The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 VOLUME 110, No.46 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

KYDD SLAININ HAIL OFGUNFIREStories by KENVILLE HORNE

AN INVESTIGATION hasbeen launched into thedeath of Allonzo Kydd, whowas killed on MondayNovember 21, 2016, about9:35pm.

Residents in the VillaFlat area , where 23-year-old Kydd wasapparently shot, saidthey were awakened bythe sound of a series of

gunshots. One residentsaid that he counted atleast 15 gunshots.

THE VINCENTIANunderstands that Kydd,a.k.a. ‘Crackie’, wasgunned down withinwalking distance of hisfather’s home, about 100metres from theCommunity Collegecompound.

Police said that theyreceived a call that therewas a shooting in theVilla area, and whenthey responded, theyfound the Fair Hallresident’s body in anarrow side road withmultiple gunshotwounds, sometimearound 9:40 pm onMonday.

A resident, whoseabode is not too far fromhis (Kydd) father’s home,told THE VINCENTIANthat he was aware thatKydd was coming fromthe bakery in Calliaqua,and was on his way tovisit his father, when hemet his death. He alsosaid that he heard theloud and continuousgunfire.

That residentdescribed Kydd as a very

humble person,who normallykept to himself.He did, however,relate that it wasrumoured thatthe dead manhad been inconflict withpersons in thesurroundingarea.

An obviousdistraughtfather

Kydd’s father, AllanBobb, in an interviewwith THEVINCENTIAN, said he issaddened by his son’sdeath, since he was agood person. “He was agood person. He wouldbe by his mommy or hisgrandmother andsometimes by me,” saidBobb.

According to thegrieving father, he wasat home with hisgirlfriend listening to theradio, when ‘the drama’started.

“I heard likefireworks, and I wonderwhat that is. After, Ithought it was gunshot,”

he said. Bobb said he mustered

the courage to lookoutside, but did not seeanything suspicious.Minutess after, hereceived a phone call,and the caller inquiredabout what was takingplace in theneighbourhood, to whichhe replied, “I don’tknow.”

It was after the callthat he said he decidedto go outside, and at thatpoint saw residents andpolice officers in hisneighbour’s yard.Someone eventuallyinformed him that hisson was lying dead there.

Continued on Page 3.

MISSING BOY’SFAMILY NEEDSSUPPORT

Jayquan May (right) and his brother Jaafaan Mayin happier times.

Shaoma Baptiste (left – mother of the boys) andHazel-Ann Lynch (grandmother), picturedrecently with Jaafaan, have both appealed tothe authorities for support.

Story onPage 3.

Allonzo ‘Crackie’ Kydd -another shooting victim.

Allan Bobb, Kydd’sfather, wants the policeto do their duty and getto the bottom of hisson’s death.

KYDD SLAININ HAIL OFGUNFIRE

2. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

Continued from Frontpage.

Bobb attempted to see his son, butwas stopped by the police. “So I juststand aside and look. They(undertaker) took away his body and Istill haven’t seen my son,” Bobbcontinued.

He said that he does not know whoshot his son, but admitted that he hadwarned him about the “company hekept.”

He recounted an incident as recentas last Friday when his son ran onseeing a police vehicle. The policegave chase and caught Kydd, afterwhich he alleged they administered asevere beating upon him, resulting indamage to one of his ears.

“I feel reach mash up, up to now Iain’t cry. I would like to see somethingcome out of this. I hope the policecarry out their duty, and I know those

who took his life will fight against oneanother,” Bobb expressed.

Kydd attended the Richmond HillPrimary School and the St. ClairDacon Secondary School and was a

farmer by occupation. He was thesecond son for his father.

Allonzo Kydd’s death brings to 34the number of homicides for the yearso far.

V News 3THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 3.

EIGHT-YEAR-OLDJayquan May, alsoknown as ‘Brother’, hasbeen missing sinceNovember 9, 2016, theday this countryexperienced torrentialrains and flooding causedby a trough system.

On that day, he wasswept away by theraging water of the river(that runs) behind hisCampden Park home,into the sea.

His brother, Jaafaan,who was also caught inthe flood, survived theordeal.

The boys, along withtheir mother, ShaomaBaptiste, had moved intothe house, her brother’s,one day before theincident.

Baptiste told THEVINCENTIAN that shehas been getting supportfrom her family and thefamily of the boys’ father,but nothing from localauthorities.

“I don’t have a home ofmy own. It’s rough and Istill studying it (the

incident), because he wasa loving child,” saidBaptiste.

She said that whileboth 2015 generalelection candidates forthe South Leewardconstituency - MP NigelStevenson from theopposition NewDemocratic Party andSpeaker of the HouseJomo Thomas of theUnity Labour Party —have reached out to her,she is yet to receive anyreal support orcounselling from therelevant authorities.

Recalling the ordeal

Jaafaan May said hestill thinks about hisbrother. He saidrepeatedly that he triedto save his brother,before he disappeared inthe sea water at RoucherBay, the bay into whichthe Campden Park Riverruns.

He recalled that onthe fateful day, he andhis brother had gone tohave a bath at the tap

located at the side oftheir home.

While there, theybegan to play by runningaround and pouringwater on each other.“After we bin runningaround and throwingwater pon each other, heslip. I try to hold hishand and me slip too,”recalled Jaafaan.

The water then sweptthe boys downstream.“Me just feel we goingdown the river. Thewater bin going in mymouth and me get hit bya rock,” recountedJaafaan.

He said that when theraging river waterdeposited them into theopen sea at Roucher Bay,his brother was stillalive. According to him,his brother was cryingand calling for hismother during the entireordeal.

The powerful riverhad pushed the brothersfurther than theshoreline and theyattempted to swim backto safety. On their way

towards the shore,Jaafaan recalled that abanana tree, caught upin the rough waters,knocked his brotheraway, and that that wasthe last time he saw him.

Jaafaan managed toswim to safety, and waseventually discovered byvillagers who had gonelooking for them. Hisbrother was not thatfortunate.

Jaafaan walked awaywith injuriess to his kneecaps and face, and nowhas a recurring earache.Up to Wednesday, presstime, he had nocounseling nor has hadany sort of mentalevaluation.

Since the incident, hehas attended school once,last Tuesday, but had tocut his time short afterschool mates startedasking a barrage ofquestions concerning theincident.

A grandmother cares

The boys’grandmother, Hazel-Ann

Lynch, told THEVINCENTIAN thatJaafaan came to her lastTuesday in tears. “I sithim down and give himsome water and then hewent to his bed and fallasleep.”

She said that both sheand her daughter,Shaoma have decidedthat they would not besending him to schooluntil next Wednesday.

In terms of hermissing grandson, Lynchprofessed herunwavering love for him.

“I just can’t explainhow I feel becauseJayquan was such a verynice grandson to me,” shesaid, adding thatwhenever she was athome, he would come toher and ask, “ ‘Granny,what you want me to do?You want me to buybread?’ And if he have adream he would tell me,”said Lynch beforebursting into tears.

She said that hergrandson’s dreamsusually came to pass.

“May his soul rest inpeace,” declared thegrieving grandmother.

Lynch is appealing tothe authorities to providesupport to her daughter,“because persons in thosekinds of situation needall the help they canget,” she proffered.

The November 9trough system alsoclaimed the life of 12-year-old Phillip Comptonof Bequia.

Missing boy’s family needs support

There has been noofficial confirmationwith respect to whetheror not the search forJayquan May has beendiscontinued.

FromFrontpage.

Kydd slainin hail ofgunfire

The narrow side-road in Villa Flat, unlit, where Allonzo Kydd is said to havereceived the first of many bullets.

No show - prosecution’scase collapses

4. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

CourtV

Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS

KAY BACCHUS-BAPTISTE, lead lawyer foropposition New Democratic Party (NDP)Central Leeward candidate Benjamin ‘Ben’Exeter and NDP Youth Arm memberShabazaah George, is of the view that theprosecution abandoned their case, afterrecognizing that it had no merit.

Bacchus-Baptiste was speaking to THEVINCENTIAN on Monday, shortly afterMagistrate Rickie Burnett, sitting at theGeorgetown Magistrate’s Court, dismissedthe charges brought against both men, inconnection with incidents at an NDPprotest, outside the House of AssemblyDecember 29, 2015.

Burnett’s decision, in essence, upheld anapplication by Bacchus-Baptiste for thecharges to be dismissed, on the basis thatthe two virtual complainants did not turnup, even though they were warned, and theprosecutor in the matter, Crown CounselKarim Nelson, was absent.

Exeter was cleared on charges of:unlawful possession of an offensiveweapon, to wit, a firearm, at a publicmeeting outside the House of Assembly;assaulting Police Constable Granville DeFreitas causing him actual bodily harm;assaulting Corporal Cuthbert Morris andresisting arrest.

George, who was to be tried alongsideExeter, was cleared on charges ofobstructing Corporal Morris, he being apolice officer in due execution of his duties,and having an offensive weapon withoutlawful excuse, to wit, ‘ a zapper’.

Disrespect for the Court Bacchus-Baptiste said that Burnett, in

handing down his decision, commentedthat the virtual complainants and theprosecutor were also absent when thematters were called at the BiabouMagistrate’s Court on September 30, afterbeing transferred from the CalliaquaMagistrate’s Court on September 13.

Bacchus-Baptiste notedthat during theproceedings atthe Georgetown Court onMonday, the police courtprosecutor who was present,indicated that he had justreceived a message sayingNelson could not be there.

