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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015 VOLUME 109, No.48 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

by HAYDN HUGGINS

AS CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES for theDecember 9 general elections heighten,a call has been made for candidatescontesting the North Leeward seat onbehalf of the two major political parties,to declare their party’s policy on themarijuana issue.

The call came from local attorneyGrant Connell during an interviewwith THE VINCENTIAN, on Monday.

Connell said that to date, he has notheard neither the ruling Unity LabourParty (ULP) candidate for NorthLeeward, Carlos James, nor Roland‘Patel’ Matthews, contesting the seatin that constituency for the NewDemocratic Party (NDP), stating theirparty’s position on marijuana.

The herb, in Connell’s view, hascontributed significantly to theeconomic and social development ofthe far Leeward side of the country.

“I will like to see the bank that canclaim the credit for the developmenton the far Leeward coast,” Connellchallenged.

He pointed out that the marijuanatrade has significantly helped to feed,

clothe and shelterseveral persons inthat part of thecountry, and pay fortheir children’sschooling.

“The fact of thematter is thatmarijuana plays acrucial role inVincentian society;but while the peoplein foreign lands arefilling their banksfrom the profits ofmarijuana, we arefilling our jails byusing the toolsprovided by thosecountries to fight thewar againstmarijuana, which we cannot win,”Connell declared.

He cited, for example, the localcoast guard vessels which, according tohim, only have the capacity tointercept small crafts which attemptinter-island trade of locally grownmarijuana.

“I don’t know why both candidates

for the North Leeward constituencyare afraid to touch the marijuanaissue. Marijuana contributes to thegrowth of our underground economyand it is the new green gold,” Connellstressed.

He commended Prime Minister DrRalph Gonsalves for playing a pivotal

role in the establishment of theCARICOM Marijuana Commission,primarily aimed at determiningwhether marijuana should bedecriminalized for medicinal purposes.St. Vincent and the Grenadines isrepresented.

But Connell added, “I hope thatwhen parliament resumes, there wouldbe amendments made to the law, toreflect the role marijuana plays in thissociety.”

The lawyer is aware that, “It iswithout doubt that it will take a leaderwith some testicular fortitude to dealwith the external forces who may wantto influence the direction we, as asmall nation, would take in addressingthe marijuana issue. Those foreignforces have no legal or moral groundson which to speak, as they themselveshave taken steps towards thedecriminalization of marijuana.”

Continued on Page 39.

Attorney Grant Connell has remainedsteadfast in his drive to see reform tothe laws and practices governing theuse of marijuana.

Roland ‘Patel’ Matthewsis a businessman and theincumbent representativefor North Leeward.

Carlos James, a lawyer, isa first-time candidate forthe ULP in NorthLeeward.

VINCENTIANS and indeed,anyone here with accessto Digicel facilities, cantake advantage of whatwill be a “special” andunique season,’ with thatcompany’s ChristmasPromotion.

Some $150,000 in cashand kind will be up forthe take in the promotion

that is already ain trainand scheduled to end onDecember 24, when fivepersons will win $5,000each.

The megabuckspromotion was officiallylaunched last Friday, atthe company’s flagshipstore, Back Street,Kingstwon.

Digicel CountryManager John Gidharryoutlined the theme ‘Morethe merrier’, and pointedout that his company was“spreading the love.”

Gidharry disclosedthat there will beadditional excitement, forexample Merry Mondays,Wonderful Wednesdays,

Festival Fridays, andSanta Selfie- Sundays.

As far as the DigicelCountry Manager isconcerned, there is nobetter experience than aVincy/Digicel Christmas.

Before the grandChristmas Eve finale,three persons will win$1,000 every day,

including two dailyon Xtreme radio.

Patrons cansecure discounts,credit, and dataplans.

Once you top up$10 or more, payyour bill on timeand, sign up for atleast a Two Day 4Gdata plan, purchase a 4GSmartphone, you will beeligible for the prizes.

Customers can send atext to 1130, to becomeeligible for theChristmas wish. Onewinner will be chosen

each week, and thewinner gets a total wishup to $1,000.

Daily winners will bechosen randomly from allqualifiers every day fromFridays to Thursdays.(WKA)

2. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsV

Sol launches ‘GoFurther’ line of fuelsSOL, the leading supplier of energy products in theCaribbean Basin, has officially launched its Sol ‘GoFurther’ line of fuels to customers in the St.Vincent market.

Sol ‘Go Further’ gasoline and diesel are speciallyformulated to offer up to 10 km more per full tank,based on average driving conditions. The Sol “GoFurther” line of gasoline has an advanced formula,which provides a state-of-the-art cleaningtechnology. With prolonged usage of our Sol “GoFurther” diesel products, motorists with diesel-powered engines will be able to experience thebenefits of better engine capability, emissionsreduction, less corrosion, and improved fueleconomy.

This line of fuels was developed in response toextensive market research, which indicated thatCaribbean motorists needed a more reliable,economic, and innovative fuel that would providemaximum value for money. The introduction of thisinnovative line of Sol “Go Further” products is justone example of Sol’s commitment to thedevelopment of the St. Vincent & the Grenadinesenergy landscape.

“Our aim at Sol is to provide the highest qualityof fuel and petroleum products to our customers.We believe that this will improve their vehicle’sperformance and provide value for money,” saidGeneral Manager of Sol St. Vincent & theGrenadines, Steve Francis.

The launch of the new line of fuels coincides withthe completion of the recently rebranded Sol ArnosVale Service Station which opened on Friday,November 20th.

“Arnos Vale Service Station will become thebiggest site on the island to supply our customerswith the new Sol “Go Further” line of fuels,”Francis also noted.

The rebranding of the Sol service stations acrossthe island is in line with the company’s continualinvestment in this region, and complements its on-going investment in the local community.

Sol, a Caribbean-owned company, is currentlycelebrating 10 years of success, and remainscommitted to providing innovative energy solutionsto individuals, families, businesses, andgovernment organisations across the region.(Contributed)

Digicel Country ManagerJohn Gidharry (centre) wason hand to roll out hiscompany’s 2015 mega-bucks Christmaspromotion. He is flanked bytwo of Santa's elves &helpers sharing merrymoments with customers!

Digicel: No betterexperience

V News 3THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 3.

NDP launches manifesto:

by KENVILLE HORNE

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY(NDP) officially launched the‘hard copy’ of its 2015Manifesto, Wednesday 25thNovember at its headquarters ,Murray’s Road, Kingstown.

The 83-page documentencompasses the Party’s visionand development plans for St.Vincent and the Grenadines,with Political Leader ArnhimEustace describing it as “anambitious agenda for thedevelopment of the country.”

It addresses a range ofnational concerns, includingFiscal Policy and NationalDebt, Agriculture andFisheries, Private SectorDevelopment, ICT, Tourismand Grenadines Affairs,Financial Services, Health,Physical Planning and theEnvironment, Crime, NationalSecurity and Justice, Sports,Culture, Family and Women’sIssues, Housing, Energy,Infrastructure, Public SectorReform, The Diaspora, ForeignAffairs, and Legislation.

First year

In addition, the manifestodetails specific action that theparty intends to undertakewithin the first year of itsreturn to government.

Among these, as articulatedlast week Wednesday byPolitical Leader ArnhimEustace, is the removal of VATon 140 items, and a processthat would lead to theremoval of VAT on electricity.

Following on the party’songoing focus on agricultureand banana production inparticular, attention will alsobe given to rehabilitating 1000acres of bananas during thatperiod.

Including in the party’sresponse in this regard is theprovision of soft loans to helpwith cultivation, etc., and alivelihood grant of $500.00 amonth to registered bananafarmers, for six months.

“We don’t want the loans

money for the banana to beuse to do things at home, wegoing to give you a grant of$500 a month to look afteryour families, and by theseventh month or eight month,your bananas will begin to besold, and you will start to earnsome income…… we expectthat by the first 100 days, wewould be exporting 21 milliondollars worth of banana”, saidthe opposition leader. Eustacealso took aim at the Ministryof Agriculture, saying that forfirst time in over 55 years, thecountry did not export anybananas to England. “That is adisaster,” Eustace declared.

High on the first yearagenda is the reinstating of adevelopment bank. “We hadone before, but thegovernment stupidly put it inthe National CommercialBank,” Eustace recalled.

Also included in the first

year plan is the developmentand maintance of a playingfield in every constituency,and the provision of lights.

Implementing integritylegislation also features asproposed action within thefirst year. “We are veryserious about that, becausethere is too much corruption inthe government,” declaredEustace.

The NDP proposes withinthe first year to settle all debtswith the private sector, designa proper low income housing,which would see personspaying less interest on theloans for their house.

Long term

Eustace promised a closerlook at the Fiscal Policy andNational Debt of the nation fortwo or three months, afterwhich a comprehensive policy

to deal with the situation overthe long term, will be set inplace.

The NDP leader touchedbriefly on other issues:incentives for privateinvestors, includingestablishing a Ministry ofPrivate Sector; an improvedhealth system; and a plan touse YES workers to createemployment.

Citizens can expect arevision of the GeothermalEnergy Bill by a NDPgovernment. The party isparticularly concerned aboutthe majority foreign interestownership (75%) of thecompany proposed to managethe exploration andharnessing of this energysource.

The NDP is confident that itwill wrest the seat ofgovernment from the ULP, towhich it lost in 2001 and inthe following two elections —2005 and 2010.

Arnhim Eustace, Politicalleader of the NDP, gave anoverview of the manifesto.

FOLLOWING UP on thelaunch of the online version ofthe manifesto last Saturday,the Unity Labour Party (ULP)launched the hard copy of thedocument on Monday,November 23.

While addressing partysupporters at the CampdenPark Playing Field lastweekend, the Leader of theULP, Dr Ralph Gonsalves,said that what was beinglaunched then was the‘Maccabees version’ of thedocument, and that the party

would be launching the ‘KingJames version’ shortly.

What both copies had incommon, according toGonsalves, was that they wereboth one of the “mostcomprehensive, compellingnarratives offered by anypolitical party in theCaribbean.”

He added “incisive andinsightful”, on Monday at theparty’s headquarters inKingstown, saying that thedocument included the mostcreative set of proposals everpresented by any politicalparty.

“It is based on a people-centred vision, and it is basedon a philosophy of a socialdemocracy that is applied toour own circumstances,”

Gonsalves explained.“We have a package of

policies and programmes thatwe have built upon over 2001,2005, 2010 manifestos, andour national and socialeconomic plan,” he continued.

He accused the oppositionNew Democratic Party (NDP)of duplicating a number ofitems from the ULP’smanifesto.

“But because they do nothave a holistic integratedapproach, it’s like you justbiting a piece here and bitinga piece there, and it looksdisjointed and inchoate,” theULP leader said.

He did not go into details,but assured that it containeda clear vision of the practical

programmes of the ULP,aimed at uplifting thecountry.

Gonsalves chided the NDP,saying that the manifesto,which was launched lastweek, did not contain issuessuch as climate change.

“That is an existential issueoff the table. You say nothingabout that, you have nothingon oceans, when we have10,400 nautical miles of seascape, some 70 times ourlandscape, and you havenothing on it. Are you serious,are you really serious? Andthere are other things I cantalk about that are in ourmanifesto that are absentfrom our principal opposition’smanifesto,” he said. (DDD)

Dr. Ralph Gonsalves,political leader of the ULP,assured that his party’smanifesto gave a clear visionof the practical programmesof the ULP.

ULP launches manifesto

Party members, supporters listen attentively as Eustace detailed his party’s plan of actionfor the first year of an NDP government.

4. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

PoliticsVDR RALPH GONSALVES, the PoliticalLeader for the Unity Labour Party (ULP),has threatened to have an aircraft ownedand operated by regional carrier LIAT,

land at the Argyle International Airport. This is unless the members of the

New Democratic Party (NDP) stopwith their negative comments aboutthe project between now and the endof the campaign season, Gonsalvesnoted.

“They said all kinds of things; thatnothing will ever land at Argyle …why is it that we didn’t test it with ajumbo jet,” Gonsalves said lastSaturday night at a political rally atthe Campden Playing Field.

“They so foolish. You don’t testapproach lights with a jumbo jet,” heasserted. According to Gonsalves,officials from the Eastern CaribbeanCivil Aviation Agency (ECCAA)conducted some testing on theapproach lighting. The ECCAA will,in turn, report to the InternationalCivil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“If they don’t know these things,why don’t they ask Ralph?” Dr.Gonsalves questioned.

Four aircraft were involved in teatlandings at the airport last weekThursday, November 19.

The test landing was a requirementof the Eastern Caribbean CivilAviation Authority ECCAA, theEastern Caribbean Regulatory Bodyfor Civil Aviation.

According to Jonathan Palmer, whopiloted one of the flights, the landingwas a routine one, with nothing to

worry about.But Leader of the NDP Arnhim

Eustace, last week, said that theactivity which took place at theinternational airport site was beingdone to fool the public.

According to Eustace, the size of theaircraft that landed was not adetermination that the airport was ina state of readiness.

Eustace said that he had evidencethen that the aircraft that was goingto be landing at the site seated 19passengers.

“The airport is supposed to be ableto accommodate 747 jets, aircraft thatcarry over 400 people. You put a smallairplane, and then tell the public theairport soon to open; foolishness,”Eustace said.

“That doesn’t say anything; that isnot the type of plane you are trying toattract. You will have those types ofplanes, but you are trying to attractbig jets that will bring large amountsof people into the country; so let’s nottry to fool the public,” he added.(DDD)

’by KENVILLE HORNE

FORMER NewDemocratic Party (NDP)representative for SouthLeeward Jerry Scott hasmade it clear that thereis no rift between himand currentrepresentative, Nigel‘Nature’ Stephenson.

In fact, Scott declaredhis full support forStephenson.

Scott declared hishand while speaking atan NDP politicalmeeting at theCampden Park playingfield, on Thursday 19.

