.

GoM to Grant Licences To Two Medical Schools

by Merrick Andrews

Hon. Idabelle Meade and Kenneth Cassell

The Government of Montserrat said it would grant licences to two medical schools, which have shown interest to operate on the island.

The schools are St. John’s School of Medicine and the St. Mary School of Medicine, which currently operate in the Cook Islands.

“The schools promise to be on island any time soon,” said Mrs. Idabelle Meade, minister of Community Services, Health and Education.

Officials from the Development Unit and the Ministry of Finance have also confirmed the approval of granting the licenses to the two projects.

Mrs. Meade said officials from both schools met with the Government on island earlier this year, and the schools will set up a physical presence here.

Also the American University of the Caribbean (AUC), which left during the onset of the volcanic crisis, has shown interest in returning, said Mrs. Meade.

She said the AUC are asking for “special conditions and concessions” to re-establish here.

Kenny Cassell, President of the Montserrat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI), said the two projects could only bring additional economic benefits to Montserrat, especially if they are required to establish a physical presence here in terms of the teaching facilities.

“We will get more people and increased consumption of goods and services,” Mr. Cassell wrote in his August 16 column in The Montserrat Reporter, named Towards A Viable Population. “We will get villas rented and/or built. We already know the kind of impact these schools could have on the economy since we had the AUC here before the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano.”

The MCCI president said efforts to repatriate the AUC should now also be intensified.
However, he said whatever schools are set up here must meet international standards in order to get a licence. “Also, their faculty and curricula must be of the highest quality,” he said. “All this would be necessary if they are to survive and be successful.”

He said other schools operating here could be an asset to the AUC with their “already recognized standards and their record of producing graduates now working in the United States and elsewhere. The AUC could in fact find they could get transfers from these other schools”.

Mr. Cassell urged the Government in his column to do all in its power to facilitate this development.

He concluded: “These schools will surely bring more people to live in Montserrat, thus expanding our consumer base and increasing economic activity.” 

Sun Gives Montserrat A Spectacular Surprise

by Bennette Roach

On Monday this week a wide, shadowy halo materialized around the sun around mid-day transforming many Montserratians into instant astronomers, arousing a flood of calls to the Montserrat Reporter, the control tower at Geralds and inspiring more than a few dark thoughts.

Concentric rings appeared around the sun in this view made all over Montserrat and was viewed also according to later reports by some in Antigua.

One caller excitingly called, “Hey, look up at the sun. What the heck is that? Can you tell us what that is?”

Another caller said, “It's Armageddon,''

“Another person said, `Ah, I don't have to pay my bills.''

Not such a good idea.

We rushed out to view what, as was explained to us by our friends at the control tower, was caused by an icy layer of clouds, known as a ‘halo’ and which prompted us to do a little research. We were told that there was indeed nothing unusual or uncommon about the beautiful spectacle which carried a rainbow around it as can be better appreciated in the photo presented in The Montserrat Reporter on-line at http://www.montserratreporter.org.

It really started an hour or two before noon, with the sun directly overhead. “It is very impressive. It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous halo,'' someone commented, as we struggled to get the best shot from our digital camera looking straight up above.

Our research told us , as the control tower experts explained: A halo is a ring of light surrounding the sun or moon. Most halos appear as bright white rings but in some instances, the dispersion of light as it passes through ice crystals found in upper level cirrus clouds can cause a halo to have color.

Halos form when light from the sun or moon is refracted by ice crystals associated with thin, high-level clouds (like cirrostratus clouds). A 22 degree halo is a ring of light 22 degrees from the sun (or moon) and is the most common type of halo observed and is formed by hexagonal ice crystals with diameters less than 20.5 micrometers.

Light undergoes two refractions as it passes through an ice crystal and the amount of bending that occurs depends upon the ice crystal's diameter.

Halos come in different categories and are sometimes seen at sunrise or sunset when a 22 degree halo develops.

For those who saw the halo on Monday, it was quite an experience and reminded many of the day when all waited for the solar eclipse. It lasted much longer and in Montserrat it is doubtful that the majority of residents of Montserrat missed it.

Visit http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/opt/ice/halo/22.rxml to learn more about halos.

Photos – By Bennette Roach

At Last a Local Attorney General in Mrs. Esco Henry-Greer

Mrs. Esco Henry-Greer has been appointed as the new Attorney General for Montserrat, effective September 2, according to a Government House press statement, sent at press time.
She will take over from Mr. St. John-Stevens, who returns to the United Kingdom following his temporary assignment here.
Mrs. Henry-Greer worked most recently as legal adviser to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) in St. Kitts.
Prior the volcanic crisis she worked as Principal Crown Counsel and briefly as Magistrate in Montserrat.
Former Chief Minister and attorney David Brandt congratulates Mrs. Henry-Greer saying “she is good choice.”
Mrs. Henry-Greer was a lawyer in Mr. Brandt’s Chambers during his tenure as Minister of Communications and Works 1991-92 in the Reuben Meade administration. 

EDITORIAL

"Issue of Animal Shootings Sparks Great Heat Before the Light Breaks"

This week some strange and unusual things have taken place. It is not the actions so much that are puzzling but the reactions, some of which seem uncharacteristic and out of place, mostly because they involved in almost every case Montserratians, whether here or abroad.

The Guest Book on The Montserrat Reporter’s website at www.montserratreporter.org was perhaps the most popular area of the site, but it has been closed for several months, closed because of the abuse by only a few who exhibited behaviour that is certainly unbecoming if not surprising.

Last Week Mr. Wolf Krebs drew to the attention of our readers the situation of dogs and animals being shot by persons he called animal wardens hired by the Ministry of Agriculture; nothing new to Montserrat, as he mentions that this is the law of the land.

He refers in detail and perhaps in an overly dramatic fashion that finds displeasure from the permanent secretary in that Ministry. The permanent secretary, who at first even admitted that the Department of Agriculture was pained by the incident referred to, turned to the Electronic Evergreen, where the story was also published, and branded Mr. Krebs's report "completely inaccurate, fabricated, and misleading, and (has) done needless and irreparable damage."
That posting triggered something quite ugly – it became us and them, those who "ran away" and those who stayed, varying opinions about shooting and poisoning pets, stray pets and animals, who is welcome in Montserrat and who should ship out, and more. It didn’t seem to matter in the end where the writers were at the time. As in most cases, whether well or misguided, such exchanges illustrate that the whole idea of "freedom of expression" can really be misunderstood and abused to the extent that it falsely portrays a culture not usual to us.

The permanent secretary eventually recanted somewhat and explained to the Electronic Evergreen that the Ministry was not denying that the dog was shot by an animal warden, only that the “circumstances under which the incident took place were very, very different from what was described by Dr Krebs.”

By then there had been some worthwhile expressions of calm and suggestions as to how the age-old problem of wild and stray dogs, loose livestock and other untethered animals could be decently dealt with. This whole problem has been exacerbated by the upheavals from the volcanic crisis, but it is quite evident that the Ministry of Agriculture and our legislators have been too lax in getting discussions going in an attempt to deal with this problem, like so many others.

People walking or accompanied by their dogs and other pets should not have to suffer the pain of watching them get shot. If there are indeed animal wardens, it cannot be that difficult to find the owners of animals which prove to be more than nuisances to residents. It far too extreme to go around killing these animals. Where there are no claims to loose animals, more useful actions and remedies ought to be taken to benefit victims of such animals’ damages.

The permanent secretary has promised dialogue on the issue. Let us see if the effort is effective.

The Constitution

Discussions have also heated up now that the proposals or the findings of the Constitution Review Commission are about to be submitted.

One argument that seems to be finding favour with many who spend time talking about it has to do with the now popular opinion that much more time should have been spent in educating and informing Montserratians. That view contends that more time would have ensured that those who contributed by being consulted, attending hearings and discussions, or who submitted their thoughts and opinions, suggestions and recommendations, understood fairly well what they were undertaking. The feeling is that the findings of the Commission cannot reflect an overwhelming opinion of Montserratians if the majority were not in a position to express an opinion, and therefore the findings cannot be other than flawed. The reccomendations put forward could result in profound and long lasting changes that may not reflect what the masses would have wanted.

