.

Evacuees’ Suit Seeks To Enjoin Governor

His Excellency Governor Anthony Longrigg

After submitting their historical petition to the Rt. Honourable Jack Straw at the Foreign and Commonwealth office in London, the residents who were forced last October to evacuate their homes in Old Towne, Isle’s Bay and areas surrounding the lower Belham Valley, have followed with more action against Governor Longrigg.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Longrigg and his wife Margaret left the island last Friday for his attendance at the Governors of UK Overseas Territories Conference in London on April 9, after which they will proceed on “a period of personal leave.”
When the Governor arrives at the Foreign Office he will no doubt have to answer to a Petition to the Rt. Honourable Jack Straw for his removal from Montserrat. On top of that he would have already been aware that he was served with a Writ, which joined him to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, seeking an Injunction, which complains among other things that the residents’ rights were infringed on several counts.

They complain to the court that the “applicant’s fundamental constitutional right to protection from inhuman treatment as guaranteed under Section 54 of the Montserrat constitution of 1989. … the right to reside in their properties and to have free access to them as guaranteed by Section 62 of the constitution have been breached and continue to be breached by the first respondent (the Governor) by virtue of the emergency powers made by the him under Section 3 of the Leeward Islands Emergency Power  Order …; the first respondent’s refusal to allow the applicants to reside in their properties as inhuman and  unreasonable management of this issue . . . and the present evacuation generally and the restrictions he has placed on the applicants right to occupy their property and to have unhindered access to them as is their constitutional right.

They are seeking in general a declaration the right to the protection from inhuman or degrading treatment as guaranteed.

“A declaration that a right to reside in their properties and to have free and unhindered access thereto.

“That having regard to the seven--year duration of the present emergent of the first respondent is in breach of the present doctrine of the same power.”

Informed sources have told us that the plaintiffs have applied to the court for leave to apply for Judicial Review against the various decisions of the Governor.

According to a Butterworth’s legal publication: That “is the process by which the High Court exercises its supervisory jurisdiction over the proceedings and decisions of inferior courts, tribunals and other bodies or persons who carry out quasi-judicial functions or who are charged with the performance of public acts and duties.”

It provides the means by which judicial control of administrative action is exercised.

That matter is set for hearing on Monday, April 14, 2003.

Farmers Complain of Onion, Potato Imports Despite Ban

Some local farmers are alleging that they are unable to sell their produce, such as onions and white potatoes, because the licensing authorities are granting merchants import licenses for the same goods they are producing, even though a seasonal ban is placed on the various crops to prohibit merchants from importing these goods.

One farmer, who chose to be anonymous because he fears victimization by the authorities, told The Montserrat Reporter that he was by the Port last week, when he saw a container filled with onions being offloaded from a ship.

“Upon finding out from the stevedores who the onions were being consigned to, I was told Angelos,” the farmer said.

He added that further enquiries revealed that, “Angelos was granted a license to import these goods, even though there is a ban in place for the import of these goods.”

The farmer said that he was reliably informed that, “a request was made by the owner of Angelos, for an import license to bring in onions and potatoes and when it was refused because of the present ban, an order came directly from the Chief Minister’s Office dictating that the license be granted.”

Another farmer said, “Some merchants know when there is going to be a ban on goods, but they still make orders, and when it reaches the Port, they then go and tell the licensing officers that the ship just arrived with the goods, and then the officers have no choice but to issue them with a license, despite the ban.”

Some farmers are of the opinion that excuses are made when they are told that “the licenses were issued to the merchants before the ban came into effect.” One said, “some officers have even claimed that they can go to any of the supermarkets and get whatever they need, so many of them feel obliged to the merchants.”

Price Control Officer Rudolph Christopher (pictured left) confirmed that the current ban on onions and potatoes has been in effect since mid February.

He explained that his department works on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, which gives a forecast for the crops, indicating the time when the crops will be reaped and when the bans are to be implemented.

Mr. Christopher said that import licenses are given to merchants on an average of two weeks, after which they expire.

The owner of Angelos Supermarket, Mahesh Valechha, said his import licenses for onions and white potatoes were issued in mid January to February of this year.

 “The onion has been under license, whether imported or local is available, but we have to get the license. Once we have the local (onions) available they stop completely importing any onions, as a means to protect the local market and farmers,” Mr.Valechha said.

He said, that local farmers sell their produce to him, “only when there is surplus of the product.”

He explained that after the local market has been saturated and they (farmers) get a good price, only then they would go to the supermarkets to sell their produce. “They are trying to gain the highest price they can give it,” Mr. Valechha said.

“The price for the imported potatoes are nearly EC$1.50 per pound and the local potatoes that we get it from the farmers is for EC$ 3.50, then we have to mark it up, then it sells for EC$4.00 in the market. It’s nearly 100 percent difference between the imported and the local potatoes,” Mr.Valechha said.

Mr. Valechha said that nevertheless he buys from the local farmers. “Once we have a local product, we have no problem with that, we are going to use it, only the price. . . . The price control have to look into that.”

He stressed that he has no problem buying any goods from the local farmers, as he recognizes the fact that the authorities have to protect the local market, “we have to buy local, we don’t mind supporting the local market,” he said.

Regarding the alleged issuance of the license, Director of Agriculture Gerard Gray said he was not on island at the time, “I was advised that a license was issued. That’s my information, I didn’t have anything to do with the matter. I understand that it was issued on the order of a minister.”

He pointed out that there is a system in place, and that there are merchants who buy from local farmers, but “there are some merchants which clearly do not want to buy local produce, for the simple reason that they can in fact import these vegetables from the United States at a much reduced cost, but that feeling is not passed on to the consumers,” Mr. Gray said.

“We hear for example oh these commodities are expensive because they are imported, whereas the fact is the imported stuff is cheaper than the locally produced stuff. That is the reason why some of them do not want to use the local produce even though the local produce is of a higher standard, simply because they are looking at their profit margin. That is one of the reasons we have these things happening…Many times it is on the intervention of the ministers or political directorate that we get a fall or a breakdown,” Mr. Gray said.

On a Point of Clarification

Former Speaker Professor Sir Howard Fergus has offered some further clarification which can serve as an education in the historical Speaker’s Casting vote which emerged at the most recent sitting of the Legislative Council here in Montserrat.

Following the second reading of a Bill called the “Penal Code (Amendment) Act, 2002 a division of the vote ended in deadlock after the count was five for and five against with one abstention.

NPLM member Claude Hogan had abstained while Attorney General Esco Henry voted against the motion joining the four members sitting on the opposition benches of the 11-member legislature. The situation left Speaker Joseph Meade to come up with a “casting vote” which, after a brief recess, he deferred to a later sitting.

Sir Howard and lawyer and former chief minister David Brandt had offered opinions on the matter. It was shown that the Speaker is bound to cast his vote and that by convention he should do nothing to change the present state of affairs. There was then a suggestion that a possible third reading can change the day, but it is here that Sir Howard offers some clarification.

He wrote about the current Bill in the Legislative Council regarding the introduction of a Lottery.

“In the last edition of your paper you alluded to the opinions expressed by lawyer David Brandt and by myself in my role as Former Speaker.

Just to clarify briefly;

·                  Substantively, the vote on the Bill takes place at the Second Reading.

·                  There is scope at the Third Reading for amendment to the Bill. This could be of interest to a member or members who are dissatisfied with in its original form.

·                  This does not provide much immediate comfort for the movers of the motion, for the bill has to pass through the Second Reading before it goes for a Third Reading.

The real resolution still lies in the way in which the Honourable Speaker exercises the casting vote.”

Many persons speculate that if parliamentary convention should prevail, it seems very likely that the matter, which has been voted on the basis of conscience and religious beliefs, may very well die at the next sitting of the Legislative Council which sources have hinted will be on April 22, 2003.  

Health and Safety Workshop Draws Host of Participants

Labor Commisioner Elijah 'King' Silcott sees tremendous benefits for Montserrat emanating from a three-day health and safety workshop which started here Wednesday.

The workshop, which attracted more than 30 participants from both the public and private sectors, Statutory Bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) came out of an initiative by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), according to the Labor Commissioner. Mr. Silcott said he was overwhelmed at the number of last-minute registrations for the workshop.

Horace Brennan, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Health and Safety Consultant and facilitator for the workshop, said health and safety has to be linked to productivity. He was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning at the Labor Department's office in Brades, ahead of Thursday's formal opening ceremony at the Cavalla Hill Christian Education Centre.

According to the PAHO specialist, throughout the region " there is a real awakening to the fact that healthy workers are productive workers."

"Today, what we are having are less people doing more work, under more stress and there is need for us to protect and to promote their health," he said.

He added that the goal of the health and safety workshop is to raise the level of awareness among stakeholders of the benefits of sound safety and health practices.

Safety and health at the workplace have been identified as important concerns for the Ministries of Health and Labor in Montserrat. This view is shared by the Social Security Department and Montserrat Allied Workers Union, who all expressed concern about the high incidences of accidents, injuries and illness at the workplace and their related costs.

