HEAD OF THE CANNABISREVIVAL COMMITTEE (CRC)Junior ‘Spirit’ Cottle is calling

on the politicians to stopplaying party politics with themedical marijuana issue.

Cottle was responding toremarks made in some circlesquestioning whethergovernment masterminded araid on a Marijuana Farm atRichmond Vale, belonging toCecil Hamilton Edwards.

The Raid – AwaitingLicence

Edwards is amember of theNorth LeewardMedical CannabisCooperative, alegally registeredentity. He farmsa range of othercrops, and hasformed apartnership withTraditionalMarijuanaCultivators. He

has applied to theMedical Cannabis

Authority (MCA)for a Cultivators

Licence to plantmedical marijuana.

Edwards told THEVINCENTIAN onWednesday thatmembers of the RapidResponse Unit (RRU)raided his farmaround 1pm onTuesday, burnedabout 50 pounds ofmarijuana, carriedaway about 60 to 70pounds which he had

already harvested and washoping to sell under theamnesty, yet to be triggered.

Edwards said the policechopped down the remainingtrees, leaving him with onlyyoung plants.

Two traditional cultivators,who were met on the farm,were arrested but laterreleased, without charges.

Something amiss

On last Tuesday night’sedition of the programmeCurrent Affairs co-hosted byBert Francois and BrianAlexander and aired on NiceRadio, Opposition NewDemocratic Party (NDP)parliamentary representativefor North Leeward - Roland‘Patel’ Matthews noted thatthe police action was carriedout less than 24 hours afterEdwards’ son had given theNDP a ‘hook-up’ (electricity)from his business place atFitz Hughes, to hold a publicmeeting.

Matthews said that therewere other farmers in thearea who were growingmarijuana close to the road,but the police by-passedthem, and targeted one farm.

He noted that owner of thefarm had applied for aTraditional Cultivator’slicence, and his farm wasinspected by the MedicalCannabis Authority.

Matthews also highlightedsaid that there are RRU basesin Chateaubelair and Layou,but

Continued on Page 3.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 VOLUME 114, No.03 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

Chief Justicepunches

Page 2

Credit Cardin focusPage 4

A Symbol ofHistoryPage 13

Nine MorningswinnersPage 14

Gonsalves welcomeTsai’s return

Page 28

STOP PLAYINGPOLITICS WITH by DAYLE DA SILVA

NO LEGAL ACTIONwill arise out of whatwas reported in somecircles as a copyrightinfringement by theUnity Labour Party.

General Secretary ofthe Unity Labour Party(ULP) Julian Francishas put to rest anypossibility of legalaction against anycopyright infringementfor use of the popularsong ‘Tombstone’performed by Grenadianperforming/recordingartiste Mandella‘Mandella Linkz’McDonald.

Francis sought to givethe genesis of thematter by firstexplaining that therewas a local remake ofthe song by a man who goes by the alias ‘Moon’, aresident of Questelles.

‘Moon’ substituted the word ‘Tombstone’ with‘Ralphie’, but retained the full music track(melody etc.) of the original song.

Continued on Page 3.

ULP AVOIDSCOPYRIGHT FIGHT

GANJA

Mandella ‘Mandella Linkz’ McDonald, with PMand Political Leader Dr Ralph Gonsalves at hisside, performing at last Sunday’s ULPConvention.

Julian Francis, GeneralSecretary of the ULP,did not disclose theagreement reachedwith Linkz over thecopyright issue.

Junior ‘Spirit’Cottle, liaisonofficer withthe MedicalCannabisAuthority,refuted theclaim that theraid on thefarm waspoliticallymotivated.

by HAYDN HUGGINS

NewsV 2. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

CHIEF JUSTICE of theEastern CaribbeanSupreme Court JanicePereira is not pleased withthe support thatjurisdiction is receivingfrom countries of theOrganisation of EasternCaribbean States.

Pereira appealed forattention to theinstitution when sheaddressed the opening ofthe Law Year lastMonday. Her addresswas beamed live fromAntigua and received atthe High Court inKingstown.

She justified thereason for changing theLaw Year, traditionallybegun in September,citing weather factors as

contributing to thedecision to shift toJanuary.

The Chief Justicepointed to improvementsin the provision of legalservices to the region,but chided governmentsfor lack of enthusiasm insupporting the legalservices.

She accused somenations of paying “lipservice” to the Court’swelfare, suggesting forsome, the court isunjustly regarded.

Pereira pointed outthat the Court wasoperating without anapproved budget, andcited failure to do thatprevented her fromputting strategies into

action. The Chief

Justice lamentedthe absence of“basic facilities” atcourt houses. Itseems that governmentshave neglected the court.

She noted that thefailure to provide themeans for the court to beeffective hampered thedrive towards excellence,but she sought tohighlight the work of theinstitution as it relatedto accomplishments ofAppeal Court Judges;introduction of electronicfiling of documents; theoperation of an E-litigation portal, andother advancesembracing technology.

There is aSexualOffences Court,and the Chief Justicepointed to the court’s useof remote sites in trials.

Sentencing Guidelineswere also highlighted asimprovement inoperations. Issuessurrounding theCriminal ProcedureRules were similarlyindicated.

The Chief Justicethanked entities whichsupported the court’soperations, and pointed

to training of judicialstaff and High CourtOfficials, and Courtrelated mediation, butcondemned the attackson Judges in the socialmedia, and chided effortsto “tear down” thejudicial system.

Pereira appealed forthe independence of thejudiciary, and warnedjudges to guard againstattempts by persons toundermine the course ofjustice.

The Chief Justiceurged her colleagues tobe vigilant towards thosewho want to bribe them.

The Chief Justice’smessage found supportfrom Stanley John QCwho, speaking on behalfof the Inner Bar,contended that St.Vincent and theGrenadines had relatedthe justice system to the“bottom of the pits.”(WKA) (See relatedstory on page 18.)

Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme CourtJanice Pereira emphasised that the Court was ‘suffering’from want of effective support from the territories it serves.

Chief Justicecomes outpunching

Stanley ‘Stalky’John QC seemed tobe in favour ofmuch of what theChief Justice had tosay.

THE ACCIDENT ANDEMERGENCY (A&E)Department at the MiltonCato Memorial Hospital(MCMH) will be gettingsome work done.

Prime Minister DrRalph Gonsalves said atthe Unity Labour Party’s(ULP) 24th Conventionheld in Campden Parklast Sunday, that heknew that the A&E Deptand the conditions there

were heavily criticized bythe public.

He, however, gave nodefinitive time line forthe work, save andexcept to say that itshould be undertaken inthe near future.

“Part of the problem isthat a lot of the peoplewho turn up there arenot in an accident and itis not an emergency, but

still we must say A&Emust be better organized,and we are refurbishingthe Accident andEmergency,” he said.

Also earmarked forrefurbishment work isthe clinic attached to theMCMH.

Gonsalves did notreveal the cost of theprojects, but made thepoint that they were

additional to the EC$5.5million already spent onthe health facility for theinstallation of anotheroperating theatre, therefurbishment of theIntensive Care Unit(ICU), the kitchen and

the female ward. Late last year, a video

that went viral on socialmedia, showing DistrictMedical Officer DrMichael Goodluckhighlighting the poorconditions at the A&E

Department, specificallypointing to contaminantsin the asthma bay.

The doctor could alsobe seen and heard to bepointing out what he saidwas mould in the roof anemergency room. (DD)

A and E Dept.to get somework

V News 3THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 3.

Right: The official entrance to theMCMH leads to the A&E Unit whichis located on the ground floor.

A and E Dept.to get somework

ULP avoidscopyright fight Continued from Front Page.

A video recording of ‘Moon’ performing hisremake video went viral on YouTube but it wasnever recorded, Francis said.

There were attempts made to book McDonald toperform at one of the rallies, but his touringschedule did not facilitate this, Francis confirmed.

The song was performed by ‘Moon’ at two ULPrallies, one in Kingstown and the other at thedecommissioned E.T. Joshua Airport at Arnos Vale.

Photos of the performances reached Linkz’smanagement team who initially expressed concernthat the song was performed at four events.

Francis told THE VINCENTIAN that this issuewas also put to rest as it was discovered that thefour photos sent were actually taken at the twoevents referred.

Discussions that ensured between the ULP andLinkz’s management resulted in an amicablesettlement, according to Francis, but he was notprepared to disclose to the public, the content ofthat agreement.

Suffice it to say, an invitation was extended tothe Grenadian Soca artiste to perform at the ULP’sConvention last Sunday.

Speaking on Sunday, Francis said that the flightwas arranged for McDonald to perform here onSaturday, and he arrived in St Vincent earlySunday morning.

Continued from Front Page.

the RRU officers whocarried out that raid camefrom Kingstown. (Seerelated article on page 6.)

No order from above

However, Cottle who gave hisofficial designation as liaisonofficer with the MCA, but said hewas speaking on behalf of theTraditional MarijuanaCultivators, told THEVINCENTIAN, “I can tell youthat the MCA don’t have any biastowards one grower over another.

“People are blaming theAuthority and government forwhat happened. I don’t buy that.A government would have to be a‘dundo head’ to have an electionscheduled within the next 14months, and currently holds a oneseat majority, to make a blunderlike that, especially in light of the

fact that they lostthe North Leeward seat by a fewvotes,” Cottle said.

He, however, expressed theview that there was a lot ofjealousy in that communityagainst marijuana farmers,because some of those farmers arenow planting marijuana on lowerfarm land, while others failed toseize that opportunity.

He added that, moresignificantly there was a smallclique in the Police Force, who areafraid of losing their power toarrest and harass people formarijuana, as the ModernMedicinal Marijuana Industryunfolds. “They (police) want theprocess to be eroded,” he declared.

Cottle added that some policeofficers are also playing party

politics with the marijuana issue.The CRC Head said that

following the police action atRichmond Vale, he received callsfrom the community, and hecontacted those in authority.

“So when people say it wasordered from above, I knowdifferent, because those who Icontacted expressed disgust overthe action,” Cottle reported.

“I am extremely hurt becausethis is happening at a time whentraditional cultivators areincreasingly showing interest inthe unfolding Modern MedicalCannabis Industry, and arecoming on board, and lands arebeing cleared by traditionalcultivators from the samecommunity to plant cannabis forthis purpose.” Cottle concluded.

Stop playingpolitics withganja Right: SVG may be

some way off fromreaping its first batchof medical marijuanafor onward usethrough prescription.

‘It done happen!’ Right: Once the news broke, residentsrushed to the house where the bodywas found to ’take in the action’.

THE COMMON LAW WIFE ofone Davidson Charles ofBarrouallie is understandablynot in a good mood.

She is said to havediscovered, last Sunday,Charles’ body hanging fromthe rafters in the kitchen of thehouse at Middle Street,Barrouallie, which theyoccupied.

His death, according to a

Police Release of Jan. 14, “issuspected to be a suicide,” andif it is so, it will be the firstsuicide for the year.

When THE VINCENTIANcontacted Charles’ common lawwife last Wednesday, shedeclined comment, save andexcept to say, “It done happen.”

She did express concernabout comments carried onsocial media, and hinted about

plans to contact the localconstabulary in relation to thepostings.

Charles, 57 years old, was asecurity guard/watchman atthe Central LeewardSecondary School. In earliertimes he was a seaman.

He was, though, an avidagriculturist, specialising inseedling propagation andlandscaping. (WKA)

CourtV 4. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS

A CREDIT CARD belongingto Star Garage issued toManaging Director Bertille‘Silky’ Da Silva was notonly used by the ManagingDirector, General ManagerJoshua Da Silva, ServiceManager Jason Da Silva,Casper Da Silva andGeorge Da Silva, allDirectors of the Company,but was also used by SalesMarketing Rep. MarlonStevenson.

This evidence surfacedat the Serious OffencesCourt on Tuesday as thecase involving Nigeriannational Eunice Dowerscontinued.

Dowers is facing 55charges of fraudulentlyusing a credit card issuedto Bertille Da Silva,stealing from Da Silva,and converting criminalproperty.

She is accused ofrelieving Da Silva ofmonies amounting to

over $100,000 through aseries of dishonesttransactions between2018 and 2019.

Dowers, who ismarried to a Vincentianand initially came tothese shores as a medicalstudent, was employed atStar Garage, first as asecretary, then as aCustoms Broker.

Careful use of creditcard

Joshua Da Silva toldthe Court on Tuesday,under cross-examinationby Dowers’ lawyer GrantConnell, that the creditcard belonged to ‘StarGarage’, not Bertille DaSilva, and was used byall the company’sDirectors, authorized byhimself and theManaging Director.

He said he used it todo business transactionsduring overseas travelsfor the company, butnever used it for personalpurposes, and that allwho used the card had toreport it for accountingpurposes. Amountsspent were entered in theledger.

Stevenson was alsoauthorized to use thecard, “but the receiptshad to be brought to us,”the General Manager(GM) told the court.

Connell suggested thatthere was another cardused by the ManagingDirector that wascancelled when certainthings were brought tohis attention, resultingin Joshua beingsummoned to theManaging Director’soffice. The GM deniedthis.

Connell also suggestedthat Joshua (GM),Bertille Da Silva andStevenson had set up apre-authorized payment,so that payments would

go from the bank to thecredit card without theManaging Directorhaving to see this.

When the credit cardreports were shown tothe GM, he verified themonthly pre-authorizedpayments.

The GM said he hadcautioned the ManagingDirector about the creditcard being aroundDowers.

“We were verycautious with her(Dowers) being aroundfinancial instruments,”he said, adding that hehad raised concern withthe Managing Directorabout Dowers beingNigerian, and doingbusiness transactions forthe company.

Connell suggested thatDowers sat alongside the

Managing Director andordered stuff, but theGM denied this.

He agreed withConnell that Dowersabandoned the jobfollowing an altercationwith Stevenson. Shecame back to thebusiness place some dayslater, went to theManaging Director’soffice and indicated thatshe was leaving forNigeria. She wassubsequently arrestedand slapped with thecharges after a reportwas made to the police.

