End Airport Discussions
Quickly, Governor Says
By Helena Durand
His Excellency the Governor
Anthony Longrigg sees further discussions on the airport project as unnecessary
because “I mean there’s been years of discussion about this airport
as I understand it,” the governor said in a radio interview with ZJB.
He said building an airport
is crucial to improving life for Montserratians, and that there should be no
more delays. “I don’t think it’s necessary in arguing between the
Montserrat Government and the British Government,” he said. His impression he
noted is that, within a few weeks, there is going to be a handing over of the
consultants’ report; “I think when that comes out, there should be a series
of rapid discussions and by that point it would be urgent that there be
agreement both within the Montserrat Government and between the Montserrat
government and the British government about which option you’re going to go
for, and that decision has to be taken quickly. It’s not possible to continue
this discussion for another year, two years, because there is I think you know,
there is certain sums of money which is not available for very much longer, and
it would be absurd by various people insisting on discussing things further to
lose that money.”
Before his tenure as
governor of Montserrat is over, Governor Longrigg said there are many things
which he hopes to see accomplished. “My
main wish is that by the time I leave, the island will be a far more normal,
healthy place; there will be far more job satisfaction, far more employment, far
more better quality of life, I think is the best way of putting it.”
On the matter of the
construction of an airport and discussions relating to it, Acting Chief Minister
Mrs. Dyer-Howe told the Montserrat Reporter, “the Government of Montserrat’s
position is that, we are awaiting the study from the Italians before making a
decision.”
Minister for Communications
and Works Dr. Lowell Lewis, who advocates discussions where the airport project
is concerned, particularly the proposed site at Gerald’s is currently out of
state and could not be reached for comment.
Parliamentarian Chedmon
Browne has voiced concern over the fact that His Excellency the governor Anthony
Longrigg is “suggesting to the listening public that the Government of the day
is split on the airport issue.”
He said contrary to that
suggestion, “It is not the government of Montserrat that is speaking about the
issue of the airport at Geralds, it is the voice of the people who have already
spoken on the issue. Now for the governor to suggest that there is an argument
within the government of Montserrat over the airport issue, well, this is news
to me, and I do believe that I am a member of the New PLM Party. And I am not
aware of any split or argument over the issue.
We’ve been firm on the issue OK. Our position has always been firm on
the issue. If there is a split, like I said, it’s a new thing to me because we
have stated over and over again that we would want DFID and the British
officials to look at other alternatives we have suggested, to compare those
alternatives, let us arrive at a decision. Last word spoken on it by the Chief
Minister of Montserrat was that he is quite willing to wait until this latest
consultancy report, which is about the fifth consultancy on the issue, comes
out, before again even begin to discuss the issue.”
The Man From Baker Hill,
John Allen, told the Montserrat Reporter he is fully supportive of Governor
Longrigg’s stance on the airport issue. “I am grateful that somebody has
forcefully put the cards on the table. The ball is in Montserrat’s court. No
more discussions before the report, after the report, action!” Mr. Allen said.
'It’s nothing personal,' As Labour Doesn't Speak
By Helena
Durand
Hon Mrs. Margaret Dyer-Howe and Mr. Hylroy Bramble
Acting Chief Minister Mrs.
Margaret Dyer-Howe is defending her government’s position in the
non-airing on Radio Montserrat of the program "Labour Speaks,"
hosted by Secretary General of the Labour Union Mr. Hylroy Bramble.
Mr. Bramble contends that
the program is not being aired because of “suppression
of free speech in this country.”
This week
Mr. Bramble wrote to the Montserrat Reporter, “ I approached the acting
manager of Radio Montserrat letting him know that as of June 5th I
would be ready to once again begin airing the program Labour Speaks. I was told
that it was okay to begin.”
He said as he usually does,
he gave the manager the script and he, in turn, forwarded it to the Attorney
General, “who okayed the script for broadcasting. On Friday I went to ZJB and
recorded the program for Tuesday as Monday would have been a holiday,” Mr.
Bramble wrote.
However, on Monday, he said, he received a telephone call from the acting manager, “who told me he
was instructed by the new P.S to the Chief Minister, Sarita Francis, not to air
Labour Speaks.” He said those instructions came from the Acting Chief Minister
Mrs. Dyer-Howe.
“It seems that the
official excuse is that the guidelines for the programs are under review. I find
this strange since I was not told this by the acting manager, and on confronting
him he knew nothing about the station being under review. At the same time when this occurred, no other program was
pulled from the air; in fact, new programs were allowed to be aired,” Mr.
Bramble wrote.
He said he believes that
his freedom of speech is being suppressed, and that “if one was to look back
in history, this is nothing new to a PLM Administration.” he wrote.
When contacted on the
matter, Acting Chief Minister Dyer-Howe said, “It is not the government of
Montserrat's intention to hinder free speech in this country, nor to repress
anyone.”
Permanent Secretary in the
Chief Minister’s, Mrs. Francis, told the Montserrat Reporter, “There is
nothing personal in this. Mr. Bramble does the program as the Secretary General
of the Labour Union. A letter was sent to the Union informing the Secretary
General that government was reviewing the broadcast policy at Radio Montserrat.
The Union has been invited to be part of the process when that process comes
on.”
The views from members of
the public as it relates to the program Labour Speaks vary. One gentleman whose
opinion we sought, said, “The programme was ok.
Although I find it is too political sometimes.”
Another said, “Labour
Speaks is an eye opener for Montserratians.
Marine Biology Research Planned for Montserrat
By Helena Durand
Plans to establish a Marine
Biology Research Station on Montserrat are moving much faster than expected, but
happily so, says Dr. Ronnie Cooper, President of the Montserrat Secondary School
PTA.