Bacchus-Baptiste described the action ofthe prosecution as being grosslydisrespectful to the Court.

“There was no explanation or excuse forthe virtual complainants not turning up.The police prosecutor said they werewarned to come to Court, but that he didnot know why they were not there,” shecontended.

In reference to Nelson not showing up,Bacchus-Baptiste stated, “If he knew hecould not make it, he should have sent aletter in advance, or someone else from theDPP’s Office should have been there. TheDPP’s Office is well staffed in terms oflawyers. Just to send a message to thepolice prosecutor half way through themorning proceedings saying he could notmake it, is not due respect for the Court.”

She added that, “When this iscompounded by the fact that the virtualcomplainants were not present, and that,with the exception of the arresting officerCorporal Colin May who was summoned tobe there, the other prosecution witnesseswere not in Court, it became clear to methat the prosecution recognized they hadno case and decided to abandon thematters.”

Defence confident She declared that the defense was

extremely confident that if the matterswere tried, once there was an impartialtrial, “we would have won the case, asExeter’s arrest was unlawful.

“The case never had any legal merit, itwas highly politically motivated. The case

againstMr. George was evenworse. They never had anycogent evidence againsthim. The police evidence against him wasconflicting and confusing”.

Up to press time Wednesday, theposition of the Office of the Director ofPublic Prosecutions (DPP) on the dismissalof the charges was unknown to THEVINCENTIAN.

When contacted on Tuesday and askedfor a response to the Magistrate’s decision,DPP Colin Williams stated, “I will speak atthe appropriate place and time.”

Two magistrates had recused themselvesfrom the matters, the first being BertiePompey, who had done so during the trialon June 20, at Bacchus-Baptiste’s request,based primarily on comments Pompey hadmade while Assistant Superintendent ofPolice Timothy Hazelwood was testifying.

As a result, the trial was discontinued,and the matters were transferred to theCalliaqua Magistrate’s Court beforeMagistrate Zoila Ellis-Browne. Ellis-Browne also recused herself, at Bacchus-Baptiste’s request, predicated on the basisthat, “There is apparent bias, or a realpossibility of bias, should (Ellis-Browne)adjudicate of these matters”.

The defendants were also represented byattorney Israel Bruce who told THEVINCENTIAN, “As I have said from thebeginning, the charges against Mr. Exeterand Mr. George amounted to a politicalwitch-hunting”.

The initial prosecutor in the case wasthen Assistant DPP Colin John, nowDeputy Commissioner of Police.

POLICE WEREcontinuinginvestigations into anincident in Kingstownlast Wednesday, inwhich two childrenwere struck by atruck.

Police reports arethat around 3:15pm,the vehicle TL258,owned by EddisonJames of LowmansWindward and drivenby Adolph Stephens ofProspect, wastravelling out ofKingstown.

On reaching thevicinity of MohaganySquare at RichmondHill, the female policeofficer regulatingtraffic there signaled tothe driver to stop. Shealso signaled tomotorists travellinginto Kingstown to stop,so as to allowpedestrians to cross inthe designated area.

The truck did notstop and in the processstruck KingstownPreparatory (Prep)School male pupilsIsrael Cumberbatch ofBelair and AlphaJames of Glen, 9 and11 years oldrespectively.

The truck eventuallycame to a halt, afterpassing the crossing.

Cumberbatchsustained bruises to hisleft foot and righthand, while Jamesreceived bruises to hisleft foot, andcomplained of hippains.

They were taken tothe Milton CatoMemorial Hospital, butup to press time, THEVINCENTIAN wasunable to ascertainwhether they werewarded.

Police say thatPreliminaryInvestigations revealedthat the truck hadbrakes failure.

Childrenstruckby truck

IF MAGISTRATE Rickie Burnett did notuphold attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste’sapplication to dismiss criminal chargesagainst her clients Benjamin ‘Ben’ Exeterand Shabazaah George, Burnett wouldhave had to decide whether or not he wasgoing to hear the matters.

Exeter, who contested the CentralLeeward seat for the opposition NewDemocratic Party (NDP) and George, NDPYouth Arm member, were cleared of thecharges when the case was called at theGeorgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

But Bacchus-Baptiste told THEVINCENTIAN, shortly after, that, had thisdevelopment not taken place, she wasgoing to make an application for Burnett todecline from hearing the matters.

In fact, Bacchus-Baptiste had written tothe Magistrate last Friday, November 18,stating that the defendants, as well as afair section of the general public, weredeeply concerned that, “There may be realprejudice should you (Burnett) adjudicateon the matters which are highly politicaland politicized matters…”

The lawyer referred to media reports oncomments then Assistant Director of PublicProsecutions Colin John, who wasprosecuting the matters, had made to the

media outside the Kingstown Magistrate’sCourt,June 20, minutes after MagistrateBertie Pompey had recused himself fromcontinuing to hear the case.

John was reported to have said, “I justhope that whichever Magistrate, the samefrivolous and stupid — in my opinion —allegation is not made because St. Vincentis a small place, there are severalMagistrates, you can always find somereason to affiliate one Magistrate tosomething. If it goes before the ChiefMagistrate (Rechanne Browne), theargument can be made that she is thesister of (Minister of Health) Luke Browne.

“If it goes before Zoila Ellis, theargument can be made that she is MikeBrowne’s (former government minister) ex-wife.”

When asked about Magistrate RickieBurnett, John was reported to have said,“Well, the defence might feel comfortablewith him; I don’t know.”

In writing to Burnett, Bacchus-Baptistecited, “This puts a real burden on yourhonour, and places the defence in aprejudicial position, so that if you hear thiscase, there are sections of the public whichwill fear that justice may not be done,depending on your decision.

“The inference bysome sections of thegeneral public is thatyou will be comfortablefor us.

“We do not believethat a judicial officershould be placed insuch a burdensomeposition.

“We are, therefore,requesting, Sir, thatyou decline fromhearing this matter inall the circumstances.The defence intends toengage the DPP on theappropriate step forhim to take todetermine thesematters.”

The letter wascopied to Director ofPublic Prosecutions(DPP) Colin Williams.

The charges againstExeter and George stemmed from incidentsat an NDP protest outside the House ofAssembly, December 29, last year.

Ben Exeter, on allaccounts, wasthe primaryfocus in thismatter.

Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, leadattorney in thecase, wasconfident thattheprosecution’scase wasweak.

ShabazaahGeorge hadan earlyintroductionto the courtprocesshere.

Lawyer: ÂMagistrate put in burdensome positionÊ

Magistrate RickieBurnett, had henot delivered aruling, wouldhave had toconsider arequest for himto decline fromhearing thematters.

by HAYDN HUGGINS

SOME FIVE MONTHS aftera bench warrant had beenissued here for the arrestof Principal Developer ofthe Buccament Bay ResortDavid Ames he is stilloverseas and is reportedto be ill and unfit to travel.

Ames had fled thecountry by boat whilefacing eight criminalcharges.

The British-bornbusinessman is chargedon four counts of theftand four counts of taxevasion, allegedlycommitted here between2011 and 2013.

On the tax evasioncharges, he is chargedjointly with local lawyerSamuel Commissiong.

When the matter wasagain called at theKingstown Magistrate’s

Court last Friday,November 18, Ames’attorney, Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, presented adocument to the Court,to wit a medical report,signed by a doctor,stating that Ames wasstill unfit to travel.

The matter wasadjourned to February17, 2017, but the benchwarrant remains ineffect.

When the matter wascalled on August 5,Bacchus-Baptiste hadrequested anadjournment, statingthat she had received amedical certificate signedby a doctor, showing thatAmes was suffering fromdeep vein thrombosis,which made it dangerousfor him to travel in thefollowing three months.

The document wasattached to a letter,dated August 2, sent tothe Court by someonepurporting to be Ames’lawyer in England, namegiven as HowardKennedy.

The letter did not saywhere Ames was.

Magistrate BertiePompey granted theadjournment, but thebench warrant remainedin effect.

On June 17, this year,police had filed thecriminal charges againstAmes, chairman andPrincipal shareholder ofHarlequin Properties, thecompany behind thedevelopment of the

BuccamentResort, andCommissiong,Principal Officerof the company.

The chargeswere laid inconnection withthe allegeddeprivation of millions ofdollars from thegovernment of St.Vincent and theGrenadines, between2011 and 2013.

Commissiong is alsoslated to return to Courton February 2017. Hewas not represented by alawyer when he appearedin court last Friday.

Ames has never shownup in Court in connectionwith the matter.

He had reportedly fledthe country in a fishingvessel on the morning ofJune 22, after clearingimmigration at theChateaubelair PoliceStation around 6:15 a.m.,the same day he wasscheduled to make hisfirst Court appearance,in connection with thematter.

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 5.David Ames isno stranger toaccusationsof fraud. Heis alleged tohave collectedmillions ofpounds forambitiousbuildingprojects in theCaribbeanand Brazil.

AmesÊ illness ongoing

by KENVILLE HORNE

KIMANI WILLIAMS, better known as‘Triple Gold’ was, up to press timeWednesday, warded at the MiltonCato Memorial Hospital, recoveringfrom a gunshot which, it is reportedwas inflicted by a masked man.

Williams was at his Top Questelleshome along with a friend - JamaloDunbar around 2:30 a.m on Monday,when what was described as a Molotovcocktail was thrown into the house.

Dunbar fled the scene as gunshotserupted. He is said to have escapedwithout injury. Williams, however,was struck in his side by at least onebullet.

His house, meanwhile, was

engulfed in flames,and a visit to the siteshowed clearly thathe had lost most ofhis belongings.

