News

Attorney-at-law David Brandt representing 'Labour Speaks'; 'Labour Speaks' commentator Hylroy Bramble

On May 18, 1999 a meeting arising out of a “Labour Speaks” broadcast earlier that day was held between ZJB Radio manager (now retired Miss Rose Willock) and Attorney General Mr. Charles Ekins. The result of that meeting was a memorandum to the ZJB radio manager outlining guidelines which the manager was expected to follow with respect to "Labour Speaks."

These had not come to light when Mr. Hylroy Bramble, General Secretary of Montserrat Allied Workers Union, author and commentator of the program called "Labour Speaks" -- a paid for program -- had another of his program denied air time on the radio station.

It is not the first time that the program has been kept from the airwaves, but in some instances Mr. Bramble says, he was asked to modify or remove some parts of the program before it was allowed to air. “But,” he says, “there are times when I refuse because I think they go too far, and make the program meaningless.”

When the guidelines were given to the station manager in 1999, there was a promise of help from the attorney general, should the manager have any problems with the guidelines or “with the text of any potential broadcast.”

Last week Tuesday the "Labour Speaks" program was not aired and Permanent Secretary (PS) to the Chief Minister Mrs. Sarita Francis said she was following guidelines she met in the office for airing of the program and she had been waiting for comments from the Attorney General’s office to clear the program for airing.

Mr. Bramble said, however, that the Attorney General’s Chambers had already given the "green light" for the program, which could then have been aired on time. But even after a frustrated Mr. Bramble sought legal intercession nothing was heard on the issue until late Friday, when The Montserrat Reporter learnt from the acting Chief Minister Lowell Lewis that the program would not be aired since later advice from the Attorney General’s chambers said the program “contains items which can be considered to be abusive and potentially libelous.”

The acting CM appeared on radio and repeated this position, claiming at the same time that his government colleagues believe in and foster ‘freedom of expression’.

Since then Attorney David Brandt issued a release which said in part: “The stoppage of my client’s programme was to stifle or fetter his criticism of the Government. This amounts to political censorship of the most insidious and objectionable kind…

“They alleged that the AG said the programme was abusive and potentially libelous so they could not publish it.

“The Chief Minister published that my client had a slave mentality. What can be more abusive to a black man than saying he has a slave mentality and yet that was permitted to be published without question. Where is the balance?

“There is no such creature in law called potentially libelous. It is either libelous or not libelous. It is either fish or foul. In the circumstances my client’s right to freedom of expression was hindered, violated and infringed and he will seek legal redress.”

Mr. Brandt went on to speak on the issue of Freedom of Expression and said: “The principle of freedom of expression is applicable not only to information or ideas that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference but also those that offend, shock or disturb.”

Dr. Lewis, either in support or in defence of his position, referred us to a part of his KMAM publication of April 30, 1996, where he said: “An essential principle of democracy, which we profess to practice, is the freedom of expression of ideas and thoughts, associated with acceptance of the consequences if they are untruthful, libelous or anarchist.

"This network and the press allows us to practice this principle and forces authorities to gain the confidence of people through honest openness, fairness and good sense, rather than by selective release of information, or restricting access to government controlled media.”

However, Mr. Brandt’s request of last week to the Permanent Secretary has met with no response. But in the meantime a letter dated November 26, 2002 to the ‘Labour Speaks’ author reads as follows:

“I have been instructed to advise you that you should check with the Attorney General’s Chambers before broadcasting the version of the text that was submitted on Monday 18 November 2002.”

The Original ZJB's Guidelines

Memorandum

To The manager DATE May 28, 1999

Radio ZJB Ref AG/8/1

From Attorney General

Broadcasting Guidelines

Our meeting Arising out of “Labour Speaks” Broadcast of May 18^th, 1999 refers. We discussed the following matters.

1. A broadcast can of course contain expression of purported facts and expression of broadcasters opinion. Where the broadcast contains expressions of purported fact, the broadcaster must be required to verity the accuracy of those facts before the broadcast. Where the broadcast is an expression of opinion and the opinion is based upon apparent “facts” again the broadcaster must be required to verify the accuracy of those apparent facts.

2. Criticism of the Offices of HE The Governor, the Hon Chief Minister and Hon Ministers should in no circumstances be permitted. Such criticisms cannot be justified and merely serves to demean the office. That is not to say that criticisms of individual office holders is impermissible. However such criticisms should always be measured and reasoned; and where it is based on purported facts then the broadcaster must be required to verify the accuracy of those facts.

3. Criticism of the actions of individuals and identified public servant where those actions are performed in the course of their duties, as public servants should never be permitted. For avoidance of doubt I do not include the holder of the office of Attorney General within this category of person.

I hope these guidelines are of assistance. If you have any difficulties with any of them, or with the text of any potential broadcast please do not hesitate to contact me.

Charles Ekins.

Cc. All members of Executive Council

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - A United Nations body has warned that bisexual behaviour was the main reason for the increasing feminisation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean.
"Paradoxically, men who have sex with men appear to feature prominently in the increasing feminisation of the epidemic. Recent research has shown that a large proportion of men who have sex with men also have sex with women," according to the AIDS Epidemic Update, released by UNAIDS.
It said that while "HIV/AIDS programmes focusing on men who have sex with men are vital, sexual identities are more fluid than often assumed."
"Prevention efforts need to be tailored to apparently widespread, but hidden bisexual behaviour in this region," the report said.
The report said that while some countries had undertaken prevention programmes towards men who have sex with men, "many such initiatives are impeded by discriminatory laws on homosexuality."
UNAIDS warned also that a combination of "unequal socio-economic development of high population mobility" was also driving the epidemic, even though it noted the determination by some countries to stem the epidemic particularly through efforts to provide antiretroviral drugs to patients.
"In mid-2002, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS signed an agreement with six pharmaceutical companies in a bid to improve access to cheaper antiretroviral drugs," the report said.
"However access to these drugs remains unequal across the region as a whole, partly due to widely varying drug prices," it added.

The population of people living with AIDS (PLWA) in Montserrat is virtually non existent and this is a healthy sign.

Dr. Joseph Haws, Chief Medical Officer said “only when there is a population of PLWA then an epidemiological study by asking people via an information sheet”. He further explained that “before a study of this nature can be done and the data gathered, the risk factor of PLWA has to be identified first”.

It is quite apparent now why the calls for more talk programs to take place on ZJB radio have not been positively answered. It is quite obvious now that those antiquated if not ridiculous and undemocratic guidelines issued back in 1999 have come to light, why the management of the radio station has not seen it fit to rise and answer the ‘calls.’

The Montserrat Constitution on freedom of expression fashioned after the United Nations Charter says:

(1) Except with his consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, and for the purposes of this section the said freedom includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.

(2) Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this section to the extent that the law in question makes provision—

(i) in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or

(ii) for the purpose of protecting the rights, reputations and freedoms of other persons or the private lives of persons concerned in legal proceedings, preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, maintaining the authority and independence of the courts, regulating telephone, telegraphy, posts, wireless broadcasting, television or other means of communication or regulating public exhibitions or public entertainments; or (b) that imposes restrictions upon public officers or teachers, except so far as that provision or, as the case may be, the thing done under the authority thereof is shown not to be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

But then it must also be made clear that "freedom of expression" is not a Licence to say and do whatever you may please.

When Attorney General Charles Ekins in 1999 crafted those guidelines which appear on the back page of this issue, he ought to have been, and anyone who follows his directives, aware of our highest court (Privy Council) position on freedom of expression. In a ruling by the Privy Council in respect of a case involving the government radio station and government it says:

“… freedom of expression, as secured constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for each individual’s self-fulfillment…it is applicable not only to 'information' or 'ideas' that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb. Such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no ‘democratic society’.”

