look forward to a new focus on safety, health and workplace wellness. We look forward to continuing to build together, a better, more just society. May God bless the workers of Barbados and the workers of the world. I thank you. (WN)

IMF’S VOTE OF CONFIDENCE – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is so assured of Barbados’ economic plan that it is set to pump an extra $280 million (US$140 million) in financial support, it said Thursday evening. And the international financial institution has already given its support for Prime Minister Mottley’s $2 billion plan to revive the economy from the COVID-19 crisis. The announcement followed a virtual mission headed by lead economist Bert van Selm to discuss the implementation of Barbados’ Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, the homegrown austerity drive that is supported by the IMF under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The development is welcome news for the Mia Mottley administration, as the Central Bank today reported that the economy had shrunk by three per cent in the first quarter, and the impact of COVID-19 could derail much of the progress made over the last 18 months. But the IMF and Barbados have reached an agreement that is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board during its review in June to pave the way for more funding, Van Selm said. On completion of the review, the IMF said about $280 million (US$140 million) will be made available to Barbados, bringing total disbursement to the country under the programme to just over $570 million (US$285 million). While the IMF said Barbados had met all the targets so far, it noted that due to the negative effects associated with COVID-19, the IMF had reduced one of the key targets. The condition of reaching a primary surplus target of six per cent of GDP for the financial year 2020/2021, has been reduced to just one per cent. In a further development, the IMF official has signalled the multilateral lenders’ full backing of the Government’s announced $2 billion economic recovery plan which will be carried out over the next two years. Van Selm said in the statement: “The ongoing global coronavirus pandemic poses a major challenge for the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism. An economic contraction of more than ten per cent is projected for 2020. The shock will have a large impact on the fiscal accounts and the balance of payments. “The Government aims to accommodate the loss of government revenues and additional emergency outlays on health facilities and medical supplies, as well as provide income support to the most vulnerable groups in society.” With the planned adjustment to the primary surplus target, van Selm explained that subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, it proposed augmentation of the extended facility in the amount of about $180 million (US$90 million). Van Selm also praised the Mottley administration’s efforts to bolster the foreign reserves. The IMF team leader said: “Barbados continues to make good progress in implementing its ambitious and comprehensive economic reform programme. International reserves, which reached a low of US$220 million [$440 million] (five-six weeks of import coverage) at the end of May 2018, have sharply increased since then to more than US$850 million [$1.7 billion]. “The completion of the debt restructuring in December 2019 and meeting the primary surplus target of six per cent of GDP for 2019/20 have been very helpful in reducing economic uncertainty and reducing public debt. “All programme criteria for end-March 2020 under the EFF have been met. The programme target for Net International Reserves was met by a wide margin, as was the target for the Central Bank of Barbados’ Net Domestic Assets.” (BT)

BIGGEST BLOW – Fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is so serious that it is likely to see Barbados suffering its biggest economic contraction since World War II. Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes said the outlook for 2020 projected a 12 to 13 per cent decline in economic activity this year, and he called the situation “rather sobering”. The veteran economist said this forecast, which followed a three per cent economic decline in the first quarter, could change given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 crisis. He was speaking in an online press conference yesterday during which he reviewed the economy’s first quarter performance. The governor said the positive note was that the gross international reserves grew by $94 million and Government achieved the targeted primary balance surplus equivalent to six per cent of GDP for fiscal year 2019/20 – about $600 million. (WN)

GOVT MAY HAVE TO PRINT MONEY AFTER ALL - Faced with an expected revenue loss of about $500 million, Government is banking on receiving a $600 million injection from multilateral financiers. But Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes, who outlined the plan yesterday, said given the likely reduced tax intake, the Mia Amor Mottley administration might have to reverse its policy of not relying on his institution for funding.He made the suggestion while noting that the Central Bank, which saw its capital reduced by $1.6 billion in the domestic debt exchange, had delayed its recapitalisation plan in light of the focus on the coronavirus (COVID-19). Haynes was speaking online during the bank’s first quarter economic review. (WN)