Dr. Cooper said
he was excited because his friend Professor Bruce Jackson of Boston University
Medical School and Massachusetts Bay Community College "got funding and was
able to come to Montserrat.”
Professor Jackson told the
Montserrat Reporter that in a conversation about a year
ago Dr. Cooper had jokingly said, “Montserrat would be great for a marine
Bio-Tech Lab.”
“I took it
seriously," he said, "and got a grant from the National Science
Foundation in Washington to start preliminary visits which would lead to setting
up a Marine Biological Research Station on Montserrat.”
Professor Jackson and
four of his science students met with ministers
of government, Community Services
personnel, and officials of the National Trust.
He said he understood the concerns raised by persons that most countries
do not benefit from research.
“What we are setting up
is a partnership," he said. "It’s a rare opportunity to study the
effects of a volcano on the ocean, very rare. It has changed entirely the
eco-systems and we can learn from natural and man-made catastrophes.”
Professor Jackson
said the marine station is to be a
permanent research centre, “the first in this region. We hope to draw other
islands into it and encourage scientists to come here. We are hoping it will
become the headquarters of an International Research Centre, and that over time will
produce a core of local scientists who will one day become Ph.D.s
and take over the station and carry on from there.”
Professor Jackson said
Montserrat will benefit both from the
publicity and because he intends to “get students from
kindergarten level “ to begin learning science, “with a hands on approach,
not from texts books.”
“The number of black
scientists in the world is less than 1 percent," he
said. "We need to get more black children involved in science.
Nobody should leave school without a foundation in science. To do that is like
leaving school without being able to read.”
Dr. Cooper said,
“I hope one day we will have
Montserratians teaching in Boston during the summer. We have a number of
teachers who were trained in science, some of them up to the level of Ph.D., and
basically unless we can find something academic to really stimulate their minds,
they will stay here and vegetate.”
Professor Jackson and his
students left here yesterday.
'Absurd' is a
Patronizing Word Montserrat Has Heard Too Often
If anyone were to say that
throughout this volcanic crisis, for which we are still waiting to see the
beginning of the end, the least attention was paid to people, we would no doubt
hear the word "absurd," perhaps delivered with
special scorn.
However, the fact remains
that the deaths we will remember again in 17 days as a result of the volcano's ravages four years
ago were largely due to the lack of concern for
people’s living conditions by the "authorities," who now
contend, “We don’t want anyone to die in this volcano.”
The crisis is seeing
institutions and people come and go. We have seen three governors, four chief
ministers and three governments with a new set of faces most of the time. Her
Majesty’s Government was a constant, reigning
supreme -- never allowing us to forget it -- while the Foreign Commonwealth
Office (FCO) allows the Department for International Development (DFID) to run
us over with threats to withhold moneys if we do not make life harder for those
who decided to remain on the volcano-ridden island.
Compounding this problem is
that they tell us these two masters do not get on well with each other.
There is a strangeness
about the volcano's going back to being dormant. Our own governments seem not to
be concerned about this eventuality, which would allow people from Belham River
to Richmond Hill to return to their properties. They do not speak to them and no
one hears of any plans being made for them.
A comment from one Foxes
Bay homeowner speaks sadly of the "failure to mention (in
the Budget Address) the South of Belham areas or any potential future
plans effecting it. It's as if Government does not believe this area
exists or ever will exist in the future as a viable part of Montserrat. . . .
Many people, Montserratians and ex-pats alike, continue to believe they will be
able to return to their homes South of Belham. And they continue to spend money
now on upkeep for their property, believing in the long run that's the best and
economically most efficient way to protect and preserve what belongs to them. If
they are idiots for believing that their Government will be ready with a plan to
provide the necessary assistance and support to reclaim and restore
infrastructure some day, given cooperation from the volcano and a realistic
assessment of risk, they ought to be told so. If they are not, they are
deserving of a detailed Government policy statement that declares they WILL take
action once an identified, observable set of the conditions occurs.”
This accurately represents the thoughts and feelings of many South of
Belham homeowners, which draws even harsher
comments, “Obviously, there is little or no increase in vision from the new
government regarding the restoration of access, water, power, etc.”
It is upsetting when one
seriously thinks about it. When it becomes possible for people to return to
their properties, it will mean much to this island. The return of Montserratians
and homeowners will assist economically. Sadly we are not sure that all
authorities are interested in this and perhaps this is the reason we hear so
little about it from them. It may well be that the British do not wish to hear
anything of the matter, but then our government should tell us all the true
position, so people can make their own plans or seek assistance from the sources
available.
All important to any future
plans for the restoration of life in South of Belham areas is the development of
an airport, and Governor Longrigg reminds us of former Governor
Abbott’s very early remarks, shortly after his arrival and when he was called
upon to apologise to Montserratians. We cannot know what is in store or how
Governor Longrigg will endear himself to Montserrat, but he now needs to
apologise, for calling ‘absurd’ Montserratians discussions over the need for
a proper airport facility that will serve the developmental needs of this
island. To go easy on him, he could not be, and maybe we shouldn’t expect him
to be, honestly briefed about the circumstances of the airport.
When Mike Wood wrote to
Christian Simon at European Commission, DG VIII, about the airport, he wrote:
“We understand why the Chief Minister (Brandt) has asked for the EU study to
be conducted but must further emphasise our view that (a) it is likely to run
over the ground already covered by Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners and is most
unlikely to come up with any different solutions, but more importantly (b) can
only set back the timetable for implementing the Gerald’s Park project and
possibly put at risk the prospect of committing EDF VI money before your
September deadline…”
Every Montserratian knows
that that report is not worth the paper it was written on, since much of the
information therein was either erroneous or outdated at the time it was
discussed with us two years ago.
He also wrote to the
European Commission earlier: “I ought to make it clear that on the basis of
this work DFID has already reached the firm conclusion that this option (Thatch
Valley) is neither affordable nor economic.”