Here it describes in simple terms: “The court (Privy Council) reiterates that freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and that the safeguards to be afforded to be the press are of particular importance. Whilst the press must not overstep the bounds set, inter alia, in the interests of 'the protection of the reputation and right of others,' it is nevertheless incumbent on it to impart information and ideas of public interest. Not only does the press have the task of imparting such information and ideas: the public also has the right to receive them. Were it otherwise, the press would be unable to play its vital role of 'public watchdog.' Although formulated primarily with regard to the print media, these principles doubtless apply also to the audi-visual media.”

Indeed it takes much more than one or a few people to determine that an opinion “can be considered to be abusive or potentially libelous.” to deny the opinion to be heard, especially when it is in reply to what is not “considered" but very obviously is abusive and insulting.

A person should not be denied the opportunity to free expression simply because some person or some official does not like what is being said. Note the Privy Council’s position that even when it hurts or offends, information and ideas of public interest must be tolerated.

When the public becomes concerned that anyone, much more their leaders in a society such as ours, is accused of making unwelcome racial comments undignifying to a person, the accused must be prepared to defend his position when others discuss the matter. It is not for any office to use or hide behind some "uninformed guidelines" that seek to protect and shield those holding high public office, especially in these times when even the highest policy framers are encouraging transparency and good governance.

Where in these times can the expression of an opinion that expressed statements by any official considered to be racially oriented can be aid to be abusive?

Any attempt to prevent these expressions must be considered as silencing freedom of expression. Surely it goes against what Anguillan attorney-at-law Bernice Lake said when she spoke to Caribbean journalists at a media conference in Antigua, where she said, “the fundamental right to Freedom of Expression and the place which that right enjoys as the core value of an open, honest and just democratic society which guards and cherishes the DIGNITY OF MAN.”

It should be noted that the privilege to express what one believes is not only reserved for a privileged few, not even when the laws of the land permit that they are not answerable in court for certain of their actions. At no time can they be allowed to do and say whatever they please without being answerable at least in the people’s public opinion court.

It was, well known Mr. Justice Redhead, in delivering a judgment which the Privy Council eventually overturned, said the following, which it should be noted no one disagrees with : “I agree, and I hold that freedom of expression and thought are fundamental rights. In fact, I would say that they are sacrosanct. They must not be interfered with and must be protected jealously and guarded.”

Our people need to know that the days are here when they can and must firstly be fair, fearless and focused.

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 or monrep@candw.ag. 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 or e-mail.

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 (NRSV)

Before I decided to make Jesus the Lord of my life, I had plenty of opportunities to gratify the “desires of the flesh”, (Ephesians 2:3, KJV) and I took most of them. After I became a Christian, I knew that I was forgiven of all my sins, but I struggled with feelings of guilt and despair.

On one occasion, a friend invited me to have a soda. Knowing about my struggle, he looked me in the eye and said “My favorite Bible verse is First John 1:9”. Then he quoted it and said, “It means that if we confess a sin, God forgives it, no matter what we’ve done, no matter how bad we feel. God doesn’t make exceptions. All your sins can be forgiven.”

I memorized the verse. My struggles weren’t over, but from that day on I stood more firmly and clung more tightly to God’s truth.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to feel your forgiveness and to trust the power of your grace. Amen.

Sir, someone wrote last week that we are no longer in an emergency. In your speech to the Disaster Management Workshop, you stated that this was so, but we were in an "ongoing disaster". I agree, therefor I suggest to you that you declare an end to the emergency and your emergency powers.

As also stated in your speech, most people impacted by the volcano are vulcanologists (without degrees). I therefor suggest to you that combining our understanding of the volcano along with the information presented daily and weekly by the MVO allows us the ability to judge for ourselves the relative safety of our homes. This is NOT to say that I am advocating that everyone move back to their homes ‘willy nilly’, but that they should be allowed to make that decision based on their home's location and their personal level of comfort.

By having at least partial occupation of these areas, the chances of breaking and entering and thievery will be greatly reduced. This will also reduce the unemployment level and definitely improve the economy. In this same speech you discussed how severely the economy has been impacted.

You also said that the North of the Island is safe and that you were hoping to attract investors to develop the northern parts of the Island. Tell us, if you are treating the earlier investors like you are with threats of arrest, fines or deportation for trying to protect their investments, why do you think new investors will even consider Montserrat?

The members of the Executive Committee of the Montserrat National Trust (MNT) read with some amusement the article published in the November 8^th issue of your newspaper entitled The Bleak Future of the Montserrat National Trust’ which appeared under the name C. Rhys-Jones.

The President of the MNT, Ms. Sarita Francis, responded correcting serious misinformation in that article without going into detail as to the circumstances leading to the non-renewal of Mr. Stephen McNamara’s contact of employment.

Mrs. Francis restrained response did not satisfy C. Rhys-Jones and he/she saw fit to publish a letter in the November 22nd issue of your paper.

It appears from the investigation that the name C. Rhys-Jones is a pseudonym for someone who lacks the courage to sign his/her true name to the article and letter mentioned above and that there is no person having that name living in Montserrat.

The fulsome praise of Mr. McNamara’s performance as director of the MNT is without sound foundation. I am advised by the MNT executive that Mr. McNamara provided some useful work but he did not as alleged by C. Rhys-Jones, do his job well or brilliantly.

Regrettably, Mr. McNamara had very little understanding of financial discipline. He overspent his budget, entered into contracts without the knowledge of the Executive Committee for which there was subsequently no funding. Mr. McNamara also committed other infringements of his responsibilities as director, which will be laid before the members of MNT at a General Meeting to be held shortly.

Suffice it to say that there is ample justification for not renewing Mr. McNamara’s contract of employment.

C. Rhys-Jones attributed the growth and prosperity of the Trust to Mr. McNamara’s ‘leadership’. That is foolish exaggeration and a distortion of the true position. The statement that the MNT was languishing in a quagmire of lethargy when Mr. McNamara took control in 1999…. is utter balderdash. The lavish praise for Mr. McNamara’s career background in Canada was ill advised. It begs the question as to why this brilliant young man with a successful career in one of the world's great economies should have wanted to hide his talent in this devastated little island with virtually no economy.

C. Rhys-Jones also referred to the registration of Mr. Robert Burbank as though it is something for which the Executive Committee should be blamed. It is my understanding that the Executive Committee respects Mr. Burbank’s privacy, has high regards for him and has great appreciation for his contribution to the MNT. However the Committee has no reasons to be embarrassed should Mr. Burbank choose to make public the details of his resignation from the position which he held with MNT.

In conclusion. I wish to invite C. Rhys-Jones to disclose his/her true identify either in this newspaper or by attending and speaking up at the MNT general meeting to be held in the near feature.

Thank you for having this web site. This is the only way I could keep up with all the news in Montserrat, the growth and process since the volcano, also the development of Carr's Bay, where I was born, and Little Bay. Thank you again and best wishes.

The Disaster Management Week hosted by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was officially opened on Wednesday at the Center’s headquarters in St. Johns.

His Excellency, Governor Anthony Longrigg, Acting Chief Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis, Head of the EOC, Mr. Horatio Tuitt and Advisor for the Department for International Development for the Overseas Territories (DFID OT), Mr. Roger Bellers, each gave opening remarks.

Acting Chief Minister Dr. Lewis recalled that in 1997 the United Kingdom Select Committee reported, “Montserrat was totally unprepared for the onset of the volcanic activity; and that the authorities failed to act on the recommendations of the 1987 Wadge and Isaacs report, a signal example of the failure in communication, political leadership and responsibility.”

In response to this, Dr. Lewis said, “My government is determined, not to be guilty of the same failure of leadership”.

