SENIOR Counsel Hal Gollop, who is representing Prime Minister Freundel Stuart in the controversial Hyatt case, is arguing that political and social activist David Comissiong has no right to challenge Stuart’s decision to grant developer Mark Maloney permission to construct the US$100 million hotel on Bay Street.

This is the latest development in the case which continued yesterday in the Supreme Court, before Madame Justice Sonia Richards.

In addition, Queen’s Counsel Barry Gale, who is representing Maloney’s company Vision Developments Inc., also began to present a similar case, which he will continue next Wednesday August 16 when the matter returns to Court. Following that, Comissiong is expected to present his argument to the court.

‘Tag team’
“It is a tag team. Mr Gale and Mr Gollop, they are both supporting each other. So, Mr Stuart as the Minister who has granted this permission, and the developer, they are supporting each other in their challenge to my standing,” the attorney-at-law told the media during a brief interview following yesterday’s proceedings.

However, a seemingly confident Comissiong told the media that the facts and the law are considered to be important factors in the case.

Comissiong, who is being supported by his friend and colleague Bobby Clarke, stressed that it does not matter how many lawyers are going up against him, he will be dealing with “the facts and the law” when it is his turn to address the Court.

“We will have a decision from the judge in due course. But I will expect this case to go on and we will ultimately be looking at the merits of the claim that I have brought for Judicial Review.

“My claim is that before any decision could have been legitimately made on this application, it had to be subjected to an environmental impact assessment,” he said.

It was in March that Comissiong went to court to challenge the Minister responsible for Town and Country Planning decision not to conduct an environmental impact assessment on the property before granting the developer permission.

An outspoken Comissiong argued that the Prime Minister relied on an outdated Physical Development Plan, which is now 15-years-old and must be updated every five years.

“There is no injunction in place stopping [the construction]. There has never been an injunction in place stopping it.

“What is in place is a challenge to the permission that was granted and a request to the Court that that the Court quash that permission. That is all that is in place at this point in time,” Comissiong said.

Also making an appearance in Court yesterday was Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins.

The hearing started around 11 a.m. and lasted for almost three hours. (AH)

A no-tolerance approach must be taken to violence now!

Taking this firm stance, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgetown, the Most Reverend Charles Jason Gordon, said that the recent events marring the end of Grand Kadooment highlighted that the value of human life is of paramount importance, and as such everyone must work together to preserve it.

“This will require everyone working together as good neighbours, exploring all options and finding the path for justice, peace and love. Being a good neighbour also means speaking up, standing up and being ready and willing to get involved,” he said.

Extending sympathies to all the persons whose lives were affected by the shootings, he gave assurances that the church would continue to comfort the bereaved families of the victims of violence, while also working with all leaders in society in order to take “meaningful and swift action to address this scourge, this cancer that
is devouring and seeking to destroy our society and our next generation”.

“Whatever is the genesis of violence in our communities, we all have a responsibility to help our young people to see that violence is not the way for them to resolve conflict or disagreements they encounter,” Gordon insisted.

“The Roman Catholic family will continue to pray in earnest for mercy, peace, healing, reconciliation, justice and fairness; we also pray for our leaders to have wisdom and strength to mend our nation so that our young people, all created in God’s image, will put down their weapons, desist from violent and destructive behaviour, and work together in a constructive way, to build a better Barbados,” he added.

Bank Hall was a hive of activity on Grand Kadooment Day, as hundreds of Barbadians and visitors to the island waited in the broiling sun to watch the bands on Kadooment Day.

By approximately 11am, the first four bands had already made their way past Bank Hall, but it would take a long time for the other bands to follow.

In fact, that was one of the major peeves of the crowd, who bemoaned the lengthy gaps between bands, which many said killed the Crop Over vibe. Many also queried the constant playing of Trinidadian music and Crop Overmusic from previous years during the jump.

With lots of walls and elevated spaces in the area, persons could be seen at every available vantage point, some families making a day of it with packed lunches and drinks. Others could be seen buying food from vendors, ackees, water and of course sno-cones.

One of the interesting presentations was the visiting group from Guadaloupe whose afrocentric rhythms, produced by drums and other instruments, kept the crowd moving. Their performance however was interrupted when a by-stander collapsed on the side of the road, prompting members to rush to his assistance. Seemingly dehydrated, the man was soon revived and transported to receive further medical attention.

