THE Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) City of Bridgetown Branch has launched its new information centre at Queen Street.

DLP candidate for The City, Henderson Williams, who is hoping to win the seat in the upcoming General Election, told The Barbados Advocate during his ongoing Clean Up The City campaign, yesterday, that the new location will be used as a resource centre for constituents to seek relevant information.

“This is an indication that we are open for business. We are open to hear the residents of The City, to treat to their needs and certainly, it is something that we have been doing for a very long time,” he said.

Williams explained that the centre will be used during the election season as a space where persons can gather information on where they need to vote, among other relevant information.

“It is really a resource space. We want to create a space that we can touch everyone. Even though we already have two offices, one in Tudor Street and one in Evelyn Avenue, persons from Nelson Street still complain that those two locations are a little far sometimes.

“So, we are going to have someone at the centre to gather the information in relation to employment needs, housing needs, you name it. That information will be fed back to the office and we will start to process the information in interest of those persons,” he said.

Over the past 18 months, Williams has led a team of young constituents who have been assisting in the effort of cleaning up The City. The candidate noted that yesterday was a culmination of what his team has been able to do thus far, in relation to the series of clean-up activities.

“We started with the New Orleans, and we are now here in the Nelson Street area and its environs. This is really a culmination of more than a year of activity. We have touched the entire City because we said we didn’t want it to be a short public relations exercise…

“Over time, people tend to pile up old fridges, old stoves, beds, you can’t even imagine the amount of stuff that people have in their backyards. We have been able to activate the young men and women from the community. We are busy making The City a better place for all our City dwellers,” Williams said. (AH)

A historian is predicting that many of the newly formed political parties which will be joining the traditional Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and Barbados Labour Party (BLP), may not survive too long after the upcoming General Election which will take place on May 24.

Professor Emeritus Pedro Welch of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, who declared that he has no political affiliation, told reporters during a recent interview that he believes many of the new parties have not properly thought through their philosophies.

He said it may be a case of some of them taking advantage of the social and economic climate in the country to grab at opportunities.

The historian said it is clear to him that in some cases, several of “the new political appearances of the various parties suggest that the members have not quite thought out their philosophy as correctly as they should have”.

Professor Welch added that while he always held this belief, he alluded to the fact that just recently he heard a debate in a section of the media, regarding whether their candidates should be permitted to join other parties.

“But as far as I am concerned, that matter should have been settled long before. I think that the leader of that party ought to bite the bullet and withdraw the requirement.

“But many parties emerged mainly out of the current problems facing the Barbados economy and in some cases are a part of what I call part of an opportunity.

"The philosophical preparation which needs to be undertaken has not been taken. I can’t speak to what will happen in the future, but that is where they are at,” Professor Welch said. (AH)

THE students of West Terrace Primary were whipped into a frenzy recently as the school officially started a month of literacy activities.

Dressed in their bright T-shirts, students carried placards, posters, headpieces and even masks in celebration of the various aspects of reading, and they chanted: “Read, Learn, Achieve!”

Principal Beverley Burrowes explained that while the school is generally known for excellence in sporting activities with the West Terrace Tigers, it was decided to place the same energy into literacy, recognising that there is not that objective achievement in terms of creative writing and other areas.

According to Burrowes, “Literacy remains one of the main goals of education and the school is charged with the responsibility of creating literate students who can read, write and comprehend. Hence, one can deduce that no skill is more crucial to the future of a child, and ultimately society, than literacy. It can therefore be considered as the bedrock of education.

“With the new technology, cell phones, tablets, they are useful but we find sometimes that the children use them not for the objectives that we would like, so that a lot of language is lost. I think this month we would be able to recapture the interest with areas like poetry, dramatisation and story-telling,” she said.

During the month, the students will participate in book donations and book sales with persons coming in to read stories to the students.

“We at the West Terrace Primary School are making every effort during the month of May to sensitise and motivate our students about the value of reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary and other aspects of literacy,” Burrowes said. (JH)

Opposition Leader Mia Mottley promises that public servants will rest easy under a Barbados Labour Party Administration.

She revealed that if the May 24th General Election is in her favour, the first order of business will be to meet with trade unions in high hopes of securing the long-awaited pay increase.

But, Mottley declared that if there is no agreement within three months of talks commencing, a cost of living allowance will be paid to every public servant in this country.

Moreover, from June 1st she also promises that non-contributory pensions would be increased. The BLP Leader intends to move that figure, which currently stands at $77.50 a week, to $225 per week that will be paid every two weeks.

Mottley gave those assurances to the over 10,000 supporters gathered at Weymouth Grounds on Saturday night, during the launch of the BLP’s 2018 Campaign Lift Off.

Not taking away from the Manifesto launch, which is scheduled to take place this Thursday, she gave only a preview of their plans to take Barbados forward.

“I have come to tell you that we have come to stablise this economy and to make right some of the wrongs,” she stated.