Citing the “reluctance to close the airport as a costly mistake,” he stressed that a mistake of such magnitude must not be repeated. “We must not make the same mistake when it is time to recognize that areas at risk need to be extended, especially as we are no longer able to monitor deformation of the north western wall of the volcano.”

Dr. Lewis urged the managers “not only to focus on disaster management in relation to the current circumstances, but also to pay attention to strategic planning,” especially after the Wadge and Isaacs report was made, noting that, “It is these strategic decisions that will allow Montserrat to become a viable territory and country.”

Mr. Richard Bellers (pictured left) said this Conference is the first of its kind since the inception of National Emergency Managers of the Overseas Territories (NEMOT) in May 2000. He said the purpose of the Conference was to: “Harness capacities that exist in the Overseas Territories by building through collaborative sharing and common approaches to Governments, international agencies and to Her Majesty’s Government (HMG).”

“Each territory can learn and gain support from each other," he continued. "Disaster Management is particularly important as in the case of Montserrat”.

On Tuesday the EOC held for the visiting delegates, a simulation exercise, which was intended to have the element of surprise for the public and was based on volcanic activity in the Belham Valley area leading to large ash falls in the Salem area. Representatives from the key agencies of the fire, police, health, search and rescue departments, Red Cross, utility companies and the EOC all participated in the activity.

Speaking about the exercise, His Excellency Governor Anthony Longrigg said, “It is important that such exercises be carried out on a regular basis so that the strengths and weaknesses of Montserrat’s emergency response agencies can be determined.”

Mr. Bellers said he was quite impressed with the simulated exercise and overall he though it was a successful one, “the exercise came closer to refinement, in terms of coordination and communication between the agencies involved”.

Prior to this week’s activities, Mr. James White, (pictured right) Assistant Secretary of Operations and Logistics explained, “The ‘Disaster Management Week’ is an initiative taken by the EOC for Montserrat, which will allow them to test their disaster preparedness and response capabilities. The participants will make an assessment of the island’s ability to provide disaster-related training (with an operational bias) initially to the Caribbean Region and to the wider world in the long term.”

This week's meeting included presentation of a number of papers and discussions on various aspects of disaster and crisis management. Among the topics discussed were the objectives of NEMOT, Disaster Management in the Overseas Territories, Comprehensive Disaster Management, the sharing and exchange of information and HMG’s approach to disaster management.

Apart from the two-day conference, the visiting delegates were given a tour of the EOC and its warehouse, the police and fire stations, Silver Hills Communication Unit, the siren system, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, the new public health clinic at St. John’s, the operating theatre, mortuary and the Purpose Built Shelters at Geralds and Pasture Piece.

At the conclusion of the Disaster Week, it was agreed that the territories would continue to assist each other in areas of shelter management, telecommunications, fire and rescue services and disaster management training. Disaster management related activities, contingency planning and additional equipment, materials and supplies were some of the common needs identified.

According to a press release from the EOC, it was noted that PAHO and the International Red Cross have pledged their continuing support for the network’s activities and identified areas in which they will be able to assist the territories; and the British Government represented by the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID), “have both committed (themselves) to supporting the continued existence of NEMOT as a means of maximizing the use of resources for disaster management programmes among the Territories for the foreseeable future”.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) presented a long- term strategy for disaster management in the region, known as the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM). The release also said that all the Territories endorsed the concept of CDM and it will focus not only on hazards such as hurricanes, but in developing broad based capacity throughout the Territories to plan for and respond to hazards and incidents of all kinds. Montserrat, in its current capacity as the country with lead responsibility for disaster management within CARICOM, will develop a draft strategy which will incorporate the NEMOT’s aims and objectives”.

As reported last Friday, participants were drawn from many of the regional British Overseas Territories and other international agencies.

Visiting volcanologists from the United States, in conjunction with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) have employed the use of borehole technology to assist them in further assessing the state of the volcano.

Drs. Simon Young, Barry Voight and Glen Mattioli from the United States are overseeing this project.

Dr. Simon Young (pictured left) said the borehole instruments will be placed at Little Bay, Delvins, Waterworks, Pelican Ghaut, Woodlands and Old Quaw and were chosen as they give the fullest coverage for seismic readings to be made. Since these designated areas are quite distant from the volcano, it allows for drilling at greater depths, eliminating surface noise is making it easier to pick up underground signals. He explained that since the magma chamber is 10 km underground, they will drill at some 700 ft / 200m, where the noise level is practically eliminated, thus enabling them to get the optimum signals possible. “200m is a good balance between the cost factor and is scientifically sufficient for this purpose,” he said.

The initial project is expected to last three years and drilling is expected to last three months. Dr. Simon said each hole should be completed at the end of two weeks. After the hole has been drilled, the borehole instruments will be placed into the ground and sealed in a concrete dam. The wires attached to the top of the casing of the borehole equipment will send electronic signals to the MVO, where the readings will be read and recorded.

Fifteen people working on the project -- drillers, technicians, geologists, volcanologists and researchers. The cost is approximately US$1 million, which has been allocated by the National Science Foundation in the United States.

Dr. Young said that this project competed with many others for funding and received this amount of money because the science community considered it a very good scientific project. He stressed that the project has multiple benefits; it will assist the MVO in its data collecting and the information that is collected will be distributed throughout the science world.

Dr. Young and two other volcanologists earlier presented a paper "Montserrat, Cradle of Volcanology for the New Millennium," two weeks ago at the two-day conference, "Beyond Walls: Multi Disciplinary Perspectives," sponsored by the University of the West Indies- School of Continuing Studies, Montserrat.

Dr. Young said then that continued studying and close monitoring of the eruption in the Soufriere Hills will enable volcanologists and geologists to better understand the volcano to be in a better position to advise on crisis management decisions.

“This continued monitoring of the volcano using modern equipment, combined with the revolution of new ideas testable at the . . . laboratory have made the eruption a landmark event for the science,” Dr. Young said.

He noted that as the volcano continues to erupt, scientific progress continues in the establishment of monitoring techniques that have longer baselines, continuous gas monitoring methods and the use of the boreholes to provide better seismic and deformation information.

Drillers at work at Little Bay, preparing to drill the earth to put in equipment

Richard Nyberg, (pictured left) journalist and editor for the Communications Unit, External Relations Group, United Nations Volunteers (UNV), paid a two-day official visit to Montserrat earlier this week.

He was here to observe, gather information from the UN volunteers and get feedback from the organizations to which they are attached; and also from the communities in which they are working.

Montserrat has five UN volunteers here: Mr. Ifitkhar Ahmed, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist from Pakistan, is attached to the Physical Planning Unit; Ms. Tammy Foote is an Occupational Therapist attached to the Community Services Department; Ms. Layla Sammouy is a Civil Engineer and is attached to the Public Works Department (PWD); Mr. Joel Maranhao is a Computer Software Engineer attached to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), and Ms. Atsumi Kani is an architect attached to the Department for International Development (DFID).

Mr. Nyberg said in a brief interview with The Montserrat Reporter, “I am quite pleased with the projects the volunteers are involved in and am here to observe and record the progress of these volunteers.”

Mr. Nyberg’s said that this is the second stop since his mission started. Prior to coming here on Monday, he was in Ecuador where he was observing and recording information on that country’s human rights and poverty reduction schemes.

He left Montserrat Tuesday afternoon, after which he will continue his mission in other Caribbean States before returning to Germany.

World Aids Day will be observed on Sunday, December 1, under the theme “Stigma and Discrimination -- Live and let Live,” and the Community Services Department will have a number of activities throughout the coming week to inform and educate the masses of people about HIV/AIDS.