PRICE PROBE ON THE CARDS – Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes has frowned on some merchants who are accused of taking advantage of customers during the COVID-19 pandemic by charging higher than usual prices. However, stating that he was not an advocate of price controls, the economic advisor said he believed it should be up to firms to charge a “fair price”. His comments came as he responded to questions from journalists on Thursday during a virtual media conference to review the past three months of Barbados’ economic activities. The event came less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the Ministry of Commerce would be “drilling down” to find out why the higher-than-usual prices were occurring. Insisting that now was the time for everyone to “work together to get through this period”, Haynes advised merchants not to take advantage of customers. “To the extent that there are anecdotal stories that there are persons raising prices unduly, I think it is a practice that needs to be stopped,” he said. “More generally, I am not a fond advocate of price controls because price controls are very difficult to implement because each firm does not acquire its goods at the same price. Often you are impacted by the volumes of the goods that you are buying, but certainly you do have mark-ups that you apply, and therefore one would like to think that firms are not going to apply excessive mark-ups to the items they have for sale at this point,” said Haynes. Several accounts from individuals have emerged especially over the past two weeks, of prices that were higher than what was paid for similar items only a few weeks or days before. Discouraging such practice, Haynes warned merchants to think carefully about the kind of profits they seek. “The more that you do it you probably are going to shoot yourself in the foot because the more of person’s income you take away now, the less that is going to be available for them in the future.” On Wednesday night during an address to the nation, Prime Minister Mia Mottley also pleaded with merchants not to engage in price gouging. Calling on households to continue to be vigilant for such a practice, Mottley said she did not want to impose any mandates “but if we have to go there to guarantee that every house in Barbados has access to food at affordable prices then this Government will not blink”. She said: “It is against this background that the Ministry of Commerce must now drill down even further and look into retail prices versus wholesale and imported price, to begin to understand where the problems of increased pricing can truly be found as we are seeing by persons in this day and age, bringing forward their receipts to be able to show the differences in prices over a short period of time.” (BT)

TOURISM WILL BOUNCE BACK BY YEAR END - Amid dire predictions of millions of dollars in losses for tourism-dependent small island economies globally, Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds on Thursday expressed confidence that by yearend Barbados’ tourism industry will be back on track and stronger than before. The Minister was at the time addressing over 80 media representatives from Barbados’ top regional and international source markets including the United Kingdom, Europe, USA, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, who tuned in to a webinar held by Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) to hear first-hand about Barbados’ next steps in tourism. Symmonds stated that prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the 2020 winter tourist season had got off to a good start. He said: “Barbados was trending in the right direction with record levels of arrivals from both the U.K. and the U.S.A last year. At this time of the year, we would be doing on average 55 movements of aircraft every single day; that has all dried up. In the long-stay tourism sector, the hotels are largely all closed, ground transportation has come to a halt; companies related to the tourism sector have all been brought to a standstill. Within the last three weeks, Barbados unemployment has risen by 25 per cent”. On average, the tourism sector accounts for almost 30 per cent of the GDP of the world’s small island developing states, generating approximately $60 billion (US$30 billion) per year. The decline in international tourist arrivals for 2020 has been conservatively predicted at between 20 and 30 per cent, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But Symmonds pointed to measures Barbados has taken thus far to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its plans to shore up the tourism industry in its aftermath. “We are spending money now on areas which help to drive employment so as to help us offset the fall-out in the tourism sector. We have had to shift funding into the healthcare sector; for example, we have dedicated $20 million to an isolation and quarantine facility, and $10 million has been allocated to essential medical supplies and equipment. “In terms of the tourism sector, the Government has put $20 million towards a Small Hotel Investment Fund, which is blended with the private financial sector, to ensure the smaller hotels especially have the opportunity to perform infrastructural refurbishments during this downtime to improve on their competitive appeal. “In addition, a Tourism Task Force, comprising Government and private sector members, has been established to examine all elements of the industry, including marketing, product, health and safety, cruise, and aviation. Its mandate is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on Barbados tourism and provide recommendations for the recovery, restoration and revitalisation of this critical sector. The Tourism Task Force will also be working to re-train and re-tool tourism workers as part of the island’s recovery plan, commencing May 1,” he said. Symmonds also addressed the cruise sector, referring to the fact that Barbados was the only Eastern Caribbean country that offered to homeport, having accommodated several cruise liners that were not allowed to dock at other ports in the region. He said: “When other countries were in some instances refusing to allow cruise ships onto their shores, Barbados took a conscious and deliberate decision that we would not do that and that we would treat the cruise sector as partners should treat each other.” The Tourism Minister said he expected once overseas markets reopened, Barbados would start to see some business coming its way. “Beyond summer I think is the reality of a more robust recovery. Obviously, a lot of this is subject to what happens in some of our major source markets. We are very optimistic, but we prepare for the worst. It may be more of a reality to think in terms of winter as opposed to summer. Barbados’ travel partners have advised that there is still a desire and hope for future travel among consumers and current bookings have moved to slightly later in the year, and into 2021,” Symmonds said. He also stressed that this was a golden opportunity to improve infrastructure within the sector, focus on training and tooling staff, and build out standards and operating procedures within the industry. “We want to come back bigger and better than we were before and it means using the downtime very productively. In Barbados, we have done this business well, but we can do it better, and we will.” But Symmonds’ estimate of an eight-month revival timeline runs counter to experts’ predictions of a tourism destination’s average recovery time from pandemics. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the COVID-19 crisis is also expected to have a longer-lasting effect on global tourism than on other economic sectors. In previous pandemics, the average recovery time for visitors to a destination was about 19 months.