“They have beensaying that ‘Nature’ andI don’t talk, and that‘Nature’ and I havewords,” Scott said, andturning in the directionof the candidate, said, “‘Nature’, if you knowyou and I have words,confess tonight.”

He admonished hiscolleague saying, “…If Itell you that you are

going wrong , andyou play you areupset with me, toobad for you. Craposmoke your pipe.”

Scott has not beenseen on a politicalplatform for some time,and his appearance lastThursday was greetedwith an overwhelmingsense of appreciation.

Turning his focus onthose in attendance, heurged them to “ensurethat on the 9th of nextmonth, that he(Stephenson) is ingovernment,” andsuggested that “when heis in government (and)he plays the fool, thenwe eat him alive.”

Scott appealed to theconstituents to havepatience with ‘Nature’,and to avoid factoringhim, Scott, into theequation.

“ ‘Nature’,” he said,“is my political son,”and openly declaredthat all he wanted forhim was the best.

“You will have myblessings, and if I blessyou, you are veryblessed,” Scott assuredhis successor, and onceagain turned to thehundreds gathered andpronounced, “I haveendorsed him (‘Nature’)before, and I am fullyendorsing him again,” toa resoundingendorsement.

The meeting inCampden Park took ona celebration typeatmosphere when alarge crowd, made upprimarily of NDPsupporters fromVermont, accompaniedby a truck carryingamplified music,converged on theplaying field.

Party leader ArnhimEustace said he wasimpressed with thesupport for Stephenson,and with the unityamong constituents.

Dr. Ralph Gonsalves took umbragewith the opposition for crying foul atthe test landings at the ArgyleInternational Airport.

‘I will put a LIAT,’ warns Gonsalves

The NDP faithful gave every indication thatthey fully supported the sentiments Scottshared about his colleague ‘Nature’.

Jerry Scott (right) and NigelStephenson in a show ofbrotherly love in front of alarge South Leeward crowd.

Scott buckstalk of strifewith ÂNatureÊ

RegionalV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 5.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOnationals who migrate to theMiddle East, with the purpose offighting with Islamic rebelgroups, do so, in the main,because of what the rebelfighters are paid.

According to UmarAbdullah, who heads theWaajiahtul Islaamiyyah (TheIslamic Front), which, amongother activities, publishes amonthly news lettercondemning US and Britishactivities in the Middle East,Afghanistan and other parts ofthe Muslim world, those wholeave to join ISIS do sobecause, “They are drivenmore by the pull of being paidas rebel fighters than for anyideology,” the TrinidadNewsday of November 22,2015 quotes him as saying.

Umar Abdullah alsoconfirmed that there are atleast 75 nationals who leftTrinidad and Tobago for theMiddle-East, with the specificpurpose of fighting withIslamic rebel groups such as

the Taliban and the IslamicState of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Princes Town-basedradical Muslim who wants toestablish an Islamic state inTrinidad and Tobago, alsodisclosed that he had receivedfeedback from nationals inSyria and Iraq, who told himthey are being paidadequately, “on a daily basis.”

Those who had chosen tojoin ISIS, had done so because“they are very poor here; theylived secluded lives, and, thereis little hope for them. It is notthat they are killers,”Abdullah explained.

Abdullah also claimed thatsix of the 75 persons werekilled while fighting for ISIS,and their families have sincereturned to Trinidad.

However, Yacoob Ali, headof Trinidad and Tobago’slargest Muslim organization,the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA),has expressed caution aboutfalling for these reports.

His position was that

confirmed data had tocome from “credibleauthorities,” and advisedpeople should be wary ofspeculation.

Ali, according to theNewsday report, said‘”…Unless ASJA is furnishedwith information on whetheror not there are in factTrinidadians engaged in war-

like activities inArab countries,the organisationwould reservecomment.”

Local Islamicscholar SiddiqNasir also addedhis voice to thedebate,describing thosewho might havemigrated toSyria and Iraq

as misguided. He admitted to Newsday

that the financial incentivewas a major attraction forpersons to join organizationslike ISIS, but he insisted thatmost Muslims reject theideology of terror groups.

“…. Not a single bona fide

Muslim organisation in theworld today has supportedISIS. They have all opposed it.We know five or so peoplehave gone, but what have theygone for, we don’t know,”Nasir told Sunday Newsday.

National Security MinisterBrigadier Edmund Dillon hassaid Government is concernedabout reports of the presenceof nationals amid terrorgroups, and has been liaisingwith local, regional andinternational intelligenceagencies.

Last year, former nationalsecurity minister Gary Griffithdisclosed that Trinidadianshad gone to the Middle East,and, it was believed, to joinISIS. (Source: TrinidadNewsday)

Abu Zayd al-Muhajir, in the company of hischildren, is said to be one of the Trinidad andTobago nationals who migrated to Syria withhis family, to join ISIS.

ISIS money attractingTrinidadians

Umar Abdullah,head of theWaajiahtulIslaamiyyah (TheIslamic Front),says those whohave left to joinISIS are poor andfind no hopecontinuing to livein Trinidad andTobago.

Yacoob Ali, Head ofthe Anjuman Sunnat-ul-JamaatAssociation (ASJA),does not considerUmar Abdullah as acredible source ofinformation. (GuyanaChronicle)

CARIBBEAN LIFE, thelargest Caribbean-themednewspaper in the UnitedStates, last Thursday nighthonoured three Vincentiansamong 32 CaribbeanAmericans in the New Yorkmetropolitan area,bestowing its Impact Awardon them at a gala ceremonyin Brooklyn.

The ceremony was heldat Paradise Catering Hallon Avenue U, whereeducator and communityadvocate Vaughan Toney,long-standing shipperRuby Wood and lawyerNicole Robinson-Etiennewere honoured.

Caribbean Life, in an

editorial, said that theaward recognizes,“Selflessness,determination andpassion — threeattributes embodied by

those living with apurpose of serving others,”

Ruby Wood

Wood, a Mt. Pleasant,Stubbs-area native, ownsthe Brooklyn-basedSquare Deal Shippers andMovers, Inc.

For her, the award was“a profound honour to bethe recipient of the 2015Caribbean Life ImpactAward.

Wood subsequently toldTHE VINCENTIAN in aninterview, that “It isespecially rewarding thatmy work in thecommunity is

acknowledged by theprestigious Caribbean Lifenewspaper.”

Wood and herlate husband,Egerton ‘Creech’Wood, of LodgeVillage, Kingstown,established SquareDeal Shippers andMovers, Inc., whichhas provided jobsfor a number ofpersons, “givingthem opportunitiesto be successfulprofessionals,” Mrs.Wood said.

She is involved inseveral Diasporacommunityactivities, and sheand her companyhave madedonations tonumerousorganizations, such

as the Salvation Army,Catholic Charities, theRed Cross, Schools forChildren with SpecialNeeds, sports andeducational youthprogrammes and feedingprogrammes for schoolchildren and homelesspeople, and distributedbooks, computers, medicalequipment and supplies,and building materials forhospitals and churches.

Vaughan Toney

Calliaqua-born Toney —the president and chiefexecutive officer of theBrooklyn-based Friends ofCrown HeightsEducational Centers, Inc.,(FOCH) — said he was“especially proud to havebeen honoured with thisaward.”

He noted that theaward “recognizes themany ways in which ourcommunity and theFriends of Crown HeightsEducational Centers inparticular, continue to bea force for good, and asource of pride andempowerment in the Cityof New York.”

With a current networkof 19 full-service centersin Brooklyn, Manhattanand Staten Island, FOCHhas evolved under Toney’sleadership, to become oneof the largest providers ofchild care and earlyeducation, includingUniversal pre-K and after-school programmes, in theCity of New York.

He previously served asa member and formerchairman of theorganization’s Board ofDirectors, in a relationshipspanning some 30 years.Currently he holds aconcurrent appointment asChairman of the Board ofthe Tabernacle Day CareCenter in Brooklyn and isa member of the Board ofthe Day Care Council ofNew York.

His former endeavoursinclude: Board member ofChild Care Inc.; Chief-of -Staff to former New YorkCity Council MemberJamaican-born UnaClarke; Chief-of-staff toBelizean-born the Rev. Dr.Lloyd Henry, whorepresented the adjacent45th Council District.

Toney avails the use ofthe FOCH for meetingsand other purposes bymany Caribbeancommunity and politicalgroups.

Nicole Robinson-Etienne

Robinson-Etienne wasborn in Brooklyn toVincentian parents.

Her mother, NaomiCorbin Robinson, is aformer school teacher andnurse from LowmansWindward, and her father,George Robinson fromGlen, is a former memberof the Royal St. Vincentand the Grenadines PoliceForce. The Robinsonsmigrated to the US in1970.

Robinson-Etienne,Assistant Director ofGovernment andCommunity Affairs at theWildlife ConservationSociety’s (WCS) New YorkAquarium and ProspectPark Zoo in Brooklyn, alsotold THE VINCENTIANthat she was “truly

humbled and honoured toreceive this recognition byCaribbean Life newspaper.

“Awards, such as this,help reinforce my identityas a Caribbean Americanand further mycommitment to thebetterment of mycommunity,” addedRobinson-Etienne, whosehusband is Haitian-born.

Robinson-Etienne is theZoo and Aquarium’sliaison with state and cityelected officials,government agencies,community boards, theamusement industry andcommunity stakeholders.

She has also beenactively engaged with thenewly-formed Alliance forConey Island and theConeyRecovers campaignthat mobilized efforts toassist local residents inthe aftermath ofSuperstorm Sandy.

Robinson-Etiennebegan her legal career asan immigration attorneyin a small law practice,and later worked asSpecial Counsel to formerNew York StateAssemblywoman Rhoda S.Jacobs for over 8 years.Jacobs represented the42nd Assembly District inBrooklyn.

She holds a Bachelor ofArts degree in PoliticalScience and UrbanStudies from FordhamUniversity in New Yorkand a Juris Doctorate(JD), a law degree, fromNortheastern UniversitySchool of Law in Boston,Massachusetts.

6. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

DisporaVThree Vincentians honouredwith Impact Award

Ruby Wood, owner of SquareDeal Shippers.

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

Vaughan Toney,president and chiefexecutive officer of theBrooklyn-based Friendsof Crown HeightsEducational Centers,Inc., (FOCH).

Lawyer NicoleRobinson-Etienne,Assistant Director ofGovernment andCommunity Affairs atthe WildlifeConservation Society’s(WCS) New YorkAquarium and ProspectPark Zoo.

Stories by HAYDN HUGGINS

SEVEN MORE prosecutionwitnesses are listed to testifyat the Preliminary Inquiry (PI)involving a fatal vehicularaccident at an opposition NewDemocratic Party (NDP) publicmeeting at Clare ValleyDecember 6, 2014.

Antwone ‘Quincy’Anthony, a CD vendor ofQuestelles, has beencharged with being thedriver of motor vehicle P119caused the death of 78-year-

old Questellesresident Edgar

‘Cruicky’ Cruickshank by dangerous driving.Anthony is also charged with using an uninsured

motor vehicle, using an unlicensed motor vehicle,failing to renew his driving permit on his birth dateand fraudulently using the (vehicle) identificationmark P7516.

The P.I which started before Chief MagistrateRechanne Browne-Matthias at the Serious OffencesCourt earlier this month and continued on

Wednesday, has been adjourned toDecember 17.

Several witnesses have alreadytestified for the prosecution, includingretired Police Sergeant Lavell Mappwho was a motor vehicle inspector andexaminer in the Royal St. Vincent andthe Grenadines Police Force at thetime of the incident.

The witnesses also includedCorporal Rawl Pope, a gazetted motorvehicle inspector and examinerattached to the Central Police Station’s

Mechanic Garage; Sergeant Brian Archibald, amember of the Criminal Investigation Department(CID) and Criminal Records Office, as well aspersons who were on the scene when the incidentoccurred.

Among the witnesses left to testify is StationSergeant Junior Nero of the Traffic Branch whospearheaded the investigations.

Anthony was 39 at the time of the incident.

P.I into ÂCruickyÊsÊdeath continues

CourtV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 7.

MARGARET CHARLES, a Campden Park womanwho was accused of taking forged documents to theU.S. Embassy in Barbados on May 13, 2013, inorder to obtain a non-resident visa for the UnitedStates, was discharged at the Serious OffencesCourt this week.

Charles was discharged at the PreliminaryInquiry (PI) after the prosecution’s case collapsedas a result of a slip up by investigator CorporalNelica Kirby, on whose evidence the prosecution’scase hinged.

Charles was charged with, that on 13th May2013 at the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, used aninstrument purporting to be a job letter issued bythe Public Service Commissions Department andpurportedly signed by Mr. Tyrone Burke, a formerChief Personnel Officer, which was and which sheknew or believed to be fake, with the intention ofinducing a visas agent at the U.S Embassy inBarbados to accept it as genuine.

Charles was also charged with, that on 13th May2013 at the U.S Embassy in Barbados, used aninstrument namely a document purporting to be aSt. Vincent and the Grenadines TeachersCooperative Credit Union Ltd financial statement,which was and which she knew or believed to befake, with the intention of inducing a visas agent atthe U.S. Embassy in Barbados to accept it asgenuine.

Corporal Kirby, the last witness to testify in thematter, could not identify the alleged forgeddocuments as she had no distinguishing marks onthem.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche triedstrenuously to guide her, but to no avail.

The date on a caution statement Kirby took fromCharles was also at variance with the date onwhich Kirby said she took the statement.

As a result of the slip up, the prosecution’s casefell apart, and Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias discharged the accused, concluding thatthe prosecution failed to make out a prima faciecase.

When contacted on Tuesday, Charles’s lawyer,Grant Connell, told THE VINCENTIAN,“Prosecutor Delpleche is the Serious OffencesCourt’s asset, but he could only act on the case filethat is presented to him. He cannot createmiracles.”

Charles had initially appeared in court Marchthis year, having been charged in connection withthe matter after investigations led to her. She wasgranted bail and the matter was adjourned on anumber of occasions.