Serious debate about the Montserrat Constitution should really not take place without taking into consideration other very important rights.  Rights which are enshrined in the UN Human Rights Declarations and the UN Declaration on the Decolonization. So the question is relevant - how many of us have read either of these documents? The problem that there has to be a purposeful awareness program.

Following upon this is the suggestion that the review should seek to have a revised Constitution discussed, debated and passed in our own parliament. It will then be OUR Constitution and if the powers that be do not like or agree to it, they can refuse to sign and impose that which they prefer. We could then keep our own and continue to point out the wrongs of theirs until the time comes when we can by referendum introduce our own.

By then it would have been modified "to meet the needs of the 21^st century," at which point we will learn that every one of our "independent territory" neighbours is really no different when it comes to being in “Grant-in-Aid.”

We must remember at all times that HMG has continually said it is prepared to keep in line with the United Nations as far as "self determination" is concerned. We must seek to hold them to it and to their promises in the White Paper.

They have lived up to their intentions as far as it interests them; it is up to us to hold them to those that interest us. We must cease falling victim to signing impositions from them about which they can later say, “it is your document, you signed to it.”

 “In 1989 Montserrat received its first consolidated constitution…drawn up in the UK less than three months after the ravage of Montserrat’s worst known hurricane (Hugo). It was ready for implementation without any prior consultation…this was a shameless piece of autocratic action even in a colonial setting. The timing was strategic: thoughts and energies were concentrated on hurricane recovery and the discussion on a new constitution seemed an irritating distraction.”                       (Howard A Fergus; ‘Montserrat in the 20^th Century’ pg 17)

SCRIPTURE VERSE THIS WEEK

Hearing The Cry Of The Poor

He shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.

Psalm72: 12 

Who rescues the poor in Psalm 72? It is an Israelite king. How can we get meaning for today from a poem about an ancient monarch? One strategy is to read it as a foreshadowing of the ultimate king, Jesus. He is the king who saves us from the poverty of sin

But notice that the Israelite king rescues the poor “when they cry out.” What does it mean to hear the cry of the poor? Surely it means more than simply watching as the faces of

countless anonymous sufferers stream past in the media day after day. In Scripture, to “hear” God means more than letting his words strike against our eardrums; it means to

“Hear and take to heart “ to “hear and obey,”  “to listen and act,” What, then, does it mean to “hear “ the cry of the poor?

Dear God, hear my cry. I am indeed poor, but not materially. Mine is a poverty of compassion. I am oppressed -- oppressed by the multitude of my insistent self-concerns. Rescue me, Lord! Give me the grace really to hear other people’s call for help.

Kevin Perrotta

1John 4:11-18.Psalm 72:1-2,10,12,13

Mark 6:45-52    

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

First the Dog, and Now It's Unassuming Owner

Dear Editor,

Montserrat Animal Protection Society (MAPS) did not write "Animal Shootings in Montserrat" in last week’s edition of The Montserrat Reporter.  We are, however, aware of the facts of this case, which were somewhat embellished in the reporting of the incident. The particulars are simply that the dog Amber was shot by an employee of the Department of Agriculture, the buckshot was removed from the body of the dog by Dr. Wolf Krebs and the dog is alive today, thanks to Dr. Krebs.

An unfortunate byproduct of the publication of this article – certainly not intended by Dr. Krebs – is that the owner of the dog in question has been subjected to some unpleasant telephone calls.  The implications of such occurrences are far-reaching and disturbing.  Furthermore not only does this add insult to injury, but the dog's owner has done nothing to warrant anyone’s animosity; she is a good friend and neighbor and deserves better. 

I cannot state this too clearly: the dog’s owner had nothing to do with writing the article and, in fact, had no knowledge of it until it was called to her attention several days after it appeared in print. MAPS asks that members of the public respect her privacy and extend her the courtesy you would expect in her place.

Sally Simpson

Secretary, MAPS

Former Visitors Look Forward to a Return

Dear Editor,

I have been following the recovery of your beautiful island home. We have fond memories of our visit in 1993. We walked up to the yellow ringed hissing vents of the Soufriere with our guide Roland. We happened to visit Cudjoe Head (I think) and visited with Ann Morgan. She was a kind and generous lady. We enjoyed lunch in her establishment and donated to her fund-raising efforts.

Since the cataclysm, we have often thought about the beautiful people of the Emerald Isle. Has Potato Hill become the center of development? Is Ann still on the island. Is Belham Valley re-inhabited? ---so many questions.

We live in Michigan and hope to visit your home again.

Thank you for taking the time,

Patty and John

Editor’s Note:

Mrs. Ann Morgan still resides in Montserrat and still produces her mouth watering goat-water stew, Montserrat’s acclaimed ‘national dish’ every Friday in St. John’s.

Problem of Stray Pets Has Humane Solutions

Dear Editor:

Many thanks for keeping the Reporter current on-line!

I wish Montserratians abroad could have a chance to sign Dr. Kreb's petition to abolish the shooting of loose pets and livestock.

This is a very old-time way to handle the problem.  It is these kinds of laws that hold Montserrat back and send out the wrong image to the rest of the world.

Stray animals can be caught, kept for a short time, thus giving owners a chance to re-claim them and pay any damages.  Alternatively, they can be sold for a nominal fee to offset costs or put down in a humane way.

J. Sweeney

"Sunsnow" <Sunsnow@sympatico.ca> 

Correction

The August 23 edition of The Montserrat Reporter and the Montserrat Secondary School reported incorrectly that students who wrote CSEC Principles of Accounts and Principles of Business exams were also given the opportunity to write Cambridge ‘O’ Level exams in Commerce and Economics. Principles of Accounts should not be included. We regret this error.

LOCAL and REGIONAL NEWS

A Dollar for Montserrat Aims to Go a Long Way

By Merrick Andrews

A organization is being developed on Montserrat through the humble contribution of an EC dollar.

A Dollar for Montserrat embodies the dreams and aspirations of helping to develop and rescue the future of Montserrat’s fledgling economy with the view of “taking our pride back.”

The project is spearheaded by a committee created by its founder, Ms. Jadine Glitzenhirn. The other members of the committee are Paul Breuer, Maureen Hodd, Elvetta Chalmers and Fitzroy Martin.

“We can take our pride back and everyone can be proud that they have in fact contributed to kick-start our economy,” said Ms. Glitzenhirn, who is also the Montserrat Tourist Board’s new product development officer and a founding member of the WSG 10 group.
Dollar coins continue to pour in since the project was publicized over a month ago.
Ms. Glitzenhirn has collected over EC$700 from people of all creeds and class in the Montserrat society.

“It is affordable to every man, woman and child in Montserrat,” she said. “Even the ordinary person on the street is seeing the potential of this thing.”

She said two main spin-offs from this concept are the potential to create a tourism project and employment through various projects.

“People will be looking at us as a nation who are struggling and are able to be creative enough to start our own business – to start building. And people will want to come and see these unique people. Also with those funds we can create even a small project as a start and create employment.”

The Dollar for Montserrat committee has also implemented a charitable account with the voluntary assistance of lawyer George Kirnon.

Ms. Glitzenhirn is urging members of the public to drop their dollar coin in the savings account 711-231-6 at the Bank of Montserrat in St. Peter’s. “I now want people’s suggestions as to how they want us to spend the money and turn this into a viable project,” she said.

The committee is planning to set up boxes at major business places across the island, such as banks and hotels, so that people can drop their contributions.

Overseas Montserratians will also be targeted. “People have being giving their dollars and they have come up with a lot of ideas,” she said, “such as to buy the ferry, build a shopping mall and extend the airport runway. But we want to start with a small project where the people can see returns straight away. We want to do something doable so that people can see action and come on board.”