Who will forget Richard
Teuten’s unusual appearance on ZJB radio to ridicule the Gibbs consultants and
to convince us that Thatch Valley should not even have formed part of the study
he refers to.
So how or why should we
even have any confidence in any report the Italians come up with when they are
influenced by wrong advice and suggestions from the British? We have no doubt
that the British are willing and ready to give us an airport (at Geralds) but we
are concerned about an airport that is both safe and useful to the overall
future development of Montserrat following its near extinction. It is therefore
very insulting of Governor Longrigg to consider it "absurd" that we
try to make the point and discuss what is good for us.
Except
for the editorial, opinion articles expressed in these pages are not necessarily
those of the Montserrat Reporter editors, employees or advisers.
Readers are encouraged to submit commentary articles.
All viewpoints, unless libelous, in poor taste, or anonymous, are
welcome. Send your contributions to
The Editor, P.O. Box 306, Olveston, Montserrat, W. I., e-mail: editor@montserratreporter.org.
Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a return stamped
envelope. The Montserrat Reporter
is a privately owned independent newspaper.
Jus
Wonderin items may be called in at telephone 491-4715 or Fax 491-2430
Ignoring The Obvious
…for they realized
that he had addressed the parable to them. So
they left him and went away. Mark 12: 12
When Jesus spoke in
parables, he usually left it to his listeners to draw their own conclusions as
to the meaning of the parable. If he touched a sore spot in their consciences --
as in this parable of the vineyard owner -- no doubt he hoped that his listeners
would see their fault and be brought to repentance by what he said. But the
people of that time were no different than we are. They did not take lightly
being told their faults, so “they left him and went away,” leaving behind
the very One who could help them.
When our conscience tells
us that we are not measuring up to what we know is right, do we find ourselves
at times ignoring the message that Jesus is trying to get across to us and
turning a deaf ear to that guidance? Will Christ be forced to say to us as he
once did to his disciples: “Will you also go away?” May we answer with
Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
In this confession of our faith, may we find the strength and courage to
remain with Jesus, to listen to his voice, and to acknowledge his saving role in
our lives.
Sr. Mary Terese Donze,
A.S.C.
Bunkum Bay
Rocks Protected the Beach
Dear Editor:
Recently more
and more front yards in Montserrat are decorated with walls made from beach
rocks. These walls look great and they improve the beauty of our Island.
However, they come at an unacceptable cost. The beach rocks are mined in large
scale from Bunkum Beach. It all started with Public Works. They began the
excavation of the beach early this year. Some of the rocks were used to
reinforce the side of the road close to the Salem Secondary School, others were
taken to decorate private homes.
Bunkum Beach is
one of our few beaches in the northern part of the island. Mining rocks from
there is irresponsible. The rocks on the beach break the power of
the waves and in serious weather they protect the coast from erosion. The rocks
also trap sand and if left there, a sand beach would have been created
again.
Now, with a
large volume of rocks gone, the energy of waves coming into Bunkum Bay will be
exactly by that amount more powerful, which they would have had expended to move
the rocks back and forth. The property owners around Bunkum Bay will foot the
bill for the free beach rocks by losing more and more of their property to the
sea. And the population of Montserrat will suffer because they will lose one
more of their beaches.
It is sad that
in Montserrat there is no will to protect the island from reckless exploitation.
Nature has no defender here. Even the Montserrat National Trust, which claims to
protect the natural environment of the island, has used beach sand for its new
buildings and a large pile of beach rocks can be seen from the road on Trust
property waiting to be used to decorate the new botanical garden.
Sincerely,
Wolf Krebs
Sea Wolf Diving School, Montserrat
Phone: 664 491 6859, Fax: 664 491 7807
www.seawolfdivingschool.com
krebs@seawolfdivingschool.com
Taped 'Labour Speaks'
Never Makes the Air
Dear Editor,
During the course of last
week I approached the acting manager of Radio Montserrat letting him know that
as of June 5th I would be ready to resume airing
the program "Labour Speaks." I was told that it was okay to begin. As
usual I gave the script to the manager who, in
turn, forwarded it to the attorney general, who okayed the script for
broadcasting.
On Friday I went to ZJB and
recorded the program for Tuesday, as Monday was a
holiday and the recording technicians would have been off. I also did a short
promo announcing to the people that the program would have begun on Tuesday.
On Monday I received a
telephone call from the acting manager who told me he was instructed by the new
Permanent Secretary to the Chief Minister (Mrs. Sarita Francis) not to air Labor
Speaks. Her instructions came from the acting chief minister (Mrs. Annie
Dyer-Howe). The irony about the situation is that neither one of them had read
the script. It seems that the official excuse is that the guidelines for the
programs are under review. After I sounded this out with Mrs. Dyer-Howe, she
said as a matter of fact the entire Radio Montserrat programming is under
review.
I find this strange since I
was not told this by the acting manager and on confronting him he knew nothing
about the station being under review. At the same time, when this occurred no
other program was pulled from the air. In fact new programs were allowed to be
aired.
I told Mrs. Dyer-Howe that
I viewed her actions as suppression of free speech in this country, a fact she
denied, as I would have expected. But if one was to look back in history this is
nothing new to a PLM administration.
On several occasions in the
past I have spoken of what I was told were guidelines for broadcasting. These
guidelines were set by Executive Council and to date have not been revoked.
Whenever the A.G passes the script for airplay it means that the script has met
the criteria as per the guidelines. The actions of the acting chief minister and
her government can only leave one to conclude that the intent is to muzzle
freedom of expression.
I am submitting a copy of
the script. as far as I could understand there is no contention with the
contents of the script since they never read it.
Hylroy L. Bramble
New Culture Focus On Writing, Dance
The Cultural Department has
announced training programmes to encourage literary exercises in the schools and
conduct dance classes for young people.