“And therefore the first task of any new government is to stop the bleeding and make fundamental decisions about this economy…. Apart from the debt and foreign exchange, there are some things we have to get right. We will buy the buses, we will buy the 30 garbage trucks that are necessary to keep Barbados clean; we will deal with the South Coast Sewage Project immediately.”

The Party Leader further stressed the need to create opportunities for all Barbadians, stating “The notion that you can put in the hands of one or two people every contract, every tax return, every opportunity – those days come to an end with your help on May 24th.”
Signalling her readiness for the job, Mottley also made it clear that under a BLP Administration there will not be “two Barbadoses”.

“This is what I will measure myself by and the leadership that I bring to this country because I dislike and abhor unfairness.”

“We all know that when the Labour Party in power you have cash in your pocket. But, it is not only about cash in your pocket for today that I want you to have. I want you to start to understand that this is about creating wealth; putting down something that you can leave for your children.”

She continued, “I believe in Barbados and I believe that together we can turn Barbados around…I give you the assurance that the leadership I will bring to this country will defend the public’s interest at all times,” Mottley told supporters. (TL)

Barbadians want change, says Political Leader of the Barbados Integrity Movement (BIM), Neil Holder.

He told reporters on Friday that his candidates have been continuously hearing this expressed as they travel the length and breadth of this country.

“We are getting the call from Barbadians that they want something different. They don’t want to go the direction of the two existing, “non-existent” parties and I say “non-existent” because they are not really representing the full interest of the populous,” he stressed.

Holder, who was at the time at the National Housing Corporation (NHC) to pay his deposit with 10 of his candidates, said he entered the political arena to bring about positive changes.

“We need to stamp out corruption; we need to stamp out the squandering and wastage of the tax payers money, we need to have proper leadership and good governance in Barbados.”

“We started by stopping the sale of the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited and that is one of our national assets that was being thrown away for a pittance and in terms of achieving that goal we are also going to be looking at retooling how we do business in Barbados. So, we as a Barbados Integrity Movement administration, we are going to remove parliamentary pledges as well to ensure that all of us are kept in check and that the people of Barbados will have control over us and not we have control over you,” he said.

One of the many assurances that the Barbados Labour Party has made is, should they get in power following the 2018 General Elections, they will make sure persons will get to attend the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus at a significantly reduced cost. When asked how they plan to do such, St. James North candidate of the BLP, Edmund Hinkson assured they would “find the money” to do so.

Hinkson shared this with the media following a pep talk he delivered to the Class 4 students of the Gordon Greenidge Primary School, who were set to take the Common Entrance tomorrow.

He expressed that Barbados could have never afforded free University of the West Indies education, however, each government, from the Right Excellent Errol Barrow, to Tom Adams and so on, found the money to fund the education.

“We will find the money. It’s a question of priorities. At the time the DLP said they were going to save $42 million, it in fact turned out to be a lot less because the student population was cut so it came down to $30 odd million,” he said.

“We will find that money. We will obviously shift from somewhere to accommodate because we think it is a priority that is fundamental to the human resource development, and consequently to the overall development of Barbados, that the poor working class of Barbados has access and an opportunity to go to UWI,” it was further explained.

Hinkson went on to note that it was also the BLP’s plan to amalgamate the Erdiston College, BCC and SJPPI into the University College of Barbados.

“This was something that had started in terms of the amalgamation of those institutions under BLP, but it was not completed. This Government unfortunately did not go through with that and we felt that it was something that they ought to have gone through with. We thought it would have brought together the resources of those institutions, where, for example, rather than having a principle for each of those institutions, we would have one principle and one board of directors and it would rationalise costs in that way,” he said.

“We really can’t afford to have separate educational institutions as many overlap in terms of the same cause. So, a university college of Barbados would be on the front burner.”

The relationship between the agriculture and tourism sectors has improved.

So says CEO of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Rudy Grant, who was speaking to The Barbados Advocate at the Taste of the Caribbean Training Gourmet Lunch at Bajan Breeze, Divi Southwinds recently.

He pointed out, “We have a project that is presently ongoing. It is the IDB (Inter American Development Bank) Multilateral Investment Fund project. The purpose of that project is to strengthen linkages between agriculture and tourism. We are working closely with the Barbados Agriculture Society (BAS) as well as the Barbados Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) and that project is progressing well. We have 15 hotels as part of that project and we want to expand that to include restaurants etc…

“We recognise that such a linkage could assist greatly in further utilisation of Barbadian products, which will assist farmers. Also, this can lead to less demand on the importation of foreign produce, which will have an impact on foreign reserves. We are doing our part at the BHTA to strengthen the linkages between agriculture and tourism, we are taking action to facilitate these linkages.”

In terms of the development of the culinary niche in Barbados, the CEO stated, “While we are progressing well, it is important for us to continue to ensure that we put the necessary resources to facilitate the development in this area. Developing the niche to where we want it is a work in progress and therefore we have to continue on this road. The BHTA facilated last year the first Art of Cuisine and we intend to have that event in September 2018. The Art of Cuisine allows for an educational component in relation to culinary offerings. It allows as well full utilisation of Barbadian products, the chefs go out and go to different farms and look at the different produce they offer.