Minister of Communications and Works Dr. Lowell Lewis sees the concept as a meaningful example. “I am not surprised that she came up with this idea,” said the minister. “Hopefully this will set an example for other people to raise funds for community projects.”

The idea

The idea was actually originated in the late 1980’s, as Ms. Glitzenhirn explained: “The idea started many, many years ago when we had a young lady who became Miss Montserrat (Pauline Wall) and there were not sufficient funds to send her off. We had the opportunity to send her to Miss World and I did suggest then that if every Montserratian gave a dollar we would have had enough funds. However, the idea was not taken aboard and so we lost out on that opportunity.”

Ms. Glitzenhirn's idea later turned into a Pound for Montserrat campaign during the volcanic crisis when she was studying in the United Kingdom. The faith of Montserratians to battle the crisis by staying home and rebuild motivated her to start the Pound for Montserrat campaign.

 "I wondered how can I help my country because I was sitting there and felt kind of helpless and lost,” she said. “I needed something to do to contribute because I realised that people here were holding on to my country. So I started a Pound for Montserrat campaign.”

The campaign did bear fruit – the Lucy Begnar scholarship fund, which was named after her deceased grandmother. A "Compassion for Montserrat" gala evening was held in Britain and Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair donated a bottle of whisky with his signature, which was auctioned. The first recipient of the Fund was Vinceroy Riley in 1997.

Just before arriving for an interview with The Montserrat Reporter, Ms. Glizenhirn said, she met the mother of this year’s recipient of the Lucy Begnor scholarship fund, Mr. Derrique Hughes.

The Dollar for Montserrat idea

The Dollar for Montserrat idea popped up during the Strategy Workshop for the Repositioning of Montserrat’s tourism sector in July.

She was moved by the encouragement and advice of golf expert and PGA International Managing Director Robert Hunt for Montserratians to help themselves more in the rebuilding process.

“I became annoyed at myself because all that Bob Hunt was saying that we need to help ourselves was what I have been saying for years,” she said.

However, her idea was initially met with laughter.

“So I got angry enough that I wanted to do something about it and I came out and I said to a group of persons that I am going to start this dollar for Montserrat campaign – and they laughed,” she said.

But light motivation came soon after.

“I was giving a lady (Maureen Hodd, who is now a member of the committee) a ride home and when I took her home she came out and she gave me a US dollar and she said here is your first dollar. I have to thank her for believing.”

On her way home that same day, Ms. Glizenhirn spread her good news and she received pleasant and willing donations. “People started to realize that it makes sense and they started giving me a dollar and coming up with suggestions. Shortly after speaking on Radio Montserrat people were bringing their dollar.” 

Young Guyanese woman suffers ‘sudden death’

A 25-year-old Guyanese woman, Shaundel Greaves was found dead at her home in the Cudjoe Head area two Mondays ago.
The “sudden death” was reported to the police at about 8:45 a.m. by the young woman’s husband, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Morson said investigations gave no reason to suspect foul play.
It was also reported that the woman was under doctor’s care and might have succumbed to her illness/es.

Public Works Announces Two New Appointments

The Public Works Department (PWD) recently announced two new appointments.
Trinidad and Tobago-born Hollis Eversley was appointed director, while Guyanese Jeffrey Vaughn was appointed assistant civil engineer.
Mr. Hollis, who brings 18 years experience to the job, was officially appointed on August 1 for up to two years.
He has experience working with major conglomerates, state enterprises and private contractors in Trinidad. He also did stints in Grenada and St. Vincent.
He now lives in Montserrat with his wife and three children.
Mr. Eversley succeeds Ken Foulds, who acted for the past two years at the end of  Mr.  Vernon White’s contract in that post.
Mr. Foulds is also a DFID technical cooperation officer engineer and has been working with the PWD for two and half years.  

BOM Employees Receive Training Session Awards

Ten Bank of Montserrat (BOM) employees, who participated at a recent training programme on island, earlier this week received their certificates and plaques.

The staffers benefited from a customer service-training programme held on July 27 at Tropical Mansion Suites.

Mr. Rommel E. Lawrence, an employee relations consultant and motivational speaker based in Barbados, conducted the programme.

The participants attended sessions dealing with failure and success syndromes, how to identify the good customer and styles of communication, among others.

 Three employees received plaques for outstanding performance in the programme – Ms. Valerie Daly, senior supervisor-operations, Mrs. Kathyan Fenton, senior loans officer, and Mrs. Dothlyn Kirnon, senior teller.

Mrs. Kirnon recently attended a seminar on “Know Your Money," hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in St. Kitts. The seminar dealt with recognizing genuine EC notes through highlighting the salient security features of the various denominations.

The other employees who received certificates are: Ms. Shaunelle Hixon, teller; Ms. Shirley Weekes teller; Ms. Jacklyn Weekes, loans officer; Ms. Bernadette Matthew, senior supervisor treasury; Gwendolyn Boatswain, Ms. Wivinia Cabey and Ms. Jarnes Cabey, all customer service representatives.

A BOM press release said: “As the Bank of Montserrat continues to serve the community, all efforts will be made to provide an efficient and competent product.”

St. Kitts Youth Choir To Sing in Montserrat

St. Kitts – The Basseterre Seventh-Day Adventist Youth Choir, popularly referred to as ‘BYC,’ which is regarded as one of the best choirs on the island, held a fund-raiser car wash on August 18.

The main objective of the car wash was to help offset some of the costs they will run on their trip to Montserrat in September, where they will hold a concert on September 14 at Mongo Hill.
Pastor Andrew Gardner of the Montserrat Seventh-Day Adventist Church has confirmed the arrival of the St. Kitts contingent to hold the concert.
The trip to Montserrat will be in response to requests from some authorities there, for the choir, which is one of St. Kitts' best, to expose the people of Montserrat to the talent of young people and to show the gains of having them constructively occupied.
Choir director Clyde Richardson and media coordinator of the choir, Jason Inanga, said that Montserrat is in for a very high standard concert, one which will convey the desire of the choir – to prepare persons for the second coming of Christ.

The BYC was formed in January 2001 as a project to keep young people constructively occupied and the choir not only sings but is also actively engaged in community work.
Some of the members of the BYC Choir who took part in Sunday's car wash. 

Mrs. Desreen  Silcott Excels at UWI Mona

Mrs. Desreen Silcott of Harris Village is the latest Montserratian student to turn in excellent performances.  She has just gained the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing Administration with First Class Honours at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies.

Prior to this achievement, Mrs. Silcott successfully gained the UWI Certificate in Public Administration through the Distance Education mode. She also holds a UWI Certificate in Nursing Administration.

A dedicated nurse and scholar, Mrs. Silcott has committed the last 22 years of her life to nursing.

Before moving to Jamaica to study for the degree in Nursing Administration, Mrs. Silcott had already notched up a number of credits toward the Bachelor of Science in Management Studies, through local UWI Studies. 

Chedmond Browne Officially Told To Sit on Opposition Side in Leg Co

Chedmond Browne, the outspoken former backbencher of the ruling New People’s Liberation Movement (NPLM), has been officially instructed by the Speaker of the House, Joseph Meade, to sit on the Opposition side in the Legislative Council.
Mr. Browne sat on the Government side in the last Legislative Council.
However, Mr. Browne said his move doesn’t mean he will join the Reuben Meade-led opposition National Progressive Party.
He was expelled from the ruling NPLM on May 8 for allegedly making “openly abusive and disrespectful remarks" to Chief Minister John Osborne in public at Carr’s Bay just over a week earlier.
The letter of expulsion added that Mr. Browne “did not attend or participate in any activities held to mark the first anniversary of the NPLM election to Government,” earlier this year. 

PM Bird Acts to Broaden Medical Benefits Board

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua -- Prime Minister Lester Bird (pictured above) today announced that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is in the process of revamping the Board of the Medical Benefits Scheme to include representatives of non-governmental organisations and the wider community.