Community Development Officer Joseph Kirwan said that the department has scheduled a week of educational activities in observance of the Day.

Beginning tomorrow, there will be radio programs on HIV/AIDS, church services will place a special focus on the disease, billboards will display messages, and posters, bumper stickers and pins promoting AIDS awareness will be distributed.

Also during next week, local health officials are expected to be in Jamaica for a meeting of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOT) where finance for the control of HIV/AIDS will be discussed and possibly sought.

“International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” was observed on November 25, but Montserrat, unlike other countries, did not observe the day in any tangible way.

Instead of having candlelit ceremonies and marches throughout the communities, authorities at the Community Services Department and the Family Center decided to be more ‘victim focused’ in their approach, and continue with their ongoing educational and awareness programmes.

The success of that approach is seen in the increase of reported cases of abuse by victims from 12 in 2000 to 136 in 2002. Given this increase in reportage by victims, Development Officer and Police Superintendent Paul Morris, said, “We have done well in our combined efforts in raising the awareness of the people.” He noted, however, that officers and counselors face great difficulty when victims make these reports, as they want a fast and easy solution to the problem,

“Many do not want to carry their spouses to court or go through the legal system as they are ashamed, scared of the stigma attached to spousal abuse, the economic situations and family commitments they might be faced with and the ‘smallness of the island’ and their information becoming public,” he said.

Mr. Morris said that a sound policy has to be developed, one based on information coming from the victims, so that their individual needs will be addressed and catered for, and in the end serve them well.

The Family Center and Community Development Services have recently started a group program to further increase people’s education and awareness level, so they can know, identify and recognize the signs of domestic violence and the types of abuse, and why it is necessary that the law deal with perpetrators of such activity.

Mr. Morris stressed that there is need for a multi-disciplinary approach, one that includes all the social partners--church leaders, counselors etc. He further added that there is value to “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” in the sense that this is not a national or regional problem but a global one, “we need to look at the underlying causes of such behaviour and seek to eradicate it.”

He further noted that domestic violence crosses all strata of society -- rich and poor people, and that Montserrat is no different from other countries in the sense that spousal abuse is very real. He lamented that this is even worse in countries which have high rates of unemployment, poverty and the lack of opportunity.

Mr. Morris said victims must become aware that they need to take a stand against their abusers by refusing to be subject to this type of behaviour, and thus become part of the solution.

Of importance too, he said, was the increase in reportage of child abuse within the homes. Of the 136 reported cases, 24 have been child related. Most of the remaining 112 cases were of women being abused.

The Family Protection Against Domestic Violence Act became law on November 24, 1998. The law states that it seeks to protect spouses and children of the household from violence by a partner.

The Governor’s Office reported it donated EC$5,000 earlier this week to the Festival Committee to assist in supporting the organizations and individuals who are hosting shows and activities as part of the 40^th Festival anniversary.

These funds were made possible through a grant from the Department for International Development (DFID)-funded Small Grants Scheme.

His Excellency Governor Anthony Longrigg presented the gift to the Director of Culture, Herman Francis, and representatives of the Festival Committee.

Chairman of the Festival Committee. Gregory Willock said they welcomed the donation from the Governor’s Office, as one of the appeals they made earlier was for private groups to come forward and assist in the organization of shows for this year's celebration. “This donation acts as a further incentive for other groups to come forward and contribute as well,” he said.

So far, the Committee has not decided which group will benefit from the donation.

Government architect designate Mr. David Cuthbert (pictured left) represented the Montserrat Association of Architects and Engineers (MAAE) at the recent weeklong 5^th Biennial Conference of Caribbean Architecture of the Federation of Caribbean Architectural Association held in Martinique.

The purpose of the FCAA is to form stronger links within the architectural profession in the Caribbean Region.

The MAAE was invited to join the Federation, which includes associations from Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominica Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Trinidad.

Mr. Cuthbert said, “The theme “Living Spaces” focused not only on the physical aspects of buildings with respect to housing, but on architectural interventions in the Caribbean Space.”

Topics in the Conference included meteorological and seismic protection, revision of building codes and standards and historical renovations. He said, “much focus was placed on finding a Caribbean identity through architectural form, not through replicating historic models but developing appropriate and contemporary expression.”

The architectural journal AXIS, founded by Mr. Cuthbert whilst at the University of Technology, Jamaica, received an award for best Caribbean Architectural Publication.

Rules governing entry into the recently expanded exclusion zone have been amended, according to a Government House press release last Friday.

This decision came “after the police did a siren test and simulation of an evacuation last week”.

Since the helicopter is not available on Wednesdays, the release said, entry into the zone is prohibited. All other times and rules regarding entry into the exclusion zone remain as originally stipulated by the authorities.

Instructions from Government House state that in the event of an emergency when the sirens are sounded, persons in Isles Bay Hill and those involved in sand mining operations on the Isles Bay Hill side of the Belham Valley are to immediately head to the top of Isles Bay and wait until the all clear signal has been sounded by the sirens and Radio Montserrat.

All other persons within the exclusion area are expected to immediately vacate through the existing gates.

Mr. Anton Doldron, Manager of the Bank of Montserrat, represented the bank at the 29^th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banking last week in St. Kitts.

Under the theme “Defining the Future of Indigenous Banking,” Mr. Doldron said the two-day presentation focused on "indigenous banks and the way forward." “In light of increasing globalization and the merging of banks, such as 1^st International Bank and Royal Bank of Trinidad & Tobago having a strong regional presence, has rendered them mega forces.”

He said the result is greater pressure on small banks like the Bank of Montserrat and others within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in terms of operating in the market place. To combat this, ways were discussed by which the indigenous banks could work at operating collectively rather than separately, as is the case presently. The consensus was that by acting collectively, the small banks would be just as powerful as the big banks, thus leveling the playing field.

Mr. Doldron said “that added to the fall in agricultural production revenues, the September 9/11 attacks in the USA has resulted in a drastic decrease in tourism and its related industries; plus the implication of increased vigilance by the big banks in the United States and United Kingdom to the small banks in issues relating to money laundering have placed an added pressure on the indigenous banks.”

Coming out of the Conference, Mr. Doldron said, “Existing relationships were further deepened between colleagues and clients.”

St. Kitts – Jamaican banker Faye Jacobs told the recently concluded 29^th annual conference of the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks that she questions the level of preparedness of the Indigenous Banks for Globalization.

Questioning what is being done within the Caribbean to ensure the sustainability of the Banks, Ms. Jacobs said, “Globalization is no longer a myth, it is a reality. We have to be prepared to meet first world standards. This is simply saying that competition is no longer restricted to the region. . . . Globalization will no doubt force us to lift our standards to match the best in the industry or alternatively abandon the industry to those who can meet the demands of today’s increasingly sophisticated clientele.”

She said that effective leadership is the determining factor on whether the Indigenous Banks of the region can survive.

Focussing on the challenges facing Indigenous Banks in the Caribbean, she said these are the issues that need to be addressed:

Governmental interferences and influences; Legislative gaps, along with –the lack of reliable accounting statements and penalties in respect of company directors who misuse their power.

“As bankers, we have a duty that extends way beyond the granting of loans and the taking of market share." Ms. Jacobs said. "We have a duty to contribute to the sustainability of the region, to guide governments in the direction that will lead to the survival and growth of our customers and hence to our own survival and growth.“

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - The chairman of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) Ken Gordon is to retire next year and will be
succeeded by Barbadian Sir Fred Gallop, the Express newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The paper, part of the CCN media group, said that Sir Fred will assume office on January 1, 2003, and that his appointment "will further strengthen the strategic relationship between CCN and the Nation Group of Barbados."
Sir Fred, who has served on the CCN board of directors since 1996, is currently the chairman of the Nation, of which CCN is a shareholder. He is also President of the Senate in Barbados, a post he has held for the past
eight years.Sir Fred, a director of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), was quoted by the Express as saying that his appointment reinforces "CCN's regional mission".
"I look forward to working with my colleagues in contributing to its further growth and development," he said.