An injuredWilliams, accordingto reports, drovehimself to thehospital, where heunderwent surgery.

The country iscurrentlywitnessing a waveof gun- relatedcrimes, which has resulted in 34homicides for the year so far.

A record number of homicides, 36,was committed in 2014.

Kimani ‘TripleGold’ Williams –lucky to escapean assailant’sbullet.

ÂTriple GoldÊ shot

IT WAS BETTER to act inthe interest of theworkers, rather than tomake a situation that wasalready bad, worse.

So says GeneralSecretary of the NationalWorkers Movement(NWM) Noel Jackson, ashe defended the actiontaken in relation to theimpasse between themanagement at StVincent ShipyardLimited (SSL) and theworkers.

While speaking on theissue during a pressbriefing on Wednesday,Jackson said that ameeting was convenedbetween SSL’smanagement and theNWM to discuss whathad occurred at theOttley Hall-basedcompany last Friday,following circulation of aletter from DanielRavotti - ManagingDirector for SSL in whichhe notified that thecompany would beclosing from November21 to December 22.

The managing directorexplained therein thatthe decision to close wasas a result of a “technicalbreakdown of thecompany.”

Irate workers,however, contacted themedia and stated theirwoes, claiming thatwages and salaries wereowed to them, thededuction for National

Insurance Service (NIS)and PAYE had not beenpaid in, and basic itemssuch as gloves, tissue,etc. were not beingprovided.

Ravotti, onWednesday, admittedthat the company wasexperiencing somesetbacks, saying thatthere was a plan inplace, but in July thisyear, the economicsituation in Venezuelawent from bad to worseand affected operationsat SSL, since thecompany here was beingpartly financed by theearnings generated fromother companiesoperating in the SouthAmerican country.

He said that there wasalso a slow period at theshipyard through whichthe company wasstruggling.

“And we are trying ourbest to continue forwardand to keep going,” hesaid.

According to Ravotti,management has beenspending a large portionof revenue earned onwages and salaries.

But Jackson toldmembers of the mediathat, while he wassatisfied with theexplanation that thecompany was undergoingsome financial problems,he had told Ravotti thatthe decision to close thecompany at this time, it

being close to theChristmas season, wasinappropriate, and thatthey ought to find a wayfor that not to happen.

“So, he said okay, Iagree, so what do we do?”Jackson said.

He explained that thedecision was taken tocreate a situation whereworkers would return tothe job, and completewhatever jobs werealready in train.

In this way, the piecan be shared amongwages, NIS, PAYE andthe other utilities, toensure that work cancontinue although not inthe ideal situation,Jackson posited.

“So we here have tomake some harddecisions, decisions thatsometimes do not allowus to sleep well, but theyare decisions aimed atprotecting the interest asfar as possible,” theNWM General Secretarysaid.

The workers, Jacksonassured, had been calledin and the situation putto them. They agreed toreturn to the jobs, on thebasis of the terms hecited earlier.

The agreement alsomakes provision for areview of the situation inthree months, Jacksonsaid, but he gave no

clear indication whenthe outstanding wagesand salaries would be

paid. Jackson said that he

was cautious not to makean already bad situationworse, adding that hewas hearing all sorts ofpropaganda on the radio.

He continued, sayingthat the workers in theyard were members ofthe NWM and that hehad an obligation toprotect their interest.

“Protecting theirinterest does not meancreating a situationwhere they can end upoutside the gate withoutthe possibility of earninganything to feed their

families, or without thepossibility of gettingtheir severance or otherbenefits. That is not howI have been trained.”

The situation at OttleyHall was not ideal, andas long as the workerswere able to come andaccumulate wages washis responsibility.

“Not to chop it downand leave my people outin the cold as it appearssome people want it tohappen,” Jackson said.(DD)

6. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsVJackson defends decision

Noel Jackson, General Secretary of the NationalWorkers Movement.

THE NIGERIAN ASSOCIATION of St. Vincent andthe Grenadines (NASVG), in partnership with St.Mary’s Catholic Church, Kingstown, held a Day ofFeeding the Homeless in Kingstown on Saturday19th November.

The effort reached out to the homeless along aroute that began outside the Milton Cato MemorialHospital and ended at Little Tokyo.

The charitable initiative was aimed at providingfood to the most needed in Kingstown, explainedFolu Ayanleke - President of NASVG.

Ayanleke said that they intend to provide morefood to the homeless in the future, “because they(the homeless) were so happy and felt loved.”

He continued, “It was a great thing to feed themand also eat with them. The response was greatand it’s soul-lifting. We hope to have another one byDecember, and also to visit the motherless homesand people with disabilities too, this December aswell.”

Ayanleke expressed thanks to the good people ofSaint Vincent and the Grenadines, right from theleadership to the young ones. “We would also like toappreciate our landlords for their understanding sofar so great. We just hope they would continue tosee us as their own children. We would also like toappeal to the general public to continue to supportus in this moment of economic challenges that hasbefallen us,” he stated.

Persons that benefitted from the outreach alsoexpressed gratitude for the meal. (KH)

Members of the Nigerian Association of St. Vincent distributing foodpackages to the homeless and needy at Little Tokyo, Kingstown.

Nigerians and Catholicssupport homeless

THE ROMAN CATHOLICDIOCESE of Kingstown hasfound a partner, and itseems that relationshipwill outlast any season.That companion is the St.Vincent ElectricityServices (VINLEC).

Thornley Myyers,Chief Executive Officer ofthe utility company,pledged his institution’scommitment toenhancing the new RosePlace location andoutreach of the R.C.Loaves and Fishes SoupKitchen.

Loaves and FishesSoup Kitchen, whichoperated out of thegarage of the St. Mary’sR.C. Presbytery, wasformally relocated to anddedication at its newRose Place location lastweek Thursday,November 17.

From its old location,it served some 150 needypersons with a hot mealevery day. This level ofservice is expected tocontinue.

VINLEC workers willensure the completion ofthe new facility. And nocost to the R.C. Diocese.Volunteers from VINLECwill also be part of thestaff at the SoupKitchen, according toMyers, who commendedthe involvement of two ofhis staff members,Louisa James and Joann

Richards/James, whowere responsible forbringing the SoupKitchen to Vinlec’sattention.

The Loaves and FishesSoup Kitchen, as thename implies, is inspiredby the the miracleperformed by Jesus, inwhich he turned fiveloaves and two fishesinto numbers that fedthousands.

Father AndrewRoache, the ‘brainchild’of the Soup Kitchen,reflected on theemergence of the facilityas a “response to theconcerns for thehomeless and themarginalised.”

Demands for suchneeds increased andspilled over onto thestreets at North RiverRoad, which hastenedthe need for a moreorganised response.

The Most ReverendGerard County, Bishop ofthe E.C. Diocese ofKingstown, welcomed theextension and newfacility as “ideal in theYear of Mercy,” and citedthat social services arelike “prayers in action.”

Monseigneur MichaelStewart joined BishopCounty in blessing thenew compound, whichalso houses a shelter.(WKA)

New homefor Loaves and Fishes

CommunityV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 7.

His Lordship BishopGerard County leads thededication/blessingceremony for the newlocation.

Volunteers at work in the kitchen where some 150meals are prepared daily.

The Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen has found a new home in Rose Place.

(“The Vincentian” October 7, 2005. Anon)

FOR THE MOMENT I will not focus on ArnhimEustace’s “bitter sweet” speech to the nation lastTuesday evening, declaring that he had resignedfrom the presidency of the NDP, and is poisedalso to give up his Parliamentary seat of EastKingstown which had gratefully returned him onfive consecutive occasions, as soon as a creditablereplacement has been identified.

The speech itself was typical Arnhim —no cantphrase mongering or self-praising, but honest,simple, positive and revealing, shot straight fromthe heart.

I have written reams of paper on Arnhimpartly because I know that he is the epitome ofmodesty and humility who will let barbed attackson him go unanswered. My grand response to thisvaledictory address will be presented towards theend of 2016 as a parting address to a great son ofthis land.

I will at this point demonstrate that,historically speaking, Arnhim has set the toneand standard by which Leaders should quitpolitics.

By 1951, Mc Intosh’s Labour Party had beensplit, and he carried along in 1954, only to try andsplit Joshua’s PPP vote.

Joshua himself led his PPP for twenty-eightyears, reducing the PPP to shambles by the1979Independence election year, at which both Pappyand Mammy Joshua lost their deposits.

Cato had been Leader of the LabourParty1955-1984, a period of 30 years which hequit after losing the Government in 1984. Internalinternecine war ensued with Hudson Tannis,Vincent Beache and Stalky John, which soweakened the Party that Vincent finally handedthe leadership over to Ralph to lead or mislead forthe past seventeen years running.

Mitchell for his part had enjoyed some 20 yearsof progressive government, with Arnhim Eustaceas a very efficient and progressive minister towhom he passed over the leadership when thegoing got too rough for him during his decliningyears.

The great irony now surfacing is thepossibility of the unwelcome interference in theworking of the NDP which he had founded.

What follows is a statement presumably by DeComrade, on October 7, 2005, 11 years ago, justbefore an election. I make no comment; let thereaders be the judge.

“The name of a popular Calypso on the air-waves recently is ‘NDP in Disarray’. It speaks thetruth and nothing but the truth about the NDP’scondition. More and more, they are sinking intopolitical nothingness.