Mr. Bird said that the Antigua and Barbuda Medical Association, the Nurses Association and the Chamber of Commerce have each submitted names of persons that they consider appropriate to sit on the Board.

The Prime Minister revealed that a Cabinet sub-committee, charged with the responsibility of revamping the Board, has agreed to the names submitted by these groups.  Accordingly he has sent written to become members to:  Ms. Coralie Knowles of the Nurses Association, Dr. Conrad Stevens of the Medical Association, Mr. Winston St. Agathe of the Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Bird also revealed that in keeping with the recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry that the union representing the workers should be represented on the Board, he has written to the Antigua Trades and Labour Union to nominate a representative.

Saying that he was taking the opportunity "to ensure a wide cross section of community interests on the Board," the Prime Minister disclosed that he has also invited the following persons to sit on the Board:  Mr. Pat Henry as a representative of media workers, Mr. Hubert Hood as an accountant, and Mrs. Imelda Inyang as a Social Worker.

Prime Minister Bird said, "I have also invited the Antigua-Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM) and the Employers Federation to make nominations to the Board.  The names of the full Board will be announced as soon as I receive these nominations, but there can be no question now as to its representation of community interests and its autonomy." 

Demonstration Planned to Force PM Bird from Office

By Collin B. Jno-Finn

 Residents in Antigua who insist that the Prime Minister Lester Bird must demit office over corruption will take to the streets next Thursday for a demonstration dubbed, Demonstration & Redemption Day.

 The United Progressive Party, UPP, the main opposition party on the island, along with other social activists and representatives of some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which include, the medical association, nurses and media associations, are jointly organizing the protest.

 The UPP and the NGO have asked Prime Minister Lester Bird to leave office and either appoint another individual or call early elections, as there have been too much corruption under his leadership.  These include, allegations of gun and sex matters involving a young teenager, governments allege ripping off of the Medical Benefit Scheme and mis-management of the country’s economy.

 Since the date of the protest was announced last week, several activities are being held to gather the ‘flock’ in an effort to show the Prime Minister that the nation is absolutely serious about him leaving office.  This include a number of mini-protests at the Prime Minister Office on Queen Elizabeth Highway, and street corner meeting, all in an effort to rally support for ‘Redemption Day’.

 During the meeting, Mr. Spencer pleaded with the attendees and other residents to turn out in their numbers to show Prime Minister Bird that the nation does not want him to govern this twin-island.

 He also said that several other actions have been planned to show the nation’s displeasure in which the country is being run.

 But on the other hand, senior legal counsel for the government, Queen Counsel Anthony Astaphan, has labeled the action by the UPP and its followers as desperate politicking and a move to satisfy their own power thirst, saying: “The calls for the Prime Minister’s resignation are nothing short of pure naked partisan politicking.”

He asserts that the calls are without substance and the Prime Minister was not involved in any wrong doing whatsoever with the Medical Benefits Scheme.

 Mr. Astaphan also stressed that the commissioners of the Medical Benefits Inquiry never outline any wrong doings by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet members.

 Prime Minister Bird has made it clear that he will not resign and if the electorate wants him to resign they will have to vote him out at the next election.  He added that he is ready for the next election, but according to one newspaper article, he did not announce the date for the election.

 The country’s leader added that he and his government will continue to create job and investment opportunity for the people and will not be side-tracked by plans of the opposition and its supporters.

 Nevertheless, the march is scheduled to take place on Thursday afternoon, as political observers labeled this as one of the largest protest to take place in normally twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda. 

Belize PM Establishes Independent Inquiry

BELMOPAN, Belize -- Prime Minister Said Musa on appointed an Independent Commission of Inquiry into allegations of improprieties at the Department of Immigration & Nationality
He did so after receiving a preliminary police report on their investigation at the Department of Immigration and Nationality of public allegations of improprieties and irregularities in the granting of nationality and the issuance of passports during the period January 15th 2002 and 31st July 2002.
The decision was taken by the Prime Minister in order to ensure the proper functioning of the Department of Immigration and Nationality, and to restore public confidence in the Department. the Prime Minister has charged the Commission to conduct an impartial and independent inquiry without prejudice to the ongoing police investigation.
The members of the Commission appointed are:  Mr. Paul Rodriguez, Ombudsman, Chairman;  Bishop Sylvester Romero Palma and Accountant Mr. Mark Hulse.

Saba Government Plans To Alter Subsidy Process

SABA (SGIS) – Head of the Department of Finance Xavier Blackman, told the Saba Government Information Service (SGIS), that the Executive Council has recently approved a plan to adjust the subsidy structure for Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

This project is slated to start soon and should be concluded by March or April 2003 in time for the preparations of the 2004 Island Territory Budget.

The idea is for the Island Government to develop a Subsidy Ordinance that would have specific guidelines and regulations regulating the process of subsidies.  The Bonaire model is being used to guide the drafting of the Island Government Ordinance.

Mr. Blackman said that an evaluation of the financial information from NGOs and those applying for subsidies will be carried out to determine which NGOs are eligible for government subsidy.

The Island Government will consult with NGOs in the development of a contract between both entities.  Once the contracts are developed, this will be translated into the Island Territory Budget. 

St. Maarten Considers Plastic Driver Licenses

PHILLIPSBURG, St. Maarten –  Members of the Executive Council received a presentation Thursday from one of two parties that were invited to make a proposal for plastic card format driver licenses.

The Island Government of St. Maarten is looking into the feasibility of introducing a new format for driver licenses.  This would be similar to the ones introduced on Curacao the size of a credit card.

The Executive Council invited interested parties to make a proposal that would also include the exploitation and technical support of the information systems, as well as the managing of the required infrastructure to support such a system of production.

The interested parties had to look at the possibility of synchronization of the system with the civil registry.  St. Maarten-based and locally owned Pete’s Photo made its presentation on Thursday, while Information Technology Services from Curacao will make their presentation on September 12.

Europeans want no "social club" image

Dominica, CANA - Dominica's Finance Minister, Ambrose George, has urged banana growers to face up to the realities of the adjustments which have to be made in the banana sector for it to survive.
 Addressing a group of farmer representatives this week, George said the main supporters of the banana industry, the European Union, no longer wants the banana industry to be treated like a "social
club", depending on government subsidies.
"They are now saying to us that for the new regime, as far as the privatisation and commercialisation of the industry is concerned, we have to now divorce the banana industry as an entity
from the social aspects; in other words, it's no longer a social club," he said.
George was referring to meetings held with EU officials in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and in Barbados last month where there was a successful bid for the release of an interim EC$1.5 million
earmarked for the industry, the overall credit programme is seeking to address the general situation of rural development.

He said given the importance of the irrigation to improving banana yields, some EC$16 million (US$5.92 million) has been allocated for irrigation projects, since the level of productivity needed to make the banana industry viable cannot be achieved without irrigation.

US$300,000 will Help Set up Caribbean Court

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] have signed an agreement which will provide US$300,000 to support the work towards the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). 

The funds will come from the Government of Japan through its Human Resource Development Fund (JHRDF) channeled to the Community which is administered by the UNDP.

The Agreement was signed by CARICOM’s Deputy-Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative in Guyana, Mr. Thomas Gass and Japan’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Suriname and Guyana, His Excellency Masateru

Dr. Barnett noted that creation of the CCJ has been recognized as one of the most dynamic steps being made by Member States of the Caribbean Community in “advancing the realization of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, securing sovereignty and deepening the regional integration movement”

She added: “It represents a significant turning point in the development of the institutional infrastructure of the integration movement particularly in respect of judicial institutional development.  In fact, the CCJ is expected to contribute in a unique way to the development of a truly indigenous body of Caribbean law as the Region proceeds through the twenty-first century.”

Mr. Gass commended CARICOM governments for their “political will to ensure the CCJ’s legitimacy and accountability within its powers and operational rules.”

“The Region is counting on the success of the Single Market for its long term prosperity. Therefore, a very favourable environment that enables free movement of capital, people, goods and services, and enterprise is essential.” Mr Gass added.

