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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 VOLUME 108, No.39 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

by HAYDN HUGGINS

PERSONS MAY SOON BETICKETED for certain offencesregarding littering here.

Winsbert Quow, Managerof the Solid WasteManagement Unit (SWMU) atthe Central Water andSewerage Authority (CWSA),told THE VINCENTIAN onTuesday that followingdiscussions, the police and theCWSA have agreed to embarkon joint publicawareness

initiatives on the Litter Laws,after which they would seekto get the Litter Act 1991amended to allow for theticketing of certain offences.

The amendment, if itmaterializes, would enable thepolice to issue tickets topersons caught in the act oflittering. Persons could alsobe charged and taken to court.

Quow said the joint publicawareness initiatives wouldtake place over a 3-month

period, and they are hopingthe ticketing system would bein place by early next year.

He explained that over thelast 15 years, the CWSA, theEnvironmental HealthServices and the Ministry ofTourism have done extensivepublic awareness workthroughout St. Vincent andthe Grenadines on the impactand consequences of littering.He noted that work in thisregard targeted schools andcommunity groups, and madeuse of the media as a conduit

for advertisements.“Despite all theseefforts, there are still

too many instancesof littering, and wehave to take thenext step, whichis to enforce theLitter Laws,”Quow

declared.

The SWMU manager citedthe need to enhance andprotect the country’s tourismproduct, one way in thisregard being to desist fromlittering.

Police involvement

Speaking with THEVINCENTIAN on Tuesday,Deputy Commissioner ofPolice Reynold Hadaway, oneof the police representativesin the discussions with theCWSA, assured that thepolice and the CWSA areworking together to educatethe public on the Litter Act.

In fact, Hadaway assuredthat senior police officers havebeen so tasked.

Citizens here haveexpressed the view, throughpublic forums and interactiveradio programmes, that thetime has come for the LitterLaws to be enforced.

Under the Litter Act, onsummary conviction, a personcould be fined up to $5,000and/or imprisonment with orwithout hard labour notexceeding six months. Inaddition, he/she could be fined$200 for each day the offencecontinues.

The DeputyCommissioner stressed thatthe law gives the police theauthority to enforce the Act.

Experts have repeatedlyunderscored theenvironmental problems

caused by littering.According to the Act, litter

includes any refuse, animalremains, rubbish, baggage,bottles, tins, glass, paper,plastic, containers, debris,dirt, filth, rubble, saw dust,ballast, stones, derelictvehicles, cartons, packages orany noxious and offensiveliquid, substance or wastematter likely to deface, makeuntidy, obstruct or causenuisance.

As far as derelict vehiclesstrewed across the countryare concerned, DeputyCommissioner Hadaway saidthat the Police and theSWMU are working togetherto have them removed.

Winsbert Quow, Manager ofthe Solid Waste ManagementUnit (SWMU)/CWSA, haspointed to a soon to becommenced exercise toenforce the Litter Laws.

Derelictvehicles onopen publicspaces maysoon be athing of thepast in SVG.

2. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

VINCENTIAN BORN Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Tarakon Records andFounder of Imara Engineering, Dr.Jacqueline James-Lyttle, has beenhonoured by Legacy Miami Magazineas one of Miami-Dade County’s 25most influential women in Business

and Leadership in 2014. Dr. James-Lyttle received the

honour last Friday September 19th ata luncheon in Miami.

The women honoured representedthe cream of the crop in Miami,Florida, who are remarkable examplesof accomplished black femaleprofessionals that have contributedtheir talents to the community.

They represented a broad spectrumof fields including banking, the arts,law, community & culturaldevelopment, public service,accounting.

“I work without expecting rewardor recognition, knowing that I do whatI do for love of family and love of thebusinesses. When I receive an award,it comes as a pleasant surprise and itoverwhelms me with joy. I am verygrateful, so grateful to all who supportme and recognize my work. I ammotivated and humbled,” said Dr.James- Lyttle.

Dr. James- Lyttle is the wife ofVincentian multi platinum selling,International Soca superstar, KevinLyttle.

Tarakon Records wasfounded in 2007 by KevinLyttle whilst Dr. James-Lyttle founded ImaraEngineering Consultingand currently practises inSouth Florida.

Imara serves the USand Caribbean providingservices in green buildingdesign and engineering,renderings, constructionmanagement, systemsintegration, sustainable“green” design andcertification, energyanalysis, computationalfluid dynamics (CFD) andinterior design services.(Source: Tarakon Records)

V News 3THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 3.

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ANTHONY

THE OPPOSITION NEWDEMOCRATIC PARTY isfocused on InformationTechnology, and sees it asa tool of great use andbenefit to SVG.

Opposition Leader andPresident of the NewDemocratic Party (NDP)Arnhim Eustace madethe admission at thelaunch of an exclusivepress event, dubbed ‘WeReady’, last Wednesdayat the Methodist ChurchHall, Kingstown.

“Technology is thefuture — today,” theopposition leaderdeclared, and added thatInformation Technologycreated jobs for youth,and the NDP wascommitted to creating agenuine knowledge-basedeconomy in an effort tocreate jobs.

“We intend to placegreat emphasis on thisarea, particularly totackle youthunemployment,” he wenton.

“The NDP sees theeconomic recovery of St.Vincent and theGrenadines as beingcrucial to providing the

environment in which wewant our creativeenergies and talents tospark and burn bright,”Eustace indicated.

He spoke of his party’srelationships with fiveworld class innovatorswho run top acceleratorsin Europe and theUnited States. Whenasked to name who theprospective innovatorswere, Eustace declineddetails, preferring tospeak at an appropriatedate.

He denounced thestate of the economy, andindicated that a “strongeconomy is at thefoundation of all that wesee our youthaccomplishing.”

The East Kingstownrepresentative chastisedthe ruling Unity LabourParty regime.

“You can’t expect ourstudents to make full useof a lap top if they live ina struggling householdwhere employment, foodand other necessities arealways scarce,” Eustacestated.

He noted that the useof technology hadadvanced to include“traditional bricks andmortar industries” which

employ techniques “toexpand their marketingand increase efficiencies.”

He called onVincentians to follow thetrend and change.

“There are youngbusiness people here whohave not beenapproached to make useof the legislative benefitsof bringing InformationTechnology basedbusinesses to thiscountry. We see a placefor our young people tobe trained and put towork in technologybusinesses which wemust work to attract tothese shores,” Eustacepointed out.

SVG: ‘A digital paradise’

Senator VynetteFrederick, PublicRelations Officer of theNDP, endorsed herparty’s position. Shechided the ruling UnityLabour Partygovernment for throwingaround laptops “in astony, thorny waysideenvironment, with noproper plan andpreparation.”

According toFrederick, the NDP willensure wireless internet

connectivity, at nocost to visitors andlocals ingovernment officesand at tourismsites.

ResourceCentres will beSmart labs whereinformation can beaccessed by thosewho are not techsavvy, Frederickpointed out.

Persons doingbusiness here willbe able to receivepayments “withthe swipe of a cardor a mobile moneytransfer through asimple code,” the Senatoroutlined, adding,“Visitors can explore ourvirtual spaces alone or ingroups, learn our history,buy our products andshare with their friends,the joy of their virtualexperience in St. Vincentand the Grenadines,without landing here.”

Frederick envisagesSVG becoming a “digitalparadise” withtelemedicine facilities“where doctors canprovide consultancy,advice and even performminor operations throughthe internet in real time

collaboration.” And the NDP plans to

create formal mechanismto encourage universitystudents to focus theirresearch on localproblems.

“We believe that ouryoung students, ifproperly equipped, canperform useful researchthat guide ourdevelopment as well asinspire pride in our localheritage,” Frederickindicated.

“It is time to show theworld that we are notjust a vacationdestination, but a placewhere innovation thrives

and business can takeadvantage of our vibrantand educated workforce,” the oppositionSenator indicated.

She was joined on theplatform by YoungDemocratic Partypresident Nick Francis.

Wednesday’s eventalso included the launchof an app, aimed atsmart phone and tabletusers, aimed atattracting users to getregistered to vote, toengage with the party’scandidates and to betterunderstand the NDP’splatform and issuesrelevant to the upcominggeneral elections.

Vincentian among top influential women in Miami

Right: Dr. JacquelineJames-Lyttle is the firstblack female graduatefrom the US Coast GuardAcademy, and haslectured at the Universityof Miami. Her award ispictured at left.

Arhnim Eustace,Opposition Leader andleader of the NDP, alignedhis party to a thrust tomake SVG a genuineknowledge-basedeconomy.

Senator Vynette Frederick,NDP’s PRO, spoke to ahigh tech SVG under anNDP government.

NDP: Technology is thefuture ⁄. today

PRESIDENT of theNational OmnibusAssociation (NOBA),Anthony ‘Code Red’Bacchus was onWednesday, September24, awarded $155,587.50,inclusive of legal cost, incompensation for injuriessustained during a fallfrom a flight of stairs in2006, while employed atBottlers (St. Vincent)Ltd.

Damages wereassessed during a HighCourt hearing presidedover by Master RolstonGlasgow on Wednesday.

Bacchus’s lawyer, KayBacchus-Browne, told

THE VINCENTIAN thatit was a consentassessment.

Attorney GrahameBollers represented thecompany at theassessment hearing,while Joseph Delvesappeared on its behalf atthe trial.

Bacchus-Browne hadfiled legal action, onbehalf of her client,against the company in2009. Following a CivilTrial at the High Courton March 9, 2011,judgment was deliveredin the Claimant’s favourin December 2013.

Justice Frederick

Bruce-Lyle found thecompany liable andordered that damages beassessed.

Bacchus-Browne hadargued that the companywas negligent in notproviding a safe workenvironment because theflight of stairs, fromwhich her client fell, wasdefective and otherpersons had fallen on itbefore.

Bacchus told THEVINCENTIAN onWednesday that he washappy to be awardeddamages and was lookingforward to receiving hismoney soon so that hecould undergo surgery torepair his right hip.

Bacchus explainedthat he has beenenduring severe painsince the injury to hiship, having to constantlytake pain killers toenable him to effect hisdaily activities, includingoperating a minibus.

“If I don’t takeconstant pain killers, Ican’t move,” he said.

Bottlers (St. Vincent)Ltd has ceased itsmanufacturingoperations, but remainsobligated to honourseverance payments toits former employees.

4. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

CourtV

Stories by HAYDNHUGGINS

The Eastern CaribbeanCourt of Appeal has

granted leave to lawyersrepresenting former talkshow host and pharmacistMatthew Thomas, toappeal High Court JudgeEsco Henry’s decision toturn down an applicationto set aside a judgement,made in favour of PrimeMinister Dr. RalphGonsalves for defamation.

The Appeal Court alsoordered a stay ofexecution of all mattersagainst Thomas.

Damages wereawarded to Dr.Gonsalves in an amountof $155,000 plus interestand legal cost of $11,625

Attorneys KayBacchus-Browne andNicole Sylvester arerepresenting Thomas inthe matter.

Damages were

assessed in February2012, but judgement wasentered since November2009.

Bacchus-Browne hadfiled an application inJanuary this year tohave the judgement setaside, but Justice Henryrefused the application.

Earlier this year, anotice was served onBDS Ltd, owners of NiceRadio, the otherdefendant in the matter,demanding that thecompany pay Gonsalves$185,370.31 owed to himas of May 9, 2014.

The notice, dated May9, 2014 and signed byGonsalves’s lawyerRichard Williams, statedthat Gonsalvesdemanded that thecompany pay the debt or

secure or compound it tothe creditor’ssatisfaction.

The document hadstated that the demandmust be dealt withwithin 21 days after itsservice upon thecompany, or a windingup order could be madein respect of theCompany.

Douglas De Freitas ofBDS Ltd told THEVINCENTIAN onWednesday that to date,no other notice wasserved on BDS Ltd.

Speaking with THEVINCENTIAN May thisyear, Bacchus-Brownedescribed the demandnotice as premature.

“I have asked thecourt to set aside the rootof the assessment order.

If that order goes, therewill be no judgementagainst both defendants”,she said then.

Her application wasfiled on the grounds thatthe ruling wasirregularly obtained andought to be set aside, andthat all enforcement

proceedings be stayeduntil the application isdealt with.

THE POLICE HIGHCommand is appealingto the public to havestrict consideration forothers when engagedin the playing ofamplified music intheir communities.

DeputyCommissioner of PoliceReynold Hadaway toldTHE VINCENTIANthere have beencontinuous complaintsfrom throughout St.Vincent and theGrenadines aboutexcessively loud musicinto the wee hours ofthe morning,preventing personsfrom enjoying thecomfort of their homes.

He noted that thosecomplaints havebecome more prevalent in recent times. He isparticularly concerned about the sick, elderly andyoung children, who are usually most affected.

Hadaway said persons have been prosecutedand continue to be prosecuted for such offencesunder the Noise Act and the Traffic Regulations.He explained, however, that the first course ofaction is usually to warn persons. If they persistwith the playing of excessively loud music, the lawgives the police the authority to seize theirequipment and bring charges against them.

Asked about complaints in the media that policeofficers are also involved in this practice,Hadaway said, “Contrary to what some personsmay believe, the police are not treated differently,they are not above the law.”

The Deputy Commissioner said that from hisrecollection, at least one police officer was issuedseveral tickets under the Traffic Regulations, andpaid the fines for playing loud music in hisvehicle, in a public place.

Hadaway assured that police officers will bedealt with in the same way as civilians if they arefound in contravention of the laws.

Anthony ‘Code Red’Bacchus expects to usesome of hiscompensation to attendto a damaged hip.

Bottlers to compensate ‘Code Red’

Matthew Thomas haswon himself a period ofreprieve in a matteragainst Prime MinisterDr. Ralph Gonsalves.

Douglas De Freitas ofBDS has not beenserved with any furthernotice since the one inMay 2014.

ThomasÊs lawyers granted leave to appeal

Police confirmcomplaints about loud music

Deputy Commissioner ofPolice Reynold Hadawayhas assured that theNoise Act and the TrafficRegulations are appliedequally against civiliansand police officers.

CHAIRMAN OF CARICOM,Antigua & Barbuda’s PrimeMinister Gaston Browne, isstanding firmly in support of thevisit to the Dominican Republic(DR) by Antigua’s Tourism andInvestment Minister, AsotMichael.