“I am suggesting toyou that you wereabusing the card, andshe reported it to yourUncle (Bertille Da Silva),and you were successfulin changing her toLucifer in his eyes,”

Connell asserted.The General Manager

denied this.Following the cross

examination, CrownCounsel Rose-AnnRichardson askedJoshua, “How often doesthe credit cardstatements come to thecompany?”, to which hereplied, “I have to checkthe accounts.”

The GM said thatStevenson would use thecard, “but he had tobring the procedures tous. Myself and Bertilleauthorized the use of thecard.”

When Richardsonasked, “Do you know ifMarlon (Stevenson) usedthe card withoutpermission,” Joshuareplied “Never.”

But Service Manager

Jason Da Silva told theCourt he had knowledgeof Dowers using thecredit card on oneoccasion to purchase inkfor the company, but didnot know how often sheused it.

Under cross-examination, theSservice Manager saidthe Managing Director’sname as well as theCompany’s name were onthe card, and whenhaving to travel, theCompany would providepre-information to thosewith whom businesstransactions were done, and they wouldtake a copy of the card.He said the card was alsopinned.

The trial has beenadjourned to February17.

COMMISSIONER ofPolice (CoP) Colin Johnhas confirmed that lastTuesday’s police raid ona marijuana farm atRichmond Valebelonging to CecilHamilton Edwards, wasnot authorized by thehierarchy of the PoliceForce.

And the top cop hasassured that measureswould be taken to ensurethat a report issubmitted as to why thisaction occurred.

John’s commentscame while speaking toTHE VINCENTIAN onThursday.

The Commissionersaid that the policy ofthe government is that

the police should bemore tolerant withrespect to the cultivationof marijuana during thisperiod when aMarijuana Amnesty isabout to beimplemented, and thereshould be no eradication.

John said that thepolicy of tolerance andnon-eradication wasconfirmed at a meetingof all senior officers, andit should have beenfiltered down to allpolice officers.

Information is thatthe farm in question wasraided by a squad of theRapid Response Unit(RRU), around 1pm onTuesday.

Two men who were

met on the farm werearrested butsubsequently releasedwithout charges.

John said thataccording to hisinformation, the policewere patrolling the area,saw the field and choseto enter.

THE VINCENTIANunderstands that thepolice seized about 60 to70 pounds of marijuana,already harvested, andwhich Edwards washoping to sell under theAmnesty.

Edwards, it isunderstood, has formeda partnership withTraditional Cultivators,and has applied for atraditional cultivator’slicense.

One Credit Card – many users

Joshua Da Silva,General Manager of StarGarage was drilled bydefence attorney GrantConnell.

„Ganja raid was notauthorized,‰ says CoP

Commissioner of PoliceColin John hasconfirmed that a policyof tolerance and non-eradication guides thepolice action withrepect to marijuanacultivation as thecountry awaits theimplementation of anAmnesty for growers.

DiasporaV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 5.

Story and photos byNelson A. Kingnaking@verizon.net;kingnaking210@yahoo.comUS CORRESPONDENT

THE UNITED VINCIECultural Group of Brooklyn(UVCGB) two Saturdaynights ago expressed its“deep love andappreciation” to membersand supporters at itsannual holiday party atMiracle Temple Ministriesin the Brownsville sectionof Brooklyn, New York.

“This is our time tocome together withmembers, spouses,volunteers and closefriends,” UVCGBpresident Dr. RoxieIrish-Morris told THEVINCENTIANafterwards. “It is ourmoment to express ourdeep love andappreciation for thesupport we receivethroughout the year.”

Dr. Irish-Morris saidthe group looks forwardto “this time of family,fellowship, food and lotsof fun.”

She commended thegroup’s public relationsofficer and formernational netball star,Judith “Baffy” Cuffy-Murray, who served as

Mistress of Ceremonies,for doing “a wonderfuljob.”

Besides holding theaudience in stitches,Cuffy-Murray, one of thegroup’s main actresses,paid tribute toVincentian calypsonianLord Summers bysinging his signature‘Come Out in YoNumbers’.

Perrie K. Allen, DonnaAsh and PastorCornelius Olive allrendered solos oftraditional Christmassongs, and Paster Olivethen joined withMinister Erva Harold,Jael O’Garro andWaveney Depass torender “Christmas is notabout Santa, which hecomposed.

Vincentians NaydineBascombe and La FleurGumbs and JamaicanEmily Sykes sang animpromptu ‘Jingle BellRock’.

There were also DooWop entertainment, andpresentation and giftexchanges by UVCGBmembers, among otherthings.

Irish-Morris thankedPastor Olive, who hadalso opened the eventwith a prayer.

She also expressedgratitude to those whotravelled with the groupto St. Vincent and theGrenadines for itsmedical mission in July.

In addition, UVCGBgave “a token of our

gratitude” to eachvolunteer for their“commitment to servewith us,” Dr. Irish-Morris said.

Besides the annualTea Party, Dr. Irish-Morris, said UVCGB alsoraises funds for itsmissions by hosting anannual Cultural Concert.It’s first concert was in2003.

“Since we started, wealready spent overUS$50,000.00 in medicalsupplies,” she said,adding that, by 2018, all40 clinics in St. Vincentand the Grenadinesreceived medical suppliesfrom the group.

Vincy culturalgroup expressesappreciation

Singing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ (from left): NaydineBascombe, La Fleur Gumbs and Emily Sykes.

MC Judith ‘Baffy’ Cuffypays tribute toVincentian CalypsonianLord Summers bysinging his signature‘Come Out in YoNumbers’

Pastor Cornelius Olivesings ‘I Wanna Do ThyWill’ while playing theQ-Chord.

NewsV 6. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

ROLAND ‘PATEL’ MATTHEWS, Member ofParliament for the North Leewardconstituency, is leveling claims ofvictimization and intimidation againstmarijuana farmers, by the police forceand the government.

According to Matthews, two menwere recently arrested for marijuanacultivation in North Leeward, on afarm that was awaiting processing ofits application (paid for) for a licenceto become operators in the MedicalMarijuana Industry here.

The farmers concerned are alsowaiting for the Amnesty to tip in sothat as traditional cultivators ofmarijuana, they would be able to makethe transition without undueencumbrance.

Matthews was livid when THEVINCENTIAN spoke with him.

“There are other marijuana farms inthe same vicinity and the police sawthem but did not touch them,” said theMP.

And Matthews has anotherexplanation for why action was taken

against these two men in particular.He strongly believed that the action

by the police to arrest the men wasmotivated or encouraged by others,because a family member of the ownerof the farm had granted him(Matthews) permission to use hisbusiness place to hold a politicalmeeting.

“Here is why... I had a successfulpolitical meeting in Fitz Hughes lastnight (Jan 13)... the meeting was heldat a private business owned by the sonof the owner of the farm where themen were arrested; this is nocoincidence,” according to Matthews ina posting on his Facebook page.

He told THE VINCENTIAN furtherthe issue of licensing for marijuanafarmers continues to be a frustratingprocess for the farmers.

“The legislations have been passedsince December of 2018 and so far, nofarmer from North Leeward has alicence in their hands. They have beengiven the run around and so far, thefarmers are yet to capitalize on the

fact that we have passed lawsto make marijuana cultivationfor medicinal purposes legal,”Matthews asserted.

On the other hand,Matthews said, thegovernment was collectingmillions of dollars from anindustry that has not yetgiven the local farmers theopportunity to benefitsimilarly.

“In my opinion, this isunfair. The traditionalfarmers have carried thisindustry, though illegal at thetime, on their backs literallyfor years, and now it is legal,they are not making anymoney. The farmers are veryfrustrated, and thegovernment is all talk and noaction,” declared Matthewswho is the OppositionShadow Minister forAgriculture.

THE VINCENTIAN understandsthat the two men who were arrestedwere released without charge. (KH)

North Leeward MP livid

MP for North Leeward, Roland ‘Patel’ Matthewshas made the cause of traditional marijuanafarmers, especially in North leeward, apersonal crusade.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 7.

by Jeff Trotman

I ASK FROM THE GENERAL PUBLICFORGIVENESS for failing to keep my sacredpromise to produce four articles on sports forgood reason. To make up, I promise to makethem in 2 to 3 months in a different formatthat exposes a feedback and a general cross-talk.

Instead I give you my reaction to the PrimeMinister's 4 hours talkaton at the lastconvention of the ULP that was merely a self-serving act as to how he was considered aWorld Leader.

I give you not my opinion, but therevolution of Jeff Trotman who wrote aboutpolitics in SVG on the eve of Gonsalves' "3rdvictory" in 2010, which was considered rigged,by most of the country. In 2015, the electionwas thought to be fraudulent and corrupt andnot legally solved up to now.

We expect bedlam when Ralph had beenput in his place by the election results and thecourt declarations. We turn you over to myfriend Jeff for your own reaction. This exerciseclearly shows that Mitchell was a recognizedWorld Leader, and his influence had passedon through the party he created, the NDP.

"Peaceful religious coexistence between theIslamic Faith and Christianity was discussedextensively when former World Leadersgathered for their 27th Annual PlenaryMeeting of the InterAction Council, held inthe King Abdullah Economic City in theKingdom of Saudi Arabia from 10-13 May.”

This was confirmed by this country's formerPrime Minister, Sir James Mitchell, whoattended the meeting for the first time he alsodisclosed that the current world economiccrisis was also a major issue at the Meeting.

Sir James was the only former regionalHead of Government to be invited to thisaugust gathering.

He presented a paper to the Institute ofBiology, London, of which he is a member.During this local television interview airedlast Sunday, the former Vincentian PrimeMinister (1984-2000) said the InterActionCouncil was formed 27 years ago, the ideabeing that of a Prime Minister of Japan whothought it was important for former leaders tocontinue the discussion in world affairs.

Sir James was impressed by the sharpminds and intellect of the former worldleaders despite their age, and singled out 91-year old Helmut Schmidt, former Chancellorof the Federal Republic of Germany andHonorary Chairman of the

Council- who delivered a biting address atthe ceremony on 11 May.

Economic Crisis

Sir James recalled that in his keynote

address,Schmidt saidthat in his 25years ofattending themeetings, hehas found that "the has beens" have beenmore visionary on a number of global issuesthan contemporary leaders.

According to him, if not curtailed, this crisiscould lead to xenophobia and protectionism,with a series of chain reactions similar tothose that occurred during the greatdepression of the 30s.

Religious Coexistence

Sir James said although he had read a lotabout the religious conflict between Islam andthe West, the Meeting gave him a greaterunderstanding of the issues involved. He saidVincentians and other Caribbean peoplesmight have the false feeling that the ongoingMiddle East Crisis and the conflicts of Islamwith the West and Isreal have nothing to dowith them. But contrary to that belief, "thecost of living and the financial meltdown isaffecting us as a result of this global problem.So, we need to understand something aboutthat...to have an intelligent response to it andrealise that we have to do it to fit our cornerof the world into the international scheme ofthings".

Role for Russia

Sir James also disclosed that a majorconsensus at the Meeting was that Russiashould now be engaged as an economic powerinstead of resorting to the Cold War era andrearmament in competition with the US.

"We should try to encourage Europe tosettle its difficulties with Russia, Georgia andUkraine, which would benefit the EuropeanCommunity with the supply of oil that wouldhelp to stabilize the world economy, which inturn would help us," Sir James said, addingthat it is a very important statement becausethe US is pushing NATO to draw theboundary to include Georgia and the Ukraine.

The invitation to the Meeting was extendedto Sir James by former Prime Minister ofCanada (1993-2003), Jean Joseph JacquesChrutien, following an exchange of bookswritten by them. "In the very first pages of mybook: Beyond the Islands, I talked about anencounter with him, and as a result of that, hesaid we'd like to have you join us in SaudiArabia, and I got messages...from theSecretariat in Tokyo", Sir James disclosed.

Chrutien is a Co-Chairman of the Council,which is made up of a broad cross section offormer world leaders, spanning six continents.

8. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 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

NEWS TIME!!!Sir James among the World Elder Statesmen WE’RE INTO THE THIRD WEEK of 2020, so there should now be a

sense that we are truly on our way into a new decade.And if the truth be told, there is still quite some time

ahead of us during which we can disturb or uphold the fragiletranquility that currently prevails in SVG.

So, what is it in our own backyard that we should look tofor Good News; or is it that for every bit of Good News, thereis a rebuttal of Bad News?

Let’s see how that could pan out.GOOD NEWS to hear that there will be another long-

awaited round of road refurbishment on mainland St.Vincent. BAD NEWS that this comes after exorbitantexpenditure on vehicle parts, and rubs more salt into thewounds of Bequia residents who have been bawling out, forGod alone knows how long, for some attention to be given totheir road network.

GOOD NEWS that the Traffic Department is gearing up —some say for the umpteenth time - to rush into action againstthings like tint and loud music for the umpteenth time. BADNEWS when they go after ‘trivialities’ and ignore the thingsthat are real threats to road safety, like the rate and mannerin which public transport vehicles use our roads.

GOOD NEWS that sentencing guidelines have broughtsome consistency to sentences handed down in our courts.BAD NEWS when all this subtraction and addition (if any)employed in determining what sentence to give, ends up withwhat many are saying are some rather light sentences forsome grievous offences.

GOOD NEWS that one party has given early indication oftheir slate of candidates for a general election that could becalled before year end. BAD NEWS when the mainopposition party, for all its explanations, is in a period ofuncertainty with respect to its slate of candidates.

GOOD NEWS, regardless of the seeming bias towards agenuine, open conversation on the homosexual issue, that thenation has awakened to the need to address this real lifeissue. BAD NEWS — egg in their face - when some politicians,even parties that push a certain ‘head’ on the issue, havefound that homosexuals after all, are honest, hard-workingprofessionals, like pollster Peter Wickham.

GOOD NEWS to hear how poverty has been reduced byhighly commendable percentages, albeit, in accordance withcertain sciences and principles used by economists andpoliticians. BAD NEWS, in the face of this, that the numbersof persons waiting outside supermarkets with their handsoutstretched, mothers searching out every nook and crannyfor assistance with school books and uniforms, and thenumber of primary school aged children on the road sellingthis and that, have visibly increased.