“The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has designated this year, the year of culinary experiences and I believe the BTMI has been focusing on that because they recognise this is a niche that can be further developed and enhanced.” (NB)

The campaign promises put forward by the Barbados Labour Party over the weekend have been dismissed by the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

The DLP candidate for St. Michael Central, Steven Blackett, who is the Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, dismissed outright plans by the BLP Leader, questioning how those plans will be financed. Speaking on Sunday night at the launch of the DLP’s 2018 Campaign dubbed ‘Do D Ting! Vote Dems’, he described the promises as unimaginative and lacking innovation, “just ignorant unsustainable political giveaways”.

“She is going to fix the sewage problem overnight; she is going to increase pensions 150 per cent in Barbados; she is going to purchase garbage trucks and she is going to buy Transport Board buses. She is going to increase public servants’ salaries; she is going to reinstate free education at the UWI; she is going to make the $120 million foreign debt payment that is coming up fairly shortly, while abolishing the NSRL. So she is going to increase expenditure and eliminate earnings and revenue,” he said.

He added, “So you can expect ladies and gentlemen that that will be Christmas in May and the five M’s will be in effect – Mia Mottley’s Money Making Machine.”

Blackett’s comments came as he told the crowd that the DLP Government has, despite the challenges, ensured that there were measures in place to protect the people. The Social Care Minister maintained that while some of the economic indicators are not where government would want them to be, most of the social service offerings are reaching the persons for which they were intended and touching the lives of most that require them.

He said his ministry has been rolling out programmes with “broad enough cover and influence” to strengthen weak family units and communities. All this, he indicated, is intended to change the lives of those captured in the social safety net of Barbados. He made the comments while charging that the none of the other political parties have said anything “earth shattering” as it relates to their plans for the social policies of the country, but the DLP has been and remains committed to safeguarding the people.

WHERE will the money come from, Mia?

That’s the question posed by Democratic Labour Party candidate for St. Michael North West, Chris Sinckler, in response to several promises made by Opposition Leader Mia Mottley during her campaign’s official launch on Saturday night.

One of the promises made by Mottley was to increase non-contributory pension to $225 every two weeks starting in June.

Speaking at the DLP’s official campaign launch late last night, Sinckler described this proposal as “madness” and warned that such a move would cause the National Insurance system to collapse. “Nobody explained to Ms. Mottley, that old age non-contributory pensions are indexed, by differential, to contributory pensions. So if you increase non-contributory pensions you have to increase contributory pensions.”

He explained that the basic formula would see the minimum non-contributory pension, which is $ 155 to increase it to $225. This would mean that for 6 300 pensioners, that figure is multiplied by 52 weeks and multiplied by 70.

This, he said, would see the non-contributory moving to a whopping $ 23 million per year. “We already pay $48 million per year in non-contributory pension. That is what the Ministry of Finance sends to National Insurance Scheme. And you are going to add on another $23 million on that and then compound it, because that is a 45 per cent increase. You now have to go and increase the contributory pension because there must be a differential between the two,” he explained.

He also rubbished claims that a new fleet of garbage trucks would be brought, explaining that one truck on average costs $700 000.

“Where is she getting this money from?” Sinckler asked suggesting that larger questions must be asked about how the Barbados Labour Party campaigned is being financed, given the lavish productions such as the launch held on Weymouth on Saturday night.

Sinckler also questioned promises to pay all arrears owed to the University, remove the National Social Responsibility Levy and reduce the Value Added Tax, all in one fell swoop. (JH)

The days of entitlement and bloodlines being responsible for persons attaining higher achievement in this country have long come to an end.

So says Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who said that the need to dismantle bloodline politics in this country is one of the reasons the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) was formed and the party has fought successfully against it over the years. With that in mind, he said such cannot be allowed to creep back into Barbadian politics.

He made the comments last night while rallying the troops at the launch of the Democratic Labour Party’s 2018 election campaign, dubbed ‘Do D Ting! Vote DEMS’ in the area outside the National Stadium.

“The Democratic Labour Party came into existence to end all of that, that is why we said we wanted to create a just society in Barbados, not bloodlines, not who your father is, or who your mother is, or who your grandparents are, or who your cousins are. No, no, no,” he maintained.

He added, “When noxious ideas are put into the atmosphere, put into the public domain, if you don’t kill them early they grow and then the time comes when it is too late to deal with them … when these things are put in the public domain they grow, they gain influence and then the time comes when it is too difficult to deal with them and that is what we are facing in Barbados tonight,” he told the crowd.

PM Stuart said such is not where he or the DLP want to see Barbados go. He made the point while reflecting on the national heroes, none of which he said depended on bloodlines to succeed, rather he stated it was “their discipline, their strength of character, their integrity, their honesty, their capacity for hard work, [and] their intellectual grasp of the issues around them”.