Renowned regionalcolumnist Ricky Singh hadcriticized the trip, saying itwent contrary to the positiontaken by CARICOM, whichhas said it shouldn’t bebusiness as usual with SantoDomingo.

CARICOM’s position was aresponse to the DR’s passageof legislation which literallymade stateless, thousands of

persons of Haitian descentwho were born on the DR.Haiti is a full member ofCARICOM.

But Browne said the visitby Michael did not breach theexpectations of CARICOM.

“What has happened is thatour Minister of Tourism, AsotMichael, travelled to theDominican Republic to aninvestment forum. And at thatforum, he met the foreignminister of the DominicanRepublic, and he had everyright to speak to him on abilateral basis. There isabsolutely nothing wrong withthat,” Browne stated.

The Antigua Observer

newspaperreportsBrowne asadding that,despite thepositiontaken byCARICOM,several OECS states havebeen engaging the Spanish-speaking country.

“St Vincent and othercountries in the Caribbean,Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica,they still do trade with theDominican Republic,” theAntigua Observer reportsBrowne as saying.

“We broke absolutely noprotocol, we continue to stand

with those Dominicans whohave been made stateless, andthat fallacy was actually dealtwith.”

Browne said he wrote to thecolumnist, and expects thatSingh will, in a futurepublication, better representAntigua & Barbuda’s position.

“Ricky Singh was wrong,and I sent him a private letterindicating to him with all the

supporting information, thathe was wrong,” Browne said.

“We, and certainly myself inmy capacity as CARICOMchairman, have never engagedanyone in the DominicanRepublic, and they havesought to meet with me on anumber of occasions, and Ihave declined the request.”(Source: Antigua Observer)

RegionalV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 5.

US ECONOMICSANCTIONS against Cubahave cost the island nation$3.9bn in foreign trade overthe past year, helping to raisethe overall estimate ofeconomic damage to $116.8bnover the past 55 years, Cubasaid on Tuesday.

The figures were publishedin a report that Cubaprepares for the UnitedNations each year, in supportof a UN General Assemblyresolution urging an end tothe comprehensive USeconomic embargo, and othersanctions against Cuba’sgovernment.

The United Nations haspassed the resolution for 22 straightyears with overwhelming support. In2013, the vote was 188 to 2, with onlythe United States and Israel votingagainst the resolution.

Although many US allies joinWashington in criticizing Cuba’s one-

party system andrepression of politicalopponents, theAmericans have lostnearly all internationalsupport for the embargosince the collapse of the

Soviet Union.No other nation besides the United

States has an economic embargoagainst Cuba.

Cuba in turn uses the embargo tocounter internal discontent over astagnant economy.

“ ... There is not, and there hasnot been in the world, such aterrorizing and vile violation ofhuman rights of an entire peoplethan the blockade that the USgovernment has been leadingagainst Cuba for 55 years,” DeputyForeign Minister Abelardo Morenotold reporters.

The cumulative figure of$116.8bn was expressed in currentprices. When factoring in thedepreciation of the dollar againstthe international price of gold, thefigure rises to $1.11tn, thegovernment estimated. (TheGuardian, UK)

Cuba reports onUS embargoimpact

Prime Minister GastonBrowne says he haswritten to Rickie Singh,and expects that in thefuture he would betterrepresent Antigua’sposition.

Minister Asot Michael issaid to have hadbilateral discussion withthe DR foreign affairsminister.

Rickie Singh reportedon the Antiguanminister’s visit to theDR, and considered itan affront toCARICOM’s position.

PM Brownehas no apologyfor DR visit

President John F.Kennedy is said tohave asked an aideto buy him 1000Cuban cigars, oneday before heauthorized the UStrade embargo.

Cuban streets haveseen very few new carsover the past 50 yearsbecause of the embargoand restrictions onforeign imports. Cubaannounced an easingon foreign car importsin December 2013.

It is estimated that the US trade embargocost Cuba’s tobacco industry US479m insales in 2011.

ATTORNEY GENERALJudith Jones-Morgan hasmoved to allay fearsraised by Hon Janice M.Pereira, Chief Justice ofthe Eastern CaribbeanSupreme Court, about thesafety of Justices.

During an address at theformal opening of the newLaw Term, Wednesday 17thSeptember, 2014, at theHigh Court, Kingstown,Jones-Morgan gave theassurance that protection ofthe judges is a 24/7situation.

In her address, in whichshe described the last yearas one mixed with sadnessand joy, the AttorneyGeneral also expressed thehope that a third judge willbe appointed here to fill thevoid created by the absenceof Justice Frederick Bruce-

Lyle who is on pre-retirementleave.

She lamented the situationof a large number of personson remand, and profferedthat there should be someimprovement, in the newLaw Year, as far as attendingto this matter was concerned.

The matter of anappointment to the post ofHigh Court Registrar, toreplace Tamara Gibson-Marks was expected toreceive attention, the AGassured.

On a more comfortingnote, Jones-Morganhighlighted what shedescribed as an excellentrelationship the Police now

have with youngpersonsespecially.

She hadcommendationsfor the CoastGuard whichhas increasedand improved its

surveillance of thiscountry’s territorial waters.

The Legal Aid servicewas also highlighted asanother plank of theaccomplishments of theAttorney General’s office.

Perhaps the factor whichprovided Jones-Morganwith most satisfaction wasthe judgement secured inthe Chatham Bay case. Shereported that the appeal bythe persons who weretrying to acquire ChathamBay had been withdrawn,and she alluded to thematter as a “people’svictory.”

Jones —Morgananticipates a “serious lawyear.” She vouched that theadministration of justicehere “is independent ofoutside influence,” andreferred to the Court as oneof two sacred places, theother being the House of God(church), and expressed hurtover the situation which

occurred at the Holy TrinityParish Church, July 19, 2014,during the funeral service oftalk show host ElwardoLynch.

by KENVILLE HORNE

FARMERS WHO HAVEalready benefited fromloan assistance from theFarmers SupportCompany (FSC) shouldbegin to repay, once theyhave begun to harvest.

Minister ofAgriculture SabotoCaesar made thispronouncement during atour of farms on theWindward side ofmainland St. Vincent,Thursday 11thSeptember. (SEE PAGE19.)

The Minister, though,made the distinctionbetween those who haveborrowed monies to startfrom ‘scratch’ and whohave to wait until theymake their first harvestto begin to repay, andthose farmers who haveexisting cultivation andwho are actuallyharvesting during thisperiod.

Referring to what hehad heard in “somecircles that farmersshould not repay theirloans,” Caesar cautionedthose who are notrepaying that, “you areactually shooting down a

good idea that can assistfarmers not only now butalso the medium term tolong term.”

He recognized thosewho have begun to repayas encouraging to theeffort, and appealed toall loan recipients to dolikewise “once they havethe means to.”

There areapproximately 6500farmers currently onregister with theMinistry of Agriculture.To date, 1700 loanapplications have beensubmitted to the FSC,and 1000 have alreadybeen assessed andapproved.

To expedite the loanprocess, FSC andAgriculture Extensionpersonnel have beenmeeting with farmers intheir districts, (at schoolsduring the vacation andLearning ResourceCentres), where loanapplications are receivedand preliminarilyassessed.

Visits to the farmsprovide furtherinformation, especially asit relates to the amountsrequested to what isexpected to be

undertaken.There have been need

for adjustments in theloan applicationsfollowing these visits,and Minister Caesarcites the period allowedfor making theseadjustments asextending the periodleading up to approval ofloans.

The Farmers SupportCompany Credit Facilityis capitalized to a tune ofEC$6 million, received asa grant fromPetroCaribe. Loans aredisbursed at an interestrate of 2%.

Farmers must beginto repay, says Caesar

Attorney General Judith Jones-Morgan addressed the issue ofsafety for Justices as raised by theChief Justice of the EasternCaribbean Supreme Court.

Hon Janice M. Pereira, ChiefJustice of the EasternCaribbean Supreme Court,had raised them issue ofsafety of judges and othercourt personnel in asimulcast address to markthe opening of the new LawTerm (2014-15) in the EasternCaribbean jurisdiction.

6. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsVAG: JusticesÊ Safety

Assured

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY

Minister of AgricultureSaboto Caesar hasurged recipients ofloans from the FSC tobegin to makerepayment, once theyare able to.

Stories by KENVILLE HORNE

ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP of theBridgetown-Kingstown diocese, Rev.Jason Gordon, has urged that the churchmust ensure that justice is done.

The Bishop made the appeal whiledelivering the homily at a service atthe Cathedral of the Assumption,Kingstown, on Sunday 21stSeptember, to mark the 3rdanniversary of his installation asBishop of Kingstown..

After what had been dubbed arebuff by Prime Minister Dr. RalphGonsalves as he responded to a letterfrom the Bishop that, among otherthings, spoke to a sense ofhopelessness among Vincentians,many persons across SVG expectedthat there might have been a‘response’ from the Bishop,

However, Bishop Gordon made nodirect reference to Dr. Gonsalves’response.

Instead, he stuck steadfastly to hismessage that focused on justice andmercy, saying, inter alia, that “You

cannot be church if you’re not ensuringthat justice is being done, becauseJesus is going to ask you as church, asa Christian, me as a Bishop, why did Inot ensure that justice is being done?”

Bishop Gordon acknowledged,however, that the core business of thechurch is not justice. Rather, “that issomething we must do by virtue of usbeing human beings. We must dojustice, mercy is what we have beencalled to do by Jesus, because we didnot deserve his salvation that come tous from Christ, we did not deserve tobe reunited with God and toexperience what it is to being invitedinto his household, and to live as achild of God and to be able to beinvited around his table to eat withhim… we do not deserve that, that ismercy.”

Notwithstanding, the Bishopproffered that “justice is arequirement of every human being,because it is a contractualrelationship between us as a wholeand as individuals.”

He warned that whenever justice is

tampered with,the whole fabricof society is beingtampered with,“and in is our everyday lives, we areok with the tampering of justice. If weok with that, then we are unworthy ofthe gospel of Jesus Christ.”

It was time, Bishop Gordon went onto say, “for the church to grow up andtake up the requirements of thehousehold that God has put us incharge of,” and he emphasized that thechurch is not a game, since our liveshave to reflect the gospel of JesusChrist, “and the minimumrequirements of the gospel is that wemust be treated well, and with respectand with dignity.”

But even with those expectations,the Bishop urged his congregation to

‘give unto Caesar what belongs toCaesar and give unto God whatbelongs to God,’ but advised to hischurch to follow their conscience,“because the voice of your conscience isthe voice of God, and when you stopfollowing your conscience to followCaesar, you have a problem. And whenyou make Caesar bigger than God, youhave a problem.”

When the “law of the land becomesunjust, then you challenge it asGandhi did, as Martin Luther Kingdid, as Nelson Mandela did. Youchallenge it if it’s unjust, because yourfirst obligation is to God,” BishopGordon said.

A MUSCLE INJURY hasput a dent in PrimeMinister RalphGonsalves’ officialoverseas itinerary.

Instead, the PrimeMinister left the state onTuesday for Cuba, toseek medical attention.

A release, datedSeptember 22, 2014,from the PrimeMinister’s Offciedisclosed that “PrimeMinister Dr. RalphGonsalves has sustaineda muscular injury to hisright thigh which hasseriously affected hismobility… .”

According to therelease, he was treatedover the weekend by ateam of local medicalexperts, and was advisedto seek treatmentabroad.

As such, therefore, thePrime Minister’s he willnot now be addressingthe 69th General

Assembly of the UnitedNations. Minister ofForeign Affairs and sonof the Prime Minister,Camillo Gonsalves, willnow head thedelegation, and willdeliver the country’saddress to the UN onSaturday.

It wil laso mean thatthe Prime Minister willnot attend a town hallmeeting slated forSaturday, at theFriends of CrownHeights auditorium inBrooklyn, New York.Minister Gonslavesand Minister ofAgriculture SabotoCaesar are nowexpected to attend thatmeeting.

There is no indicationas to when the PrimeMinister would return toofficial duty. What isknown, however, is thatPrime Minister

Gonsalves has beenadvised, by his team oflocal medcial experts,that recovery from theinjury “cannot be undulyrushed.”

Muscle injury hampersPM’s overseas itinerary

Bishop Gordoncelebrates 3rdAnniversary withcall to do justice

His Lordship Bishop Jason Gordon called on VincentianCatholics to wake up to their obligation to ensure justiceprevails.

V THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 7.

Prime Minister Dr. RalphGonsalves, not for thefirst time, has been‘grounded’ as he seeksmedical attention.

IT IS SIMPLY NOTTRUE that ArnhimEustace is a cold andaloof personality thatlacks the commontouch. It is moreaccurate to say that he is indeed a seriousperson who learnt how to mix, but does notwallow.

Refreshingly natural, Arnhim greets peoplewith real warmth, minus the contrivedfolksiness, back-slapping and raucous laughterthat is skin-deep and put-on. And he doesseldom suffer fools gladly.

Still less is Arnhim a cost-cutting accountantdevoid of human feelings, though, it isadmitted, he can be blunt and forthright in allhis dealings. One caller to a radio station had toclimb down from an original claim, that innegotiating with teachers, Eustace had bellowed“Not a damn cent more for you”, and JeffTrotman, whom Glen Jackson had placed on thescene, could not recall a situation in whichEustace had virtually started a shouting-matchwith public servants across the bargaining-table. It is not his style, which is to be gentlebut firm.

It was, however, Eustace’s victory speech atVictoria Park which sent the Red Rats into about of hysteria. Arnhim’s hard-hitting missionstatement was described by his detractors asvicious and belligerent, precisely because it didnot match the image they had projected onEustace as a man who yields his ground ratherthan stand up and fight fire with fire.

The perception presented by Eustace’s criticswas that the speech was strident and bellicose,betraying a man headed for the warpath.Objectively, Arnhim had picked his wordscarefully in producing a speech that wasbrilliant, measured and appropriate.

Up to the time of his election as president ofthe NDP and Prime Minister designate, Eustacewas generally known for hisstraightforwardness, honesty and integrity. Topdrawer journalist Jerry George had describedhim as being incorruptible, while Stalky Johndeclared that in all his dealings with Eustace,the latter always “played with a straight bat”.