Mr Silcott fielded questions along with Social Security Manager Kenneth Scotland and MAWU’s Hylroy Bramble. He said discussions about the Montserrat workshop resulted from a similar workshop he attended in Tortola last year.

"We recognized that we were in volcanic mode. However all of us have agreed that we are emerging and we thought that this is a good time to sensitize the populace as to the need for good health and safety practices," he said.

"We recognize that good health and safety practices are important for the development of any country, any community, any business," he said.

MAWU General Secretary Bramble joined Mr. Brennan in giving the example of construction workers, who both said would be expected at the very least to have a helmet, work boots and the correct protective gloves, put to proper use.

Mr. Scotland reminded that “employment injuries sometimes involve travel and could be an expensive undertaking, hence it is a major concern, especially for Social Security Boards.”

Mr Silcott said there was an overall aim to mobilize people and get them interested in occupational health and safety practices.

Montserrat’s Labor and Health Minister, Hon. Idabelle Meade, said at Thursday’s opening ceremony that it is important to have a healthy work force to foster a productive environment.

She said a healthy workforce helps in poverty alleviation, as workers are able to take care of themselves and therefore reduce their reliance on handouts or a welfare cheque from government.

Among distinguished officials at the ceremony were Acting Governor Sir Howard Fergus, Financial Secretary John Skerritt, Member of Parliament Hon. Claude Hogan and other senior government officials.

The workshop ends today

EDITORIAL

"Transparency May be the Last Thing You’ll Find in This Year’s NPLM Budget"

It ought to be known that often throughout the crisis, and in particular during the earlier years, the British government made every effort to be as transparent as possible in their dealings with Montserrat. It is in fact that transparency that made it so easy for them to be criticized in their dealings throughout the crisis for their interest or lack of interest in the development of Montserrat.

Their effort was encouraged by David Brandt, longest-serving chief minister in that post, who insisted that most discussions and actions be made public, even involving the public in several consultations, particularly on the airport. In November 2001, the first time this administration was involved in a Country Policy Plan consultation, the Aide Memoire which was signed by the ministers and the British government (via DFID) was taken away and ostensibly hidden from them. The Aide Memoire was made available to us, but not through government sources, as we were accustomed to. It was the same time that our government began boasting that they were being given autonomy to spend British monies as they pleased. It was the same time that our Chief Minister insisted that the British government approved an increase for the civil servants when in fact DFID, in the Aide Memoire, noted the government’s intention but took no part in the decision.

Other than through this medium, rare mention is ever made of Aide Memoires; or indeed of any reports and agreements from consultations and studies.

British minister Robin Cooke included in his White Paper proposal for the UK Territories the ideas of “good governance” and “transparency.” It is then a big shame that we should read an Aide Memoire that requires agreement between our governments which says: “…this Aide Memoire should be published in its entirety in a GoM press statement…”

We hope that the public took good note and that government also got the message.

From the document as well as the budget we note some inconsistencies; not inconsistent, however, with the way “things” have been progressing in Montserrat. But for today let us deal with the fact that government gave themselves, along with the Permanent Secretaries, some unconscionable increases. “:Strong words,” you might say, but then explain why the fact had to be hidden from the public? Why the secrecy and why so little word about it save Cheddy’s dealing with it in Legislative Council?

We have learnt that the income increases were agreed to in Executive Council (ExCo) and are retroactive from January of this year. Very well, but while DFID may publicly wish to wash their hands of this, we also learnt that there is anger, because they feel tricked. And rightly so, because we too feel abused in more ways than one.

The Montserrat Reporter has been at the forefront arguing that the British government must reconsider their monetary/budgetary support to Montserrat and its development, notwithstanding what they and others consider to be a huge allotment to the island.

CM Osborne, at that disastrous press conference and since then, has made it known that when he was advised of the additional EC$20 million per year for the next three years, he was told he could spend the money as he likes. We might therefore wonder how his kissing Lady Clare is taking this. Did she approve or even expect this move?

This is, of course, in the face of the statement that “GoM will need to prioritise carefully the available level of DIFID resources when making critical choices in the timely deployment of DFID funds.”

When one reads “the aims and the key underlying assumptions and principles” in the Aide Memoire published last week, both in the hard copy of this newspaper and its online version, it is very easy to see where the burden will lie and how DFID can shrug its shoulders and say “that’s their baby.”

We don’t have to dig too deep either in the budget presentation to find where the burden will lie and who will suck the sweets of DFID’s budgetary support.

What the budget presentation avoids is that only 40 percent of the “Recurrent Expenditures” are funded from collected revenues. These figures automatically require that this years budget, and for many years ahead, be an austerity budget - i.e. frozen public salary/wages, capital expenditures for only essential equipment and all projects not directly related to increasing revenue placed on “hold”, etc. These issues are not even addressed in this budget presentation. Salaries and wages in the other sectors have declined and in some instances are non-existent. Instead we hear the CM boast of how he will always be on the lookout for ways to increase civil servants’ salaries. Just a ploy to invoke acceptance of the deplorable increases. We should all then become civil servants.

It would be fair to say that in the budget speech there was much talk about the recognition of many needs, along with many nice words of encouragement, but there was no value attached to any plan of action, except the “allocation of $150,000 for training in the public service.”

The Montserrat Chamber of Commerce is now called upon to very aggressively and actively pursue the words of encouragement and promises of assistance. Government should be made to put their words in action and deliver on: “The overall goal of the project is to generate economic growth through increased private sector activity. The aim is also to reduce reliance on imported goods, to increase Government’s tax base, increase employment opportunities and stimulate domestic and foreign private investment.”

Why haven’t we begun to hear any footsteps or knocking at the door. Action now, the aim and the goals have been set. We note the “Challenge Fund will provide small grants and interest-free loans to clients wishing to start a micro business.”

That is a little more than a trick because it is hard enough to keep established businesses going, especially when the statement goes on to say: “The Development Fund will make limited funding available to established businesses that wish to expand.”

Dr. Kenny Anthony, prime minister of St. Lucia, in an action budget, said in his recent budget address: “The new budget, which makes provision for a reduction in corporate income taxes . . . was further aimed at assisting the private sector to weather the difficult circumstances.”

SCRIPTURE VERSE THIS WEEK

Those Who Persecute – Read Romans 12: 14-21

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, and defend the rights of all the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9 (NSRV)

Tammy called me, as I walked down the corridor of the social services building where I work. Her face was haggard and pale. A large bruise covered her eye and spilled down over her cheekbone.

“Excuse me, Jean. I need to see someone right away. Joey is going to kill me, and he means business this time,” Tammy said.

I knew she had been having trouble with her live-in boyfriend, but I did not want to help. Just the year before she had called for help and I had gotten involved. While at her house, I had been physically attacked by Joey and put into the hospital for a week. Tammy later told police that I had come to her house uninvited.

I wanted to take revenge on her by not helping. I wanted to walk away, but my heart would not let me. The words that I had read that morning in my Bible came back to me: “Bless those who persecute you.” I knew that Tammy had turned on me that day because she was trying to protect herself and her child. I ushered her into my office and started taking steps to assure her safety.

Prayer: Lord, help us realize that you do not will hatred or abuse for any of your children. Give us courage to speak out for those who have no voice. Amen.

Thought for the Day: God does not will abuse for anyone. – Jeanette Winsor (Newfoundland, Canada).

Prayer Focus: For Help To Overcome Our Hatred.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

C&W Customer Sees Red On Reliance on ‘Manual’

Dear Editor,

Having had the experience on a number of occasions over the last three years with Cable and Wireless not being able to write a computer program that would automatically limit my “overseas calls” it became necessary that I share the unhappy experience.

The reason I’ve chosen to go public at this time is due to the amount of “hype” the company has been creating concerning wireless calling and all the other paraphnalia it has been putting out, trying to get us to spend more while missing the basic demands of customers as a stated customer-friendly company. How hard is it to really put a limit on one’s telephone account compared to allowing you to go on the “net” to view your account balance and all the other things they have been throwing at us?

Quite some time ago I asked for A “cap” to be placed on my account so that when it reaches that limit no further long distance calls can be made. (Logic would dictate that if this amount is set reasonably low I would be able to clear the full amount when reached --- right?) On each occasion when my account would have gone over the requested limit by 2.5 to 3 times it is then that they would cut me off. By then it does not help me one bit.

They are closing the gate after the horse has bolted and I am unable to clear the entire amount. On asking office staff why this is, the reply given is that we have to check manually! And I have enquired of the “technical staff” also. They are having problems for three years now writing the program! Can you imagine this of a company that holds itself out to be at the forefront of telecommunications today? Is this what we are to be saddled with here in Montserrat in this rapidly advancing technological age? If they cannot write the program in-house, then buy one!

I am now saying out loud what I have been thinking over the years. Is it a plot by the company to get me to spend more money than I can afford on Long Distance Calls by not having the limit I requested activated, so that they get more money from you and I? Maybe this cannot be true and I have a twisted mind. If without long distance service for four months as a result, they would not be getting an amount equal to the regular amount they would have received monthly had my account been in good standing, right?