U.S Embassy fraudcase collapses

Antwone ‘Quincy’ Anthony.

MOST PEOPLE with a political turn ofmind seem to have declared the comingelections as shaped by the balance ofstrength between two leadership types.

To begin with, there is difficulty inseparating out the question ofLeadership from the quality of the led.Simply put, it has been said thatusually the people get a governmentthat it deserves.

In our part of the globe, the mattercan best be addressed using the tools ofhistory. So, the ex-slave, colonialsocieties of the West Indies invited upto the 1990s, governments that were ledby charismatic leaders, often with areligious background, well-groomed inthe language and culture of their(former) colonial masters, and at timesdisplaying an element of whiteness intheir personal tool-kit.

Changes wrought by modernity,technological developments and theshrinking of the world, particularly thewestern world, into global villages,naturally attracted correspondingchanges in the colonial body politic.

Approaching its fortieth birthday ofIndependence, our country emergedwith a two-party political systemcharacterised by a circulation of elitesserving the country, within ademocratic frame in two or three-termspells.

Never four in a row which, given thatthat power often corrupts, will releasemany negative forces. So although thereis at present no legislation to preventthis event from happening, the tiredstate of the economy and will of thepeople do call for a change ofleadership. “Get rid of Them”, theN.D.P is ready; not necessarily ‘reddy’!

And perhaps this event might bebolstered by the fact that long-servingparties are subject to the iron law ofoligarchy, whereby power within themcoagulates around a small group, andnarrows progressively to De ComradeLeader, which is destructive ofdemocratic properties, our ultimategoal.

Already we espy the germination ofthis plant, propped up by two elders, SirVincent Beache and Sir Louis Slater,standing guard to Emperor RalphGonsalves, while the heir-apparentCamillo Gonsalves looks on with batedbreath, and two young hopefuls, LukeBrowne and Saboto Caesar, bide theiranxious moments until their final come-uppance.

Hopefully, this next election will stopthis emergent movement in its tracks,and introduce an entirely new ball-

game.In spite of the rising Party fever

which is now raging both ways, I holdto my early forecast of 11 N.D.P, 4Labour, but which can end up 12 to 3.

NDP will return Friday and Olliverrein the two Grenadines constituencies;Eustace, Leacock and Cummings in thethree Kingstown constituencies; NorthWindward and North Leeward; Eastand West Saint George; and South andCentral Leeward; leaving the outgoingU.L.P with the remaining four seats -North Central Windward, SouthCentral Windward, South Windwardand Marriaqua.

The leadership of Arnhim or Ralph

People seem to forget that Ralph wason the scene since 1974, numberedamong the Leadership of the YoungSocialist Group, 1982, as leader of theMovement for National Unity, and in1992 as a member of the Labour-MNUcombination.

Generally, he failed to win a seat inelections in 1979, 1984 and 1989, threepersonal defeats in a row, until he wonhis seat in 1994 for a party that becamethe U.L.P, and his success continued upto 2010.

Eustace, on the other hand, hadworked himself through the PublicService, becoming a PermanentSecretary at the tender age of 35. Hethen entered politics and has neverbeen defeated in elections - 1998, 2001,2005, 2010 - yet U.L.P claims thatEustace is a loser, and a blight on theN.D.P. In fact, he kept NDP alive bywinning twice, the only NDP success onthe mainland.

After 2005, I publicly advisedArnhim to quit, since there was aninterpretation that he was a liability onthe N.D.P. Arnhim’s reaction was towiden democracy in electing thepresident. Arnhim had no competition.Strange enough, it is only U.L.Pchieftains and their minions who holdthat Arnhim has been an N.D.Phumbug. The entire N.D.P executive,including Chairman Linton Lewis, thetwo Vice-Presidents Friday andLeacock, and PRO Vynnette Frederick,all are (AD IDEM) of the same mind onthe matter of Arnhim’s leadership.

Continued on Page 10.

“POLITICS is ultimately about performance, not who anybody sleeps with or what anybody does.”

Wow!!!Did we hear somebody say that the moral fabric of our society has all

but gone up in cinders?Did we hear somebody say that the tried and tested values and

traditions of the past have all but wilted away into oblivion?Did we hear somebody say the family structure, the bedrock of any

society, has all but lost its place in our civilization?Did we hear somebody calling for role models for our young people?Did we hear somebody apportioning blame for this disturbance of the

quilibrium in our society, on the school system, the churches, et al?And we listened further, waiting for somebody to apportion some of the

blame for this sordid mess, on our cultural and political leaders. Wewaited in vain!!

Instead, what we got was some pollster, whom we have accorded statusof all-knowing, all-righteous and major opinion make, saying to us, inpartly addressing the bigger picture, but no less telling in impact, that:“Politics is ultimately about performance, not who anybody sleeps with orwhat anybody does. ….. I think we have been able, as a Caribbean people,to separate one from the other, and I think that is the way it should be.”

Ascribe the afore-mentioned wisdom, and the opening quote, to Mr.Peter Wickham; but if the truth be told, we are wont to conclude that hehas merely articulated the insipidity of hundreds of half-baked men andwomen.

That he may be correct in his analysis that we have learned to“separate one from the other,” is exactly why ‘the moral fibre of society’has all but be torn to shreds.

His argument, narrowly intended, it appears, to cover for a benefactor,does not weigh in on the real issues: of the rampant sexual exploitation ofyounger men by older men; hundreds of young women made to bedependent on older men for their upkeep and to fan their modern fancies;mothers forced to turn their backs on the immoral and ungainly conduct oftheir young men and women for the sake of thirty pieces of silver; menwho use their high office to take advantage of the weak of mind , the poorin spirit and those with empty pockets who yearn for an opportunity to setthem on a path to filling them.

For too long we have failed to rein in the bad — to tell those who areguilty of festering the disease that tears away at morals in our society,those who live in and work daily to deny the evil that abounds in oursociety, those who put their own ‘spins’ on the issue, that they givesustenance to a society of double standards.

Leadership has everything to do with moral principles and upliftingbehaviour.

This is a small society. What takes place in the dark of one night, isrevealed by the very dawn of the next day.

That is no excuse to roll over and accept the weeds with the wheat. Atsome point, we must be able to ‘separate’ both, but destroy that which isevil (weeds), and keep only that which is in the furtherance of the commongood.

In this ‘silly season’ of a political campaign, we ought to be consideringnot only that which is purported as a plan to continue our advancementto genuine development and independence; but we ought to be consideringwhat exists among those who offer themselves as potential representativesthat is morally uplifting and good examples for not only their peers andthe electorate, but moreso for the generations who wait in the wings, andwhom society is obligated to mold and inform, to assume the mantle ofensuring that our steps to development are both quantitative andqualitative.

Those who put themselves up to be leaders of a people, a people foundedon the principles of respect for one another, respect by one sex for theother, respect for the goods and companions of others, owe it to thosepeople to show unambiguously that they are ready to face up to thechallenges of governance of a small island economy, as much as they areclean of hand and mind, void of the weaknesses of flesh and mind, andarmed with a genuine love of people, weak and strong, rich and poor alike.

In deference to the opening quote and the message implied, it is worthconsidering something of the converse, i.e. the public behavior of peoplewho lead or would like to lead our country, is influenced by their‘private/personal morality’.

8. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 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

Politics and ‘Private Morality’

Political leadership in SVG

I AM HEARING many ideas coming from the candidatesof all the political parties. But I especially like ULP’scandidate Jomo Thomas’s idea, as expressed onNovember 15, in Clare Valley.

Jomo made it known to the world, that he willseek to develop the human resources in SouthLeeward. As a human resources developmentspecialist myself, I am delighted at Jomo’s assertivepronouncements. He did not just make that claimin a vacuum. In fact, he presented this strategy asbeing critically vital in the context of the plans todevelop the South Leeward area, to includeincreased service in vocational and technicaleducation, because the development plans for SVGand South Leeward require this type of knowledgeand skills.

Jomo must keep highlighting this humanresources development strategy. The benefits will beplentiful - more jobs, less poverty, less socialexclusion, and more inclusive development in SouthLeeward and, by extension, SVG. It will mean moreeconomic growth. It will mean more localdevelopment in South Leeward, and otherconstituencies.

The entire nation must embrace this approach.All candidates should be in a race to see who ismore committed and genuine in facilitating theenabling environment that would enhance the

human resources of the nation, in accordance withthe national development vision, plans, policies, andprojects.

The people in South Leeward will be much betteroff when Jomo gets to implement this strategy. Andas the ‘conscious candidate’, as he is called by thepeople, he understands this strategy very well. Thelocal communities in the villages and towns, shouldrally around this strategy and ensure that duringthe elections campaign, the candidates speak towardthese strategies. But they should not stop there.They should vow to keep the electedrepresentatives, including Jomo, accountable forpromoting this kind of human resourcesdevelopment strategy.

It is repeatedly said that people are SVG’s majorresource. If we really believe this, then Jomo shouldbe encouraged to elaborate on his proposal, organisearound it, making it crystal clear in the process,that this strategy is urgently needed for SVG’sfurther development.

This human resources development strategy is in

keeping with the UnitedNations SustainableDevelopment Goals(SDGs), adopted inSeptember 2015 by 193member countries of theUnited Nations. Goal 4 ofthe SDGs is to “Ensureinclusive and equitablequality education andpromote lifelong learningopportunities forall”. Four of the maintargets to this goal speakto Jomo’s strategy.Target 4.3 urges: “By2030, ensure equal accessfor all women and men toaffordable and quality technical, vocational andtertiary education, including university”. Target 4.4stresses, “By 2030, substantially increase thenumber of youth and adults who have relevant

skills, including technical andvocational skills, for employment,decent jobs and entrepreneurship”.And Target 4.5 calls for, “By 2030,eliminate gender disparities ineducation and ensure equal access toall levels of education and vocationaltraining for the vulnerable, includingpersons with disabilities, indigenouspeoples and children in vulnerablesituations”.

The nation should hear more aboutthese ideas, leading up to December9 and beyond.

Maxwell Haywood

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 9.

LettersVThat’s right, Jomo Thomas

CORRECT ME if I am wrong, but I haven’t heardvery much, if anything, from the New DemocraticParty (NDP) about whether they will introduce aCitizenship by Investment Programme (CIP),should they form government after the December 5general elections.

We know that the ULP under Dr. Gonsalves hasmade it clear that they will not, or they will never,introduce a CIP here. Here is what Dr. Gonsalveshad to say on the issue: “I know what thedownsides are, and I insist that the highest office inthe land is that of citizen, and it is not for sale....the passport is the outward sign of the inwardgrace of citizenship, and it is not for sale either.”

Instead, he preferred to see citizenship grantedto those who “come in and they invest and later on”[become citizens].

That said, I don’t think we should ever expect aULP government of SVG to follow the path of itsOECS colleagues — St. Kitts and Nevis, Antiguaand Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St. Lucia —and introduce a CIP.

But it appears to me that we may as well do soup front, since at the end of the day, whethercitizenship is granted at the beginning or the end(as Gonsalves suggests), it boils down to the samething — economic citizenship — since the samechecks would have to be made about someonewanting to invest and someone applying forCitizenship under a CIP.

And by the way, I read somewhere thatindividuals spent nearly US$2 billion last year topurchase passports through Citizenship byInvestment Programmes.

Seems we might be missing out on sharing inthis windfall. Then again, some might think thatholding out the beggar’s bowl is a better means ofraising much-needed money to sustain ourdevelopment.

CIP Supporter

Consider a CIPMR. EDITOR, the last thing Iever expected was that anypolitician would expose the childor children to the ridicule andrough and tumble for which ourpolitics has become known.Moreso, exposing them at theheight of a political campaign.

Now, it is not my decision,but if I were Dr. RalphGonsalves, I would not havesupported having my daughterdo what she did, even it wasthat she offered to do so.

Dr. Gonsalves himself hasnoted how ‘robust’ the campaigncan get; how much piccong therecan be. And if I may add, howdirty the politics can get.

Already I have heard mixedreactions here in New York towhat Ms. Isis Gonsalves did. Ihave also spoken with somefolks at home, and they tell methat she has come in for her fairshare of attack.

I was not at all surprised tosee your cartoon of last weekzeroing on the matter. I

understand that anothernewspaper carried it as a frontpage story. I hope it stopsthere.

This is exactly what I mean.The young lady could do withoutwhat I call this immatureexposure. Tried and testedpoliticians like Dr. Gonsalvesshould need no one, far less hisdaughter, to defend him againsthis political enemies. I knowhim to be one of the best ingetting back at his detractors,especially from a politicalrostrum. Is he mellowing withage?

To have allowed his daughterto be used in this way, tells methat he has let his guard down.

My hope is that his politicaladversaries will not see anywisdom in making Ms.Gonsalves a victim of anyshortcomings they mightperceive Mr. Gonsalves to have.

I pray for a safe and violence-free election campaign.

Garnet, N.Y.

I ATTENDED the KingstownAnglican School and there learnt myfirst lesson in morals. It was aboutthe old woman and the two crabs.My second was about the stone thatrebounded. My third was the fatherwho was a gardener, who told histhree sons that he had buried a largefortune for them in his land. Thesons set about ‘working-up’ the landin order to find same. They workedland that had lain idly for years, and

there they found the moral oftheir father’s story.

Mr. Editor, you don’t hearabout these stories anymore; youcan find them in the CaribbeanReading Book, but then again,our young teachers have neverread them, and the older onesmight have forgotten them.

My advice to SVG citizens:You cannot drown by falling inwater deep or shallow or rough.You can only drown by stayingbelow the water.

Hutchie

Moral stories

THESE ENERGY saving bulbs area waste of time. They are simplyan increased weight on ourpockets, given their prices. . Itseems that the energy saved byusing these bulbs far exceeds whatthe manufacturers tell us. Thisresults in no real financial gain orsaving to poor people.