Since, however, politicians are corrupt bydefinition, there is currently an orchestratedattempt to stain his name and besmirch hischaracter, in a thinly-veiled attempt to derailhis election drive.

The New Bank matter will eventually comeout in the wash. In the meantime, however, onemay justly call in aid one of Mitchell’s favouritequotes: “You cannot tarnish gold with dirtywater”. Eustace himself has a more reflectiveresponse: “if that is what politics has descendedto, God help us”.

It is significant that public figures known tobe in opposition to the NDP - Bassy Alexanderand Patrick Hughes - have all publicly declaredtheir confidence in the innocence of Eustace vis-à-vis the Nano affair.

In regard to his professionalism, the picturepainted is that Arnhim suddenly appeared in StVincent around the mid-nineties, to serveMitchell as a sort of lacklustre, complianteconomist in the erection of “failed projects”.

The truth is that most projects are indeedimpressive. And back-up infrastructure hasbeen excellent - water, electricity, socialinsurance and the rest.

However, the main point stressed here isthat, in his earlier career, Arnhim proved to bea brilliant economist and public servant duringLabour’s Administration 1974-1978.

Within those five years, Arnhim, armed witha Master’s Degree in Economics, moved frombeing an Administrative cadet, to AssistantSecretary, to Manager DevelopmentCorporation, to Director of Planning toPermanent Secretary Agriculture (of whichBeache was junior Minister), completing the

distance at the tender age of 32years! He then walked out of his jobon a matter of principle!

Clearly, Eustace’s C.V. neatly fitsthe job description of the task he isnow called upon to undertake.

Nowadays the real theatre of action is locatedexternally, with only shadow-boxing takingplace locally. Arnhim has the wherewithal todeal with our external economic environment.

In his earlier years, Eustace had been amember of the Forum, and a radical presidentof the CSA. Indeed, it was generally believedthat the Labour Government had passed thedraconian Public Service Act 1971 specifically tocurb the political trespass of the likes ofEustace, Parnel Campbell, Kerwyn Morris andJohn Cato.

Deep down in the innermost reaches ofEustace’s psyche are commitments made to thepeople of this country in the philosophy of theForum which was partly captured in the DFMmanifesto of 1974.

The consultative process was referred to inthe promise to take directions from the civicsociety in general; there was the imperative ofrepresentatives reporting back to baseperiodically; for the institution of the system ofRecall: for a limit of two terms for a PrimeMinister; for a declaration of assets; for thecontinuing search for more appropriate andrelevant forms of governance.

What the country now sees as brilliant ideascoming from other sources are, in part, wantonplagiarism of thoughts Arnhim and companychampioned over 26 years ago!

As far back as the late 1960s, Eustace, whileattending University in Canada, had sent backhome to associates for publication in theFlambeau magazine an article with the tell-talelabel: “Obstacles to Economic Growth”. Usingdifferent fora, Eustace made a life-longcommitment to seek to eliminate, orsignificantly reduce, the cause of thoseobstacles.

Arnhim has always been as solid as theycome: feet anchored on the ground, head firmlyplaced between sturdy shoulders, and heartbeating to the pulse and rhythm of his people.

The speed and ease with which Eustaceshifted gear from technocrat to politician,speaks volumes on the versatility andadaptability of the convert eager to move fromthe stultifying atmosphere of the officeenvironment, regularly to catch a breath offresh air in identifying with the grass-roots.

Eustace’s stint with the CaribbeanDevelopment Bank opened to him a new worldinto which he had to find a niche for those smallCaribbean islands. He certainly impressed bothBank Presidents Willie Demas and Sir NevilleNicholls with whom he worked, as to thequality of what he offered.

As Prime Minster, Eustace could have adirect and wholesome influence in guiding ourdestiny and enhancing our survivability in aworld situation that daily challenges us.

The foregoing was written about 14 longyears ago when Eustace was about to take-overthe running of the NDP Government from SonMitchell.

In fact, his stint was short-lived, marred byturbulence, and eventually cut down by theRoad Block Revolution in a matter of months.

From that time onwards, Eustace has beenmanaging the SVG Opposition with good senseand equanimity, standing up to the misdeeds ofa bull in a china shop with aplomb.

After 14 years, the mists have clearedsomewhat, and the people now see that theNDP led by Eustace is the only saviour that canrescue them from the evil ways of the ULPGovernment that has lost its way, currentlyrunning amok.

IF WE AS A FLEDGING Caribbean civilization, coloured by a dominanceof Christian expression, accept that we have fractured humanrelationships and deprived each other of hope because of self-interestand greed, then we must also accept a responsibility to speak outagainst the unbridled economic and political paradigms that havewrought this distortion on us, and have advanced a privileged class atthe disadvantage of the poor.

That is a mouthful, but it is the model, if we would be honest,that has accounted for seemingly unjust economic and politicalpractices that have rendered some powerless, and continue to debartoo many from the negotiating table where decisions are made thataffect their lives.

For years, we, the people of the Caribbean, have been criticisedfor our inadequacies of industry and ambition; labelled aggressiverather than assertive and socially conscious.

We continue to be smeared by crime and violence, publiccorruption, fiscal mismanagement, as though we are the showcaseof all that is evil.

Somehow, though, amidst all that seem to strangle us, we havemanaged to impact other cultures through our music, sport anddrama. We have waged our own wars against systems of injusticeand oppression — colonialism — and continue so to do, with ourvanguard role in the claim for Reparations for genocide andslavery.

Our struggles to stake our claim have strengthened our resolve,never to return to the horrors of slavery and the deception offoreign rulers, never to back us up or to silence us.

We have come to believe in justice and the sacredness of humandignity.

Fortified thus, we are determined never to be destroyed norallow ourselves to be derailed, whether from within or without,from our vision, as articulated by the prophet Isaiah (40:4): “Everyvalley shall be filled, every mountain and hill brought low, thecrooked paths shall be made straight and the rough places smooth”.

Picture then our role as a Church propelled by the vision ofIsaiah, in our present day society.

It follows that our mission must be one that is pursued along apath characterised by a commitment to bear the cross on behalf ofthose who have been caught up as victims in valleys ofinopportunity, mountains of pressure in life’s daily undertakings,and stony and pot-holed causeways lined with promises ofgrandeur.

The modern history of the Caribbean has been blessed withchurches who have opted for a theology of the poor; of churches whohave accepted their ministry to the whole man; of enlightening thepeople to the darkness that threatens their pursuit of ensuring thatthe goods of the earth are put to use for the common good, and notfor selfish gain and ego-aggrandisement of a few.

Many of today’s political leaders, who have now conformed to theforms of governance which they once denounced, would have,during the heyday of discussion and debate about non-traditionalpolitical and economic systems, factored in the church as anintegral component of any struggle for transformation that wouldbenefit the majority and empower the people.

They would have invited the Church to stand with the masses,the down-trodden, the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and havebenefited from the Church’s acceptance of its prophetic role in thisregard.

Lest those political leaders forget, the Church has gone nowhere.It may have gone quiet allowing a new dispensation of nationalleadership to establish its ‘good intentions’. But even in so doing,the church is perhaps the only institution that remains founded onthe very principle that gave it its genesis so many centuries ago.That principle is simplified as a stand with good against evil; astand with what is principled against what is fork-tongued; a standthat speaks to safe-guarding the sacredness of human dignityagainst efforts to erode that God-giving attribute.

It is this ‘prophetic role’ that has sustained the universality ofthe church. It has lived through and may be has caused periods ofcrises; but it has done so always on the side of what its tenetsdictate as the correct thing to do.

Whether the recent ‘impasse’ here between the establishedchurches and the government is healthy or not, is not the issue.Open disagreement, as against shady snipes and innuendo, isalways healthy.

What is up for consideration is whether the church, in speakingout during a period of unquestionable division and derailmentamong God’s people, acted in fulfilment of its moral obligation tothose within and without its immediate precincts.

It that is the case, the church has remained true to itsfoundation from which many a political system has attempted toderail it, but few, if any, have succeeded.

8. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 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

The Church: Remainingtrue to its mission This is Arnhim Eustace: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

FRIDAY October 3rd, 2014 — It’s PINK DAY- whenthe public is asked to WEAR PINK on that day andcome to our PINK SALES at the SINGER Galleryfrom 9:00 a.m — 4:00 p.m. Tee-Shirts and Caps forour PINK CAP CITY WALK & the New 5K RUNwill be available; as well as Pink Cup Cakes, Totebags, and many other THINGS PINK. Pleasesupport this fund raising effort which helps tofinance women who need overseas treatment forBreast Cancer.

REGISTER to participate in the InauguralTrinity School of Medicine collaborative NEW 5KRUN/WALK from Arnos Vale Playing Field Road tothe GRASSROOTS TENNIS COURTS.

Wednesday, October 15th & Thursday, October16th - it’s the 10th Annual College & CareerExhibition (CACE), held in conjunction with theMinistry of Education. This takes place at theMethodist Church Hall, Kingstown - from 9:00 am -4:00pm. This is open to the public, and all areinvited to visit the Exhibition, have ‘face to face’with College recruiters and Counsellors; gatherinformation about college programmes, admissions,

scholarships and Campus news.Friday, October 17th —

Our PINK CAP CITYWALK - for BREASTCANCER AWARENESS- Come to our Walk &Rally which begins inHeritage Square at3:30pm.

Sunday, October 19th- The NEW 5KRUN/WALK held inconjunction with thestudent body of TrinitySchool of Medicine—Please sign up , Pleasedonate and add tooverall Wellness.

St.VINCENT & theGRENADINES MEDICALASSOCIATION

TODAY, the voices from below send a special thanks tothe media houses, Ms. Juno De Roche (representingDigicel) and PM Gonsalves. The article entitled “PMGonsalves aiding and abetting Digicel?” has served itspurpose.

At 12:05 pm, about 6 hours after iwn.compublished the article, a team of Digicelrepresentatives showed up and retracted severalstatements made the previous day.

I was told by a representative that my articleprompted a quick response from Digicel, and thatthey have decided to offer teachers the option ofchoosing between a post paid and a pre paid plan.Teachers were also given additional informationwhich elucidated many areas. As a result, I decidedto write a follow up article to express my gratitude.

A special thanks to all the newspapers in SVG.Your quick publication resulted in immediateaction. I admonish all Vincentians to keep up-to-date with current social issues affecting our country.

Secondly, I wish to thank my colleagues for thesupport they offered. Thirdly, Ms. Juno De Rochewas very professional, and offered her assistanceand advice where necessary.

Finally, Mr. Prime Minister, I must thank you forthe Education Revolution and the challenge youhave issued to Vincentians to be more articulateand critical. Mr. Ralph Gonsalves has influenced meto talk out against injustices, and I hope to beaccorded the privilege and honour to represent myfellow countrymen in the future.

As for my critics, being afraid to stand up forwhat you believe in and your fellow citizens, is thevery same reason why Vincentians will always betreated with disrespect, contempt, and be seen asuneducated.

Vanrick D. WilliamsVanrick.williams@hotmail.com

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 9.

LettersVTHIS IS A question that has been asked by anyonewho wants to change to a spiritual way of life.Many religious leaders purport to have an answerto this question; however, let us look at what theBible says concerning this question.

Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 tell us that“whoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall besaved.”

(Yahweh is the name for the Almighty, which isderived from the Tetragrammaton YHWH and notYWVH. The Hebrew letter that is pronounced V issa. This does not appear in the Name of theHeavenly Father. Therefore, YHVH or Yud YeVau He which links with the term Jehovah is notthe Tetragrammaton. Adding any other vowelpoints to the Tetragrammaton is definitelyerroneous.)

In Exodus 22: 20 we find: “He that sacrifices toany Elohim, except Yahweh only shall be utterlydestroyed.” “I am Yahweh, that is my name, andmy glory will I not give to another, neither mypraise to carved images.” Isaiah 42:8.

Acts 4: 12 tells us, “And in none other is theresalvation: for neither is there any other nameunder heaven that is given among men, in whichwe must be saved.” Matthew 1:21 states, “And Heshall bring forth a son; and you shall call his nameYahshua; for He shall save his people from theirsins.” Shall we compromise Matthew 1:21? If youhave a savior whose name does not meansalvation, it cannot save you from your sins.

Does the name Jesus mean salvation? Theanswer is no. Firstly, the Messiah was of Hebreworigin and Jesus is of Greek origin. The apostlePaul tells us in Acts 26:14 “–- I heard a voicesaying to me in the Hebrew language, “Saul, Saulwhy do you persecute me?” Secondly, there was noletter J in the Hebrew Alphabet. The letter J wasintroduced into the English Language in 1565 by aFrench Writer. What was the Messiah’s namebefore 1565?

Acts 2: 38 instructs us to repent and be baptizedfor the remission of your sins and you shall receivethe Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine that you are worshipping asubstituted mighty one?

Sheldon GoviaAssemblies of Yahweh at Cedars

What must we do to be saved?

I AM NOT a Vincentian,but I have manyVincentian friends herein New York. I havebeen following thedebate concerningmarijuana, that hasdeveloped in theCaribbean, and thoughtI would submit a smallpiece on the matter.

A lot of persons fearthat if marijuana islegalised for medicinaluse, that dispensarieswill sell to ordinaryusers.

I am not foolishenough to deny that thepossibility of abuse ofmedical marijuana doesnot exist; but even ifthat is the case, I find noproblem with that. Isn’tit better that theordinary user gets hismarijuana to buy from alegal outlet rather thanon the street from someyoung kid running forsome bigger drug lord?

It is time we legaliseall sale of marijuana,then all proceeds will goto legitimate business

owners and the state(through taxes).

Without legalisedsales, all proceeds go tocriminals and ultimatelythe drug cartels, who areresponsible for all thecrime/murders thatplague so many societiesacross the world. Icannot understand howanyone thinks that’spreferable to taxing andregulating the sales.

Thomas, S - NY/USA

Legalise marijuana

I CAN’T understand for all the tea inChina why Opposition Leaders makeit a habit of calling on the sittingGovernments to call general electionsbefore they are due.

In Trinidad and Tobago, OppositionLeader Dr. Keith Rowley has beenmaking this call, even though heknows that elections in that countryare not due constitutionally, beforeMay 2015.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, theopposition coalition, Team Unity, ledby Dr. Timothy Harris, has beenmaking a similar call, even thoughthey are aware that elections are dueconstitutionally by January 2015.