ST. Lucia, CMC - The St. Lucia Government on Tuesday launched a national economic consultation involving the island's social partners.
The media was excluded from the meeting called by Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony and which has been widely publicised as the first in a series of national economic briefings with trade unions, business sector and other stakeholders.

Sources told CMC that the format would allow for presentations on current trends and policy responses in the major economic sectors.
President of the Chamber of Commerce Guy Mayers was expected to lead off the debate on the private sector engagement with Caribbean governments, while chairman of the National Economic Council, Richard Peterkin, was to lead the discussion on the work of the Council.
Presentations were also expected from various government ministers at the consultation being attended by a number of stakeholders including public sector policy makers, trade union representatives and the private sector.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - Eligible policyholders have expressed overwhelming support for a decision by the Board of Directors of the Mutual to convert the company into one with shareholders and share capital.
At a special meeting here Thursday, the Board announced that 99.1 percent of the valid votes cast favoured the proposal to demutualise, with a mere 0.9 percent voting against the resolution.
This gives the Mutual the green light to seek final approval from the Supervisor of Insurance for its proposal to demutualise. Once this is done, the Mutual proposes to change its name to Sagicor Life Inc.
In addition, it is expected that a holding company will be incorporated at the time of demutulisation and Sagicor Life Inc. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company Sagicor Financial Corporation.

Trinidad, CMC -The financially strapped regional airline LIAT, now undergoing a re-branding and a re-positioning exercise, says a yearlong survey has it as the preferred choice for travellers within the Caribbean.
The Antigua-based airline, which is re-equipping its fleet to offer more services, has just released the findings of what the company said had been the "most comprehensive market research project" carried out among passengers on the airline's services.
The study was done by Earle and Philips Consulting.

"LIAT wanted to know what was good, bad or indifferent about the carrier, was it meeting and exceeding the needs of its customers, was it first choice for travelers and was it easy to do business with LIAT," a company statement said.
In said in addition to the survey, the consultants conducted focus group sessions with travel agents, partner airlines and key clients and also held meetings with staff in Antigua, St. Lucia and Dominica.
According to the airline, 75 percent of all the customers polled chose LIAT as their preferred carrier in the region, with three out of every four international passengers using the airline.
"LIAT is clearly the emotional choice of Caribbean people. Many customers referred to LIAT as "Our Airline," the statement added.
Earlier this month, regional governments meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines agreed to provide letters of credit to the airline to assist in its re-capitalisation.

Barbados, CMC - Prime Minister Owen Arthur says the provision of housing remains a serious challenge for his government, with only 45 percent of housing demand currently met.

Speaking at the official opening of the multi-million-dollar National Housing Corporation headquarters, Mr. Arthur stressed that while the NHC and other state agencies have a powerful role to play in helping to generate housing solutions, in the final analysis the incentive had to be offered to ordinary citizens to meet their own housing needs.

In this regard, the Prime Minister is proposing that a secondary mortgage market be created, under the administration of the Central Bank, to “help government to assure the liquidity needs of mortgage investors while meeting cyclical imbalances in the flow of funds.”

He said government would also seek to ensure that more land was made available for housing and at subsidised prices.

Over the past 10 years the NHC has only been able to meet just 11 percent of the demand for rental units and in relation to the demand for lots and properties for rent and purchase, the level of satisfaction was around 12 and 6 percent, respectively, Mr. Arthur said.

He described the pit toilet as anachronistic and said although the number declined from 24,139 in 1990 to 13,684 in 2002, it still should not exist.

In addition, said the Prime Minister, the passage of Tropical Storm Lili, which damaged more than 400 homes in September, brought home the point that there was need for stricter adherence to proper building procedure on the island.

GRAND CAYMAN, CMC - The European Union's (EU) Draft Directive on the Taxation of Savings Income, was among matters discussed at a meeting here last weekend between British Government officials and Ministers of the Caribbean Overseas Territories (COT).
The leaders of the British dependent territories in the Caribbean, including Montserrat's Chief Minister John Osborne attended the meeting.
An official statement issued at the end of the November 23 conference said that "the meeting reaffirmed that there was a willingness on the part of the COT to cooperate with EU objectives in this regard, based on a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory approach".
It said that the objectives of the association between the Overseas Territories (OT) and the EU were noted "as was the fact that the economic impact study which the Memorandum of Understanding on Partnership for Progress and Prosperity promised and considered relevant" had not been carried out.
"In this regard, the COTs have agreed to commission an economic impact assessment in relation to the draft EU directive," the statement said, noting that the "assessment's objective will be to determine the likely impact of any implementation of the draft EU directive on COT economies."
The next meeting will be held in "the near future", it said.

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway has been carrying out test runs for its operations to commence soon. Here one can see the loco with the generation facility and two cars at the Needsmust Station.

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway will be able to carry up to 10 rail cars with a total of 280 passengers on a single tour.

While the day-tours would mainly cater to cruise ship passengers, hotel guests and locals would have the opportunity to enjoy early evening rides around the 68-square mile Sugar City

Barbados, CMC - Police in Barbados are conducting a review of their crime fighting strategies, with concern being expressed about the daily average of 28 crimes on the island, amounting to approximately 11, 000 crimes per year.
"I believe that figure is too high," said Acting Police Commissioner Charles Blades at the opening of a three-day police planning conference on Tuesday.
He said police have so far failed with a crime reduction target set for this year, with the overall crime rate increasing by 3.6 percent during the first 10 months of 2002, compared to last year.
Chief Blades said that by the end of the October 2002, crime had risen in most police divisions, except for the capital Bridgetown.
He also revealed that drug offences and burglaries accounted for 35 per cent of all crimes on the island this year, adding that violent crimes, including the use of firearms, were among the greatest challenges for lawmen.

Grenada, CMC - Lawyers for one of Grenada's best-known spiritual leaders, Baptist Archbishop Edmund Gilbert, plan to appeal his murder conviction before the British Privy Council.
Gilbert's lawyers Anslem Clouden and Lloyd Noel are also seeking to get the London law lords to overturn his death sentence.
He was found guilty last December of the murder of 15-year-old Robbie Ann Jeremiah, whose body was found buried on a beach in the south of the island on February 1 last year.
A 12-member jury found Gilbert, 60, guilty of the murder of the teenager, whose killing had sent shock waves across the country.
The girl, who was a vocational student, was reportedly strangled after being beaten and sexually assaulted.
The jury took just over two hours before returning the unanimous guilty verdict to Gilbert, who was based at the Holy Unicorn Baptist Church in St George's and an activist of the ruling New National Party (NNP) at the time of his arrest.
In a judgement handed down last Friday, the Court of Appeal upheld both the murder conviction and the death sentence.
His lawyers say they will be seeking further recourse, arguing that the trial jury, which consisted of nine females, exhibited bias in returning the unanimous verdict.