Coordinator Shauna Harley
said the Department's first objective she is to get the short stories and poems
written by children published in their newsletter. The second is to focus on
dancing, singing and other talents and involving those who possess them.
Miss Harley said that over
the years young people have developed a great enthusiasm for cheerleading, and
it has become an integral part of the yearend festival.
She said that while some
persons say cheerleading is American, she believes that once it is introduced to
the island, and does not diminish the island’s culture, it becomes a part of
the culture.
A cheerleading workshop scheduled to begin in June will be open to children ages
5 years and over, so that “it covers both primary and secondary schools.”
Miss Harley said, last year
was the closest the year-end festival came to being back to its organised self
and that this year will be even better, because every community is being
solicited to give its best in support and participation.
Plenty Plenty Yak
Ya Ya
Takes 'Ash' to Barbados
(Editor's
Note: The following excerpt is a Barbados review
of the play “Ash,” staged by Plenty Plenty Yak Ya Ya in Barbados. The cast
was able to travel to Barbados and take part in this exciting new theatre
organisation thanks to the generosity of Ministry of Education and the
Department of Culture, Runaway
Travel, Jaquie Ryan Enterprises Ltd., Royal Bank of Canada, Nemwil Insurance,
Monlec, Montserrat Water Authority, the Montserrat National Trust and others. Further contributions are needed before the 14th
June presentation here on Montserrat. Those
interested in contributing should please call the Montserrat National Trust at
491 3086.)
Creative Cariplays
By Yvette Best
Caribbean integration was at its theatrical best last weekend
at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed.
It was the Barbados showing of three plays from the recently
formed regional theatre organisation Caribbean Players (Cariplay), which
involves St. Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica and Barbados.
Sparse audiences were treated to "The Light and The
Dark" by Stanley French of St. Lucia; "Ash" by Montserrat’s
Chadd Cumberbatch and A-dziko Simba, and "The Confession," written by
Barbadian Peter Laurie.
The most entertaining of the three was "Ash."
Ash’s cast gave a lighthearted look at the effects of the
volcano on the people of Montserrat through their eyes in a series of skits and
jingles.
The play started by asking people to stand for the national
anthem, which turned out to be Arrow’s Hot Hot Hot. It then took the form of a
radio broadcast, interrupted by newscasts, bulletins and commercials. Simba and
Cumberbatch played the majority of the roles, which brought aspects of the
broadcast to life.
”Thank You Dominica" was one of the shortest and more
entertaining pieces. The neighbouring island had extended a helping hand in time
of need by sending 48 000 boxes of bananas to its dislocated
neighbours.
People in the shelters had colic and all imaginable stomach
ailments from ingesting bananas in every conceivable form. One could almost
smell the ghastly effects.
"Uptomineck" was another hilarious piece which
portrayed a distressed man who had opened his home to family, friends and their
accompanying livestock.
Things reached the point where he could not remember the last
time he had intimate contact with his wife and his exasperation over the ongoing
defecating competition between the friends’ baby and the fowls.
Because "Ash" examines so many areas, it runs much
longer than the others. The producers might want to consider running it on its
own the next time around.
Kudos to all the actors, directors and crews for good
showings despite the small audiences.
Cariplay is a creative project that needs the support of the
regional people and governments to survive. The mini-festival heads to
Montserrat in June and switches to Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, St Kitts and
Jamaica later in the year.
yvettebest@nationnews.com
Pension Integration Worries Civil Service
The Civil Service
Association (CSA) has expressed concern about the proposed integration of the
Public Service Pension and the Social Security Scheme.
CSA President Easton
Farrell said members are concerned that they would lose their benefits if the
schemes are combined. Though a consultant has been appointed to look at the
feasibility of merging the two programmes, Mr. Farrell said the most important
challenge is to ensure that union members are not worse off due to the proposed
changes. In light of this, he said, the Executive, along with the Shop Stewards,
would embark on an educational programme.
“Most of us don’t know
anything about Social Security, so it’s a major education programme that must
take place before anything happens. From the Social Security standpoint they
will have to start letting us know the advantages and disadvantages in the
system. . . .
"As a union, we’re
going to be working for the best possible benefits for membership and I don’t
want anybody to believe that we have ruled out integration. All we are saying is
that we need to know what we are getting before we get into it. And I would urge
public service members to become concerned as to what is happening and air their
views to anybody.”
A consultant was recently
appointed to look at the feasibility of merging the two programmes
Regional Police Body
Needs Alternate Funds
Commissioner of Police
Alexander Elder returned from a meeting in St. Lucia. He was among regional
police chiefs at the 16th annual conference of the Association of
Caribbean Commissioners of Police.
Of major concern to the
commissioners at the conference was funding of the ACCP Secretariat, which is
based in Barbados.
A British grant, which
financed the Secretariat for the past two years, comes to an end in September,
and the commissioners have set up a special committee to identify alternative
sources of funding.
The Secretariat coordinates
and administers regional police initiatives and gathers and presents research.
Rotary Recruits Drivers For Meals on Wheels
The Rotary Club of
Montserrat has announced the creation of a volunteer corps of drivers for the
Meals on Wheels Program scheduled to begin
operations on June 18.
The New Meals on
Wheels program plans to deliver hot meals five days a week to approximately 40
needy persons throughout the island using a new van which was funded by the
Department for International Development (DFID).
Though the Rotary has identified approximately 15 volunteers willing to
contribute about three hours a week once or twice a month, Rotary
officials say more volunteers are needed to share the work and
gratification.
Many volunteers are only
available seasonally, therefore the need for additional permanent resident
volunteers remains great.
An organizational and
training meeting for volunteer and prospective volunteer drivers is scheduled
for Friday June 15, at 9:00 a.m. at the former school in St. Peter’s.