The US$300,000 from the Government of Japan will go towards such activity as judicial education, sensitisation of national judicial establishments, implementation of information systems and facilitation of legal research.

Turks-Caicos, UK Discuss Upcoming Policy Changes

GRAND TURK -- The Turks and Caicos Islands and United Kingdom government officials met for two days last week at the Teacher Resource Centre to discuss all key areas of Government activity. 

The main meeting was chaired by His Excellency the Governor and attended by Chief Minister Derek Taylor, Ministers of Government, key Government officials from Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and UK officials.  They talked through the progress on the Strategic Country Programme and plans for the future.

 The UK representatives said that although the UK development program is now focused on the provision of high quality technical assistance, it would be phased out gradually over time as local capacity increases.  TCI officials accept this change in focus, which is consistent with the ongoing economic progress of TCI.  The UK Government is pleased that TCI continues to prosper and is moving quickly towards self-financing.

The UK team said they were pleased to receive TCI’s agreement to a borrowing guideline paper that will form a sound basis for approving future loans. 

The UK reported that they look forward to meeting Chief Minister Taylor at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London at the end of September, where Chief Ministers meet with British Ministers to discuss issues of mutual interest. 

31 Applicants Win BVI Citizenship

ROAD TOWN, Tortola -- The British Virgin Islands Government on Wednesday formalised naturalisation for 31 applicants at a simple ceremony presided over by His Excellency Governor Frank Savage, Chief Minister Ralph T. O’Neal and Deputy Governor Elton Georges at the Legislative Council Chambers in Road Town.

Upon gaining resident status (becoming belongers), the 31 applicants were required to continue living in the territory, demonstrate good character – and have two citizens give written attestation to this, and advertise their intention to apply for naturalisation in at least two local newspapers. Twenty-five became eligible by virtue of their marriage to BV Islanders. The Passport Office collected and commenced work on the applications, which were then handed over to the Office of the Deputy Governor and, finally, to the Office of the Governor. The applicants were not required to give up previous citizenships.

Governor Savage welcomed the new citizens to the BVI. “August 27^th  is the most important date in your life now. You would still be proud of the land in which you were born, but you could not have influenced that. This is the birth of your new nationality. Be proud of it. You are bringing a rich diversity of skills, which the BVI needs. Use them for the benefit of the territory.”

Mr. O’Neal said he appreciated the diverse representation from the several Caribbean countries, which the applicants came from.

 “We can’t choose where we were born, but we can choose where we want to live and make our home,” he said. Most of the candidates were from Dominica and the Dominican Republic, while some were from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Jamaica, Guyana, and St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands. There was one each from Guadeloupe and Venezuela.

BVI Opposition Leader Raps Public Sector Politics

ROAD TOWN, Tortola -- Dr. D. Orlando Smith, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, in a recent.National Democratic Party's radio broadcast urged that politics be taken out of the public service.

He focused on the emphasis that has been placed recently on the development of the public sector and the need for improving the manner in which critical government services are delivered.
The legislator pointed out that he has been a proud public servant for over 35 years, ranging from surgeon to Chief Medical Officer to Member of the Legislative Council.
He said some people believe that the more senior one becomes in the service the less they are public servants. But he said this is definitely not so, as in fact the more senior one becomes the greater the responsibility is to the people they servie.
Dr. Smith said that when one accepts the responsibility of being servants to the people, all pre-existing relationships become subordinate to the charge they have been given to represent and be advocates for the people of the British Virgin Islands. He recalled efforts made by His Excellency the Governor to apparently clear the air and establish a smooth working professional relationship between the various branches of the public service.
"Why is it then that morale in the service has hit rock bottom and why is it that civil servants feel set upon?" he asked. "Why is it that many civil servants are not as productive as you and I need them to be and indeed not as productive as they want to be?"

He said that civil servants are ridiculed, called names and are accused of not producing.

"Treatment such as this is destructive and causes stress; I have to emphasize that civil servants are human beings too and feel pain," he said.
The opposition politician said he does not support laziness, slothfulness, or unnecessary bureaucracy, and where that is the case, something must be done about it. He also endorsed the policy that public servants must enthusiastically support their Ministers in carrying out their programmes as long as they are in keeping with the law.

Jamaica Launches Drive Pitting Youth Against Crime

KINGSTOWN, Jamaica -- Dr. Peter Phillips, the National Security Minister, on Monday launched the National Youth Initiative on Crime and Violence, and declared that the island has experienced a decline in most major crimes since March.
Murder has declined by 11 percent over last year; rape has gone down also by 11 percent; carnal abuse by 17 percent and breaking by 14 percent, the Minister said.
Dr. Phillips said, however, that crime rates are still too high and the problems of crime and violence continue to be a major source of national concern.
He made the comments at the Ministry of National Security in Kingston as he announced the holding of a one-day youth forum dubbed "Youth United Against Crime and Violence."

The conference involved about 2,000 persons from about 50 organisations across the island. The youth initiative was launched against the background of the high involvement of persons aged 30 years old and younger in crime, both as perpetrators and as victims, Minister Phillips said.
Statistics show that for the past five years close to 80 percent of all persons arrested for major crimes were young persons under 30, and of those arrested for murder, 75 percent were 30 years old or under.
Regarding victims of murder, statistics between 1999 and 2001 showed that 52 percent were 30 years old and under and 85 percent of the victims of rape were in a similar age group.

He called the youth forum "the beginning of an initiative that will seek to find lasting solutions to the problem of youth involvement in criminal lifestyles."

Regional Pressure Grows To Make Cruise Lines Pay

MIAMI, Florida – Allen Chastanet, Air Jamaica’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales, said recently he agrees with a Caribbean business association that cruise lines have sailed the region's seas for too long without paying their dues.

In a recently published story, Gary Voss, president of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce, exhorts Caribbean islands to charge cruise ship tourists a standard admission fee of US$20 per head, per island, a figure which is comparable to the departure tax paid by stay-over visitors.

“At last I have some company in this cruise ship debate,” said Mr. Chastanet, one of the few industry professionals who has called on regional governments to seek ways to maximise revenues from the highly profitable cruise industry.

He noted that following the events of September 11, the region has become more appealing to cruise lines that are redeploying their vessels to the warm and pristine Caribbean. “What disturbs me is that to date there has been neither a successful collective approach to negotiating with the cruise lines nor any serious lobby within the region to address issues such as environmental pollution for which liners have already plead guilty and paid criminal penalties,” he said.

Mr. Chastanet, the Caribbean Hotel Association’s 2002 “Allied Member of the Year,” said that neither the availability of jobs for Caribbean nationals aboard the liners nor the amount of regional products used or offered for sale on board has kept pace with the phenomenal growth the industry has experienced. “Given the tough economic times, we have to look for ways to get the cruise industry to make a positive contribution to our economic development.”

Mr. Chastanet also is an architect of the Caribbean marketing initiative dubbed “Life Needs the Caribbean,” which began airing on North American television networks this week. The program is administered by the CHA Charitable Trust. The program is yet to receive the support of the cruise industry.

Guyana's Jagdeo Assails Corruption in Housing

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - President Bharrat Jagdeo warned workers of the Ministry of Housing and Water Tuesday that the process through which house lots are allocated must be transparent and under no circumstances must that transparency be compromised.

Although he praised those who work hard in the Ministry, he said, "I have heard atrocious stories about some people within this Ministry. Terrible stories, and I do not want my Government to be tainted by anything that goes on somewhere, sometimes that we do not even know about, but because I am the President of this country, I have to answer for it."

The Head of State declared zero tolerance for corrupt practices at the Ministry or any other Government agency.

The President said rumors of corruption have been heard for some time, but no evidence had been suppliedm, so the persons could not be prosecuted.

He noted, however, a case last week involving the Chief Enforcement Officer at the Ministry of Housing, Narine Sudhial, who sold land to a woman and allegedly demanded sexual favours from her in return.