Barbados, CMC - Even as the Caribbean is reporting a decrease in the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS virus, a United Nations body is warning that the virus could spread faster and more widely in the absence of a strengthened response.
UNAIDS said in its annual report released here on Tuesday that HIV infected adults in several Caribbean countries were surpassed only by the figures recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The report said, "Haiti remains worst affected with an estimated national adult HIV prevalence of over 6 percent along, with the Bahamas where prevalence is 3.5 percent."
"UNAIDS also expressed concern that "12 countries in this region including the Dominican Republic and Haiti, several Central American countries, such as Belize and Honduras, and Guyana and Suriname have an estimated HIV prevalence of 1 percent or more among pregnant women."
However, UNAIDS Director Dr. Peter Piot said,"when I look at the Caribbean we are seeing a decrease in HIV prevalence levels and that is good news"
This year's figures show that 440,000 adults and children were living with HIV/AIDS in the region, with 60,000 new infections this year. So far this year, 42, 000 persons have died from the disease.
The report also raises concern that women are more at risk of contracting the disease than men.
"Over the past decade, the ratio of men with HIV infections to women with HIV infections has narrowed considerably to 3-to-1 in Latin America and 2-to-1 in the Caribbean," it noted.
The region however received praise for its attempts to provide drugs and medical treatment for persons already infected.
"Latin America and the Caribbean are making admirable progress in terms of access of people living with HIV to treatment, to care," Dr. Piot said.
This year's World Aids Campaign will focus on fighting stigma and discrimination.
"One of the biggest problems in our work continues to be the shame, the stigma, the discrimination associated with HIV," Dr. Piot said.
He said as a result "it is difficult for leaders in all walks of society to speak out on AIDS, for those who are infected to come out, not to mention the fact that they don't have access to treatment, that they may lose their job, may be kicked out of house and so on."

St. Kitts – The president of the World Bank, the largest and most powerful international financial institution, described as “positive” his meeting Wednesday with the Prime Ministers of seven independent Caribbean states.

Australian-born James D. Wolfensohn told reporters at the end of a three-hour closed-door meeting at the Governor’s Board Room at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) that he was excited by the positive determination of the Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to find solutions to the economic problems.

“There was a clear discussion of the difficulties in the region. The transition from the current dependence on primary products and tourism and the effects of September 11^th. And I think we spent enough time talking about the problems. What excited me was the leaders of the region then started talking about what are they going to do about it,” he said.

Mr. Wolfensohn said the Eastern Caribbean leaders and the World Bank officials emerged from the meeting chaired by Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and current Chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) “with a very practical set of initiatives that we are looking at which we will discuss at next June.”

Mr. Wolfensohn said that in the intervening period, “we will look at how we can make the region globally competitive in terms of the provision of services, including software and technology services.”

“What the region can do on better competition in tourism, what the region can do in conversion from some uncompetitive agricultural work into more competitive activities. Our very frank discussion of the problems of fiscal restraint and what needs to be done to bridge the period of the fiscal difficulty until a more balanced economy,” said Wolfensohn, adding: “underlying it all was a deep concern for the question of poverty and the question of the people who are really suffering.”

The World Bank President said he found a “remarkable mix among the leaders in realism but optimism and I have told them that the Bank is prepared to be fully supportive.”

“I personally will meet with them again in June to review these initiatives,” he said.

Mr. Wolfensohn was accompanied by an 11-man delegation, which included Osalia Kalantzopoulos, World Bank Director for Caribbean Country Management Unit.

Montserrat was not represented at this meeting. The reasons for this were quite clearly spelt out at the recently concluded UWI Conference two weeks ago, when Mr. Goodwin, feature address speaker, pointed out that the Overseas Territories could not directly benefit from any OECS relationship with the World Bank and some other world financial agencies.

St. Kitts – A note of caution has been sounded by a U.S.-based Disaster and Business Recovery expert, Thomas Williams of Centurion Disaster Recovery, a branch of Jack Henry Associates Inc. to businesses operating in the Caribbean, especially the financial sector.

Mr. Williams has stressed the need for such companies to have in place preparations for getting the business place fully operational within the shortest possible time.

Speaking to delegates at the just-concluded Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks, he said: “Since September 11, there will be and there had been the emergence of additional regulations on banks, requesting them to put in place Disaster/Business Recovery Plans that are bank-wide," to restore operations to some pre-determined level if a disaster occurred.

Since the Caribbean is in a hurricane-prone area, Mr. Williams said that the potential of threats was high and there is a need for recovery plans, not just for regulatory purposes, but so that businesses can continue to operate and financial institutions can give peopleb access to their funds.

“Caribbean indigenous banks need to come together and develop a strategy on what they can do to build and place a recovery center and share costs of facilities and cost of equipment, so that they can have facilities available for any of the banks that may have a disaster,” Mr. Williams said.

He said that having a center in place minimizes the time for business recovery from one to three weeks, to one to two days.

He said recovery plans are not to be used solely in the event of a disaster. They can be used to train new employees and they also guide business operations and eliminate redundancies.

THE BOTTOM, Saba (SGIS) – Leader of Government Commissioner of Finance Will Johnson, says that he has received word that Saba will soon receive Naf.500,000 in budgetary aid from the Federal Government.

Commissioner Johnson over a month ago informed the Federal Government about the financial situation of the Island Government, stating that the Administration would have serious liquidity problems up until the end of the year.

He told the Saba Government Information Service (SGIS) on Monday that the Naf.500,000 will go to service some of the Island Government's debts.

“The Island Government had to invest in a number of public sector projects because there were not sufficient project funds to complete the project," he explained. "We had to invest Naf.200,000 into the Airport Terminal Building, and another Naf.375,000 in the Gymnasium on St. John’s.”

Mr. Johnson said the additional budgetary assistance does not solve the Island Governments liquidity problem and that the process implemented to find a structural solution to the Solidarity Fund needs to be concluded as soon as possible.