Really, which way do they get more money out of me? My guess is when they allow my bill to go over the limit by two to three times the limit I asked them to. (I realized a long time ago that talk is not cheap and have been able to keep within my limit but for the occasions when I get “relatives” who have no idea calls cost as much as they do here.) It is not only the cost of food that is high here compared to America and England. Maybe they will start shipping in phones and lines soon, as they did last Christmas with barrels of foodstuff. It would not be just the leader of the Chamber complaining about little improvement in business, even with an influx of returning Montserratians.

Cable and Wireless, that long standing company where Caribbean telephoning is concerned, better start realizing, just as the local merchants did over Christmas, that if they do nothing to improve customer satisfaction in areas such as rates and other services such as what I and many others have been asking for, for over three years now, that the writing is on the wall. Monopoly or not, their days will be numbered. The situation is already beyond the point of no return. The “bad old days” are over! Progress will not be impeded forever despite present agreements. They will end and the taste in our mouths better not be rancid!   

E.H. Dryson

ABOUT THE BOAT TRIUMPH

Dear Editor,

Please permit me a little space in your paper to try and clear my conscience of something that bothers me over the years, especially when the word in the name of Montserrat and its people is used -- talk about hypocrisy. 

There was a boat called TRIUMPH that was built in Montserrat for the people of Montserrat. However, there were people who for their own selfish reasons thought otherwise, so they planned to get rid of it. One night under cover of darkness their plan was executed and TRIUMPH was cut from its usual anchoring place at Kinsale by some loyal people,loyal because of the vehicle that was used and the people who were involved.  That night they came ashore where they met that vehicle beside the then residence of Mr. Joe Rocky going up Lawn Hill before it was leveled. TRIUMPH was cut loose and did not break loose as they wanted us to believe.

So I hope that when those who are still in Montserrat read this they would have a struggle with their conscience if, indeed, they have one.

It would be interesting to get a response.

Thank you.

Memorising 

Let’s Look at that 1997 Long Pyroclastic Flow

Dear Editor,

Some facts should be noted in the interest of shared knowledge and even truth. A letter written by Dr. Peter Dunkley 6 Nov., 2002, states, “. . . it has become apparent that grain size drastically influences the run out distance of pyroclastic flows; as was the case with the Cork Hill flow on 25 June, 1997. . . . Fine-grained flows retain their gas much longer than coarse-grained flows, so allowing them to flow much further.”

Maybe so, but what sort of butterfly net was used to capture gases from flowing fine- and coarse-grained sand? Or was it just observed much later that a further-reaching flow contained more fine-grained sand? Not mentioned was that the June 25 pyroclastic flow smashed a water reservoir in Farrels, suddenly releasing about 193,000 gallons of water. This mini-flood picked up material from the pyroclastic flow and diverted it down varying courses, including a ghaut near Cork Hill and the Belham Valley.

The water dissipated, a few bushes burned and the unique flood went almost unnoticed.

The MVO had a new, if erroneous, “scientific” revelation. This inadequate investigation belies the existence of competent scientific research.

B.L. Anderson, M.D. 

LOCAL NEWS

Montserrat Authorities Plan to Combat SARS

The Health Department is taking all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread and transmission of the deadly corona virus, which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, (SARS), in Montserrat.

Health officials met last Friday with Customs and Immigration Officers, Emergency Department, airline officials and the workers at the ports of entry, where they discussed how they would deal with any possible cases that might pass through the island.

Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Franklin Perkins explained in an interview with The Montserrat Reporter that if there are any suspect cases, they would be immediately isolated in an appropriate way, where they would be treated.

He added that not only would the person identified as having the virus be quarantined, but also all those people who would have been in close contact with the infected person.

Because this virus is so contagious and lethal, Dr. Perkins said, if a case were identified locally, at least 20 people would be affected and would have to be isolated.

Dr. Perkins said once a case has been identified, they would employ supportive treatment, which he explained as basically dealing with the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

He added that the second form of treatment would be the use of anti-viral drugs, “since it is believed that the disease is caused by the corona virus which has been found in over 80 percent of the cases identified.”

Dr. Perkins said, the Health Department does not have any of that specific anti-viral agent on island presently, “but we hope to develop rapid access within the next few days, for getting what is suggested by CAREC (the ribavarim chalk).”

Symptoms of SARS are fever, respiratory symptoms, such as a dry cough and shortness of breath, as well as muscle aches or diarrhea.

The health authorities are urging people to be aware of these symptoms and to notify them of any one who might have the virus, as fast as possible, especially since there is no cure presently.

They are recommending that those people who are thought to have the virus, as well as those who around them wear surgical masks.

Dr. Perkins said that anyone who feels uncomfortable is free to wear a mask, and he explained that a regular ash mask such as N95, can be worn when traveling in a confined area, such as the helicopter and the ferry.

A news release from the Health Department said, “every effort will be directed at preventing the spread of this deadly disease as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Caribbean Epidemiological Center (CAREC).”

The virus responsible for this fatal illness, SARS, was first identified a few weeks ago in the Gyondong province of China and has since spread rapidly to other neighbouring countries in the Asia.

In the western hemisphere, the metropolis of Ontario, Canada has been the most affected.

Other countries in the Caribbean, notably Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, major transit hubs, have since taken steps to prevent the possible transmission and spread of the virus, especially since it is air borne.

Montserrat Distracted On World Health Day

Countries throughout the world observed World Health Day on Monday, but Montserrat did not join in the observation.

When The Montserrat Reporter contacted Eugene Skerritt, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Education, Community Services and Labour, on Friday, April 4, to ask what preparations the Ministry was making for World Health Day, Mr. Skeriitt said the health officials were in a meeting.

Among the concerns being discussed was preparing Montserrat against the possible arrival of the dangerous virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which has been rampant in Asia and most recently Ontario, Canada.

Instead officials prepared to celebrate National CXC Day, with activities beginning on Monday and ending Wednesday evening.

Margaret Corbett Returns With Honors from Abroad

Montserratians at home and abroad continue to excel in their respective disciplines and make their countrymen proud.

One such Montserratian is Mrs. Margaret Corbett, known locally as Heslin.

Mrs. Corbett, a retired registered nurse and midwife, was honoured on February 25 this year for 20 years of meritorious service by the U.S. Virgin Islands Midwives Association with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by the representative of the United States Congress, Congresswoman, Miss Donna M. Christensen.

Mrs. Corbett returned to live in Montserrat on December 23, 1999, after spending 43 years abroad. “I always planned that once I retired, I will return to live in Montserrat,” she said.

Mrs. Corbett began her nursing career as a student nurse at the Glendon Hospital in 1954, and after spending two years at the hospital she left for England, where she completed her training.

Having worked for a number of years in England and the United States, Mrs. Corbett relocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she dedicated 20 years of her life to nursing there. “In St. Thomas, I delivered a total of 1,265 babies alone,” she said.

Mrs. Corbett, who now resides with her husband in Woodlands, said during her early nursing career she delivered 29 babies in Montserrat, and “I still have my small delivery book with all the names of the babies I delivered.”

With a smile on her face, Mrs. Corbett said she is still amazed when people walk up to her and say, “Oh! You delivered me!”

Now that she is living here permanently, Mrs. Corbett said she plans to do some volunteer work at the hospital.

Steering Committee Formed After 4-day NGO Workshop

The four-day workshop, ‘Working together under the One United Front’, of the local non-governmental organizations, which began on Thursday, March 27, concluded last Tuesday with a Steering Committee being formed.

Mr. Richard Aspin, one of the co-coordinators of the workshop the Steering Committee comprises Lady Eudora Fergus, Elizabeth Piper-Wade, Cathy Buffonge, Ron Barzey, Atisha Lewis and Ishmael Farrell. It will meet again in one month’s time to discuss whether all the local NGOs will go ahead and become members of a national forum.

The workshop was hosted by the local branch of the Partners of the Americas (POA), in conjunction with the University of the West Indies, and funded by the Governor’s Office (through the Department for International Development [DFID] Small Grants Scheme).

CM Osborne to Assume OECS Chair This Month

Montserrat Chief Minister John Osborne is preparing to assume the chairmanship of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) later this month.

Mr. Osborne will preside over the 37th meeting of the OECS Heads of Government scheduled for April 24-26 at the Royal Antiguan Hotel .

Finance and Economic Development Issues are expected to feature prominently in the deliberations by the leaders from the sub-regional grouping.

The financial position of the OECS, including the 2003/4 Budget for the St Lucia-based Secretariat and an update on the new diplomatic appointments, has been listed as part of the preliminary agenda.

Also scheduled are matters relating to the Action Plan for Economic Growth and Transformation in the OECS, Implementation of the OECS Development Strategy, Progress Report on the OECS Economic Union Project and the Relationship between the OECS Economic Union and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.

A progress report on the establishment of the Geneva Technical Facility and the OECS Joint Diplomatic Mission, update on External Trade negotiations, coordination in the OECS proposal from the Caribbean Financial Services Corporation and the establishment of an OECS Civil Aviation Authority also form part of the provisional agenda.

The OECS comprises  Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia.