Another concern: How mustthese energy-saving bulbs bedisposed of? We have been told

that they can be hazardous; thatthey should be taken to anappropriate facility for help is thisregard. But that facility is milesaway from most citizens! Itdoesn’t seem to beenvironmentally beneficial toanyone to create hazardous wastethat many people will just place intheir household garbage, does it?

Rabbi Connoisseur

Open to attack

Waste of time for energy saving bulbs

10. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsV“We must all consider ourselves as

assistants, regardless of the titles we

carry in our official capacities.” -

Thomas J. Watson (1874–1956)

Founder, chairman & president of IBM

THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCE of theleaders and managers of organisationsoften play a major role in determininghow effectively and efficiently theirrespective operations will operate.Secure leaders and managers have theability to invite constructive criticism andto embrace critical thinking as they seekto develop the human capital within theirenterprises. In doing so, they often “layaside their titles” and invite ideas to flowunhindered. This explains why some ofthe more progressive businesses seek toremind their staff members not to allowtitles or years of experience to get in theway of progress. CISCO Systems Inc., theAmerican-based Information Technologycompany, has a very interesting team-building video that encourages teammembers to leave their egos at the doorwhenever they gather to brainstormideas. They recognise that ideas andinnovation can come from any and everylayer of the organisation; the leaders andmanagers do not have a monopoly onideas. Innovation and improvement cancome from the lowest ranks in theorganisation. They do not have to emergefrom the most senior, educated, orexperienced employees.

Research in leadership andorganisation behaviour confirm that

some insecure individuals who leadorganisations, will gravitate toflaunting their education, place ofstudy, and/or experience, in a mannerthat seeks to enhance their credibility.However, many competent leaders inbusiness, government, and society seekto avoid wearing their credentials andexperience on their sleeves. They knowthat their competence and characterwill shine through. They are notdistracted or distorted by titles. Theyoften express a willingness to learnfrom others; even those perceived to beless qualified and/or less experienced.

Titles can become comfortable placesto hide. Let me explain by using anexample from tertiary level academia:Some lecturers or professors insist thatparticipants address them by theirtitle. While it is often necessary tomaintain discipline in places of higherlearning, insisting on affixing suchtitles whenever the facilitator is beingaddressed appears to automaticallycreate emotional and mental barriersbetween themselves and theparticipants in their respectiveprogrammes. Such an approachcreates barriers between the facilitatorand the student. In such a case, thelearning is not as rich as it can bewhen individuals feel comfortableenough to challenge or debate theissues that may emerge within thatlearning environment. However, thereare some facilitators who would readilyindicate that they have spent too much

money and studied for toomany long hours to allowindividuals to not “puthandle to their names”.However, insisting onaffixing titles in suchsituations retard therichness of the learningexperiences for all concerned —including the facilitator. Lecturers andcourse facilitators who agree to theremoval of titles in the learningenvironment (but insist on mutualrespect) will discover that knowledgewill flow unhindered. Richer, fuller,learning experiences will emerge.Innovation will arise.

Based on the foregoing example,many of this column’s readers willunderstand and appreciate how suchan approach can also enhanceperformances within business entities,government departments, the variouschurch assemblies, and within non-government organisations. However,such a culture will not emergeovernight. It will not develop from thegeneral workforce. The leadershipwithin those entities must encourage it.Men and women who lead suchestablishments must be prepared toencourage their team members to sharetheir ideas and experiences for thecommon good and, to facilitate this,admit that they (the leaders) do notknow everything about everything.This is especially important when weconsider the wealth of knowledge thatis now so very easily obtained via theInternet. It is possible that individualswho are considered to be at the lowerranks of the organisation, could havemore recent and accurate informationthan their leaders and managers, inspecific areas that they haveresearched. This became quite obviousto me several months ago when I wasfacilitating a training course for adiversified company. I had encouragedthe participants to do an Internetsearch for templates that can be usedto perform a specific human resource

function. We were quite surprised todiscover that the best submission hadactually come from a security officerwho had only developed the skill ofdoing Internet searches several daysearlier. Although she never obtained atertiary level education, her submissionwas superior to the human resourceexperts who were university graduates.This example is shared to impress uponall of us that it is important to avoidlimiting ourselves by being distractedby the titles that persons possess or donot possess. The title is ofteninsignificant when seeking improvedindividual and corporate performance.

Titles have their place. We do haveto pay homage where homage is due.To not do so could lead to situations ofdisorder and discord. Effective leadersand efficient managers are required ifwe are to maximise the performancesin our respective operations. However,based on the examples cited in thisessay, we can appreciate the benefit ofencouraging cultures where individualsare not distracted by the titles thatexist. Competent and secure leadersand managers will always understandand appreciate that they are anauthority in their own right (based ontheir knowledge and skills). This senseof security can empower them todelegate more and encourage criticalthinking within their workenvironment. Titles can distract and/ordistort if they are allowed to becomebarriers within and beyond our placesof work and abode.

Send comments, criticisms &

suggestions to

julesferdinand@gmail.com

Distracted or Distorted by Titles

THESE ARE NOT onlyridiculous, but they areannoying. Those whoimplemented themfailed to realize that notall consumers will jumpto pay them. Althoughthey are providing aworthwhile service, weas consumers are theones who keep theirbusiness afloat. If werefuse to pay for whatthey are offering, wouldthey have a business?

To this end, there aresome drivers who arevery insolent, and feelthat they could treatconsumers the way theycannot treat theirspouses. They fail torealize that they puttheir vehicles at thedisposal of the public ata cost, and so cannotsimultaneously treat

them as being private.When they meet todiscuss raises in fares,these are some of theissues to be addressed.Their greed refuses toallow them to seeanything clearly, apartfrom the money.

How in the name ofall that’s good, distancex and y should be paidfor in the same waywhen they are furtherapart?

There are manydisgruntled consumersout there who arecomplying but remaingenerally peaceful. Butthey will erupt one dayinto something that willnot be easily quelled.

Consumers’ concernsare rudely pushed aside.The money is at theforefront. A condition of

the latest raise in fareswas to drop consumersat or close to theirhomes. I witness, timeand time again, some ofthese consumersliterally begging to havethis done, when theyshould be demanding.

The raise in fares iscreating madnessamong some drivers.They cannot manage it;they are havingdifficulty allocating thecorrect fare to thedistance.

I feel strongly thatthe law should makeprovision fordiscrimination in thisregard, then the culpritswill know the differencebetween running avehicle privately orpublicly.

Angry

Ridiculous bus fares

Political leadership in SVGContinued from Page 8.

And what about Ferdinand? Hesaid that Ralph had invited him tojoin the U.L.P, for which he wouldhave run against Major Leacock, andhe could be assured of the deputypresidency of the U.L.P. Well that ishow the Leader conducts business inthe U.L.P.

Early in the game, Lynch referredto the ‘one-mansion’ of the U.L.P inwhich all roads run to and from thePrime Minister. It is different with theN.D.P whose leader appears to be the

first among equals, mostly engaged inco-ordinating the work of SpecialistMinisters. It is obvious that in suchcircumstances, Eustace will talk lessand appear in the limelight much lessoften than does Ralph. But accordingto this columnist, the leadership of theN.D.P is no less real and effective,looking like a team led by a man whoalways plays with a straight bat — sodeclared Stalky John — “Mister Clean”in conducting a most harmoniousmelody like the maestro that isArnhim Eustace.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 11.

ViewsVThe Issue

In another eleven days, from thedate of this publication, Vincentianswill go to the polls to re-elect theUnity Labour Party for a fourth termin office. The signs are all over, fromthe massive support the ULP isreceiving at its meetings and rallies,the quality of the candidates on show,the successful message of “LabourLove” that the ULP has demonstratedand will continue to exhibit, therichness and informative nature of themanifestos, and the overall strongappeal of the ULP as a seriouspolitical party.

Behind all this euphoria is thestrong knowledge that the ULP hasclearly outlined the reasons whyVincentians will return the party for afourth term in office. There is thephilosophy of the party, based on thepeople centered development visionthat has uplifted the quality of lives ofVincentians from all walks of life. Thisstrategy has led to an impressive listof achievements, which have beensecured in the most challenging ofcircumstances, including the worstglobal economic and financial crisisever, and the crippling naturaldisasters which have affected thecountry.

It is leadership and teamwork thathave served the country well over thefourteen years of the ULPadministration. That leadership is stillavailable, supported by a team withdiverse talents and a proper mixtureof experience and youthfulness. Thereare no internal squabbles and noscenes of confusion, and the team isintegrated and united.

Why the voters are excited

The voters who will go to the pollson December 9th , 2015, are all excitedand ready to cast their vote for theULP, because this is the only partythat offers hope for the development ofthe country in the future. This hope isbased on faith, as delivered throughthe work of the ULP. The party hasdelivered, and the evidence is clear, ascan be seen in the marked upliftmentin the quality of life of our citizens.Jobs have been provided; poverty hasbeen reduced; health services haveimproved considerably; our youngpeople are being educated and are“soaring like eagles with their wingsunclipped”; and overall, there is ageneral feeling that our country hasprogressed considerably, and that weare far better off since March 2001.

Additionally, when Vincentiansexamine the situation with theirCaribbean neighbours, they arecounting their blessings. There havebeen no job losses, no salaryreductions, and the society has notbeen fractured from any “austerity”measures, simply because “austerity”is not in the doctrine of the ULP.Instead the ULP has created jobs, andthe wealth of the country hasincreased.

And now Vincentians are lookingforward to a brighter future under theULP, when the party is re-elected. The

Argyle International Airport offersgreat prospects for the economicdevelopment of the country, and willopen avenues for new business in theareas of tourism, agriculture andbusiness. The new city at Arnos Valeoffers tremendous commercialopportunities for Vincentians and forinvestors from the region. The ULPhas concrete plans for the introductionof geothermal energy in the north ofthe country, and the construction of anacute referral hospital at Arnos Vale.These are game changers withamazing possibilities for development.

Added to this scenario, are plans forthe development of significant tourismprojects, the expansion of the ICTsector; the facilitation of majordevelopment work in agriculture,fisheries, and manufacturing, and thedeepening and further consolidation ofthe Education and HousingRevolutions. These plans and more,are expanded upon in the manifesto ofthe ULP, and they are at the centre ofthe efforts of the ULP, led by ComradeRalph, together with the people ofSt.Vincent and the Grenadines, toshape the nation’s future.

The ULP is ready

The ULP has demonstrated over thelast fourteen years, that strongleadership, strategic thinking andaction are its hallmarks. If one seeksto cross the developmental divide orchasm, in baby steps, the inevitabilityis that one would fall at the bottom ofthe widening gorge. Major leaps arerequired in a small resource-challenged economy like St. Vincentand the Grenadines, to bring aboutgenuine sustainable development.

Timidity and learned helplessness,coupled with pessimism and a lack offaith in our people, lead tohopelessness and non-achievement.That’s what the opposition NDP has tooffer. The ULP offers boldness,courage, optimism, faith, hope, love,and all the right reasons which willlead to progress and a better life.

It is clear that the opposition NDP,led by Arnhim Eustace, is a clear andpresnt danger to the people of St.Vincent and the Grenadines. Theyoffer no compelling narrative, and theyhave no developmental philosophy, totake the country forward. It is clearthat they will fracture our country,with all the talk of austerity, andreduction in expenditure. Jobs willdisappear, projects will be closed, andthe country will fracture. At this timein our history, we cannot afford to goback to the days of 2001. We haveachieved too much to turn back at thistime in our developmental history.

The ULP has performed well since2001, and St.Vincent and theGrenadines is a far better place to livetoday, than in 2001. These areimportant factors to consider whenyou go to vote on December 9th. Yourvote for the Unity Labour Party iscritical if you want to preserve theforward momentum of our country.

Forward we go: Fourinna row

MANY PEOPLE have told the SVG Green Party Leader,Mr Ivan O’Neal, that they are fed up with the way thecountry has been dragged down by the incompetentULP regime. They have been dying for change, but felttoo powerless to bring change.

On election day, the power to create change willbe firmly in the hands of the people. The people canuse their power to bring an end to the hopelessmanagement of SVG’s finances by Gonsalves, andinstall a new Parliament that is willing and able tocreate thousands of new jobs and reduce poverty.

We request again, that for the sake of our countryand our children, SVG Green Party supporters voteNDP in the constituencies that do not have a Greencandidate. Equally so, SVG Green Party is callingon NDP supporters, to vote SVG Green Party in theconstituencies where there is an SVG Green Partycandidate. An SVG Green Party- NDP coalitioncould manage the country better.

SVG needs to abolish the Mustique Act No. 48 of2002, and other similar Acts, that give customs dutyand tax exemptions to super-rich foreigners. It isimportant to tax the super-rich in order to generaterevenue to create jobs for the poor. We shouldimpose a windfall tax on the super-rich of Mustiqueand Canouan for not paying tax for decades. Wemust end this second phase of colonialism in SVG.

Our country has significant potential to exportmany more goods. SVG Green Party pledges to buildfactories to drive exports, create jobs and boost theeconomy. As well as a strategy of importsubstitution, we need to change our economy so thatit is export-oriented.

SVG needs factories for agro-processing. It makesno sense that SVG exports peanuts, but imports

peanut butter, and exports a variety of fruits butimports fruit juices. By exporting ‘value-added’products such as fruit juices and peanut butter,rather than primary products such as peanuts andfruit, more jobs will be created and the economy willbecome strong.

SVG should be exporting products such asorganic tea, organic baby food, organic fruit juices,organic honey, organic dried fruits, organic vacuum-packed vegetables, organic bottled coconut water,organic coffee, smoked fish and numerous otherproducts.

And we can rejuvenate banana and the rest of theSVG agricultural industry with new foreign marketsvia a revived Marketing Corporation.

In April 2015, the President of the USA repeatedSVG Green Party’s university message to theCARICOM leaders. Using Singapore as an example,Obama told the CARICOM leaders that if they hada highly-educated workforce, they could attract a lotof foreign investment. SVG needs its own universityso that our children can become highly educated,and use their skills to attract foreign investment into SVG.