Trinidad, CMC - The shooting death this week of a 17-year-old teenager of mixed parentage has ironically underscored the racial division between Blacks and Indians in this southern Caribbean state.
Phillip Seerattan was shot and killed by police after he entered the prestigious International School of Port of Spain armed with his father's nine-millimetre Smith and Wesson handgun.
The teenager, who died after shooting and seriously wounding a security guard, also left behind a note in which he said he hated Blacks, even though his mother is an Afro-Trinidadian.
The revelation was especially surprising to Seerattan's father, who is of Indian descent.
"I saw the letter in the paper when he said he did not like Blacks. I want the whole of the country to know my wife is Black," said a distraught Jadoo Seerattan, reacting to the controversy his son's letter had provoked.
He tried to explain that his son's statement was not racist.
"He writes in a very to the point manner. Something he has always said was that he felt African people are still suppressed in the modern world today," said the boy's father.
The country is still trying to make sense of the incident.
In response to the death, Prime Minister Patrick Manning has commented on the ease of access to guns in the country, even while acknowledging that Wednesday's incident was very complicated.
The country's debate has taken on racial overtones with various radio and television talk shows being dominated by accusations that the boy was killed because he was Indian.
The police have defended their action even as an autopsy, conducted on Friday, showed that as many as nine bullets were lodged in the dead youth's body.
Almost every aspect of life has taken on a racial bias in this country of 1.3 million people that is divided almost evenly between Indo- and Afro-Trinidadians.
The two dominant races openly accuse each other of fermenting the racial divide here that was so clearly highlighted in the campaign leading up to the October 7 general elections and substantiated by the findings of the various public opinion polls.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, CMC - Caribbean and other African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states delegates on Monday agreed to abandon a joint parliamentary conference with the European Union, after the sides clashed over the attendance of two Zimbabwean government ministers.
In a strong declaration announcing the cancellation of the November 25 –28 Fifth Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the ACP member states charged that there was no legal basis for the decision taken by the European Parliament to bar Zimbabwe's Minister of State for State Enterprises Paul Mangwana and Deputy Finance Minister Chris Kuruneri from its premises.
Terming the move an "unacceptable position by the European Parliament", the ACP members said their desire to find a satisfactory compromise came up against "a categorical refusal by the European side, which expressed no desire to find a solution other than to ask the ACP members to align themselves with the European Parliament's decision".
"The ACP members would like to affirm their resolute attachment to an ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, governed by common rules and principles, the respect of which constitutes a safeguard of a true ACP-EU partnership, and remain open to engage a frank and unconditional debate on all issues, especially those relating to the situation in Zimbabwe, the declaration added.
Monday's cancellation is being seen as "a major setback" in the relations between the 15-nation EU and the 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, but EU delegates say it was an act of sheer provocation by Zimbabwe to include the two ministers who are on a travel ban list in the delegation.
The EU has imposed a travel ban on high-level Zimbabwean officials to protest the human rights record of President Robert Mugabe's government.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday left here onTuesday night for London, amid continued division within his United National Congress (UNC) over the issue of a successor.
UNC Chairman Wade Mark was quoted in the local media on Wednesday as indicating that the party's chief whip in Parliament Gangar Singh was not in charge of the party during Panday's trip to London, where he will spend the Christmas season with his children.
"He has no status in the party because he is not on the executive," Mark was quoted as saying, adding, "He (Singh) is in charge of the parliamentary arm in the House of Representatives".
"People are blowing this thing way out of proportion, there is no position under the (party's) constitution for an acting Opposition leader," he said. Mark's comments come amidst much speculation that at least five opposition parliamentarians are planning to announce themselves as "independent" members in frustration over the issue of the appointment of a successor to Panday, who after the October 7 general elections here announced that he was stepping down as party leader.
But Panday has been reading the riot act to his members over persistent media reports that they were holding "secret talks" with former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, as a possible successor to Panday.
Panday has blamed Maharaj, along with two other former cabinet colleagues, for the party's removal from Government and has said that Maharaj, who later formed the National Team Unity (NTU) political party, was not welcome to return to the UNC.
However, one of Panday's former Ministers, Mervyn Assam, has publicly called on the former prime minister "to ride out into the sunset" and allow the party to chose a successor in order to prepare itself for the future.
"The party will never recover (if Panday remains in the post)," Assam, who served as Foreign and Trade Minister, told reporters.
Maharaj told a news conference here on Tuesday that the decision to appoint Singh was not in the best interest of the party but was based on "personal friendship with the Pandays".
He said the appointment could be "detrimental to the UNC in Parliament" and should also be viewed by the party membership "as a yardstick to see where the party is going".
There was no indication as to how long Panday, who left here Tuesday night, is due to remain in London.
But the former Prime Minister is due to appear in a magistrate's court in January on charges brought under the Integrity legislation and related to a foreign bank account.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC - World Bank President James Wolfensohn has agreed to commission a study on the needs of small Caribbean island states, now facing severe economic challenges.
The announcement followed three hours of talks with Eastern Caribbean leaders, including Barbados, here on Wednesday.
Host Prime Minister Denzil Douglas told reporters that the study would examine specific ways in which the Bank could assist regional economies in ensuring that impediments to their development are removed and that the region can compete in the global environment.
He said the World Bank President was sensitised of the need for more developmental capital in the region, as it seeks to transform its declining economies over the next five years.
"We need more grants rather than loans, we need to look at the relationship of the available capital between IDE (development) funds and the (World) Bank funds and moving it away from a 50/50 per cent to a 70/30 per cent," Douglas said.
He stressed that Eastern Caribbean nations could not realistically be competitive and take advantage of the new emerging sectors, unless basic infrastructure was put in place and gainful employment created for "the different categories of poor and unskilled", as well as persons displaced due to recent developments in the traditional banana and sugar industries.
He said although Eastern Caribbean leaders went into Wednesday's meeting "very much disheartened by the unfolding economic situation, we have come out very much impressed, motivated with a high sense of optimism".
He said the World Bank President has given assurances to the countries that they will get assistance in removing the obstacles to their competitiveness.
The meeting was also attended by St. Lucia's Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Lester Bird, Grenada's Dr. Keith Mitchell, Dominica's Pierre Charles, Barbados' Prime Minister Owen Arthur and Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Sir K. Dwight Venner.
The findings of the study are to be ready for presentation at a meeting in June 2003, for which a date and venue are to be announced.

The site of a historic sugar plantation is located at Little Bay, and this could be excavated, restored, and become a place of historical and educational interest for both locals and tourists.

This was explained last weekend by Dr. Lydia Pulsipher, (pictured left) a researcher and university geographer, well known here in Montserrat. Together with her husband, archeologist Dr. Mac Goodwin and a host of helpers and volunteers, she spent 15 years excavating, researching and developing the sugar plantation at Galways. The Montserrat National Trust was closely involved with this project, which was totally destroyed by the volcano in 1997.

The Little Bay plantation site is situated a little inland from Little Bay, on a gentle slope overlooking the large open space that was created recently behind the Bay. Its owner was William Carr, from whom Carr’s Bay got its name, and it probably dates from the 1600s, she says, indicating that it was one of the earlier sugar estates on the island.

The group visiting the site comprised interested members of the public together with several senior government officials, including Minister of Lands and the Environment, Hon Margaret Dyer Howe. Dr. Pulsipher pointed out remnants of partially buried buildings hidden beneath the bushes, including a cattle mill used for grinding the cane, a boiling house and manager’s house. These are hardly visible unless one knew where to find them. A nearby slope, she said, is the probable site of the slave village, identified by artifacts such as pottery pieces found in the area.

Dr. Pulsipher’s vision, if the idea were accepted here, would start with careful and detailed hand-excavation of the buildings and part of the slave village, after very carefully clearing the site. She emphasizes that any work would be undertaken in close collaboration with Government and the Montserrat National Trust.

The initial archeological work would take some time, she says, but would bring a great deal of new and detailed knowledge about the site and how the people lived. Controlled visits to the site by tourists and local visitors could be organized, with specially trained local guides explaining the process and the findings, leaving the archeologists free to continue with their work.

Once the excavation is complete, she says, the next stage would be to restore some of the buildings, including part of the slave village, giving an idea of the authentic original appearance. This too would have to be done with great care and accuracy, but could convert the site into an outstanding tourist attraction and local point of interest. Local expert guides, perhaps in costume, could continue to educate visitors about the history and daily life on the plantation.

Dr. Pulsipher asks that anyone finding pottery pieces or other artifacts should replace them where found, because they will be useful in piecing together the lifestyle of the occupants of the site. If removed, she says, they are no longer any use to the researchers (everything found though, remains in Montserrat). It’s also important that no damage occurs to the site before work begins.

I’m listening to some music at the moment. Some local music actually, King Kenzie to be exact. Listening to the message that emerges from Kenzie’s lyrics, I can’t help but wonder how on earth such meaningful talent like Kenzie, have up to this point not made it beyond what one of my esteemed friends would prefer to call "a local hero"?

You know, I have to smile when I think of that terminology because in truth, Montserrat does have a lot of local heroes. When you examine the concept, though, I suppose every place does need to have their local heroes, but at the same time, some of these local heroes do have what it takes to transcend beyond the local borders and extend their talents regionally, if not even internationally.
It’s not just about King Kenzie, because there are numerous talents that have surfaced from the island who have not received just reward for their abilities. For instance, I keep rewinding Aids Free by Killman. The passion and deep message that Killman enforced in that rendition to me puts that song in the league to be one of the most positive and awe-inspiring tunes to come from the island.

It is scrupulously obvious that the only calypso singer of note that many people around the region and internationally can associate with Montserrat is Arrow. Just last year, I noted that calypso Dangerous made it onto a compilation CD of Caribbean music, which is a good step in the right direction. However, the fact remains that we need more of that sort of push for our local talent. Why not have our own local compilation CD’s with proper promotion, packaging, and decent compensation and royalty structures for participating artists?