CXC Day Here Celebrates 30 Years of Examinations

Montserrat joined their regional counterparts in celebrating the 30-year existence of Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) with a National CXC Day on Tuesday, in addition to a weeklong programme which began on April1.

During the week, Radio Montserrat (ZJB) aired a number of radio spots highlighting the work of the CXC, whilst on the weekend churches devoted a part of their services to pray for the continued success of the CXC’s work in the region.

On the day itself, Minister of Education Mrs. Idabelle Meade in her message to the nation gave a brief history of the origins of the CXC, its aims, goals, and importance to the region.

The three primary schools; Brades, Lookout and St. Augustine, and the only secondary school on island, the Montserrat Secondary School (MSS), held various activities to commemorate the Day.

The teachers of the Lookout Primary School held an interactive session with the children, where each class, from the kindergarten level to Grade 6 made a brief presentation to their peers on certain aspects of the CXC and the countries which form the Council, after which the head teacher, Miss Edith Duberry quizzed them.

Miss Duberry said, the aim of having this activity was, “to make the students aware of the national CXC Day, and “to encourage them to aspire to reach that level.”

The St. Augustine Primary School held an exhibition displaying the various components of the CXC exam.

Head teacher of the School, Miss Vernetta Williams said their aim at the school “was to expose all the children to the information.”

At the general assembly of the Brades Primary School, the teachers devoted a section of the proceeding to informing the students of the CXC.

At the general assembly of the Montserrat Secondary School, Minister Meade and the head teacher of the school, Mrs. Kathleen Greenaway, each gave a brief presentation of the CXC and its importance to students.

In the evening of the same day, there was a panel discussion and call in programme on Radio ZJB.         

Sir Howard Fergus acknowledged the accomplishments of the CXC and the contributions of the local education officers, teachers and administrators.

According to an information sheet provided by the Ministry of Education, in 1972, the 13 countries, which signed the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) agreement, established the CXC Council. Today, there are 16 participating countries; Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Guyana, St.Kitts/Nevis, St.Lucia, St.Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Montserrat.

In 1979, 30, 276 candidates from across the region wrote the first examination, where English Language, Geography, Caribbean History, Integrated Science and Mathematics were the subjects offered.

The following year, six additional subjects were offered; Agriculture Science, Office Procedures, Principles of Business, Principle of Accounts, Typewriting and Spanish.

In 1980, The University of the West Indies (UWI), The University of Guyana and the Joint Matriculation Board (which serves the University of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham), indicated their acceptance of the General and Basic Proficiency, of Grades I, II and III, and Grades I and II respectively, for employment in the public service.

In 1981, English Literature and Social Studies were added to the list of subjects offered by the examinations body and in the following year, vocational subjects such as Bookkeeping, Woods, Metal and Technical Drawing, General Electricity, Home Economics, Management, Food and Nutrition, Clothing & Textiles were also offered.

In a mandate from the Caribbean Community Ministers responsible for education, the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) was developed, “to have an examination equivalent in standard to the British Advanced Level examination ‘A’ level, but differing in the sense of philosophy and structure,” the information sheet stated.

The first CAPE was done in June 1998, in five one-unit courses. From then to 2002, the subjects offered have increased to 40 units in 25 subjects, and in the same year, approximately 5,741 students wrote the CAPE examinations.

CXC also administers examinations in the Dutch West Indian Territories of St. Maarten and Saba, and Suriname in South America.

REGIONAL NEWS

BWIA Presents Revised  Plan to T&T Government
Compiled from dispatches

TRINIDAD (CMC) -- Cash-strapped BWIA has presented the Trinidad and Tobago government with a revamped plan seeking financial assistance for the ailing national airline.
The Patrick Manning administration, which last year made available US$13.7 million to the troubled airline, said that the airline must present a plan that gives it a chance of viability.
The plan, which could result in the airline reducing some of its flights as well as a further reduction in the salaries of the employees, was to be discussed at Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley said.

In advance of the Cabinet meeting, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, called Wednesday on the government to “stand by BWIA” and support the airline in overcoming its financial problems.

“We cannot leave our airlift up to foreign carriers that can come and go at their pleasure and at prices that will suit them,” the Chamber said in a statement.

Sources said that the plan could also result in the reduction of the number of pilots and flight attendants employed by the company if the leased aircraft are returned.
The airline in January retrenched 617 employees, as part of a new strategic plan to revive the financial fortunes of the company.
Earlier this week, BWIA began paying the dismissed workers an estimated US$10 million owed to them in severance monies.  In addition, the airline needs to pay a US$3-million debt to International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) or face aircraft seizure.
The company had barely been able to meet its March payroll and is about six weeks behind its monthly payment on all six of its Boeing 737-800 ILFC leased aircraft.
The Trinidad and Tobago government had already indicated it was prepared to allow the airline to "go under," and Mr. Valley reiterated an earlier position that the Manning administration was prepared to assist on condition that the airline's shareholders contribute to easing the financial problems.

LIAT Gets New Loan Worth EC$3 Million

ANTIGUA (CMC) -- Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Lester Bird says his administration has successfully negotiated an EC$3-million (US$1.1 million) loan with a number of regional banks to help cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT.
The loan, negotiated with the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Bank Ltd., the Antigua Commercial Bank Ltd. and the National Commercial Bank of Dominica, will allow the airline to meet some of its financial obligations to creditors.
Mr. Bird said that his administration had guaranteed over EC$30 million (US$11.1 million) in loans to the airline that he regards as one of the premier institutions that has played a pivotal role in Caribbean integration.
He said even in its present difficulty, LIAT was facilitating the integration process by bringing together financial institutions from Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda in an historic joint venture.
Mr. Bird also praised the attempts being made by other regional governments such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines to save the Antigua-based airline.
Junior Finance Minister Asot Michael said that the loan to LIAT would contribute to saving the jobs of locals, warning that a collapse of the airline could result in serious difficulties for Antigua and Barbuda.

U.S., Antigua/Barbuda Sign Tax Agreement

WASHINGTON, CMC - The United States on Tuesday announced that it had exchanged diplomatic notes with Antigua and Barbuda, paving the way for the exchange of tax information between the two countries.
The Treasury Department said the initial agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2001.
The agreement became effective as of February 10 and satisfies the criteria outlined in the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act of 1983, the Treasury Department added.
It said the agreement was also consistent with a number of measures outlined under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
"Antigua and Barbuda therefore is now considered part of the "North American area" for purposes of determining whether U.S. taxpayers may deduct expenses incurred in attending conventions, business meetings and seminars there," a statement from the Department said.
It said "convention expenses incurred by U.S. taxpayers for meetings in Antigua and Barbuda that otherwise are deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses will be allowed without regard to the additional limitations applicable to foreign convention deductions".

Three Dominican Students Face Expulsion from Cuba

DOMINICA (CMC) -- Three Dominican students face expulsion from Cuba after two of them were arrested in connection with the illegal cultivation of marijuana and the other with smuggling of Cuban nationals into Dominica, Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has confirmed.
The students are in Cuba under the Cuba-Dominica Scholarship programme.
Mr. Skerrit, who did not disclose the names of the students, said that the two held on drugs charges were arrested following a sting operation, while the third students was involved in a scheme to get Cuban nationals to visit Dominica, from where "they would be able to travel to any Caribbean island or to the United States."
Mr. Skerrit said the Dominica government was working on having the students deported rather than serve jail terms in Havana.
He said the students were being held at a police station for further questioning.
"This is a serious matter, and I know the Cuban President does not tolerate drug use in his country," he said.
"The government of Dominica also condemns such an offence and it is a shame that our students have been involved in this act," he added.

Trinidad/Tobago to Declare SARS a Dangerous Disease

TRINIDAD (CMC) -- The Trinidad and Tobago government will declare Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) a dangerous infectious disease, allowing for the isolation of persons suffering from the virus for which there is no known cure.
Health Minister Colm Imbert told Parliament last week that President Max Richards would soon issue the proclamation, even though there has been no local occurrence of the virus that has killed almost 80 people in Asia and North America.

Mr. Imbert said the Caura Hospital, along the east-west corridor, has already been identified as the place where persons suffering from the virus would be placed.
"Essentially we have asked the Principal Medical Officer to meet with the Director at Caura to tell us exactly what is required and we are going to be moving quickly on this to put that institution in a state of readiness to receive patients who may be suspected, or have contracted SARS," he said.
Mr. Imbert said that the public and all medical personnel have been asked to be on the alert for anyone showing the symptoms of the virus, including coughing, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing, and to report that situation to the Ministry of Health that has established a Disease Surveillance Unit.
"It is a very dangerous situation and we are putting the infrastructure in place to deal with the situation," he told legislators.
Mr. Imbert said that the proclamation would make SARS a "notifiable disease" that would mean that doctors all over the country must notify health authorities once they suspect a person with the virus.
The Health Minister said that while no cases had been detected in the Caribbean, what was particularly alarming was the fact that SARS had reached Canada, a major tourist market for the region.