CTO: BRACE FOR 25 YEAR TOURISM SET BACK – Barbados and other tourism-dependent countries across the region have been told to brace for declines in stay-over arrivals that could set the region’s major economic industry back as many as 25 years, according to Caribbean Tourism Organisation Acting Secretary General Neil Walters. And, as regional stakeholders look toward a gradual re-opening of their borders, they are being encouraged to market the region as a destination which offers health, wellness and safety from the COVID-19 crisis. During a CTO webinar today, Walters revealed that regional sectors have been left basically crippled following a 2019 season, which far exceeded global growth projections. CTO statistics reveal a staggering 15.5 per cent reduction in air arrivals over the first quarter, when compared with last year. As COVID-19 cases increased, Caribbean countries endured a 39.7 per cent reduction in March alone. The downward trends continued in the cruise industry where arrivals dipped by an estimated 19.1 per cent compared with last year and by 57.4 per cent when compared with stay-over visits. “Tourism is the major economic driver so obviously these metrics show that essentially zero travel by the end of April will lead to significant economic impacts for the Caribbean and what we are projecting based on preliminary numbers is a minimum 50 per cent reduction in stay-over arrivals regionally for this year. This would basically take the Caribbean back to 1995/1996 levels and basically reverse 25 years of stayover arrival growth,” revealed Walters. “Although we know that even though the relationship between receipts and arrivals is not linear, there would be a significant reduction as well in the receipts from tourism and then the automatic economic spill-off to the rest of the economy,” he added. Real GDP in the Caribbean is expected to decline anywhere between 15 and 30 per cent along with increases in public debt between 15 and 60 per cent depending on the magnitude of the tourism fallout, according to Caribbean Development Bank figures. But on Thursday, the acting CTO Secretary General suggested that a combined regional approach is necessary to forge a new identity, which presents the Caribbean as a place of escape from the realities of the troubling pandemic. This includes significant integration of public health and tourism authorities to ensure that states have the necessary capacities to cater to the health needs of citizens and visitors alike throughout the ongoing crisis. “Early on in the Caribbean’s time as a tourism destination, health and wellness was the attraction of the Caribbean. People came to the Caribbean to be healthier and well. Something that is old can be used again to help promote this region as a destination that people will want to come to as solace from what they have been experiencing over the past few months,” Walter’s explained. “We are looking at the idea that the Caribbean comes out of the crisis with a very comprehensive and integrated plan, looking at several areas of promoting the Caribbean again to travellers. “No one really expects the virus to go away completely and if we want to promote our destinations where people want to travel, we must ensure a system is in place to monitor the health of visitors and citizens alike and have the systems to manage the virus and its effects over an extended period of time,” the tourism expert said. (BT)