Culture on Montserrat ought not to be a seasonal entity. Our culture defines us as a people and portrays images and insight into our way of life. Our culture is not mediocre by any means or open to suspicion. What we have in Montserrat, with our local calypso sound, our masquerades, etc. is of a high standard and can indeed be packaged for an external market.

The fact remains that the practitioners of our cultural forms cannot just do this endeavour alone. There needs to be government as well as NGO’s backing for such a task. Effective and visible marketing campaigns need to be rationalised and some degree of funding set aside to deal specifically with getting our cultural products out to a wider audience. We cannot afford to have our culture go down the drain or be just seasonal. Local talent needs help to receive optimum exposure. There are no shortcuts to long-term rewards. If this is going to be done, as it should be, then I contend that it must be done with astute professionalism and rigour.

Perhaps I get too passionate when I speak of Montserrat but I do firmly argue that Montserrat can be great. However, I do also hold the position that with our limited resources our island can only be great through our people. True, there may not be many people on the island itself but we need to pool resources and it is through our people that our island receives information, innovations and ideas.

The task of setting up a proper cultural institution is by no means simple. There are issues ranging from legal, financial, market identification, promotional and marketing strategies, and talent identification among a wider list to be considered. But the fact remains that if it can be conceived; with commitment it can be done. Getting the youth involved in our local culture would be a first step. Culture seminars and discussions, calypso writing and poetry workshops, costume design seminars are all tools that can be utilised to spurn interest.

Globalisation is not just an economic realisation but culturally our barriers are breaking down as people can research, explore and even experience other cultures on a far wider basis than before. Leading this revolution is the Internet. It is important that if we are to get our culture and Montserrat on a whole marketed to the international community, then we must recognise and harness the power of the Internet in this modern technological age.

If we are serious about building a new Montserrat then those who are charged with the task must always hold at the forefront that our people should come first in all matters. Jamaica marketed and exported their reggae to great economic and cultural rewards. Trinidad, Bajan and other island’s calypso music are huge too, but that did not come by itself. Someone wanted it to be so and put the wheels in motion for it to materialise.

Give us Montserratians some joy, let us turn on our radios in our respective international or regional residences and hear a King Kenzie, Tabu, a local band or whoever along side David Rudder, Montano, Burning Flames and the others.

Then again, I heard somewhere on the street that this year is going to be Montserrat’s 40^th festival anniversary. Is it true? I must ask because I have seen no serious promotion for such a momentous occasion. Who makes these decisions anyway?

He is a human tractor, a modern day slave. Works hard, without force and enjoys hiring his services to farmers in the cultivation of lands.
He commands a very healthy wage – $120 per day. And it is worth it.
He is gaunt, wiry; belly pinned to his back, shy and distant by nature, very rural and appears backward. You see him, yet you do not as his movements are shadowy. He moves at dark especially at the wee hours so as to beat the morning hot sun. The impression is that he prefers a peasant lifestyle and is uncomfortable with modernity.
The exposure seemingly discomforts. He is capped always, a bag in hand carrying a gallon water bottle, a file with a cutlass so tiny and sharp that you are lulled into underestimating its worth and his too. With him looks are deceiving and what you see no way relates to what you will get.
His name is fittingly Goosey, a man of enormous economic importance. He is a hot number, very much in demand as a specialized labourer in the preparation of land and the maintenance of cultivation.
To see him work and produce is a marvel for his productivity out shines at least four ordinary mortals who maybe set a similar task. Quantity yes but quality also. With food an expensive necessity, import substitution a policy and labour an indispensable commodity then local food production is a function of Goosey.
Obviously his skilled labour is a scarce commodity and a source of much frustration to clients who are forced to use his services for one reason or the other. Their lands may not be friendly to the workings of the tractor on which many come to depend to begin the process of producing food. This idles a lot of farmers who refuse to even try manually. Soil compaction that often result as a byproduct of tractorisation discourages some and others are aged and thus handicapped. These reasons at least enlarge his usefulness and demand for his services so that it is conceivable that he may work without rest for longer than most people imagine.
Additionally he is not accessible. “Me no know whey Goosey live fella and no know whey fu find he eidar – go lang up a Drummonds,” one seasoned Northerner said recently.
Messages are received but he only fits you in when he can as some heavy payers take him for long periods. When he answers your call, the best times climatologically are gone.
Goosey confounds imagination, nutritional principles, philosophies of life and the care of self.
What empowers him and how is he driven?
If you see him eat, what he eats leads to a confused mind. Essentially he lives on biscuits and soda. He hates bread and refuses to partake in a 'normal' meal when offered. No attempt to nutritionally design even the crudest of plan is countenanced. Yet he toils on in the harshest elements but sure to drink plenty of water.

His living quarters, north of North defy description, and yet he is comfortable once he is paid as soon as he is done. He has no friends but money. He is discriminate with his labour and must know you to trade as a precaution.
He is friendly once comfortable and speaks a lot even whilst working, often jovially. “People no like people,” he said often in reference to social discrimination. “Bowy you a go kill me teday. Hope you ago fix me up good when me done,” he added with a smile across his toothless face.
Goosey is told to go to hell, only for him to retort quickly, “Tek dat man, dat a what mek dem take you jab fram yuh. Yuh a play bad and hab no manners for Mr. B!” The dialogue ends, with Goosey the last say.
Goosey must be all genes. Only a strong inheritance could account for who he is. But we stand to lose Goosey sooner than later. He is reportedly married to a Spanish beauty in the Dominican Republic whom he met there.
He travels and disappears for long periods, maneuvering himself through airports with skill. “Me and one god down dey – large villages flock round me – me hard, real hard,” he boasts.
If an offspring should emerge from the union, how can we benefit here from some of Goosey's traits? Goosey will soon have to find accommodation for his bride but can he make the adjustment to a 'home' and can the wife manage his solo lifestyle? And if he lives there can he ply his trade with distinction?
It seems probable that we may have to preserve this important figure somehow and may seriously consider to 'buss a clone on him' as is the popular vogue.
A cloned Goosey may well be a fright but who cares once a new generation that descends from Goosey's line is a replica of the Goosey that the new Montserrat has come to know and admire. Let us big up the likes of Goosey always.
By the way Goosey says his name is Desmond Ponteen.
Long live de Goosey!

Claude Gerald is an agricultural economist with interest in the socio/economic/political development of Montserrat. Ceegee15 @hotmail.com

Jus wonderin if some of the government politicians really know and understand what freedom of speech is all about, why they don’t behave like the previous government who were nearly criticized to death, even by them.

Jus wonderin why the populace aint hear nothing bout the day for violence against women on the international day.

Jus wonderin why the authorities not encouraging the people to join in the international candlelight ceremony in memory of those who died from AIDS.

Jus wonderin why the authorities can’t go and kill the wild hogs that destroying people property down in the exclusion zone.

Jus wonderin if is the pigs they scared of attacking them or the volcano erupting.

Jus wonderin why some people bent on destroying other people with their nasty rumors.

Jus wonderin why the road on the corner at Lawyers River taking so long to finish.

Jus wonderin who really causing the delay and if the minister on top of that one.

Jus wonderin if it they will give him a job to paint a new background for this year festival.

Jus wonderin if they don’t know that the people out there don’t know where to look for it.

Jus wonderin if the Festival Committee need to keep litter wardens to monitor the washrooms.

Jus wonderin if some people don’t know that only one web site guarantee them exposure.

Jus wonderin when the high duties to import food stuff will be reduced especially wid tings getting worse.

Jus wonderin who came up with the good idea of having baggage handlers for the Festival.

Jus wonderin if the boat captain will really wait for the passengers this holiday season.

Jus wonderin when they goin give up trying to rid this country of Montserratians.

Jus wonderin how much money Montserrat will get from HMG for funding more educational programs to keep the AIDS rate to a minimum.