By 4 pm, the final band which crossed the National Stadium, Power X 4 Next Generation was making its way past Bank Hall. Shortly afterwards, a heavy police presence was seen on the road with officers, including members of the Mounted Branch, ensuring a path was cleared for the thousands of revellers in the band, signalling the end to the 2017 Grand Kadooment Jump Up. (JH)

If government steps up on its tax collection measures, there will be no need for the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL).

This was the frank assertion coming from General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Roslyn Smith, as she raised issues of concern during the Social Partnership Meeting yesterday at the Hilton Barbados.

“Government is guilty of not collecting revenue,” she lamented, highlighting several taxes including corporation tax and the value added tax as areas where efficient collection could make a significant difference.

“Some persons have not paid VAT since its inception,” she said, adding that once this was collected, it would solve a lot of the fiscal problems being experienced.

“We know that once the VAT is collected, it would solve a lot of our problems…We know that through this method, the generation from this collection, we might not need the NSRL. Just calling on the government; enough is enough! It makes no sense creating a new tax and then you do not seek to police it, and I am saying that at this point in time where the NSRL being 10 per cent, if you have to keep it, let it be up to five per cent. If you collect the VAT, it may outstrip the collection of the NSRL,” she continued.

Also adding that the Betting and Gaming Levy should be brought back under the Customs and Excise department for the collection of this revenue, she insisted that the NSRL be put on hold.

Agreeing with the sentiments expressed by many of those across the labour movement and the private sector that the increase of the National Social Responsibility Levy was too high, she questioned how effective it had been in the format for which it had been originally created.

“We were told that it was for namely the hospital and Sanitation Service Authority; it was to buy trucks. My understanding is that you have only purchased a hoist and the minister had said that the expected revenue would have been $40 million. However, we would have raised $60 million, so it is a case that you are receiving funds but we want to know how that money is being spent, because I am not seeing any development within the SSA. Far from that, we are seeing aspects of privatisation,” she stated.

Speaking on the issue of salary increases across the public sector, she insisted that it was time that there was closure on the matter, setting a September 30 deadline for such. (JMB)

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Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA), Charles Herbert, has raised concern that the Efficiency Committee re-established from within the Social Partnership has yet to present recommendations to the full tripartite grouping.

Delivering remarks at the Social Partnership meeting at the Hilton Hotel yesterday, Herbert indicated that after 11 months that committee is yet to report on its progress, and this, he said, is alarming as the work of that committee is “critical to the future of Barbados”. With that in mind, he said it is hopeful that this sub-committee will continue to convene and recommend improvements to procedures, processes and other measures to improve this country’s ranking and make the country more conducive to doing business.

He made the comments while noting that the private sector believes that the barriers to doing business in Barbados are largely responsible for the reduction in the level of foreign investment which we enjoyed in the past, and which boosted both our foreign exchange earnings and economic activity. Referring to the World Bank Doing Business Report, he noted that in 2013 Barbados stood at 88 out of 189 countries and had in 2016 slipped down to 117. While Barbados has dropped in its ranking, Herbert pointed out that Jamaica has moved up in its ranking, increasing from 90 to 64.

He acknowledged that there is some uncertainty about the process and accuracy of the report, but it is broadly acceptedthat the general trend as matter of our absolute rank is also worrying.

The BPSA official, referring also to the Deficit and Foreign Exchange Sub-Committees established on March 3, 2017, lamented that the recommendations put forward by the two eight-member bodies were not taken on board by Government in relation to the Budget. He said the committees submitted reports to the Prime Minister on April 12, and were discussed only once at a small meeting of the Social Partnership leaders on April 18.

“At this meeting we were told that that the major concerns raised in the reports would be addressed in the Budget, but could not be discussed because the Budget was confidential and the report should also remain confidential. No further meetings of the Sub-committee were convened…

“The Budget followed and we know how it dealt with these reports and how it diverged from the recommendations,” he said.

Herbert stated that the failure to include the recommendations from the committees – which comprised of members of all three Social Partnership groups – made it clear to them that Government did not see the concerns of the other social partners as important or urgent. This, he said, led to the July 24 march where thousands who shared concerns with the private sector and the unions took to the streets to protest the National Social Responsibility Levy and the other budgetary measures.

Nevertheless, Herbert said that they were prepared to “put the past aside” and use yesterday’s meeting to identify and remove obstacles that prevent meaningful
dialogue between the Social Partners and together chart a path to progress.

Touching also on the issue of crime and violence, the private sector official said while it was not an item on yesterday’s agenda, he felt confident that it would spark urgent national discussion.
(JRT)

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is calling for all hands on deck to deal with the crime situation in this country.