GOOD NEWS when we can strengthen the hands andpurview of our tax collectors so that they can ensure thatthose required to pay taxes pay their fair share. BAD NEWSwhen we consider that one of the most notorious tax evadersin this country — one David Ames of known association withgovernment officials here and elsewhere, was allowed to leavethis country under the protection of the night and return toEngland, from where we might never see his return to St.Vincent and the Grenadines to answer for his crimes.

GOOD NEWS to hear the PM speak of attention for theA&E Department of the MCMH coming in the New Year.BAD NEWS when government continually fails toacknowledge that the state of affairs at the MCMH has hitrock bottom, but boast of a pending heliport and helicopterservice for some acute referral hospital.

That’s only some of the NEWS.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 9.

LettersVAS A WOMAN who hasseen better days in this myhomeland, I must now askthe question: When are weever going to get rid of allthis violence by menagainst women, and thehorrible act of sexualabuse of our children? Itseems every weekend thenewspapers carry a storyor two about this sordidtale. And as if it’s notenough to have civilianscommit these acts, thepolicemen, whom we areto trust, have got into theact also.

Now just look at whathappened to that womanwho was almosthammered to death. Shewas beaten, not for thefirst time, by her ex-boyfriend of whom, it isreported, the police knew

but did nothing to stophim from continuing hisabuse.

Are we to believe thatin this macho society inwhich men feel they havethe right to treat womenas their subjects, thatthis mentality is soengrained that thepolicemen have adoptedthe attitude hook lineand sinker?

What is even moredisturbing is the extentto which these batteredand bruised womenseldom get the support oftheir women colleagues.Have we not heard acomment like, ‘That’swhat you get for tekkingpeople man’ fromwomen?

Are we saying, inother words, that the

woman is to be blamed —like one top ranking putI; that the woman is tobe blamed for both theman’s infidelity and theevents leading up to herbeating if not death?

It is attitudes likethese, especially amongour womenfolk, thataffirm and encouragemen in theirwrongdoings. As far as Iam concerned, there isno such thing as ‘tekpeople man’, since ittakes two persons tomake a relationshipwork. It is unfair,therefore, to hold thewoman responsible, andleave the man to go freeto indulge inunfaithfulness and whoknows, violence.

As a Christian society,

we need to say whensomething is wrong. Ifwe continue not to holdthe men accountable fortheir acts of violenceagainst our women, Godforbid, but we might justhave a few more murderson our hands. And, youknow what? We’lldescribe those murdersas acts of passion, as ifthat is a good thing.

‘Retiree’

Hold men accountableMISSA EDITA, dohtink ah crazy but jus’las’ week ah sid downan was tinkin how niceit wood be if we tek dischristmas cheer thru dehole year.

Ah mean, wha if wewood drink sorrel andginger beer all yearroun an not jus atChritmas?

Wha if we coulda a-ford to eat ham all yearroun and not jus atChristmas?

Wha if we coulda eatfruit cake and blak cakeall round de year andnot jus at Christmas?

Wha if we couldalisen dem soca parangyear roun and not jus atChristmas?

And wha if we decideto clean de house, poeup bran new kirtins,change de the coshuncovas and even poe up atree wid lites not jus atChristmas but the thruthe hole year?

And bes of all,‘magine if we couldtreat one nudder likereal freins and familyall year roun and notjust at Christmas.

‘Magine wha discountry wood be like?A true, true Land of deBlessed.

Jus tinkin

Christmasthroughoutthe year

DO ACCEPT my best wishes to you, Mr. Editor,and staff for a healthy and prosperous New Year. Iknow that this year will be filled with excitementand a lot of nonsense as St. Vincent and theGrenadines moves into another general election.

That said, I thought I would share with yourreaders a letter about Dancehall Music in Jamaicathat caught my eye in the Jamaica Gleaner ofDecember 27, 2019. I am aware of the extent towhich Jamaican culture influences Vincy habits andstyles, and thought this might be an eye-opener,even if it is the opinion of one person.

Paul in Jamaica

“Dancehall entertainment or dancehall music isone of the biggest forms of indiscipline in Jamaica.It’s like a nursery bed or a forerunner for all theother forms of lewd music and dirty lyrics inJamaica.

Whenever some persons are having their stageshows, parties, Footloose, cookouts, birthdaybashes, big or small, they carry on verydisgracefully.

For example, some deejays and entertainerscarry on very disorderly and disrespectfully, usingfoul language, shouting bad words, and behavinglike a bad, raging bull.

Some wear their pants below their bottom whiledoing some crazy demonstrations with a stoopingfemale. It’s a sexual demonstration. In some cases,dancehall seems to be all about sex.

Furthermore, they have a way of classifyingfemales — “Gal yuh dis, gal yuh dat” — telling themabout their private parts and styling them as if theyare some objects that have been abandoned. Andsome of the female entertainers are just as bad asthe males because they, too, use the most dirtywords and are skimpily clad.

Filthiness everywhere

Dancehall music and entertainment needcleaning up; the music industry needs tidying up.The music industry ought to take the blame for allthe filthiness and the murder music that is comingout of the dancehall. We must weed all the bad eggsout of the dancehall and make it good. Thefilthiness and loud, dirty noise are contaminatingthe society, which will eventually give rise to morecrime.

All around Jamaica, even on publictransportation, we are hearing dirty music. In fact,many of our radio stations are playing songs thatare not fit for airplay. Why are they doing such athing? It is very sad!

Jamaica is overwhelmed with a strong dose ofdirty music and a high level of indiscipline. Nowonder our crime rate is so high and so manypersons are being slaughtered each year.

Donald J. McKoy

Dancehallin Jamaica

Mr. Editor, I must givemuch praise to Mr.LeRoy Providence forkeeping the true plightof farmers in the publicdomain. He has been aconsistent andcourageous voice onbehalf of farmers, andhas been consistent indescribing the situationin which certain personshave brought ouragriculture.

I must join with Mr.Providence and declarethat we have done a

great disservice to ourfarmers who have toiledto make this countrywhat it is; toiled to giveGonsalves and the ULPsomething to work with.The truth is, though,they have taken thissomething - thehard—earned success ofour farmers - and turnedit into something whichis the stark opposite towhat they met.

While I am at it, Iwant, Mr. Editor, to ask:Where have all thefarmers’ organizationsgone?

Where, for example, isthe National FarmersUnion (NFU) whichpersons, men likeWilberforce Emmanueland Erlene Horne,worked so hard toestablish as a true voiceon behalf of farmers?

Where, for example,

are organizations likethe Organization forRural Development(ORD) which, regardlessof what you want to sayotherwise, was a helpinghand to hundreds offarmers?

I want to join withpeople like Mr.Providence and say thatthis government hasdone nothing but talkand talk high scienceinstead of establishingsecure credit lines andmarket openings for ourfarmers.

Farmers will never goaway. We have to feedthe nation, and who doyou think will have to dothat?

John Thompson

No relation to JohnThompson the latepolitician.

Respect our farmers

AGRICULTURE recorded a pass rate of 89%. Whatshould this mean to the schools where students tillthe soil and care for animals? The students say,“Looks is it.” Therefore, those schools whereagriculture is done should show well-manicuredlawns, flowers and trees strategically positioned,and the school compound and playing fieldgenerally well landscaped. Agriculture studentsshould not be denied the opportunity to add valueto their school by having the school environmentwell landscaped.

The skills taught at school may be fordemonstration purposes only, where land space islimited. Students should be encouraged andrequired to have a plot of land at home where theypractise the farming they learn at school. Whilethey have a shoebox lettuce plot at school, theyshould have a bed the size of a half drum at home.Thus, the teaching of Agriculture in the school willbe felt in the community. Produce from studentsshould be available in the community markets andfind their way into the various “Harvest Festivals”of the churches. Agriculture will then be no secretfound in SBA books but seen in our buying, selling,and eating.

While we commend our students and teachers forgood results, we urge them to apply theirknowledge for the benefit of the home, school, andcommunity. Let us grow what we eat and eat whatwe grow.Anthony Stewart, PhD

The 2019 CSECResults: Agriculture

“POLITICAL parties have traditionally beenconsidered private organizations, able to raise andspend millions of dollars, important enough toselect prime ministers and leaders of the opposition,yet subject to no rules about public accounting orauditing. Even if everything is above-board, thecommon knowledge that a few hundred contributorsprovide almost all the funds for the parties whichform our governments cannot help but underminepublic confidence in the political process.” NormanWard, Britnell Professor of Political Science,University of Saskatchewan, The Reader’s DigestAugust 1972.

The last time I wrote under the heading “A voicefrom the past,” I wrote about democracy and Iquoted the Greek philosopher Pericles (494–429B.C). This time I quoted a concerned Canadiancitizen who further wrote that, “Most Canadianparties obtain their funds very secretively.”

Philmore Isaacs

Another voice from thepast: “Election Spending”

Introduction

AS POLITICAL conventions go, this was apeach of an event. It was everything apolitical convention should be: well-organized, energetic, full of life andentertainment, massive crowd, veryimpressive speeches, and of coursesupported by modern technology, toallow persons who could not attend, toget a chance to view the event.

As a convention, it sent a strongmessage to all and sundry, includingthe opposition New Democratic Party,that the ULP was stronger than ever,a force to be reckoned with, and anorganization that is ready to rumble,when the Comrade Leader rings thebell.

It was a massive turn out,constituency by constituency. Itshowed that the General Secretary,Julian Francis, is still the bestpolitical organizer in St. Vincent andthe Grenadines. Indeed, thisconvention is an indication thatJulian Francis has not lost his touchwhen it comes to political strategies,something that the NDP and itsprincipal ally, StrategicCommunications Laboratory, shouldpay attention to.

The Convention Message

The message that the ULP wassending, is that the party was going towin the next general election for thepeople of St. Vincent and theGrenadines. The truth is that theULP has chalked a record ofoutstanding and unprecedentedachievements which benefited everyfamily, and the nation as a whole.Many of these accomplishments havebeen secured in the most challengingcircumstances, when you consider theresourced-challenge nature of ourcountry.

It is the ULP with its people-centered vision, and with the policiesand programmes which havetransformed this country. Now theparty is looking forward to 2020, andto uplifting further, the quality of lifeof all Vincentians. That is why theslogan for the convention is “The ULP,winning again for SVG”.

Party Leader and Prime MinisterDr. Ralph Gonsalves outlined many ofthe achievements of his party, whichhave positively impacted the lives ofall Vincentians. He then spoke aboutmany of the new programmes whichwill be implemented over the next twoyears. It is imperative that the ULPwins the next general election ifVincentians are to benefit from thegeothermal project, the expansion toPort Kingstown, the new city at ArnosVale, the acute referral hospital, andthe many hotel projects which are onthe verge of taking off. It is clear thatthe NDP will turn back these projectsif Vincentians make the mistake ofelecting that party to office. Thecountry will simply fracture.

So the message out of theconvention was clear; keep the NDPout for the sake of the country.

The ULP must feel confident, giventhe energy displayed at theconvention, and further by thenumber of young people who attendedthe event. Clearly this was the largestconvention hosted by the ULP, anindication that the party’s base is still

intact, very strong and dedicated tothe ideals of the ULP, and ready torumble when the Comrade rings thebell.

New Candidates

Of great interest at the conventionwas the presence of the four newprospective candidates who will berunning on the ULP ticket for the2020 elections. In Central Leeward wehave Orandi Brewster, a youngprofessional who is already creatingstrong waves in that part of thecountry. He is being coached by theveteran Sir Louis Straker, the DeputyLeader of the ULP, and also theDeputy Prime Minister.

Then there is Dr. Minerva Glasgow,a veteran public administrator andcommunity activist who is creating astorm in South Leeward. Minnie, asshe is affectionately called, hasalready galvanized the ULPsupporters in South Leeward, and welook forward to the return of thatconstituency, to the ULP column.

Another youthful candidate isDominic Sutherland, a businessman,who is also causing a stir in CentralKingstown, and giving the NDPcandidate St. Clair Leacock, severenightmares. Dominic Sutherland hasalready captured the imagination andsupport of the people of CentralKingstown, and this is going to be aninteresting electoral battle in 2020.

The fourth candidate is the formerteacher and Headmaster of theGrammar School, Curtis King. He isexpected to contest the West St.George constituency on the ULPticket. Curtis King is a solidVincentian, an intellectual with astrong community spirit, and he isexpected to do well.

Conclusion

Overall, the leadership of the ULP,along with its members andsupporters must feel quite happy andsatisfied with the outcome of the 24thconvention. The future looks good forthe ULP, leading up to the 2020election, when it is called.

Above all, the important issue ofleadership has been settled firmly inthe corner of the ULP. It is clear to alland sundry that Ralph Gonsalves islight years ahead of Godwin Friday, oranyone else in the NDP. In fact, it isSt. Clair Leacock who said on radio,early in 2017, that Ralph Gonsalves isfar ahead of all the leaders inCaricom, among other things.

It is the ULP that possesses thequality leadership that has been triedand tested in the extremely difficultcircumstances of the worst globaleconomic crisis for 100 years, and inthe face of several natural disasters.The leadership of the ULP has madean immense difference for the better.

All this is well known and isembedded in the consciousness of thepeople of St. Vincent and theGrenadines, even within the heartsand minds of the opposition NDP.That is why the ULP will win again in2020, to secure the socio-economicdevelopment of our beloved country.

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP) isdeeply concerned with the state ofhealth care in St. Vincent and theGrenadines. In our manifesto of the2015 general elections, we outlined aholistic development plan for rescuingthe health sector. It included theconstruction of a modern state of the arthospital and an air ambulance service.That plan remains applicable in 2020.