St. Lucia Restates Concerns About U.S.-led War in Iraq
Compiled from dispatches

ST. LUCIA (CMC) -- St. Lucia used the opportunity on Tuesday’s opening of a new session of Parliament to reiterate its concerns about the ongoing war involving United States-led coalition forces in Iraq.
In a 50-minute address to a packed chamber, Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy said St. Lucia stood firmly behind the counter-war position taken by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government at their recent intersessional summit in Trinidad.
She also warned that "long term stability may have been sacrificed for short term security," adding that "only history will determine whether this focus on a clear and present danger was prescience or shortsightedness".
Dame Pearlette also spoke of serious implications for Caribbean tourism, as a result of the military bombardment campaign, which, she said, has also increased uncertainty on the international stock market and volatility of the oil futures.
"Even at the diplomatic level, the present conflict will place St. Lucia under intense scrutiny and pressure as the island assumes the Presidency of the U.N. General Assembly later this year," she said.
Also at the opening session Attorney Joseph Baden Allain was sworn in as the new Speaker of the St. Parliament, replacing Mathew Roberts, who resigned last month in controversial circumstances, after he told reporters that he was suing a local newspaper over its reporting on sexual allegations being made by a Paris-based male model against him.
Mr. Allain was selected by a majority vote. Before his election as Speaker, Mr. Allain was the Government representative on the Electoral Commission. In his capacity as Speaker, he becomes Chairman of the Constituency Boundaries Commission.

Panday Case Delayed For High Court Appeal

TRINIDAD (CMC) -- Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls has adjourned until July 16 the case against Trinidad and Tobago's former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday to allow his defence lawyers to file a constitutional motion in the High Court contesting the charges against him.
Mr. Panday, who served as Prime Minister here from 1995-2001, is facing three criminal charges following his failure to declare his jointly held London bank account to the Integrity Commission.
His defence team headed by Senior Counsel Allan Alexander argued in court on Tuesday that Mr. Panday, 69, had been charged under the 1987 Integrity legislation that had been repealed by the 2000 Act.
But lead prosecutor Sir Timothy Cassel, QC, argued that the defence submission was frivolous and vexatious.
Mr. McNicolls agreed, however, that there was merit in the legal arguments of the defence.
"I am agreeing with the defence. There are a number of constitutional matters to be considered and therefore the matter should be committed to the High Court," he said in his ruling.
Mr. Panday is charged with making a false declaration by failing to declare the money he held in a London Bank in the name of Basdeo Panday and Oma Panday, his wife, during the period 1999 and 2001.
If found guilty, he could face a two-year prison term or a maximum fine of TT$250, 000 (US$41,600).
Court observers here say the constitutional matter is likely to reach as far as the Privy Council in London, the island's highest Court, should the local High Court rule for Mr. Panday or the state. 

OECS Leaders to Meet In Antigua on Economy

ST. LUCIA (CMC) -- Heads of Government of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are to meet in Antigua later this month to discuss a number of initiatives aimed at transforming their economies, an official statement said.
It said that the April 24-26 meeting would also discuss an action plan for economic growth, among other issues at the bi-annual summit in St. John's.
The sub-regional leaders had agreed at their last meeting in October 2002 that the urgent reform and transformation of the region's economies was critical if they are to survive the current economic downturn characterized by declining growth in export earnings, declining growth in output, increasing fiscal deficits, and debt burdens in some states that were not sustainable.
"The October meeting, which was attended by representatives of the region's top private sector organizations, agreed that transformation process should lead, in the medium-term, to sustainable real growth of 6 percent per annum," the official statement added.
It said the leaders had also agreed to high quality employment and reducing poverty levels to below 6 percent.
"The upcoming Antigua/Barbuda summit will discuss programmes and prospects for the reform and transformation process which the Heads of Government have already agreed should begin this year and have its first phase end in 2007," it added.
The OECS comprises Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

Legal Gambling Puts Billions into Jamaica

JAMAICA (CMC) -- Jamaicans spent an estimated J$17.4 billion (US$316 million) on legal games of chance, Junior Finance Minister Fitz Jackson has announced.
He says the figure represents an increase of nearly J$7 billion (US$127 million) over the 2001 figure.
"There is no doubt that gaming is growing and as regulators we have to ensure that the integrity of the industry is maintained," he said.
"As a result, the various government agencies are constantly looking at gaming regulations with a view of bringing them up to date. The same is true for the mechanisms through which control is maintained."
Information Minister Burchell Whiteman told reporters that the administration intended to ensure that entities engaged in gaming were properly registered and licensed.

He also said that Mr. Jackson's Cabinet presentation included proposals to strengthen the horse racing industry and to protect minors "through improved legislation, education and enforcement".
Mr. Jackson's breakdown of the total amount of money wagered on lotteries, horse racing and gaming machines showed that approximately J$1one billion (US$18 million) went directly to the Consolidated Fund, while J$640 million (US$11.6 million) went to the CHASE fund, which supports activities in the culture, health, arts, sports and education sectors of national development.

EC Approves $3.8 Million To Ease Natural Disasters

ST. LUCIA (CMC) -- The European Commission (EC) has approved a US$3.8-million action plan to help vulnerable groups in the Caribbean prepare for and respond to natural disasters, it has been officially announced here.
The National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) here said that the funds would support disaster preparedness initiatives and response mechanisms.
It said funds would be allocated to international agencies operating in the region through the European Commission's Humanitarian Office (ECHO).
Since 1998, ECHO has provided some US$10.5 million to the Caribbean through its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO). The programme's principal objective is to reduce the impact of natural disasters by strengthening local physical and human resources in high-risk areas.
"The Caribbean region is particularly vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters, including hurricanes, volcanic activity and earthquakes. The present funding decision will focus on Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines," NEMO said.
It said the money would be used to purchase early warning equipment, disaster preparedness training, small scale mitigation actions, and will help develop emergency response mechanisms. 

Antigua Gets Ready To Deal with SARS

ANTIGUA (CMC) -- The Ministry of Health in Antigua and Barbuda is making sure that the country is ready to handle any cases of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
On Friday, a group of senior health professionals on the island met and discussed safety guidelines issued by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) to member countries for the management of the virus.
The guidelines call for the various health institutions on the island, including the main Holberton Hospital, the Adelin Medical Centre and the community health services, to be equipped and personnel trained to handle any suspected cases.
The CAREC guidelines stipulate that suspected cases of SARS should be isolated and accommodated in single rooms with closed doors and bathroom facilities; air conditioning should be turned off and windows opened for good ventilation.
The guidelines also call for disposable equipment in the treatment and care of patients with SARS; proper hand washing in order to prevent the spread of the infection; the use of masks for health care workers; and the wearing of gloves and protective clothing in the handling and disposal of waste.
It was also agreed that a simulation would be carried out with key personnel at the Holberton Hospital who may be in regular contact with SARS cases.
SARS is an infectious disease of unknown cause characterised by an unusual pneumonia.  It can only be spread through close contact with an infected person.  There is no evidence so far that it is spread through casual contact.  The symptoms for this infectious disease include - a high fever cough, shortness or breath and difficulty breathing.
In light of the discovery of several cases in Asia and North America, health authorities have advised that persons arriving in Antigua from Southeast Asia and Canada should contact a doctor immediately if they develop any of the symptoms within 10 days of travel.
The Ministry of Health is also embarking on a public awareness education programme on SARS. 

Barbados Social Partnership Called Model for CARICOM

BARBADOS (CMC) -- The head of the local private sector agency, Allan Fields, believes the Barbados Social Partnership model is one to be followed by other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.
Under the Barbados model, Mr. Fields, said labour, capital and government have worked very closely on important national issues.
"I would like to see that expanded so that CARICOM treats issues the same way," he added.
 The Chief Executive Officer of the leading business conglomerate here, Barbados Shipping & Trading, made the comments to reporters after addressing the closing session of a two-day Regional Private Sector Forum here last week.

Mr. Fields had earlier told the audience that there will always be individual agendas and narrow interests within the Caribbean, but the interest and scope of regional discussions could be broadened by having governments, the private sector and labour speaking to each other on a regular basis.
"I believe that would be a huge step forward in dealing with the national issues that we'll be confronted with under this new globalised and liberalised market," he said. 

Barbados Private Pharmacies Cancel Controversial Charge

BARBADOS (CMC) -- Private pharmacies here, which last week announced the introduction of a 20 Barbados dollar (US$10) charge on prescriptions, have decided to suspend the controversial move.
However, Roger Maynard, public relations officer of the Barbados Association of Pharmacy Owners (BAPO), said the matter was still being looked at.
The BAPO decided to implement a $20 professional fee on Wednesday, April 2, after a special general council meeting was held.
BAPO spokeswoman Delores Morris has sought to explain that several pharmacists have been experiencing cash flow difficulties as a result of late payment for prescriptions filled on behalf of government.
She also said that other professionals charge a consulting fee for their services and they had decided to do likewise.
However, local consumer advocates as well as local health officials have condemned the move.
Some private pharmacies have also made it clear they would not institute the fee.
Government, responding to the move to charge a fee, said pharmacies at polyclinics would continue to fill prescriptions free, adding that they would remain open longer if necessary.