As he wrapped up the near eight-hour meeting of the Social Partnership at the Hilton Hotel yesterday evening, the Prime Minister, who chaired the meeting, contended that it is not helpful to try to politicise the issue of crime and violence because it is a social problem. His comments came against the backdrop of the recent gun violence taking place in this country, notably the incident on the Spring Garden Highway on Monday night and yesterday’s shooting in the vicinity of the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal.

He told labour, private sector and government officials gathered, that while the police and the judiciary are often criticised when things go wrong, that criticism is seldom warranted as they are on the output end of a process which begins at the input end – within our homes, schools and communities.

“Where there are failures at the input end, the output is bound to be what we are seeing. Crime has never been a legal problem; crime is always a social problem… Our homes are much weaker today in 2017 than they were in the ’50s and ’60s when a different Barbados existed and that has had implications for our schools and our communities, and we have to do some repair work if we are to be able to deal with this problem more effectively,” he maintained.

Contending that the situation did not get to the point it is at overnight, and it cannot be cured overnight, PM Stuart said there has to be wholehearted commitment to deal with the challenges head-on to help make Barbados a better place, and he is adamant all persons living in this country have a responsibility to commit to that effort. With that in mind, he gave the commitment that Government will do what is needed to discharge its responsibility to ensure that Barbadians do not “live lives paralysed by fear”, and that they can go about their normal routines without feeling that they are under attack. But, he contended that when Government has done its part, there is still an awesome responsibility held by every man and woman in this country to also play their role.

“The people who are committing these crimes were not flown into Barbados one night when we were all asleep. These are the sons and in some cases the daughters of parents that we know, who live in homes that we know, who went to school at schools that we know. So they are ultimately a reflection of some of our failings and therefore it is our responsibility to try and get all of this right,” he said. (JRT)

Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes, yesterday painted a sobering picture of the Barbados economy and outlined to the full Social Partnership some of what needs to be done to fix the situation.

The Governor’s comments came as he delivered a presentation on the performance of the economy for the first quarter of the 2017-2018 financial year at the Hilton Hotel yesterday morning.

“We face significant challenges. We continue to have low growth; our reserves are not where we would want them to be. The fiscal deficit has to be addressed and in so doing that would help to slow the rate of debt accumulation,” he said.

His comments came as he noted that the challenges facing the country at this time include a very large fiscal imbalance, which he maintained has to be closed. Haynes said while the decision of how to close that gap is up to the Minister, he is adamant that we have to find the financing by which to address it.

During his presentation, he said that it is important to determine how to increase investment in the economy. Haynes made the point as he said the investment ratio has dropped from 20 per cent in the 2000s to 15.5 per cent, which is not sufficient to maintain long-term sustainable growth.

He went on to say that foreign exchange reserves have been up and down, with it reaching $635 million by the end of the June, equating to 9.7 weeks of imports. This, he pointed out, is the a result of the high debt services. Moreover, Haynes stated that 2016-2017 financial year the deficit was estimated at 6.2 per cent, which he admitted is high.

The Acting Governor added that the country has lost a significant amount of revenue from the International Business and Financial Services Sector and that is one of the reasons driving the imposition of taxes to help close the gap as a result of a loss of revenue. To that end, he said it would serve the country well to see an improvement in the contribution from that sector, as it not only impacts revenue, but also affects the international reserves.

Haynes highlighted that another problem facing the country is that a significant amount of taxes are unpaid, and he argued that if a substantial reduction could be made in that figure, it would affect how public policy is framed. He noted that the last tax amnesty collected over $30 million and it is hoped that the current amnesty, which comes to an end in November, will net around $25 million. (JRT)

The 2017 Crop Over Festival has received a passing grade from Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart.

He told locals and visitors gathered for the annual Crop Over Reception, held at Ilaro Court on Thursday night, that the island’s summer festival was a success.

Stuart recalled that the festivities which officially got underway on May 14th with a Thanksgiving Service, served party-goers a menu of very impressive events, such as the Mega Cavalcade, Junior Monarch Competition, Kiddies Kadooment, Soca Royale, Pic-o-de-Crop Finals and Grand Kadooment.

“All of which have been substantially and resoundingly patronised by Barbadians and visitors. The festival could not have been a success without the patronage and support of all of the patrons,” he expressed.

“And I think that in all of this we can pat ourselves on the shoulders because we conducted ourselves with impressive dignity and with sobriety and put up the best face of Barbados.”