First, the matter of the leadership deficit. Thenation, at home and abroad, does not see, and hasnever seen Arnhim Eustace as a leader. Sir JamesMitchell, the founder and long-serving leader ofthe NDP, privately tells his confidants thatArnhim Eustace is a disappointment and is nomatch for Comrade Ralph. The opinion polls, donefor and on behalf of the NDP, tell them that truth.

NO LOVE LOSTThere is no love lost between the top players in

the NDP. Sir James is contemptuous of them all,save and except Linton Lewis. But he feedsLinton with a long spoon because it has beendrawn to his attention that Linton has been lessthan full in praising Louise Mitchell (Sir James’daughter) who succeeded Linton at the Offshore

Authority.Linton Lewis has told Arnhim Eustace to show

him the same respect shown to Dr. LorraineFriday. Lewis insists that he be also referred to asDoctor Linton Lewis. St. Claire Leacock strains atthe leash to be asked to be called DoctoralCandidate St. Clair Leacock. Since that is amouthful, he establishes his bogus militarycredentials with the title “Major”. These are somereal insecure people! Some may say sick!

Linton is upset that many in the NDPleadership are jealous of his apparent economicsuccess. They are daily trying to pull him down.They even told him that he should have waiteduntil after the elections to start his big officebuilding in town. Their argument is that hismulti-million dollar building does not square withthe NDP Thesis that investors have no confidencein Ralph’s handling of the economy. Lewiscomplains about their lack of ambition and crab-in-abarrel mentality.

Confusion in candidate selectionIn every case where there was competition in

the candidate-selection process in the NDP,Eustace manipulated the process to get wrongresult. In South Central Windward, Israel Brucewould have been a better candidate, by far, thanBrereton Horne. Similarly, Scumbo John is betterin every way than Lennie Daisley for SouthWindward. In securing the lazy loquaciousKingsley Layne over a better constituency person(Frank Da Silva), the NDP leadership let loosetheir attack dogs on poor Frank. They called him“crazy”, “loose cannon”, “ignorant” and “stupid”. InWest Kingstown, the people wanted Dennie, butthe party hierarchy manoeuvred to push DanielCummings down their throats. Dennie would havemade a far better candidate. In South Leeward,the NDP leadership secured the worse of two badchoices in “Nature” Stephenson, which left theNDP constituents fuming over the bad treatmentmeted out to Jerry Scott. Admittedly, the girlFrederick conceded to “Nature” without apparentrancor but essentially with the realisation thatbecause her plate is shallow, politically-speaking,she was a non-starter. And in Marriaqua, Eustacediscarded “Rasum” Shallow for a far inferiorcandidate, Advira Bennett, the cousin of Eustace’swife...

And in the Northern Grenadines, NDP’sFriday is looking shakier than ever, especiallysince last Saturday night when a ULPConstituency Council meeting of over 200 personsin Bequia, endorsed Herman Belmar for theNorthern Grenadines.

Vincentians must fear NDP The NDP, in disarray, has become unhinged

from reality. People have all reason to fear them.Their wild irrationality is a clear and presentdanger to the people’s welfare. They have alsopledged; not to build the international airport; notto build a bridge over Rabacca, but instead atunnel; not to build the National Stadium; not toexpand the Arnos Vale Playing Field for WorldCup 2007; not to build a Cross-Country Road; theNDP has promised to close NESDEC; to closedown the YES programme; to stop the EducationRevolution; to unsign the Petro Caribe agreement;and to ask America how to run St. Vincent andthe Grenadines. There are some 50 cases ofbackward decisions by the NDP to halt or rollback the people’s advance. NDP is not serious. Ithas gone to the dogs”.

NEITHER MAJOR political party in St. Vincent and theGrenadines has made any real effort to effect meaningfulchange as far as its leadership process is concerned.

If they had, after two decades at least, there should havebeen a woman in either camp, who should have been vying forthe leadership position in both parties. Sadly, this is not so,and there are some who would venture to conjecture that this’reality is way beyond the horizon’.

In all that they say and do, therefore, both the Unity LabourParty and the New Democratic Party are still very much maledominated, if not chauvinistic in the main.

Both Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Arnhim Eustace have been atthe helm of their respective political parties for well over adecade. None of these gentlemen, we are wont to conclude, hasever felt threatened in their positions. Like Eustace who haschosen to voluntarily vacate his seat of leadership, we canexpect Dr. Gonsalves to do likewise when he is ready so to do,reinforcing the perception that we are still very much inclinedtowards a culture of cult leadership.

Our politics, as represented by our two major politicalparties, is still very much inclined to keep the same leader forprolonged periods of time, convincing themselves in the process,that this is a prerequisite for party stability.

The history of our political parties since adult suffrage,hastaught us that to speak ill of the leader is to sentence yourselfto exile.

One is left, given the public relations machinery of ourparties, to accept that our parties have their inbuiltmechanisms that process leadership change, without any fussor furor.

While this would be commendable if that is the case, this‘honey and roses’, is this situation not the antithesis toencouraging wholesome debate, differing opinions and anavenue to hone leadership skills, and, therefore, make oneselfdisposed to and available for leadership?

Are we fooling ourselves when we believe that our partiesare, in effect, mass organizations that allow for a process fromthe bottom up, that will morph leadership like good foam risingfrom good beer?

Every political party has to continually re-invent itself, so tospeak, in order to keep abreast of changing trends, attitudesand expectations. Every political party has to chart a new pathforward for itself. This process could be a difficult one, butideally it must be pursued and be ongoing.

The juncture at which the New Democratic Party finds itselfpresently, could be an instructive one for our politicalculture/attitude going forward. It can set itself up as anexample in how it unfolds from this evolutionary if nottransformative experience, provided it accepts this period as socharacterized.

This juncture offers the opportunity to redefine what apolitical leader should ‘look’ like as it (NDP) advances furtherinto the 21st century, and with an eye on keeping abreast ofthe exciting times that lie ahead, also offers the opportunity toredefine its vision and a strategy for winning support for thatvision.

Each of our past political leaders has been pushed or madeto step aside… some deciding on their own that it was time togo, some going the way of a stern rejection by the people.

No political party can exist through time, in which the onlyconstant is change, with a single leader and one vision. ThePeoples Republic of China, once considered a bastion of closedpolitics, has recognized the need to avoid keeping leaders inplace for inordinately long and unnecessary tenures.

And each time a change has been made in that country, anew vision and new emphases arise, signaling a sense ofwanting to remain relevant and useful to the common cause ofnational development.

The New Democratic Party, like the Unity Labour Party, hasto, if it wants to remain relevant, grab every opportunity toreorder itself.

Yet, when all is said and done, it is the people who decidehow relevant a political party is.

8. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsV

Editorial

Managing Editor: Desiree Richards

Editor: Cyprian Neehall

Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129

Website: www.thevincentian.com

Email: vinpub@thevincentian.com

Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd.,

P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Going forward

NDP in disarray

IT IS WITH SADNESS that Ilearnt of the tragic eventsthat took place in StVincent on Monday 14thNovember. I was informedby a friend from StVincent, who introducedme to an online newsservice, where I wouldreceive more information.

Before I go anyfurther, I would like toexpress my condolencesto all families who havelost their loved ones -Sister Pamela Williams,Nicolas Layne, AvisIsrael and her sonRonald.

I would also like toextend my condolences tothe family of the personwho is alleged to havecaused the deaths ofthose I have namedabove. They, too, will besuffering and grieving‘the loss’ of their lovedone.

I am writing, not onlyto extend my condolencesto these families, but toplead with the variousauthorities in St Vincentto review how these

tragic events arereported in the media,the way crowds aremanaged, and howgrieving families aresupported in suchsituations.

I watched, for a shorttime, a live commentaryfrom one of the homes ofthe deceased. Thesereports are seen all overthe world, and I am sureVincentians would preferto be seen as thewonderful, caring peoplethat they are.

I realise that humanbeings worldwide like tobe present when suchincidents occur, forwhatever reasons.Perhaps, as it happens inother countries, peoplecould bring flowers toshow respect then moveon, as we saw, forexample, when PrincessDiana died. If it isnecessary to standoutside the home, itwould be more respectfuland dignified to stand insilence.

Perhaps grievingfamily members could beoffered a comfortablespace nearby, instead ofhaving to grieve inpublic, as the videoshowed.

The reporter couldhave been implicit,rather than explicit, inhis video reporting.Certain scenes need nothave been shown andwere not necessary forhis live report. For thesake of decency andrespect, I will notdescribe those scenes.Thankfully, the lateredited version was alittle more respectful.

People who havesuffered the loss of aloved one, and even moreso in such circumstances,should be given time,respect and support, andbe allowed the space anddignity they need to helpthem through difficulttimes.

Police could be helpfulin gently moving crowdson, in an orderly fashion.

There could be areas thatare cordoned off to thepublic and media, butallowing only members ofthat household andofficial members of staffwearing uniforms orforensic suits, so as toprotect the scenes ofcrime, and members ofthat household allowedin.

These small

adjustments could bevitally important inhelping those bereavedin the initial stages ofrecovery, after suchevents.

Let the world see howSt Vincent manages

these situations in acaring, dignified,respectful way, withintegrity and highermoral standards.

Paula MartCumbria - UK

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 9.

LettersV

THE RECENT spate of criminal activity in St.Vincent and the Grenadines is a very grave causefor concern. Never in my lifetime have I beforeheard of four homicides, in separate incidents,within a four-hour period, followed by anothermurder (the one at Victoria Park) less than 48hours later.

