Court Orders AG and COP, Deliver or Face Fine or Jail
by
Bennette Roach
Commissioner of Police Alexander Elder, and the Attorney General Brian Cottle
Two weeks ago on November 30, Justice Matthew J.
Ag, a retired appeal judge of the Eastern Caribbean Appellate Court, ruled in a
manner that told the public that justice in the High Courts is still alive and
well, that no one is above the law, and that "justice is not only done but
seemed to be done."
Justice Matthew ruled in the case Clement Cassell
Versus the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General who were the
defendants.
Both Defendants are facing possible committal for
disobeying an Order of Justice Saunders J. dated February 22, 1999, where he
ordered: (1.) That all moneys in accounts or otherwise, which were taken from or
relate to the claimant be returned to him.
(2.) All documents and other things, which were taken but not used as evidence at the trial, were also to be returned.
Attorney-at-law
David Brandt (pictured left), who represented the Claimant, told the
judge that both defendants had ignored requests for the return of his client’s
property. He argued that there was, "No counter affidavit explaining why
the Order has not been carried out, and the Attorney General, Minister of
Justice, who is supposed to see about the administration of justice is ignoring
the Order of the Court.”
The Attorney General in his submission asked for
the evidence that the Commissioner of Police knew of the Order of the trial
judge.
He countered that the Order had to be indorsed with a penal note and in any case its terms were vague in that nowhere did it indicate what specific property was taken.
According to the Judge the Attorney General further argued that "the criminal law of Montserrat prohibits them from acting in the way in which Mr. Brandt would have them act, and further, that the defendants have reasonable cause to suspect that if they handed any sums of money to the claimant they would be guilty of an offence under the Act."
Mr. Brandt in his reply noted that the Attorney General could have applied to the Court for his client to lose all claim to the property, but he did not because he had no reason to. About the Order being specific as to what to return to his client, Mr. Brandt said, it was quite simple. They had only to return what they took from him.
In conclusion of his judgment the judge stated
that it was not correct to say "that Commissioner of Police only knew of
the Order on August 7, 2001, when proceedings of committal were served on him by
the Court Bailiff…since he wrote to Warren Cassell to the effect that he was
currently processing the matter on February 20, 2001. The Attorney General did
not express lack of knowledge of the Order."
Among other points, the judge stated that the order of the earlier learned judge…"says that the claimant must receive all his property that are not challengeable, that is, in respect of which there has been no application for forfeiture.” It stated too that the defendants could not confer upon themselves the role of arbiter in determining the nature of the property.
Justice Matthew J. agreed with Mr Brandt that, "the defendants have treated the Order of the Judge with scant respect. They should know better and must not do that. They should work with, not against, the Judge in the administration of criminal justice in Montserrat."
In Clause [30] of the 32-clause judgment he ruled
"the persons who presently hold the office of the defendants are ordered to
submit to the Registrar of the High Court, not later than three days from this
judgment being served or them personally by the Bailiff of the Court all the
property described or referred to by Saunders J. in his Order dated February 22,
1999.
[31] In the event of their
failure to do so, each defendant will be fined $4,500.00 to be paid within seven
days and in default one week imprisonment.
The defendants had also within 15 days to apply
for forfeiture or be able to specify what property or properties were being
held. Failing to do so within the given time, all properties are to be released
to the claimant immediately.
In spite of a seemingly satisfying judgment, Mr. Brandt of the firm Brandt and Cassell is unhappy with it, and has confirmed they have appealed the judgment on the ground that the defendants, having not applied for forfeiture after two years and knowing the Order of the trial Judge, and not having given the Court any excuse why they have not done so, that the judge was wrong in law in not ordering that the property be returned to the claimant immediately.
Also that the judge, having found that they treated the Court with “scant respect” and deliberately disobeyed the Order of the Court, should have punished them in any number of ways.
Attorney General Brian Cottle today told the
Montserrat Reporter that he is satisfied with the Judgment and that he intends
to comply fully with Order. The Ag said, "I will now be able to do what I
was not able to do before and apply to the Court for forfeiture."
The AG said he had already delivered the items to
the Registrar but he could not understand why the matter had not been dealt with
at the opportune time at the trial.
Dr. Lewis Says, Swap Stadium, Airport Sites
by Bennette Roach
Preparation of football stadium site at Blakes Estate
The Montserrat Football Association has completed the earthworks for a FIFA sponsored-football stadium at the Blakes Estate, but new reports on the permanent airport solution for Montserrat have prompted the Minister of Communications and Works to suggest an exchange for the location of the airport planned for construction at Geralds.
In a letter to Vincent Cassell, president of the MFA, Mr. Dr. Lowell Lewis writes: "If meteorological studies and flight performance studies at Blakes confirm the opinion of the consultants, it would make sense for the location to be exchanged, and the football facility transferred to Geralds."
This
follows on the news from Dr. Lewis that
"the final report of the Consultancy for feasibility assessment for the
permanent solution for an airport in Montserrat…concludes that Blakes Estate
represents the best solution and that it is the option that better applies to
ICAO recommendations in terms of safety and presents medium/good scores in all
the other main evaluation items."
The Minister says in his letter to Mr. Cassell that the proposed airstrip for Blakes measures 1,220 meters, and would be suitable for a Dash 8, Hercules aircraft and other similar aircraft which carry 50 passengers and have a range of over 1,500 kilometers.
Referring to the 500-meter strip at Geralds Village, at a cost of EC$40 million, he adds, "we have serious concerns about this location and are not sure if the meteorological studies, flight performance test and noise studies being planned will in fact permit the construction of the temporary strip at that location.
When contacted by the Montserrat Reporter today, the football association president confirmed receipt of the letter and said that his executive will be convening a meeting on Monday to consider the Minister's proposal.
Mr. Cassell said: "Geralds was our choice location since 1998 when the stadium idea was born, but the family who owned the property had said that the Government had already approached them with a requirement for the lands at Geralds."
The president would not commit on his own feelings on the matter, but many persons are excited about the exchange idea, as it would be beneficial all round for Montserrat, all things taken into consideration.
But the three-page letter from the Minister said that it was not a "request for a change of plans…I am seeking to gain your opinion and your support for a flexible approach to how we gain for Montserrat, a first class football and sporting facility, as well as a very essential, safe airport that is long enough to provide the boost our island's economic recovery and future needs.
A football stadium at Geralds would fit all
physical planning for the area, as the British Government through the Department
for International Development had already committed to putting a sport complex
in that exact location, with an emergency landing grass strip as part of the
grounds. That was before the idea of eventually returning to W H Bramble airport
idea had fallen through because of the serious doubts about the volcano and its
activities.
"Disasters
Happen, There is Need to Get Beyond the Negatives and Impossibilities"
Most residents of Montserrat look at television. It has long replaced many other worthwhile social activities and functions. Many of them at some time or other, being religious people as we claim to be, would have heard the phrase, if not at their own church service, "everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die."
When associated with the spiritual world it may not be difficult to understand, but when used in the temporal sense, as it is often applied, it can become a debatable matter for some.
But perhaps some meaning could be given to this, even in the spiritual sense, right here in Montserrat, since it has been long believed that the spiritual can only work well when some order is brought into the temporal world, individually and severally.