GOM Welcomes ECSE, But Awaits HMG Okay
By Helena Durand
Acting Chief Minister Mrs.
Margaret Dyer-Howe has given the Government of Montserrat’s commitment to the
East Caribbean Securities Exchange (ECSE), but says government awaits
Britain’s approval.
Speaking at the launching
of the ECSE Market and Education Program, Mrs. Dyer-Howe said the government
embraced the ideals of unity, which brought the OECS countries “to the point
where we are ready to start the implementation of a regional Stock Exchange and
Securities Market.”
Referring to the Chief
Minister’s budget address in April, she noted that the exchange was invaluable
to Montserrat at a time when her Majesty’s Government Aid Framework provides
for rapid reduction in aid over the next five years.
“He also emphasised the
reliance on the private sector to take the lead in Montserrat’s economic
recovery,” Mrs. Dyer-Howe said, which shows that “there can be no doubt
about Government of Montserrat’s commitment to the introduction and
development of the Exchange on Montserrat.”
She said the private sector
would be the foundation on which the Exchange was developed on the island.
Mrs. Dyer-Howe
pointed out, however, that as “a
British Overseas Territory, we must await the approval of the British Government
to sign the Securities Agreement. The request has been made and we look forward
to a favorable response in the not too distant future.”
The ECSE is a regional
securities market established by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to
facilitate the buying and selling of corporate stocks and bonds and government
securities, for the eight ECCB member territories of Anguilla, Antigua and
Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Montserrat Volcano
Observatory (MVO) has begun charging for tours of its premises, according to an
MVO press release.
The release said that since
the inception of the Observatory in 1995, tours of its premises were done free
of charge, with visitors being asked to make a donation. However, since then the
MVO’s operational costs have gradually increased.
Consequently, in order to
offset these increases, the MVO is now making compulsory charges of EC$10 for
adults and EC$5 for children below age seven for an MVO tour. There is only one
daily tour at the MVO and it begins promptly at 3:30 p.m.
Groups consisting of more
than 10 persons will pay EC$5 per person but must give 24 hours' notice prior to
their arrival at the MVO premises at Mongo Hill. A 24-hour notice is also required for all tours on Saturdays
and public holidays.
The Montserrat Volcano
Observatory is closed to all visitors on Sundays.
Cavallah Hill Shelter Project to be Dedicated
The Methodist Church,
Montserrat Circuit, will dedicate its Emergency Shelter and KoinoniaKraft Centre
tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at Cavallah Hill.
This marks the completion
of phase 1 of the Cavallah Hill Shelter Project, an outreach project designed to
help meet the housing needs of the community.
The ground floor of the
Cavallah Hill Shelter Project will be available to the Emergency Operations
Centre for use as an emergency centre. The
KoinoniaKraft Centre will be used as a skills training centre when not being
used as the KoinoniaKraft Centre.
Reverend Selwyn L
Vanterpool, President of the Leeward Islands District, MCCA, will be present for
the dedication. All are invited.
Rotary Distributing 25 Sewing Machines
The Rotary Club of
Montserrat is distributing 25 new sewing machines received from fellow Rotarians of the Rotary Club
of North Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
A number of the machines
have already been distributed to a group of Non-Government Organizations here.
The receipt and eventual distribution of the machines came about after the
Rotary Club of Montserrat accepted written requests for them. The machines were
donated to the National Development Foundation, Community Services, St.
Augustine School, the Cavallah Methodist Church and the Montserrat Girl’s
Brigade Company, the Shiloh Women in Action of the Salem Pentecostal Church, and
the annual volunteers for Christmas Festival costume making.
Additionally, prior to the
final distribution, the Development Unit used 10
machines for their sponsored doll-making workshop. Rotarian Cedric Osborne set up the machines and prepared them
for use.
2 Resign as WICB Loses
US$5 Million
Barbados, CANA - The West
Indies Cricket Board (WICB) suffered a loss of more than US$5 million during its
last financial year, WICB chief executive officer Gregory Shillingford has
revealed.
Mr. Shillingford made the disclosure last Saturday night at a press conference
at the Accra Hotel here in which Jamaican attorney Pat Rousseau and Antiguan
business executive Clarvis Joseph announced they were resigning as president and
vice president respectively.
Mr. Shillingford said the loss of US$5.3 million for the period ending September
30, 2000, was mainly because of a lack of revenue on some unprofitable tours and
a loss of television revenue on similar tours.
He said a change in guarantees implemented by the International Cricket Council
resulted in a loss of capital on last year's summer tour of England.
Messrs. Rousseau and Joseph
said their decision to quit was based on the "unacceptable position"
in which they found themselves after the WICB's directors rescinded their
decision to terminate Ricky Skerritt as West Indies manager.
A new president and
vice-president for the embattled West Indies Cricket Board WICB) will be elected
on Saturday, July 21, at a venue to be announced.
Following the resignations, Andrew Sealy, the executive secretary of the
WICB, told reporters,"An interim management committee has been formed to
manage the WICB over the next couple of weeks,"
Meanwhile, Alloy Lequay, President and chief executive officer of the Trinidad
and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC), says he is not keen on taking over
from the outgoing Pat Rousseau as head of the regional cricket body.
Just over a year ago,
Rousseau, defeated Lequay by a 9-5 margin at a heated WICB
annual general meeting in Guyana.
2
Jamaicans Jailed for Money Laundering
Barbados, CANA - Two Jamaicans have been jailed after
pleading guilty of laundering more than 48,000 Barbados dollars (US$24,000) in
March, according to weekend media reports.
The men, Patrick Orlando Litchmore, 35, and Patrick
Christopher Taylor, 25, were originally charged with more than 100 counts of
fraud, but this was changed to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Litchmore was also charged with six counts of
money-laundering.