“I want therefore to congratulate all of you for being the model citizens and visitors you have been, and to assure you that your contribution in whatever way it was made, was deeply appreciated by the Government of Barbados and will be remembered,” Stuart said.

The Crop Over Reception, now into its ninth year, is known as the climax of the celebrations. Hundreds of guests had the opportunity to once again hear live their favourite calypsonians from this year’s competitions.

Conceptualised under the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration, Stuart explained, “We felt that it would have been churlish and ungracious of us to allow the season to pass and not give persons visiting us from abroad an opportunity to have a last taste of our Crop Over offerings, but also to say thanks to all the artists, musicians, sponsors and service providers who help to make the Crop Over season a resounding success.”

The Prime Minister also lauded the efforts of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), the agency responsible for spearheading this festival, as well as the Ministry of Culture’s tremendous input into its success.

DIRECTOR of the Urban Development Commission (UDC) Derek Alleyne says while many Barbadians are crying out about gun violence, the Commission sought to start a regional and national conversation on the issue about eight years ago.

Alleyne said while practically every day there are lamentations regarding young people and the country’s worrying crime rate, in 2009, UDC reached out to the rest of Barbados “asking them to help us to deal with the questions of guns”.

“We held three workshops, inviting people from across the region to come to Barbados and the honourable Speaker of the House of Assembly Mr Michael Carrington addressed the gathering.”

“We brought people from Trinidad, Dominica, Belize, Montserrat, Jamaica . . . We had a discussion about the way that we can respond to the gun violence in the Caribbean,” he explained.

While not getting too deep into the topic, the Director said a similar awareness session was held with the island’s Constituency Councils to discuss how the country must address the crime and violence situation.

Alleyne addressed teh subject, as he delivered opening remarks at UDC’s 20th Anniversary Annual Public Lecture, at the Commission’s Office, Bridge Street Mall, Bridge Street, The City, on Tuesday evening.

The Director suggested that some of the social issues Barbados is currently facing are all part of an urban experience.

He said despite the numerous challenges, members of his staff are always in the urban communities, seeking to address questions of poverty, homelessness, and family disputes, about other issues.

“I want to publicly say that I have some very dedicated officers, who in spite of whatever is out there, they go out.

“We don’t have big contractors with bulldozers and that sort of thing. Our contractors are carpenters and well-diggers who have to go into those communities and work,” he said. (AH)

A call is being made for men to step up to the plate and be the father figures for some boys in society who are desperately in need of these father figures.

It is coming from the Behavioural Change Specialist at Crime Stoppers Barbados, Imran Richards who spoke with The Barbados Advocate on the sidelines of the Urban Development Commission (UDC) Health Open Day.

He said that there are men in this country that are in a position to be good examples to these boys and they must recognize that their responsibilities do not just include fulfilling their roles in their own homes but also playing their part within their respective communities.

He stated that they do not have to take the entire community of boys under their wings, but if each man can take just one boy and be a mentor to him, teach him about God, be that ear for him to listen to and that sounding board for him to come and talk to when he is in trouble, then that would go a long way towards helping these young men.

“I think that men need to step up and realize that their responsibilities lie beyond their immediate families and that they do have a contribution to make and I feel that can simply be like taking a young boy or two individuals – it does not have to be everybody in the community you know – but you take just that one individual and you say to him, ‘How can I help you, I would like to meet with you once a week and maybe go through the Bible and tell you about life and sit down and have a talk with you for an hour just about life and life choices and life goals and so forth.”

Richards stated that there are a number of ways that they can accomplish this such as assisting that child with school work that they may be struggling with or organizing some after school or weekend activities for those children in the communities to have somewhere to go to and people to mingle with and this would in turn prevent them from going to the wrong places and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

“It may be like helping a kid with homework. ‘You know you need help in this area, well my daughter or my wife can give you lessons and you can come over to the house or she can come over to the community centre.’ You know, you can organize a tournament in the community and help to lift the community spirit and then use that as an opportunity to speak into the lives of kids. Starting a football club or something gives you access to these kids on a regular basis. It take their minds off the negatives and instead of liming on a block for the whole day, they now have something to look
forward to in terms of activities.”

Sherwin Greenidge, District Governor 60 B of the Barbados East Lions Club states the club is committed to reclaiming Barbados by helping young people.

While speaking to The Barbados Advocate at the Leo Forum on Cyber Bullying at Radisson Acquatica, he believes that parents, schools, community and organizations have to make a concerted effort to help young people become productive adults.