All the Caribbean countries that have tourism asthe foundation of their economies are highlyindebted, have high crime rates, highunemployment rates, high levels of poverty and relyon foreign aid and begging. It is only by educatingour people that we can end generational poverty.SVG needs free education and free internet.

VAT is choking the economy. Many businesses allover the country have closed down, because of thedamaging effect of VAT on the economy, and others

that survive are experiencing their lowest saleslevels for decades. We must abolish VAT and createa tax system that helps businesses to grow andcreate new jobs.

SVG needs to cut ties with Taiwan and use ourdeep-sea tuna fishing licence to set up a joint-venture, tuna fishing industry with China. We needa factory in SVG to process and can this tuna fish,so that it can be exported and also sold in shops inSVG. This industry will create thousands of newjobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenuefor our country.

We need to put Vincentians first, not tourists orsuper-rich foreigners. To do this, vote for SVGGreen Party to provide new blood in the SVG Houseof Assembly. People want real change in their lives.Election Day offers the chance for that change.

Vote to throw out a government that enriches itsown chosen few and ignores the needs of the many.Put your X next to the telephone for jobs and astrong economy.

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

PERMIT ME SPACE in yourhighly informative newspaper toexpress my humble views/opinionon the upcoming GeneralElections and make predictionsfor polling day.

The Unity Labour Party(ULP), led by Dr RalphGonsalves, is seeking a fourthterm in office. Not an easy feat toachieve; but the candidates andsupporters of the party seemconfident that it could beachieved. Their spirits haveapparently been rekindledfollowing the successful landingsof four small aircrafts on theincomplete runway at the site ofthe International Airport, whichis being built at Argyle. The NewDemocratic Party (NDP) on theother hand, continues itsvigorous campaign to prevent theULP from forming governmentagain. The supporters of the NDPhave for several weeks now, beengathering in large numbers toattend meetings in variousconstituencies. They appearhighly energized and seeminglyrejuvenated, convinced that thistime, after three successivedefeats, their party, the NDP,will form government to run theaffairs of the country for the nextfive years. The other two partiescontesting the General Elections’,the St Vincent Green Party ledby Ivan O’Neal, and theDemocratic Republican Party(DRP) led by Anesia Baptiste, arenot expected to have anysignificant impact on the resultsof the General Elections.

Now, as we head towardspolling day scheduled for the 9thof December 2015, what are thechances of either of the two majorpolitical parties claiming victory?In considering that question, letus now look at the present stateof affairs in our blessed land. Theroads across the country are in adeplorable state; Governmentbuildings have virtually beenneglected, with many in seriousneed of repairs; agriculture hasdrastically declined; tourism isalmost stagnant; unemploymentis steadily increasing; and thereis an alarming increase in crimeand violence. Amidst all theseblaring evidences of the country’seconomic downturn, more andmore businesses are forced toclose, increasing theunemployment rate. While theULP-led administration may notbe fully responsible for all of this,it must shoulder most of theblame for this deteriorating stateof affairs. All is not well in thecountry, contrary to what theULP and its supporters maywant us to believe.

There are several pertinentquestions which we must askourselves. I would like each voterto consider the following: (1) Doesthe ULP deserve to be given afourth term to correct itsmistakes and get things rightthis time? (2) Is the ULP willingto accept that the situation in thecountry is far from good? (3)Would the ULP be able toalleviate the fears of Vincentiansregarding what many see as too

many cases of suspectedvictimization, alleged corruptionand perceived mismanagement ofthe economy? (4) Has the ULPbeen truthful in its proclamationof the true state of the country’seconomy, or has the HonourableArnhim Eustace been right allalong? There is only one way wewill ever know for sure.

There is growing discontentamong the country’s populace,even as a ‘wind of change’ isreverberating throughout thenation. Added to that,controversies abound in regard tothe suspected cases of illegalvoter registration and transfers.The atmosphere is feverish andfull of tension. One hopes thatviolence would not raise its uglyhead in this period leading up tothe General Elections.

In closing, this writer feelsthat these Elections would bekeenly contested. NDP is likely toretain the seven seats it nowholds, while ULP is expected toretain four of the eight seats itwon in the General Elections of2010. There are four seats thatare difficult to call at this presentmoment: Central Leeward, EastSt George, West St George andNorth Windward. The first twoseats appear to be leaningtowards the NDP; the last twoseem to favour ULP. It istherefore, expected that NDP willwin the first two of those fourseats, thus forming governmentwith a 9-6 margin of victory.

The Watchman

12. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

ViewsVVote for the change our country and people need

Victory margin of 9-6 expected

Stories by WILLIAM‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY

ST. VINCENT DISTILLERSLimited, makers of SunsetStrong Rum, SLR, CaptainBligh, Sparrow’s and SunsetRum Punch, is one of thiscountry’s premiummanufacturers.

The records speak forthemselves, andExport/PromotionManager PhillippaGreaves is pleased withthe recognition that herproducts are receiving, asentiment she lastWednesday addressedwhen she entertained agroup of visitors, includingjournalists, to theDistillery located in Mt.Bentinck, Georgetown.

She beamed with prideas she counted the awardsthat her company hasreceived.

“Wherever we send it,we are always winning,”Greaves pointed out.

Captain Bligh has wonaccolades in Barbados2001; Canada in 2002;Tampa, Florida - 2009;

Grenada 2013; World’sBest Rum in England2014; and World’s GoldAward London 2015.

As recently as July2015, Sparrow’s was votedamong the 50 best Rums.

The Export/PromotionsManager attributed thequality of the Distillery’sproducts to theconsistency and dedicationof her staff and of the“fresh spring water fromthe volcano.”

She noted that most ofthe staff have a longhistory of working withthe Distillery. Many ofthem have been employedwith the Distillery for asmany as 27 years in somecases and 30 years inothers.

And while she projectedher products as “Rum, forVincentians, made forVincentians,” Greaves wasequally delighted to citemarkets in the Caribbean,including Barbados, andannounced the recentsealing of a deal withparties in Australia.

She is hopeful that

overseas markets willopen in the near future.

“When the airportcomes on stream, I amsure things will change.… I am very confidentthat when that airportcomes, it is going tochange things for thebetter,” theExport/PromotionManager added.

Greaves led the touringparty through the entireprocess of the production.

She traced the historyof the operation from 1928when it was part of the MtBentinck Estate.

In 1962, the venturewas sold to BasilBalcombe and wassubsequently passed on tohis son.

In 1985, sugarproduction ceased on theestate, and the Distillerywas privatised in 1986.

The process involvesleaving barrels of the

manufactured products in‘Aging Rooms’ for fiveyears in the case of theSparrow, and eight yearsfor Captain Bligh.

The next stage is theBottling Plant, from wherethe finished products aredistributed mainly toVincentians.

The Distillery has alsobecome a touristattraction of its own.Besides getting the

opportunity to observe theproduction process inoperation, visitors canpurchase samples of theproducts from the source.

Souvenir items such ascaps, T/Shirts, and otherreplicas can be purchasedat the Distillery’s locationat the base of the northernmountain range, amidst asplendour of verdure andnatural Vincentianlandscape.

PERSONS INTERESTEDin expanding theirproductivity in agriculture

should seek out theOrange Hill HorticultureResearch andDevelopment Complex.

That is as good a sourceas any for procuring whatis necessary for plantingin the back yard and evenon a commercial scale.

Gale Da Silva,Agriculture Instructorresponsible for ShadeHouse Production at theComplex, guided a group,including journalists andrepresentatives of tourismrelated entities, on a tourof the site last Wednesday.

The trip was part ofTourism Month Activities,held under the theme:Tourism is everyone’sbusiness: Live it, love it,embrace it.

DaSilva outlined the

background to the venturewhich was under controlof the Taiwanese until2011.

Vida Jack is the personin charge of the VegetableSeedling Nursery. Avariety of plants can bepurchased from thatoutlet, including parsley,celery, cherry tomatoes,asparagus, cabbage, andsweet peppers.

Prices range from 20cents to 60 cents per plantfor those doing Back YardGardening. Those morecommercially inclined willget their plants in traysfor as little as 20 to 30cents.

Jack prefers persons tocontact her beforehand.“Call, and let me knowwhat you want me to dofor you,” Jack urged.

Shereen Ballantyne is aLaboratory Technicianattached to the PlantTissue Lab. She explainedthe seven stages used toproduce plants throughthe Tissue process.

Some crops handled atthe Tissue Laboratory arebananas, dasheen, tannia,pine apple, and plantain.

Juliet Ambriton isresponsible for the FoodPackaging Station. Shepointed to a relationshipwith the Rabbacca

Farmers’ Cooperative(RAFCO). The farmersbring their produce to her,from where they aredistributed toSupermarkets nationwide.

Tourism FocusV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 13.

Orange Hill awaits your call

St. VincentDistillers Limited:Always a winner

Casks of rum left to cure in the ‘Aging Room’.

St. Vincent Distillers Limited, situated in Mt.Bentict, Georgetown at the base of the northernrange of mountains, has become a touristattraction.

Phillippa Greaves, Export/Promotion Manager,was pleased to conduct a tour of the facility andto highlight the many awards the rums producedthere have won.

Gale Da Silva,Agriculture Instructorresponsible for ShadeHouse Production,conducted the tour ofthe Complex.

Touring party admires the seedlings at theComplex.

Cummings: ÂNo confidence inElections SupervisorÊby KENVILLE HORNE

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP)candidate for the West Kingstownconstituency, incumbent DanielCummings, has declared that he has noconfidence in the Supervisor ofElections, Sylvia Findlay-Scrubb.

Speaking on the Boom FM 106.9OMG morning show last Tuesday,Cummings said that he was notsatisfied that the Supervisor ofElections was working in the interestof all the people.

“Let me add to that. When thatlady was appointed, and for the firstcouple of years, I would have had adifferent opinion, but I have seenenough and heard enough to realize

that something has gone wrong,” saidCummings.

Cummings cited, to support hisview, that with just about two weeksto go before the general elections, hehas been hearing that many of thepolling stations have been changed,yet the Supervisor is not informingpersons where they are going to vote.

“You cannot wait until the 99thhour; that is information that shouldbe in everybody’s face already. If Ididn’t ask, I wouldn’t know thesethings. I am hearing that there is apossibility that instead of 17 pollingdivisions, there are going to be 19 inWest Kingstown. I am going intoelection, and if I didn’t ask, I wouldn’tknow,” Cummings disclosed.

Adding, “The Supervisor ofElections needs to be fair to allconcerned, and do her work and do itproperly…. Right is right, wrong iswrong; she is not acting asprofessionally as she ought to.”

Cummings also claimed that hisparty had submitted evidence of illegaltransfers of voters, to the Supervisor,stating further, “She has not evenbeen acknowledging, much more torespond”.

Cummings will be looking to retainthe West Kingstown seat in a contestthat pits him against Unity LabourParty candidate Debbie Charles andSVG Green Party’s Natasha Black, inthe December 9th elections.

14. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

PoliticsV

Daniel Cummings, NDP candidate inWest Kingstown, is concerned aboutwhat he terms theunprofessionalism of the Supervisorof Elections.

16. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsV

FLOW’S SPORTS FANS are the winnerswith the news that Cable & Wireless (C&W)launched its anew sports network, FlowSports (Channel 290), on Monday 23rdNovember.

With the arrival of the firstCaribbean-based, region-wide HighDefinition sports network, Flow’s TVcustomers can now access new, excitingand high quality sports programming,featuring the best local andinternational action.

And in another big win for Flow’scustomers, the new channel is availablein Flow’s Basic TV packages.

“With Flow Sports, we are changingthe game,” said John Reid, President ofCable & Wireless’s Consumer Group,which operates both the Flow and LIMEbrands. “Our goal is to be the numberone destination for sports fans in theCaribbean. With our recently announcedcontent partnerships — including 2016/17Premier League football, CONCACAFWorld Cup qualifiers, and the RioOlympics — Flow Sports will offer ourcustomers the best possible viewing

experience of the content that they aretruly passionate about.”

In addition to the best regional andinternational football, initial cricketprogramming will include home gamesof South Africa; New Zealand homeseries; the Ram Slam T20 tournament;and the T20 Bangladesh PremierLeague featuring West Indies superstarsChris Gayle, Sunil Narine and DarrenSammy.

Flow Sports will also deliver exclusiveNFL regular season games, athletics,auto racing, Fed and Davis Cup tennis,rugby and much more. In addition, FlowSports will be C&W’s key broadcastplatform for the Rio Olympics, and, fromAugust 2016, Premier League football.

Flow Sports is broadcast from a newlyconstructed, state-of-the-art mediafacility in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Sports fans can access the FlowSports channel on the Flow network inAntigua, Barbados, The Bahamas,Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Grenada,Jamaica, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, andTrinidad. (Contributed)

More sportswith FLOW

THE CLASSIC CountryMusic Club (CCMC),recently launched, withthe aim of promotingcountry music locally, hascaught the attention ofone of the Caribbean’smost accomplishedcountry and westernartistes, Linus Modeste,aka LM Stone.

Linus Modeste, a St.Lucian by birth, is wellrecognized in country andwestern circlesinternationally.

Not only is he arecording artiste, but hehas had a string of liveperformances, including inNashville, Tennessee, the

heartland of CountryMusic in the USA.

In his home country ofSt. Lucia, LM Stone isreferred to as theCaribbean George Jones ofcountry music. This ispartly due to his singingstyle which seems toemulate the late countrymusic legend, GeorgeJones.

Stone will visit theClassic Country MusicClub on the occasion ofthe finals of its firstannual ‘Carry Your OwnKey’ popularity singingcontest and country dance,to take place upstairs theMusic Centre in

Kingstown on Saturday28th November 2015.Starting time is 8.00 pm,and ten finalists areslated to compete forprizes, including cashprizes.