During the campaign of the 2015general elections, the idea of thehelicopter service and the design ofour state-of-the-art hospital wereseverely criticized by the UnityLabour Party (ULP). They respondedby saying that they would have built anew hospital anyway. Almost fiveyears later, the ULP regime has failedto construct the hospital theypromised. With another generalelection approaching, the ULP hasbegun its wild promises again. ButVincentians will not be fooled intobelieving the ULP and its promises.They know that it will take the NDPto construct a modern state of the arthospital, and develop the health sectorin St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The New Democratic Party (NDP)will take a three-pronged approach toremedy the situation. First, aneffective management system will beimplemented, with strictaccountability from all staff at allfacilities. Secondly, a National HealthInsurance System (NHIS) will beestablished. Thirdly, a new state ofthe art hospital will be built andoperated in an appropriate part of thecountry, and district hospitals will beupgraded, to serve the needs of localsand visitors alike in the most efficientmanner.

The management of health carenationwide will be administered by aState Corporation with suitablyqualified professional staff at theboard and management levels. Andthe assistance of regional andinternational agencies will be soughtto aid the implementation and allowfor a phased change over. Among thesub-committees of the Board will be:finance, customer care, innovationsand improvements, public relationsand staffing.

The procurement and distributionof all medication and medical suppliesshall be administered by theCorporation. There will be adequatelydefined mechanisms for publicqueries, complaints and feedbacklinks will be established to allow forregional institutions to offer tertiaryhealth care to citizens in need. Theconditions under which these serviceswill be accessible, will be statedpublicly, and there will be nodiscrimination in their application.Partnerships with internationalhealth institutions and teachinginstitutions will be explored, and,where appropriate, will be developed.

Further, a National HealthInsurance Service (NHIS) will beintroduced after discussions to providecoverage of basic health care for theinsured and their dependents. Theservice will be similar to our NationalInsurance System, in that it will bemandatory. However, individualsmay, if they so desire, “top up” theircoverage with private insurance tocover services not covered by thenational system, or to cover private

treatment. And private medicalpractitioners will be able to use themedical facilities in an open andtransparent manner with appropriatesafeguards.

And, we will construct a new stateof the art hospital with helipad. TheMilton Cato Memorial Hospital(MCMH) is outdated and isinappropriately located with no scopefor expansion. It must be replaced. Aconvenient and central site hasalready been identified for theconstruction of a new, modernhospital to replace the MCMH.Preliminary designs are in hand andare ready to be implemented.

Some of the medical departmentsand wards that will comprise our newhealth facility will include emergencyfacilities, general surgery unit,orthopedics unit, children surgery,ophthalmic surgery, and ENT surgery.

Surgical, Medical, Maternity andChildren’s wards will be served byOperating Rooms, Patient Rooms,ICU, Nurses’ Stations, WaitingRooms, Medical Storage, ConsultationRoom, and Doctors Lounge.

Specialist Diagnostic Departmentwill include specialties of cardiology,dermatology, diabetics, endocrineglands, digestive system, internaldiseases, kidney and urology unit,neurology, lung diseases, andrheumatic diseases. X-Ray Room, MRIRoom, Hyperbaric Chamber Room,Lab.

A revised Nursing Service willprovide care to patients at all generaland specialized clinics, in addition tospecialized care services to inpatientsat all units.

A Pharmacy will provide patientswith medicines prescribed byspecialist physicians and provision ofservices corresponding to applicabledrug precautions and professionalregulations. Also, this unit willprovide physicians and pharmacistswith the most up-to-date medical inaddition to organizing periodic testsfor pharmacists.

Patients Services Department willdesign and implement activities andinterests related directly to the care ofpatients; facilitate procedures andrequirements of their referral to thehospital; ensure they receive theprescribed treatment; guide and helpthem so that they can receive themaximum care and treatment that thehospital can provide them.

All of the above will becomplemented by a Patient RelationsDepartment which will see to fulfillingthe needs of patients and outpatientsaround the clock.

An Admission Department willcoordinate, prepare and arrangereservations and admissions forpatients as per classification of cases(emergency, urgent, and normal), soas to ensure the ideal and maximumuse of clinical capacity.

The NDP is committed to constructa state-of-the-art hospital andimplement the programmes andpolicies that will rescue the healthsector in St. Vincent and theGrenadines.

10. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVModernizing the Health Sector in SVG

The ULPÊs 24th National Convention

“Some people say I have attitude -

maybe I do. But I think you have to. You

have to believe in yourself when no one

else does - that makes you a winner

right there.” - Venus Williams (born

1980) - American professional tennis

player. A former world No. 1 and ranked

by the Women's Tennis Association on

three occasions.

MANY BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN abouthow best to achieve success in life. Overthe years philosophers, psychologists,teachers, lecturers, and coaches havededicated the time to share insightsaimed at guiding individuals indetermining how best to pursue theirnoble dreams. In some instances, theyhave shared conversations andexperiences that they would have had withindividuals who developed the tenacity toface and overcome formidable opponentsen route to their success. In many cases,these writers describe the habits thatwere created and sustained to result inthe athletic, academic, and/orprofessional excellence achieved.

This writer regularly advances theview that there are three criticalvariables involved in creating andsustaining winning attitudes. Whilethese are not considered all-inclusive,they do assist individuals in retaining afocus on their noble goals. Throughoutthe remainder of this essay, readers areinvited to visualise a three-legged stool,with each leg representing one of thethree variables to be considered whenseeking to excel in the game of life. Thestool’s seat is visualised as having thelabel “Winning Attitude”.

The first leg represents an attitude ofconstantly seeking to improve personalperformance. We refer to this as havinga life approach that imbibes the conceptof constant and never-endingimprovement. We call this the CANIapproach. It revolves on the belief thatas good as we are, we can be better. Wemust commit to performing each task tothe best of our ability. And the nexttime that we are required to repeat theactivity, we should seek to do it betterthan was previously done. Thisapproach will drive participants toconstantly seek to improve theirperformance. This is as true for thestudent as it is for the athlete, thesecretary, the cleaner, the plumber, orartisan. When we focus on constantlyimproving our performance, we readilydiscover that we are being propelled toconstantly win at the game of life.

Some may argue that such anapproach will result in our eventuallymaximizing our output and gaining100% success at the particular task.However, that 100% achievement tendsto be quite elusive. We always seem tofall short of perfection and must keeptrying to better our best performance.The example of Sharon Finch readilycomes to mind. Sharon was secretary tothe Board of Directors at the Cave HillSchool of Business (now renamed theSagicor Cave Hill School of Business)for a number of years. She alwaysfound ways to improve the secretarialpackages sent to the members of theboard. Apart from improving theappearance of the various documents,she regularly designed templates thatwould aid the members of the board tomore speedily and accurately makedecisions in relation to that tertiaryinstitution. She embodied the CANIapproach and attitude. Sharonsuccumbed to cancer several years ago.However, her legacy lives on. We, inwhatever sphere of work we find

ourselves, should seek to emulate suchbehaviour.

The second leg of the three-leggedstool represents the “Can Do” attitude.There are too many individuals whoincorrectly conclude that a particulartask is beyond them. Winners develop acan do attitude. Roger Bannister (1929-2018), the British middle-distanceathlete and neurologist, embraced suchan approach in 1954 as he prepared torun a mile in under four (4) minutes.Up until then, athletes, coaches, andspectators had concluded that it couldnever be done. He did it. Since then,many other athletes have accepted thechallenge to repeat such a feat.Similarly, President John F. Kennedy,on May 25, 1961, announced that theUnited States of America would land aman on the moon; a feat previouslyconsidered impossible. In 1969,astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin"Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins werethe astronauts on Apollo 11commissioned to accomplish this task.Armstrong and Aldrin landed onthe moon in the Lunar Module named“Eagle”. Armstrong made that first stepon the moon and was recorded assaying, “That’s one small step for man,one giant leap for mankind”. There areso many great feats awaiting us once wedevelop that can do attitude.

The third and final leg of the three-legged stool is considered to be just asimportant as the first two. We refer tothis as the “Do it Now” attitude.Procrastination is a dream killer.Beginning is half done. Individuals whoimmediately begin the process ofpursuing their noble dream, can testifyof the energy and passion that appear tobe ignited when they opt to begin theprocess. Take, for example, theindividual who commits to publishing abook. She sets aside the time to lay outthe milestones and timelines for thevarious stages of the task. She has theend in mind and merely laying out theTable of Contents or seeking detailsrelated to publishing, the ISBN number,who will be invited to write theforeword, and so on, helps her to focuson her journey to use her thoughts,putting them into written words, toimpact lives for good.

Regardless of how daunting the taskmay appear or how formidable the foemay seem, we have good reason tobelieve that we can make the impossiblepossible when we embrace the rightattitudes. When we focus on betteringour best efforts, telling ourselves thatwe can (even when others may expressa different view), and beginning theprocess to our dreams, we soon discoverthat the previously elusive dream wasnot elusive at all.

These are three critical pillars uponwhich winning attitudes can be createdand sustained. They are as valuable foroutstanding individual performance asit is for group and community efforts.Many of our noble dreams will becomereal when we accept the challenge toembrace the CANI attitude, the can doattitude, and the do it now attitude.These are critical variables as wepursue excellence.

Send comments, criticisms &

suggestions to

julesferdinand@gmail.com

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 11.

ViewsVCreating and sustaining winning attitudes

THE DECADE THAT JUST ENDED was byfar the hottest ever measured on Earth,capped off by the second-warmest yearon record. And the worse is yet to come.Climate scientists said they see no endto the way man-made climate changekeeps shattering records.

The decade had eight of the 10hottest years on record. The onlyother years in the top 10 were 2005and 1998.

We who live in small islandCaribbean states and whosecontribution to global warming is sonegligible and have so little resourcesto prevent and or mitigate damage,should be very alarmed by this mostrecent report. Our very existence is atstake.

Sadly, world leaders such asDonald Trump, Australian PM ScottMorrison and Brazilian President JairBolsanaro continue to deny thathuman induced global warming isresponsible.

Other explanations that rely onnatural causes – extra heat from thesun, more reflection of sunlightbecause of volcanic particles in theatmosphere, and just random climatevariations – are all much too small toexplain the long-term trend, PrincetonUniversity climate scientist MichaelOppenheimer said.

‘If you think you've heard this storybefore, you haven't seen anything yet,’Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA’sGoddard Institute for Space Studies,said at the close of a decade plaguedby raging wildfires, melting ice andextreme weather that researchershave repeatedly tied to humanactivity. In the last decade, theCaribbean witnessed record-breakinghurricanes, freak storms, droughtsdamage to its coral reefs because ofrising temperature. Even the weatherpatterns and seasonal growth of fruitshave changed.

The effects of global warming areone of the many challenges we face inSVG. Therefore, we cannot act as ifit’s business as usual. Parliament andour leaders should be in a state ofpermanent emergency. The drivel thatmost often passed for debate mustend.

Schmidt said Earth is probably thehottest it has been during the past11,500 years, which means this couldbe the warmest period since the dawnof civilization. But scientists'estimates of ancient globaltemperatures, based on tree rings, icecores and other telltale signs, are notprecise enough to say that withcertainty.

The 2010s averaged 58.4 degreesFahrenheit (14.7 degrees Celsius)worldwide, or 1.4 degrees (0.8 C)higher than the 20th century averageand more than one-third of a degree(one-fifth of a degree C) warmer thanthe previous decade, which had beenthe hottest on record, according to theNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration.

Scientific measurement calculatedthat 2019 was the second-hottest yearin the 140 years of record-keeping.Five other global teams of monitoringscientists agreed, based ontemperature readings taken onEarth's surface, while varioussatellite-based measurements said itwas anywhere from the hottest yearon record to the third-hottest.

Several scientists said the comingyears will be even hotter. ‘This isgoing to be part of what we see every

year until we stabilize greenhousegases from the burning of coal, oil andgas,’ Schmidt said.

‘It’s sobering to think that wemight be breaking global temperaturerecords in quick succession,’ saidGeorgia Tech climate scientist KimCobb. ‘2020 is off to a horrifyingclimate start, and I fear what the restof the year will bring to ourdoorsteps.’

Overall, Earth is now about 1.2degrees C (nearly 2.2 F) hotter sincethe beginning of the industrial age, anumber that is important because in2015, global leaders adopted a goal ofpreventing 1.5 C (2.7 F) of warmingsince the rise of big industry in themid- to late 1800s. He said that showsthe global goal can’t be achieved.

‘We have strong human-inducedglobal warming,’ said Friederike Otto,a climate scientist at the University ofOxford. ‘What we observe here isexactly what our physicalunderstanding tells us to expect, andthere is no other explanation.’

Scientists said the decade-long datais more telling than the year-to-yearmeasurements, where naturalvariations such as El Nino, theperiodic warming of the Pacific Ocean,come into play.

‘Human-caused climate change isresponsible for the long-term warming– it’s responsible for why the 2010swere warmer than 2000s, which werewarmer than the 1990s, etc.,’ TexasA&M University climate scientistAndrew Dessler said in an email. Buthumans are not responsible for why2016 was warmer than 2015, or why2019 was warmer than 2018.’

NOAA said the average globaltemperature in 2019 was 58.7 degrees(14.85 C), or just a few hundredths ofa degree behind 2016, when the worldgot extra heat from El Nino. That’s1.71 degrees (0.95 C) higher than the20th century average, and 2.08degrees (1.16 C) warmer than the late19th century. Sea ice both in theArctic and Antarctic reached theirsecond-lowest levels in 40 years ofmonitoring.

Parts of Europe, Asia, Australia,Africa and South America had record-high temperatures in 2019, as didAlaska, New Zealand and NewMexico, NOAA said. Alaska was 6.2degrees warmer than average, at 32.2F. It was the first time in recordedhistory that Alaska's average annualtemperature was above freezing.

Globally the past five years standout as the hottest five on record,nearly 1.7 degrees (0.9 C) warmerthan the 20th century average. Thelast year Earth was cooler than the20th century average was 1976. ‘Ifyou want to know what this means forpeople and the world, just look atwildfire-stricken Australia,’ Schmidtand others said.

Global warming is already beingseen in heat waves, ice sheet melt,more wildfires, stronger storms, flood-inducing downpours and acceleratingsea level rise, said Hans-Otto Portner,who heads the U.N.Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange team that looks at the impactof climate change.

If you read this report and are nottroubled, you are in a deep sleep.