He said, “We have decided that we are placing an emphasis on youth, in doing that, we are focusing on programmes that we can get into schools and do projects that young people can build confidence and be aware of their civil responsibility ...It is important that persons from a young age know what is expected of them and [how] they are expected to contribute to society…”

He believes that if we work together from the guidance from the school, parents, church and organizations we can move young persons from being involved in criminal activity and being more civil minded and more involved in
productive avenues and allow our island to flourish.

He continued, “We are also aware there are many young persons who are obese and we want to launch an obesity programme in schools guided by a specialist where we can teach children the benefits of wholesome eating, exercising etc., to get young people to take care of their bodies…”

The District Governor indicated, “The Leo forum on cyber bullying and internet crime is timely recognising that in schools they have been complaints about cyber bullying. We thought we would use the consultant from the criminal justice system to share with young persons about cyber bullying, we have children from 4 H, and Scouts etc. attending the event.

We recognize that cyber bullying can severly impact persons with reports of some even becoming suicidal and you can have persons from outside of the country bullying your child. Therefore, we also invited parents because we believe parents should pay special attention to young person’s use of the computer and that they are aware of what is happening…” (NB)

Persons seeking employment have opted to look beyond Barbados’ shores for opportunities.

For many, the cruise ship industry continues to be an option.

“With the changes that have taken place not only in Barbados with the economy and shortage of jobs, but also in the other islands across the region, we are seeing a large increase in the number of applicants looking to make working on board cruise ships their form of employment,” CEO/Founder of Trinity Recruitment Services, Judeen Scantlebury pointed out.

For the past decade, Trinity – an executive recruitment agency based in Barbados – has been providing not only locals, but Caribbean nationals with jobs on board cruise ships, river cruises, as well as airlines. When The Barbados Advocate visited the Mall 34, Bridgetown office on Thursday, Apollo Ship Chandlers Inc. was conducting interviews for Housekeeping and Bar and Restaurant.

“Trinity Recruitment Services is the agent for the Miami-based Apollo Ship Chandlers Inc. We have been providing staff for their vessels since 2015,” she
disclosed.

“We are conducting the recruitment drive for the ships that are going to be based in Barbados from November 2017 until April 2018…They manage a number of brands but the ship that is going to be based in Barbados for the winter period will be the Thomson brand – Thomson Discovery.”

The candidates, ages 21 to 53 years, were screened and trained, and according to Scantlebury, “They have been brought up to the standard of what Apollo is looking for.

“Once we have completed screening, the next step is to take them through a series of training. We have implemented housekeeping training for those persons who don’t have any previous experience, so that they can fully understand what they are getting into prior to the recruitment managers doing the final assessment.

“Cruise ship employment is good because you don’t have any overheads while on board – no rent, electricity and food bills – so persons have an opportunity where they can work, send back home money and still have a little something to save,” she said.

Ivan Mosquera, Senior Manager, Shipboard Talent Acquisition at The Apollo Group revealed that this time around approximately 40 persons were selected to be interviewed.

“For us it is about the quality of the applicant. I am talking about skills. In many cases the experience might not be large in the number of years, but we also look for the soft skills – the attitude, customer service understanding – that is as well very important for us.”

“We are interviewing around 40 people and from those 40 people we expect to hire at least 85 to 90 per cent, if not the 100 per cent. That would be ideal but it is not always the case.”

Mosquera added that Apollo has been continuing its recruitment efforts in the Caribbean because “the workers coming from this region are dedicated. They are people who have a genuine interest to work on board the ships and that is key…. We don’t only want persons to come for one contract, we want them to stay with the company and hopefully progres through the ranks.”

MAGISTRATE Douglas Frederick is saying that too many young men are getting into trouble and have to go before the law courts because they are followers and not leaders.

The Magistrate is also concerned that way too often he has to deal with cases where young people allow their friends to encourage them to carry out illegal activities.

“Very often I see that friends tell people to ‘come let’s go and rob somebody, come let’s go and shoot this person’. They go, and when I ask ‘but why did you do it?’ They have no explanation really, ‘oh, he just tell me so’,” he said.

The Magistrate said there are also some young people who are watching television, getting negative ideas, and putting them into practice.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2017 Shaping Adolescents to Function in their Environment (S.A.F.E) Zone summer programme, held at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic last Friday, Magistrate Frederick said more leaders are needed in society.

“We need leaders,” he stressed.