God has called us, Christians, to go out andevangelize the world. For the majority of us, our“world” is St Vincent and The Grenadines, and eachand every one of us need to do our part for the gloryand honour of God. The blood of Jesus Christ ourLord and Saviour, that was shed on the cross ofCalvary, was spilled out for the saving of allmankind. We cannot afford to sit back within theconfines of a church building and becomfortable. Our commission given by JesusChrist, our Lord, is to “go ye into all the world andpreach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

Are we content to be like the prophet Jonah? In the Holy Bible, it is recorded thus in Jonah,

Chapter 1: “Now the word of the LORD came untoJonah. the son of Amittai, saying, arise, go toNineveh, that great city, and cry against it; fortheir wickedness is come up before me.”

But “Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish fromthe presence of the LORD.”

God gave Jonah a specific directive, but he ranaway and was later found sleeping in the bottom ofthe ship. It is time that we, Christians, wake upand be obedient to the leading of the Lord, lest Healso prepare a great fish to swallow us! It is timethat we wake up and go out into the highways andbyways and evangelize St. Vincent and theGrenadines for Jesus. Remember, that is thereason why the Lord left us here after He saved us:TO BE HIS WITNESSES in a lost and dying world!Christians, wake up! Do not be a Jonah!

Theresa Searles

We ought to be more dignified

Christians, wake up!Do not be a Jonah!

THE RECENT quadruplemurders in a solitary night,allegedly committed by an 18-year-old, have left the nationnumb. My own family sufferedmore than others. The uglyemotional scars will remainforever. In seeking answers to thenightmare, the Ministry of Health

has been labelled publicly asdelinquent. They have beencastigated for not having apsychiatrist on staff for sometime.

Perhaps some context would beilluminating. As it happens, thereis a global dearth of psychiatrists,and especially in developingcountries. In the United States,only 4% of medical graduateschoose psychiatry as a specialty.At the University of the WestIndies, less than 2% of them doso. The pool of psychiatrists fromwhich to draw, is miniscule, andthe law of demand and supplygoverns.

Every country in the Caribbeansuffers from a shortage ofpsychiatrists, with the problemmore acute in the smallerjurisdictions. It is instructive thatonly two OECS countriescurrently have psychiatristsemployed in the public healthsector.

I am not privy to any of theefforts being made by theMinistry of Health to engage apsychiatrist. However, I amwilling to wager my right arm,that the problem is not simply oneof administrative lethargy.

Carl F. Browne

A global dearth of psychiatrists

ON BEHALF of the Nursingfraternity of St. Vincent andthe Grenadines, the members ofthe SVG Nurses Associationwould like to express shock,sorrow and condemnation forthe murder of four (4) personson 14/11/2016.

We are anguished by thesesenseless killings, anddenounce them. Words cannotexpress the horror and sadnessnurses feel about these crimes,especially because the twofemale victims were retirednurses. Like everyone else, weare searching for answers andtrying to understand why ithappened.

What is even moredisturbing is the fact that theretired nurses were killed intheir homes. As nurses, we joinwith the entire nation inexpressing our condolences tothe families and friends of thevictims; and as nurses, standwith them in their moment ofgrief.

SVG Nurses Association

Nurses expressshock, sorrow

SVG MAY NOT HAVE won therecent OECS SwimChampionship held here, but wecertainly did not disgraceourselves. In fact, our youngswimmers did us proud.

And to think, Mr. Editor,swimming has not been acompetitive sport here for verylong. Yet, we can produceswimmers like the Joachims,Sylvester and so forth.

I ask myself: What is it thatthe Swimming Federation isdoing that most if not all theother sports associations are not?

I am certain each and everyother sport has countless more‘qualified’ coaches than

swimming; yet, we continue tostruggle to earn a medal at saythe OECS level. I say thisbecause every Monday, morning Iseem to hear or read about someother coaching clinic or workshopfor this sport and that sport.Football and athletics must havemore ‘qualified’ coaches thanthey have active players.

Maybe these other sportassociations should humblethemselves and seek some advicefrom the Swimming Federation.

Congrats to the SwimmingFederation and all theswimmers.

Cas

WE HAVE ALL experienced it before, “ bla bla bla”from Mr. Wayne Hull. It is an experience to see thedefense of the indefensible.

Mr. Hull, I really feel for you, the stick you aregetting.

The issue primarily is to do with the EnglishBPL we enjoyed at SportsMax, which is owned byDigicel. When Flow decided to have a channel inorder to screw Digicel, they did not have theconsumers in mind, just their bottom line.SportsMax is a SPORTS channel unlike FlowSports which only show sports without the gameanalysis and commentary, as was done onSportsmax, who, by the way, provided us withTHREE games on Saturday Game Day and TWOgames on Sunday.

Now, we are treated to cockamamie sports thatyou, Flow, scramble to fill the programming; thenyou wonder why we are so pissed.

A Defenseless Subscriber

FLOWÊs exclusive rights

Learning from theSwimming Federation

Introduction

THE ATTENDANCE of Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalves at the climate changeconference in Morocco, has focused theminds of many Vincentians on thisparticular issue. Small Island DevelopingStates, SIDS as they are referred to,have already begun to see the effects ofclimate change, in a tangible way,through the loss of lives, and themillions of dollars of damage to theirinfrastructure. In addition there is thethreat of rising seas, which will erodethe coastlines of their countries.

Thus it is important for the countryto be part of the internationalmovement that is trying to addressthis problem. Naysayers like those inthe opposition NDP will always becritical of any such move, becausethey oppose everything that isimportant to the country. But as anational and a regional leader, PrimeMinister Ralph Gonsalves has to be atthe forefront of the movement toaddress climate change. In fact, hehas been very positive in this regard,and touches this subject when hedelivers his annual United Nationsaddress.

Why is climate change important?

International scientists havealready determined that rising levelsof carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases have warmed theearth, causing serious issues rangingfrom rising sea levels, severedroughts, and extreme rainfall. Thesescientists have predicted that thissituation will continue and in somecases accelerate. When this happens,it will create serious risks for life, ourforests, agriculture, our water supplysystems, and the list goes on.

Eventually, this situation willaffect our environment and then oureconomies, since the damage createdwill have to be addressed, and largesums of money will be required torehabilitate the areas affected. Evencountries like the United States havebeen forced to pay attention to thisscenario. In 2011, the United Statesexperienced fourteen weather relatedincidents which resulted in the loss ofhuman lives, and cost the US economysome 54 billion dollars in damages.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines hashad its share of adverse storms anddroughts, and no other country inCARICOM has suffered from suchadverse weather conditions over thelast five years. In October 2010, thecountry experienced HurricaneTomas, to be followed by excessiverains and landslides in April 2011,and then the Christmas Eve storm of2012. In addition, there were twoprolonged periods of drought in early2010 and 2014.

In the aggregate, the adverseweather events caused damage andloss to the country, in excess ofEC$600, or one third of the GrossDomestic Product, the GDP. Therewas much pain, hardship, sufferingand loss of life. The resilience ofVincentians coupled with thestrenuous efforts of the ULPadministration and the generosity ofour friends abroad, has seen us safelythrough the recovery process. Itmeans that the government now hasto pay greater attention to the risks

associated with climate change, and asystematic programme has beendeveloped for the management ofnatural disasters.

Action too slow

During his 2016 United Nationsaddress, Prime Minister Dr. RalphGonsalves said that “if a smallresource-challenged nation likeSt.Vincent and the Grenadines canrevolutionise its energy mix andradically reduce our reliance on fossilfuels in a few short years, we find itimpossible to accept the dilatory foot-dragging of rich powerful nations thathave a real possibility to radicallyreduce their emissions foot print”.

This statement represents thefeelings of most persons in the SIDSblock, that the action to reduce theeffects of climate change is too slow.Indeed, there is a feeling that we arelosing time in this battle, and that theadverse results from climate change,is accelerating faster than thepredictions from internationalscientists.

Prime Minister Gonsalvescontinues “as big emitters continue todither, more frequent and intensehurricanes wash away large swaths ofour GDP in a matter of hours”.Adaptation is now the major concern,following the pledges made bycountries ahead of the Paris Accord inDecember 2015. Now, coming out ofthe Morocco conference on climatechange, there is a strong commitmentfor international climate action, andthere is an agreement on a foundationto support the Paris Agreement.

Meanwhile, the ULPadministration will continue tochampion this issue. This is extremelycritical for the very existence of SIDS,and their very survival will depend onstrong action from the developedstates, whose fossil footprints are themain cause of the current problem.And so now the other fight must bethe one related to the release of fundsfor work in addressing the damagedone to climate change events.

Conclusion

Many of our citizens, especiallythose who are young and intelligent,have done enough research on theissue of climate change, so they arecomfortable with many of the termsused in this article. They must nowturn their acquisition of knowledgeinwards, to educate their families andfriends about this issue, and urgethem to be more proactive inadjusting their lifestyles, to meet thisever present danger.

And so we must cut out theindiscriminate dumping of garbagewhich is blocking our drains andrivers. We must pay attention to ourproperties, particularly those of uswho live next to streams and rivers,and close to the coast. A climatechange event could destroy propertieswhich we have spent our lifesavingson, and so we must be ready to do theright thing.

WE ARE ALL HERE because we knowthat the message must go out loudlyand clearly that change cannot cometoo soon in St Vincent and theGrenadines. We are all here because weare committed to a struggle that willend in the replacement of the incumbentillegal regime with one that isaccountable to the people, responsive tothe needs of everyone, and committed togood governance and transparency.