Antigua and Barbuda Joins International Financial Unit

ANTIGUA (CMC) -- The Antigua and Barbuda Financial Intelligence Unit has been accepted as a member of the prestigious Egmont Group of international financial intelligence units, a senior official in the Prime Minister's office said on Wednesday.
Wrenford Ferrance, Director of the Office of National Drug Control and Money Laundering Policy (ONDCP) and special adviser to the Prime Minister, said that membership had been accorded late last week.
"ONDCP applied for membership last year and we are very pleased to learn that the Group has decided to accept us.  This is a mark that the work we are doing in combating money laundering is well respected by the international community," he said.
Antigua and Barbuda will be formally admitted to membership of Egmont Group in Sydney, Australia later this year.
The Egmont Group was established by industrialised nations in 1995. It has a membership of 58 and Antigua and Barbuda is only the third independent Commonwealth Caribbean country to be accorded membership.  The others are the Bahamas and Barbados.
The objective of the Egmont Group is to provide a forum for financial intelligence units to improve support for their respective anti-money laundering programmes.
"We in Antigua and Barbuda can expect to receive help in training and the application of new technologies to our work," Mr. Ferrance said. 

LIAT still seeking EC$21 million

Dominica, CMC - Regional carrier LIAT is continuing to seek regional support to stay afloat.
During a promotional visit here on Friday, Director of Corporate Development David Stuart said the company immediately needs 21 million EC dollars (US$7.7 million)  to keep flying over the next few months.
Stuart said the airline was presently going through turbulent times but he was confident of a bright future for LIAT in serving the region.
"The Caribbean is still seen as a safe haven and even after the September 11 (2001 terrorist attacks on the United States) people from Europe have continued to travel to the Caribbean, with LIAT carrying 80 per cent of (traffic from international airlines). We also note that 75 per cent of LIAT travelers are indigenous Caribbean people," he said.
He also stated that the war in Iraq has had no immediate effect on the company.
 In recent times, LIAT has called on regional governments to intervene in regulating the aviation sector. It has also accused the Antigua-based Caribbean Star of predatory pricing.
CARICOM governments are the main shareholders in LIAT and for years have assisted the airline in coping with financial woes.

St Lucia gets new House Speaker

ST. Lucia, CMC - Attorney Joseph Baden Allain was on Tuesday sworn in as the new Speaker of the St. Lucia Parliament.
The former parliamentarian replaces Mathew Roberts who resigned last month in controversial circumstances, after he told reporters that he was suing a local newspaper over its reporting on sexual allegations being made by a Paris-based male model against him.
Allain was selected by a majority vote as the new term of the Parliament began here on Tuesday.
Prior to his election as Speaker, Allain was the Government representative on the Electoral Commission. In his capacity as Speaker, Allain becomes Chairman of the Constituency Boundaries Commission.
The generally reserved and soft-spoken lawyer was elected twice in the space of one month in May 1987 as Member of Parliament for the west coast town of Soufriere during the historic two general elections of that year.
But he subsequently was defeated in the 1992 polls.

Ex-minister Humphreys calls for removal of Junior Finance Minister

Antigua, CMC - A former government minister in Antigua on Wednesday accused the ruling Lester Bird administration of misuse of public funds, while calling for the removal of Junior Finance Minister Asot Michael from his post.
In making the call in Parliament, former trade minister Hilroy Humphreys further accused the Minister of mismanagement of the Ministry.
But in an immediate response, the Junior Finance Minister dismissed Humphreys' statements, saying the former minister was noticeably upset because he (Michael) did not support his request for government to pay his legal fees, arising from a recent commission of inquiry.
Michael said he felt it was inappropriate to assist Humphreys with his legal costs, after he resigned from the cabinet over a year ago, amid the inquiry into the state run Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS), in which he was implicated of wrong doing.
"That would have been the wrong, inappropriate, irresponsible decision and I am even now more convinced that before that I made a (correct) decision not to take up the hard earned tax payers money to pay Mr. Humphreys' legal fees," he added.
But Humphreys termed it a slap in the face for an administration he served for 22 years "not lift a hand to help" to him in his hour of need.
"Thank God for my dear wife. She paid the first US$10,000 for my legal bills," he said, while admitting to being broke.
Humphreys further accused Michael of overspending, by millions, his budgetary allocation without parliamentary approval, without being called to account and charged that government was using state funds in order to secure its place in the upcoming election.
"We cannot continue to willy-nilly use government funds for constituency matters in areas that you want people to win," he said.
He also attacked the recent budge presentation made by Prime Minister Lester Bird, saying it "illogical, full of mistakes and uninspiring" and "deepened the gloom over the country".

CARICOM states to provide financial assistance to Haiti

Trinidad, CMC - The Trinidad and Tobago government has approved a plan developed  by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to provide financial assistance to Haiti, Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift has said.

Gift, speaking at the end of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, said the financial aid package would see CARICOM country putting TT500, 000 dollars (US83, 300 dollars) into a fund meant to trigger funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and other international agencies.

Gift said that once CARICOM meets its quota, the international institutions would resume their lending programme to the impoverished nation.

Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley says a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Costa Rica would come into force on January 2004. He said over 6,000 products would be traded between CARICOM and Costa Rica on a duty free basis.

Valley said that a special regime had been established for agricultural products and the agreement also provided for a differential treatment clause that would allow trade with some CARICOM countries, but not with others in certain products.

Valley said that there was also non-reciprocity for the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) that would allow them to export their products into Costa Rica on a duty free basis, while products from that country would be subjected to duties in the sub-region.

Cuban doctors set to arrive next month as Trinidad doctors' sick out continues

Trinidad, CMC - Trinidad and Tobago is preparing to receive the first batch of Cuban health professionals next month, as a sick out by local doctors continues.

In making the announcement, Health Minister Colm Imbert stayed away from commenting on the doctors' protest action that has crippled the operations of  government health care institutions on the island.

But he said government was pushing ahead with the recruitment of Cuban medical professionals, in keeping with a co-operation agreement recently signed by the two countries.

Imbert said government was seeking to employ 37 Cuban medical doctors and 45 nurses in the first instance, under similar terms and conditions offered to local medical personnel.

He, however, indicated that government "may have to adjust the legislation" dealing with registration of non English-speaking doctors, adding that "the process will take one month".
Recruitment of Cuban doctors comes amid a pay impasse between Trinidad-based doctors and hospital administrators that has served to seriously curtail the provision of health care services on the island.

The doctors, who are pressing for their pay to be brought on par with their colleagues in Tobago, have been reporting sick for duty over the past two weeks.

Chief Executive Officer of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) Lennard Jaggessar warned that the situation involving the doctors should not be allowed to continue into another week.

"The Authority can't sustain another week of being subjected to non medical care," he told reporters, adding that in some cases as much as 90 per cent of doctors, including senior medical practitioners have not turned up for duty.

"We are trying to man the wards as best as we can," he added.

The San Fernando General Hospital, the Eric Williams Medical sciences Complex and the Port of Spain General Hospital have cancelled clinics and surgeries and in some instances have been forced to send patients to private clinics.

There were reports that some interns had joined the sick out by the doctors.

Communications director at the South West regional Health Authority, Zenobia Nanan said that the San Fernando General Hospital's administration noted with grave concern the fact that a few interns had also called in sick on Thursday.

The acting Medical Chief of Staff at the hospital, Dr. Anand Chatoorgoon, said the institution was forced to transfer five patients to private nursing homes, including a 12 year old nursing a lesion on his foot.

"He waited on the ward to be attended to by a doctor but the consultant said he did not have the staff," Chatoorgoon said.

Disgruntled port workers in Dominica returning to their jobs

Dominica, CMC - Disgruntled port workers in Dominica were returning to their jobs on Friday, following protest action on Thursday.

Amid a strong police presence, angry stevedores and longshoremen blocked both entrances leading into the Port Authority compound on Thursday, a day after their union accused management of staging a "lock out" of members.

However, General Manager Benoit Bardouille said the workers were asked to leave the compound over their refusal to carry out their duties.

By Friday, normalcy was returning to the Port's operations, even though the dispute between the Dominica Port Authority and the Waterfront and Allied Workers Union (WAWU) over implementation of new cost cutting measures appeared far from being resolved.

Management says the Port has no choice but to reduce its costs, which are among the highest in the Eastern Caribbean.

However, the union has filed a second injunction aimed at preventing the Port Authority from implementing the measures, which include reductions to workers pay and to the size of  gangs used to carry out shifts.

Only two weeks ago, the court lifted a temporary injunction that was granted to the Union.

Attorney General Henry Dyer said he was now in the process of setting up a tribunal in a bid to resolve the impasse.

Former Jamaica prisons chief under pressure to step down in Bermuda

Jamaica, CMC - The former head of the Correctional Services Department in Jamaica, Lieutenant Colonel John Prescod, is now under pressure to step down from the post of prisons chief in Bermuda, which he took up a year ago.

A report carried in the Bermuda Sun newspaper on Thursday said a 21-day strike notice had been served on Colonel Prescod, following a no confidence motion passed against him by the Prison Officers Association in that British overseas territory.