During the event, which drew hundreds to the area outside the National Stadium to hear from the ruling party, Stuart as he endorsed the candidate for St. Michael North East, Patrick Todd, called on the party’s supporters to give the DLP hopeful their full support, contending that he was a better fit for that constituency than the incumbent Mia Mottley, leader of the Barbados Labour Party.

“You have a choice between representation based on personal achievement and representation based on bloodlines, that for me is no choice in the 21st century… Not one person sitting behind me is where he or she is tonight based on their bloodline, all, every single one – hard work, sacrifice, effort, strength of character, personal integrity – these are the attributes, these are the values that have brought them to where they are tonight and we don’t wish it to be any different,” he maintained.

ENERGISED! That’s how Leader of the Democratic Labour Party and Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart feels after the party’s official campaign launch, which was held on Sunday night before a large crowd of party faithful at the National Stadium.

He made the comments yesterday after completing the nomination process at the Graydon Sealy School.

According to the Prime Minister, “I felt quite energised by the obvious energy of the DLP base and those who attended the meeting. I think the platform was a fairly energetic platform.”

The Prime Minister said while he is aware that the DLP has come under attack for statements made on the platform during the launch, he said “that is always a good sign”.

“It is never a good sign when your adversaries are praising you. Whenever your adversaries are praising you it means that you are behaving as they want you to behave. So I was quite satisfied with last night [Sunday],” the PM noted.

He said he was aware that there was specific criticism that too much time was spent during the launch discussing the Opposition Leader and not enough time was spent pointing to the way forward for Barbados.

“We have until the night of May 23 to tell the people of Barbados what we plan to do about solving their problems,” he stated. “We were in the constituency of the leader of the Opposition and we were there for a very good reason. And she had to be the focus of last night’s [Sunday’s] meeting. We are not going to be there every night so she will not be the focus of the campaign every night although I am sure she will come in for mention as we move around the country because she is campaigning to be the next Prime Minister of Barbados,” he explained.

“So we cannot ignore that fact, but we were in her constituency last night [Sunday], we went there for a particular reason to put her under the microscope and that is what we did,” he pointed out.

With regards to observations that the DLP seems to be lacking posters and other paraphernalia the Prime Minister responded: “We do not regard an election campaign as a parade of shirts and posters. I am aware that we’ve been having posters and so on since January. In fact in this constituency as in so many others, so far as our adversaries are concerned voters now find themselves in a position where they have to choose between the faded candidate and the fresh one, because posters were out so long,” he mused.

“We have been doing things our way. Yes we will have posters out in our way in the not too distant future. Let’s be very frank about it, the issues in this campaign are not going to be about how many posters you have on poles and how many people have on this or that colour shirt. There are critical issues that have to be discussed about the future of Barbados and that is where the focus of the DLP is,” he assured. (JH)

Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Mia Mottley, says she and the BLP remain focused on their mission to win the upcoming poll, so they can start the job of stabilising and then transforming Barbados.

She was speaking to the media after she was duly nominated for the seventh time as the BLP’s candidate for St. Michael North East, at the St. Matthew’s Primary School, Jackmans, St. Michael. Mottley, describing the 48 hours since the campaign’s launch as “very gratifying”, said that Barbadians will soon have another thing to look forward to from the BLP, their manifesto. While remaining mum on the details, the Party Leader said she believes that what is contained in that document, which is to be launched on Thursday, will be pleasing to Barbadians.

“This country has been hurled from crisis to crisis to crisis; none of us could ever have imagined that every institution, every sector, every group in this country has literally been hurled from crisis to crisis. It is a condition we take no delight in seeing, but it is a condition which we are intent on repairing and resolving. But not stopping there, moving on to transform the country,” she said.

Mottley added, “The truth is that the issues in this campaign are very clear, the Government will be held accountable for this crisis… and they must account to the country for the crisis whether it is a sewage, whether it is the buses, whether it is the lack of garbage collection, whether it is the hospital, whether it is the absence of materials in the primary schools, whether it is the inability for people to get jobs in the country.”

Referring also to the challenges in respect of the country’s foreign reserves, debt and the sluggishness of the productive sectors, the St. Michael North East incumbent, maintained that Barbados under the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has been “put into a state of crisis” and the DLP Government must account to the people for their stewardship.

Mottley’s comments came hours after the ruling DLP launched its 2018 elections campaign on Sunday night in the heart of her constituency, and questioned her competence to lead this country. In respect of those criticisms, Mottley was adamant that she will not allow the DLP’s “campaign tactics” to distract her and the BLP from their mission.

“The Democratic Labour Party has not been getting people to their meetings they have no way of exciting their base and quite frankly if that’s what they think would do it for the people of Barbados for them, so be it. They are big men and women, I know it reflects more badly on them than me and therefore I stand focused and remain ready to deliver the promises to the people we know can be delivered [and] to make a difference in people’s lives. And if taking lashes from them is what it is going to take to get rid of the Democratic Labour Party, measure the back,” she contended.