And here in St. Vincent and theGrenadines, the call is no different. Infact, the Opposition NDP, led byArhnim Eustace, seemed to havebegun that call a matter of monthsafter the last election, when they fullywell know that the incumbent ULP,led by Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, will notconcede to their call, given that

elections here are not constitutionallydue until December 2015.

Talk about singing from the samesong sheet?

Opposition leaders need to be moreresponsible in their duty to keep thegovernments on an even keel ratherthan spending time making calls andpronouncements that they know willbear little fruit. They need to stop thepolitics of distraction and get on withthe business of representing theirconstituents and that of theircountries.

I will be surprised if any incumbentgovernment in the CARICOM regionwill call his/her country’s next generalelections before they areconstitutionally due.

My hope is that the Oppositionparties across the region will not bespent forces, when the elections intheir countries are eventually called.

Sydney H

Call for general elections

Mr. Editor, I recently had a letterpublished in your newspaper(Aug. 9, 2014) in which I extendedcommendation for an activityhosted by Mr. Daniel Cummings,MP for West Kingstown.

Since then, I have observedthat persons in the constituencyrefer to their MP as Mr.Cummings. That is a show ofrespect that his constituents havefor him, and, I assume, he has forthem.

However, I cannot say that the

same ‘respect’ applies towhat obtains daily onmany of the call-in radioprogrammes. I have

noticed blatant disrespect for boththe offices of the prime ministerand opposition leader.

Many who call into theseprogrammes feel it is imperativethat they refer to these two byeither their Christian orsurnames, or by some otherunbecoming references. We putthese individuals in high office,and it is only right that we givethem their due respect.

I wonder if it is that thosepersons have lost respect for those

individuals. But, even if that isthe case, we must respect theoffices.

But I am going to be the first toadmit that if we don’t haverespect for ourselves, we are wontto be disrespectfully of others.

Children learn by example. Arewe setting good ones?

How difficult is it to say thePrime Minister or OppositionLeader instead of somedisrespectful reference?

Maybe the country needs totake a leaf from the book of theconstituents of West Kingstown.

Heather

Show respect

Redemption for Digicel

International Breast Cancer Awareness month

* Why arepersons who paytheir FLOW cabletelevision billsbeing directed tomake those chequesup in the name ofKarib Cable?

* Is theresomething behindthis thatsubscribers shouldknow?

* Why arecertain lawyershere saying thatRickie Burnette,who was onceDeputy Registrar ofthe High Court,should be given thejob as Registrar?

* Is it becausethey don’t think theperson beingfancied is suitablefor the job?

* Why are SSUand RRU membersnot made to sit inthe back of pick-upslike all citizens arerequired to do mylaw?

THE ISSUE

LAST WEEK, Arnhim Eustace, the leaderof the opposition NDP, continued hisunpatriotic strategy of putting fear in theminds of Vincentians, and that ofinsulting hardworking public officers.

Eustace told Vincentians, thatstudents who graduated with Associatedegrees from the St.Vincent and theGrenadines Community College, hadwasted their time and money, since thedegrees were worthless. He further saidthat “the University of the West Indies,UWI, is not recognizing them”.

According to Eustace, those students“can’t get time off from the university,and people are not accepting it as partof your qualifications, because you can’tget in at the UWI”. All this stems froma story told to Senator VynetteFrederick, by a student whoencountered some difficulty, when shetried to enroll at the UWI, to read for adegree in Law.

It is typical of the behavior of theNDP. Rather than doing some researchto get more information, and a betterunderstanding of the situation, Eustaceand his bunch rushed to the media, in avain attempt to give the ULPadministration a bloody nose, and togain political points.

They did not succeed.

Some critical facts

The accreditation process is beinghandled under the Further and HigherEducation (Accreditation) Act of 2006.When it was taken to the House ofAssembly on 22nd November 2006, nomember of the opposition NDP waspresent in the House. They were absenton one of their “boycotting” tactics.

Subsequently, the NationalAccreditation Board was set up in 2008with Dr. Rosalind Ambrose as thechairperson, and Kelvin Malcolm as thefirst executive director. That unit is stillin existence under Decima Hamilton, asenior education officer. The NAB hasbeen active in a number of ways,including the provision of informationfor persons who are interested in theaccreditation process. This year, theNAB hosted a conference which featuredCurtis Flloyd, the accreditation directorfrom Trinidad and Tobago, and whichoffered insight into the operations ofregional accreditation bodies. All thisinformation is available to the NDP, iftheir research people had checked.

The Current Situation

A number of important persons,including Prime Minister Dr. RalphGonsalves, Nigel Scott, the deputydirector of the SVGCC, and thePermanent Secretary in the Ministry ofEducation, Nicole Bonadie-Baker, haveprovided clarity in relation to the issueraised by the Opposition.

But perhaps the document thatoffered the most clarity, was a letterreceived from Professor Alan Cobley,UWI Pro-Vice Chancellor and chairmanof the UWI Board of UndergraduateStudies. He provided a detailed outlineof the matriculation regulations forassociate degree programmes, which theUWI adopted since 2006.This is a policydecision by the UWI.

He said in his letter, that normalmatriculation into UWI degreeprogrammes is possible for “Holders of

Certificates or Diplomas fromagricultural, teacher-training,commercial and technical institutions ofhigher education as approved by theBoard for Undergraduate Studies forthis purpose. Specific arrangementshave been made for the holders ofCertificates, Diplomas and AssociateDegrees as shown in Appendix I. Theinformation in the Appendix referred toindicates that the University formallyapproved the use of Associate Degreeswith a minimum GPA of 2.5 fromTertiary Level Institutions in the regionfor normal matriculation in 2006.

In addition to the above generalpolicy, since 2005, the University of theWest Indies has accepted the AssociateDegree in Education delivered by the StVincent and the Grenadines CommunityCollege in association with the JointBoard for Teacher Education in theEastern Caribbean (JBTEEC) foradvanced standing in the Bachelor ofEducation programme. We also signed aformal articulation agreement with theSVGCC in 2008 with respect to the CTOHospitality Associate DegreeProgramme and the Tourism andHospitality Associate DegreeProgramme. This agreement allowsgraduates of these programmes to enterthe University degree programmes inTourism and Hospitality Managementwith advanced standing (ie direct entryto Level II of the degree programme).This was followed in 2013 by anagreement to offer advanced standing toholders of the Associate Degree inBusiness Studies and the AssociateDegree in Psychology completed atSVGCC. The specific terms andconditions of all these agreements areset out in the Appendix. As you know,we are currently engaged in discussionsconcerning the granting of advancedstanding in our degree programmes forother associate degree programmesoffered by the College”.

This information is indeedinstructive, and puts the lie to claimsmade by the opposition that theassociate degrees are worthless.

Conclusion

By and large, very little attention isbeing paid by right thinkingVincentians, to the issue raised by theOpposition. A number of them havealready benefited from the associatedegrees offered by the CommunityCollege, and they are in a position toinform their friends and families aboutthis matter.

It is interesting to note that the UWIwas only accredited a few years ago.Does this mean that the degrees earnedby St. Clair Leacock, Patel Mathewsand Vynette Frederick, are not worthanything? It is clear to all and sundry,that the NDP’s only intention is to scareVincentians, into thinking that a nobleinstitution like the SVGCC, is flawed,and that the distinguished teachers andadministrators at the SVGCC, aredishonest.

How could anyone support such anasty, dirty party that is willing to tellblatant lies on Vincentians, in a vaineffort to seek political power in thiscountry?

GOOD MORNING ladies and gentlemenof the media and to those listening onradio and online. Thank you for beinghere and joining the NDP for thisimportant press conference. I ampleased to speak with you today.

The State of Affairs in St. Vincentand the Grenadines continues todeteriorate, and I have raised, againand again, the issue of the NationalInsurance Service (NIS) and itsexposure to government, and thesituation with Petro Caribe and St.Vincent Electricity Service (VINLEC).I will bring new information to thepublic on these matters, and theCommunity College today.

The National Commercial Bank,National Insurance Service andNational Properties

In the first term of the ULP,National Properties was formed. Itbought all of the properties owned bythe National Commercial Bank (NCB)at that time. They bought the banklocations at Union Island, Bequia,Canouan, Georgetown, Bedford Streetand the Reigate property prior to theconstruction of the banking facilitythere today. In order to make thesepurchases, the National Propertieshad to get a loan, and theyapproached the National CommercialBank for the loan to purchase theproperties from the NationalCommercial Bank. Where wasNational Properties going to find themoney to make the monthly paymentsfor the loan? They rented theproperties, not including Reigate, backto the National Commercial Bank

The Bank, which was formerly theowner of the building at BedfordStreet, was now paying a monthlyrent of $99,000.00, that is per month!Over five years, they paid 6 milliondollars in rent for the bank by themarket alone. That could buy thebuilding. Rental for the bank’sproperties, excluding Reigate, underthe lease between the NCB andNational Properties was 11.8millionover the five years. No wonder thebank had to be sold. That was themaster stroke!

We see the trend continuing. Thegovernment’s next target is the NIS.National Properties owes the NIS $50million. Will that be the next loanthat the NIS is approached for? WillNational Properties approach the NISfor $50 million to pay off the $50million they owe the NIS? Is this loanbeing serviced?

The situation at the St Vincent andthe Grenadines Community College

The second matter which I wish tobring to the attention of the publicand in particular to the students ofthe Community College is adisturbing situation regardingaccreditation at that Institution. Anypost secondary institution worth itssalt, that wishes to confer (Graduate)degrees and Associate Degrees on itsstudents, must apply for and receiveaccreditation for those degrees.

The application by the institution,in this case the Community College,must not only be done locally, butmust be done with universitiesregionally and internationally, whichthey expect their students to attend.From the time the college wasexpanded in 2009 to include offeringAssociate Degree programmes, theAccreditation of the College and itsprogrammes became a must.

How does accreditation work?

If you apply for entrance to do adegree at UWI for example, theuniversity will tell you first what theirentry requirements are. This is theminimum standard of academicqualifications you must have in orderto gain entry. They call thatmatriculation; so five O’levelsminimum, and three A’ levels or fiveO’levels, and an Associate Degreefrom an accepted tertiary institution.This is what is required for you toenter UWI in St Augustine, Cave Hilland Mona.

For the record, St. Vincent and theGrenadines Community College is noton the UWI list of accepted tertiaryInstitutions. This means that if youhave an Associate Degree from theCommunity College and you wish togo to UWI, the University will notgive any credit to your degree. Youwill not get into the school on thebasis of that qualification, and youwill not get time off as a result ofhaving an Associate Degree.

The only time the Associate Degreebecomes accredited is afteraccreditation has been granted. Ittherefore, cannot be appliedretroactively. Associate Degrees havebeen offered by the CommunityCollege since 2008. Today, more thana thousand young VincentianStudents have registered for AssociateDegrees. UWI accepts none of thesedegrees. They have no valuewhatsoever. They are not worth thepaper they are written on. Can youcompensate these young people for thetwo years of their lives that they havelost pursuing a useless degree?

The College Website does nothingto explain accreditation and itsimportance. It does not say that itsAssociate Degrees are not accredited.It advertises that it has accreditedprogrammes and when you call theydirect you to the UWI franchisearrangement which they have with St.Augustine campus only, and only forone level of one course BSc in SocialSciences. So the website misleads youinto thinking that all of the coursesare accredited. This is not true. Whenyou ask, what is the state ofaccreditation? The school says theyare working on it. This is not arevolution; this is revolting and aninsult to our youth.

Petrocaribe and VINLECFor some time now, I have been

concerned about who under thePETROCARIBE arrangement ispaying for the fuel used in theconstruction of the ArgyleInternational Airport. A recent studyby the Bank of Nova Scotia on theagreement has shown that in the caseof Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,the fuel for the airport is beingsupplied under the PETROCARIBEagreement. I am still asking thatquestion because I understand thatfuel leaves the tanks at VINLEC to bedistributed to the Argyle InternationalAirport. Does VINLEC pay for thisfuel? If not, who does? If VINLECpays for this fuel it means that allVINLEC’s customers, who are thepeople of St. Vincent and theGrenadines, will be covering this costwhich we can see reflected in the highelectricity bills and the increased fuelsurcharge. That would be grosslyunfair and corrupt.

10. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVThe State of Affairs in SVG continues todeteriorate(Press statement delivered bythe Hon. Arnhim Eustace on 17thSeptember, 2014)

The Accreditation issue; A stormin a tea cup

“Whether you be man or woman,you will never do anything in thisworld without courage. It is thegreatest quality of the mind nextto honour.” - James Lane Allen(1849–1925) American novelist,school and college teacher

IT OFTEN TAKES COURAGE to stand upand stand out for what is right andhonourable. This is especially so whenassociates and/or friends appear to belistening to a different drummer ... ordancing to a different tune. Sometimes,we describe such influences as peerpressure. Those of us who are in ourpost-youth era will recollect the kinds ofpressures we may have been exposed toas we transited the adolescent period.Many researchers and writers advocatethat this is probably the most sensitiveperiod of development – as wetransition from childhood to adulthood.The quest for acceptance is extremelystrong during this period. There are somany physical, emotional, and socialchanges that take place at this junctureof our lives that, if we are not careful,we may be tempted to engage inchoices that have life-changing negativeconsequences. And this is why it isespecially important that adults makethe time and exert the effort to provideguidance to our wards at this criticalstage. We need to remind them that itis okay to stand up and stand out asbeing morally strong ... and not to givein to the temptations to blend in withthose whose principles have beencompromised. But it takes courage forthem to do so. Standing up andstanding out for what is noble takesguts.