The action followed a march on Monday that saw 120 members of the Association marching to Colonel Prescod's office in a show of disgust over what they say is the contempt he is showing them.

The Association is reportedly upset over the delay in the implementation of a series of recommendations, which followed a prison inquiry in 2001. It says two years after the recommendations were issued, most have not been addressed, especially those dealing with staff development.

The recommendations include a call for a documented process to evaluate the suitability of officers for promotion and transfer as well as reviews of prison officers' performance.

According to the Association it allowed Colonel Prescod a three-month honeymoon when he was appointed last April but one year later its concerns have not been addressed.

But responding to the charges from the Prison Officers Association,  Colonel Prescod has reportedly pointed to the short time that he has been in the job, saying he has only been in the country for one year, with six months of that time spent listening and learning the prison system in Bermuda.

The reports further say that he has promised that recommendations coming out of the 2001 inquiry will be implemented.  Colonel Prescod left Jamaica last year after he decided not to renew his contract as head of the Department of Correctional Services here.

His tenure was marked by a bloody prison riot sparked by claims that condoms would be handed out in the prisons. In addition, more than 800 correctional officers were interdicted during Colonel Prescod's tenure after they stayed of the job to protest against a decision of the government to renew his contract.

That dispute was finally settled last year after an acting head was appointed

Grenada's Labour Minister speaks out in defence of new act

Grenada, CMC - Labour Minister Lawrence Joseph has spoken out in defence of the Labour Relations (Amendment) Act 2003, saying that its recent passage came after widespread consultation with the private sector, the umbrella Trades Union Council (TUC) and discussions with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Joseph has also sought to make it clear that the new legislation does not bar unions from staging industrial action, even though it imposes jail terms on persons who resort to strike action to solve industrial disputes.
"The aim of government was to seek to provide adequate opportunities to disputing parties for the settlement of trade disputes, before industrial action takes effect," the Minister said in a statement issued here on Thursday.
Trade unions and opposition parties here have been gearing up to challenge the new Act,  which they claim is too restrictive to the rights of workers.

The change was first proposed in 1999 but was delayed to allow for the re-examination of the sections dealing with Disputes Settlement Procedures, as well as consultations with the Social Partners.

While stating that consultation with the Social Partners did not mean mutual agreement, Joseph said the views of the parties were given due consideration but ultimately, the final decision rested with the Government.

He added that the legislation was in keeping with the principles established by the ILO.

"It is amazing therefore, to hear certain individuals in the trade union movement criticising the amendments, when indeed these have been recommended by the ILO," the Minister said.

"It is even more amazing to hear a certain political leader, coming on the heels of a certain trade union leader, in a Grenada Broadcasting Network broadcast, in an attempt to politicise the issue, state that there was not enough consultation on the matter, when indeed consultations lasted for over two years," he added.

He called on Grenadians to take a hard look at themselves and to come to terms with the reality of the world situation.

In the face of globalisation and trade liberalisation, he said, small countries like Grenada  have to become more prudent and responsible in their thinking.

"My appeal therefore is for all of us to acknowledge the call that "it is time for us to settle down."  I repeat it is time for us to settle down," he added. 

Visit to Grenada by Taiwanese naval ships raises fears about SARS

Grenada, CMC - The Taiwanese Embassy here has sought to allay fears among Grenadians that a planned goodwill visit to the island on Monday by three naval ships from the Republic of China on Taiwan poses a health threat to the island.

Since the announcement of the visit was made earlier this week, concerns have been raised about a possible outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which is now rampant in parts of Asia and North America.

"The Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan would like to assure the Grenadian public that the goodwill visit of the three ROC Navy ships to Grenada on April 14th to 16th would cause no harmful effects to its citizens as a result of the a typical pneumonia dubbed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)," said the Embassy in a statement.

It said the squadron of ships left Taiwan on February 28, 2003 and has already visited Palau, El Salvador and Nicaragua, passing through the Panama Canal en route to Grenada.

"During their global tour, the squadron has never visited SARS-affected areas," the statement added.

It further noted that according to World Health Organisation statistics, there are no reported fatalities from the disease on Taiwan, adding that the Taiwanese Government was making "a great effort to maintain a zero-death, zero-communal infection and zero-transmission tolerance of SARS".

So far some 2781 SARS cases have been reported to the WHO,  with 111 deaths in 17 countries on three continents.

SPORTS

Two Montserratians Earn Football Coaching Licenses

Two Montserratians received International Coaching Licenses from the Football Association (F.A) International Coaching course, which was held at the Dr. Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence in Trinidad from March 13 to 22, 2003.

According to a press release from the Montserrat Football Association (MFA), Ottley Laborde and Cecil Lake, attained “C” grades, with a recommendation by the association that they move on and advance their license course in 2005.

The course was initiated for some form of coaching experiences, mainly at the national level, and to a basic coaching certificate.

Mr. Laborde and Mr. Lake were among 42 coaches from 17 countries in this year’s course, which was administrated by England’s F.A.

Austin ‘Jack’ Warner, president of the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Football (CONCACAF), said, “Proper planning and development-building on what they have learned, and then continuing to learn, is what Confederation coaches should take from the F.A International Coaching License.”

He urged the participants to adopt a more systemic approach to their jobs, with references to the USA as an example of proper planning and development.

Youth Vibrations

National Youth Policy Expected by Yearend

By the end of the year, Montserrat should have its own National Youth Policy, as the plans for its formation are steadily moving ahead.

On Tuesday, a Steering Committee, comprising all the stakeholders from the private and public sector and the non-governmental organizations, held its first meeting to discuss the formulation of the National Youth Policy.

At this meeting, each sector was made aware of its role and responsibilities in the formation of the policy process.

A National Task Force will comprise the Permanent Secretary of Education, Health, Community Services and Labour, the principal community development officer, community development officer responsible for youth affairs, two members of the National Youth Council, a representative of the Attorney General’s Office and a consultant. It will be responsible for approving and adopting the final document, among other things.

The National Youth Council will focus on mobilizing the young people they represent, and it is also expected that the policy process will give them the opportunity of strengthening themselves as a representative voice of the youth, to build and consolidate its membership.

Meanwhile the Department of Community Services will provide the technical support required to the other sectors involved and will also be responsible for reporting on the progress of the Youth Policy to the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP).

The need for a Montserrat Youth Policy Plan was again emphasised when Armstrong Alexis, Regional Director for the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Caribbean Center, visited Montserrat last month.

Mr. Armstrong held a workshop for all the stakeholders where he discussed the concept of a National Youth Policy.  

Tourist Board Awards St. Augustine Prizes

Continuing their prize-giving tours/ceremonies, The Montserrat Tourist Board presented the winners from the St. Augustine School with awards and Saving Certificates for the St. Patrick’s Cooperative Credit Union on Monday.

The quiz, in which all the primary schools participated, was part of the St.Patrick’s Week of Activities, March 10-17 this year.

One prize donor requested that three, first prize winners be awarded contributions toward their tuition fees, equivalent to the value of the Savings Certificates, whilst the second and third place winners be given actual Saving Certificates.

The three first prize winners were Kurt Warren Lee, Julius Morris and Shernyl Burns.

Second place winners were Oswen Carty, Jemel Fenton and Craig Perkins, whilst Claris Yearwood, Jordan Taylor, Benjamin Mejia, Araine Brown, Lynwall Cassell and Georgette Skerritt placed third.

Shanna-Kay Irish, Opal Skerritt, Karishma Dhera, Jashree Kirwan,

Yumma Iftiker and Graeme Stanley, were given consolation prizes, for gaining above 50 percent in the quiz.

Last week, the winners of the Brades and Lookout primaries were presented with their prizes.

FEATURES

A View From the Outside - # 20

By  Ken Walter

·                  Added advantages for making Montserrat an on-line gambling capital – no negative impact on either your culture or environment.

Redevopment Concern

Over the course of the last few weeks I have heard people comment about their disappointment and displeasure with the litter on island -- the visitors from the French cruise ship, Rose Willcock on ZJB after the St. Patrick’s Weeks festivities, a letter to the editor in The Montserrat Reporter from tourist hikers who had been on island and many of our own friends and acquaintances. This clearly is not in keeping with the Chief Minister’s description of Montserrat as being “blessed with significant areas of outstanding natural beauty” and HE Governor Longrigg’s descriptions as “unique / many beautiful walks available in the Centre Hills and Silver Hills / (to) visit pretty villages.” This type of visual pollution is becoming ever more objectionable to North American tourists [I suspect with tourists from all over, but not knowing I cannot speak for them], especially those who fall into the niche markets of cultural, ecological and adventure-tourists, as these people tend to be the most environmentally aware and sensitive!

As Montserrat continues its rebuilding process it would be self-defeating to ignore this “litter” problem. My wife and I were overwhelmed a few years ago when we spent three weeks touring Puerto Rico, for as soon as we left the “tourist areas” litter and garbage were everywhere. One of the worst culprits, after beer & soda containers, were plastic bags [the kind you get when you shop right here on Montserrat] as they were caught in the bushes, entwined in fences and worst of all up in the branches of trees.