She was also questioned about suggestions from DLP candidate that outside forces may be contributing to the BLP’s campaign and interfering with elective politics in this country. Mottley said, “Yhis campaign is not about who I met with; it is about what the Government is doing. Have they told you what they are doing? Have they told you where they’ve gotten their money from? Have they told you why they haven’t spent the money on collecting the garbage or buying the buses?” (JRT)

Constituents of St. James South will see more representation in their areas as four political parties and one independent made their way to West Terrace Primary School on Nomination Day.

Yesterday, West Terrace Primary School, the designated nomination centre for St. James South was opened at 10 a.m.. It was bustling with activity throughout the day as various candidates came to submit their nomination forms. The first candidate to see the Returning Officer, Charles Phillips was Jacqueline Alleyne of Solutions Barbados. Alleyne took about twenty-five minutes to complete the process and came out smiling with her proposer, Linda Webster and Seconder, Dr. Ronald Webster. Her witnesses were Kirkley Gibson and Renaldo Mahon.

History made, Independents, Second party arrives
By 10:55 a.m., independent candidate, Nicole Howell had made her way to the centre. Howell arrived with her proposer, Anthony Simpson, Seconder Sergio Watson and witnesses, John Scott and Shane Agard. While Howell was with the Returning Officer, another independent Barry-Paul Scott came alone around 11:22 a.m. After speaking to election clerk, Linda Phillips, Scott told the media he will be returning with his proposer, Seconder and witnesses at a later time. For the first female independent, her forms were completed by 11:25 a.m.

In this Western contituency, Howell will make the fourth woman of the expected six candidates (at the time) to campaign in St. James South constituency.

By afternoon, it was a steady flow of traffic at the St. James South nomination centre as United Progressive Party (UPP) Leader, Lynette Eastmond and party members arrived with UPP St. James South candidate, Christal Austin at 11:31 a.m.

As Austin met with the Returning officer, cheers and loud music could be heard on the outskirts of West Terrace Primary School. With a motorcade of over ten vehicles, party supporters and members of the Barbados Labour Party, (BLP) traveled along Wanstead and West Terrace before arriving at the Nomination Centre. BLP Candidate, Sandra Husbands with a large entourage was accompanied by colleague Kerrie Symmonds. She entered the door of the polling station area as UPP candidate Austin and Party leader, Eastmond were being interviewed with the media.

Austin was supported by proposer, Mervin Yearwood, Seconder, David Austin, witnesses Ryan Odle and Faith-Marie Bryan and she finished the nomination process by 12:13 p.m.

Change in arrival time
Originally, Husbands was expected to arrive at the school at 10:45 a.m. Yet, second time running candidate for St. James South entered the centre at 12:10 p.m. and left there at 12:32 p.m. While she and her team were in the centre, at the entrance of the school, BLP members wearing the party colour red waited patiently for their candidate to emerge. After completing her forms, she exited the area followed by proposer, Shirley Forde, Seconder, Hermès Rayside, witnesses Rosalind Mccollin and Susan Bishop.

DLP, Tuk band attract students
Incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate of St. James South, Donville Inniss along with fellow colleague Harcourt Husbands and party supporters calmly strolled into West Terrace School to sweet sound of the tuk band. Curious students and teachers came out in their numbers to see the performance as Inniss spoke briefly with some to the media at the front gate.

No challenges, Independent does not return
Arriving at his expected time of 1:30 p.m., a confident Inniss took the least amount of time at the nomination centre as he came out twenty minutes later. His proposer was Ashley Browne, Seconder, Roger Hunte, witnesses, Cyrilene Miller and Kyle Inniss. Up to 2:30 p.m. Returning officer, Charles Phillips did not indicate any significant challenges on the day. Objections which are rare, could have been made between 3-4 p.m.

At 4:20 p.m., there were no objections and Returning officer, Phillips indicated that Barry-Paul Scott had not returned to the nomination centre.

THERE were no bells and whistles at the Graydon Sealy Secondary school but the five candidates contesting the St. Michael South seat were in high spirits and equally assured of their chances to win the upcoming elections.

From as early as 8:45 am, independent candidate Alex Mitchell was on hand to complete the nomination process. However they would have to wait until 10 am when Returning Officer Egarton Thompson officially allowed the individual candidates into the school hall.

Mitchell, while speaking to the media after completing the process said that he was relieved that the process was over, but expressed concern that persons are not given time out from work to assist in the nominations. He also suggested that nominations could be stretched over two days or the hours could be extended to allow persons to come forward after work. His proposer was Edward A.R Burke and seconder was Lorraine Dacosta.

He was followed by Sandra Corbin of the United Progressive Party (UPP) whose morning started on a rocky note after she lamented that her expected proposer was a no-show. After finding a replacement and completing the nomination process, the first timer flanked by her supporters said: “I feel confident.”