HOTEL WORKERS IN CANADA TO RETURN IN MAY – A group of at least 18 Barbadians who were laid off while on a Government-sponsored labour scheme in Canada will be home before the end of May, Minister of Labour Colin Jordan has promised. But the future of another contingent in the early stages of their contracts is now uncertain as officials await word on the possible reopening of Canada’s tourism industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But Jordan is adamant that all of the Government’s resources in Canada have been activated to ensure the workers remain comfortable and safe while awaiting further instruction. He was responding to concerns raised by an employee stationed at The JW Marriott The Rosseau in Minett, about 230 kilometres north of Toronto, In a Barbados TODAY interview, the worker complained that authorities were not forthcoming about the group’s legal status in Canada, their living arrangements, and their overall wellbeing. But the Labour Minister assured that the group of housekeepers, stewards, cooks, and bellmen are to return home sometime in May. Jordan told Barbados TODAY: “We are working through our diplomats in Canada just to finalize the dates for repatriation. [The workers’] visas go until the end of May, so those conversations are taking place…and we are just working through a matter of dates for repatriation of workers. “They are going to be back here for sure by the end of the month. Right now they are being taken care of. They are not working, but they are still enjoying some benefits and given the disruption in airline travel, it was not a straightforward matter of telling our workers to pack their bags, go to the airport and get on the next flight.” Jordan also suggested that the complaints expressed earlier this week did not represent the feelings of the entire group. Since then, at least one worker contacted Barbados TODAY to distance himself from the earlier complaints. The Labour Minister acknowledged that the status of another contingent of hospitality workers who left Barbados for Canada in February is not as straightforward. This is because the workers will be under contract for at least another nine months. But final determination will be made after extensive discussions involving Barbados’ liaison officials in Canada, who are still in discussions with the country’s authorities and the Canadian employers, he said. And according to the Minister, the final decision will hinge on the country’s ability to restart its tourism sector. He explained: “The hotel sector, like most other businesses, wants to reopen, but they are waiting for guidance from their government as to what will happen. But Canada is a big place which does not only rely on visitors from outside of Canada and therefore potential visitors can drive. “So there is still a bit of ‘wait and see’ to determine what will happen with the industry itself and what kind of target dates will exist for reopening and if our workers may need to come home and then return. That is still in discussion, but in the meantime, they are being taken care of probably in a way they haven’t before. “All of our resources in Canada are looking out including the liaisons, the Consul General to Toronto as well as the High Commissioner to Toronto. High Commissioner [Reginald] Farley is taking a very hands-on approach to dealing with the matter and once we can get a final word from that hotel, then our workers will either move or stay based on those discussions and our discussions with them. (BT)

DE PEIZA HAPPY WITH HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS – The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is pleased that small businesses have been given a chance to reopen. President Verla De Peiza yesterday gave her support to the announcement on Wednesday night by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of a partial reopening of businesses in some sectors from Monday. Among the measures is some relief for small and medium enterprises through a $20 million Small Business Wage Fund administered by Fund Access. This would cater to those enterprises too small to pay value added tax (VAT). The Prime Minister also announced that self-employed people who make contributions to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) but were not entitled to unemployment benefits, would be able to access a new one-time Business Cessation Benefit totalling $20 million. This would see self-employed individuals who paid into the NIS receiving $1 500 per month for April and May only. (WN)