They pleaded guilty and all other charges against them
were withdrawn. Litchmore was jailed for two years and Taylor for 12 months.
CTO Gets US$99,500 for Tourism Development
The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) has received
US$99,500 from the Japanese government through the Barbados office of the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The money will support a CTO project entitled
"Development of Tourism Resource Materials and Training for Caribbean
Teachers and Students at the Primary and Secondary Schools."
It will cover the development and production of primary and secondary
school resource materials to will be made available in English, Spanish and
French.
The Caribbean Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) will
use to the resource materials in teacher training workshops to introduce the
materials throughout the English-speaking Caribbean.
According to the release, the UNDP grant is taken from a
special fund supplied by the Japanese government and strengthens the efforts of
the CTHRC to educate Caribbean nationals from an early age about the importance
of tourism to the Caribbean and the benefits and opportunities for employment
that the sector provides.
The CTHRC is an umbrella regional body created by the CTO
in 1997, and has a mandate from CARICOM Heads of Government.
Nevisians Turn Out For Agriculture Day
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (GIS)
-- Importance attached to the agricultural sector in Nevis was evident last
week as hundreds of Nevisians from all walks of life streamed into the Prospect
Agricultural Station when the 7th Annual Open Day and exhibition
hosted by the Department of Agriculture opened Thursday.
Premier the Hon Mr. Vance Amory made the keynote speech. The
daylong event, held under the patronage of Mr. Victor Elmus "Smokey"
Jeffers, showcases the agricultural activities of the Agricultural Department,
its allied agencies and members of the community.
Mr. Samuel Powell, the Director of Agriculture, told the
crowd that that this year’s theme, "Harmonising Agriculture and the
Environment in the 21st Century," was borne out by his
department's currently "highlighting the use of environmentally safe
pesticides, which have very little or no residual activity."
Junior Minister of Agriculture, Land, Housing and
Co-operatives, the Hon Mr. Livingston Herbert said that the Open Day manifested
creativity and diversification and that it had added value to the local produce.
He said that the drought conditions being experienced had brought out the best
of the farmers and he commended the Director and staff of the Agricultural
Department.
The event’s patron, Mr. Jeffers, was commended on his
"revolutionary" lifetime contribution to the Department of Agriculture
on Nevis. Mr. Jeffers, who started working for the government in1956, was
honoured for 45 years of service to the Department.
Local farmers were honored for Crop Production, Production of
Rabbits, and Poultry.
Caribbean Ministers Decry OECD for tax 'hypocrisy'
GENEVA, CANA-Reuters - Ministers from
six Caribbean states denounced as hypocritical Thursday countries that support
an OECD effort to close down what it calls international tax havens.
The ministers, speaking at a news conference at the World Trade Organization,
said they were convinced they would emerge victorious from the squabble with the
Paris-based body that groups 29 of the world's richer powers.
"We are constantly being told that we should diversify our economies,"
said Grenada's Foreign Minister Elvin Nimrod. "But when we moved into
financial services in a very limited way, we are told we cannot."
"We find this very hypocritical. ... It is an example of big powers trying
to push little ones around, and we won't put up with it."
Nimrod's remarks were echoed by ministers from St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica,
St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua at the news conference, called at the end of a
two-day WTO review the of the trade policies of the seven-member Organization of
East Caribbean States.
During the review, diplomats said, member states of the European Union and some
other OECD countries -- but not the United States -- had implicitly queried the
encouragement of offshore banking by governments in the region.
The Paris-based OECD, sometimes dubbed "the rich man's club," earlier
this year threatened to impose sanctions on 35 countries it said provided havens
for tax avoidance -- several of them in the Caribbean.
The plan provided for action to be taken if the 35 did not reform their domestic
legislation on banking by July 1.
But last month the United States withdrew support for the idea, saying the
assault on havens was too broad and arguing an exchange of information on tax
evaders should be the focus.
Some commentators have said the U.S. stance effectively derailed the sanctions
project, but some OECD countries -- including Britain, which is the former
colonial power in much of the Caribbean – are keen to push it in some form.
Grenada's Nimrod said the Caribbean countries were very happy to see the United
States come out on their side.
Six Arrested in Haiti As Bombing Plotters
PORT-AU-PRINCE, CANA-Reuters - Six
people were arrested in Haiti for "plotting against the state" after
police found bomb-making materials in a home outside the Caribbean nation's
capital, police officials said on Thursday.
"They were arrested on charges of planning to launch a bombing
campaign," police spokesman Jean-Dady Simeon told Reuters. "We found
the same kind of bombing materials used in previous bomb campaigns."
The six, members of a little-known political party called the United Force for
National Liberty, were arrested on Wednesday in the Mariani district west of
Port-au-Prince, police said.
Police seized materials used to create pipe bombs similar to those that have
periodically gone off in the capital since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was
reelected to a five-year term on Nov. 26.
St. Kitts and Nevis Hailed for Success
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (GIS)
-- The Prime Minister of Dominica, the Hon Mr. Pierre Charles, has saluted
the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis as a shining example of how a micro-state
can manage its independence competently and provide an enviable standard of
living for its people.
Mr. Charles delivered the feature address last Saturday at a
special conference hosted by the Nevis Island Administration to celebrate the 9th
anniversary of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) party in government.
He observed that few islands the size of Nevis had achieved
that measure of success in securing the high level of co-operation between the
various sectors and stakeholders in the economies. "We in Dominica have
watched with admiration as the Nevis Island Administration developed a vibrant
tourist sector and a dynamic financial service services of the economy," he
said.
He congratulated the Federal Government and the Nevis Island
Administration "on their relations, which exemplify the possibilities and
benefits that will accrue to a deeper Caribbean integration, which includes
greater economic and political co-operation."