How can this lesson be useful to Montserratians in their quest to show that the "resilience" for which they have become noted can be turned into a positive future for those who will be past their working age and those who are being worked for by them?
It does appear that some people want to make money but without the understanding that some monies have to be spent in the first place. Those in the private sector and those in business know only too well, we hope, that this is an absolute necessity, especially when the money required in the first place does not exist or is extremely difficult to come by.
But although every one has lost, a few, in spite of their losses, may still have enough and more, while most are in real need of assistance in order to recover. This recovery is vital to the future existence of this island if the resilience is going to be meaningful at all.
The British Government agreed, even if it was because of the resilience, that life, like the calypso said, "must go on" in Montserrat, and that Government would have to be the catalyst for a revived or perhaps new economy. Much has changed but because of the nature of what drove the economy, it could not be that difficult to achieve. This is only possible, however, if the people who are in charge of that drive are truly sincere and understand their role. It is here, it seems, that the problem exists.
If any complication can be claimed, it might be in the way the funds allocated to assist us were delivered. But if there had been any understanding of a pattern of behaviour or ideology, then matters could have been simplified. There is this failure to understand that if the baker does not first purchase the flour to make the bread, which he then sells at a profit, he would not make money. Then again, one only has to listen to the excuses why moneys could not be spent for just about anything one may find the need to ask about. There is this belief in hoarding the little that we have for fear of losing it, when a wise investment could triple that meager sum. Much of the problem is not recognizing the idea in the first place.
Much of this apply to the public sector, which must show its unwavering support in all things, but the private sector can take on the mantle of demanding of the public sector their responsibility. An enterprising private sector can be the tool in the hand of a dynamic government to create a masterpiece of a vibrant economy.
There is this difficulty to see beyond the negatives and impossibilities, to see the positives and the possibilities. Too often both in the private and public sector an idea is born, but immediately the negatives and the impossibilities set in when they are stopped dead by the ones with the initial responsibility to move the thought forward.
It may be premature to talk of self-sufficiency before having laid the foundation for the necessary infrastructure, yet it behooves us to know that thoughts and dreams of grandeur, of the good old days, are allowed, but only if we strive not to make dreams our master and thoughts our aim. We need to stop thinking and talking of recapturing the Montserrat we once knew, and start working towards making it a reality. Life is a series of triumphs and disasters. When each one of us entered this world, it was painful to someone. As we have learned from experience, when disasters happen, we cannot help but pick up the pieces and start again, perhaps at the beginning. The kind of Montserrat we knew, wish for, and hope to build, can only be realised when we selflessly invest in the re-development of this country.
And there are many ways that we can do that, beginning simply with every single person understanding our role in the process.
An investment in Montserrat today is an investment in the future of our children and our children’s children.
The legacy we bequeath them must be such that they will proudly take up the mantle and do all in their power to further enhance and fortify the work we have begun.
No greater reward can be attained than that of
having something you‘ve given your all to develop and protect, adopted by
someone who seemingly wishes to love and protect it even more than you did.
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 letters or 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 emailed or be called in at telephone 491-4715 or Fax
491-2430
A Message of Hope
[Jesus said,] "In my Father's house there
are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you?'' - John 14:2
My 5-year-old nephew fell through the ice on a pond and drowned. My sister was devastated. During her long period of grief, she and I searched for the meaning of life and death. Why did this happen to her beautiful child? What hope did she have?
As we struggled to understand, we discovered a promise that Jesus made to his disciples: "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?'' My sister thought she would never again experience peace; but she found a measure of comfort, knowing that Jesus had prepared a special place for her child.
The death of someone we love is always difficult, especially when the person who dies is a child. At some time, we all experience the death of someone dear to us. Whether death occurs from natural causes or through a tragedy, we can find comfort and strength in Jesus' promise that our loved ones have a place in God's house.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for life, with all its joys and blessings. We ask you for strength to face the sorrows of life. We pray that you will put your hand on all those who grieve and who need your reassurance. Amen.
Thought for the Day
We can entrust those we love to the unfailing love of God.
Carol Brown (North Carolina)
Montserratians Come Home for Festival
By Helena Durand
Notwithstanding worldwide reluctance to travel in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States, many Montserratians are coming home for the festivities this year
Already more than 200 persons have returned to be part of the festive season. View the Festival 2001 Schedule
Of the persons who arrived here between Friday, December 7, and Wednesday December 12, 167 are nationals and 74 are non-nationals. Of the 74 non-nationals it is believed that some may be residents who stay on the island on short terms or otherwise.
Those numbers are expected to increase over the coming weeks.
For that same period last year, there were 170 nationals and 79 non-nationals.
Inspector Steve Foster, Head of the Immigration
Department, said for the year 2000 total arrivals to Montserrat were 25,741.
Departures were 24,537 for the same period.
”So far, for the period of January 1, 2001, to October 30, 2001, the arrivals
stand at 23,845, and departures are 23,124,” he said.
To facilitate easier access to the island by Montserratians returning for the Christmas holidays, a government official was seconded to Antigua this week.
The official’s presence is expected to expedite matters so that Montserratians and visitors, from the United Kingdom in particular, will no longer be forced to overnight in Antigua before coming to the island.
In support of this move, Montserrat Aviation Services (MAS) has put in place alternative arrangements to accommodate the large number of people returning home.
A MAS official said the ferry is expected to leave Antigua at 5:30 p.m. today but will not return to Antigua tonight, nor will it return to Antigua on the night of Friday, December 21.
MAS therefore advise passengers with international bookings on these days to take the morning ferry service.
Also, tomorrow, December 15, and Saturday, December 22, the ferry will make an additional trip between Montserrat and Antigua, leaving here at 7:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The Friday changes are said to accommodate the large number of Montserratians arriving from England at about 4:00 p.m.
The ferry will stay over in Montserrat on those nights because officials say on occasions the sea could be rather choppy.
However, the ferry's owners are unhappy because they would rather the ship not overnight in Montserrat at all.
Trips arranged for Saturday will accommodate the many persons who travel between Antigua and Montserrat on the weekend.
Dr. Lowell Lewis, Minister of Communications and
Works, said, “We have a booth at the airport now but we have not been able to
send anybody inside because of security reasons. But the Chief Minister has just
decided through his office to provide the CFM in Antigua with about $4,000 a
month towards the running costs. In exchange for this, one of the services
we’re expecting them to deliver is that they will assign one of their staff at
the airport to assist people traveling to Montserrat when there are large
numbers.”
Rotary Club
Celebrates Its 31st Charter Night
The Montserrat Rotary Club on Saturday night last, celebrated in style, its 31st (anniversary) Charter Night, inducting three new members, two honorary in His Excellency the Governor Anthony Longridge and the honourable Chief Minister John Osborne, and active member Jeoff Nova.
L to R - Rotary President James Hixon, HE Gov Anthony Longridge, hon CM John Osborne, Jeoff Nova
The induction of new members was one of the main items, though a brief ceremony, along with a buffet dinner, light music, and entertainment provided by the ever-popular Chadd Cumberbatch, who received a standing ovation following a performance made his still recovering from the flu.