Send comments, criticisms &

suggestions to jomosanga@gmail.com

Earth has a high fever

ACCORDING to Warrant Officer IvanBertie O‘Neal, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA,Leader of SVG Green Party, SVG has over10,000 square miles of sea, but we don’talways get fish in the Kingstown market.When you go to the market, it is hard toget fish. This is very strange consideringwe are surrounded by sea. It is a shame,also, as fish is an important part of ourpeople’s diet.

The local fishing industry should besupported more with lower taxes.Local fishing could become a biggerpart of the SVG economy if localfishermen had lower overheads andcosts.

The local fishing industry isseverely impeded as the super-richmigrants in Mustique believe theyhave sovereignty of Mustique and haveclaimed the sea around Mustique.They have declared that it is illegal forour local fishermen to fish around thecoastline of Mustique. This isoutrageous as it stops local fishermenfrom earning an income from the seaaround Mustique.

SVG Green Party strongly believesthat our solution to the fish problemand the loss of billions of dollars infish revenue in SVG, is to lower taxes

on the fishing industry, and to takeback our Atlantic Ocean tuna fishinglicence from Taiwan.

SVG should cut ties with Taiwanand create our own billion-dollar tunafishing and canning industry, so wecan export fish and create massemployment.

Taiwan has a massive fleet offishing vessels on SVG’s fish licence inthe Atlantic Ocean. It is conservativelyestimated that Taiwan owes the SVGTreasury about EC$57 billion in fishtax. SVG does not get fish or anyrevenue from Taiwan’s fishingindustry.

The rate of return from a largefishing and canning industry in SVGcompared to the rate of return fromtourism in SVG, would be about $1000from the fish industry to $1 from thetourism industry. So, for everythousand dollars we could earn from afishing and canning industry, wewould only get one dollar fromtourism.

Let us stop dreaming about atourism industry being the engine ofthe SVG economy. It will neverhappen. Barbados is still poor aftermore than 60 years of tourism. It is a

waste of money. SVG must invest in afishing and canning industry to boostour economy and create thousands ofjobs.

SVG can become much more of ahigh-tech nation if we develop abillion-dollar fishing and canningindustry, and use the profits from thatto drive a knowledge-based economy

and provide our people with free, high-quality education from pre-school toour own science and technologyuniversity.

Let us be guided by sound, long-term development in our 10,000square miles of sea space. For the bestinterest of the next generation, wemust invest properly in a fishing andcanning industry, and lower taxes onour local fishing industry. Fish is animportant part of our people’s diet,and it makes no sense we cannot getfish when we are surrounded by sea.

12. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVSurrounded by sea, but nofish in the Kingstown market

by COLIN KING

VIOLENCE on the street;aggressive personalities;incendiary music; a rise incrime......SVG you say? No.This, instead,characterizes NewZealand. Fortunately,someone in Governmentknew the power of music.

His suggestion was totake all the incentive- to-violence music off thestreet and in publiclocations, and install in itsplace the music of 18thcentury iconic composer...AmadeusMozart. The violence disappeared.

Ah! Now you see the Vincycorrelative. But if our governmentdecided on a measure like the above,they’d be out of a job.

The New Zealand story was givenin an interview with Cuban-Vincentian Professor Zahily ValeraLaidlow, who is bringing herexpertise in a merger with FloydParris’ White Chapel Studios.

The merger is to be named Epsilon- Greek for the number five, which isespecial significant in music… do theresearch.

Unfortunately, the ‘modern’ musicgenres, most of it negative, are seenas a part of our culture and widelyaccepted. Our folk music, the closestthing we have to classical music, isnot owned by Vincentians or exposedby the powers that be.

Professor Zahily Valera Laidlow isnot here to rock the boat, however.But if you want to learn to read musicor have an interest in being qualifiedthrough ABRSM (Associated Board ofthe Royal School of Music), she cangive you an insight into themusicological significance of the farsuperior classical music life forms,Cuban composers, and the blackelement in classical composers suchas Coleridge Taylor and Chevalier St.Georges.

Marriage to a Vincentian doctorsaw the Professor’s relocation to SVG.She is effusively complimentary of theabundance of talent we have here,and agrees with this writer on thepotential for big things like anorchestra and an expanded space interms of talent and response, to musicthat has class, spirituality andrelevance.

Epsilon, formerly White Chapel, isoffering comprehensive musiceducation in theory of music, and

piano, voice, stringedinstruments (e.g. violin andcello), saxophone, trumpetand clarinet.

Unfortunately, music isnot really given the status itshould in the ‘Educationrevolution’. Epsilonsubsidizes this with trainingfor ages from as low as 3-6

years old. Their training will be inDelcro, Kodaly, methods which wouldsee them maybe on drums andpercussive instruments with anoption to move on to multi toneinstruments at 6.

Professor Laidlow speaksreverently and hopefully about thebackground for a full education inspecialised music, that should be hadhere, and gives a Cuban note of co-relevance, i.e. children are trained allthrough the younger years in therudiments, and at age 14, should theybe evaluated as talented, have thechoice of a music major in schools forthe next four years. This makes forwell-rounded and basis for asuccessful career in music.

Such a move is corroborated by theyoung musicians trained at whitechapel of which two names come tomind: Delight Ollivierre and IvanParris (currently learning the cellowith his Grade 7 violin successfullypassed).

White Chapel Studios proprietorand lead teacher Floyd Parris concurswith the above as an option in theVincentian system. The merger withLaidlow comes at his twentiethanniversary of teaching.

He decries our ‘Common Entrance’as an example of an unnecessarysegregation in terms of what happensafter the exam with circa 40% ofstudents left behind. How many ofthese can become musicians andartists in the long run? An academicfocus outside of the arts might be justwhat seals the deal for these children.

The VINCENTIAN congratulatesLaidlow and Parris on handing a giftto young, aspiring Vincentianmusicians straight from God, of whichtheir mutual Christian backgroundsshould spell success.

From ‘White Chapel’ to ‘Epsilon’Floyd Parris, MusicalDirector/Proprietor of theWhite Chapel Studios, isexcited about theadvancement that will comewith ‘Epsilon’.

THE ST. GEORGE’SCATHEDRAL, situated inthe south west of capitalcity Kingstown, stands outas a symbol of thiscountry’s history. It marksits 200th AnniversarySunday, September 6 witha Thanksgiving Service.

A Media Launch lastTuesday signalled acountdown to thatcommemoration. Eventstowards the climax werehighlighted byChairperson of theAnniversary Committee,Ms. Onika Morgan.

A theme, ‘Affirmingour Heritage, Forgingnew Paths’, has beenchosen for the occasion,and a logo, designed byCarenda Davis,

highlights the attentiongiven to the milestone.

A number of eventsdecorate the calendar,including a GospelConcert April 18, and theSt. George’s Feast ofTitle April 18.

The youth come intofocus with a Week ofActivities May 3 to 8. ACocktail Reception andRecognition of Dean ofthe Cathedral The VeryRev. O. Samuel Nicholswill be held on May 27,following his installationas Dean on February 20.

A Back in Time Partyis scheduled for July 31,and by September 1, aMagazine will belaunched.

A 200 Day Challengeexercise, during whichpersons are expected toput aside one dollar aday, ends August 30.That offering will beused to help fund ascholarship for a studentfrom either theKingstown AnglicanSchool or the Lowman’sLeeward AnglicanSchool.

Another scholarshipwill be offered. This oneis sponsored by the SteveFrancis family.

Even after thatcelebration, activitieswill persist towards yearend with a series oflectures.

Addressing lastTuesday Media Launch,

The Right Reverend C.Leopold Friday, Bishop ofthe Diocese of theWindward Islands,echoed the importance ofbuilding a relationship ofintegrity, as he reflectedon the role the Churchplayed over its last 200years.

He looked at the

celebration as anopportunity to “givethanks.”

For Bishop Friday, theSt. George’s Cathedral issymbolic, not only toAnglicans, but the entirenation and to the peopleand countries outsidethis jurisdiction.

He emphasised the

call to the situation that,“…as Christians we wereno longer on our own. Webelong to Christ.”

Meanwhile,restorative workscontinue on theCathedral, with attentionbeing given to thestained-glass windows.This undertaking will be

spearheaded by a BritishStained-Glass painterMichael Ross, whoseparents originated inMesopotamia, St.Vincent and theGrenadines.

He is fascinated by thehistorical detailengrained in thestructure. (WKA)

History/HeritageV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 13.

St. George’s Cathedral:A symbol of SVGÊs history

Not quite 200 years ago, but this photo dated June 03, 1904 gives animpression of the overall impact of St. George’s Cathedral.

Today’s St. George’s Cathedral stands as a symbol of our history and legacy.

The Right Reverend C.Leopold Friday hasmuch to be happyabout, not least that hewill preside over amomentous occasion –the 200th Anniversary ofSt. George’s Cathedral.

Arts & YouthV 14. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

Richland Park: Best NineMornings/Christmas Community

RICHLAND PARK retained theBest Nine Mornings Communitytitle and added the BestChristmas Community award,when the 2019 Nine MorningsPrize Giving Ceremony tookplace last Saturday, at thePeace Memorial Hall inKingstown.

While Richland Park bossedboth categories, Stubbs wassecond in the two.

In the Best Nine MorningsCommunity segment, Carrierewas third and Coulls Hill-fourth.

Meanwhile, Coulls Hill, thedefending Best ChristmasCommunity champions, wasthird this time around, with

Spring Village docking infourth.

The double delight forRichland Park was deemed “ateam effort” by head of thatcommunity’s committee-Danroy Ballantyne.

Projecting that they will beendeavouring to hold on toboth titles in 2020, Ballantyneindicated that preparationswill again begin “early.”

A positive Ballantyne noted:“We always have somethingup our sleeves, and expect usto come even bigger and betterthis year.”

Apart from the Best NineMornings and Best ChristmasCommunity announced at last

Saturday’s PrizeGiving Ceremony,there were threeother titles whichwere made known.

Taking the BestCommunity Songtitle was FitzHughes, withRichland Park —second, Stubbs-third and PointVillage fourth .

Stubbs won theBest Communityon Parade, aheadof Carriere andFitz Hughes whotied for second. Theywere followed byGreen Hill and RoseHall in that order.

This category ofcompetition wasjudged during thelaunch of the Nine

Mornings Festival, which tookplace on Sunday 1stDecember.

And Rondy ‘Luta’ McIntosh’s ‘Something Bitter’was adjudged the winner ofthe Most Popular LocalChristmas Song, asdetermined by rotations oneight local radio stations.

‘Something Bitter’ wasfollowed by Rolly Bowman’s‘Christmas Grinch’, ShaunelleMc Kenzie’s ‘Lil Piece’,Skarpyon’s ‘Joyous Vibe’ andMan CP’s ‘Fustina’.

Community Lighting Winners’

List

Also receiving prizes lastSaturday were the winners inthe VINLEC CommunityLighting Competition, thatwere previously announced.

Rose Bank took Zone One,Belvedere copped Zone Twoand Stubbs was first in ZoneThree.

Taking Zone Four was PointVillage and Port Elizabeth,Bequia Zone Five.

Point Village was declaredthe overall NationalCommunity Lightingchampions for the seventhstraight year.

Port Elizabeth was second,Stubbs was third and RoseBank took the fourth spot.

In the other categories ofadjudication, the RoseauRecreational Park won theBest Lit Garden title, with JaxEnterprises winning the Best

Lit Commercial Building.Olivia Da Silva of Cane End

was on the double, as she wonthe Best Nativity Scene andBest Lit Private House.

The 2019 National NineMornings Festival ran underthe theme: ‘Celebrating aUnique Vincentian Tradition.’

Lead members of the Richland Park group, with Chair- DanroyBallantyne at left.

“Nine Mornings is in good hands,” Orande Charles

CHAIR OF THE SVG Nine MorningsCommittee- Orande Charles, afterpresiding over his first Nine MorningsFestival (Dec. 16 — 24), has opined thatthe Festival “is in good hands.”

Addressing last Saturday’s PrizeGiving Ceremony for the 2019 NineMornings and Lighting activities, atthe Peace Memorial Hall, Charlesboasted: “Our Nine Mornings , our

unique Vincentian tradition, is ingood hands.

“The positive thing we saw thisyear (2019) is the amount ofyoung people, children takingtheir own initiatives to get up at3, 4 o’ clock in the morning, to goout to the various communities,encouraging parents,” Charlesnoted.

International appeal

With the National NineMornings Festival continuing toget international recognition,Charles is advocating thepackaging of the product.

“We have to begin to havestructured activities andinteractive and inversive activities forour visitors … Make them feel a partof the Festival when they arrive andwhich will definitely help them topromote this Festival...It reiterateshow much effort we have to put ingoing forward to ensure that theproduct of Nine Mornings is ready forprime time,” Charles commented.

Charles disclosed that during theperiod December 6 to 20, there was an

international media presence, with aFrench television company filmingNine Mornings activities for a TravelDocumentary.

Charles thus advised, “We have allparticipated in Nine Mornings and weknow what it is to us; ,but there aremillions and billions of people outthere who don’t… I think the time isnow, with international access andother developments, to begin to invite

them, to let them see that St Vincentand the Grenadines has this uniquething that happens nowhere else inthe world.”

Apart from Charles, last Saturday’sCeremony heard remarks fromAndrew Wilson, Director of NationalParks; Tamara Job — Sprott, theCommunications Officer of VINLEC;Anthony Dennie, the ProductDevelopment Officer of the NationalLotteries Authority and Hon. Cecil McKie, Minister of Tourism, Sports andCulture.

Double winner- Olivia Da Silva(right) accepts one of her prizesfrom Tamara Job- Sprott.

A representative fromperennial winners of theNational LightingCompetition, Point Village,accepts the cheque fromTamara Job- Sprott.

Rawlo Matthews (right)accepts Stubbs Zone Threewinner’s cheque from TamaraJob- Sprott.

Orande Charles

Coconut grating competitionat Stubbs Nine Morningsactivities.

Right: Serenading inKingstown during NineMornings.

WHEN THE GAUNTLET wasthrown, Ms Bridget John,Manager of the AvenueDancers for over thirtyyears, immediatelyaccepted the challenge oftravelling with a group ofher dancers to one of themost attractive andbeloved capitals in theworld, London.