He urged the Nevis Island Administration to be ready for the
"uncharted waters in the world outside of the Caribbean," which he
described to be a world filled with hard work and that required commitment and
high levels of productivity. He reminded Nevisians that their dependency was on
the genius of the Caribbean people.
The celebration was attended by the entire Nevis Island
Administration Cabinet and Nevisians from all walks of life.
New UWI Programmes
Broaden Study, Research
CANA - The University of
the West Indies (UWI) has introduced several new programmes and
inter-disciplinary exchanges and widened its research agenda in a bid to
increase its academic scope and to make its programmes more relevant to the
Caribbean society.
Vice Chancellor of the UWI, Professor Rex Nettleford, said that new options in
degree programmes had been introduced on all three campuses through the
amalgamation of programmes across faculties.
At Cave Hill, Barbados, he said that the faculties of Social Sciences and
Humanities have collaborated to develop programmes that combine management
studies and foreign languages and the two faculties have begun discussions to
develop a new degree in tourism and foreign languages.
In the Faculty of Engineering at St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, a new
undergraduate degree option, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, and
several new courses that address environmental issues such as coastal
engineering and the management of natural hazards, were introduced.
Bird Urges Insurers To Help Fight AIDS
St. John's, Antigua, CANA - Antigua
and Barbuda's Prime Minister Lester Bird wants regional insurance companies to
play a major role in the fight against AIDS.
Delivering the feature address to more than 600
delegates at the opening Monday of a conference of the Insurance Association of
the Caribbean (IAC) at the Jolly Beach Hotel, he said:
"I believe that, as Insurers of the Caribbean, you have an obligation to
assist our governments to deal with the factors that drive the spread of this
epidemic.
"If the epidemic continues at its present rate, there will be fewer people
to whom you could offer health insurance, and your profitability in this region
will decline significantly."
Mr. Bird said all Governments in the region need to improve and intensify their
programmes for coping with the epidemic. "We need more resources, both
human and financial," he added.
CDB Seeking New US$200 Million
Barbados, CANA - The Barbados-based
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is seeking between US$150-200 million in new
funding for its Special Development Fund (SDF).
The final round of negotiations for the Bank's four-year "soft window"
fund for concessional loans and grants should be completed next month, officials
of the regional financial institution told the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) on
Wednesday.
Given the increasing demands by the CDB's borrowing member countries for funding
of basic needs and projects of general poverty reduction, the Bank started
negotiations in March to replenishment its SDF.
Potential new contributors for the 2001-2004 SDF could include the European
Union, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) -- which had
suspended its aid relationship some years earlier -- and Spain.
Spain is among the likely new applicants for membership as a donor or
non-borrowing country. Cuba is also reported to be considering accessing
membership.
The need to increase the resources of the SDF, according to bank sources, is
also related to the imminent access of Haiti and Suriname as borrowing member
countries.
Traditionally, the bulk of the financial resources for the SDF have been
obtained from extra-regional donors but with at least 30 percent contributions
from borrowing member countries, which have also benefited from approximately
US$30 million in grants.
The CDB has been warmly commended by both of its leading regional shareholders -
Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica – for effectively using the resources of the
SDF to help the poorer member states.
PM Bird Orders
Commission of Inquiry
St.
John's, Antigua: (GIS News) - Prime Minister, Lester Bird, and Governor-General,
Sir James B. Carlisle, on Tuesday met and held discussions in relation to the
proposed Commission Of Inquiry (COI) into alleged malpratices at the Medical
Benefit Scheme (MBS).
In
a recorded television and radio address to the nation last Friday, Prime
Minister Bird indicated that he had given much thought to calls from nationals
for a COI and would meet with the Governor-General this week, for discussions on
the matter. The Prime Minister, at first hesitated in calling for a COI,
contending that such an exercise would be far too costly and time consuming.
The
two Heads met on Tuesday morning, 10:30 at Government House for talks on the
issue and a number of matters pertaining to the composition and operation of the
COI were discussed.
Allegations
of malpratices at the MBS caused a national stir, causing the government to move
quickly in ordering a "Forensic Audit" into the scheme's operations.
Following
the release of the Audit Report, three government ministers were relieved of
their posts, and the Report was handed over to the Office of the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Following the
meeting between the Heads, a Press Release from Government House revealed that
the Governor-General had given his assent to the holding of a COI.
Grenada and T&T to Strengthen Relations
Trinidad, CANA - Trinidad
and Tobago and Grenada have agreed to set up a joint commission comprising
representatives from both governments and the private sectors to ensure that
decisions aimed at strengthening relations between them are brought to fruition.
The decisions were made during the two-day official visit to Trinidad by
Grenada's Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, which ended Wednesday with the
signing of a joint declaration between the two governments.
One of the major decisions taken relates to the issue of boundary delimitation.
In this regard, they agreed to proceed with delimitation negotiations in a
month's time on Trinidad and Tobago-Grenada maritime boundary.
In the area of bilateral
cooperation, both governments agreed to deepen relations through a wide-ranging
programme of technical cooperation. These will include cooperation in sports
through the development of exchange programmes, in training, sporting
attachments and exchange visits by teams in various sporting disciplines and
cooperation in agriculture through the development of an extensive programme of
cooperation and technical assistance.
Both governments also agreed to cooperation in culture which will include in
particular, assistance by Trinidad and Tobago to Grenada in carnival
organisation and costume making, training in production and playing of the
steelband and calypso.
They agreed to the implementation of the provisions of the National Skills Act
which provides for hassle-free travel for artistes, technicians, university
graduates and other categories of workers.
On the issue of the restrictions on agricultural produce from Grenada into
Trinidad following the mealy bug scare, it was decided that a technical team
from the Ministry of Food Production here will visit Grenada with a view to
considering the early removal of the restrictions.