These are the values I havepromoted my entire political career;these are the values that are non-negotiable, and these are the valuesthat must keep all of us going. I am asconvinced today as I was convinced onthe very first day that I joined theNew Democratic Party, that this partyis the only one capable of bringingmeaningful change to St Vincent andthe Grenadines.

I have had the distinct honour ofserving the great people of St. Vincentand the Grenadines as leader of theNew Democratic Party, in the capacityof Minister of Finance, then as PrimeMinister for a short transition period,and then as Leader of the Oppositionfor the past 16 years. I am honouredand humbled that you all have givenme this opportunity to serve youthrough the most challenging timeswe have experienced since we gainedindependence in 1979. I have had theprecious experience of sharing in ourcommon struggle for true democracy,and have worked tirelessly to foster apolitical and social atmosphere thatencourages kindness amongst citizens,integrity amongst those who seek torepresent them, and the recognitionamong us all that we are all capableand deserving of a good quality of life.I believe that Vincentians now have agreater understanding of theconnection between Governmentpolicy and the economic realities theyface every day, in part because of mypersistent weekly ventilation of thisrelationship.

It is a bittersweet transition for me.I must acknowledge that it saddensme that despite my best efforts, theefforts of the party in general and theoverwhelming support of the citizensof this great land, I was not availedthe opportunity to chart a new coursefor the development of our people asPrime Minister for any significantperiod of time. There are so manypeople — children whose parentsstruggle to send them to schoolregularly or even to pay for theexaminations they need to take inorder to have a fair chance in theiradulthood, to break the cycle ofpoverty; young adults burdened withthe hopelessness brought about bylack of opportunity and a stagnant, oftshrinking economic landscape; thoselucky enough to have sustainedemployment through these hard timeswhile witnessing their NIS fundsmisused and squandered; thosesuffering from the British Americanand CLICO fiasco; those in need ofmedical attention forced to rely on theinadequate health facilities (Howmany unavoidable deaths haveoccurred?); and battered and exploitedwomen and children. Given theopportunity, many of them wouldhave been reaping the rewards ofprincipled, creative, fiscally prudentmanagement of the country’s affairs,harnessing our potent human andagricultural resources.

My disappointments are buoyed bymy certainty that the institutionknown as the New Democratic Party

is better than ever, stronger than everand built to stand the test of time. Sothat when that inevitable day dawns,that day of justice for ourdisenfranchised populace, this team ispoised to take the reins of governmentand create the optimum environment,for the talented Citizens of this greatnation to realize our potential as apeople!

As many of you might know by now— a week ago I reported to myparliamentary colleagues my desire tostep down as both Opposition Leaderand President of the New DemocraticParty. These are two separate anddistinct positions, though historicallythey have been held by one person.How we choose a replacement for eachposition, takes two distinct forms.

The position of Opposition Leaderis determined by the MPs sitting onthe opposition bench. For 16 years,the MPs of the NDP have given methe vote of confidence to lead theparliamentary caucus. They did soagain following last December’sgeneral elections, and I will alwaysremain grateful for that continuedshow of support.

However, since December, I havebeen thinking about a way totransition to a new parliamentaryleadership, without destabilizing thisongoing march for change for St.Vincent and the Grenadines. I havehad discussions with my family, closefriends, colleagues and advisors. InJuly, I summoned a retreat of theentire political leadership of the partyto look at options for the way forward.It was at that retreat that I firstsignaled my intention to step down.Timing, I explained, was my concern.

In recent months, I held separateone-on-one discussions withcandidates, and with many othersenior members of the party. At everystage, I have been open and frankabout my vision for the party andcountry, and how best for all of us tostay true to that vision, given mydesire.

Of course, I had to take intoconsideration that the party was andis in the midst of a seminal legalbattle over irregularities in the lastgeneral elections. And, so a year afterthose contentious elections, Idetermined after consultations thatthe party and the nation wereproperly prepared for this transition. Iinformed the candidates that I wouldbe stepping down as Leader of theOpposition and President of the NDP.So, last Thursday, the parliamentarycolleagues met, and by a solid andclear majority voted that Dr GodwinFriday, a long-standing Vice Presidentof our party, be leader of theparliamentary team going forward.Both my resignation as Leader of theOpposition and Dr Friday’ssubsequent election werecommunicated to the office of theGovernor-General by official letters onFriday.

As regards the presidency of theParty, the process is different. Whilethe elected Members of Parliament onthe Opposition side choose theOpposition Leader, it is all of you, thegeneral membership of the party, whomust and ought to choose the PartyPresident.

10. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVExcerpts from the Hon. ArnhimEustaceÊs presentation at DemocratHouse on Tuesday 22nd November

Climate Change and the implicationsfor St. Vincent and the Grenadines

“Creativity is thinking up newthings. Innovation is doing newthings.” Theodore Levitt (1925-2006) American economist andprofessor at Harvard BusinessSchool.

INNOVATION HAS BECOME a buzzword at many institutions of higherlearning. All of the campuses of theUniversity of the West Indies are nowengaged in programmes thatencourage faculty and students toparticipate in activities that will fuelcreativity and innovation. This is as itshould be. We need to develop acadre of citizens who will beenergized to seek to improveproducts, services, and structures.Companies and countries that pushcitizens to develop and improveproducts and services throughcreativity and innovation, will alwayshave an advantage over those culturesthat do not.

It must be noted that creativityand innovation are not the purviewof the educated; academics do nothave an exclusive right to creativityand imagination. As a matter offact, some of the world’s greatestinnovations have emerged from thebowels of the “uneducated”.Trinidadian Winston “Spree” Simon(1930-1976) has left a legacysurrounding his invention of thesteel pan. This is a classic exampleto remind us that creativity andinvention can emerge from amongthe “unlearned”. He never attendeda school of music. He neverreceived any formal training inreading music or playing a classicalmusical instrument. He neverentered the lecture room of atertiary level institution. However,he had an idea that by creatingindentations on the flat surfaces ofsteel drums, it would be possible tocreate different musical notes — andthe steel pan was born. There aremany other examples of innovativeideas that emerged from the“unschooled”. Michael Faraday(1791-1867), for example, had noformal education. He was employedin a bookshop in London, England,but believed in himself and hisability to contribute to science andsociety. He revolutionized ourunderstanding and appreciation ofelectricity. Faraday is described as

a genuine experimental genius. Heis considered one of the mostinfluential scientists of all time —even though he had no formaltertiary level education in this field.That being said, we mustunderstand and appreciate thatindividuals who are exposed to the“helicopter vision” provided viaadvanced studies in music,mathematics, the sciences, etc. willhave some greater insights in termsof how to enhance the performanceof various aspects of thesedisciplines.

We need to ignite curiosity in allof our people, the schooled andunschooled, the poor and the rich,our girls and our boys … everyonehas the potential to be creative andto innovate. Mary Lou Cook (1908-2013) reminds us that “Creativity isinventing, experimenting, growing,taking risks, breaking rules,making mistakes, and having fun.”When we embrace the challenge tocreate things outside of theordinary, we ignite imagination andmove in the direction of inventingproducts, services, and systems thatimprove businesses andcommunities. The followingexample brings this point home (asdescribed in the Daily BreadDevotional Booklet and its issue forNovember 10, 2016):

History records that in the 1800s,during the height of the Gold Rushof the American West, the goldminers’ work pants were unable towithstand the rigours of the goldmining exercise. They wore outrather quickly. Jacob Davis, atailor by profession, contemplatedhow he could best resolve theproblem. He needed to come upwith a solution. And he did. Davisneeded to use material that washardy. History records that hepurchased tent cloth from a drygoods company that was owned byLevi Strauss. He used this robustmaterial to make work pants for theminers. He was not deterred by theway the pants would look or thechallenges the wearers would facewhen it was time to do the laundry.Although considered quitechallenging to do, his idea paid off,and today (over 200 years later) thedenim blue jeans remain popular.We are forever grateful to the tailor

who had an idea and ventured tomake the idea real; a man who sawa need and was prepared to meet itin a most unusual way. He standsout as the architect of a greatinnovation in clothing.

As we go through life, we will bebombarded by a variety ofchallenges. These trials oftencontain the seeds of creativity andinvention. We just have to looklong and hard enough to realise thesignificant potential for growth thatoften lie trapped within a crisis. Wereflect on the fact that the Chinesecharacters that represent the word“crisis” are a combination of twofigures signifying “danger” and“opportunity”. Our thoughts andactions are sometimes paralyzedwhen we gaze so long at the danger… and neglect to see theopportunities; we can become sofocused on the challenges that weneglect to pay close attention to thesolutions.

The great innovation in clothingthat is captured in this essay nowbeckons us to move beyond fabric toengage in thinking critically andstrategically in relation to thevarious obstacles that now confrontus. Challenges in finance,education, agriculture, health andso on. We just need new eyes, newstories, new anecdotes, new thoughtpatterns, to encourage us toembrace the challenge to resolvemany of the personal andcommunity based difficulties thatwe now face. We have the capacityto think creatively. We have theresolve to move from creativethought to implementing positivechanges to products and systems.This great innovation in clothingcan encourage us to uncover newpossibilities in our lives. It cancreate that eureka moment as weembrace the challenge to do thingsdifferently and create newopportunities that will beautify thefabric of society.

Send comments, criticisms &suggestions to

julesferdinand@gmail.com

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 11.

ViewsVIgniting creativity and Innovation

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS has adevastating impact on societies, and everyone has arole to play in ending this scourge.

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), globally one in every three women experiencephysical or sexual violence in their lifetime, by anintimate partner or someone other than a partner.Those who experience violence often lose their dignity,live in fear and pain, and are prone to depression.