“You [participants] have been given and equipped with the tools of leadership, so that when one of your friends tells you ‘come let us go and do something’, you would have to decide in your mind, based on your knowledge and your upbringing, whether that thing is right or wrong.

“You will be strong enough to say ‘no, I am not doing it’. You would be able to say no to drugs. You will be able to say no to a lot of things even though it may appear that you have to do this thing or you will lose friendship,” he added.

He urged the participants to especially pay attention to what they were taught about public speaking and explained to them that they will need it as they walk life’s journey.

He indicated that some young people struggle to articulate their points and express themselves effectively.

The Magistrate also urged the graduates never to give up on their dreams, even if the rain comes down or they encounter setbacks. He told them they must continue the journey no matter what, because at some point in time, there will be sunshine.

Magistrate Frederick said at a time when there is much talk in society about getting to source of the gun violence, he believes that more positive programmes such as S.A.F.E needs introduced in communities to guide at-risk youths. (AH)

THE rising incidence of crime and violence in this country has to be viewed and tackled at the forefront not just as a criminal problem, but to some extent as a public health issue.

That’s according to local medical practitioner, Dr. P. Abdon DaSilva. He made the point in a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate during which he was asked to weigh in on the incident that occurred at the Spring Garden Highway during the climax of the Crop Over Festival that left around 20 persons nursing injuries and one dead.

Dr. DaSilva maintained that the crime situation in Barbados has been unveiling for some time, but has been given more significance particularly because of the time of that incident and the “terrorist-like fashion” in which it occurred. As such, he is adamant that rather than looking to address the problem from a public safety standpoint, it is imperative that the authorities approach it as the public health issue that it is and not allow it to get further out of control.

“We are seeing more death and injury to persons as a result of crime and violence. The impact such incidents are having on the resources at the QEH is significant, but we cannot separate that from the impact on the victims, their relatives and society as a whole, which is now going to be living on edge; so it becomes a public health issue. I don’t know what the Ministry of Health intends to do or not do about it, but they must recognise that it is a public health issue and act,” he said.

Dr. DaSilva added that the violence being exhibited is also putting a strain on the financial resources of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and also affects other functions within that facility. He noted that where a lot of victims of violence are brought to the medical facility, be it the result of gunshots or stab wounds, they are going to have to be treated as a priority, pushing other cases aside.

To that end, he is adamant that a whole-of-society approach is needed to tackle the growing problem of violence in this country. The doctor maintains that in light of last Monday’s incident, the relevant authorities and leaders in society are going to have to determine how they will treat to it other than from a criminal or judicial perspective. He said that in addition to the law enforcement officers investigating these crimes, working to determine the origins of guns in this country and preventing them from coming in, there is also a role for the Ministry of Education to play.

“Are we in Barbados training children from an early age for them to develop good social emotional skills? If we are not, do we intend to? If we are doing it, do we need to improve it? It has been shown without a doubt that when you teach children good emotional social skills that they have fewer problems – they are better educated, have access to better employment, have fewer problems with substance abuse and antisocial behaviour, and there is less involvement in criminal activity,” he indicated.

Dr. DaSilva added, “We cannot lose sight of the fact that school is where children spend the most time outside of their homes. Clearly it is not being done in some homes, so the educational system now has to take a more active role. Violence begins early in one’s life-cycle and wherever and whenever it starts that is when it needs to be addressed.”

The medical practitioner’s comments came as he contended that the Church too has to step up to the plate. He said with fewer persons going to Church, the clergy has to devise ways that they can better reach out to persons. (JRT)

A SUMMIT is being undertaken in Barbados this weekend to empower women who are being abused, to gain the strength to turn to new chapters in their lives.

DRE Ministry International, a Bermuda-based religious organisation, in conjunction with the Church of God Jackson, is hosting its 2017 Women’s Summit in Barbados for the first time.

The summit, which started last Friday evening at the Mount of Praise Wesleyan Holiness Church, Tudor Bridge, St. Michael, and will conclude today at that same location, has been themed: ‘God’s Phenomenal Women – Positioned to Run, Rule and Reign’.

Pastor Reverend Dr. Deborah Evans, of DRE’s Ministry, who came to Barbados with a team of 46 people, said the purpose of the summit is to minister to women who are being abused and do not know how to tell anybody.

“We come to be a blessing to the women and just be real and create a safe place for these women,” she said.

The opening night of the summit was filled with worship and praise. Yesterday, workshops for young women were held, giving them a private setting to be opened about issues affecting them.