Prime Minister Mitchell and Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday,
also discussed a wide range of international issues currently engaging the
attention of the region.
They include the deportation of
nationals with criminal records to the Caribbean from the United States, the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report on Harmful Tax,
European Union relations with Latin America and the Caribbean and cooperation in
regional security issues.
By Peter Adrien
Some called it rock steady;
some shouted vindication. I see it as an issue of integrity. What started as a
war of words in the West Indies management team, catapulted the departure of the
psychologist and the dismissal of the Team Manager (Richard Skerritt), and
finally, the resignation of the President (Honourable Patrick Rousseau) and Vice
President (Clarvis Joseph) of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and the
reinstatement of the sacked Team Manager.
The Caribbean people
anxious for more information on the vexing issue (the dismissal of Richard
Skerritt) in order to perform its traditional role as de facto judge, was denied
information on the accusation made against Mr Skerritt (by Mr Joe Hoad), prior
to his removal from office. As is the modus operandi of the WICB High Command,
the Caribbean people was disrespected, denied any information with respect to
the allegations of indiscipline in the West Indies team and Mr Richard
Skerritt’s inability to discipline the battered team.
Instead the Caribbean
people was treated to an exhibition of the politics of integrity among the
landed class and business elite that own and control the public institution
called West Indies cricket. The show on integrity however speaks volumes and
have serious implications for the development of West Indies cricket.
In a joint statement made
on Saturday June 2, 2001, following a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) of
Directors meeting, Honourable Patrick Rousseau, QC and OJ and Mr Clarvis Joseph
tendered their resignation as President and Vice President respectively,
effective June 4, 2001, when the Board decided to reverse their decisions and
reinstate the Team Manager, Mr Richard Skerritt.
The statement noted, “The
Board has taken a decision to reinstate Mr. Skerritt which brings into question
our integrity and we are therefore unable to continue as president and
vice-president and have indicated our resignations. Mr. Skerritt was evaluated
by Mr. Joseph and myself during a debriefing session after each tour and
specifically after the England, Australian and South African tours. We
came to the conclusion based on those evaluations and the performance of the
teams that he is not in our opinion a suitable person to manage the West Indies
team at this time. The Board challenged the process of the evaluation and was
concerned whether the evaluation constituted a formal or proper evaluation. They
also questioned our authority along with that of the Chief Executive Officer,
Mr. Gregory Shillingford, to effect the termination without Board approval. We
disagreed with that view. In our opinion the Board’s position directly
challenged our competence and our integrity in carrying out the process.
Since we are not prepared to carry out the directive to re-instate
Mr. Skerritt we feel obligated to resign.”
What do we have here?
First, the High Command of West Indies Cricket took what they thought was a
principled and honest decision based on their performance evaluations of Mr
Skerritt over last three tours (England, Australia and South Africa). Second,
the top executives were questioned on purely procedural issues relative to the
evaluations, the communications of the information gathered and the decisions to
terminate the services of the Team Manager purely on executive powers, that is
without seeking the approval of the Board or referring the matter to a select
committee. Third, the two heavy weights of West Indies – who had been
challenged for their positions during the last elections of officers on account
of their leadership failures, high-handed management style, claimed that their
assessments were accurate and truthful, and their conviction of the inability of
the Team Manager to manage the team remains firm. Fourth, inasmuch as they had
no intention to change their positions and to carry out the mandate of the
Board, they agreed to preserve their integrity and resign their offices, cutting
their links with West Indies cricket.
But
the issue of asymmetrical information remains. Mr Skerritt’s appraisal, which
would be most likely form part of Manager’s Report is yet to be made public
and the decision to reinstate him was not accompanied by either an explanatory
note to commend his managerial competence or a statement to disclaim the
accusation of “incompetence” made by Rousseau and Joseph. Though reinstated,
these two sins of omissions leaves Mr. Skerritt wounded and aggrieved. While he
would feel vindicated, he would be very much aware that there is still a cloud
of uncertainty that hangs over him, having had his competence and integrity
questioned.
Mr Skerritt told SUNSPORT
on June 3, 2001, ”I remain committed to leading the management of the team
with whoever is in leadership at the board level. I would be happy to return to
my role as team manager as soon as I receive official confirmation and clarity
of the way forward.” We have no doubt about his commitment and his obvious
comfort level with the new top brass.
The important issue is his
re-adjustment in his role as Team Manager. First, will he be respected by the
players, having being sacked and reinstated? Second, will the obvious national
sentiments that always accompany regional decisions have negative impact on his
relationship with the Jamaican players, the Jamaican people and the Jamaican and
corporate community? Third, how will he manage his role among his peers?
Unless, the WICB comes out
to clear the air on the vexing accusations that were made against him, he is
likely to be perceived by the regional and international public as a
“reinstated incompetent manager” who benefited from the comical nature of
Caribbean politics.
More importantly, how will
he deal with the alleged strained relationship with the Team Coach Roger Harper
(who is indeed a power house in the team)? If, as the reports suggest that there
is not a cooperative venture between the manager and the technician, how will a
man who was wounded, bruised and reinstated command the respect of his difficult
colleague?
These are ominous signs for
West Indies cricket. There signs of more development pains and the possibility
of further international embarrassment.
The future seems rough for
the team, the team management, the WICB and the people.
STRESS
MANAGEMENT IN DISASTER
BY
LYSTRA FAGAN
Staff
Nurse
Stress is a physical force
which acts on the entire body in a positive or negative way, depending on a
number of factors.
A disaster is any sudden
event that causes great damage.
Types of disaster
includes:-
Volcanoes
Hurricanes
Air Crashes
Earthquakes
Lightning
Floods
The effects of a disaster vary
depending on a number of factors.
The type of disaster
Prevention and preparation measures
Level of education
Facilities and resources
Support systems
Examples