The evening was a very full one and, according to guests who participated, "it was a satisfying evening." President James Hixon outlined several of the services and projects undertaken and planned by the Rotary Club during 2001, including the presentation of a bench at the Public Library, as well as $60,000 worth of books donated to the Club by Books for Kids International; 25 sewing machines to community groups; the start-up of a hydroponics project; involvement in the Meals and Wheels program. He spoke also to plans and projects under the various services of the club, Vocational, Community, reminding especially of the fund raising event Christmas Feste coming up on December 26 at Salem Park.
A Vote of Thanks by Rotarian Julian Romeo paid tribute to some former Rotarians, such as Eric Kelsick who, because of obvious circumstances, was no longer living on island. He thanked especially the expatriate community for their continued support to the work of Rotary, as it was they who brought the organization to Montserrat, remembering such persons as Samuel Parker McChesney and Tommy Thompson.
Montserrat is fortunate to still have one of the charter members in Rotarian Cedric Osborne.
In other Rotary activities, on Tuesday this week District Governor Paul Rodap, a native of Martinique, paid a two-day visit to the club as part of his tour of all the Rotary Clubs in District 7030, which run from French Guyana up through the Caribbean chain of Islands. His present tour took him through the Leeward Islands, after which he travels to Cayenne in French Guyana.
District Governor exchanges flags with local president, - Local president receives pin from DG
DG presented with a gift from the Montserrat club
The District Governor held the usual meetings with Club officials, lunched in fellowship with members at their regular Wednesday meeting, toured the island and paid courtesy calls on the Governor and Chief Minister.
The DG expressed satisfaction at seeing the club still functioning well and implored that it continue in the Rotary motto of "service above self" and to continue living the Rotary International theme of "Mankind is our business."
Former Governor
Dale Has Died in England
Mr.
David Kenneth Dale CBE, former Governor of Montserrat, died in Somerset,
England, on November 8, 2001, and was buried on November 26.
Mr. Dale was the fourth Governor of the island, taking up his post in 1980, replacing Mr. Giorlyn Wyn Jones CBE. Upon his departure from his post and the island on December 18, 1984, he was replaced by Mr. Arthur Christopher Walson CMG, who arrived early 1985.
The Montserrat Times, the only newspaper of the day, wrote at Christmas 1984 following Mr. Dale's departure, that during his tenure as Governor here many persons saw him as knowledgeable, highly competent and hard working.
From 1980 to 1983 he played a pivotal role in getting aid funds from Britain to Montserrat increased, but, according to the newspaper, some felt that he had gotten too involved in the politics of the country.
He is said to have reorganized and modernized the Montserrat Public Service structures and left a legacy of manuals, which are still in use.
Mr. Dale was seen as a very decisive person, taking decisions, which many would have avoided, and exhibiting sound, unbiased judgment in so doing. This earned him the respect of politicians and civil servants alike. He was well liked by Montserratians generally.
Mr. Dale was also known for his early morning walks up to Parsons, across Lovers Lane, down to the Groves, up to Richmond Hill, and elsewhere.
He brought to Montserrat experiences gained in his career while holding the positions of Chief Establishment Officer, Financial Secretary and Deputy Governor. He thus proved to have had a well-rounded background in public service matters and a thorough understanding of how government functions.
Condolences are hereby extended to his family,
especially his wife Hannah and his son Peter.
Medical School
Gets Government Approval
Montserrat Government officials announced that the John Osborne Administration has granted an operating license to the Medical School of St. Mary.
The school, which has medical affiliations in Philadelphia and Puerto Rico, has its head office in the Cook Islands.
The school is expected to begin operations here in January 2002 with an initial student body of 20.
Officials say the advent of the medical school on Montserrat may be the catalyst needed to revive the island’s dying economy.
Already the vision of home owners and hoteliers
having rooms occupied, grocery shopping increased, the utility companies getting
revenue, and the government benefiting from the school’s license fees, may
prove once and for all to the outside world that Montserrat is getting back on
its feet, by having a part of that world make its home on the island.
FIFA Official
Predicts Bright Grenade Future
Grenada, CMC - An official of soccer's governing
body believes a proposed football technical centre to be constructed here could
be a catalyst for the development of the sport in Grenada.
FIFA's Regional Development Officer, Keith Lookloy, told reporters on Wednesday
the FIFA-funded project "should take Grenada football, and sports in
general, into the next century."
Mr. Lookloy is here on a three-day inspection visit which includes a tour of the
proposed site of the project and meetings with officials of the Ministry of
Sports, engineers and the executive of the Grenada Football Association (GFA).
The project is due for consideration in March 2002, but FIFA's President, Sepp
Blatter, promised on a visit to the island three months ago that the project
will be approved.
Credit Unions,
Airlines Form New Partnership
The benefits of being a credit union member in the Caribbean will now extend to the skies, following a pacesetting arrangement recently brokered between the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU) and regional; carriers Air Jamaica and LIAT.
The three organisations have come together to bring unique benefits to the regional credit union organisation and its membership, and the airlines have both been appointed official carriers for the 2002 CCCU Convention in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
In announcing the plan last Thursday at the Grand Barbados Hotel, CCCU’s Vice-President Roselyn Cassell-Sealy, said benefits would extend beyond the convention and into the future.
She said all concerned looked forward to a long-lasting relationship to the benefit of both carriers and credit unions in general, both at the corporate and individual membership levels.
Renford Douglas, CCCU’s Chief Executive Officer, said the benefits would include significant corporate discounts that would assist the organisation and its projects, and the wider membership.
“We do a lot of traveling, having members in 18 countries and having projects all over the region. We have consultants traveling the region, board of directors, all committee members and volunteers. So we will obtain discounts from the carriers to do our business, which will mean less cost to the organisation,” Mr. Douglas said.
Michelle Gellineau, convention and special events
coordinator, said some 1,000 participants drawn from 18 affiliate countries in
the region, as well as representatives from the international credit union
movement, are expected to attend the July 20-26, 2002 convention.
Support Local Business At Christmas, Urges CM
By Helena
Durand
Chief
Minister John Osborne is urging Montserratians to "buy local" to
support the private sector during the festive holiday season.
That was his message when he declared Festival City open last Saturday evening,
“Many businesses have donated money, equipment and time in order to help the spirit of festival," Mr. Osborne said. ’If you do not support local business, our country becomes poorer, and festival activities will diminish in both quantity and quality.”
To encourage local purchase Mr. Osborne said, “The Government is erecting a booth in the centre of the Village [Festival City] so that our local entrepreneurs can display and sell locally made craft and preserves. You can buy your Christmas gifts and souvenirs right here in the village. This Christmas ladies, and gentlemen, buy local and support our private sector.”
“The Government” he reminded his listeners, “is giving you an extra $2 million this month in the private sector paid to public servants and we want you to spend the money in Montserrat.”
Having that money spent here may be easier said than done, since over the last few years, even when Montserratians had little money to spend, most people flocked to Antigua doing thousands of dollars worth of shopping.
When people are asked why so many spend their money in the neighboring island rather than on island, the answers are generally the same. “Things are cheaper in Antigua. We really get value for our money, even if we have to pay the ferry or the helicopter to get there.”