REOPENING JUST IN TIME – Barbados’ private sector would be on the brink of catastrophe if it had to endure a sixth straight week of a corporate shutdown, says head of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) Edward Clarke. So dire was the situation, Clarke told Barbados TODAY that the 29,000 applicants seeking unemployment benefits from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) would have been just the tip of the iceberg if the situation persisted. The BPSA said massive layoffs were predicted, if businesses were forced to keep their doors closed as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic response. “We’ve all been trying to retain our employees but there are many small businesses and large businesses too who just don’t have the liquidity and cash flow to continue keeping people employed. “We felt that it was time, based on where we are in the COVID-19 crisis at this time, that the economy be reopened. And so, we made proposals to Government on how we could have a phased reopening,” he pointed out. According to the senior corporate executive: “I just don’t see us being able to [go for much longer]. There would have been significant layoffs in the private sector that have not yet started. A lot of people utilised their vacations or agreed to go on vacation . . . but that would have come to an end for many people at the end of this month. It would have been four to five weeks since the shutdown so you would have found many people being laid off in Barbados if we had gone another week.” Clarke, however, made it clear that even with the phased reopening, things would not return to normal for many businesses and their employees. “I’m not saying that there wouldn’t be layoffs still because some businesses still cannot be opened and even the ones that are re-opening cannot carry the full workforce back to work. So there are going to be companies large and small that will still have to lay off some people. But there will not be the kind of numbers that we saw coming down the train track, if this thing had continued to go on for much longer. “Businesses could not continue to shut their doors as that is not the answer for a country given the wider economic and social fallout. We just could not sit back and wait for that to happen in Barbados. And we are sure that many people in labour feel that way also.” Responding to Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s announcement on Wednesday night that from May 4, the curfew will be relaxed and more businesses would be allowed to operate under strict guidelines, Clarke said: “We are happy to say that Government accepted the majority of our recommendations, obviously not all but we are happy to see that many of the things we asked for on a re-opening, not only opening the doors but in terms of committing to assistance, providing cash flow support to the businesses through tax refunds, providing financial support to small and micro businesses through the various stabilization funds [were included].” (BT)

ONLINE PAYMENT, RENEWAL OF DRIVER'S LICENCES SOON - Barbadians will be able to renew and pay for their driver’s licences online by the end of June this year. Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology (MIST), Senator Kay McConney, said this will be facilitated through Government’s online payment platform, EZ Pay+. She was speaking during an interview on CBC TV8 which focussed on the new “virtual reality” as a result of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). McConney said a number of Government payments were already made online and since its relaunch last September, a significant amount of revenue had been collected through EZ Pay+. She cited land tax, the Official Gazette, Corporate Affairs services and national insurance as examples of the transactions which were being made through the digital payment platform. She also said her Ministry was in the process of developing a digital ID. “As we place our services online, we need to have an ID that has trust online and therefore the development of a digital ID, which is that ID that you use when you want to transact business online, . . . that is where Barbados is now in terms of developing that. “And once that ID is in place and we can build the relationships internationally that can link into that ID both locally and internationally, we will find that our capacity to do business in digital will be greatly enhanced and more services will become accessible to us,” she explained. Additionally, Senator McConney said placing more services online was part of Barbados’ modernisation programme, which has made it possible to apply for a Police Certificate of Character online. She said there were now 48 professional licences which can be renewed online. McConney said there were plans to have two other types of licences – those for doctors and lawyers – added to that pool. Meanwhile, the Minister noted that the country was making advances in the digitisation of government records; and the pilot for the Electronic Documents and Records Management System for the public service had already kicked off with the digitisation of records at MIST and the Immigration Department. The pilot is expected to be completed in another three months. “Then we will know what it will take for us to scale up and then we can scale up to the rest of government at a faster pace,” McConney said. (BGIS)