The challenge to stand up andstand out is a positive way is notlimited to those individuals who aretransiting childhood to adulthood. Weall have those challenges from time totime. These may periodically emergefrom in some workplaces. Forexample, it may seem so very easy forsome employees to “go with the flow”and to “blend in” with those whorationalise stealing from theiremployees. And that theft is notlimited to stealing assets (e.g. paper,ink cartridges, envelopes, etc.). It alsoincludes those who steal time; as inthe case when employees who getfamily members to telephone theirsupervisors and claim that they are illwhen this is certainly not the case.Some seek to justify such activities byclaiming that “the company owes methis or that anyway”. And woe to theemployees who claim that “everyoneelse is doing it and so should I”. Weshould never seek to justify anactivity that we know to bewrong/dishonest. And we should notpursue such behaviours becauseothers are doing it and “gettingaway”. We know better than that.We are better than that. It is trulyamazing how many young persons(and older ones too) reveal that theyhave become comfortable “blendingin” with situations as I have describedin this paragraph. There are somecompanies and countries where suchbehaviours are perceived to be“normal” and “quite acceptable”(because so many individuals areengaged in such practices). However,I have discovered that, once theconversation is brought out in theopen, and the activities are exposedfor what they are, many of theprevious perpetrators commit to

turning a new leaf; prepared to standup and stand out for what is honest;turning away from corrupt activities.It therefore behoves our leaders inbusiness, government, and society toengage in more conversations of thisnature as we seek to build betterorganisations and citizens.

Encouraging individuals to standup and stand out in a positive waywill require that those who areengaged in championing suchbehaviours “walk the talk”. Oursociety is crying out for leaders whowill champion positive change. Butour leaders must live the change thatwe are advocating. We must practisewhat we preach. We cannot beeffective or efficient coaches andmentors unless and until we providefollowers with good examples. Iregularly use the case of Aristotle(384 BC — 322 BC) and Alexander theGreat (356 BC — 323 BC) as anexample of this. When youngAlexander’s father, King Philip II ofMacedon (382 BC — 336 BC), recruitedAristotle to be Alexander’s tutor,coach, and mentor, his selection wasnot only based on Aristotle’s academicachievements; he also had to be agood role model to the young prince.King Philip II knew that his sonwould be well prepared for adulthoodif he had a good model to follow. Andthe rest is history. Alexander wentout and conquered the then knownworld. Examples matter. If we wantour wards to stand up and stand outfor what is decent and noble, we mustlet them observe it in our lives.

Margaret Heffernan (born 1955) isan international businesswoman,writer, and motivational speaker. Shehighlights the importance of standingout in a positive way whenever andwherever people congregate. Sheencourages managers and leaders tomake a concerted effort to encouragecritical thinking in the workplace.This is necessary if they woulddevelop cultures where individualswill seek to contribute to thecontinued positive evolution of theirorganisations or firms. Her motto is,“Let’s not play the game; let’s changeit”. If I had my way, I would add fourwords to her motto “... in a positiveway”. But we know that this is whatshe means. Each of us can make apositive contribution to the lives ofothers when we are prepared to standup and stand out for what is noble.We do not have to accept mediocritybecause the majority is comfortablewith average (or below average)performance. We (you and I) wantbetter than this for ourselves and forthose around us. We demand betterthan this. We commit, therefore, tostanding up and standing out in apositive way in our homes, schools,workplaces, neighbourhoods, serviceorganisations, and places of worship.We will press forward with courage,honour, and gusto to be the salt andlight to this generation and the next.

Send comments, criticisms &suggestions to

julesferdinand@gmail.com

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 11.

ViewsVWe are not goingany place fast

Blending in or standing out

AT A TIME WHEN ISSUES related to thefuture of our country are becomingincreasingly complex, the conversationabout these very complex issues isbecoming increasingly simplistic.Everything is placed in a narrow,partisan box. It is as if the entire countryis now blinded by narrow politics, as wecollectively disregard issues for whichboth parties may not yet have answers.

Here is the current state of play. Ifyou support the ULP, it must meanthat you are either blind or areslopping gravy or awaiting crumbs. Ifyou supported the government and nolonger do so, the sorry narrative isthat there was something youexpected but did not get it. And if youmake the mistake and support theopposition, it must mean thatsomething is radically wrong withyour head.

In politics, some people may bewearing blinkers, and others areeither drinking at the trough or expectto do; some may be hurt for onereason or the other and might havewithdrawn their support from eitherparty as a result. But I refuse toaccept the notion that most citizensexpect personal favours in exchangefor their support or votes at electiontime.

The paid propagandists or spindoctors have a vested interest inensuring that the partisan divide ismaintained or even widened. Theundiscerning supporter may be hood-winked, through false consciousnessor even wilful ignorance, to supporthis/her party, right or wrong.

What is absolutely baffling to me isthat some of the more educatedindividuals in society, many who inother areas of discourse are reasonedand rational, simply lose their sense ofbalance and sanity when it comes topartisan politics. This is not a call forpersons to abandon the major politicalparties. It is recognition thatsomething is radically wrong with ourdiscourse, and for us to step back fromthe rancour and rancid exchanges weso often engage in, and think aboutthe country before one or the otherpolitical party.

Too often, we confuse and conflateour party’s interest with that of thecountry’s. They are not one and thesame thing. We have yet to encountera politician or leader who is infallible.Leaders, because of their training,experience and the varying forcesdemanding their attention, may arriveat decisions which prove to be justplain wrong.

What must the supporter or evenparty member do in the face of arevelation that the policy or action ofthe leader or his/her party isdemonstrably wrong? I submit thatsunlight offers the best form ofventilation. We must fearlessly speakto the issues that confront the nationso that we draw from the successstories of others, and recognize theerrors of those who might havepreviously travelled a similar road.

But this is not to be. Listen anyconversation in SVG, and the battlelines are clearly drawn. There is nogive and take. The oppositionsupporter does not want to hear orlisten to anyone who expressessupport for the government. Thegovernment supporter is similarlyintolerant.

So where do we go for objectivity

and balance? Renwick Rose strives forsuch balance. He frequently cites‘errors of judgment’ on part of thecurrent leadership, but maintains afirm view that the Gonsalvesadministration has been good for thecountry in many areas. For hisforthrightness, he has been chargedwith being ‘too soft’.

Not so with most of the others.Perceived wrongs of the governmentare given optimum exposure. In mostcases, there is not even a mildgenuflection to anything which mighthave brought benefit or honour to thecountry or its citizens.

Talk radio is even worse. Politicaltalk represents glorification of one orthe other party and demonization ofthe opponent. Those talk showsaligned to the NDP and ULP can beexcused. What is absolutelyinexcusable are the voices thatamount to hollow drumbeat for theparties.

Few take the view that the countrycomes before the party. A muchsmaller group takes the strongposition, that in discussion of allthings national, there is a greaterchance for learning if we bring morelight and less heat.

If we take the tragic developmentat Clare Valley, where a house builtless than 5 years ago collapsed, theremust be blame to go around. Clearly,some of the houses were not properlybuilt. It may mean that some of the‘contractors’ may not have thenecessary skills, training andexperience for the tasks they werecharged with carrying out.

It may mean as well that thebureaucrats and professionals at theHousing and Land DevelopmentCorporation failed to do the necessarysupervision. It can also be said thatthe highest government authority, inits desire to satisfy the hunger ofnationals to own their own homes, didnot press those directly responsible,like former HLDC chief Morris Slaterand his staff, to ensure that there wasa first class development.

Too often home owners’ complaintswere disregarded; too many homeowners were made to feel as though,by being given an opportunity to owna house, they were done a favour.

But how crazy can we get? Does thetragedy of last Friday demand that weclose all of the homes? Is thegovernment housing initiative acomplete failure as some now claim?The correct course of action would beto swiftly correct the weaknesseswhich the home owners haveidentified and complained about for solong. We know some owners havecomplained about cracks in thestructures, and shaky foundations anddrainage. These need urgentattention. However, closure of theentire development goes too far.

Too often, all of us are experts oneverything. As a result, facts andknowledge suffer, while wild politicaltalk and propaganda thrive. If as anation we don’t move to change thisstate of affairs, I predict that we willnot go very far anytime soon.

Send comments, criticisms &suggestions to

wefirst@aol.com

THE ARGYLE AIRPORT PROJECT is an economic delusion,and is no foundation for a strong economy and thecreation of thousands of new jobs. No cost benefitanalysis has ever been produced to show the public thatthe hundreds of millions of dollars thrown away at Argyle,will actually boost the SVG economy.

The construction process at Argyle has wastedhundreds of acres of agricultural land, impoverishedand displaced farmers, displaced many other people,caused extensive pollution, and dragged the SVGeconomy down, so much that poverty is high,unemployment is high, and the ULP regime has beenforced to go begging to the IMF.

Many countries in the Caribbean region have hadinternational airports for decades and focused ontourism. The plight of their economies shows what’s instore for our people, unless we change course and focuson innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, universityeducation and a Green economy.

The finances of many islands in the Caribbean arein a huge mess and threaten to push up poverty. TheIMF calculates that public debt in the region averaged70% of GDP in 2012 and current-account deficits werea staggering 23%.

As several Caribbean states are in a currency union,they cannot devalue to boost exports. The result hasbeen a string of sovereign defaults in the region since2010, in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica, StKitts and Nevis, and Grenada.

Table 1 shows that the economic delusion of ‘aninternational airport and tourism’ to drive an economy,has created high debt in many countries in the regionand high debt to GDP ratios. The countries in Table 1have international airports and tourism for decades,

yet their economies are still in desperately weakstates, and many of their people unemployed and inpoverty.

Grenada defaulted on a $193 million debt in 2013,and the Barbados government has begun firing 3,000state workers to cut costs. The focus and economicdelusion of tourism is killing Caribbean economies. Theregion has a high level of poverty and unemployment.

SVG must change course, to create a strongeconomy and thousands of new jobs. We should look tosuccessful countries such as South Korea andSingapore, and follow their example. Singapore andSouth Korea have focused on innovation, technology,entrepreneurship, university education and Greenindustries, not tourism. The result has been incredible.

Table 2 shows that South Korea and Singapore havevery low unemployment rates. Their people have ahigh standard of living, and Singapore has the highestaverage income per person (GDP per capita) in theworld.

They both have a highly educated and skilledpopulation, and attract vast amounts of foreigninvestment. Singapore is ranked as the most attractivecountry for foreign investors in the Asia-Pacific region,and attracts 52% of foreign investment in that region.Foreign investment creates thousands of new jobs anda strong economy.

Singapore has the highest percentage of millionairehouseholds as a share of a country’s total householdsat 15.5%. South Korea is listed as number 14 for topnumber of millionaire households in a country.

SVG is in a state of economic desperation. TheArgyle airport project is an economic delusion andfinancial misfit.

To create a strong economy and thousands of newjobs, SVG must focus on innovation, technology,entrepreneurship, university education and Greenindustries. We must take back our fish licence fromTaiwan, and create our own tuna fishing and fishprocessing and canning industry.

We must also turn to electricity from renewableenergies, to reduce costs, and abolish the unfair taxand customs duty exemptions given to the super-rich ofMustique and Canouan.

The Argyle airport project is an economic delusion,and will never take off. It is dragging our economy andpeople down.

SVG Green Partywww.svggreenparty.org

Argyle airport - no guaranteeof a strong economy

12. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsV

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY

THE CARIBBEAN PERFORMINGArts Federation (C-PAF) Inc., anendeavour aimed at bringingsome islands of the Caribbeaneven closer together, has beenlaunched here.

The launch took placeFriday 19th September, at thePeace Memorial Hall,Kingstown. This followedsimilar exercises in Dominica,where C-PAF has beenincorporated since 2012, St.Lucia and Grenada.

According to the C-PAFfoundation document, theFederation is a member-driven organization which‘seeks to develop, foster andpromote the Performing Artsprimarily in the OECS sub-region and eventually on aglobal scale’.

It intends to: facilitate thedevelopment of an enablingenvironment for theimplementation of a moreintegrated OECS creative artssector; develop the educationaland performing artsprogrammes targeting both inschool (primary and secondarylevels) as well as out of schoolyouths; give focus to theprofessional and personaldevelopment of industrypractitioners; establish a database including but not limitedto industry practitioners andsupport services, and acalendar of events in theOECS Territories.

Samuel Browne, St.Vincent and the GrenadinesC-PAF Director withresponsibility for Media andCommunications matters, atlast Friday’s launch, outlinedplans for the institution’sflagship programme‘Caribbean Gems’, scheduledto be aired on the CaribbeanMedia Corporation’s CaribVision television programme,January 2015.

Irvin Durand, Dominica-based Executive Director ofC-PAF, outlined the concept

behind the formation, andcommitted his full resolve tothe success of the endeavour.

The launch also heard afeature address by Speaker ofthe Organisation of EasternCaribbean SatesConstituentAssembly, RenéBaptiste.

She describedthe C-PFA as anambitious step,warned that thejourney will behard, and made itclear that a lot willbe needed in orderto “sustain aFederation.”

She urged, “Wewill have to loseour insulartendencies and‘islandness’,” as aprerequisite to C-PAF’s success.

Baptisteendorsed the CPAFand expressed thehope that it wouldsucceed.

Also formingpart of theprogramme wascalypsonianKenneth ‘VibratingScakes’ Alleyne,who performed,accompanyinghimself on theguitar. The Dancetroupe La Graciadisplayed theirflair to the song‘Drop the bumperdown’ done byShaunelleMcKenzie.

The NationalTask Force of theVincentian armwas alsointroduced. Itsmembershipcomprises SamuelBrowne, ShaunelleMcKenzie, JillianLlewellyn, RonaldFrancis, and

Dorson Lewis. The sectors of the

Performing Arts that C-PAF isexpected to engage itself aremusic, dance, theatre, comedy,film and fashion.

NewV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 13.

Those in attendance at lastFriday’s launch included (L-R): Cultural Officer AnthonyTheobalds and President ofthe SVG Association of MusicProfessionals Orande‘Bomani’ Charles.

PerformingArts Federation launched here

René Baptiste (2nd from left) with (L-R): Chief ExecutiveDirector Irvin C. Durand of Dominica; Sandra A. James ofGrenada, Marketing Director; and Samuel Browne of St.Vincent, Media & Communications Director.

Kenneth ‘Scakes’Alleyne performedto his ownaccompaniment.

14. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

THE WEST ST. GEORGE Secondary School came into being because it was recog-nized that there was a need to engage students from the surrounding areas, who were not successful in the Common Entrance Examinations. This was in keeping with the Government’s thrust – ‘No Child Left Behind’ and the plan to ensure Universal Access to Secondary Educa-tion unfolded. Consequently, in Septem-ber 2004, the West St George Secondary School opened its doors to some one hundred and two (102) students. The school was headed by Ms. Alinda Hypolite with a staff of six teachers who marshaled their resources and worked diligently with those students. We are fortunate today to have two of those teachers with us still – Mr. Innis Primus and Mrs. Khadisha Plaugh-Jackson. At that time the school offered a limited curriculum. The school was then housed in one of the build-ings that comprised the Belair Government School compound, now the Trinity School of Medicine. After a few years, this facility was bursting at the seams as the student body expanded, creating an urgent need for increased space. Today, ten years later, the school is now in a magnificent building with sufficient space, mani-cured lawns and an ebullient atmosphere. As it now stands, the school has a population of

four hundred (400) students and twenty-five (25) teachers. These teachers are continuing to fervently attack the task set before them, like their predecessors. Though the student body consists primarily of students who would not have been success-ful at Common Entrance, the school has seen successes in many areas during its existence to date.

Successes to date In 2009, when our first cohort sat the CSEC exam-inations, they performed outstandingly, scoring an almost 60% overall pass rate. This year, the school had a 67% overall pass rate, its highest pass rate to date, and placed 10th in the ranking for CSEC in the country. In sports, we continue to be a force to reckon with. Our cricket team secured the zonal win in this year’s United Insurance Secondary Schools Competition. Our students have now become involved in a table tennis development programme. Our own Delshun Welcome, became the first student in the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to represent this country in Beach Volley Ball in the Youth Olympics, in China, 2014. Our presence can also be

felt in the cultural arena. In 2007, we placed 2nd in both the Junior Calypso and Soca Monarch Competitions, in the persons of Natalie Gibson and Fellisha John. In 2012, Stephanie Mascoll put us in the 1st position in the Environmental Calypso Competition; and in 2011, Lystra Burgin brought home the Best Written Song in the CWSA Water Week Song Competition. This year, Niesha Richards won the Junior Soca Monarch. Our Drama group continues to perform in the National Drama Competition, and has won Best Make-up, Best Original Play and Best Set Design awards over the years. The School has also been represented in other competitions – Ms Vanelle Matthias came out on top in the ECGC Secondary School Culinary Competition. We reached the finals of the National Public Speaking Competition, placing 1st in 2010 and 2nd in 2013, and the 2014 finals of the Tourism Panel Discus-

sion. Our Extra-curricular offerings are wide and varied. Within the school’s operation, we have various clubs where we provide opportunities for our students to develop holisti-cally. These include the Environmental Club, Girl Guides, Young Leaders Programme, Peer Counsel-lors, Mentorship Programme, Inter-School Christian Fellowship and

the Amateur Reporters Club. Undoubtedly, the West St. George Secondary School has made great strides as a school, and has been able to nurture and develop the young minds that have passed through its gate. We have alumni who have helped, and will contin-ue to help develop this country. (Contributed by the West St. George Secondary School)

The West St. George Secondary School’s 2014 Awards and Recognition Ceremony.

Sports Day at the old West St. George Secondary School.

The Small Goal Football team.The school’s Girl Guides.Agriculture students in uniform.

Staff at the West St. George Secondary School.Inset: The first set of graduates at the school in 2008.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 15.

16. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 17.

DiasporaVPenn Relaysfund-raisera successStory and photos byNELSON A. KING naking@verizon.net;neloking@msn.comUS CORRESPONDENT

ORGANIZERS HAVEDESCRIBED as verysuccessful a recent PrayerBreakfast in Brooklyn, NewYork, aimed at raisingmuch-needed funds toassist Vincentian athletesat the prestigious PennRelays Carnival inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.

“The breakfast thisyear was verysuccessful,” said YvetteDeShong-LaBorde, who,with her sisters — Rositaand Evelyn DeShongoriginally of OldMontrose, and ClaudetteButler-Thomas ofMurray’s Village -spearheaded the secondannual event, on Sept.13, at the Friends ofCrown HeightsEducational Center inBrooklyn, in aVINCENTIANinterview.

The Breakfast washeld in collaboration withthe Brooklyn-basedVincentian umbrellagroup in the UnitedStates, Council of St.Vincent and theGrenadinesOrganizations, U.S.A.,Inc. (COSAGO).

“We worked togetheras a team, and made ithappen with the help offriends and family ... . Itwas good to see everyonecome out and support us,and it also felt goodknowing that we didsomething positive forour country and the kids(Vincentian athletes) atthe Penn Relays,” saidYvette DeShong-LaBorde.

“It was a lot of workputting everythingtogether, but it wasworth it,” she assuredTHE VINCENTIANabout the PrayerBreakfast.

COSAGO PresidentLaverne McDowald-Thompson told patronsthat they attended theevent “because youchoose to support thisworthy cause.”

She noted that it wasa “very worthy fundraiserthat the DeShong sistersand Claudette Thomas-

Butler find in theirhearts to sponsor, to helpCOSAGO and SVGOP(St. Vincent and theGrenadines Organizationof Pennsylvania) raisethe funds to coverexpenses for our athletesduring their week’s stay,as they prepare andparticipate in the games.

“These ladies havetaken the responsibility,and gave unselfishly forthe second year to thiscause,” McDowald-Thompson said. “Onbehalf of COSAGO, Ithank them very, verymuch for their continuedsupport. Also, I thankyou (patrons) forsupporting the event.”

New York CounselGeneral Selmon Waltersalso lauded theorganizing group forstaging the event, statingit was a very worthwhileinitiative to “help thechildren of St. Vincentand the Grenadines.”

Besides prayers, as theevent implies, theBreakfast featured,

among other things,singing, poetry andremarks.

The mouth-watering localdelicacies comprised,among others,blackfish, stewed salt

fish and salt fishcake, fried fish, stewed

‘back and neck’ chicken,smoked herring, tri- tricake, liver, sausage, friedplantain, bacon, friedbakes, penny bread,sweet potato and sweetpotato pudding, roastbreadfruit, and corn andoatmeal, and patronswashed them down withginger beer, sorrel andmauby.

Cordice, a formerSVGOP president,commended theDeShongs, Thomas-Butler and COSAGO for“the concept,” as well asthe Friends of CrownHeights EducationalCenter, headed byCalliaqua nativeVaughan Toney, formaking the centeravailable free of charge.

Cordice was alsoparticularly high inpraise for COSAGOtreasurer O’BrienSimmons, originally fromBequia, for “askingCOSAGO to assistSVGOP in partnering inthe SVG- PENN Relaysprogram.

“What moves memost is that I made onecall to Simmons back in2011, and he and

COSAGO’s support havegone platinum over thepast four years (thatVincentian athletes haveparticipated in thegames),” Cordice toldTHE VINCENTIAN.

“We are, indeed, usingsports as a vehicle for theacademic enhancement ofour students,” he added.“Please continue tosupport Team SVG, aswe attempt to gain amedal at Penn (Relays)in 2015.”

Cordice said, thoughhe had reached out to

other secondary schoolsin St. Vincent and theGrenadines, to competein the games, only theThomas SaundersSecondary School has, forthe past four years,heeded his call.

He, however, said thatthe St. Vincent and theGrenadines CommunityCollege has expressedinterest in participatingnext year, and he hopedthat the St. Vincent andthe Grenadines GrammarSchool will also do so.

Prayer Breakfast organizing committee.

Section of patrons at Prayer Breakfast.

Left: Claudette Thomas-Butler addresses PrayerBreakfast.

18. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

EnvironmentV

by KENVILLE HORNE

THIRTY (30) LOCAL TECHNICIANS havebeen trained and certified in Retrofitting,Safe Handling and Storage ofHydrocarbons and other Refrigerants andthe Introduction to AlternativeTechnologies.

They were accorded theircertification during a cocktail receptionto mark International Day for thePreservation of the Ozone Layer, 16thSeptember, at the Methodist ChurchHall.

Gary Peters, Trainer and HydroChlorofluorocarbon ManagementConsultant, described the occasion astestimony of the effort of the small buthard working team at the NationalOzone Unit.

He expressed confidence in thecommitment of the technicians,describing them as the ones bestplaced to alter the mindset of the localair-condition/refrigeration industry,and implored them to always considerthe environment.

Training sessions were held in 5-day sessions, as well as part timeevening sessions, over a period of twoyears. The first phase of the trainingprogramme was initiated with a batchof technicians in April last year,followed by a second batch this year.

The technicians who receivedcertificates were from the first batch oftrainees.

Sessions were conducted at the newand modern training laboratory at theDivision of Technical and VocationalEducation of the St.VincentCommunity College.

Delivering feature remarks,Minister of Health, Wellness and theEnvironment Clayton Burginexpressed pleasure with the work ofthe National Ozone Unit, noting that“the professionals in that Unit haveover the years demonstrated a level ofdedication to the mission that has

made it asuccessful one.”

The Ministerhighlighted SVGas having madetremendous efforts in the phasing outof Ozone depleting substances, infulfilment of the obligations under theMontreal Protocol. For this, he said,the country was recognized by theUnited Nations EnvironmentalProgram in 2011 and “became the firstcountry in Latin America and theCaribbean to receive approval andfunding for over $1 million toundertake and accelerate a phase outmanagement plan for HydroChlorofluorocarbons.”

The function also witnessed thelaunch of four refrigeration and airconditioning Recovery Centres and theOzone Educational Handbooks. Theindividuals and companies involved inthe Recovery Centres are AllanOllivierre, SVG Community CollegeDivision of Technical and VocationalEducation, Trotman’s ElectronicsServices Ltd. and Mustique Company.

International Day for thePreservation of the Ozone Layer 2014was celebrated under the theme ‘TheMission Goes On’.

Thirty readyto save theozone layer

Clayton Burgin,Minister ofHealth, Wellnessand theEnvironment,highlighted SVGas having madetremendousefforts in thephasing out ofOzone depletingsubstances .

Gary Peters,Trainer,challenged thegraduates to leadthe fight to alterthe mindset inthe localrefrigerationindustry.

Technicians proudly display theircertificates in the company ofMinistry of Health officials andTraining Facilitator.

Lennox Da Breocontinues to put hisfaith in the earning potentialof banana cultivation.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 19.

NewsV

by KENVILLE HORNE

EDITOR’S NOTE: THE VINCENTIANconcludes its coverage of visits withfarmers who have been recipients ofassistance from the Farmers SupportCompany (FSC).

On Thursday 11 September, mediapersonnel also visited with Lennox DaBreo at his 16-acre farm in MountYoung, and Zerah Sutherland’s farm inRabacca.

Faith in banana

Da Breo considers himself a “major”banana farmer, but also cultivatesplantain, dasheen, yam, tannia andcocoa.

The Park Hill resident related howhis loan application to the FSC wasquickly approved, and that the loandisbursed to him was used “to purchasefertilizers, insecticides, pesticides,treated Diotine, and I get about fourweeks pay for workers.”

He currently employs seven workers,a reduction from twelve.

Da Breo is passionate about bananacultivation, and made an appeal forfarmers to return to the industry.

“Banana is one of the green gold of St.Vincent, and to me, there is no othercrop in SVG you can replace bananawith, none, absolutely none,” declaredDa Breo.

As far as he is concerned, “…you canhave a banana field for up to 20 years,and cutting banana from it every week.The only thing that could prevent youfrom harvesting banana every week froma good banana field is disasters, such ashurricane.”

He boasted about earning as much asEC$22,000 a week from banana salesduring the heyday of the industry.

Da Breo also called on farmers whohave received assistance from the FSC,to utilize it well and repay their loan.

Farming is a business

Zerah Sutherland’s farm at Rabacca isa diversified operation. It includes cropcultivation, honey, small ruminants andpoultry production and a dairy productcomponent.

Sutherland is singing praises to theFSC for its assistance. He said he wasable to secure a loan from the companyto purchase equipment - milk machine,pasteurization machine, low cut machine- for his dairy project. He now produceslow fat milk, pasteurized milk and freshmilk.

“I feed myself. I don’t buy meatperiod. Farming is a business to me. Iuse to do construction, and I sold outthat part of the business. Farming helpsend my children to school, anduniversity, so it may as well I justcontinue with farming, live the rest ofmy life and relax as a farmer,” saidSutherland.

The team of visiting media personnelwas also treated to a demonstration ofSutherland’s state of the art rotavator,that assists with the ploughing of the

land. The rotavator forms part of

Sutherland’s plan to capitalize onmechanization in agriculture. Already,he has seen savings in wages, and hasquickened the turnaround time betweenploughing and sowing his field.

Sutherland feels assured about therewards of his endeavours in agriculture.

AT LEAST ONEcommunity-based grouphere undertook a practicalexercise to markInternationalEnvironmental Day,Saturday 20th September,2014.

Members of the GreenHill Sports and CulturalClub (GHSCC) Inc., withsupport from the SolidWaste ManagementUnit/CWSA, took tocleaning one of the

tributaries that feed theNorth River, which flowsinto the sea at the RosePlace area of theKingstown waterfront.

The area identified forcleaning was a quartermile, stretching from thebridge next to theStephens residencenorthwards through anarea known as ‘Rocks’,along which a number ofpersons reside.

According to a GHSCC

release following theclean-up, which wasreduced to a one-hourundertaking from anoriginally planned twohours, items removed fromthe banks of the steamincluded plastic and glassbottles, plastic bags andwrappers, galvanise, metaltins, iron and steel andlinens (pillows andsheets).

The release explainedthat the period allocatedfor the clean-up wasreduced after there was apoor turnout of residents,who had committed theirsupport after members ofthe Club had visited withthem prior to the clean-upday.

Had there been agreater work force,perhaps even more of thearea would have beencleaned, concluded anofficial of the Club.

Meanwhile, the GHSCChas issued an appeal toresidents along the North

River and its tributaries,and citizens in general, todesist from depositinggarbage in rivers andalong their banks.

They are encouraging

all citizens to make use ofthe scheduled garbagecollection service providedby the Solid WasteManagement Unit/CWSA

which, the Club reminds,citizens pay for as an‘Environment Fee’attached to their monthlywater bills.

Members of the Green Hill Sports and CulturalClub recorded types and quantities of garbageremoved from a quarter mile area of the NorthRiver.

Too much garbage in our streams

Banana cultivation in full bloom on Da Breo’s farm.

Farmers Support Company:A blessing to farmers Part 2

Zerah Sutherland has a diversifiedoperation which he finds mostrewarding.

Mechanization has brought savings toSutherland’s operation.

by HAYDN HUGGINS RUTH ROSS, a member of theVincentian Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals(VSPCA), is calling on persons whohave cats and dogs, to have themspayed and neutered (tied off).