There are those, however, who do not believe
shopping in Antigua is cheaper. Almost echoing this sentiment, Mr. Osborne told
his listeners, “We don’t want you to go off to other countries to spend the
money, let the money circulate here and bring some to Festival City.”
Football League
Ends Successful 2001 Season
Police team captain Julian Wade receives MFA League Champions Trophy
The Montserrat Football Association (MFA) labeled its 2001 Football league a success on Sunday, something that MFA official James White said did not at first seem possible.
The league came to an end with the final match between Ideal team and league winners Police, which ended in a two goals tie.
A brief prize-giving ceremony following the match, which saw Ideal trying to avenge their previous loss to Police. Despite playing on a slippery Salem Park, the undefeated Police, having already won the championship, held on, while Ideal, which had lost two of their previous matches, might have represented some of the difficulties experienced in ensuring that the league took place.
Officials proved difficult to reach and did not return calls to explain exactly what difficulties were experienced, but the Association, which is the only sporting organization on island that boasts a fully run office, provided much information regarding statistics and results of the various matches towards the end of the league competition.
There were five teams in the league: Police, Ideal, Tremors, MSS and Trendsetters, placing in that order. Police led with 24 points followed by Ideal's 16.
Police and Island player Ottley Laborde scored 21 goals for the competition followed by Mark Stephany also of Police with 13 and Neil Jones of Tremors, veteran Joseph "Pop" Morris, a distant third with six goals.
At the prize-giving ceremony, five prizes were awarded as follows:
Kelvin Ponde (MSS) 'Most Improved Player', and
Marcelin Cassell MSS team captain recieves award for the 'Most Improved Team'.
members of Ideal team celebrating the 'Fair Play' award
Festival City Opens With Music, Dance
By Helena Durand
Chief Minister John Osborne declared Festival City officially open last Saturday night despite showers, which threatened to put a halt to the activities.
Sparkling Diamond Cheer Leaders
Dancing to the pulsating beat of music, the Emerald Star Cheer Leaders set the stage for the show. Sparkling Diamond Cheer Leaders followed them. There were also performances by Energetic Dancers and the Latino Explosions.
Shortly thereafter, the five contestants for the Miss Montserrat Pageant 2001 made their first appearance. They are 18-year-old Sasha Farrell, sponsored by Delta Petroleum; 22-year-old Shenlia Fenton, sponsored by Tropical Mansion Suites; 18-year-old Letticia Allen, 19-year-old Lyandra Hobson, and 20-year-old Roselle Osborne, all sponsored by the Montserrat Festival Committee.
On Sunday evening the contestants participated in the Swimsuit competition, preceded by the Cheer Leaders, with intermittent renditions by guest artist Spice. The contestants danced as a group before appearing on stage for the swimwear competition.
In fitting swimwear, each contestant strode gracefully before the appreciative crowd and the judges, Brian Cottle, Valerie Samuel, Fitzroy Buffonge, Lyndell Greer, Alric Taylor and Jadine Glitzenhirn.
The result of the competition, however, will become public knowledge only on the evening of the actual pageant, carded for Sunday December 29.
Earlier, on Friday evening, 18 calypsonians set the crowd rocking with their songs of varying tempo at the Calypso Extravaganza.
Director of Culture Miss Shauna Harley told the Montserrat Reporter, “The only thing missing was the masquerade. They have not made any appearances to any of the shows. I think they are having internal problems.”
That notwithstanding, she said, she was pleased with the start of the festivities and that “We can only go forward from there.”
She is concerned, however, about the tardiness of the spectators, she said. “I think the crowd need to get to the show on time. They complain that the show is short, but it only appears that way because they are late and have missed out on some of it. The Opening was carded for 5:0o p.m. on Saturday, yet people actually started coming in at 6:00 p.m.. The Governor, Chief Minister, and other persons had to wait half an hour. Then we had to start the show, we couldn’t wait any longer.”
But some members of the public complain however, that the swimsuit event was poorly coordinated. They contend that the show was much too short and had nothing to do with persons coming in late or otherwise.
One disgruntled spectator said, “In my opinion
the venue was not suitable for a
swimsuit competition...MC’s play a pivotal role at shows ensuring that the
patrons are entertained…..hope we have an exciting festival and not a boring
bacchanal.
Presence
of Hepatitis B Worries Health Officials
Health officials on Montserrat say there has been a worrying increase in the number of Hepatitis B cases, with more than 20 cases recorded for the year.
In a ZJB radio interview Health Education Officer Almae O’Garro said that number, though seemingly small, is significant for Montserrat given the island’s population.
Hepatitis B, which is linked with sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, is apparently creating a problem for health services here.
The disease is considered even worse than AIDS, in that it is incurable, and kills infected persons in a shorter time frame.
Hepatitis B, she said, “is an infectiously transmitted disease which affects the liver. You can get cancer of the liver, and what it does is kill you faster than HIV/AIDS.”
By affecting the liver, it makes the person become jaundiced, “And your kidneys shut down, and your liver doesn’t function. …The liver is the powerhouse of getting rid of the waste in the body. When that’s not functioning you are in trouble. So if you become infected with Hepatitis B, which is sexually transmitted, you know that you are shortening your time.”
The scariest thing about the disease is that
unlike AIDS, which is for this era at least the most feared disease, Hepatitis B
can also be contracted from an infectious person through body fluids such as
saliva.
Police Force
Pleased With Quiet Festivities
The Royal Montserrat Police Force (RMPF) is pleased with the manner in which residents on Montserrat behaved themselves during the festivities last weekend.
Superintendent of Police John Douglas told The Montserrat Reporter, “It was very quiet.”
He said he was particularly pleased because with the ingestion of alcoholic beverages, people sometimes do things, which they would not do normally; therefore, the Police applaud “all residents who participated in the festive events in one way or another, yet kept their control.”
“It is a pleasant trend,” Mr. Douglas said, noting that around this period last year, “it was about the same. There was nothing alarming. We need to encourage the people to keep it up.”
He believes that with this attitude, the future can only have good things in store for those who participate in the festivities; adding that, it also gives visitors a first hand impression of how "peaceful and crime free" the Emerald Isle really is.
Operating
Theater To Move to Hospital
Current operating theater in Sweeneys
Mrs Idabelle Meade, Minister for Education, Health and Community Services, said this week she is confident that medical services will be greatly enhanced early next year when the operating theater is constructed on the hospital compound in St Johns.
She told the Montserrat Reporter that while enhanced services will be provided, patients may still have to travel to Antigua for some emergencies.
“This is not unique to Montserrat,” she said. “Hospitals around the world transfer patients to and from other hospitals all the time. For Montserrat, in case of emergencies such as heart or brain surgery, patients will have to go to Antigua. At the new theater we will be able to cope with emergencies such as broken bones, and stabilizing patients of serious accidents before transferring them to Antigua.”
She said the Government is focusing on the new theater because it recognizes the need for an efficient operating theater on the hospital compound. The current operating theater is located at Sweeneys.
“When we moved to the north, it was an emergency situation,” Mrs. Meade said. “Where the hospital is now was a school, and there was no place for an operating theater, so it had to be placed on the next available location.”