On November 25th, 2016, the SVG PSU Women’sCommittee joins with the United Nations(UN) andCivil society worldwide, to commemorateInternational Day to End Violence Against Women, aday given over to raising awareness of the fact thatwomen around the world are subject to differentforms of violence, and to highlight the scale and truenature of the issue.

The sixteen-day period between November 25 andDecember 19, is expected to be a period of activismagainst Gender-Based violence.

The UN Secretary General’s ‘UNITE to EndViolence Against Women Campaign invites you to“Orange the world”. The color orange has beenchosen to symbolize a brighter future without violenceagainst women.

The International Labor Organisation (ILO)governing body has agreed to to commence work to setan international labour standard on Gender-Basedviolence (GBV) at the world place. Trade Union willbe expected to be more involved in contributing to theeffort.

Gender-based violence is a violation of basic humanrights, with detrimental impact on the health andsocial status of victims, that extends to the widersociety. As such therefore, addressing the issue — itscauses and consequences - requires a coordinatedeffort of a multi-sectoral representation of actors.

Although there is a positive indicators in thestruggle to end violence against women, statisticsshow that there is still work to be done. Throughcampaigns, starting at the workplace, Trade Unionsmust use their collective strength and power to raiseawareness, break the silence, campaign for laws andpromote the action of a global International LaborOrganisation (ILO) standard to eliminate gender-based, wherever it exists.

Rosa Pavanelli, Public Service International (PSI)General Secretary says: ”Trade unions are strugglingto end violence at the workplace and in the society.We stand for a peaceful solution, a cultural dialoguebased on human rights to health, peace and socialprotection.”

Least we forget, the struggle also extends toensuring equality for and stamping out discriminationagainst women. A strong commitment fromgovernments is a vital to this particular effort.

All of us must re-commit to the effort to eradicateall forms of violence against women and girls. Gender-Based violence is a pandemic and a serious obstacle tosustainable development. It imposes large-scale costson families, communities and economies. We mustshow zero tolerance to violence against women.

Tacklingthis menacerequires pro-activeresponsesaimed toeliminate itsroot. It callsfor long-termprojections,includingconstantmonitoringandevaluation ofthe varioussteps taken.

We inviteyou to jointhe rest ofthe world inraisingawareness ofthe need tobring aboutchange.

PSUWomen’sCommittee

International Day for the Eliminationof Violence Against Women

by Deniston Douglas

THE ULP ADMINISTRATION hasbeen the most successful andprogressive administration in StVincent and the Grenadines,however, despite the successes, therural economies are struggling andpeople are complaining about thelimited economic opportunityavailable in their communities.

As a community organizer, I wantto put forward a grass-rootdevelopment and job creationagenda.

Community Infrasructure DevelopmentI recommend a massive

community road building and repairprogramme similar to the “goutitrack” programme in 1984-89, to beundertaken by the Ministry of RuralDevelopment, and funded by the nextcycle of BNTF funds with matchingfunds from the Central Government.I further recommend that instead ofanother shipment of building

materials, that a shipment ofcement, steel and BRC be purchasedto support the programme, with thework given to small communitycontractors. I consider this 10-15million dollars programme ifproperly implement, inclusive offinancial prudence, in tencommunities within a three-yearperiod, would be a poverty alleviationstrategy that would create thousandsof jobs in the rural communities.

AgricultureWith respect to this sector, I

suggest that some monies allocatedto fishing be reallocated to OrangeHill tissues lab, to propagate andreplant the following organic cropswhich have huge market potentials:at least fifty (50) thousand coconuttrees to replace the present plantsthat are very old and past theirprime bearing stage; a similarnumber of breadfruit trees, keepingthem to a height of ten feet; citrusand sour sops.

TradeSt Vincent and the Grenadines is

one of the OECS countries wherethere is no central governmentbuying agency. Government should,therefore, appoint a traderepresentative to facilitate tradebetween St Vincent and Martiniqueand Guadeloupe.

In addition, our representatives inUSA, Canada and England shouldbegin the progress of looking formarkets for our agriculture and non-agriculture products.

Moreover, there should beaggressive support for ourtraffickers, especially with theircurrency exchange problem inTrinidad and Tobago.

Serious consideration also has tobe given to establishing a marketingand production unit, to guide ourfarmers in the production of variouscrops, as informed by marketresearch in our export markets.

Community Entrepreneurship

The YES Programme should bechanged from a one-year programmeto a two-year Tech Voc/Apprenticeprogramme, with a heavy practicalcomponent to train our youth in anumber of critical skills that areneeded in the communities.

Training, financial and technicalsupport must be forthcoming forlocal entrepreneurs, whose focusmust be both the local and exportmarkets. For example, two localpersons have constructed electricalmachines to grate coconuts. Twentysuch mills placed in different areasin the country can increase theproduction of local coconut oil.

UtilitiesRemove the practice of poor people

having to buy poles and pipes tofacilitate a supply of electricity andwater to their households. Thismeasure will help to support localbuilding and the agriculture industryand remove the awesome burden onpeople.

Resetting the strategies for Rural Development

THE MOST RECENT UN Climate ChangeConference took place from 7-18November 2016, in Marrakech, Morocco.This was the 22nd Conference of theParties (COP 22) to the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change.

Gonsalves’ speech to the Conferencementioned, inter alia, ‘Thus all peoplesand governments have an obligation toact responsibly to protect the globalcommons and our common humanity.There is really no other option forsurvival and sustainable development.This is a matter of existentialconsequence to humanity.’

Coming from Gonsalves, this is aload of climate change mumbo-jumbo.

Building the Argyle airport andencouraging people to fly thousands ofmiles across the world to visit SVG, isactively promoting more pollution andmore destruction to our environment.Aviation is very damaging andsubstantially increases climate change.According to Friends of the Earth,aviation generates nearly as muchCO2 annually as that from all humanactivities in Africa.

For countries such as SVG thathave low-lying islands, tourism is verydangerous.

Global warming is expected to leadto a rise in sea levels of up to 95cmsover the next century, and many partsof SVG will be affected by rising sealevels and could disappear altogether.

Gonsalves went in to begging modeat the Conference, and called for thequadrupling of adaptation finance for

developing countries.Gonsalves is a climate change

hypocrite. Rather than being givenmore money for climate changeadaptation, the ULP governmentshould have any climate changefunding withheld from them, untilthey run the country in line withreducing their harmful contribution toclimate change.

Building the Argyle airport andencouraging more tourism, shows thatwhen it comes to reducing climatechange, Gonsalves talks and thinkswith the same part of his anatomy.Aviation increases global warming.

He mentioned that political will is anecessary ingredient in solving climatechange, something which he lacks. Hementioned that all states, especiallysmall island developing states, mustremain focused to address concretelyand urgently man-made climatechange.

Hypocritical mumbo-jumbo!

In what way is increasing air traveland aviation pollution helping towardsfighting man-made climate change?Can Gonsalves really be so stupid asto believe that increasing aviationpollution helps to reduce globalwarming?

Argyle airport is very bad for ourcountry. Some say that about EC$1.3billion has been wasted in theconstruction of the airport. This is amassive amount of money that could

have been better spent protecting SVGagainst the negative effects of climatechange.

At the COP 22 Conference,Gonsalves mentioned how, since 2010,SVG has suffered damage fromnatural disasters, highly abnormaltorrential rains and landslides. Butrather than spend EC$1.3 billionprotecting our people from thesenatural disasters, he spends EC$1.3billion building a new airport andencouraging global warming, puttingthe lives of our people more at risk ofthese disasters.

Far from being the saviour of SVG,tourism will kill SVG and leave partsof it under water. SVG must urgently

move away from focusing on tourismas the engine of our economy.

As Gonsalves said at the COP 22conference ‘There is really no otheroption for survival and sustainabledevelopment. This is a matter ofexistential consequence to humanity.’

Gonsalves is a climate changehypocrite.

SVG Green Partywww.svggreenparty.orgFind us on Facebook and Twitter

12. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVGonsalves – Climate Change hypocrite

THIS LETTER is for those who are incontrol, but let’s first look at strengthin numbers.

I remember in my village, seeing aman commit a crime. He was takento Court. This man took a lawyer torepresent him in court. He won hiscase. When he got home, he said,“My lawyer is good, he won my case”.

The law is designed for thelawyers; they got to work with thelaw. The law is like a vehicle; when itis not fixed right, it can start tobackfire on you. Nothing is wrongwith the law, the law is good, but youhave to keep it perfect. But man can’tkeep it perfect because, don’t wesometimes let go the killers to killagain?

Magistrates and Judges aresupposed to think like kings. Youdon’t have to tell a king what to do.He already knows what he has to do.A Magistrate and a Judge got to usehis/her wisdom to judge a matter inCourt. If a Magistrate or a Judgesentences a man to ten years inprison, a lawyer could only askleniency, say three years instead often. The lawyers can’t decide forthem.

When a man or a woman becomesa doctor, they got to think like aperson sent from God. They got toconsider themselves like a disciplesent to work miracles, to heal peoplefrom their infirmities and to try todiscover medicines for diseases likecancer, not to bring sickness onpeople. A tradesman cannot do his

work properly if he doesn’t have hisown tools. Private doctors need to getthe right tools to monitor theirpatients. Stop guessing, stop givingyour patients any kind of medication.Doctors who don’t tell their patientsthe whole truth are not being honestwith their patients. This isdangerous.