According to Ross, “By doingthat, we improve the health ofhomes, communities and thecountry as a whole, as many ofthese animals have sexuallytransmitted diseases that theypass on to each other, and whichcan be passed on to humanbeings as well.”

Ross cited that “Sometimes wehave scabies and rashes, andmost of the times we don’t knowthe cause. So by taking care of

the animals, we are alsotaking care of ourselves.”

She emphasised that theonly prevention againstspreading of these diseaseswas by spaying andneutering.

“Moreover,” Ross said,“spaying and neutering willstop the animals fromfighting, congregating witheach other and mating.”

Noting that the best timeto perform the surgeries iswhen the animals are from five monthsup, she informed that the VSPCA hasbeen holding a series of spaying andneutering clinics throughout the state.

The next clinic is scheduled forOctober 4 at the Arnos Vale PlayingField, when the VSPCA will also launchits Mobile Clinic.

The VSPCA is a non-profit

organization dependent on contributionsand donations from the general public.

Persons are invited to makecontributions to what Ross describes asan organization that is committed toensuring a healthy environment for thechildren.

“Taking care of the animals is onestep in this direction,” Ross quipped.

20. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsVVSPCA on spaying/neutering drive

Look out for the VSPCA Mobile Clinic inyour community.

Ruth Ross of theVSPCA is urgingpersons to considerhaving their dogs andcats spayed andneutered.

Performing a surgery at one of the communityclinics conducted by the VSPCA.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 21.

LeisureVACROSS

1.Where Berlin is(abbr.)

4. Installed tile8. “Silkwood”

actress12. Consumed

food13. Rights group

(abbr.)14. Rent15. Treasure16. Hardens17. __‐mutton

(hyph.)18. Taverns’

stock20. Conjunction,

informally22. Monk24. Sneaks a

peek27. “Am not”,

slangily28. Tavern29. Class31. __ player

(VCR’ssuccessor)

32. Hag34. Sister35. Visualize36. Author

Deighton37. In‐box item38. Orchard

growths40. Jumped

41. HumorousCostello42. Swallow43. “Star Wars”

knight46. Bounciness48. “__ Love

You” (2 wds.)

51. Constituentpart

52. Accurate53. Used a

match54. “Singing

Cowboy”Autry

55. Houston and Elliott

56. Pulver’s rank (abbr.)

DOWN

1.Vaudevillian’s joke

2. Summer, in Paris

3. Leftover part4. Type of beer5. Crack pilots6. In need of

chickensoup

7. Broom’s partner

8. Actress Sevigny

9. Make tracks

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)You can learn from those who havehad similar experiences. You will havea problem holding on to your cash thisweek. You may find it difficult to com-municate with someone at work. Stressmay cause minor health ailments.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21)You can make money through yourown creative efforts. Think twice beforeyou volunteer information. Use discre-tion, especially if involved with some-one from work. You will find that moneycould slip through your fingers.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21)Don't give your heart too readily.Sudden changes in your financial situa-tion are likely. You will be emotionalabout your personal life. You should beon the road.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)Try not to discuss important matterswith colleagues. Resistance leading toconflict will only make it twice as hardto turn the situation around. Emptypromises are evident; therefore, get itin writing, to be safe. Don't let opposi-tion from those envious of your talentsdaunt your progress.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22)You should consider submitting someof your written work for publication. Youshould be raising your self-esteem andconfidence in order to promote yourwork. You may want to talk to yourboss about your future goals. Your abil-ity to visualize will help you convinceothers of the possibilities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)Unstable relationships are likely. Don'tbe too eager to dismiss someone whoworks under you. You're intuitive thisweek; however, this attribute could getyou in trouble if you tactlessly say whatyou think. Your need to be in a leader-ship position will help you surpass anyrivals you might encounter.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)You need an outlet that will not onlystimulate you but also challenge yourintelligence as well. Be fair, not colorful.Your honesty will not only win youpoints but also respect. If they're toodemanding, reconsider this union.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)You will meet exciting new peoplethrough interest groups or functions thatyou attend with your children. Now isthe time for completing hobbies thatyou've been working on for a long time.Your lack of attention may have been afactor. Stick to your own projects and bythe end of the day you'll shine.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)Your ability to add a sophisticated touchwill help you capture the look you'reafter. Be creative in your pursuits. Yourmagnetic, outgoing personality will cap-ture hearts. Overstatement will be yourdownfall.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)Make sure that you have all the perti-nent facts before taking action. Secretaffairs can only lead to devastating cir-cumstances. They didn't fully understand what was expected. Your ability toferret out secret information will leadyou to an inside scoop on an amazingfinancial deal.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19)You can gain approval, get kudos, andask for help if you put a little heart intoyour speech or request. You can get alot done if you get your hands on theright equipment. Be sure to cover all thenecessary groundwork before signingbinding contracts. Read some books onself awareness.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)Your intuition will be right on. Followyour feelings in matters pertaining tofinancial investments. Avoid any gossipand be careful that you aren't misinter-preted. Get back down to earth and tobasics. You will have to make changesin order to eliminate the tension.

10. Measure ofwork

11. Music’s __Speedwagon

19. Nero’slanguage

(abbr.)21. Now’s

partner22. Passing

fashions23. Bolt25. Treat from

Hawaii26. Slouch28. __ Ami30. Wood

feature32. Egyptian

queen,informally

33. End products

37. Baseball’s Ott

39. Upper Class40. Melodic

instruments42. Sulky

43. Earthen‐ware vessel

44. WSW’s opp.45. Confused

noise47. A Gershwin49. Misdeed50. “__ not fair!”

LA

ST

WE

EK

’sS

OL

UT

ION

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ANTHONY

IMANI PRE-SCHOOL andDay Nursery, situated atNew Montrose, came in forspecial recognition at lastTuesday’s, (September 23)launch of a High ScopeTrainer of Trainers

Workshop, at FrenchesHouse.

The Workshopconcluded yesterday,Thursday.

Founded some 16years ago by Biabounative Joel Woodley andhis wife Onia, whocontinues to direct and

manage the day to dayoperations, Imani Pre-school and Day Nurseryhas a current enrolmentof 70 children and a staffof 13 teachers, a cookand a cleaner.

Woodley’s interest inestablishing an earlychildhood service here

was encouraged by hisyears of work with theCanadian Save theChildren Fund. He alsogained experience whileresiding in England.

Workshop focus

The three-dayexercise, coordinated bythe Ministry ofEducation and theUnited NationsInternational Children’sEmergency Fund(UNICEF), wasconducted by Antiguaand Barbuda’s EarlaMusgrave-Esdaille andher compatriot EmblerSpencer.

Musgrave-Esdaille, ina preview of theworkshop, pointed to thebenefits of exposure toearly childhoodeducation, for childrenthree to five years.

Musgrave-Esdaillehighlighted the emphasisthat the Workshop wasexpected to place on playin children’sdevelopment, assuringthat the workshop wouldhave made training “funand memorable.

“We will be playingand having fun whilelearning,” Musgrave-Esdaille promised.

Senior Education

Officer (Curriculum)Aldia Gumbs-Dyer notedthe critical aspect ofreading and the trend ofincorporating earlychildhood education intothe reading module.

Gumbs-Dyer isanticipating that thosewho took part will learn,share their knowledgeand pass on their skillsto their colleagues atwork places oncompletion.

Gwenette Cambridge,Senior Education Officer(Early ChildhoodEducation), praised theHigh Scope Trainingmodule, and commendedthe countries of AntiguaBarbuda, Grenada andDominica, where thepolicy and programmeare now entrenched.

Children from Imaniand Vinsave pre-schoolsprovided liveperformances at theopening ceremony.

22. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

EducationV

Earla Musgrave-Esdaille, WorkshopFacilitator, highlightedthe role that play has inearly childhoodeducation practices.

Joel Woodley, founderof the Imani Pre-schooland Day Nursery, whichcame in for specialrecognition.

Imani Pre-schoolrecognised

V THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 23.

by E. GLENFORD PRESCOTT

PAMENOS BALLANTYNE, not for the firsttime, is in disagreement with commentsfrom a spokesperson of the local trackand field ruling body.

On Wednesday, the country’sleading distance runner told THEVINCENTIAN that he was not insupport of comments made bySecretary of Team Athletics SVGTyrone ‘Chenear’ James earlier thismonth, about the non-participation ofyoung distance athletes.

James, in speaking about theorganisation’s road programme, hadcited the participation of Ballantyneand other top athletes as the mainreason for young aspirants not takingpart in some of the local events.

“It resulted in some of the youngathletes not wanting to competeagainst the likes of Pamenos(Ballantyne) and others, and so theydid not take part,” James said backthen.

But Ballantyne had hotly disputedthis, claiming that this is far from thetruth, and that TASVG must look atwhat is the real reason for the athletesnot taking part.

“It is not because of me (PamenosBallantyne) why they are not running.It is because of the lack ofincentives…..they need to getsomething to compete (for).”

He made his point by referring to arecent event held by the Keith Joseph-led body on the Leeward side of theisland.

“Look for instance, they had a racein Central Leeward on Sunday, andwhat did they give the athletes…..amedal….a medal…. Prescott….can you

imagine that all the athletes had towalk away with was a medal aroundtheir neck… Is thatincentive?…..Tyrone James them mustnot blame me for what is happening..they are responsible for what ishappening.”

Ballantyne said that TASVG mustat least give something to encouragethe young athletes to participate, andpointed out that he has been providingassistance for young athletes on aregular basis.

“I have bought shoes and otherthings for young athletes…and if I cando that from my own pocket, theAssociation can do that too”.

Pamenos, who recently tastedvictory in Trinidad in a 5K, said thathe will be heading out to compete atthe regional level within the next fewweeks. He first travels to Guadeloupeon October 11th to compete in 10k,then to Trinidad for the UWI halfMarathon on October 26th.

Ballantyne said that at 40, he is

still doing well andlooking forward tocompeting at theinternational levelagain afterovercoming injury.

“I am back tofull fitness afterrecovering frommy foot injury(Achilles) and willbe looking tocompete at the2016 OlympicGames……becauseI am still runninggood enough tocontinuerepresenting St.Vincent and theGrenadines,” saidBallantyne who isinto his 25th yearof wearing thenational colours.

Tyrone James,Secretary of TeamAthletics, and himself aformer nationaldistance runner, hadpointed to theparticipation of topsenior runners incommunity-basedraces as discouragingto young runners.

Pamenos Ballantyne, acenational distance runner, saysthe local track and fieldauthorities must look intoproviding more incentives foryoung runners.

AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE showing forthe year, including at the preliminaryround of the CFU in advance of theCaribbean Gold Cup, SVG footballmoved up some28 places to be ranked106th in the world.

SVG now ranks 11 among CONCACAFcountries.

Among Caribbean countries, onlythree are ahead of SVG. Antigua &

Barbuda are 80 in the World and 8in CANCACAF. Trinidad & Tobagolies at 86 in the World and 9 in theCANCACAF. Jamaica are inposition 100 in the World and 10 inCANCACAF.

Head coach of the senior nationalfootball team (Vincy Heat),Cornelius Huggins, said therankings are a reflection of theprogress the team has made in the

few years he and histechnical staff havebeen in charge.

“From the ranking,I think we are on theright path where wehave invested in theyouths,” Huggins said,adding, “The rankingmeans SVG has beenplaying a number ofFIFA official andfriendly matches, andthis also is part of thereason our ranking hasimproved.”

When asked what hehas done different sincehe took over as headcoach, Huggins said, “Iinvest more in theyouths, where I supportthem and help them tobelieve in themselves. Ithink this is what waslacking in the past.Once you show the

players that you have confidence inthem and know the capability, theycan contribute to the success of theteam.”

The Executive Committee of theSVGFF, led by Mr. Venold Coombs,also came in for commendation forputting the emphasis on the youthsand sticking to the philosophy that theSVGFF has put in place fordevelopment of football throughout St.Vincent and the Grenadines.

I.B.A.ALLEN

SVG moves up in FIFA ranking

NEW ZEALAND WOMEN cricketers bouncedback from a 4-0 mauling in the ODI seriesagainst the West Indies, to record victory inthe first of three T20 encounters.

The New Zealanders made light work oftheir opponents last Tuesday at the ArnosVale Playing Field, registering a 7 wicketvictory.

New Zealand won the toss and elected tofield in overcast conditions which persistedthroughout the match. They stuck steadfastlyto their task, and limited the West Indies to92 for 6 from 20 overs.

The West Indies struggled early in theirinnings, losing their first three wickets for 9runs. Rachel Neilson took 3 for 11 andSophie Devine 2 for 12 to be New Zealand’sbest bowlers.

New Zealand looked in no danger ofcollapsing to defeat and were led to victory byRachel Priest with an unbeaten 41. She wassupported by Sophie Devine who hit 24 as thevisitors comfortably reached 95 for 3 from17.5 overs. Priest was adjudged Player of theMatch.

The second match was expected to beplayed yesterday, Thursday, with the finalmatch scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday,both matches at the Arnos vale Playing Field.

I.B.A.ALLEN

New Zealand wins first T20The Venold Coombs(pictured) ledSVGFF Executivehas beencommended for itsfocus on youthfootballdevelopment.

Rachel Priest. Player of the Match, receivingher award.

CorneliusHuggins, HeadCoach of SVGSenior Footballteam, says theupwardmovement is anindication of theprogress the teamhas made underhis guidance.

ÂLack of incentives⁄. donÊtblame me,Ê Pamenos

by E. GLENFORDPRESCOTT

LIME RADCLIFFE andTeam Rivals will be makinganother attempt thisSunday, to see who willcome out on top in thefinal of the Digicel SVGCASuper40 at the Park HillPlaying Field, after rainforced the abandonment ofthe first scheduled final.

Lime Radcliffe claimedtheir berth in the finalafter beating IshallzByam Physical Therapyby 31 runs in a rain-affected match, reducedto a 20 overs a side affairon Saturday.

SCORES: LimeRadcliffe 83 in 14 oversIshallz Byam PhysicalTherapy 52 in 15.2 overs.

Team Rivals hadrushed into the final theprevious week with anemphatic 115-run winover Guardian GeneralSaints at the Sion HillPlaying Field.

On Sunday, the matchsaw 38 overs completed,with Lime Radcliffe,asked to take first knock,on 96/9.