FARM ANTI-THEFT UNIT COMING - The Royal Barbados Police Force is to set up a praedial larceny unit, said Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Wednesday as she announced a 750-acre land cultivation project whose crops and livestock will need protection. In a nationwide address, Mottley said: “We recognize that one of the biggest threats to agricultural livelihoods in the country has been and continues to be praedial larceny. And it is particularly criminal at this time when you know that food is so valuable to so many households. My Government is committed to putting an end to it as far as possible but we need to work with you and the communities to make sure that people’s hard work does not come to naught because of people stealing.” According to the PM, farmers will be allowed to use drones to watch their properties. She said: “I spoke to the Attorney General and he has agreed to issue instructions to the Royal Barbados Police Force to establish a dedicated Praedial Larceny Unit for strict enforcement but we will let technology work for us by allowing farmers to use drones so that they may use geo-fencing to protect crops and livestock.” Mottley said that the cultivation programme would not only create jobs but address the “critical” need to reduce the food import bill as well. She added: “We have started to bring into cultivation 750 acres of land for short crop cultivation under Government’s FEED Programme. This will not only boost employment and provide jobs but it will also support our longer-term goals to enhance food security and to improve linkages between the tourism and agricultural sectors, but it will also importantly increase our reserves at a critical time if we can reduce our food imports. “Interestingly enough, the discussions are taking place in the US now as to what may happen to their food chain hence the President’s determination to give the executive power order with respect to the production and supply of meat.” The PM’s announcement comes a week after the chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society James Paul called on Government to pay more attention to agriculture and to take food security seriously, especially in light of the COVID-19 crisis. In the interview with Barbados TODAY, Paul said: “Barbados cannot henceforth take food security for a joke and we need to produce adequate quantities of vegetables. We have been so hooked on the importation of even commodities that we can produce that when in situations like these when the production is not up we can see the consequences of it. “That is why I have always called for more investment in agriculture so that we can be able to produce more of the foods that we consume. That way you would have a more stable price all year round.” (BT)

GAS STATION ATTENDANT CHARGED WITH ROBBERY – A 22-year-old man was remanded to Dodds today on an indictable robbery charge. Atsu Kehinde Tese Jones, of Kendal Hill Tenantry B, Christ Church will make his next court appearance on May 28. Jones, a gas attendant, is accused of robbing Lisa Brewster of three rings worth $850 and $250 cash; Renee Redmas of $60 cash; as well as Natasha Scantlebury of a chain and pendant worth $800 and a $100 pair of earrings. He could not enter a plea to the March 31 indictable charge before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes. Rather, he will have to face judge and jury in the High Court. Sergeant Theodore McClean submitted that the accused should not be released at this time on several grounds. The prosecutor pointed to the nature and seriousness of the charge and the need to protect society. McClean also objected to bail based on the strength of the evidence against the accused. He argued that although it was Jones’ first time before the court he had “started at the higher end of the scale” as well as the fact that the property had not yet been recovered and allegations that a firearm had been used. However, attorney-at-law Dwight Moseley said his client was a good and fit candidate for bail as he was not known and maintained his innocence of the charge. The lawyer stated that at this stage the charge before the court was a mere allegation and was not so serious that he should be denied bail. “The strength of the evidence, that is subjective at this stage and . . . without seeing that evidence we can’t say whether it is strong. My client maintains he is an innocent man . . . he is not a hooligan.” Moseley countered the prosecution’s objections that a firearm had been allegedly used. “He is saying he never committed any offence hence why they never found a firearm,” said the defence lawyer who added that his client was willing to submit to any bail conditions. Chief Magistrate Weekes after listening to submissions stated that the charge against the young man was “very, very serious” as he is alleged to have robbed three people. He then ruled in favour of the prosecution and remanded the accused to the St Philip institution. (BT)

GUARD FALLS VICTIM TO ROBBERY – An act of revenge landed Shanie McCarlo Callendar before the law court today for the first time in his life. The 28-year-old, of no fixed place of abode, pleaded guilty to entering the George Lamming Primary School as a trespasser on April 28 and stealing a bag, a jacket, a body spray, six mangoes, two jam puffs as well as a Barbados identification card and a debit card totalling $348.25 in value and belonging to Williams Watts, the school’s security guard. The complainant was on duty when he saw Callendar on the compound. Watts observed Callendar take up his bag, which had been placed in the school’s hallway, and run. The matter was reported to police and Calendar was detained. The property was recovered according to Sergeant Theodore McClean. Attorney-at-law Martie Garnes addressing the court on Callendar’s behalf, told Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes that prior to the incident the complainant was in the habit of accosting his client. “It was an opportunistic crime . . . to give the complainant a taste of what he was feeling. This does not excuse what he did but he has shown contrition and remorse and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. The reason he went to the school was to get a little WIFI,” Garnes submitted. He also asked the chief magistrate to look favourably at sentencing and submitted that a bond be placed on his client, with no conviction to be recorded once completed successfully. The defence counsel also revealed that the reason the young man currently had no fixed place of abode was because he lost his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was unable to pay his rent. He said while he had a family there was a bit of tension. But he said Callendar’s mother was surprised to hear that he was on the streets and was ready to assist him. Chief Magistrate Weekes agreed with the submission and placed Callendar on a bond for the next six months to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. However, if he breaches that order he would have to pay a forthwith fine of $1,000 to the court or spend three months in prison. His record will be kept clean if he serves the bond period successfully. He has however, been forbidden to go back to the educational plant. (BT)