He said the charges made by the young woman had since been verified and the officer has been suspended.

"I am not going to have people like that in any place," Mr. Jagdeo said. "If there are people like that around here I want you to get a clear message: you are not staying in this Ministry."

According to President Jagdeo, whilst his Government is very anxious to have the ambitious housing programme progress, every one should be treated equally.

"If you break the law, then you suffer for it and that application must be across the board. It must not be selective. Some people can get away with breaking the law and others face penalties. It must be even-handed," he said.

The Guyanese leader noted that the Ministry's staff has a mandate to execute and if persons break the law and squat, then the lawful procedure should be followed when demolishing their structures. "It must be done with some decorum," he noted.

Business Forum Called Vital to Entire Caribbean

Association of Caribbean States

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – English-speaking Caribbean businesses cannot afford to miss out on the opportunities to do business at the 3^rd Greater Caribbean Business Forum to be held in San José, Costa Rica, September 23-25, a top Association of Caribbean States official said Monday.

The Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean is the only forum that brings the public and private sectors of the region together, on Greater Caribbean soil.

ACS Trade Director Luis Noriega, who is visiting Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Guyana this week to encourage businesspeople to attend, warned that countries like Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Cuba, are maximising on the annual ACS-organised forum.

“If the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean is not careful, it could be left out of the burgeoning intra-ACS trade,” Mr. Noriega said. “Already some 166 business executives of 117 companies have signed up to attend the 2002 edition of the Greater Caribbean Business Forum and we expect numbers to rise significantly in the following weeks.”

"Businesspeople view this annual event, not only as an opportunity to have their voices heard by regional policymakers, but also as an excellent occasion to meet potential clients and suppliers."

The Association of Caribbean States is an organisation for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters. The ACS Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba, France on behalf of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, and the Netherlands Antilles.

BVI Badge of Honour Given to Four in Tortola

ROAD TOWN, Tortola -- Family and friends gathered Tuesday at an Investiture Ceremony to witness the presentation of the BVI Badge of Honour and the Queen’s Certificate by His Excellency the Governor Frank Savage to four stalwarts of the British Virgin Islands..

Mr. Joseph R. O’Neal, represented by his son Reynold O’Neal at the ceremony, was recognised for his commitment to several Government and non-governmental agencies.  Mr. O’Neal is a member of the Global 500, the honour roll of the world’s leading environmentalists.  He also served as a nominated member of Legislative Council for approximately 20 years.  In 1998, Mr. O’Neal was awarded the C.B.E., following earlier M.B.E. and O.B.E. awards.

Mrs. Verna Penn Moll earned her distinction as a writer, poet, bibliographer, librarian and teacher.  Mrs. Moll has published several books and articles and is qualified in library and information science.  She is also responsible for revitalising library branches throughout the territory.

As an entrepreneur, Mr. Pickering has utilised his service-oriented businesses to meet the needs of an ever-changing community.  He served on a number of boards and committees and is active in clubs such as the Rotary and the Excelsior. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the BVI Community is through the 81 pints of blood he has donated locally.

Juicy pineapples were part of Mr. Merritt Herbert’s accolades as a businessman and a farmer.  He is the Manager of the Bargain Centre in Road Town, Managing Director of ZBVI in Tortola and VON Radio in Nevis. He is very community minded and lends assistance to many schools and families around the territory.       

The Badge of Honour was introduced to the BVI in the late 1980’s.  It was approved by Her Majesty the Queen for residents who rendered loyal and valuable service worthy of special recognition as well as meritorious conduct being of exceptional benefit to the people of the BVI.

To date 16 BV Islanders have received the BVI Badge of Honour.  A BVI Honour Committee makes the recommendations for awardees each year. 

Bermuda Workers Get $30-Million Pay Day

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados --  September 6 will be a big pay day for public workers.
That’s when about 27, 000 of them will share $30-$32 million in back pay from April last year to July this year. It is owed to them after the recently concluded wage negotiations between Government and trade unions.
Maids, who are at the bottom of the salary scale, will be taking home about $628 each in back pay, while executive secretaries can expect a $1,584 back pay packet.
From their August payday all workers started collecting their 5.75 percent salary increases. These increases will see Government paying out about $50 million over the next two years, with 3 percent in the first year and 2.75 percent in the second year. An executive secretary, on the basic Z11 salary scale, earning $3, 033.77, will be receiving an additional $99 a month in the first year and $85 more in the second.
General secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Joseph Goddard said that his union would have liked a “bit more extra” than the 2.75 percent.
While not wanting to tell the workers what to do with their money, Mr. Goddard  encouraged them to save and invest some of it.
The NUPW general secretary also noted they were getting ready to negotiate salaries for the next two-year period.  

SPORTS

Cricket Officials, Players Reach Accord on Sponsors

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) announced on Thursday that agreement had been reached over player rights in respect to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September.
The West Indies players have signed the event documentation (The Player Terms) subject to the ICC formally agreeing to consult with players before concluding commercial agreements for ICC events other than those that have already been sold.
WICB CEO Gregory Shillingford, said: "Further to correspondence from the ICC CEO Malcolm Speed, an IDI Board meeting scheduled for August 31 in Dubai is expected to ratify this agreement on the consultative process with the players."
This agreement means that the West Indies full strength team, selected and announced on August 12, will proceed to Sri Lanka on September 5, barring injuries.
Over the past few days, the WICB and WIPA have been in wide-ranging discussions of issues concerning the players’ rights over use of their images and how this could be balanced against the interest of the ICC's commercial partners who sponsor these world events.
WICB’s President Wes Hall, and other WICB officials, CEO Gregory Shillingford, Financial Controller Barry Thomas, Windies World Cup 2007 CEO Chris Dehring, WICB Legal Advisor Milton Samuda, WICB Directors Jackie Hendriks and Wycliffe Cameron, WIPA President Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA secretary Reon King and players attended the meeting between the WICB and WIPA.
Mr. Ramnarine said: "WIPA and the players were determined that player's rights should not be sold by the ICC without consultation and financial benefit to the players and that his association will continue to address this issue at all levels of world cricket".
In reflecting on the agreement Ramnarine recognised the players interest in the future of West Indies and world cricket.
Appreciative of the heavy commercial restrictions placed on the players, President Rev. Wes Hall successfully sought the approval of the WICB Board to offer the players 25 percent of the dividends that will be obtained by the WICB in respect to the 2002 Champions Trophy only.
Mr. Hall said: "The WICB has agreed that there must be a consultative process between the ICC and the players and shall continue to make representation at ICC executive Board meetings to have the concerns of the WICB on financial, operational and player rights issues resolved to the benefit of all concerned".
The majority of the WI Champions Trophy players are with their regional teams for the final four weekends of the Red Stripe Bowl on the North Coast of Jamaica. 

A DELIGHTFUL WEEKEND

By Peter Adrien

<---Chris Gayle is threatening to take the Bowl for Jamaica

What a delight! What an opportunity! Having separated the men from the boy, the strong from the weak, the winners from the losers, the pacesetters from the followers, and the champions from the participants, the Red Stripe Bowl is set for a clash of champions, if not a clash of gladiators, this weekend. The champion teams are the teams from the Campus countries, the so-called More Developed countries (MDCs) of Caricom - Guyana and Trinidad in Zone "B" and Jamaica and Barbados in Zone "A".

Following the dysfunctional policy decision of the WICB which resulted in the weakening of the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands, the four seasoned teams, the so- called “Big Island” teams, easily emerged as the competitive teams in the one-day tournament, establishing their superiority in the regional competition, in a way that is not truly reflective of the state of things in regional cricket. The two small Island champion teams (the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands) were denied their opportunity to field competitive teams and denied their chances of challenging the "Big four" for a right to the Bowl.