St. Lucia’s Linus ‘LMStone’ Modeste, willheadline the cast ofguest artistes at thefinals of the CCMC’s‘Carry Your Own Key’contest.

Regional C&W artisteto perform here

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 17.

THE ALL-FEMALE COMBINATIONof Beounce Bailey and Ann- JeanRoache, representing theKingstown Government School(KGS), answered their way to thetop of the Kingstown Co-operative Credit Union (KCCU)annual Primary Schools Quizcompetition last Saturday, at theMethodist Church Hall inKingstown.

The duo ended on 21 pointsahead of last year’s winners,Sion Hill Government,represented by Kevin Cainand Javed Baptiste. Thedethroned champions tallied17 points.

It was the final phase — thebuzzer round, in which theKingstown Government pippedthe Sion Hill Government, asboth were locked on 17 points

going into the final segment.Last year, the Kingstown

Government finished third,behind the Clare ValleyGovernment, who placedsecond.

The Calliaqua Anglican,represented by Shante Forbesand Jamund Cyrus, docked inthird after a tie-breaker withthe Westwood Governmentpair of Michael Joseph andJay-Mella Allen.

Both schools had ended on14 points.

The other finalists were theLangley Park Government,which had Nelly Sampson andDuronique Johnson as theirrepresentatives, and thePamelus Burke Governmentwhose flag was carried byTyniesha Samuel and

Alexandrina Pitt,placed fifth and sixthrespectively.

Langley Park puttogether 12 points tofinish fifth, andPamelus Burke 4points to end in thesixth position.

The finalistsemerged from thepreliminary round held7th November at theSt Vincent GrammarSchool.

In addition to beingawarded the Thomas SaundersChallenge Trophy, theKingstown Government Schoolis in line for funding of aproject of its choice, while thetwo winners earned

themselves cash awards andindividual trophies.

Cash awards and trophieswere also presented to thesecond and third places, withthe other finalists giventokens.

The students were quizzedin the areas of local history,current affairs, generalknowledge, sports and creditunion affairs, using multiplechoices, closed ended questionsand the buzzer round.

Beounce Bailey and Ann- Jaen Roache, flanked by principal of theKingstown Government – Thedica Commissiong – Jones (left) andteacher- Winston Telesford (right).

KGS trumpsKCCU Quizcompetition

WHEN EC$30 MILLION hasbeen spent from theConsolidated Fund topurchase buildingmaterials to be distributedfor election purposes andto supporters of aparticular political party,then that is a violation of

the rules. So says the New

Democratic Party’s(NDP) Political Leader,Arnhim Eustace who haspreviously levelledaccusations of bribery atthe Unity Labour Party(ULP).

Eustace said on theNew Times radioprogramme on Monday,that the very people whodid not qualify to receivethe materials, were thevery ones partlyresponsible for payingthe bill however.

“And what is worse, itis being paid toJamaica,” he said.

Eustace reiterated anearlier point that heraised, stating that thematerials werepurchased from a foreigncompany, Tank Weld in

Jamaica, when the itemscould have beenpurchased locally, andthen questioned ifanyone locally hadcollected a commissionfor the sale.

Ten percent of $30million was easily $1.3million, which, accordingto Eustace, went intosomeone’s pocket.

Dr Ralph Gonsalves,however, defended theaction taken, saying thatthe government doespurchase buildingmaterials from localsuppliers.

In this case, however,Gonsalves explainedthat in the case of

galvanize, which wasmanufactured locally, allother materials werepurchased overseas.

The company thatoffers good terms andlonger credit is Tank -Weld, Gonsalves hadexplained during a pressbriefing.

The other factor whenthe decision was made togo to the Jamaicancompany, was based on aquestion of size.

None of the localcompanies are of the sizeof Tank-Weld, and areincapable of supplyingthe large quantities thatwere required for masshome repairs. (DDD)

18. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

PoliticsVULP breakingthe rules Right: Materials from

Tank Weld, Jamaica,being offloaded at theCampden Park Port.

NDP promises no cutsin public serviceThere are no plans by aNew Democratic Party(NDP) government to cutthe civil service.

Political Leader of theNDP, Arnhim Eustace,made the point earlierthis week in response tocomments being made byDr Ralph Gonsalves, thePolitical Leader for theruling Unity LabourParty (ULP).

Eustace said on theradio programme NewTimes on Monday, thatalthough Gonsalveskeeps referring to thepoint that an NDPgovernment willimplement austeritymeasures and downsizethe civil service, that wasa lie, and that none of theNDP candidates evermade such a statement.

“We have never saidanything like that, anddon’t intend to cut thecivil service,” Eustacesaid.

He went on to saythat, should his partyform the nextgovernment, he intendsto honour the payment ofthe 2.5 percent increasepromised to civil servantson December 18.

“…The NDP willhonour whatevercommitment that thegovernment has made tothe civil servants. Wecan’t do otherwise; wewill be irresponsible to

stop any payment thatanother government hasagreed to,” the leader ofthe NDP explained.

Eustace also addressedthe allegation that theNDP, if elected, will stopthe nursing programme.

“I don’t understandthis foolishness (that) wewill stop the nursingprogramme and the$1,000 stipend to studentnurses.

“We never saidanything like that at all,”he said.

In fact, an NDPgovernment will raise themonthly stipend offeredto student nurses to$1,250, he promised.(DDD)

Arnhim Eustace hasrefuted the allegationthat anNDP governmentwill cut the size of thepublic service.

NewsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 19.

CUSTOMER APPRECIATIONWEEK at LIME culminated lastFriday with General Manager’s

Day. Wayne Hull — General

Manager of LIME - planned

General Manager of LIME - Wayne Hull delivering gifts to customers.

Christmas with localfavorites like ham,

fruit cake, sorrel andmore.

Mr. Hull added evenmore excitement as heinvited customers to diptheir hands into a boxfilled with vouchers thatwere all labeled withFREE phones, data,credit, discounts off

handsets, LIME services andmore.

The day climaxed with aLIVE Image Modeling AgencyMannequins display and a“show and tell” of the NEWiPhone 6s!

Hundreds of customerswere pleasantly surprised bythe unexpected generosity,and the opportunity to chatwith the GM.

LIME appreciatescustomers an exciting day for LIME patrons,

which began with a “door buster”sale that allowed early shoppers toget a smartphone for only $99.

The day continued, withcustomers getting a taste of

Down Memory LaneV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 23.

WITH THE PASSING of Jonathan ‘Joe BlaBla’ Lewis, the football team Castrolwas no more. He was the last survivingmember of the team.

Castrol was a rugged Bottom Townteam, and whoever came up againstthem was in for a real battle. Everyman in that team was a bruiser. Theygave no quarters and they acceptednone.

But then, there was a team calledJuniors that people seem to forget.Juniors had a few bruisers of their own,so they were able to match Castrolstride for stride.

These two teams were the teams thatintroduced Sunday afternoon football.Sad to say, we don’t have the date andthe year on record.

That particular Sunday afternoonwhen the two teams clashed, VictoriaPark was bursting at its seams inheightened expectation.

Both teams refused to come out andwarm up; Juniors remaining seatedupstairs, and Castrol downstairs in thepavilion.

When referee ‘Son’ Allen blew hiswhistle, both teams trotted to the middleof the field for pre-match instructions.When Allen was finished issuinginstructions to Castrol, they decidedthey were not playing because Allen hadspoken with his back toward them, andthey felt insulted. Well, the Park was inan uproar. Some people got into the actand started shouting, “They right not toplay.” “How he can turn his back to

them?”Anyhow, calmer heads prevailed, and

the match got underway. In those dayseach team walked with a ball, and thereferee selected the better one to playthe game. That day, the Juniors captaindid not prepare a ball, and so went tothe match without one. The match wasplayed with Castrols’ ball.

Twenty minutes into the game,Juniors’ Vin Hadaway slipped one pastCastrol’s custodian Eldon ‘Muckle’Bramble. Soon after, Juniors gotanother goal, and everyone knew inthose days that if Juniors had you 2down, ‘you ain’t coming back’.

Castrol realized their position, and inorder to save face with and for theirsupporters, who had wagered on thegame, one of their well-known playerswho went by the nickname ‘Bage’ Lucas,took up the ball and walked off.

After that incident, the Associationstarted providing balls for the games.

Old footballer

Castrol Football team

‘Joe Bla Bla’s passingrecalls a special time

24. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 29.

LeisureVACROSS

1. Christmas’smo.

4. Footballleagueletters

7. Gp. thatincludesthe Mets

10. Fury11. Chef Child13. Clock

numeral14. Purge15. Pile up16. Crooner

Torme17. Retains19. Had a

siesta21. Director

Howard23. Watch24. TV

attachment28. Before

tenth32. Rock’s __

Fighters33. Prevail35. Memorable

years36. Girl Scout’s

group39. Recover42. Polite drink44. Owl’s

question45. State48. Photo __52. Fla.’s

neighbor53. Kitchen

device

55. Nonchoosyone’sWord

56. Sandwichinits.

57. Pitchers58. That boy59. Needle

feature60. Journey

segment61. Barnyard

home

DOWN

1.Long dagger2. Pennsyl-

vaniacounty

3. Grant bytreaty

4. Bk. AfterLeviticus

5. Custarddessert

6. Bonet andHartman

7. MarcelMarceau,for one

8. Fibbed9. Cartoonist

Keane(“TheFamilyCircus”)

11. ActorRobards

12. Ski resort18. Prior to

(prefix)20. Architect

I.M. __

ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)Stubborn about making changes aroundyour home. Travel will be favorable. Becautious not to get involved in officechatter that will cause problems forothers. Organizations may cost youmore than you can afford.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21)You need to be active and spend timewith friends you enjoy. This could be aserious relationship. If you're uncertainof your feelings, keep your opinions toyourself. Make sure you concentrate ifoperating machinery or vehicles.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21)The key to feeling good about yourselfwill be to do something about it. Trynot to get into disputes that will lead toestrangements. A passionate encounterwith your mate should help alleviatethat pent-up energy. Take time to catchup on gossip and make plans to do alittle adventure travel.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)Take a break; you can finally mend anydisputes on the home front. You candazzle members of the opposite sexwith your quick wit and aggressivecharm. Confusion is apparent and you'llneed some sound advice if you want todo the right thing. Travel could bringyou the adventure and excitement yourequire.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22)Don't divulge secret information. Aneed to be in love may fool you. Yourfinancial situation may be draining andit's time to make some serious changes.You might get behind if you spend toomuch time debating senseless issues.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)Don't let the cat out of the bag. Yourdetermination and sheer desire to doyour own thing will be successful.Opportunities to make financial gainsthrough investments look promising.Take your time; do not make anydecisions in haste.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)Focus your efforts on details, and keep

to yourself in order to finish your work.Put your energy into self-improvementprograms that promise to make you intoa better you. Be prepared to counteractthe damage that adversaries are aboutto create. Get involved in activities thatwill bring you knowledge about foreignland, philosophies, or cultures.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)Your partner will be emotionally unableto cope. Put in some extra hours andfinish those careful jobs before youmove on to some fun and games. If youcan include them in your plans, do so.Children could cost you more than youcan afford.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)You need time to make things better.You will have the discipline andfortitude to accomplish what you wantthis week. Financial limitations will notbe as adverse as they appear. You willbe encouraged to get involved in amoneymaking venture.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)Changes in your home will be positive.Find out all the facts before you jump toconclusions. Romantic relationshipscould be under pressure. You have tobelieve in yourself and your talents.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21.- Feb. 19)Social activity with friends and relativeswill be most successful. Sudden changesregarding friendships are likely to occurif you have tried to change others. Youmust strive to get the most importantprojects completed properly, rather thandoling everything in a half-baked way. Ifyou can mix business with pleasuremuch can be accomplished.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)Try to curb your habits, or you couldfind yourself in an awkward financialposition. Situations you can't changeshould be forgotten for the present.Misunderstandings at work could easilylead to your demise. Be diplomatic butstem when it comes to giving ofyourself.

22. SSE’s opp.24. Behind, on

a boat25. Neither’s

pal26. “Never __

Late”27. Televise29. Teacher’s

group(abbr.)

30. Anglestarter

31. __ on rye34. Recent37. CIA’s

predecessor38. Fragment40. Burns

slightly41. Reaction to

an IMjoke

43. Skulkaround

45. Confederate46. Satisfy47. Forest sight49. Words from

Scrooge50. Military

division

51. Phrase akinto“goodness”(2 Wds.)

52. Lincoln, forshort

54. Measure ofwork

LA

ST

WE

EK

’sS

OL

UT

ION

Dear George,

I HAVE A small problem.  My boyfrienddoes not think my body is appealing anylonger.  He complains that my breastssag and my thighs are too big andlumpy. 

George, it is true that after my 2ndchild with him, that my body is not thesame; but I do not think he has theright to criticise me like that. I feel

very body conscious whenever I amwith him, and it is so bad that I do notwant to get undressed in his presence.The last degrading thing he told mewas he would have to find a womanwith firmer body parts, but he wouldnot leave me because I am very goodwith the house work and taking care ofthe children.

I feel so down right now.Sometimes I feel like packing my

things and leave. I am just waitingto see if he would change hisattitude towards me and my body.The thing is, I am not sure howlong I ought to wait.

Sad

Dear Sad,

There is much for your boyfriend tounderstand. To begin, he needs tounderstand that your body did not justget to that point because you weredoing nothing. You are the mother ofhis children, and child bearing has itseffect on the bearer!

I strongly suggests that you askyour boyfriend to accompany you to getsome professional counseling to deal

with the problem. Let him know thatyou are not happy with him and why,and give him the opportunity to hearyour concerns in an independentenvironment. This talk needs to takeplace and very soon. If he refuses toshift from his position, then he needsto be given the opportunity to findhimself the woman of his dreams.Then he might learn that firm breastsand thighs are not vital ingredients fora healthy relationship.