Pastor Evans told The Barbados Advocate that at times people look at the “conditions” that they are going through, not recognising that in the midst of those conditions, God is conditioning them for where they are going.

She made the point that some women endure abuse because of financial security.

The Pastor stressed that once a woman knows her value, she will know that she does not have to be validated by another person, and as a result, she will find the courage to step out of that abusive
relationship.

“I would say when we know how much value we are to ourselves first, then we can get out of those situations trusting God that he will make a way of escape,” she said. (AH)

The next generation of Caribbean science and engineering leaders are being groomed by the Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE).

Recently, the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) – facilitator of SPISE – culminated the 2017 programme which saw its largest class yet – 24 students – presenting their underwater robotics, renewable energy, computer programming and entrepreneurship projects to an enthusiastic audience of sponsors, instructors, colleagues, friends and family.

This year, SPISE was once again held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, welcoming students ages 16 to 18 years from 13 countries.

Professor Cardinal Warde, Interim Executive Director of the CSF noted that the students involved in its flagship project are among the best in the Caribbean region.

“We try to narrow the pool of applicants because we generally tell students if medicine is their primary interest, and if they are sure they want to becomea doctor, this is not the programme for them…This programme is geared towards creating and grooming more science and engineering graduates.”

“We are interested in jobs for the Caribbean; jobs for our people, and engineers and scientists create more jobs... Yes, being a doctor and lawyer are great professions, but a lot of our people go into those professions and in some ways, we are sort of oversubscribed. But we are very much undersubscribed in engineering and that is why this programme exists,” he said.

Dr Dinah Sah, Co-Executive Director at CSF and SPISE Director pointed out that of the 109 SPISE graduates, many have gone on to the world’s top universities.

“This September, we will have four former SPISE students at MIT, the largest number at any single University. We are tremendously grateful to our sponsors and supporters, without whom this programme would not have been possible.”

The successful four-week session was taught by SPISE instructors comprising of academic and industry professionals from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and faculty from UWI. In addition, career seminars from success professionals ranged from biotechnology and biomedical engineering to computational biology, optics and economics.

Barbadians are being told that there is legislation in place through which they can seek recourse should they consume food that is harmful to them.

That’s the word from Susan Sealy, managing attorney-at-law with Genesis Law Chambers, organisers of the Barbados Food, Law and Industry (BFLI) Conference. Speaking to the media during the third annual BFLI Conference held at the Accra Beach Hotel recently, Sealy said that many persons do not know they have rights if they are food poisoned, and through the continuation of the BFIL Conference, they intend to educate persons and also vendors, manufacturers, restaurants and suppliers of food about these rights.

“There are many instances I hear people say they go to restaurants, they eat food and they get sick, they go home, they have diarrhoea, they go to the doctor and that’s it. However from a legal point of view that is really a personal injury and the manufacturers here in Barbados and around the world they have a legal obligation to make sure that safe foods are manufactured and that the consumer’s autonomy in relation to what’s in the food is crucial,” she said.

While food poisoning is considered personal injury, the attorney noted that locally, persons generally do not pursue legal action to hold businesses accountable. She alluded that this should change especially given the devastating impact that tainted food can have on persons, even resulting in death.

“The Consumer Protection Act strictly states that a person who produces food is responsible if that food is defective; defective meaning it could be physical, it could be biological, it could be chemical hazards in the food that would affect the consumer’s health basically, and if it is not wholesome for that consumer, they have legal recourse under the law of torts, negligence,” she explained. 

Sealy added, “Tainted food can make you really sick and we are using this conference to educate persons that they have a responsibility to make sure as a manufacturer and distributor that we are providing food to consumers that is safe and wholesome… but on the other end now I would still have a duty as an attorney to tell persons, ‘hey if you are harmed by food, you definitely have to seek legal recourse.’”

She is therefore encouraging persons who have been affected by tainted food to stand up for their rights. Sealy made the point as she explained that in many cases they need not go to court to have those rights upheld. She explained that all businesses should have insurance that covers public liability through which they can settle claims, be they small or large, in relation to a customer’s personal injury claim. (JRT)

The Bridgetown Church of Christ (BCOC) has reached 25 years of existence and they began their celebrations with a spectacular service on Sunday morning at their location on Roebuck Street.