Guyana and Jamaica dominated their zones, playing unbeaten throughout and humiliating some of the lightweight teams, to top the point table. Both Guyana and Jamaica won all four matches, including thrillers between Guyana and Trinidad and Jamaica and Barbados. Hence, the semifinals are being contested between Jamaica and Trinidad on Thursday August 29^th  and between Guyana and Barbados on Friday August 30^th . The Finals will take place on Sunday September 1^st.

If the preliminary games between the Guyana and Trinidad, and between Jamaica and Barbados are indications of what is come in the finals, one could expect great excitement and a high level of entertainment in the limited-over games this weekend.

Guyana snatched a one-wicket victory over Trinidad on August 22^nd  at Castries, St Lucia,

in an action-packed top-of-the-table match despite an unbeaten 78 by the World record-holder, Brian Lara. Set 229 runs for victory in 50 overs, the Guyanese, staring defeat in the face at 93 for six, managed to amass 231 for nine off 49.5 overs to clinch a nail-biting victory, to reinforce their mettle as one of the most competitive cricket team in regional cricket. The West Indian Test bowling all-rounder Mahendra Nagamootoo took the fight to the Trinidadian bowlers, and set the South Americans on course to victory with a career-best regional one-day score of 63, which included three sixes and three fours.

In Zone A, the Jamaican batsmen punished the Barbadian bowlers in their allotted 50 overs on August 24^th at Kingston, Jamaica, amassing an unbeatable 307 runs in the process. After electing to bat on a batting-friendly surface, the Jamaican test batsmen (Leon Garrick, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, and Ricardo Powell) amassed half centuries, with a display of power-batting that were typical of flair that characterise West Indies cricket. Barbados, facing two overs less, counter-attacked effectively to reach 287 for seven wickets (with a brilliant half century from Floyd Reifer) but even that spirited reply was not good enough to over haul the mammoth total set by the “Reggae Boyz.” .

The entertainment content in both games was very high. And if this is an indication of things to come when the four teams meet in do-or-die contests, the patrons should enjoy every ball that is bowled and every stroke that is played.

Yes, all indications are that we are in for an entertaining long weekend of delightful and entertaining one-day cricket beginning Thursday, continuing today, August and finishing on Sunday.

But even this good news requires a slight departure to enable us to register our praises to the youth cricketers of the South. Inasmuch as we are in the entertaining mode, congratulations are in order for the young cricketers of the Windward Islands who on August 24^th  won the regional Under-19 limited-overs championship. When rain prematurely ended the final against Guyana at the Melbourne Club, Jamaica, the match was declared a no-result because both sides did not face a minimum of 25 overs, but the Windward Islands were crowned champions because of their higher placing in the preceding three-day competition. The Windward Islands scored 200-9 in 50 overs and Guyana were on 61 for the loss of one wicket in 19.5 overs.

Does that confirm that the Windward Islands could have been a competitive force if they had been allowed to compete in the senior limited-overs competition as a unit? What do you think?

Now let us return to the Red Stripe Bowl Finals. I am sure by now you also are excited about the sporting activities of the weekend. Mother Nature has been blessing us with beautiful tropical weather, and we pray that our Christian God will not allow any change in the weather condition so as to rob us of a weekend of high-value sporting entertainment. Those who will be privileged to taste of the treat that will be served should be satisfied. Those who will be privileged to witness the exhibition first hand will be blessed. And those of us poor mortals who will not be fortunate enough to savour the contest will most likely miss out on what could be one of the most keenly contested tournament clinchers in the history of West Indies cricket.

Let us go to Jamaica to savour what is served.

Peter Adrien is a central banker, an author, a syndicated sports  analyst and freelance photographer. He can be contacted via ww.adriensenterprises.com or E-mail: Adriens@caribsurf.com

PHOTO CAPTION:               Chris Gayle is threatening to take the Bowl for Jamaica (Photo: Peter Adrien)

Softball Cricket Heats Up

By Merrick Andrews

Salem, Fire and Lookout share four points each at the top of the point standings as the 2002 Softball Cricket tournament continues this weekend.
Matches start at 2:30 p.m.
Tomorrow, Salem face Female Cricketers at home. The Females have so far lost all their four matches and their chances of victory look dim playing against a powerful Salem team.
In the other match the same day, Police and Cudjoe Head take the Little Bay field.
Both teams have two points each and are hungry for the additional two points to break the tie. Also, both teams are smarting from losses last weekend.
On Sunday, Lookout meet St. John’s Renegade at Salem Park.
Lookout is the automatic favourites having chalked up four points from two victories but St. John’s, who have two points, are bubbling with energy. Their first match on August 11 was postponed against Police, who were too busy hunting down a murder suspect and their second match was cancelled after L&M Construction pulled out of the competition for unknown reasons.
However, they unleashed their pent up energy with a comfortable 6-wicket win over Female Cricketers last weekend at Little Bay.
In the other match, Salem meet Fire in a rescheduled encounter at Little Bay.
This is a top match between two teams who have won two matches each. Salem is the favourites virtue of an unbeaten record. Fire lost to Lookout in their opening match on August 4 at Little Bay.
Matches are been played at 30 overs duration in which no bowler is allowed to bowl more than 6 overs. A match will be considered abandoned if both teams fail to bat a minimum of 15 overs.

Last week’s results

Saturday, Aug. 24:  Fire defeated Cudjoe Head at Salem Park by a massive 107 runs.
Fire took first strike and was bowled out for 149 runs from 23.2 overs; Astrid Wade mustered 28 runs with support from Nichon Weekes with 22. O. Allen took 3 for 23 off 2 overs.
Cudjoe Head replied with a measly 42.

Sunday, Aug. 25: St. John’s Renegades def. Female Cricketers 6 wickets at Little Bay.
Female Cricketers batted first and was bowled out for 62 from 17.3 overs; Dean Woods bowled 3 for 4 off 5 overs and Leonard Greenaway also took 3 for 12 off 6.
St. John’s replied with ease making 65 for 4 wickets from 14.5 overs to win.
Tyrone Greenaway was their top run-getter with 23 runs.
Salem def. Police at Salem Park by 4 wickets.
Police batting first was bowled out for 93 runs from 25.5 overs with Courtney Rodney being their top run-getter with 32 runs.
Ray Greer bowled 4 for 18 off 6 overs.
In reply, Salem scored 94 runs for 5 wickets of 20.1 overs.
The top batsmen were David Weekes with 34 runs and Sylvester Greenaway with 20.

OECS 21^st Anniversary Honors Sir Viv in Sports

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has named former West Indies cricket captain Sir Vivian Richards (pictured right) as the OECS 21st Anniversary sports personality.
Sir Viv, the only West Indies captain not to have lost a Test series and now chairman of selectors, was picked as the sub-region's sports personality with "the greatest acclaim" over the period.
The OECS is this year marking 21 years since the signing of the Treaty of Basseterre, which brought the regional organisation into being and, as part of the celebrations recognised sports personalities from each of its nine member states.

The OECS Advocate, the monthly newspaper of the organization, also published a list of outstanding cricket personalities, including Dominica's Irving Shillingford, who made his West Indies debut in 1976/77, Grenada's first Test player; Junior Murray, Montserrat's James Allen, who made the West Indies team for the 1978 World series competition, after making his name as one of the top batsmen in the regional tournament, and St. Lucia batsman and former Windward Islands captain Julian Charles. 

FEATURES

TOWARDS A VIABLE POPULATION

Encouraging Montserratians to return home

As a strategy for growth in the population, Montserratians abroad should be encouraged to return home to help rebuild the island. Now more than ever, Montserrat needs people who are seriously involved in providing services – in the hospitality sector, in information technology, and in the financial sector, to name a few. To facilitate this an office could be set up in a Government Ministry. The duties of this Office should be undertaken in a non-political, not sectarian environment, functioning with the prime purpose of providing response to the needs and concerns of all Montserratians who have indicated a desire to return home permanently, or those who have returned home to settle.