A completed memorandum for the project is to be
submitted to the Department for International Development (DFID) for approval.
When approved, the theater will be constructed with possibilities for future
expansion.
Man, 52, Loses All In Judy Piece Fire
By Helena
Durand
Fifty-eight-year-old Alfred Warner, more commonly known as Gabriel Paul, lost all his earthly goods when fire consumed the house in which he lived in Judy Piece last Saturday.
He told The Montserrat Reporter that he is still unsure what caused the fire.
He said awoke about 8 o’clock Saturday morning, remembered some food he had in the fridge, “So I take it to warm it. But when it was warming the gas finish so I take it out and put a new gas. As I light the match, vroom! The gas just flame up in my face.”
Although his face, chest area and arms were stinging terribly, Mr. Warner said he attempted to put off the fire.
When he realised that the flames had spread to various parts of the house and were beginning to overwhelm him, he said, “I run to the bedroom and pass out to through the back door. I couldn’t save anything.”
Mr.
Warner now shares a house with a man, who rents from the same landlord at Judy
Piece.
With tear-filled eyes, he lamented the fact that at his age, after living on his own since he was 25, he had to share a house with someone.
“He did not say anything, but you have to remember, not everybody like to have people in their foot. Now I’m living in someone home, it means I will maybe have to come in at certain hours,” Mr Warner said
A non-established worker with the Public Works Department, Mr. Warner said he has spoken to the authorities about his plight, but has been told that while they could probably build him a new home, he has to have the land on which to build it.
“That is the problem” he said, “I don’t have any land. I don’t have anything.”
Could the site where he lived not be cleared and rebuilt, since the authorities only need the land to make this possible?
Landlords John and Margaret Duberry, who have been assisting Mr. Warner with meals since the fire say, after thinking it over, they are willing to allow the authorities to build him a home in the spot where he lived.
“He is a very nice man,” Mr. Duberry said.
An official of the Ministry of Education, Health and Community Services said packages of food and clothes have already been given to Mr. Warner and that “Plans are afoot to build him a house when land can be found to do it.”
The official therefore was grateful when told that the Duberrys are willing to let Mr. Warner take down the skeleton of the gutted house and put up a new home of his own.
The official said, “That makes it easier because I am sure we can get a few men from Public Works to put up something there for him.”
So the chances of Mr. Warner getting a new home
for Christmas or even early next year seem very possible.
LIAT is Official
Carrier For Credit Union Confab
The airline LIAT has been appointed official carrier to the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions conference in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, next July.
It will work in collaboration with Air Jamaica.
Areas Sales Manager Keith Scott said the conference would give Air Jamaica the opportunity to provide direct transportation to the CCCU delegates from Air Jamaica’s three Eastern Caribbean gateways of Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia.
He said Air Jamaica would also provide seats from its other Caribbean destinations of Nassau, Grand Cayman, Curacao and Belize.
LIAT’s Director of Marketing David Stuart said,
“The credit union movement continues to make a significant contribution to the
social and economic development of our region.”
UWI Professor condemns arrest of Dominican by US
Barbados,
, CMC - A University of the West Indies (UWI) political scientist Dr Neville
Duncan Thursday criticised United States authorities for the manner in which the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducts operations in the Caribbean.
At issue is the recent arrest in Puerto Rico of Dominican businessman Julian
Giraud on money laundering charges.
Giraud has been charged with 15 counts of money laundering stemming from the
operation conducted by FBI Special Agent John Osa.
In an affidavit signed on November 5, Agent Osa said he posed as a consultant
for an organisation dealing with illegal funds, with offices in Florida.
Osa said that he met Giraud and his business associate Brian Boeger in Dominica
in April 2000 and asked them to launder monies for him, and that they both
agreed.
The agent said that following the April meeting he sent them US$800,000 to
launder, of which they were paid almost $48,000 in fees. THe FBI agent also said
he met the men in Dominica on at least two occasions.
"It is a massive assault on the sovereignty of the region. I really think
that the Caribbean as a whole should come down on this.
It should not be possible that any agent of any foreign government should come
into a country and be engaged in criminal activity," the political
scientist based at the Mona Campus said.
One Dominica cabinet minister complained to the CMC that the government was
unaware that a U.S. law enforcement agent was operating in the country.
Professor Duncan continued: "In fact, I would seek to have that person
charged under our national laws and (seek) the extradition of that person back
to Dominica for proper trial."
A senior police officer in Dominica, clearly upset over the force's ignorance of
the operation, stressed that any Dominica law enforcement official wishing to
conduct a similar exercise in the U.S. would have had to go through the
diplomatic channels.
Professor Duncan said he was not so sure based on the evidence he has seem that
there was a case against Giraud.
"Basically, I think it is a disgusting effort by the U.S. authorities and
they must really try to stamp out this kind of activity. This is a case of
entrapment manifestly.
"It is not as if the person was committing a crime before and you now set
out deliberately to do this," Dr Duncan said.
Dominica's Prime Minister Pierre Charles could not be reached Thursday and the
FBI office in Miami refused to answer calls.
The incident involving the Dominican national reflects an increased effort since
the September 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. to interdict money laundering
efforts as part of its activity to confront terrorism.
Just two weeks ago, U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for an offshore
banker in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Thierry Nano who eluded capture by
flying to the French overseas department of Martinique.
And several weeks ago, Barbados Attorney General introduced new anti-money
laundering legislation in parliament, at the same time warning lawyers about
using client accounts to launder ill-gotten funds.
A team from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) based in Paris, France is at
the moment visiting some Caribbean territories for talks with officials.
Jamaica Company Offers Cheaper HIV/AIDS Drugs
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - Jamaican food and
pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor, Lasco Foods, is putting cheaper
HIV/AIDS drugs on the market, company officials announced Wednesday.
The company said that the cost of the series of anti-retroviral drugs would be
up to 80 percent cheaper than those now on the market.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lascelles Chin said the products will soon
be available under the brand name LASMED, produced for Lasco Foods by Cipla
Limited of India.
He said in a media statement that thousands of Jamaicans suffering from HIV/AIDS
could not afford the high cost of medication for treating the disease, and Lasco
decided to step forward and find cheaper, effective drugs.
"We believe that we are fulfilling a mission," Mr. Chin said. "If
you are sick in Jamaica and need medication, Lasco in making available an
affordable alternative."
Several sufferers in Jamaica have complained
about what they consider to be the high cost of HIV/AIDS drugs.
Power-sharing Bid Rejected In Trinidad's Vote Standoff
Compiled
from dispatches
Trinidad, CMC - Trinidad and Tobago's Opposition
Leader Patrick Manning on Wednesday rejected a proposal from Prime Minister
Basdeo Panday to share power in a government of national unity to break the
deadlock resulting from Monday's general election.
Mr. Panday's United National Congress (UNC) and Mr. Manning's People's National
Movement (PNM) won 18 seats each in the 36-seat parliament.
Mr. Manning the country's next prime minister must come from the PNM.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Panday had made it clear that he would not surrender
power to anyone.
Mr. Panday had called on the PNM to consider joining in a government of national
unity where the role of prime minister would be rotated to end the gridlock.