George 

30. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

AdviceVAfter-birth blues

Dear George,

MY GIRLFRIEND had the gall to tellme that she is going to take up anoffer made to her by her friend, tostart giving sex in exchange formoney. She explains that should shedo this, all of her bills would be takencare of, and her university educationwould be “in the bag.” Apparently, hergirlfriend makes over $3000,00 perweek prostituting her body topreferred customers.

I told her point blank that I am notin that, and if she is asking me for mypermission to do this, she is not goingto get it. Yes, we need the extra cash,but not this way.

I made it my business to check thisfriend of hers to find out what exactlyis entailed in her ‘business’, and sheexplained that sometimes they have tomake out with other women, if thatrequest was made by a particularcustomer.

My girlfriend seems determined todo this, and I told her that if she does,then she would have to say goodbye tome. To this day she has not answeredto that, which leaves me very doubtful

You have to make adecision about our future together.

Going-going gone.

Dear Going/gone

The promise of money, especiallywhen there is a great need for it, caninfluence one’s decision to do thingsthey would normally not do.

Your girlfriend seems to havealready made her mind up about this,and only told you to you to get yourblessings. Since you are not preparedto sanction this proposal of hers, youneed to understand that the endresult could be a split between youtwo.

She is an adult and has the right tochoose her own way; but, at the sametime, if she wishes to remain in thisrelationship, she needs to understandthe business of giving andtaking. Her actions can have anegative impact on the relationship,but, at the end of the day, the decisionis hers to make. You would have tomake a decision as to whether or notyou would want to compromise yourvalues and stay, or move on withouther.

George

ST. VINCENT, Hairouna -“Land of the Blessed” - andwhat a blessed island it is.

Since arriving in St.Vincent in September as avolunteer for InspirationalVolunteer Journeys (IVJ),a non for profitorganisation based in theUK who are working inpartnership with theWindward IslandsFarmers Association(WINFA), I have had thewonderful opportunity toimmerse myself into St.Vincent, through its richculture and beautifullandscape.

Prior to my arrival inSVG, I was working as aYoung Peoples SupportWorker, working andmentoring young people ina 24-hour supportedaccommodation service inEast London.

I received an email froma friend about anopportunity to volunteerwith IVJ to set up ademonstration farm andengage with young peoplein order to promoteagriculture, as there is adeficit in the amount ofyouth in agriculture.Consequently, a lot ofVincentian farmers haveno one to pass theirknowledge down to.

This sounded ideal forme, as I would be able to

continue working withyouth, and also gain somepractical experience to seeif I was really cut out to bea farmer and ‘work di lan’.

Understanding theagricultural landscape

Since being a volunteer,and working alongsideexperts like Kozel Fraser(Coordinator at WINFA)and Colville King(Diversification Officer atthe Ministry ofAgriculture) who (both)have given me a positiveoutlook on agriculture, Inow think that agriculturein SVG has beenmisunderstood andlimited to the idea thatagriculture equates to afarmer in water boots,dripping with sweat,with a hoe in one handand a fork in the other.

Farmers areinstrumental to theagricultural sector, andtheir hard work isfundamental to thefruition of the industry.However, I havepersonally gainedinsight and witnessed acadre of professionalsfrom a variety ofbackgrounds including:accountants,

economists, marketingexperts, project managers,administrators, bio-chemists, agronomists, toname a few. Theseprofessionals are anexample of how far andwide agriculture spans interms of the various rolesand employment potentialwithin farming businesses,in which the Vincentiangraduate population andthe wider youthpopulation of today canutilise their qualificationsand transferable skills inorder to create jobs forthemselves.

Cont’d on Page 34.

FeatureV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 31.

The same area of land after preparation and just before planting began.Area of land before preparation began.

Volunteer Team on agriculture

The IVJ volunteers (from left): Rochelle Walker (Project Co-ordinator),Matt Larden, Keeton Castillo, Melis Celgen, Mattew Johnston (ProjectManager).

ON THE AFTERNOON of Monday, 16thNovember, in a very touching gesture ofgratitude, a special Service ofAppreciation was held at the campus ofTrinity School of Medicine.

The activity gave thanks for the giftby ‘Cadaver Walter’, who had donatedhis body for medical study upon hisdeath.

A cadaver is the body of a deadhuman being. These are used bymedical schools in their students’study of anatomy. Before practisingon living human beings, medicalstudents must learn body parts andtheir functions, and a host of other

information about how the body works.They do so by using dead bodies.

Dr. Frances Jack, Associate Dean ofStudents andAssistant Professor of Medicine, calledCadaver Walter’s contribution, hislegacy of selflessness which hasallowed the students to receiveknowledge in the most tangible way,“What is clearly evident by his‘selfless’ gift is that, he and his family,they believed in humanity, and hopedby this single act that they could makea difference.”

President and CEO of Trinity, Mr.Steven Wilson, received on behalf of

the institution, a plaquecommemorating Walter’s place amongcadavers used at Trinity.

Pastor Dr. George Frederickpresented words of exhortation.

“In my forty-nine years of ministry,I’ve never done something like whatI’m about to do today,” he admitted.

He went on to say that the livingknow that they shall die, but the deaddo not know anything, so once peoplehave life, they should love it and lovepeople.

The audienceincluded studentswho had workedwith and learntfrom Walter. In reflecting on howWalter touched her life, Third Termstudent, Avani Shukla, said, inter alia,“Him giving his body so that we couldfurther our education is a veryhumbling experience”.

The service was followed byinterment at the Kingstown Cemetery.

Trinity shows appreciationfor Cadaver Walter

34. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

NewsV

From page 31.

An enriching experience

When the time comes for me to say“bye for now, until I see you again”, Ican say that I have truly beenenriched by my volunteering journey,having gained a tremendous amountof first hand experience from draftingresearch surveys, writing proposals forfunding with the WINFA team,attending training on climate changeand, overall, networking with so manytalented and accomplished individualsfrom all walks of life. On a practicallevel, I can say that I have learnedthat perhaps I’m not cut out to be afarmer — yet! But I have enjoyedlearning how to use a hoe and a fork,

and transforming a land full of bushto functioning farmland.

We have made a short video whichwe will present to the students of StClair Dacon Secondary School inDecember, and we have also invitedsome young people on a tour of ourfarm and our nature trail in Brighton.

If you would like to view ourfarmland, please contact our projectmanager Matthew Johnston from IVJon 455 8902 or email him atmatthew.johnston@ivj.org.uk.

For more information about WINFAplease visit their website atwinfa@winfacaribbean.org 1784 4562704

Written by Rochelle Walker, ProjectCo-ordinator

Volunteer Team on agriculture

The final remains of ‘Cadaver Walter’ (in small box) were intered at theKingstown cemetery.

Pastor Dr. GeorgeFrederick accepted thechallenge of presentingthe exhortation.

SportsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 35.

by E. GLENFORD PRESCOTT

VENOLD COOMBS is completingthe first week of a second four-year term as president of the St.Vincent and the GrenadinesFootball Federation (SVGFF).

Coombs comfortably beatchallenger Roddy Dowerswhen the organisation held itsAGM on Saturday, November21st at the Arnos Vale SportsComplex.

The incumbent Coombs won31/17, as all 48 duly registeredAffiliates cast their ballots fortheir candidate of choice.

Otashie Spring was elected1st VP, Marvin Fraser 2nd VPand Wayde Jackson 3rd VP.The rest of the executive willbe completed with the electionof four committee members inthe next two weeks.

The meeting, as per usualwith the AGMs of the SVGFF,was not without its share ofpersonality clashes and loudexchanges, as delegateswitnessed what some may seeas a phenomenon for the

second time within a year,when sitting members of anexecutive took to the floor toquestion the president.

The first such display tookplace at last year’s SVGCricket Association AGM,when President Julian Jackwas humiliated by hisexecutive and forced out ofoffice.

On Saturday, PresidentCoombs and second Vice-president Marvin Fraseroccupied the head table, as3rd VP Elroy Boucher, thendismissed General SecretaryTrevor Huggins andCommittee Member ClemroyFrancois took turns at, whatsome say, appeared to be a

planned and well—orchestrated attempt tocreate doubts in Coombs andcompany’s credibility andsuitability.

The issue which once againproved the bone of contentionwas the income from the saleof world cup tickets. In theend, the Affiliates seemedsatisfied with the explanationgiven by the president, andoverwhelmingly voted himback into office.

Francois lost in the secondvice-president battle andHuggins, sensing the possibleinevitable, made a last minutewithdrawal from that race.Boucher was unsuccessful inhis attempt to stay in the

3rd vice president position.The ‘slate” put forward by

Coombs, made a clean sweepin collecting all three vice-presidents positions.

Spring, an accountant,had to stave off a strongchallenge from technicianWayne Grant before takingthe 1st vice-president

position with 14 votes. Grantcollected 12 votes, withOsborne Bowens eight,Kendale Mercury eight andKeith Duncan six, being theothers on the ballot.

The incumbent Frasergarnered 22 votes to hold ontothe 2nd vice president positionto beat nearest challengerFrancois who got 15. St. ClairStapleton, whose tenure asaccountant at the SVGFF’soffice appears to have beenended, got five votes, while aname listed as “RockwellJohn” got three votes, andthere were three spoiledballots.

Jackson recorded the widest

margin of victory, as hesecured the 3rd vice presidentposition by a 17-voteadvantage over the incumbentBoucher, winning 28/11.Bevan Lewis, the othercandidate in the race, pooledeight votes.

“People do not want footballto be dragged into the mudand they have shown that inno uncertain terms….footballmust not be seen in suchnegative light constantly…..Yes, I admit that people willhave differences, but the extent which some peoplewent to even write to FIFAEthics Committee and go tothe FIU, that was taking it too far”, opined thePresident.

He also said that it was hisintention to try and get asmany people on board as theystill have the World Cupcampaign and otherprogrammes, and these mustbe given priority over the nextfew weeks.

Foreign runners top NACAC Chatoyer 10kKENYAN KENNETHROTICH andTrinidadian Tonya Nerowon the male and femalecategories of theinternational segment ofthe NACAC ChatoyerEndurance 10K, whichtook place from GordonYard to theChateaubelair PlayingField, last Sunday.

Rotich breasted thetape in a time of time 39minutes 48 seconds,ahead of second placedPamenos Ballantyne ofSVG in 41 minutes 30.Trinidadian Curtis Coxwas third in 42 minutes30 seconds.

Trailing Nero, whosewinning time was 42minutes 31 seconds, wasVincentian Linda McDowall in 47 minutes 47seconds, and FanjanteinoFelix of Martinique thirdin 48 minutes 26seconds.

The top three in theinternational segments

collected US $1000, $700and $500, for first,second and third,respectively.

Rotich received abonus US$ 100, for beingthe first to cross the 5kmark.

Dubbed as the ‘World’sMost Challenging 10K’,the consensus amongthe visiting athletes,which also included twofrom Grenada, a lonefemale from Cuba, aswell as two othercompetitors fromMartinque, was that thecourse was too difficult,as there were too manydown-hills and the hillswere too steep to mount.

That sentiment wasnot rife among the locals,some of whom wouldhave traversed theterrain on occasions,especially during theLOG Enterprises NorthLeeward 5K, which ispart of Team AthleticsSVG’s road racing

calendar.Among the local

competitors, Ryan Johnof IT DAT took theUnder- 20 in 47 minutes43 seconds. He wasfollowed home byteammates Akani Slaterand Slyford Lampkin,second and thirdrespectively. Slater did49 minutes 51 secondsand Lampkin 50 minutes53 seconds.

In the female Under-

20, the winner wasKerina Hooper of X-Ceed in one hour oneminute 55 seconds.Second was SorenyaMiller of IT DAT andthird Tara Joseph also ofIT-DAT.

The three top finishersin these categoriesreceived EC$ 400, $200and $150, respectively.

Taking the male Over-20 was IT DAT’sMeshach Dublin in 42

minutes 8 seconds, withCyron Lewis of X Ceedsecond in 43 minutes 52seconds, and CaswellLewis of IT-DAT, third in44 minutes 49 seconds.

Prices awarded in thiscategory — first place$600.00, second $300.00and third $200.00.

Samantha Lynch ofSA SA Club won thefemale over 20 in onehour 12 minutes. Second

in one hour 17 minutes58 seconds wasSandrieka Hooper, whocompeted unattached.

Lynch pocketedEC$600 and Hooper-$300.

IT- DAT earned theteam prize of EC $300.

This Sunday, 29thNovember, will see TeamAthletics SVG hostingthe Round D Town RoadRelay.

Kenneth RotichTonya Nero Kerina Hooper Pamenos Ballantyne

Coombswinssecondterm Venold Coombs (centre) fielding questions from the floor.

Left: The successful slate (from left) Venold Coombs,Otashie Spring, Marvin Fraser and Wayde Jackson.

36. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

SportsV

No time for complacency THE NEW EXECUTIVE of the local FootballFederation will be celebrating their victory, butwhen they put away the euphoria, there will bethe stark reality that all is not well with football.Crying foul or hoping for perfection could be waysof dealing with the situation.

It will be hard to condemn the players for theirperformance in their first two matches in theGroup stage of the World Cup qualifiers.

It is a pity that fans may have overestimatedthe situation in which the squad has found itself.Looking from a distance, there seems to be a lackof appreciation of the opportunities that we face.

The Football Federation is more interested intrying to get competitions off the ground, ratherthan looking into the welfare of the players.

Our players have been left to feel like outcasts,given the scant regard given to them. No oneexpects the Federation to hand out mega bucks,but those men who put their life and limb on theline to represent the nation deserve a higher levelof respect.

It was sad to see players of the national squadattending training sessions in slippers and shortpants. What kind of message are we sending to theyoungsters?

I am not saying that the players must betreated as super stars and adorned with silver andgold. But such as we have it must be given tothem. The players are the ones who help to attractwhatever monies FIFA delivers. It is time thatthey benefit from any windfall.

Far too often, executive members take mattersinto their own hands, and the players who makethe final product possible are left to scramble forthe crumbs.

There are examples for all to see. And the trendis continuing.