In 2018, Bridgetvisited London to supportKrystal Clarke,Manager/Choreographerof the Caribella DanceCompany’s InauguralDance Showcase. Krystalpreviously danced withthe Avenue Dancers as achild, and as an adult

served as the group’sBusiness Manager andShows Coordinator.Bridget promised thatshe would return with agroup of her dancers topartner with theCaribella DanceCompany and showcasethe talents of the AvenueDancers and the cultureof St. Vincent and theGrenadines.

In 2020, the AvenueDancers are workingsteadfastly to ensurethat this is the year theyvisit the UnitedKingdom. The cost oftravelling to and fromand accommodation in

London isextremelyhigh, butwith thehelp ofmonthlyfundraisers,the supportof corporateentities andthegenerosityof others,The AvenueDancers isdeterminedto propelthis dreamand ensureits fruition.

Thegroupanticipates

generous publicpatronage of itsfundraising events andwelcomes donationsthrough its crowdfunding page:(https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/london2020avenuedancers).

Should the AvenueDancers travel toLondon, they have apacked schedule.Activities plannedinclude sharing the stageat the Caribella DanceCompany’s AnnualDance Extravaganza on18th July; visits to andperformances at charities

and clubs for elderlypersons of West IndianHeritage; visit to primaryschools where they willperform mini concertsand carry out SocaDancing workshops withstudents.

The dancers will alsospend a day with Afro-Caribbean families andvisit High Wycombe andReading, areas justoutside London that havea large Vincentianpopulation. Plans arealso being made for themto portray their talentsin the form of miniperformances in thesecities. A courtesy call willalso be made to the High

Commissioner in London,where the dancers willperform for the membersof staff.

This opportunity, theAvenues Dancersmanagement recognisesas a truly amazing onewhich, however, can onlybe exploited with theassistance of thecorporate community andgenerous Vincentians.

THE VINCENTIANjoins in urgingVincentians and patronsof the arts both near andfar, to lend support to aworthwhile andmemorable endeavour.(Contributed)

SOME 235 JUNIOR SAVERSof the Police Co-operativeCredit Union (PCCU) lastSaturday at the PoliceCanteen in capitalKingstown, were therecipients of Kindle FireTablets, after achieving thetarget of a year-long savingschallenge.

The number represented amarginal increase on 2018,when 229 met the target.

To qualify for the a tablet,a Junior Savers was requiredto save incrementally, onedollar each week.

Fifty percent of the total savedduring the challenge had to remain ina fixed deposit for a period of one year,though, Ayanna Samuel, Manager of

the PCCU,indicated that the

one-year period could be extended.Meanwhile, a proud President of the

PCCU- Horace Williams boasted that

“no other Credit Union here does sucha thing.”

According to Williams, the SavingsChallenge is one of his organisation’ssignature undertakings.

“It is something we will continue todo, as the parents like the idea,”Williams confirmed.

The PCCU Junior Savers Challengegot started in 2014.

Arts & YouthV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 15.

AVENUE DANCERS eyevisit to LONDON

Avenue Dancers performing at the CDC 2019 Dance Showcase.

More Juniorscomplete PCCUChallenge

Some of the Junior Savers pose with their Kindle Fire Tablets.

Left: Manager of the PCCU- Mrs Ayanna Samuel (left) and President of the PCCU – HoraceWilliams.

Another dance routine by the Avenue Dancers at the CDC 2019 DanceShowcase.

This Junior AvenueDancer caught the eyeof the patrons at theCDC 2019 DanceShowcase.

16. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

Kingstown, St. VincentJanuary 14, 2020

THE BOARD, Management and Staff ofthe National Insurance Services (NIS)salute the Government and people ofSVG for their sterling support to theorganization over its 33 years ofproviding sustainable social protection tothe nation. On the occasion of our 33rdanniversary, we recognise and reflect onour building blocks, who are principallythe past, present and future employersand employees of this blessed country.We remain humble to diagnose that ourachievements and accomplishments arebuilt on the bedrock of yesterday’s,today’s and tomorrow’s hardworking andproductive labour force. We are able tocelebrate this significant milestonebecause the Government creates anenabling environment for growth of thesystem and the many-sided contributionsfrom the beneficiaries and insuredpersons.

At its 33rd anniversary, the NIScelebrates its journey of significantdevelopments and socio-economictransformative actions which includebut are not limited to the following:

1. Accumulation of an asset basewhich constitutes approximately 25%of the national gross domestic product;

2. The architecture of a resilientinvestment portfolio that is sufficientlydiversified across countries, economicsectors and issuers;

3. Social protection to approximately47% of the population;

4. Provision of a dignified andcomprehensive benefit package thatsufficiently provides protection frombirth to death against social andeconomic distress as a consequence oflife cycle risks of sickness, employmentinjury, invalidity, maternity, deathand old age;

5. The only reliable, predictable andsustainable source of retirementincome for approximately 85% of ourolder persons in SVG;

6. A benefit expenditure base ofapproximately $70 million whichrepresent approximately 2% of GDP;

7. Promotion of social and economicutility by its investments in education,skills development,

health, housing and povertyalleviation measures;

8. Contribution to employmentcreation by its sizeable investments inthe local economy through loans,

bonds, equities and deposits.9. Provision of people-centred

services through fashioning productsand services that reflect the needs ofits customers and extending itsservices to the Grenadines and ruralareas of St.Vincent;

10. Major provider of labour marketstatistics to various local andinternational stakeholders.

These achievements are beingrealised and accomplished amidstmajor economic, labour market anddemographic challenges, whichthreaten the contribution andfinancing bases and adequacy ofbenefits of our social security system.Of material concern is thedemographic shift caused bypopulation ageing. Three factorsexplain this phenomenon: thedeclining fertility, the increasing lifeexpectancy and past variations inbirth and death rates which is termedas baby boomers. However, theintelligent blend of people skills andtechnology allows the organisation tobe resilient and responsive to theseexogenous challenges.

Notwithstanding the increasingintensity of the timing, scale, pace andmagnitude of the challengesconfronting social security system, welook forward to the future with greathope and optimism. Our levers ofaction to enhance financialsustainability, benefit adequacy andimprove administrative efficiencywould pivot around parametric reform,improved coordination with keystakeholders, integration of ICT incore operations, broadened coverage toself-employed and informal sectors andinvestments in the employment andempowerment of our people.

As we grow and continue to touchand transform lives, we promise toremain rooted and grounded in ourvision and mission. Protecting peoplewill always remain our focus as westrive to promote social and economicdevelopment in St. Vincent and theGrenadines.

Contact:National Insurance Services784-456-1514

nis@nissvg.org

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 17.

Message fromthe ExecutiveDirector of NISon its 33rdAnniversary

Right: Stewart K Haynes, ExecutiveDirector, National Insurance Services.

CORPORATEORGANISATIONS inSt. Vincent and theGrenadines are nowinvited to registerinterest in the 2ndAnnual NationalCorporate PublicSpeakingChampionship.

In 2019, during theinauguralChampionship, theArgyle InternationalAirport (AIA) emergedvictorious through itsrepresentative MissTrackeisha Davis.

This year, AIA willseek to defend its crown,and corporate entitiesare encouraged toregister up to twoparticipants for thepreliminary round ofcompetition. Successfulparticipants in thepreliminary round willthen go on to the semi-finals and finals.Speakers will present onset topics relating tobusiness activity in St.Vincent and theGrenadines.

DistinguishedToastmaster (DTM) Ms.Arlette Miller,Chairperson of theNational CorporatePublic SpeakingChampionshipCommittee has sharedthat for the second time,the event’s goal is tocontinue to encouragefluent communication inthe workplace that willhelp in providing thecompetitive advantagefor today’s businessesand firms.

Generous cash prizes

are at stakefor the first,second andthird placewinners ofthe finalcontest.Speaking onthe formatfor thisyear’scompetition,Ms Millerindicatedthat letterswill be sentto businesshouses to confirminterest of participation.The preliminary roundof competition is slatedfor 29th February, thesemi and finals bothslated for 28th Marchand 25th Aprilrespectively.

Patrons can lookforward to anotherexhilarating atmospherefilled with vibrantaudience table topics aswell as lots ofgiveaways.

This event is hostedby Toastmasters in SVGfor staff of registeredbusinesses throughoutSt. Vincent & theGrenadines. As was thecase last year, this yearbeing no exception, theNational CorporatePublic SpeakingChampionship (NCPSC)committee aims to fulfillits promise to offer asuperior standard and todeliver a rivetingexperience. The othermembers on the 2020NPSC Committee areDeputy Chairperson -Tamira Browne

AdvancedCommunicatorGold/AdvancedLeadership Bronze —(ACG/ALB); TreasurerSharlene Alleyne-Hector; Public RelationsChair Trackera Davis;Secretary - RaheemHall, DevelopmentLeadership 1 — (DL1);Denicia Gaymes; JacquiEnglish —JacobsCompetentCommunicator /EffectiveCoaching (CC/EC) andXelony Daize —CompetentCommunicator/Competent Leader/DynamicLeadership 2(CC/CL/DL2).

More information on thecompetition may be hadby calling 1784-493-4746; Email:svgpublicspeaking@gmail.com; Facebook: SVGNational CorporatePublic SpeakingChampionship.Instagram: SVG_NCPSC

Register for Corporate PublicSpeaking Championship

Arlette Miller,Chairperson of theNCPSC.

LawV 18. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

LAST MONDAY’S ceremony marking theopening of the new Law Year welcomed anew appointee to the panel of judgesassigned to the local jurisdiction.

Trinidad and Tobago nationalJustice Angelica Teelucksingh beganher tenure here when she took theparade and inspected the Guard ofHonour mounted by the Royal SVGPolice Force in the Court Yard,Kingstown, a traditional component ofthe ceremony.

During a Special Sitting thatfollowed the parade and guard of

honour, Attorney General JauntyMartin welcomed JusticeTeelucksingh, describing herappointment as an important step inreducing the backlog of criminalmatters here.

Martin took the opportunity to referto three pieces of legislation which heanticipates will improve justice here.Those are the Legal Profession Bill,Public Service Bill and Administrationof Justice Bill.

He also referenced the Hall ofJustice, construction of which is

expected to startin June 2020, as

a welcomed improvement tocurrent accommodation for Courtproceedings here.

The Attorney General alsoacknowledged that St. Vincentand the Grenadines was no “exception”with respect to the Chief Justice’sremarks (see Page 2).

Director of Public ProsecutionsSejilla McDowall expressed heranticipation of that building. Shenoted the upgrade of the NationalProsecution services, and pledged thatresources and personnel needed for thenew court will be provided.

President of the Bar AssociationRene Baptiste welcomed JusticeTeelucksingh, and pointed to measuresthe Bar Association had taken to keepthe profession updated. She alluded toplans to keep members of theprofession in tune with the latest

aspects of legal education. Baptiste was excited about plans to

expose students to Bar relatedactivities, including having Presidentof the Caribbean Court of Justice-Vincentian born Adrian Saundersspeak to them.

An OESC Bar Association meetingis set to take place here, and Baptisteis looking forward to the fullparticipation of the local body.

Roderick Jones, speaking on behalfof the Utter Bar, welcomed the newJustice. He is holding AttorneyGeneral Martin accountable if the Hallof Justice does not start in June.(WKA)

Justice Angelica Teelucksingh,accompanied by Commissioner of PoliceColin John, inspects the Guard of Honour.

President of thelocal barAssociationRene Baptiste(2nd from right)along with otherlocal legalluminaries,taking in theparade andguard of honourat last Monday’sopening of thenew Law year.

New judgeappointed

Coast Guard officerspromoted

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 19.

ACCORDING TO A RELEASE dated Jan.11, 2020 from the Royal SVG PoliceForce Public Relations and ComplaintsDepartment, some twenty-four officers ofthe SVG Coast Guard Service have beenpromoted to various ranks within theorganization.

On Friday January 10, 2020,Commander of the SVG Coast GuardService, Mr. Brenton Cain officiatedover an investiture ceremony at theCoast Guard Base, Calliaqua, duringwhich the newly promoted officersreceived their rank badges.

In his address, Commander Caininformed that this was the largestnumber of Coast Guard officers to bepromoted at any one time.

A visible elated Commander Cain

congratulated the officers on theirpromotion.

While he admitted to be happy forall the officers, he said he particularlypleased with the enlargement of theSenior Officer Corps at the CoastGuard.

He recalled the period when therewas only one Senior Officer at theCoast Guard — “but there are now atotal of six (6) senior officers,” hedeclared in a tone of sheersatisfaction.”

This increase, he posited, wouldprovide more opportunities for juniorpersonnel to be promoted up theranks.

Twenty-three of those officerspromoted were:

* To be Lieutenant Commander -Lieutenant Ralphie Ragguette;

* To be Lieutenant CommanderActing - Lieutenant Enos Hamlette;

* To be Lieutenant - SubLieutenants Vinton John and WilliamTheobalds;

* To be Lieutenant Acting - SubLieutenant 422 Tyrone Durham;

* To be Sub Lieutenant - ChiefPetty Officers 13 Frankie John and413 Anthony Delpleche;

* To be Sub Lieutenant Acting -Chief Petty Officer 68 Donald Harry;

* To be Chief Petty Officer - PettyOfficers (po) 237 Osborne Johnson,300 Kenlet Francis and 627 AlvisDaniel;

* To be Chief Petty Officer Acting -Petty Officer (po) 231 Edwin Durrant:

* To be Petty Officer - Petty Officeracting 753 Melita Browne and LeadingSeamen (ls) Grayson Stephens and259 Daniel Foyle;

* To be Leading Seaman - AbleSeamen (ab) 159 Kevin Providence,195 Selwyn Isaac, 11 Kemmy Ashton,780 Sasha Henry-Martin, 796 EnroyJohn, 836 Fitzroy Davis, 841 JoshHamilton and 810 Jevon Lewis.

Brenton Cain, Commander of theSVG Coast Guard Service, is pleasedwith the increase of senior officersunder his command.

Some of the Coast Guard Officers who recently received their rank badges oftheir new positions.