The proposal was debated by the PNM's General Council and it was agreed that Mr.
Manning should meet with Mr. Panday to discuss his proposals with a view to
arriving at some mutually acceptable, workable arrangement.
In his letter to Mr. Manning, the prime minister said discussions for such an
arrangement for a national unity government, place high priority on a number of
pertinent issues.
These include the immediate rationalization of the operations of the Elections
and Boundaries Commission, the swift establishment of appropriate mechanism to
examine and recommend constitutional reform, and the appointment of an
"omnibus" Commission of Enquiry to investigate persistent allegations
of corruption of government transactions.
"With the parliament evenly divided, neither the PNM nor the UNC can
effectively govern the country for any significant period of time. The date of
fresh elections will be a matter for joint determination," the letter said.
Mr. Panday said that no option that can reduce tensions in the society and
permit the business of the country to proceed should be ignored.
"I trust that the leader of the PNM will be willing to consider my proposal
for sharing power in a government of national unity.
"To do otherwise would leave the country in gridlock, the society polarized
and the economic advantages and strength that Trinidad and Tobago now enjoy
under serious and continuing threat," Mr. Panday said.
The PNM said in a statement it stands ready to cooperate with all initiatives
that are designed to advance national cohesion and protect the national interest
without compromising fundamental principles upon which it was founded and on
which the nation has been built.
These include morality in public affairs and the need to eradicate corruption in
the public sector, appointment of commissions of enquiry to foster and encourage
accountability in the administration of public trust, and review of the
operations of the Elections and Boundaries Commission and constitutional reform.
Dominica's Croplands Free of Pink Mealy Bug
Dominica, CMC -- Dominica's agricultural crops
have not been affected by the pink mealy bug, despite the presence of the pest
on the island for some time, according to Charles Pierre, acting Director of
Agriculture and Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer.
Mr. Pierre said that since the discovery of the pest on the island last June,
mealy bug infestation has remained confined to isolated residential areas, and
only indicator plants were affected.
"We still do not have any infestation in our major crop lands and the
infestation continues to be in people's back yards and near the roads," he
told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) Wednesday.
Dominica has been following the
example of other Caribbean countries, which have successfully combated mealy bug
infestation through biological control.
Ladybird beetles are being used as a natural biological agent against the pink
mealy bug.
Mr. Pierre said parasitoids and predators, which were imported into the island
and released in infected locations, appear to be achieving some success.
Since it was first officially reported in Grenada in 1994, the mealy bug has
spread to a number of countries in the region, including Trinidad and Tobago,
St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Curacao, Anguilla, Guyana, the British Virgin Islands, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,
Montserrat and Antigua, with reports of its presence in the French departments
of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
PM Arthur Stresses Regional Integration
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC -- Barbados Prime
Minister Owen Arthur has called on leaders attending the Third Summit of the
Association of Caribbean States (ACS) to refocus their efforts at regional
integration in a "serious and sustained way."
Noting that the Caribbean Basin states represented the sixth largest market for
U.S. goods, Prime Minister Arthur told the Heads of State and Governments that a
redistribution of even a small portion of this trade among themselves could have
important benefits.
Addressing the Summit in Margarita, Venezuela, Mr. Arthur said Tuesday that this
redistribution was even more valid particularly in tourism and financial
services.
"What is needed is a determination on our part to refocus our energies to
develop our economic space, and to promote intra/ACS trade and economic activity
in a serious and sustained way," he said.
Mr. Arthur said that international developments have served only to reinforce
the validity of the integration of the wider Caribbean as a vital buttress in
the face of globalization and all its attendant challenges and opportunities.
"The economic integration of the Caribbean," he argued, "must
therefore be seen, as perhaps never before, also as an essential component of
any strategy to lessen our dependence on the one market whose decline has given
rise to our current difficulties, while at the same time laying the groundwork
for the terms of our participation in the economy of the Americas."
Top OECS Calypsonians Singing for Environment
The three top calypsonians from the inaugural
OECS Soca Monarch competition are meeting again in St. Lucia, yesterday and
today.
Vincentian Godfrey Dublin, Antiguan Toriano "Onyan" Edwards, and St.
Lucian Ignatious "Invader" Tyson are pooling their talents for a major
public awareness campaign about managing the environment in OECS Member
States.
The three have teamed up with St. Lucian musician, arranger and recording studio
owner Ronald Boo Hinkson to produce a series of audio and video Public Service
Announcements (PSA's) on Environmental Management. The OECS Natural Resources
Management Unit (NRMU) is undertaking the project.
Arrangements were made for them to meet with the media today at the OECS
Secretariat to talk about their environmental concerns.
Godfrey Dublin won the first OECS Soca Monarch title in July this year with his
big hit "Taking 'Way Somebody Woman"; Invader took the runner up spot
with his French Creole-titled hit "Belelesh" (to envy); while Onyan of
Burning Flames fame was third with "Swim."
World Bank Disclaimer Draws Fire from Antigua
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC - Antigua and Barbuda
government officials have taken issue with the World Bank's position that the
nation would not be eligible for emergency financing to increase security at
airports and other facilities because it is classified as an "upper
middle-income" country.
A statement from the Office of Prime Minister Lester Bird said late Tuesday that
World Bank officials had said the country would not be eligible for this
assistance principally because of this classification.
A high-level government delegation met senior officials of the World Bank in
Washington last Friday, to explore emergency financing to cope with United
Nations and other requirements for increased security arrangements at airports
and other facilities in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on
the United States.
Tuesday's statement said Financial Secretary Alphonse Derrick detailed the
country's case for emergency assistance: higher costs for increased security
arrangements, government financial support to the hotel sector, and a decline in
tourism resulting from the fear many people now have of flying.
The government will continue to fight its case, the statement said.
Senior Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders, who was part of last week's delegation,
said the World Bank must respond to the needs of Caribbean countries before they
become too poor.
"It seems that economies must be impoverished and people put on the bread
line before the Bank will respond to the need," he said.
"Some bank officials seem not to understand that if they do not assist
small and vulnerable Caribbean economies in a timely fashion, these countries
will all be reduced to poverty. We are in extraordinary times requiring
extraordinary responses, not the usual prescriptions," Sir Ronald added.
The government announced on Monday that an adjustment programme was being
designed to help the country cope with the economic difficulties caused by the
fallout from the terrorist strikes.
The government, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the Caribbean
Development Bank (CDB), will implement the programme.
It said an agreement to design and implement the programme was reached during
talks in St. John's last Tuesday by teams led by Prime Minister Bird for the
government, Compton Bourne, president of the CDB, and Sir Dwight Venner,
Governor of the ECCB.
Dominica Opposition Calls For Government's Removal
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC - The opposition United
Workers Party (UWP) is intensifying its campaign for a change of government in
this small Caribbean nation.
even as it waits for word from Prime Minister Pierre Charles about the outcome
of investigations into the alleged association of Finance Minister Ambrose
George in a money laundering case.
Over a week ago, Mr. Charles announced that Mr. George had been asked to take
two weeks leave, pending information which the prime minister expected to emerge
from the December 10 hearing of a case in Florida of Dominican businessman
Julien Giraud, who faces several charges for alleged money laundering.