The players have an obligation to preparethemselves. They can’t expect others to shouldertheir burden. But respect has to be shown to theplayers.

The Vincentian World Cup campaign has hit amiserable low. As much as we have to try tosalvage some pride, it is hard for us to be incontention for further advances.

Remarks from the management do not engendermuch prospects in the rest of the sojourn. Itsounds distasteful some comments from themanagement after the two games.

If Assistant Coach Ezra Hendrickson’s analysisis a guide, there will be new players in the squad,if only to remind the current crop that their placesare not automatic.

It is ironic that the crop of players who haveworked so hard to achieve their stage of progresshave become so complacent as to elicit thestatements by Hendrickson.

We appear to have inherited some managementissues. Football is never a sport here where unityis guaranteed, neither on the field or elsewhere.Our history has shown us that, even with thestrongest outfit, we have created factions whichinevitably will cause rupture.

There is an opportunity for us to come to gripswith our situation. Individual players have to takeon their own responsibility. The Federation withits renewed mandate has to step in to ensure thesmooth operation of its programmes.

If we can’t rise to the occasion and settle ourdifferences, we will continue to flatter to deceiveand attain a level of mediocrity which will make usbig fish in small waters and no fish at all as soonas we hit the ocean.

THE UNION ISLAND All-Starsare for the third consecutive yearchampions of GrenadinesBasketball.

They retained the title whenthey beat Bequia All Stars, 75 to67, in the finals of the 2015Digicel Grenadines BasketballChampionship, played in Bequiaat the Port Elizabeth Hard Court,last weekend.

Leading scorer for Union Islandwas Steveon Taylor who led theway for Union Island with 25points, 3 rebounds and 4 steals.Kirstin Lampkin with 16 points, 3rebounds and 4 steals stood outfor the Bequia team.

Earlier, Canouan Islanderseasily defeated Mayreau 105 to 69to take third position. WarricanMyers continued to show his classwith 34 points, 14 rebounds, 4

assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Thetop scorer for Mayreau wasRashaun Forde with 22 points.

Union Island had booked theirplace in the finals by easilybypassing Mayreau 82 — 61.Steveon Taylor, with 17 points, 10rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals,dominated for Union Island, whileDamian Forde with 13 points, 7rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals didhis best to keep the Mayreauteam within reckoning.

Bequia booked their spot in thefinals following a close encounterwith Canouan. The ding-dongbattle finished 67- 65. Bequiahad much to thank KirstinLampkin for, as he turned in a 16points and had 11 rebounds, 1assist, 5 steals, and 3 blocks.Canouan’s Damina Harry had agame high 26 points along with 4

rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.Despite their third place

ranking, Canouan took most ofthe individual awards.

Power forward Warrican Myerswas adjudged the OverallTournament MVP. In addition,he copped the Championship’sawards for most points (119),most rebounds (99) and mostblocks (15), computed over the 6games of the preliminary round,and was named his team MVP.

Bequia All-Stars’ captain,Kelan Edwards, had the moststeals award, while Union’sKenny Alexander took the mostassists award.

Other team MVP’s were: DarioGlasgow for Union; KeithroyLavia for Bequia; and NemiahAlexander for Mayreau.

I.B.A.ALLEN

Union Island retainsGrenadines Basketball title

NEWLY RE-ELECTED president of theSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesFootball Federation (SVGFF) VenoldCoombs is confident that the gamewill go to higher heights in hissecond term.

Coombs brushed aside a meekchallenge from Roddy Dowers, enroute to a second consecutive four-year term, coming out a 31-17victor at the organisation’sNovember 21st, 2015 AGM, heldat the Media Centre at the ArnosVale Sports Complex.

Coombs had gone into the racepointing to what he said was hismany achievements during theperiod October 2010 to November2015.

In a post-election address,Coombs said that he wasconfident that more gains wouldbe made on those of the previousterm, given his and the SVGFF’srelationship with overseasfraternal organisations, includingthe UEFA - the governing bodyfor Football in Europe.

“The close relationships that Ihave and we have with differentinternational bodies like the USSoccer Federation, will growbecause we are offeredscholarships, equipment and gear.… In fact, we got the gear for thenational (senior) team withoutpaying (up front) and we arepaying…and we got the greatestof concessions from them becauseof their links with Nike,” hepointed out.

“We have over two milliondollars already approved (byFIFA) to buy a headquarters….wehave 1.3 million dollars to get ahome for football and we aregoing to access funds from FIFAto have a semi-professionalleague….we want to engage withthe government with Lottery inthe mix so we start to developthat sense of professionalisation

with our players,”Coombs said.

Coombs also tookthe opportunity toreassure the Affiliatesthat the sport was ingood hands as hehighlighted the trackrecord of the men onhis executive - firsttimers OtashieSprings the 1st vice-president and3rd vice-presidentWayde Jackson, alongwith 2nd MarvinFraser who was re-elected.

He describedFraser as an elementof stability.

“Brother Otashie is from theWindward side…. We want todevelop football all across thecountry, so I want to thank youall very much for voting abrilliant young educated,intelligent man….and the wholecountry is part of it, for we haveMr. Jackson from the Leewardside, and everybody know thework that Mr. Jackson has beendoing on the Leeward side,working selflessly with theyouths,” Coombs enuciated.

After laying out the credentialsof his vice-presidents, it was timeto turn the focus of attention onhimself.

“Let me tell you, VenoldCoombs mean well… and willcontinue to be that person.Understand this, I am no falseprophet…you have people who Ihave identified me withadministration over the years willcome and tell you that in VenoldCoombs you have a person who isdedicated and want football to goforward,” he said.

His intention, he assured, is tolisten to the ideas of everyone as

he and his executive chart theway forward for the sport here.

The president, who appeared tohave had a turbulent relationshipwith some members of the lastexecutive, later indicated that theconfidence shown in him and hisslate by the Affiliates was a clearsign that he was on the right pathin taking the game forward.

On Wednesday, Coombs, whoas president is afforded theprivilege of naming twocommittee members to theexecutive, selected DominiqueStowe and Dwight Baptiste asthose persons.

The remaining five members ofthe executive- all committeemembers- will be named in thenext two weeks, according to thepresident.

A total of 15 candidatescontested the elections, with twoin the presidential race, five inboth the first and second vice-president race, and three for thirdvice president posts.

Forty-eight Affiliates-36clubs/teams and 12 leagues -wereeligible to vote in last Saturday’sElections.

ÂFootball future isbright,Ê Coombs

Affiliates of the SVGFF put their faith inCoombs and his team, much to thedisappointment of some who had soughtoffice.

Inset: Venold Coombs, re-elected President ofthe SVGFF, has promised an even moreinvigorated term the second time around.

Jeremy Dean

The team give awaytoo much possession.They give away the balltoo much in the mid-field. Some simplecorners to defend, theycan’t defend. The defenseis a big problem. Thetall man in the back healone - the guy came andtake away the ball andrun right around tallman. What do you thinkhappen there? I wasimpressed with thenumber 15, KevinFrancis.

Raffique Barbour

The defense and thekeeper were real poor.That means we need towork in the defense, andthe keeper needs toeither be changed orwork harder. Otherwiseeverything was ok, butthe coach needs to makesome adjustment to thedefense and bring on thesubstitutes earlier. Wehave some good playersbut we ain’t use themenough. The line-up

needs to change, andwork with the defenders.The coach used to be adefender, yet the defensewas poor, poor today.

Afia John

I wasn’t impressedwith the game. The guysslack off in the first half.I feel they could havedone much better. Theywasn’t pressuringenough; they were givingthe team more time onthe ball, which give themmore chances. Therewasn’t anycommunication betweenthe players. I feeldisappointed because Ihave seen them playbetter than this.

Shianne James

The game wasn’t abad game, but you cansee that there isn’t anycommunication. Thedefending was poor andfor the set plays, thekeeper, he was nottalking to his players, sothat created a lot of the

problems. But theycould have done better. Ihope they go back to thedrawing board andimprove.

Ali

Let we just give theyouth them a chance,because they playingagainst professionalswho getting paid bigmoney. Vincy Heat isjust a group ofyoungsters trying to getthemselves together. Letwe cope with them. Wehave to back we own, butthey need to work harderand train more.

Aliesha Campbell

I think that we couldhave done better, but wehave to support the teamwhether or not we win.At the end of the day, itis important that theyreceive constructivecriticism. They couldhave done better. Wedon’t have the bestfacility, but am happy wereach thus far.

SportsV THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 37.

Vincy Heatfans reactby KENVILLE HORNE

LAST WEEK Tuesday, November 17, many Vincentians turned up at the Arnos ValePlaying Field prepared to cheer their senior national football team, Vincy Heat, tovictory over Guatemala.

The encounter was Vincy Heat’s second in the fourth-round of CONCACAFGroup “C” qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Vincy Heat was returning to their home ground after being trounced 6 -1by the USA, November 13.

Exuberant as they were, the Vincentian diehard fans were quicklydeflated, and many remained so to the end of the match, the final score beingGuatemala 4, SVG 0.

THE VINCENTIAN spoke to some of the Vincy Heat fans to get theirreaction. Here is what a few had to say.

38. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. THE VINCENTIAN

Continued from Page 1.

According to Connell,“Marijuana has to be abenefit to our state, andnot a burden. We simplycannot afford to makemarijuana a burden.”

Connell has beenconsistent, over theyears, in championingthe cause for thedecriminalization ofmarijuana.

He has beeninstrumental in gettingthe Police HighCommand to establish apolicy of granting stationbail to persons chargedwith possession of 15grams of marijuana andunder, and hasrepeatedly called for anational discussion,involving allstakeholders, on themarijuana issue.

His most recent movewas to seek permissionfrom the Minister ofHealth to cultivate amarijuana plant, fordisplay and educationalpurposes, on thecompound of theMurray’s Road based‘Grassroot Tennis Club’,

of which he is director.Connell’s request was

made in a letter datedOctober 5, 2015 to theMinister, and copied tothe Governor General,Prime Minister, Ministerof Sports and Culture,Minister of ForeignAffairs, the AttorneyGeneral and the Directorof Public Prosecutions(DPP).

Connell told THEVINCENTIAN that thelaw provides amechanism throughwhich permission couldbe granted to cultivate aplant for a specificpurpose, through theMinister of Health, inaccordance with theDrugs (Prevention of

Misuse) Act Cap 284section 9 of the revisedlaws of St. Vincent andthe Grenadines.

“That law is alwaysthere, but was neverexplored. We better startexploring, or we willmiss the boat. We havea duty to futuregenerations”, Connelladvised.

Up to press timeWednesday, he wasawaiting a response tothe letter.

THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015. 39.

ClassifiedsV

ANDRENE HAZELL

Holy Cross Anglican Church

Paget FarmSaturday 28th

November, 20152:00 p.m.

TREVOR ALEXANDER JACKSON

Vermont SDA ChurchTuesday 24th

November, 20152:30 p.m.

CRIGHTON BROWNE

Pilgrim Faith Church, Stubbs

Sunday 22nd November, 2015

2:00 p.m.

JONATHAN LEWIS

Kingstown Methodist Church

Wednesday 18th November, 2015

3:00 p.m.

REPAIRSWahing machine and

microwave repairs.Home Services455-5018

‘Declare your hand on ganja issue’

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015 VOLUME 109, No.48 www.thevincentian.com EC$1.50

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

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by KENVILLE HORNE

CEO of the International AirportDevelopment Corporation(IADC), Dr. Rudy Matthias, saidthat he cannot image the NewDemocratic Party (NDP) openingthe International Airport atArgyle, given their criticisms ofthe project.

During his speech at aceremony, on Thursday 19th,after four planes landed at theArgyle International Airportas part of test landingsconducted by the EasternCaribbean Civil AviationAgency (ECCAA), Matthiassaid that it will be his dreamto see the airport completedunder the ULPadministration, but, “I can’tconceive of the ArgyleInternational Airport beingcompleted by persons who saidat almost every juncture, that

we didn’t need this airport,that it couldn’t be built. I can’tconceive of them, coming toArgyle to open thisinternational airport.”

Perhaps buoyed by thelarge numbers of personsdecked in red, who had turnedout to witness the landings,Matthias continued, “I can’tconceive of Arhnim Eustacesitting in the VIP lounge inthis new airport when it isopened. I can’t conceive ofthat. It will be an injustice ifwe are not allowed to finishthis airport project here atArgyle.”

The CEO assured that theairport is close to its finalstage. “They said it couldn’tbe done, they said it couldn’tbe built; but today we arewitnessing one of severalhistoric moments in theconstruction of this Argyle

International Airport,” saidMatthias , after the fourplanes landed.

He commended all theagencies and individualsinvolved in the construction ofthe airport, but singled outPrime Minister Dr. RalphGonsalves as the mastermindbehind the project, confessing,“Truly, we couldn’t havegotten this far without thestrong support of RalphGonsalves and hisgovernment.”

Matthias admitted that “Atevery stage of this project, weencountered challenges,” butwas pleased to report that “weare overcoming them day byday,”

Pointing to the sourcing offunding for the project, theCEO said, “…I wouldn’t tellyou the money always camewhen we needed it, so there

were always financial issuesthat we had to deal with up tothis stage. But I doubt in thenext two or three months, thatIADC can complain aboutfinancial issues , because Iknow where the money is now,to complete the project.”

While he anticipatedcompletion in the next 2

months, he beckoned thegathering to reflect on the factthat “decision time isDecember 9th. So you haveto decide whether you want usto finish this airport, orwhether those who don’t knowwhere to find the money , willcome here and finish it.”

The sea of ULP supporters who witnessed the test landing, may have influenced the CEO’s perception of the NDP’s right ofauthority over the opening of the airport.

Dr. Rudy Matthias, CEO-IADC, made no bonesabout who has the ‘rightof privilege’ to open theArgyle Airport.

One of the planes involved in the test landings.

ARGYLE AIRPORT:NOT FOR NDP TO OPEN