ALLEGED CURFEW BREAKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY – Another young man charged with breaking the curfew order among other charges was released on bail today. Rackesh Kishmar Oneal Grant, of Lower Carters Gap, Christ Church is charged with using a cellular phone to send a message that constituted a threat and caused annoyance, inconvenience and distress to Ricardo Clarke on April 28. The alleged threat read: “Tell you uncle right, that whenever I see he, I starting he and nah talk no more. I swear to God on my mother’s grave I gain f**k my knife in he for what he went round Janelle with. Tell he I say so and whoever wanna get in he brother, you father, anybody could get in, I swear pun my life.” Grant is also charged with being outdoors along the Tom Adams Highway around 12:45 p.m., also on April 28, without a reasonable explanation when there was a national directive in place that everybody remain indoors. It is further alleged that he drove a motorcar on the same highway when he was not the holder of a driver’s licence and neither was the vehicle insured. The 22-year-old pleaded not guilty to all the charges which resulted in Sergeant Theodore McClean objecting to his bail. The prosecutor informed Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes that the Grant was currently on bail from the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Judging from the nature of the threat issued he said, from the “tone and the words written” there was a need to protect the complainant as well as the accused from himself because there may be some form of retaliation against him for the “strong words”. The prosecutor submitted that the breach of the COVID-19 curfew directive was also very serious. “The need to protect society . . . when one decides to flout the law it shows there is no regard for himself or society . . . and to compound it by driving without licence and insurance. That is something that the court should frown upon,” McClean further submitted. In her submissions Grant’s attorney-at-law Duana Peterson admitted that he was on bail for another matter but she said it had been pending in the system for the past four years. She said those charges were unrelated to the ones now before the court and her client had not found himself in trouble with the law since then. With regards to the threat, the defence lawyer said that the charge before the court was a “mere allegation” at this time. “There are two sides to a story and we have only gotten a snapshot,” she said. She went on to tell the chief magistrate that Grant intended to file cross charges against the complainant. On the allegation that he breached the islandwide curfew Peterson submitted that her client had a reasonable excuse for being on the road at the time as he was taking Janelle Clarke for medical attention and “was not without reasonable excuse”. According to her, regarding the traffic charges, her client maintained his innocence saying at the time he was not driving the vehicle and was the front passenger. The vehicle she said was also not his, with regards to the no insurance charge. The lawyer said that her client was also amiable to any bail conditions imposed by the court. Chief Magistrate Weekes ruled in favour of the accused and granted him $6,000 bail. However, he has been banned from social media and placed on a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew. For the curfew and traffic charges Grant will make his next appearance in the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court on June 12. He will appear in the District ‘B’ Oistins Magistrates’ Court on May 26 on the other charge. (BT)

SKEETE GETS STINT AT US COLLEGE –One of Barbados’ most promising junior national footballers has scored a big goal. Attacking midfielder Nathan Skeete is now closer to making his dream of becoming a professional athlete a reality, after securing a two-year scholarship at the North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in the United States. Skeete, who can also be deployed at wing-back positions, will major in physical education. “It’s a wonderful feeling but it is only phase one. I also feel relieved because it is very late in the recruiting stage and most colleges would have already used their funds. ” (WN)

The world is facing the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. As we continue to do our part in Barbados please remember to stay home but on the days you have to go out wear your masks, practice social distancing (stand 6-10 feet away from each other), practice good daily hygiene, eat healthy, exercise and keep your mind active. There are 245 days left in the year Shalom! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell #coronavirusinbarbados #nationalresponse #dailynews #thechasefilesblog

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