There have been numerous calls for Mr. George's resignation since it was
discovered that he was travelling with Mr. Giraud at the time the businessman
was arrested in Puerto Rico on November 17.
Mr. George has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in illegal activities.
The prime minister said he expected to make a statement on the matter after
December 10. However, he was attending the meeting of the Association of
Caribbean States (ACS) in Venezuela and was not expected back on the island
until Thursday.
The UWP is among political and civic organisations, which have accused the
finance minister of tarnishing the image of the country.
The opposition party has been taking its call further and has launched a
campaign for the removal of the coalition government from office.
That was the theme of a UWP rally held on Sunday where party leader and
Opposition leader, Edison James, repeated calls made at a public meeting in
Roseau last week, for Dominicans to get ready for a change of government.
"There have been several calls from several quarters for the minister of
finance to resign or be fired," James told the Caribbean Media Corporation
(CMC) Monday, "But our position is that it is not only the Minister of
Finance, it is the entire regime."
"This regime has brought the economy on its knees and we are not going to
accept that it is based on any globalization, or the September 11 incident in
the United States. Heaped on all that, we find that the minister of finance has
his name now embroiled in a suspicious money laundering activity," he said.
The UWP leader rebuffed the suggestion that government should live out its
five-year mandate. He stated to party supporters at Sunday's rally that in other
Caribbean countries there were examples where the people had revoked a
government's mandate before the five-year term had expired.
Meanwhile, Dominica's Tourism Minister Charles Savarin vehemently denies holding
talks with the opposition leader Edison James to discuss means of bringing down
the current government.
Mister James told a rally of his United Workers
party's on Sunday that two meetings were held before last June's budget to
explore the possibility of bringing down the coalition government of which Mr
Savarin was a part.
He said the second meeting was face-to-face with Mr Savarin.
But Mister Savarin, who has just returned to Dominica from the tourism summit in
the Bahamas, told the CMC there was no truth to the allegation.
He referred to a previous allegation by Mr James who, in the mid 1990's accused
the then Prime Minister, Dame Eugenia Charles, of plotting to bug his party's
offices.
A commission of inquiry into the allegations found that Mr James had lied and a
high court judge subsequently ordered him to pay over 72 thousand dollars in
damages to Dame Eugenia.
Mr Savarin suggests that the opposition leader is again making up a story in
order to get his party re-elected.
New Anthony
Cabinet Takes Oath in St. Lucia
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC - Members of Prime
Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony's new Cabinet were sworn in Tuesday, a week after the
St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) was returned to power in a general election.
The swearing-in was held at the House of Assembly and was presided over by
Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, assisted by the Cabinet Secretary,
Victor Poyotte.
Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony was sworn in last Thursday for a second
consecutive five-year term, after his party won 14 of the 17 seats at stake.
On Monday, Dr. Anthony announced his new15-member Cabinet, including a new
Agriculture Minister, Calixte George, a former Minister of Communications and
Works.
CARICOM
Summit Calls For Strategic Tourism Plan
Jamaica
Information Service
KINGSTON,
Jamaica -- A special CARICOM Summit on Tourism ended in the Bahamas on December
9, with participants agreeing to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the
long-term sustainability of the industry within the region.
The
plan is to be submitted for approval at the next CARICOM Heads of Government
Conference to be held in Guyana next July.
That
decision is in keeping with a recommendation made by Jamaica's Prime Minister P.
J. Patterson, who called for the development of a Master Plan for Caribbean
Tourism at the conference.
The
push for a common approach to the region’s tourism has also been endorsed by
the World Tourism Organisation, which sees this as a positive move towards
improving the competitiveness of the product in the global marketplace.
Dr. David de Villiers, Deputy Secretary General of the WTO, told the Barbados conference that during the 1980s, the Caribbean had 0.9 percent of the world market. That decreased to 0.8 percent in the first part of the 1990s, and from 1997 that percentage has slipped to 0.7 percent last year.
Similarly, he said the same negative trend was observed with regard to tourism receipts in the region, with CARICOM countries’ market share of world receipts declining from 1.8 percent in 1985 to 1.1 percent in 2000.
The Summit also established a Committee to examine the operations of the cruise shipping sector and to recommend ways to create linkages between that sector and land based tourism, and to maximise the benefits that may be derived from the cruise sector.
The search
is on! We have but a few weeks to find the solution to our problem in West
Indies cricket team. The same question that I posed in February 9, 2000 is very
much relevant more than one year after. When will our cricketers become men?
When will they graduate from talents players to pedigree players? These are
questions that are troubling thousands of despondent West Indian cricket lovers.
I have always argued that Test cricket is for men and not for boys, and the
evidence strongly substantiate that argument. The difficulty for us and
particularly for the selectors, is to determine the correct gestation period of
the youngsters; when to switch the investment from an average player to a
younger player and; how far does one go in making difficult choices in a lean
period as we are experience now.
The
problem of West Indies cricket obviously mirrors the larger social, political
and economic problems that have retrained the development of the Caribbean
region since the 1990s. This partially explains why the team has not fared well
since 1991, and why the period 1997-2001 has been the lowest in the history of
West Indian Test cricket. The body blows have been so devastating that many of
the patrons are contemplating giving up on what they see as some unproductive
professional. They are fed up with the not-so-young players who have failed
after a prolonged tenure to mature into men and are impatient with the young and
promising players who have failed to graduate from boys to men after a few
tours. Many are upset with the young seamers who exhibited flashes of brilliance
with the ball but have not come close to proving their worth in the big game.
Now that the youngsters, particularly Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga and Marlon Samuels, still fettered by a combination of poor techniques, fluctuating confidence and weak mental fortitude, what do we do about the senior players in the team or those still talented but on the outside? Should we give these boys a longer gestation period or should we reconsider Jimmy Adams (who is doing fairly well in South Africa)? Should we re-entrench Shivnarine Chanderpaul who has played for a long time but have not established himself as a pedigree batsman? Given the problem of the firm of Gayle and Ganga to establish the West Indian enterprise against good swing bowling (they failed to establish a partnership above 15 against Sri Lanka), should we re-consider the more experienced employees, Stuart Williams, Sherwin Campbell, Adrian Griffith, Philo Wallace and Robert Samuels? If you were selectors, would you be acting responsibly replacing the young brigades with the old brigades? Do you truly think there would be much values-added in such a decision? Can you answer this question without fear and favour, without giving primacy to nationalistic or parochial interest, without succumbing to personal or sectional preferences? Would you be placing national interest over regional interest if you, driven by the frustrations that anger all of us, make a near-wholesale policy change?
There is hope! This is where the double world record holder is called to assume leadership. And his development is encouraging for the team. Having given up the captaincy, lost his international prominence even if he is still respected as one the master craftsmen of the modern game, Brian Lara, confessed that a period of coaching from the great man, Garry Sobers, is helping to transmogrify him. He seems to have a new passion – a new resolve and a new mission. And we hope that that fire continues to ignite him into action and keep him away from the distractions that almost decimated his checkered character off the field. His hunger to become the highest accumulator of test runs in history of West Indian cricket seems to be transforming him into a dangerous tiger again. After all, he needs to contribute in re-engineering process, having been part of the all the lows of West Indian cricket. I had always argued that if Brian was relieved of his added responsibility to allow him to concentrate on his batting, he could be of more value to the team and provide more valuable leadership to the youngsters through the flashing blade.