Dear George,

YOU CAN imagine howshocked I was when myhusband’s best friend,who is married, made ahit on me. He cameright out and told me hewanted to sleep with meand went on to tell me,that he has been readingmy signals.

George, I have notsent this man anysignals and whatever hehas been reading weretotally misinterpreted. Inever knew he was thatlow down to want tosleep with his bestfriend’s wife. I told myhusband of course and hehas dropped him as afriend.

I’m writing to you sothat other women insimilar situations can

know they can nip thesetemptations in the budand keep their marriageintact.

Still happily married

Dear Still happilymarried,

Hats off to you for theprincipled stand youtook. It is vitally

important to nip suchthings in the bud. Yourhusband deserved toknow the kind of ‘friends’he has in his circle, andyou did right to give hima heads up. I am surethe word would now getaround that you are notsomeone to mess with.

George

Dear George,

I HAVE recently tested positive for HIVafter the girl I was messing withsuggested I do so.  She told me she hadbeen having an affair with her teacherand she accidentally found out she wasHIV positive.  She has not told thatteacher anything.  

It gets worse: I have been sexuallyactive with a few of this girl’s friends,and you can add my girlfriend to thatlist. We are all fifth formers.

I am so confused right now that Idon’t know what to do. I want tobelieve the girl I got it from mostlikely got infected by her teacher andhe is married as far as I know. Thiswhole thing is one big mix up.Sometimes I am angry, confused,afraid, and at other times I feel numb.

I don’t want to die fromAIDS. Please tell me what to do tomake this nightmare go away.

Alone and scared

Dear Alone and scared,

Sharing your feelings is a good firststep. Now you know your status, youcan access the help that is available toyou through counselling, appropriatemedication and proper diet.Counselling can also help you to copewith the feelings of anger, confusion.

Towards the above end, I suggestthat you get in touch with someonefrom the AIDS Secretariat/Ministry ofHealth.

It is important that you encourageyour sexual partners to get tested.

George

20. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. THE VINCENTIAN

AdviceV

Dear George,

MY FRIEND hasconfided in me that sheis constantly beingsexually abused by hermother’s boyfriend, andwhen she complains toher mother, shedismisses it as a lie.Worse, her aunts alsoaccuse her of lying whenshe complains to them.

My friend told me shewas still dealing withthe sudden death of herfather, and got surprisedwhen her mother quicklypicked this guy up.

George, I am veryconcerned for my friend.She has threatened tokill herself. She wantsto go to the police, butshe is afraid she wouldbe accused of causingher mother’s lover to goto jail.

What should she donow, and what should Ido?

Cry for help

Dear Cry for help,

Your role is a criticalone. Continue to

encourage her to talkabout her feelings andalso to talk to thepolice. She will needadditional emotional andpsychological supportbefore and after going tothe police. MarionHouse is a good option,and a counsellor therewould be able to providesuch support.

The perpetrator inquestion has donewrong, and he needs tobear the consequences ofsuch horrendous actions.

George

Don’t want to die!!!

Accused of lying

The right stance

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 21.

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1. Bed for a baby2. See 32-Across3. Dull pain4. Macabre poet5. Fake name6. Brooklyn

basketballers

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)Be prepared to take advantage of yourgood fortune. Problems with appliancesor electrical gad gets will drive you crazy.Older family members will makedemands on your time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)Be sure to pay attention to your financialstatus. Be careful not to come on toostrongly. Loans will be attainable andlegal matters easily taken care of. Travel,although enticing, will cost more thanyou expect.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)You can win if you're open and up frontwith your boss. Don't hesitate to goahead with any plans for entertainment.Friends and relatives may not understandyour needs. Don't avoid your truefeelings.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)You'll be able to break bad habits if youput your mind to it. Deception andconfusion regarding your status in societyis likely. You will have to be sure not toburn the candle at both ends. The dangerof minor accidents will increase with theturmoil.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19)Weigh the pros and cons and make adecision that will change the conditionsyou've been living under. After all, theymay have valuable information to passon. Think twice before you say somethingyou might regret later.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)Do not let them in on your plans if youwant things to run smoothly. Avoid anyconfrontations with colleagues. You mayfind that you're being used. Get involvedin creative projects that could turn intomoneymaking ventures.

7. Yearned for8. Pony prodders9. Oinking beast10. 100%11. Conniving16. With 49-Down,

dictated from a list

20. Thin fish21. Cheery23. On the rocks24. Only25. Informed26. Horseback

sport27. She fibs28. Differently29. Stag-party

guests32. Western farms33. Bark sharply35. Against

36. Stinging insect38. Beach birds39. Showed again

on TV41. Etna outflow42. Sound-alike

of 24-Down43. Leg hinge?

44. Castaway locale45. “In what

manner?”46. Commoncontraction47. Reseach room49. See 16-Down

LA

ST

WE

EK

’sS

OL

UT

ION

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)Sudden trips may take you by surprise;try to include your mate, mixingbusiness with pleasure. Don't let othersput unreasonable demands on you. Besure to pay attention to your financialstatus.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21)Do your chores and get on with thethings you enjoy doing. Don't tormentyourself. Disharmony in the home will beextremely stressful. You must make surethat all your personal documents are inorder. Try not to take everything soseriously.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21)Business trips might prove unproductive.Get involved in the activities of children.You will do your best work on your own.You're best to avoid disputes.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)Opportunities may come up atprestigious affairs. You may havedifficulties with foreigners. You can get agreat deal accomplished if you bringwork home. It's time to reevaluate yourmotives.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22)Don't overdo it. You may want to take alook at courses offered at a localinstitute. Let them know what yourintentions are. Your personal life will bedisrupted if you have been too busy withbusiness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)You are best to back away fromcommitment. This will be a great nightto invite friend over to visit. You will beencouraged to get involved in amoneymaking venture. You will upsetyour partner if you have spent money onthings that aren't necessary.

VULGARITY FASHIONS theenvironment which isconducive to crime andviolence which drives thefear. Yet the majority of us

citizens have not beenshowing interest in limitingthe influence of therelentless bombardment ofvulgaritypromoted even by

the corporatecitizens whohave prosperedin our society.

Thesemorallyshallowcorporationexecutiveshave no

qualms about“plundering” theweaknesses of our youngwomen, whom they lureinto vulgar conduct forthe advertising of theirproducts. One remembersthat aggressiveadvertising of a “DuttyWine” competition someyears ago.

It should be clear tous, that the PoliceDepartment will have tobe more assertive if thissociety is to be sparedrapid deterioration over arelatively short period. Ihave been trying over thelast few years to drawattention for the seriousaddressing of the

weaknesses, some ofwhich are quite obvious.

I am here suggestingareas for immediateaction, and I believe thePolice ServiceCommission is led byBlazer Williams, who iscompetent enough toarrange for the initiationof a process which shouldaddress the followingissues:

(a) The immediaterepairs to the CentralPolice Station, inrecognition of the factthat it is one of our iconicbuildings. It has alwaysbeen in the focus of thecameras of our visitors.The obvious neglect doesnot reflect favourable onour pride. Have we givenany thought to what theother members of theUnited Nations’ SecurityCouncil will think of us?

(b) Let us make surethat the police officersare comfortably lodged.Those battered looking

windows from whichshabby curtains hang atthe Lodge VillageStation, are even morenegatively impactfulwhen the well-kept lawnof the Prime Minister’sresidence has been seen.

(c) For too long wehave been having ourPolice Officers and thoseof the Coast Guard whileon duty beingprecariously perched onthe sides of the backs ofvehicles. Considering thesurface of the roads these

days, the risk of seriousinjury resulting from thefall from a movingvehicle should be takeninto account. The officersshould not be exposed tothat added risk. We cando better than that!

The reciting of hollowslogans by persons whohave undertaken theresponsibility to managerour affairs, will nevereffect the developmentwe ought to be pursuing.

LeRoy Providence

OpinionV 22. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

Fear stalksthe land

The Central PoliceStation, in need ofsome preservationwork, remains oneof the few iconicbuildings in capitalKingstown.

The yard of the Central Police Station was apopular venue for basketball and volleyball.(Credit: RSVGPF Pictures)

Below: What is nowthe Central PoliceStation was once aPolice Barracks andhoused the CustomsDepartment. (Credit:RSVGPF Pictures)

A NINE-WICKETMATCH hall byveteran offspinnerShane Shillingfordhelp propel theWindwardsVolcanoes to a 3-wickets win overBarbados Pride intheir opening matchin the PCL RegionalFour Day CricketCompetition, whichended at the ArnosVale Playing Fieldlast Sunday, Jan. 12.

Shillingford took2 for 86 inBarbados Pride’sfirst innings and 7for 105 in theirsecond innings.

Set 270 forvictory, theVolcanoes lost theregion’s leadingruns scorer- Devon

Smith early, but several

partnerships in themiddle and lower orderhelped earn the hostvictory in the final over.

Desron Maloney,playing in front of hishome crowd on his debuttop scored with 83 inVolcanoes runs chase,after he had hit 30 in thefirst innings. KyleMayers, the Barbadosallrounder, hit hismaiden century in alosing course.

Scores: Barbados firstinnings 233 from 75overs - Kyle Mayers 106,Jomal Warrican 49,Keron Cottoy 3 for 41,Shillingford 2 for 86.Volcanoes first innings234 from 103 overs - .Emmanuel Stewart 50,Keron Cottoy 38. DevonSmith 33, DesronMaloney 30, JomalWarrican 4 for 40.

Barbados secondinnings 269 from 85overs, Kraigg Brathwaite72, Justin Greaves 36,Jomal Warrican 31,

Shillingford 7 for105, PrestonMcSween 2 for 52.Windwardssecond innings272 for 7 from88.4 overs -Desron Maloney83, KaveemHodge 60, JomalWarrican 3 for 68.

The Volcanoesface Jamaica inJamaica in thesecond round.That match beganyesterday. Stories by I.B.A.ALLEN

V THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 23.

Windwards beatBarbados in opener

Action between Volcanoes and Pride.

TT President happy with intense meeting

ORVILLE HASLAM, President ofthe SVG Table TennisAssociation, is pleased with theoutcome of an intense and attimes emotional meeting involvingleading local coaches and GeorgSilbschmidter, ITTF Specialist.

The meeting, held at the West

St George Secondary School lastweekend, was convened tohammer out the issues affectingthe sports, and to recommendremedial measures forimplementation.

“First and foremost, it was ahealthy discussion which, in mymind, was long overdue,” Haslamcommented after the meeting.

“SVGTTA would like to knowthat we are going to be astransparent as possible toparents, players and of course thepublic! As long as I am Presidentof this Association, my aim is toencourage everyone to worktogether in making SVG TableTennis a force to be reckoned withinside and outside St Vincent andthe Grenadines,” He added.

The areas identified forimmediate attention were:communication, better organizingof tournaments, and improved co-operation and harmony amongcoaches.

Haslam is confident that, “In acouple years from now, once weimplement most of the areasidentified, the sport will benefit. Iknow if the problems will not berectified overnight, I hope we cangradually improve.”

The President was forthright,admitting, “From what I gatherfrom coaches, the Executives in

the past have never beenforthcoming, and I am trying tocorrect that now. I want to seecoaches working together… thereis too much trivia.. too muchbickering. I plan to bring themtogether at least once per monthto exchange ideas under oneumbrella, because players are asgood as their teacher, and that’show we have to move forward,”Haslam proffered.

Georg Silbschmidter, ITTFSpecialist, has been assistingthe SVGTT with upgrading theexpertise of local coaches andgenerally with a sustainablecourse of development for thesport.

Female crickettraining squadannouncedTHE LOCAL SELECTORS have released thenames of 24 players for training, with a view toselection to the national team to represent thiscountry in the Windward Islands Female LimitedOvers Cricket Competition, scheduled for St Lucianext month.

The squad includes: Vennisha King, KareeseBoyea, Schey Ann Gaymes, Delite Bentick, DenelaCress, Kemone Homer, Jannilla Glasgow, TracyByran, Alison Antoine, Xharia Jack, Cordel Jack,Japhina Joseph, Glendeen Turtin.

In addition, the following have also been namedto the squad: Stacy Ann Adams, Shanize Daniel,Zavian Stephens, Nyasha Williams, KistalMcmilllian, Isha Williams, Juliana Nero, LafeishaSam, Genna Fredricks, Shemia Robinson andVanassa Bushay.

Desron Maloney hit 83 and 30on his debut for theWindwards.

Orville Haslam, President of theSVG Table Tennis Association, isbent on ridding the sport of allthe bickering.

Shane Shillingford, Manof the Match, took 9 for188 in the match.

SportsV 24. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

FEMALE footballersbetween the ages of 14and 20 years will soonhave a safety net providedto them by SVG FootballFederation (SVGFF).

Towards this end, theSVGFF, through itsFemale DevelopmentCommittee, introduced aPilot MentorshipProgramme (for females)at the Methodist ChurchHall in Kingstown, lastSaturday.

Addressing lastSaturday’s event,Tonicsia Baptiste,Female DevelopmentOfficer of the SVGFFsaid that theProgrammme will caterto about 35 femalefootballers.

And as far as theobjectives are concerned,Baptiste said theprogramme is geared to“encourage thedevelopment of

interpersonalskills, as we want toensure that our playersare able to properlyrepresent the Federation,the country and mostimportantly themselvesin their schools, theirhomes and when theytravel; as well asincrease self-confidence,where we hope that after

havingexperienced thisprogramme, that

players are mentallystrong enough to believein themselves andconfident enough tostrive for their goals.”

Cognisant that someof the females arealready faced withchallenges, Baptistepointed out that

programme will targetthese issues.

“We are hopingthrough this progamme,to help to change theplayers’ outlook on life byteaching them that thereis life beyond theircurrent situation... Wewant for the players tounderstand that what ishappening today isnothing compared to thejoy and freedom they willexperience later on in lifeas long as they applythemselves,” Baptisteadded.

The FemaleDevelopment Officer ishopeful that theprogramme will alsoencourage communityawareness andinvolvement, given thatthe intention is to havethe participants designand effect initiatives thatwill see them giving backto the society and thepeople around them.