Montserratians overseas could become an important source of capital and expertise to the island. Government would need to devise formal policies and guidelines on a strategy for handling returning Montserratians, so that relocation to Montserrat, their homeland, would be a welcoming experience and not a nightmare. This policy must be based on the following:

• The offer of a comprehensive package of incentives, making it easier for Montserratians to relocate to Montserrat. This package should include concessions at the port of entry, the availability of house lots, and information on small business development.

• The provision of a well-equipped and functioning office to handle the administrative requirements pertaining to their return, and to ease the red-tape mire which could become a source of frustration.

• The availability of suitable plots of land with basic utilities and services for them to make their choices and purchase.

• Proper use of the Internet to display plots, and so help prospective returnees to choose and purchase their plots without having to return specifically for that purpose.

• The provision of an information kit with respect to social activities and the availability of sporting and cultural facilities.

• Information regarding the availability of proper educational institutions for the children of returning Montserratians.

• Procedures for clearing Customs by returning Montserratians should also be outlined. These should include:

• upon arrival, an immediate visit to the Office for returning Montserratians to confirm eligibility for concessions;

• filling out an application form and submitting it to the office administrator, who submits it to the Comptroller of Customs for certification.

• following certification the returning Montserratian can clear his/her goods from Customs with relative ease.

• The returning Montserratian can also have his/her goods cleared from Customs by a letter authorizing an agent or representative to act on their behalf.

COMMENTARY

Montserrat Is Illiterate

By  Hajoft Navrés 'The Intellect'

A businessman of average physical height and structure approached me one day with a handwritten note extended in his hand.  I retrieved the note, opened it, read it, and closed it.

This businessman became irate.  He immediately began to point out the importance of the information written on the note he had given me.  The note contained his name and phone number to contact him in future.

I assured the concerned businessman that I had indeed read the note and was fully aware of its contents.  The businessman then accused me of lying.  He continued to challenge my statement by asking me to repeat the contents of the note to him.

Without reopening the note, I repeated his name and his phone number to him.  Immediately, his jaws dropped.  He was absolutely astounded that I was able to read his name and phone number at a glance.  As a result, he went on and on about my great intelligence.

Unfortunately for me, there is nothing amazing about what I did.  Anyone with a basic reading skill is capable of doing the exact same thing.

It was because of this businessman's obvious amazement and reaction to my very basic demonstration of reading skills that caused my curiosity to heighten regarding Montserrat's literacy.  Hence, I began to dig a little deeper.

In my opinion, it is not always an easy task to identify an illiterate individual, especially an adult.  The reason for this is that most adults who cannot read are not particularly proud of this fact and have mastered the art of hiding it very well.  In addition, an illiterate adult usually learns to function and perform adequately, in some instances, without disclosing to anyone their inability to read.

This is no small feat.  The world operates and revolves around reading and having the ability to comprehend what is read.  It is and will remain an integral requirement of every civilized and educated society.

As a result, an adult who cannot read has to incorporate strategies of survival to obtain any necessary information without making known the circumstances of their situation.  Therefore, the everyday mundane world of a literate individual changes into an advanced and stressful obstacle course for any illiterate person.

Does this problem have any effect on Montserrat as a society?  Is it possible for an illiterate individual to survive in a literate world?

While the levels of hardship encountered are tremendous, there are illiterate adults who function at a minimal level in society successfully undetected.

Further, there are social issues that are negatively impacted by this very topic of illiteracy.  Remember, a society is only as strong as its weakest element.

It is because of this very fact that most countries regularly assess, address, and make readily available all statistics regarding its literacy rate.

Having conducted a personal survey of select groups of school students, it became evident that most of the students in each of these select groups ranged from completely illiterate to barely literate.  The remaining small percentage of literate students ranged from barely literate to an average level of literacy with few to no associated reading comprehension skills.

It was a result of this personal survey that caused me to request the current literacy rate for Montserrat.

The information discovered disturbed me enormously.  It appears that the Government of Montserrat's Statistics Department made an attempt to capture a census of this particular information.  However, it was unable to obtain any relative information from the Ministry of Education or from any of the existing public school institutions, themselves, on Montserrat.

When prodded, the Ministry of Education's responded that information regarding literacy in the Montserrat educational system is not available.  Therefore, that information cannot be provided.  However, there are two reading assessment test that are implemented into Montserrat's educational system.  These reading assessment tests are conducted at the grade 3 and grade 5 primary school levels.

Here is a summary of the United Kingdom's (UK) national educational curriculum.  Every institution of educational learning utilizes the same syllabus and curriculum.  In addition, each student is assessed upon entering the UK's educational system and continues to be assessed throughout his or her entire educational school life.

If one were to make a comparison of the two educational systems, one cannot help but note that there is a marked and dramatic contrast between the two.

Why does the UK invest so much time, attention, and effort into their educational system?

One could only conclude that this investment is warranted because the success of the UK's society and economy depends on this factor and everything associated with it.

Perhaps, it would be in the best interest of Montserrat to adapt this perspective and implement a similar system which echoes the exemplary standards utilized and demonstrated by the UK.

Would one be wrong to assume that the purpose of any educational systems is to produce literate, educated and pristine quality citizens to exist and contribute socially and economically?

Finally, let's reconsider Montserrat's standards and perform a quality assessment test of our existing education systems.  While I can clearly agree that Montserrat's education systems have been exposed to some extremely challenging circumstances and conditions, the preservations of Montserrat's quality education should always take the highest precedence.  The impact on Montserrat's educational system will be positive and beneficial to the literacy of its people and the successful function of its society.

VOLCANO LIMERICKS

Official Response

That dog 'fairy tale' is absurd,

The most malicious we've heard.

Still we deeply regret

We imperiled a pet,

And wish it had never occurred.

Off-island Response

So a dog was mistakenly shot

And its owner was saddened, so what?

Though we're living abroad

We're still sure it's a fraud,

Just a 'non-Montserratian plot.'

JUS WONDERIN

Jus wonderin if Montserrat will still belong to Montserratians after every one gets the British passport.

Jus wonderin if they will still need a Chief Minster to run de country that does not belong to them.

Jus wonderin how de mp talk so long on matters he say he doesn’t know or understand.

Jus wonderin about the festival calendar for 2002-2003 and how serious they are about them show.

Jus wonderin if Montserratians are blinded by good deeds.

Jus wonderin how many crapauds have to smoke awe pipes.

Jus wonderin if all opportunities are good one.

Jus wonderin what good vision anyone has of this country will look like in five years to come.

Jus wonderin why don't we unite and stop fighting against each order.

Jus wonderin about the private sector them.  

Jus wonderin if it only tek tragedy to strike fu awe come together as one.

Jus wonderin if jus wonderin offer congratulations to the best performer in this year exams.

Jus wonderin how come jus wondering is de first thing or the only thing some people read .

Jus wonderin why so much young people work in de place.

Jus wonderin who dem be  making it so difficult for foreigner.

Jus wonderin if it won’t be good to have another miss unity pageant.

Jus wonderin if we know half of our troubles are our inventions.

Jus wonderin if dem no life is what we make it and should make the best of it.

Jus wonderin if we know that our greatest glory is not, in never falling but, in rising every time we do.

Jus wonderin why all of a sudden de black boy a humble him self.

Jus wonderin a wah mek human love to talk about religion and politics so.

Jus wonderin how come the former COS is not the editor and who foolin who now.

Jus wonderin how many people were afraid when they saw the halo around the sun.

Jus wonderin how many times a year one gets to see a halo.

Jus wonderin if it is not great that we have a local attorney General

Jus wonderin if de constitution review done properly.

Jus wonderin if it is true locals don't know much about their present constitution.

Jus wonderin if its de animals he deal with why he seem so disorganised on radio. 

Jus wonderin why de airport big man want to explain something he say he don't know about.

Jus wonderin if the new help at ZJB can't help to define some principles.

Jus wonderin if Montserrat has the best bosses in the world.

Jus wonderin if all Montserrat bosses are employee friendly.

Jus wonderin why dey didn’t have a party for the visiting family. 

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