“I am sure that the UPP will make a brilliant impact and will surprise everyone. I myself in St. Michael South have had a very good reaction from all that I meet. They are ready for change. And what we have to ask ourselves as the people of Barbados and St. Michael South is, would you wish to continue with the current administration who have failed so far, can we still continue under these awful economic conditions that have been unable to prove themselves over this period of time,” she stated. Her proposer was Hamilton Cumberbatch while her seconder was Maria Williams.

Arriving at 11 am was Solution Barbados’ Paul Gibson and his team. “I am very excited that we were able to come here today and to take this step because we believe that we wanted to throw ourselves into this political space with the objective of offering Barbados a very suitable alternative.”

“Solutions Barbados Party would certainly put you the people Barbados first and make sure that we put money in your pockets by managing this economy in an effective way.” His proposer was Curtis Rouse and seconder Christopher Rouse.

After a lull of close to two hours, a sea of red could be seen approaching the Graydon Sealy School just around 1pm. Barbados Labour Party candidate Kirk Humphrey and an large group of his supporters made their way from his office on Culloden Road to complete the nomination process, with their banners and posters however without any loud noise and fanfare as reported in other constituencies.

Humphrey while speaking to the media after completing his nomination said: “I am feeling very good. My entire camp is in very good spirits. I’m ecstatic to have completed this part of the process and ready to move on to a very resounding victory to the people of St. Michael South. His proposer was Rosemary Leon and his seconder was Irvine “Big Red” Streete.

The incumbent for the constituency and Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt Hon Freundel Stuart arrived at the school at 2 pm with his supporters. He too said he feels “quite good” following the nomination process. “I’ve been at this for a little while now it’s not a new experience and I feel quite comfortable. I am looking forward with eager anticipation to the campaign and I am confident that we will pull it off,” he said. Stuart acknowledged that the issues facing the constituency are not fundamentally different from the challenges facing the country. These include infrastructure, housing and jobs. His proposer was Colleen Jones and seconder June Harris.

With the sound of Returning Officer Erline Holder’s voice clearly ringing through the air, the nomination centre for St. Michael West was declared open at 10:00 a.m. sharp. The incumbent St. Michael West member of Parliament, Michael Carrington (DLP), arrived shortly before eleven o’clock, accompanied by his party stalwarts, bathing the school hall in a yellow glow from the party supporters’ shirts and their palpable excitement.

Speaking to the press after the formalities, Carrington noted that even though there are challenges within the society, there was progress made with the constituency’s housing solutions and their youth programme. He noted that he would be staying on message, and continue to focus on employment and assistance for the youth, placing special emphasis on the Cultural Industries Bill.

Amongst a sea of placards, red shirts, and a large banner proudly stating, “BLP 2018. Best for Barbados,” the Barbados Labour Party representative for St. Michael West, Reverend Joseph Atherley, was accompanied by his supporters to the St. Leonard’s Boy School, where they came out in numbers to fervently back their candidate.

After receiving his nominations, Reverend Atherley told the press that his campaign has been going extremely well. He noted that even though he was confident during the previous 2013 campaign, that confidence has increased and extended itself to the 2018 Elections. Noting that Barbadians had a tendency of ‘giving’ political parties two terms at the helm, the dissatisfaction that is being heard around the island is a sure sign that a change is imminent.

Making a quiet entrance was Lana Toussaint of Solutions Barbados, whose nomination process was without incident.

Hailing from the Barbados Integrity Movement, former financial consultant, Neil Holder, arrived to begin his nomination process. Escorted by a group of young men from the community, Mr. Holder made it clear that he was running to ensure the youth’s representation. Noting that his travels had opened his eyes on how Barbados is viewed regionally and internationally, and that the island has “lost its way”, these instances cemented his decision to run for office.

The candidate from the United Progressive Party, Patsie Nurse, happily spoke on the overwhelming support she has gotten from the St. Michael West constituency. Admitting that this was her second time running for office, she spoke on the frustration that is rampant in the community and expressed her excitement and anticipation, if she was chosen to represent her golden community (TK)

With three newcomers and the incumbent, Christ Church West Central will be an interesting constituency to watch come May 24.

The battle lines have been drawn between the Democratic Labour Party candidate Stephen Lashley, Adrian ‘Medic’ Forde of the Barbados Labour Party, Ria Riley of the United Progressive Party and Kenneth Lewis of Solutions Barbados.

Arriving quietly just after 10 a.m. at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School, Lewis, with his nomination team, signed off on the papers presented to him by Returning Officer Walter Jones and Clerical Officer Mario Riley, before telling the media that the high cost of living was one of the many concerns expressed by the constituents that he would be seeking to address if elected.

Saying he had been well-received by those looking for a change, the small-business owner stressed “The Lord will direct the path in helping all of us.”