A dentist once gave me a tablet totake. When I took it, it made mesick. It gave me agonizing pains allover my body. I would describe thattablet as a chemical weapon.

I went to as many as ten doctors inthis country. I told them of my painand suffering, and none of them couldfind the answers to ease my pains. Igot a little ease when I went to thehospital with a hip pain. I got aninjection and some treatment, so Ihave no pain in my hip.

The doctor then gave me a form toget an X-ray. I didn’t feel like going.But after a week passed, I decided tomake a check to make sure nothinghad formed in my hip, I took the X-ray. When I got the results the nextday, the reading said I had arthritis.I went back to the operator and saidto him, “I don’t have any arthritis inmy hip. Maybe it could be a pinchnerve”. I further said to the operator,“I can’t take this to the doctor, I willget treatment for arthritis”. Onething I knew for sure, is that theoperator made a mistake.

Alistair ‘Live Up’ Simon

WhoÊs in control?

ALREADY COMMITTED to offering the best service anddeals as it relates to mobile telecommunications here,Digicel SVG has added a whole new dimension to itscorporate outreach.

On November 4, 2016, the company launched itsWeight Loss for Charity programme, geared atencouraging its employees to live a much healthierlifestyle, while at the same time making acontribution to a number of local charities across St.Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Weight Loss for Charity initiative requires asmany of Digicel SVG’s 120 staff members tocollectively lose a minimum 500lbs by March 2017.And for every pound loss, 10 dollars will be donatedto a charitable organization here.

According to Digicel SVG’s Country Manager-John Davies, the weight loss exercise is not onlyvery innovative, but was specifically designed toencourage employees to seriously consider thebenefits of practising healthy lifestyle habits, and soreap the benefits that such practices can have ontheir personal and professional lives.

Additionally, Davies said the programme will seeDigicel again demonstrating its commitment togiving back and positively impacting the lives of allclasses and groups of Vincentians, through thedonations of a minimum of $5,000.00 to two or morecharitable organizations here.

To help ensure that Digicel as a whole records aweight loss of at least 500lbs by March of next year,a programme of activities has been devised tomotivate staff members.

Digicel staff members are to include in their dailyroutines, some form of physical activity, and toincrease their fruits, water and veggie intake.

On days of every week, employees will cometogether in joint efforts aimed at losing weight.Tuesdays at Digicel have now been dubbed ‘SaladTuesdays’ and will see staff indulging in a gardensalad for lunch. On Thursdays, employees cometogether to participate in a very rigorous workoutsession.

Fridays have been designated for weigh-in totrack individual progress and the overall weightloss, as the countdown continues to March 2017.

A prize will be rewarded to the member of staffwho contributes the most to the weight losschallenge.

DIGICEL onWeight Lossfor Charitydrive

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 13.

Digicel Stafftracking weightloss.This weightloss drive willalso mean thatlocal charitieswill benefit froma cash input.

14. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 15.

Story and photos byNELSON A. KING naking@verizon.net;kingnaking210@yahoo.comUS CORRESPONDENT

A FULL CAST of soca andcalypso artistesentertained an exuberantcrowd on Sunday evening(Nov 13), as officials fromthe Carnival DevelopmentCorporation (CDC) and theMinistry of Sports andCulture led the launch ofthe 40th Anniversary ofVincy Mas in Brooklyn,New York.

Hundreds of nationalsmade it their top priorityto witness andparticipate in the four-hour-odd-long ceremonyat the Friends of Crown

Heights EducationalCenter.

The event also servedas the simultaneouslaunching pad for the St.Vincent and theGrenadines DiasporaMapping Project,organized by theRegional Integration andDiaspora Unit (RIDU), inpartnership with theUnited Nation’sInternationalOrganization ofMigration (IOM).

Briggo, Bomani,Scorcher, DennisBowman, Drakie,Hibiscus, Madzart andWinston Soso wereamong artistes whoperformed at theanniversary launch.

Among officials wereTourism, Sports andCulture Minister Cecil“Ces” McKie; TourismAuthority chief executiveofficer Glen Beache; CDCchairman Ricky Adams;Immediate PastChairman and Chairmanof the 40th AnniversaryCommittee DennisAmbrose; New YorkConsul General HowiePrince; and president ofthe Council of St.Vincent and theGrenadines, U.S.A., Inc.(COSAGO), LaverneMcDowald-Thompson.

“Our mission, at thistime, is to extend anearly invitation toeveryone to join us inpromoting the special

celebration of 40 years ofJune-July Carnival —Vincy Mas 2017,” saidAmbrose, adding that hewas pleased to be invitedto speak to “this widecross-section of persons,who have been identifiedas a great audience forassisting SVG (St.Vincent and theGrenadines) Team to linkwith other sources in theDiaspora.”

Ambrose said theDiaspora “has workedwell” with the CDC inthe past, and “Weanticipate yourparticipation at multiplelevels in this landmarkfestival.”

Ambrose said the 40thAnniversary of VincyMas Committee hopes tointroduce some newshows in the Vincy Masprogramme, which startsas early as January2017.

“Our presence here is,of course, to give you anearly little teaser of ourspecial program for VincyMas 40th Anniversarycelebration,” he said.

Newly installedChairman, RicardoAdams said his focus asnew CDC chairman goesby the acronym“madness.”

He said “m” representsmarketing; “a” foraccountability; “d” fordevelopment; “n” fornatural interest; “e” forembracing change; “s” forshows; and the other “s”for synergies.

“I invite all to VincyMas 2017, where we will

continue to celebrate thehottest carnival in theCaribbean,” he said.“Congratulations to allpredecessors whobrought Vincy Mas tothis point.

“We are now 40; and,when you turn 40, it is anew era when you can bemore confident andexplore newopportunities in life,” headded. “So, too, willVincy Mas embrace thisnew era.”

Minister McKie urgednationals not only tocome home for Vincy Masbut to come home forother activities, stating:“We have now reachedthe stage, where we can

boast [of] a wholecalendar of events in St.Vincent and theGrenadines.

“Put your hands to St.Vincent and theGrenadines,” he urged.“For the next 10 years,St. Vincent and theGrenadines will be theenvy of the Caribbean.”

Beache appealed tothe audience to speakwell about the homeland.

“I hear a lot of peoplecomplain,” he said. “Weneed to stop being sonegative about St.Vincent and theGrenadines.”

New Consul GeneralHowie Prince said:“You’ve asked for change,and you got it… So it isfor you to get behindthese people, behindcarnival in St. Vincentand the Grenadines.”

The official launch ofVincy Mas 2017 is set forMay 6. Vincy Mas 2017runs from June 30 toJuly 11.

16. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. THE VINCENTIAN

CarnivalV40th Anniversaryof Vincy Maslaunched in NY

Section of the audience

Winston Soso entertains with “I Don’t Mind.”

Dennis Ambroseaddresses audience.

Ricky Adam delivers hismaiden address to theVincy-NY Diaspora.

DevelopmentV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016. 17.WINFA’sCoordinatoron speakingtourTHE CONCERNS OFFAMERS associatedwith the WindwardIsland FarmersAssociation (WINFA)have been impressedfurther in certainEuropean markets.

This, after KozelPeters-Fraser,Coordinator ofWINFA, participatedin a 14–day speakingtour from the 22ndOctober to November5th, 2016.

Peters-Fraser, inpartnership with 23other Europeanpartners, includingBanana Link,attended seminars, and interviews in Austria, theUnited Kingdom and Portugal, as part of raisingawareness of the Make Fruit Fair! Campaign.

This campaign, initiated by OXFAM Germany,brings together 27 organizations from 23 countriesaround the world, and aims to improve the living andworking conditions of the thousands of small farmersand plantation workers, people who supply thetropical fruit that is shipped to Europe every day.

In Austria, Peters-Fraser met with EUROBAN, anetwork of European civil society organizations thatcollaborates with civil society groups in othercontinents, to protect the vulnerable tropical fruitindustries. She discussed the work WINFA does onbehalf of banana farmers in the Windward Islands,and what more can be done to encourage and ensureglobal fair trade.

In the United Kingdom, Peters-Fraser spoke onBBC news radio, where she highlighted the concernsof Unfair Trading Practices, committed by largesupermarkets that drive fruit prices down andundercut farmers. “The UK is the Caribbean’sbiggest export of bananas. WINFA represents 4000farmers in the Windward Islands,” she stated, “Theseare a lot of persons whose livelihoods are reliant onthe export of tropical fruit. Unfair trading practiceslead to suppliers obtaining fruit from cheaperproducers, who use pesticides, chemical fertilizersand excessive manual labor,” she said inter alia. Shewent on to discuss the importance of sustainablefarming and Fairtrade.

The speak-a-tour concluded in Portugal, whereFraser spoke with the country’s national newspaper,‘da Madeira Tribuna’, and met with Portugal’sbiggest supermarkets. Here, she emphasized theimportance of consumer demand in regard to ethicalFairtrade products. “Supermarkets will providesustainable products if consumers demand it. Ibelieve that the Portuguese want to consumeresponsibly,” she told the supermarkets. TheWINFA Coordinator, then went on to encourage thePortuguese supermarkets to reduce their profitmargins, ensuring tropical fruit trade is fair for boththe producer and the consumer.

Her visit culminated with a presentation at anInternational Conference on the “Route to 2030”,where she addressed the conference on the issue ofSustainable Production and Consumption.

The trip marks a successful event in WINFA’smission to protect the livelihoods of Windwardsfarmers, allowing their voices to be heard worldwide.

Kozel Peters-Fraser,Coordinator of WINFAused the opportunity of aSpe