The programme will“teach valuable skills

such as goal-setting anddecision-making whichwe hope would improveacademic and careerperformance andenhance the generalattitude of the youngladies with regard tocommunication andinteraction among adultsand peers,” Baptisteunderscored.

When they areassigned, both thementors and the menteeswill be required to sign acertificate ofconfidentiality, in which,among other things,mentors will have aresponsibility to upholdstrict confidentialityexcept in cases wherethey believe the players’lives or well-being arebeing compromised.

At last Saturday’ssession, the mentors andmentees were engaged ininteractive sessions.

An official launch willbe held soon.

ORLANDO FERGUSON,better known for hisbasketball skills and asthe founder and headcoach of the highlyacclaimed Playerz Youth(Basketball) Academy,shifted his focustemporarily.

Recently, hedonated a number offootballs to theLargo HeightFootball Club.

Speaking at ahanding overceremony at LargoHeight, Fergusonsaid, “I am justmaking acontribution backhome in my village. Irealized they havebeen doing somepositive work in thecommunity for awhile now, so I try tohelp the best way Ican.”

Clive Lowe,Manager of the recipientClub, acknowledged, “Wereally appreciate andwelcome this gesture. Itwill go a long way in ourtraining as such. We arereally thankful to thePlayerz Youth Academy.”

The Largo HeightFootball Club, coachedby Rafique Barber and

assisted by NicholasOllivierre, made itsdebut in inter-villageand national footballcompetitions in 2012.

Dovarnie Johnson, amember of the Club, hasgone on to represent theNational Under 20 team,

and Lowe believes this isan achievement for theClub, saying, “He is abright prospect..,, we’rehoping for the best. Hemade us proud”.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Mentors and mentees interacting at last Saturday’s session at theMethodist Church Hall in Kingstown.

SVGFF pilots FemaleMentorshipProgramme

Ferguson gives back

Orlando Ferguson (extreme left) with members ofthe Largo Height Football Club at the handingover ceremony.

Clive Lowe, Manager ofthe Largo HeightFootball Club, isthankful for theassistance received.

Mentors and mentees along with representatives of the SVGFF.

Tonicsia Baptisteaddressing lastSaturday’s session.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 25.

SportsV

A VINEYARD CLUB is emerging, and personsreach out to me in various forms of appreciationday after day. They greet me on the street or atfunctions, and their feedback come as a source ofinspiration.

Some go to the Vineyard as their source ofbalance. They keep up with certain tends. Theyenjoy the personality insight of persons even afterthey have made their contribution to life.

This week, I reflect on one Dorothy Stapleton.She was Providence and there was the addition ofDelpesche. She was popularly known as TeacherDoro, for that is how most people in NorthLeeward remembered her.

She was laid to rest last Tuesday at TroumacaBay, following the service at the MethodistChurch.

It was a reunion, for her brothers and sistersreassembled for the occasion. That family formedan inner core of that North Leeward village. Doroshone as a beacon throughout her life. TheTeacher element was natural, for that was howeveryone identified her. Whatever classroom shewas in, there was a commitment. She went abouther duties in a conscientious and profoundmanner.

She was the reliable character, disciplined,straightforward, and jovial. She had an interest inyour welfare and saw to it that it was uplifting.

Doro never missed a service at the TroumacaMethodist Church, or an activity organised with it.She was never afraid to assert her human rights,for when the Teachers went on strike in 1975,Doro was one of the militants.

She was genuine in her dealings with everyone.I have fond memories of her, for most of her 77years, I shared some platforms. Some were at thebeach in Troumaca. She must have been myteacher at some early stage, be it at the TroumacaPrimary at the Methodist Church.

We served as colleagues at the TroumacaOntario Secondary School.

She was a dramatist, almost a Playwright, formany of the skits she took part at the SocietyLodge Building served as my first exposure toentertainment. Those days, there was notelevision, much less internet.

Doro was a community person. She played herpart in the village structure. She gave withoutlooking for rewards. While she ensured theacademic input was first, she catered for the needsof the full soul.

Doro’s departure leaves a void, But the impactshe created will have its spill over, so her legacywill be engrained, and there will always besomething to serve as a springboard.

Her burial at the Troumaca Bay cemeterybrought back memories of times spent at theplaying field on the bay front. That indeed was themain sporting centre after the community wasdeprived of the minute setting they enjoyed inTroumaca itself. But such was the people’sinterest in sport that they were prepared to gooutside the norms to keep up with their sportingendeavours.

Doro was buried in the midst of some sportingescapade. While persons mourned her death andher impending interment, a Vincentian cricketerwas just about announcing his arrival at thesenior level of West Indies cricket. That youngsteris Desron Maloney. He was the spearhead of aWindward Islands batting performance that sawthem defying the odds and overtaking a target of268 to win that match at the Arnos Vale PlayingField. Maloney’s contribution was 83, in that vitalchase. But was enough for cricket pundits toreflect upon. There is the suspicion, that DesronMaloney has just become a regional householdname.

Yard clubDARREN SAMMY who led the WestIndies Senior Cricket team over allformats between 2010 and 2014,described that period of his careeras challenging, made moreso by thefact that he was from St. Lucia, a“small island.”

Sammy expressed thesentiments while delivering thekeynote address at the St. Vincentand the Grenadines CricketAssociation Inc. 2019 AnnualGala Dinner and Awards, held atthe Arnos Vale Playing Field onDec. 21.

“Being a captain of a regionalteam and someone coming from asmall island, I think that was thefirst challenge… My strength wasalways on the mental side of mygame and the importance aboutcaptaincy and leadership isknowing what is needed,” Sammyshared.

Sammy admitted that he hadaccepted early into hisappointment as captain that if hewas to stay in the job, he had tolearn quickly and to earn therespect of the players.

“Because my game was notfully developed....., I felt at timesthat I shouldn’t be captain, andsome of the players voiced that to

me. Sometimes I felt likegiving up, but I couldn’t letthat be shown; as the leader,I had to be strong,” Sammyconfessed.

The Former W. I. captaindisclosed, “I understood earlyI had to take less than 20 %of the credit when we didwell and 80% of the blame whenwe didn’t…. and for a while Istopped reading the papers, andsocial media, and focused on WestIndies cricket and what wasneeded at the time.

“I blocked out some of the egos,but was also learning myteammates. It took me over ayear before I understood how torelate to the senior guys,” headded.

Sammy highlighted that takingnote of Rawle Lewis as captain ofthe Windward Islands helped himas captain, and motivated him tobe more consistent in hisperformance.

He referred to the 2011 ICCWorld Cup in Bangladesh, Indiaand Sri Lanka.

He related that he told theteam, “I didn’t ask for this job, sowhatever motivates you to go outand play cricket, it doesn’t have to

be me, butwe are hereto representtheCaribbean.”

Sammyalso recalledthat he hadasked theteam whathe could do to improve therelationship with the team, andone player responded by sayingthat he was spending too muchtime with the coach.

Notwithstanding that response,Sammy told his audience that thecaptain and the coach prepare theteam for battle, and if the captaindoesn’t have a good relationshipwith the coach, that is a problem.“I spent time with the coachbuilding on strategies,” he said.

I.B.A.ALLEN

THE LOCAL CRICKETseason opens in earnestthis weekend with actionin the Premier and FirstDivisions of the NationalCricket Competitionorganized by the SVGCricket Association Inc.(SVGCA).

The NLA PremierDivision will be a two-day format, while theFirst Division will seematches over one day onSundays only.

In opening weekendaction in the PremierDivision, FLOW Radcliffewill play GuardianGeneral Saints at SionHill, and Police Twoopposes Victors One atArnos Vale 1.

In the First Division,Smashers will oppose Police Oneat Buccament, MSDA JuliusAnthony Northern Stars take onKeegan’s Bequia XI at Arnos Vale2, and St. Vincent DistillersGlamorgan face French VerandahSVG Community College atStubbs.

For 2020, the SVGCA hasscheduled eight competitions: theNLA Premier Division, the NLAFirst Division, the National ClubChampionships, the NLA NeilWilliams 20/20, the Women’s 40Overs, the Women’s 20/20, the

Zonal Under-15, and theSecondary Schools’ Under-15Competition.

As far as defending championsare concerned, FLOW Rivals willdefend titles in the NLA PremierDivision and the NLA NeilWilliams 20/20; Police Two will dolikewise in the NationalChampionships, and MSDA JulesAnthony Northern Stars, the NLAFirst Division.

United Survivors will be out tosuccessfully defend their title inthe Female 40 Over Competition.JG Tigress will hope to do thedouble in the Women’s 20/20.

In the Youth categories, NorthCentral Windward will defend inthe Zonal Under-15, and the StVincent Grammar School- theSecondary Schools’ Under-15.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Sammy: ÂCaptaincywas challengingÊ

Darren Sammy,former WestIndies CricketCaptain,addressing theSVGCA 2019 GalaDinner andAwards.

Local cricket bowls off

The St. Vincent Grammar School team that won the 2019 Inter-Secondary Schools Competition.

26. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 . THE VINCENTIAN

ClassifiedsV

FELTON JOHNa.k.a Bing eye

St Theresa Spiritual Baptist Church

BarroullieSunday, 29th Decmber,

2019Viewing: 1:00 p.m. Service: 2:00 p.m.

MARIE LOUISA BAILEY MORGAN

Fountain Waterhouse Ministry A.M.E

Sunday, 12th January, 2020Viewing: 1:00 p.m. Service: 2:00 p.m.

Interment: Belair Cemetery

JULIA CYNTHIA LYNCH

S.D.A Church LayouSunday, 12th January, 2020

Viewing: 1:00 p.m. Service: 2:00 p.m.

Interment: Layou Cemetery

KEITH ANTHONY BROWNE

Gospel Hall StubbsSaturday, 11th January, 2020

Service: 2:00 p.m.Interment:

St. Joseph Cemetery

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020. 27.

by DAYLE DA SILVA

PRIME MINISTER DrRalph Gonsalves saidthat he was pleased withthe results of the Jan.11, 2020 PresidentialElection in Taiwan,which saw the re-electionof the incumbent TsaiIng-wen and her runningmate William Lai of theDemocratic ProgressiveParty.

They defeated Han

Kuo-yu and his runningmate Chang-San-chengand the third partycandidate James Soong.

Addressing his party’s(ULP) Convention lastSunday at the BethelHigh School in CampdenPark, Gonsalves said hewas not only pleasedthat the people ofTaiwan had returnedPresident Tsai for asecond term, but that theparty had also obtained

the majority in thelegislative assembly.

“This means that theirexcellent work willcontinue, and in so far asSt Vincent and theGrenadines is concerned,our cooperativeprogramme will continuewithout any hiccups,”Gonsalves said.

“We don’t have to goand negotiate, or re-negotiate anything over.What we have signed, we

have signed,and what wehave agreedupon for thisyear andcontinuing, wehave agreedupon in thecertainty thatthere will be benefits forthe people of St Vincentand the Grenadines,” hecontinued.

This country openedan embassy in Taiwan on

August 8, 2019. Taiwanopened its embassy inthis country in 1983, twoyears after diplomaticrelations wereestablished between thetwo countries.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 VOLUME 114, No.03 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

Published by The VINCENTIAN Publishing Co. Ltd, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Printed by the SVG Publishers Inc., Campden Park.

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TSAI ING-WEN has secured a secondconsecutive term as President of Taiwan,after sweeping to victory in an electionlast Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020.

Ms Tsai secured just over 57% ofthe ballot - a record 8.2m votes - wellahead of her rival Han Kuo-yu.

Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) managed to hold on to itsmajority in the 113-seat legislature aswell, giving her free rein to push onwith her agenda in her final four-yearterm, beginning May 20.

From all reports, it was an electiondominated by the island’s relationshipwith China. Ms Tsai opposes closerties with China, with Mr Hansuggesting that closer ties with Chinawould bring economic benefits.

In fact, Ms. Tsai’s resurgentpopularity, she having dipped in thepolls midway in her first term, hasbeen largely courtesy of domestic fearsover China. Han was seen by somevoters as being too close to Beijing, asmany looked with concern at unrest inHong Kong – once seen as a model forsome in China for a potential futuretakeover of de facto independentTaiwan.

The issue of relations with Chinaplayed out even in Ms. Tsai’ victoryspeech. She told China that it shouldabandon its threat to take back theisland by force.

She expressed the hope that “the

Beijing authorities understand thatdemocratic Taiwan, and ourdemocratically elected government,will not concede to threats andintimidation.”

China rebutted by blaming “anti-China political forces” for Ms Tsai’s re-election, calling her victory a threat tothe “peaceful development of cross-strait relations.”

Later, Ms Tsai told a newsconference: “Taiwan is showing theworld how much we cherish our freedemocratic way of life and how muchwe cherish our nation.”

China has claimed sovereignty overTaiwan since the end of the Chinesecivil war in 1949. It says Taiwan musteventually be reunited with China, byforce if necessary.

In the build-up to last Saturday’selection, the Global Times, anationalist Chinese state-runnewspaper, quoted Chinese officialsand analysts as warning “thatreunification of the motherland is aninevitable trend regardless of whowins.”

Ms. Tsai’s victory would have donelittle to make it any easier for China’seffort aimed at unification, said oneobserver.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs (MOFA) told the mediaon Sunday (Jan. 12) that officials frommore than 60 countries had greeted

Ms Tsai by phone call and email,including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Japanese ForeignMinister Motegi Toshimitsu.

The MOFA said that many of the countries had expressed the desire to continue friendly relationswith Taiwan, including diplomatic

allies Eswatini, Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu,Marshall Islands, Paraguay,Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Haiti,Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, and SaintVincent and the Grenadines.

(Source: BBC, Taiwan News)

TAIWAN’S ELECTIONS: TSAI ING-WEN WINS SECOND TERM

Re-elected President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen has told China to abandon itsthreat of forces against Taiwan. (Photo Credit: Taiwan News)

President Tsai Ing-wenand Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalves duringthe President’sJuly16/17, 2019 visit toSVG.

Gonsalves happy with TsaiÊs re-election