The arrival of Forde was marked by a party atmosphere at the school gates as approximately 40 supporters clad in red shirts waved placards to the chant ‘Vote, Vote, Vote, cause we with Forde’.

Dressed in a dark blue velvet suit, the pharmacist by profession made his way into the school’s hall, supported by his proposer Elaine Joseph, seconder Matthew Gittens, and witnesses Enita Morrison and Ryan Walcott at 11:37 a.m.

Insisting that the island’s future was at risk, Forde claimed that the rate of unemployment in the constituency was at more than 20 percent and said that a plan had been created to push entrepreneurship to drive this figure down.

“There must be a rescue effort in this country, there must be a restoration of faith and hope and there must be a restoration process,” he detailed.

A slight hiccup delayed what should have been smooth sailing for Lashley, the representative for the area since 2008, as after entering the nomination centre almost half hour after his scheduled 12:30 p.m. time, he could not locate his receipt, -vital to complete the process and had to leave to retrieve it.

His group therefore gave way to Riley, who completed her business quickly. Flanked by proposer Harold Ashby, seconder Jocelyn Grandison and witnesses Darren Parris and Jahver Morrison, she told the media that unemployment was a major concern as well as a lack of facilities for community activities.

Admitting to first-time jitters, she nevertheless said, “I know at the end of the day, I have a job to do and I have a team backing me 100 percent, so I am very confident in my duties.”

Returning just before 2 p.m. with the important document in hand, Lashley expressed confidence that he would retain that seat, while pointing to the work done during his tenure. “In our canvass so far we have gotten tremendous support. We have started a very developmental program over the last ten years and the constituents recognise that and I believe that they would be returning that confidence by selecting me on the 24th,” he detailed. (JMB)

Six candidates have been formally nominated to contest the upcoming elections for the St. Michael East constituency.

The representatives of Solutions Barbados, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), the United Progressive Party (UPP), the Barbados Integrity Movement (BIM) and Bajan People Movement (BPM) made their way to the Barbados Community College (BCC) to be part of the nomination process.

Betty Howell of Solutions Barbados was the first there around 10:16 am. She was joined by proposer, Stephen Howell and Joshia Howell, who seconded. Witnesses, Israel Howell and Daniel Howell were also present.

Howell, who is a first-timer, said she became a candidate because she believes it “is something that God would have me do at this time.” She told the media about her desire to see change in the constituency and in the island.

Howell stated that she had received “very positive” feedback from constituents who too would like to see change within the area.

The DLP’s Nicholas Alleyne also spoke about the positive response he had received from residents in the constituency.

Alleyne arrived at BCC joined by a small group of DLP supporters who carried placards. Among them were Audrey Burrowes who proposed his candidacy, Ivan Weekes who seconded, and Ian Marshall and Miriam Barrow who witnessed. His agent and campaign manager, Neville Brewster was also present.

The new DLP candidate additionally was supported by DLP’s St. Michael South East candidate, Rodney Grant and former parliamentarian Hamilton Lashley.

Prior to entering the nomination room, Alleyne paused briefly to speak with BCC students who looked on. He told the media he was “excited” to be the DLP candidate for the constituency and he “expects great things”.

UPP’s Paul Forte similarly spoke confidently about his chances of victory on May 24. His candidacy was proposed by Heather David while Kevin Hoyte seconded alongside Rasaan Browne and Francis Charles who bore witness.

Also there for his nomination were UPP Leader, Lynette Eastmond and UPP’s St. Michael South East candidate, Veronica Price. Speaking to The Barbados Advocate, Forte said canvassing has been “so far so good – we had good responses.”

The incumbent, BLP’s Trevor Prescod was upbeat when he arrived at BCC. He was joined by a stilt walker and a small group of supporters dressed in the party’s colour and carrying placards.

Prescod entered the nomination room with campaign manager, Cheryl Hunte and agent, Lorimer Denny. Proposer, Keith Weekes, Keisha Hall who seconded, witnesses Wayne Harewood and Leon Sargeant and a few supporters who also
entered the room.

He told the media that the 2018 general election will be a historic one for him and he would be victorious against the DLP’s Alleyne.

“As far as I am concerned this is going to be a signature piece. I am going to leave a record, in which this man who is a sacrificial lamb – I will beat him in every box across the constituency.”

Similarly hopeful to make history is BPM’s Founder and Leader, Rosie Daisley. The Independent and first-timer’s candidacy was proposed by Martin Gittens, seconded by Greta Gittens, while Ricardo Browne and Andrea Andrews were her
witnesses.

The final candidate to be nominated on Monday was BIM’s Rosaline Yarde. She was joined by proposer, Michael Rollins and Michael Sobers who seconded. Meanwhile, her witnesses were Michael D. Waldron and Phyllis St. Pierre. Agent, Nigel Boxill was also present.

Overall, Returning Officer, Harold Chase described the day’s process as “smooth and easy”. He said there were no major challenges and the candidates arrived at the times allotted.