Twenty-five years may not seem like a significant milestone for a church, considering many other churches celebrate well over 100 years of existence but members of the BCOC are extremely proud to have reached this milestone.
The church was planted back in 1992 by two disciples, Michael Jean-Baptiste and his late wife Edith Jean-Baptiste. His son, the late Damian Jean-Baptiste and wife Karlene Jean-Baptiste, took over leading the church a few years later.

During his welcome sermon, Jean-Baptiste expressed how grateful he was to have seen the church reach this milestone even though looking back reminded him of his loss. “I cannot begin to tell you how I feel. Broken a little bit, but essentially happy; happy to see the many faces here. I want to welcome you this morning to this fascinating, exciting day, the 25th anniversary launch service of the Bridgetown Church of Christ,” he exclaimed.

Long time member of the church, Guy O’Neal expressed that he enjoys being a part of the church. O’Neal was converted back in 1990 in a sister church in Boston, and upon return to Barbados, joined the BCOC. He noted that it was smaller when they first started which made it easier to remain close to every member in the church. O’Neal added that even though the growth of the church has made it harder to remain close to everyone like in the past, the growth was definitely something to celebrate.

Head of the Planning Committee of the 25th anniversary celebrations, Dave Foster expressed that he, along with the other members of the planning committee, believed that 25 years was truly something to celebrate.
“We thought that it would be good to spread out the activities over a couple of months; so it won’t just be a one day celebration like we would have had in the past. We planned a few other events to commemorate the event,” he said.

He revealed that they planned to have a Fun Walk at the end of August, a Gala dinner at the end of September and a celebration service at the end of October.

“There are young people who are doing positive and striving for positive, so all our youth are not lost [and] our nation is not lost.”

Such a point was made by President of the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC), Roshanna Trim while addressing Friday’s Multi-Faith Service at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.

In her remarks, she also called for there to be a greater focus and development on the positives. She additionally highlighted similarities that individuals of all socio-economic groups share.

“What we need to do is that while we recognise the issues in our community that we continue to empower and encourage youth organisations and young people who dare to continuously strive to innovate and to make better for Barbados, to continue to seek for development and the best for youth development because youth development continues to be our goal at any stage of regional or national development.”

Friday’s service carried the theme “Youth Building Peace” and it was held to mark International Youth Day 2017.

The BYDC President said, “This weekend for us is about focusing on the positive which is all about recognising that we need to create outlets for our young people to strive and that we should never write off young people because as a country if we fail to protect our vulnerable, if we fail to create to outlet for them, if we fail to recognise that they are the ones that need our assistance then we basically fail ourselves as a nation.”(MG)

From all reports, the Open Day hosted by the Registration Department at its White Park Road, St. Michael office was well attended by members of the Barbadian public.

Registrar of the Supreme Court of Barbados, Barbara Cooke-Alleyne registered her delight with the turnout, following the day’s proceedings.

During the Open Day and Health Fair which took place on Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., inside the Supreme Court Complex in which the Registration Department is housed, members of the public were given the opportunity to tour the various sections of the Department, such as the Court Process Office, the Records Section, the Court of Appeal Registry as well as High Court Registry and a booth was also set up where persons could enquire about the Community Legal Services, commonly referred to as Legal Aid.

On display also were gowns worn by judges over the years, few wigs previously worn by judges as well, along with a display of equipment used in the Computer-Aided Transcription Unit, when cases are heard. The Open Day also featured blood sugar, cholesterol and diabetes testing, while manicures and pedicures were provided at a reasonable cost, for staff and visitors alike.

“It was well attended,” Barbara Cooke-Alleyne said of the Open Day.

“You would have seen the back in time regalia for the judges as they came through to the 21st century. You would have seen the different wigs. There was one there from an ancient period with a Chief Justice Archer that we didn’t even know existed. So that was good to see, those old pieces coming out. The public came out and enjoyed it,” the registrar commented.

Acting Legal Assistant Julie Vaughn who gave The Barbados Advocate a full tour of the different sections, meanwhile noted that Open Day formed part of the activities being hosted as the Registration Department celebrates 130 years. She too noted that the Department was happy to give back to members of the public.

As part of the celebrations, a Moot Court was held later in the day at the District “A” Magistrates’ Court on Coleridge Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael. The Moot Court featured cases involving a maintenance matter and an assault charge amongst others and Registrar of the Supreme Court, Barbara Cooke-Alleyne, explained that though the cases presented by staff members were treated with an element of humour, the Moot Court served as a way of bringing staff together, while allowing members of the public and law students to see what happens during court and to make an assessment of the right and wrong way of doing things.