The match saw theparticipation of guest

players,Barbadian KirkEdwards forTeam Rivals andGrenadian NelonPascal for LimeRadcliffe.

Dromo Toney(19) struck onesix and one fourin his 31 balls,but alwayslooked vulnerableon a difficult pitch.

The Lime Radcliffebatsmen were alwaysunder pressure on thewicket which had beenstarved of any serioussunshine since Thursday,and absorbed a slightdousing at the end ofSaturday’s match.

The intention of thebatsmen to hit anythingin their half of the pitchwas made clear.Evidence of this wasborne out by the foursixes and three foursstruck in the LimeRadcliffe innings.

The Team Rivalsbowlers, all of whomgleefully went to thebowling crease, kept atight rein on theiropponents, despitesending down 12 wides.

Veteran legspinnerOrlando Jackson,exploiting conditionswith his ‘Pandora’s Box’of tricks, had returns of8-1-14-3, with 37 of his48 balls being dots. Heremoved Toney, whom hehad LBW , bowledRodney Lawrence (5),then had Edwardscatching captain LindonJames (7).

The rest of the bowlerssupported well, with left-arm spinner Asif Hooper2/17, Deighton Butler2/17 and offspinnerGidron Pope 2/22 sharingthe spoils.

Casmond Walters,despite going wicketless,exerted the earlypressure with his sevenovers only costing 16runs, with three maidens

included among them.While the Arnos Vale

Playing Field is availablefor the finals, presidentof the SVG CricketAssociation, KishoreShallow, told THEVINCENTIAN that thefinal will be replayed atPark Hill since it would

encouraged morespectator turn out andparticipation.

Shallow said that

Digicel, sponsors of theevent, are happy that thefixture, dubbed ‘Rumblein De Country’, is beingreplayed and he islooking forward to an“exciting final.”

WINDWARD ISLANDSbatsman Donwell Hectorstroked his first century inthe competition to helppropel River Side Warriorsinto the semi finals of theInaugural Prime ConsultingRichland Park Casper DavisT20 Tape Ball cricketcompetition.

Riverside Warriors battedfirst against Shanty TownBallblazers at the Richlandpark playing field on theweekend, and posted 262 for5 from 20 overs, with Hectorblasting 17 sixes and 9 foursin an innings of 149.Ballblazers in reply couldonly manage 169. Roneke James topscored with 43. Gregory Wyllie bagged3 for 48.

Warriors were not letting up on theweekend and returned to claim victoryover Oval Wanderers by 3 wickets.Batting first, Oval Wanderers made182. Mc Leon Williams led with 84.Bowling for Riverside Warriors,Marlden Scrubb took 3 for 4. RiversideWarriors then made a strong reply,reaching 189 for 7. Crisroy John topscored with 39. There was a total of

56 extras. The encounter between

Kelipar Hill Siders andCotton Ground Smasherswas abandoned due to rain,but not before Sunil Paul ofKelipar Hillsiders recordedthe first hat trick of thecompetition to finish withfigures of 3 for 24. CottonGround were 116 for 5 in11.2 overs when play wascalled off.

In the feature game,Cotton Ground Smasherscomfortably defeatedLimehill Knigh Triders by 9wickets. Limehill made 178in 18.1. Gosnel Cupid led

with 55. Jordan Samuel and Nickiehad two wickets each. Cotton GroundSmashers replied with 174 for 1 in11.1. Oniel Endeavor led the onslaughtwith an unbeaten 94 and CobySimmons hit 46.

The game between Kelipar HillSiders and Lime Hill Knightraderswas abandoned due to persistent rain.After 8.1 overs, Lime Hill Knightriderswere 61 for 2.

After the round robin stage,Riverside Warriors top the table with

3 wins. LimehillKnightriders are insecond place with 2 winsand 1 loss 2 no result.Kelipar Hillsiders isthird with 2 wins 1 lossand 2 no results.Shantytown Ballblazersfourth with 2 wins 1 lossand 2 no results. Fifthare Cotton GroundSmashers and 6th OvalWanderers.

The semi finals will becontested this Saturdaywhen LimehillKnightriders face KeliparHillsiders from noon,followed by RiversideWarriors againstShantytown Ballblazersfrom 3pm, at theRichland Playing Field.

The final is scheduledfor the following Sundayat the Richland ParkPlaying Field.

I.B.A.ALLEN

24. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

SportsV

Dromo Toney drivesthrough the offside.

Orlanzo Jacksonweaved his magic toclaim 3/14.

Super40 final at Park Hill this Sunday

Strong wind lifting covers during showers.

HectorÊs century pushes Warriors into Semis

Donwell Hectorstroked 149 notout.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 25.

SportsV

WHERE WILL THE 2022 World Cup be held?Qatar secured the bid four years ago. It came as ashock to other contenders. But FIFA, in itsaccustomed role, justified their selection.

In the wake of the announcement, cries ofdissatisfaction surfaced. The decision to awardQatar was not the only reason for discussion.

Questions swirled as to the transparency of theRussian offer. FIFA remains a mysterious outfitand attempts to bring their operations under themicroscope have resulted in diplomatic windowdressing.

Jack Warner came out as a tarnished figure inthe bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and forhis role in an occurrence in his homeland.

His part in the disbursement of funds toCaribbean nations in the wake of the Qatariofficial’s quest for the FIFA presidency created anavalanche of dramatic occurrences. A lot hasflowed under the bridge since Warner abandonedhis (government) ministerial portfolio.

He has also been relieved of his FIFA positions. Times have changed. The repercussions are

continuing in the CONCACAF region. FIFA iskeen to diffuse the Jack Warner issue. But thematter will regain focus with the speculation overnot just the climate in Qatar, but the temperatureon the global landscape.

I am for regional solidarity, so I don’t want tobe branded as encouraging any anti-Warnerhysteria. Matters will fall into place in time.

If Jack warner was more regional in outlook, hemight have sought to bring the region under onebody so as to present a regional outlook.

A squad like that might have made a morelasting thrust for a place in the World Cup final.That might have even provided the possibility forthe region to bid for if not the World Cup, forother high profile FIFA tournaments.

Jamaica qualified for the 1998 World Cup anddared Trinidad and Tobago to fight for a similaraccomplishment. They did so in 2006 and sealedthe deal as far any hope of a regional entity wasconcerned.

The region supported the individual nations in1998 and 2006, and each territory harbours thedream that their country will be the next to breakinto the World Cup final.

When the qualifiers for the tournament looms,frantic efforts to join the line-up are made. It iswhen the reality confronts the individual nationsthat the message reaches home.

Ambitious Federations cherish the World Cupglory. Its failure after four years in 1962 left apattern of ill will.

Ordinary citizens cling to the ideal of regionalsolidarity. There is a chasm of disbelief anddivision which dampen any prospects of a widervision.

When faced with the choices, Caribbean peoplerun to the nearest historical factor. Thatinvariably is the lesson of the aborted effort.

Our greatest accomplishments do not teach usthat there is strength in numbers. We do not tryto make sense of our economic survival. If wewere, we would have a single currency. That willcontribute to our economic advance. Politiciansare more concerned with turf, and generations arenot trying to abandon insular tendencies.

Once the tribalism persists, we will not be keenon establishing regional integration.

The University of the West Indies and the WestIndies Cricket team remain the symbols ofregionalism. Few governments are wont toembrace the integration aspect.

At the Organisation of Eastern CaribbeanStates, differences between the territories bearthe hallmark of the divisive trend.

The OECS however, realise that there is moreto gain by sticking together. Their survival ishinged on economic stability. The sustainability ofthe Eastern Caribbean dollar is a pillar for theentity.

While the OECS deepens, there are attempts tostrangle the CARICOM module. That is a concernfor regional stalwarts.

2022 visionby E. GLENFORDPRESCOTT

ST. VINCENT AND THEGRENADINES Clemroy BertFrancois is now among thetop ranked 25 FIFAReferees Assessor in theregion.

Francois was soelevated after attendingthe CONCACAF’s EliteReferees and AssessorsCourse last week in theUSA.

The annual gatheringis comprised of 11referees, 17 assistantreferees, 25 refereesassessors and seveninstructors.

Francois told THEVINCENTIAN that thecourse was intensive andextensive, and among theareas covered was acomprehensive review ofthe World Cup, fitness,match analysis, plusintegrity and diversity.

Reports say thatCONCACAF VicePresident Alfredo Hawitgot the four-day

programme going onThursday during aceremony that alsohonoured those matchofficials who worked atthe 2014 FIFA WorldCup.

Francois said that theparticipants started eachday involved in practicalfield sessions, beforeimmersing themselves inclassroom-settinginstructions thatconcentrated on thetechnical aspects ofrefereeing.

The programme,which ran from lastThursday to Sunday, wasled by FIFA instructorsEsse Baharmast, PeterPrendergast, RodolfoSibrian and HectorVergara.

Erick Samayoa andAllan Brown – FIFAReferee FitnessInstructors for theCONCACAF region —took charge of allconditioning aspects,while CONCACAF

Deputy GeneralSecretary Ted Howard, amember of the FIFAReferees Committee, andCONCACAF consultantBrian Hall also gave oftheir expertise, thewebsite indicated.

The burly Francois, aformer FIFA assistantreferee, has officiated inOlympic Qualifiers andother tournaments underthe auspices ofCONCACAF. He was,however, overlooked bythe local Federation forthe post of Referees Co-ordinator, despite beingthe best placed person totake charge of theposition.

“I do not make thosethings bother me,”Francois told THEVINCENTIAN whenasked about thatsituation.

Speaking about hiselevation, he said it wasa dream come true,sincehe had set his sights onreaching to the top of the

profession.He is cognisant of the

need to avoid resting onthe laurels of hisimmediate achievement,since he can only gainrecognition fromcontinued good work.

“It is my intention tomaintain my position inthe Elite Class, and I canonly do that by gettinggood assessments fromthose looking at me whenI am called upon toperform”.

In the three yearssince climbing up theladder to becoming areferees assessor,Francois has travelled toCONCACAF fixtures,CFU Qualifiers at alllevels and at men’s andwomen’s tournaments.

The Hairoun/Printery Sports andCultural Club Firms Dominoes2014 Competition played offanother round of preliminarymatches last Friday andSaturday, September 19 and 20.

On Friday, defendingchampions CWSA eased closer toreclaiming their title with a 25 to15 defeat of St. Vincent PortAuthority.

Saturday was not agood day for hostGovernment Printeryas they went under, 25to 13, to Transport andWorks.

MinibusAssociation, also onSaturday, won bydefault over St.Vincent Brewery, an

effortlessvictory thatpushed theMinibus mento the top ofthe leader’sboard with 12 points.

Competition continuesthis weekend. OnFriday 26th September,Police come up againstGovernment Printeryfrom 6:30 pm. OnSaturday, September 27,

St. Vincent Brewery is

scheduled to turn up for battleagainst Port Authority from3:00pm, and from 6:30 pm,Transport and Works will try toput a spoke in the wheel ofCWSA.

Organizers say that theCompetition will close onNovember 19, at the KingstownAnglican School.

Defending champions CWSA (long side)recorded victory over Port Authority.

Government Printery (long side) wentunder to Port Authority.

CWSA chalks up another Dominoes win

SVGÊs Francois nowamong elite panel

Clemroy Bert Francois,among the an elite classof football RefereesAssessors in theCONCACAF region.

Referees and Assessors at four-day session in Miami.

26. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014. 27.

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

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ANTHONY

THE HOUSING AND LANDDEVELOPMENTCORPORATION (HLDC) haslearnt a lesson. This cameacross forcefully and indramatic fashion with thecollapse of a MiddleIncome house in the SouthLeeward district of ClareValley.

According toChairman of the HLDC,Beresford Phillips, oneincident is one too many.But his institution isaccepting responsibilityfor the mishap.

Last Wednesday,Chief Engineer BrentBailey and a team werelooking into causes of thecollapse.

They will want toascertain how a three

bedroom house, built at acost of about$160,000.00, camecrashing down, FridaySeptember 19.

Fortunately, no onewas at home when thecollapse occurred aroundfive that afternoon.

The incident triggereda wave of activity. Anumber of personsgathered at the site andmingled and shared theirversion of the incident.

Nigel Stephenson,OppositionParliamentarianRepresentative, andJomo Thomas, ULPcandidate, for the area,were on the spot.Officials from the HLDC,Ministry of Transportand Works, FireDepartment, NationalEmergency Management

Organisation andVINLEC rushed to thesite.

While theinvestigation proceeds,arrangements have beenmade for theowner/occupants, Dr.Katisha Douglas andchild to be resettled. Thehome owner took upresidence in 2013.Phillips expressedthanks for the level of“maturity” she displayed.

The HLDC has builtover 1,000 homes since2001, Phillips indicated.That does not includethose to accommodatevictims of the floods ofDecember 24, 2013.

Phillips admitted that“certain things do gowrong,” and that hiscompany will examinethe issue.

While attention is onthat house, Phillips willbe occupied withcomplaints from otherhomeowners in the ClareValley area.

Worries aboutdrainage have been madeto the HLDC.

“I am sure we willaddress these issues,” theHLDC Chairmanindicated.

He spoke of ageothermal study havingbeen done at the site,and that the terrain mayhave been a factorcontributing to thedisaster.

Poor construction

Poor construction andsoil movement were alsocited as possiblecontributors to the

mishap. “We have to improve

our supervision and nottake (things) forgranted,” Phillipsassured.

Prime Minister Dr.Raph Gonsalves spoke onthe issue before hedeparted for Cuba toseek medical attention.

Opposition LeaderArnhim Eustacedescribed thedevelopment as a“serious matter” withdevastating impact.

“Somebody didn’t dotheir homework,”Eustace indicated.

He pointed to concernabout the soil type, andhighlighted that otherpersons in the housingproject had complainedabout the construction.

Eustace raised the

question aboutinsurance, and expressedthe hope that thatmatter would beresolved.

HOUSE COLLAPSES: ONE IS TOO MANY

The house at the Middle Income Housing Project at Clare Valley in itscollapsed state.

Persons converged on the scene, including ULP candidate for the constituency JomoThomas (left).

Beresford Phillips,Chairman of the HLDC,admitted that things dogo wrong, and assuredthat his Corporation willinvestigate the matter.