The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) is seeking a meeting with this island’s top cop to tackle issues affecting the relationship between Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators and law enforcement officials.

This is following last week’s altercation between a police officer and a PSV operator, which was recorded by a member of the public.

While investigations are still ongoing into the matter, Public Relations Officer of the Alliance, Mark Haynes, said that shortly an official letter will be sent to the Police Commissioner requesting an audience to ensure that such an instance never takes place again.

“Our position is that behaviour is paramount. We expect the workers to do what they are required to do and to follow the regulations…We are of the view that the police have an important role to play and we are urging them continue to cooperate with the police force and we are maintaining that discipline must be a whole part of this exercise,” he added.

Admitting that the alliance had received complaints from several commuters about the negative conduct of some operators, Haynes stressed that “no bad behaviour at all would be tolerated”, and revealed that several plans had been formulated to stamp out such.

This includes the creation of a command centre, which would have the ability monitor the vehicles through a GPS system and to shut down those committing traffic offences, along with training drivers and conductors through several educational initiatives.

Speaking to the media yesterday at the River Road Terminal after a tour with General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers Roslyn Smith, he said that there were several grievances that must be addressed in a speedy manner as the AOPT sought to build a harmonious partnership with the workers and the police. (JMB)

There was a high level of confidence among the students who sat the Common Entrance Examination yesterday.

This is according to their parents, who took the time out to speak with The Barbados Advocate while waiting for their children to come out of the exam centre at The St. Michael School.

One of these parents was James Arthur, who said his son James Arthur Jr., a student at the George Lamming Primary School, was “confident”. His mother, Allison Boyce-Arthur, added that her son was also “quite excited and very focused”.

She stated that her son wants to go to Queen’s College (QC) and this was an aim that he had since he was in Infants B. This dream might become a reality as the young man has performed consistently well since he was in that particular form, always placing in the top two in his classes, said his father. He added that this was in addition to playing football and participating in karate.

His preparations included lessons at the school on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to sometimes as late as 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Boyce-Arthur said that her advice to her son prior to going into the exam was to take time to be accurate, read the questions carefully, follow the instructions and check over your work.

Ricardo Franklyn’s daughter, Shariya Franklyn, 10, also a student at George Lamming, said that she was “quite confident” heading into the exam room yesterday morning. English has always been easy for her while Maths can be a bit challenging.

She had lessons three days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Ifill Academy.

She would like to go to the Foundation School because her cousin goes there. Ricardo’s advice to her before she headed into the exam room was to put her best foot forward and do her best.

Makeba Burgess noted that her ten-year-old daughter, Makaylah Haynes of the George Lamming Primary School, was “not nervous, not anxious” as she went into the exam room that morning. She had extra lessons in both Maths and English on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Burgess said that her daughter wants to go to the Foundation School, although she never gave her a reason why. She said that she advised her daughter to do her best, take it one question at a time, and if you get stuck on one question, leave it and finish the rest of the questions and come back to it. She also told Makaylah that she would be praying for her.

George Lamming student, Malakai Cadogan, 11, told his mother, Maria Cadogan, that the day (yesterday) was the biggest day of his life. He had lessons four days a week, two days at the school and two days at the St. Leonard’s Boys’ School.

He said that he wants to go to St. Leonard’s because he is familiar with the school, having done lessons there. Maria said that she told her son not to leave out any questions and if you do not know an answer, leave it and come back to it later. (PJT)

THE Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) remains concerned about the South Coast Sewage issue as it continues to impact its members and CEO of the BHTA, Rudy Grant, has reiterated the call for someone senior in Government to take the lead on this issue.

While speaking to The Barbados Advocate at the Taste of the Caribbean Training Gourmet Lunch at Bajan Breeze, Divi Southwinds, he indicated, “We have continually made the call for someone very senior in Government to take the lead in this matter. We believe that is important because there are a number of entities, state agencies involved and we think that it is important that someone at a senior level in Government is able to guide that process and ensure that they are in a position to effectively deal with the challenges that exist with the sewage issue in the South Coast.”

Grant highlighted, “The BHTA has spoken privately and publicly on this particular issue; of course it is a matter that concerns us greatly as it is impacting on our members. I did indicate at the First Quarterly meeting that there were some of our members that have experienced losses in business; there are some that had to close recently such as Stream Restaurant. We are continuing our dialogue with the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), we recognise that this is a national issue. We will continue our dialogue with the BWA and we will continue to collaborate with the relevant entities ensuring that we work along with our members to ensure that the image of Barbados is one that is positive.”

The CEO commented that after elections, “We will continue to play our role and our part with our partners – the Ministry of Tourism, the Grantley Adams International Airport, BTMI and BTPA. This industry plays an important and critical economic role. We will continue to facilitate the marketing of Barbados as a destination, we will continue to ensure we do our part with respect to the development of different product offerings and we will continue to work with our partners and members to continue to develop the Barbados tourism in-dustry.” (NB)