Our
blowing attack is our weakest link. After maligning Ambrose and Walsh, arguing
that they were being kept beyond their usefulness (an accusation that the two
great men literally destroyed with their exceptional performances, ending career
with 405 and 519 wickets respectively ), we may be experiencing our worse
bowling crisis since the lean years (1969-1973). Where are the bowlers? The
cupboard is almost empty. We saw young talents; we saw a big tear-way in Marlon
Black; we saw a new Malcolm Marshall in Corey Collymore; we saw a wicket-taker
in Merv Dillon; we saw a reincarnate Michael Holding in Reon King; we saw a new
deceptive Colin Croft in his fellow Guyanese, Colin Stuart. We were so excited
by them that we quickly sidelined the aggressive Franklyn Rose claiming that he
is too indiscipline to represent us; we refused Nixon McLean for taking too long
to learn the art of pitching up even if we did very little to develop his
confidence by entrusting him with the new ball, with which he does better. But
the international terrains have exposed them all our new talents.
Like Franklyn Rose and Nixon McLean,
we have killed the potential of our fire power in the past through faulty
selection policy. We failed to tap fire power of Ian Allen, Cameroon Cuffy,
Casper Davis and Kenneth Benjamin.
We
are now learning that international fast bowling is a hard work. It needs time,
hard work, mental fortitude, fitness, endurance, physical and mental discipline,
and expert coaching. And both Franklyn Rose and Nixon McLean are more capable than
their replacements with both bat and ball.
We
definitely need to revisit that policy decision. We must find strike bowlers –
bowlers who, at least look like taking wickets in Test cricket. Moreover, we
pray that Cameron Cuffy is fit for the Pakistanis tour
This time the scouts must search
without prejudice and sift without fear and favour. We are bound to a land where
we were whitewashed with a superior team.
We cannot afford to make a mistake.
Peter
Adrien is a Central Banker, an author, a syndicated sports commentator, and a
freelance photographer. He may be contacted Peter at www.adreinsenterprise.com
or at e-mail: info@adriensenterprises.com
PHOTO
CAPTION:
McLean is
ready to let it go (Photo: Peter Adrien)
Peter
Adrien
Determining The
Risk: Oral Sex & HIV
Did you
know that girls and young women are 50 percent more likely to contract HIV
than young men? In honor of World AIDS
Day, learn more about this deadly disease
that has infected 47 million people globally. Plus, find out the risk of
transmitting the virus through oral
sex.
"How easy is
it to transmit through oral sex?" "What can happen to someone with
this STD?"
"Can having this disease increase my chances of HIV infection?"
"What should
I know if my partner or I am HIV positive?"
POSSIBLE
HIV is in
precum, semen, and vaginal fluids of an infected person. The chance for
transmission is believed to be lower than through unprotected anal/vaginal
intercourse, but it is quite possible to get HIV through oral sex. To protect
yourself, you may want to use:
Tip: Putting
lubricant on the inside of a condom or on the inside of the dam next to your
partner may make it more enjoyable.
The following may increase your risk of HIV infection and/or
transmission during oral sex:
Rx for Montserrat
The C M was warm and sincere
As he launched this season of cheer,
Giving shoppers a shove,
If this island you love,
Whatever you need, buy it here.
Festival Spirit
Don't issue attendance commands,
But learn what the public demands.
They won’t come to yawn,
They've got to be drawn
To pageant and music and bands
Jus wonderin why Labour Speaks is allowed to wax
political on national radio and get
away with it.
Jus wonderin if any politician is behind this and what the motive is
Jus wonderin if they wondering if it is a
politician write this.
Jus wondering if we should expect labour speaks will be playing politics/politrics
until next election
Jus wonderin why everyone try to make a fool of Montserratians.
Jus wonderin when the new party will be announced.
Jus wonderin if the abstainees in the House are members of the new party.
Jus wonderin if God doesn’t call the qualified, who qualifies the called.
Jus wonderin if it’s true that he who can make you angry controls you.
Jus wonderin if people realize that praying is not giving God instructions, but reporting for duty.
Jus wonderin if love makes the world go round, why saying I love you does not put food on the table.
Jus wonderin if the CM encouraged better prices to help Montserratians shop here.
Jus wonderin what is taking the Christmas feeling so long to get here from just around the corner.
Jus wonderin how we can get the Montserratians who come for Christmas to stay here.
Jus wonderin if £72 million not enough for airport, nor ferry what exactly can it do.
Jus wonderin why some people insist on making God their co-pilot.
Jus wonderin if they don’t know the passage is safe only if they swap seats.
Jus wonderin if garbage is also spelled ‘refuse’ what do people mean when they say ‘no’.
Jus wonderin why things are so rough on this
island
Jus wonderin where the police is treating persons
so abusively.
Jus wonderin where the tax free salary will be
spent.
Jus wonderin who is the deputy Chief
Minister.
Just wonderin why culture feel that they are in
charge of our festival.
Jus wonderin if I can get a English chick for
festival this year.
Jus wonderin why the school teacher is singing
songs with bad language.
Jus wonderin where new years day will catch me.
Jus wonderin how come it looks like only party
members are hired.
Jus wonderin if it is another minister girl
friend who will run the Montserrat desk at VC Bird.
Jus wonderin if the Chief could not find another
friend to do the job.
Jus wonderin who DFID is sponsoring in the
calypso competition this year.
Jus wonderin where my next salary will come from.
Jus wonderin if the statutary departments will
pay an extra salary also.
Jus wonderin what is done for private sector
workers this Christmas.
Jus wonderin why married men are spending all
their money on Santo chicks.
Jus wonderin if Salem is the capital for the now
ever so popular activity and who controls it.
Jus wonderin why the charge is so much.
Jus wonderin if is another
minister’s girl friend will take over tourism.
Jus wonderin when we will correct the problems we
are having in Antigua.
Jus wonderin when the checking in Antigua will be
made hastle free.
Jus wonderin if we will get a new chief in the
new year.
Jus wonderin who will replace him.
Jus wonderin if Christ will be in our Christmas
this year.
Jus wonderin when more Montserratians will be
hired in the supermarkets.
Jus wonderin why Montserrat women do not like
foreign women.
Jus wonderin if they do not know that service
should come with a smile.
Jus wonderin if they need training in customer
service.
Jus wonderin if it true that 150 Santo chicks are
coming down for Christmas.
Jus wonderin if the supply will change the high price.
Jus wonderin if the calypso is about sex or
abuse.
Jus wonderin why it took so long and if the
minister can really get the ferry to stay in Montserrat.
Jus wonderin if me nar go be able to buy my
friend a gift for Christmas.
Jus wonderin if they are not doing more damage to
the beach in Old Town.
Jus wonderin if this government will last 5
years.
Jus wonderin where are the gift shops in
Montserrat.
Jus wonderin if I have to go to Antigua to get a
good gift.
Jus wonderin why the business houses are
complaining so.
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