I would like to present some thoughts, suggestions and recommendations:

1. Lets bring back the “Cleanest Village” competitions.

2. Recognize “litter’ as a critical pollution problem and thus make it a major component of every schools environmental awareness program.

Note – many people we spoke with in Puerto Rico saw the school programs as their only hope of changing their culture, to effectually combat this form of individually generated pollution.

3. Make more trash containers available in public use places and most importantly have them emptied on a regular and frequent basis. Also locate receptacles at all hiking trailheads and post “Don’t Litter – carry out what you pack in!” signs.

4. I know there are many Montserratians and expats who would be willing to help   clean-up after their inconsiderate brothers and sisters, if only we had a place to dispose of what we collect. I would suggest a coalition be formed between the Montserrat National Trust, Tourist Board and Public Works Department to make specially colored/labeled garbage bags available to these volunteers. So that after filling them, they could leave them alongside our main roads, knowing that when they are seen by a PWD truck they will be picked-up to be taken to a transfer station and then on to the Jack Boy Hill refuse dump.

5. I would also question what efforts are being made to implement re-cycling programs? Glass is gaining widespread use as a wear-retardant filler in road surfacing materials, aluminum has a real dollar value as a recyclable metal and most plastic consumer goods containers also have value as filler material when added to virgin stock in the molding process. If the sale of these materials were at break-even or even at a loss, the economic value to reduce the fill rate at the landfill site, not to mention making Montserrat a more appealing tourist destination, would still be very worthwhile.

This is a problem that requires action now, while it is still manageable and before it overwhelms the remediation resources of your small but still beautiful island.

These “Views From the Outside” are presented as motivational food for thought. As an entrepreneur, business manager, and management consultant with over 35 years of hands-on experience, as a NYS Certified Mediator and Arbitrator and an elected municipal government official for the last 15 years, I feel I can speak with some authority. My goal is to hopefully generate some of the sparks that kindle the desire to act proactively - now, not reactively after opportunities are lost. 

04/07/03

Tourism Highlights

MONTSERRAT TO BE FEATURED IN TIME MAGAZINE, EUROPE

Two writers from Time Magazine, European Edition, Mr. Rob Bennette and Ms Severine Buyse, were in Montserrat from Thursday 3 April to Wednesday 9 April 2003 on a fact-finding mission.  The two writers were gathering information for a special centre spread in which they will feature Montserrat in a CARICOM special in the columnist publication of the Magazine around autumn this year.

The Magazine has a readership of 2.5 million throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

COMMENTARY

His mind is his own

By Claude Gerald

Congratulations. Brilliant stuff. Another century of sorts. Well-known former national cricketer and ZJB broadcaster, Owen Roach is a lawyer, having just been called to the English bar after just over four years in the UK. Late in taking up the offer to head into the mercurial life of the UK, Owen was fixed on the desire to study law and he advocated it with typical swagger and certainty.

His strength is that he has a mind of his own, is strong willed and dares to be different. He loves a challenge and sets his own goal post. Dedication is his watchword, co-piloted by positive feelings and a success mentality. 

Nothing bar one rivals or excites my sensibilities as hearing of a young, dynamic batsman with classy potential. Owen Roach was so described in May 1984 and not knowing him I inquired as to his pedigree and connections. Yes he is related to the legendary speedster, Melford Roach, and he lived in the royal George Street ghetto of the deceased Plymouth, where his mentor, the informant offered,, is the much-respected Haycene Ryan; a man of positive values for varying seasons and reasons. One could not wait to see him in action on the cricket field as my interest bubbled.

That year I began to substitute voluntarily on a part-time basis as an agricultural science teacher at the MSS. Present on the roll call in third form was the name Owen Roach. “Is this the same person – the cricketer?” I said with an air of expectancy, my subconscious already overtaken with the celebrity bug that invaded the system after the much-vaunted introductory piece on this little magician. The class to a man bodied in his direction. He acknowledged matter of factly, with no fanfare and sat resolutely at the back of the class, in isolation with a studious confidence. “Are you with me?” was my mantra to the class to test comprehension and invariably he would motion me on with a perpendicular right palm suggesting, “go on boss, this is no sweat.” How could anyone be so confident, I remember asking myself throughout the 3-4 year stint in that abandoned alma mater whilst the average student seemed so undemonstrative and distant? He must be a joker, a kind description for an unprintable synonym, I thought. Is he a reincarnation? Did he pass here before? He excelled in the subject at the ordinary level as if to prove me wrong.

Again for three seasons in the early ‘90s as President of the Montserrat Cricket Association I encountered him in that sport which, along with his ZJB radio connections, sustained his national and sub-regional popularity. He controlled a part of Antigua that listens to ZJB almost exclusively. As a cricketer he was a headache for the cricket administration. He tended to want to do his thing preparatory to tournamentsm, particularly with regard to training.  He seemed so singularly focused and at a higher spiritual level than his teammates that any untoward or contrary actions by them would torpedo his individual efforts. He found difficulty in confining himself to a general prescribed regimen and that was no small difficulty for management. Collin Riley, then vice-president, always found convincing reasons to defend him and placed thought- provoking arguments to justify his actions, essentially advocating that one has to judge Roach by his own standards devoid of relative comparisons. “Let me tell al’yuh this’ he would say, ‘No worry ‘bout Owen Roach’,” emphasizing that he, once he is in the squad, would make himself ready. Management took advice from this cricket connoisseur and went along.  Roach’s contributions were more than useful as a stylish opening batsman both at the junior and senior levels. On memory he had at least three centuries at the Leeward Cricket level along with impressive accounts in youth tournaments, in which his contemporary B.C. Lara played, but he never quite rose to the promise touted.

I tried to follow his trail in the UK, asking those who may know. Less than a year after he went to the UK, I was in London. A friend of mine assured me that Owen was wasting time, “walking up and dong de place-a Ridley Market regular” with an ideological name change to boot. I left with a huge sense of disappointment, thinking that he had fallen through the cracks but was not prepared to give up since his formative days and actions tell, that what you see with Owen Roach is not what you will get. He can be off-putting and deceptive. Do not check for him as the saying goes.

Owen Roach is a source of pride and much inspiration. He will not stop there. Neither will he stay in law indefinitely either. He is a busy soul and a restless one at that. Watch for him in another successful form as he lives his fantasies and potential in the mold of his idol Marcus Garvey or another one to come.

Montserrat hails this son of the soil, extends best wishes and hopes others will be conditioned to emulate accordingly.

Claude Gerald is an agriculturist. He comments on social/economic/political issues on Montserrat. Ceegee15@hotmail.com

VOLCANO LIMERICKS

Courtesy of the MWA

In an effort to end your confusion

On privations that go with exclusion,

A new lack is coming

Affecting your plumbing;

Daily water is not an inclusion.

Water Torture

Piped water’s fundamental,

Its lack is detrimental,

But the start of this fraud

As H.E. went abroad

Is surely not coincidental

JUS WONDERIN

Jus wonderin if it’s true the supposedly married lady is takes someone in the Thorne up in the hills and is now full of pains.

Jus wonderin if the teacher at that school who teach the high grade is also a foreign fake.

Jus wonderin why they always come with their sweet talk about work.

Jus wonderin if all the Permanent’s wives are foreigners and otherwise so they somehow always taking up for them.

Jus wonderin if it is really so when children have accident at school de teachers at MSS don't call the parents or carry the child to hospital.

Jus' Wonderin' if all dem Montserations livin' in Briton, if dem a say "I Do" for Love or for MONEY!

Jus wonderin What a ting and if we aren’t having enough problems already.

Jus wonderin if the big-size lady over at radio land learn those erotic gymnastic moves.  

Jus wonderin when is de election and who fooling who.

Jus wonderin why them some married men like to fool them wife.

Jus wonderin if is because too much people claiming sickness benefits, that is why we getting safety workshop.

Jus wonderin how much boss will put into practice what they learn.

Jus wonderin if de youth parliament teking example from the seniors, that’s why them can’t get them house quite in order yet.

Jus wonderin if de whole house is jus a big school or de whole ting a sham.

Jus wonderin if is true de man in charge order them boys to give de super market man a license.

Jus wonderin all who gat shares in de business.

Jus wonderin how much more of them does get orders.

Jus wonderin why de road a tek so lang fo done.

Jus wonderin if de workers want more money for de job.

Jus wonderin if is true de government get them increase in pay.

Jus wonderin went dem planning on telling de public.

Jus wonderin who vote on de bill on the budget and sanction dem big ministry increases and if is dey dem hide the salary increase dem.

Jus wonderin how de government say dem care for we, but yet dem sucking we money fo better dem self.

Jus wonderin if dem think we stupid.

Jus wonderin which Minister/s trying so hard to get people on she side to vote for the lotto.

Jus wonderin if shoplifting on the increase.

Jus wonderin why them don't look for work.

Jus wonderin why dem old law men cost the Government so much money.

Jus wonderin who should pay for them sloppiness or maybe carelessness.

Jus wonderin if de Security men don't take long to show his true colors.

Jus wonderin if the telephone place don't realize that we know all them sales tricks.

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