The scores of persons employed by Government recently to undertake a major clean-up initiative across the island will get to keep their jobs past the end of the current financial year.

Word of this has come from Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod. He made the comments in the House of Assembly yesterday morning as he led off the debate on a supplementary of $748 800, required to pay those individuals. He made the point while noting that the workers have been attached to the National Conservation Commission.

He went on to say that an adjustment has been made to the terms and conditions of those workers who were recruited a month ago, such that instead of working every week, they will now work week on, week off. He explained that this approach is being taken given the financial constraints that continue to affect the country, but he said that it is important that the programme continues, as the country’s landscape had been sorely neglected for many years.

“... The entire country was overrun by bush and the challenges which we faced and are still facing, but obviously we are seeing signs of mitigation and to some extent total eradication of some of these problems...

“To some extent because of the reduction of the pressures on the economy and having more finance at our disposal, we definitely have to make sure that persons, especially those who are economically vulnerable, we have to ensure that we find some means of incorporating or integrating them back into the mainstream of our national workforce,” he said.

With that in mind, he referred to the clean-up programme as a humane effort that has two benefits – cleaning up the country and helping to gradually reduce employment levels in Barbados. In that vein, he said the approach to identifying the persons who were brought on board was equitable and incorporated persons from across the island.

“If you drive through St. John, if you drive through St. Joseph, if you drive through St. Lucy it is as though the whole country has been transformed into full urbanisation. And I use urbanisation in the context that almost all over Barbados today you can see the results of this money that is being well spent,” Minister Prescod stated.

Apart from the need to engage in a debushing programme, Prescod said the growing number of derelict vehicles and houses is another issue confronting his ministry, posing health and environmental risks to Barbadians. To that end, he said his ministry is working assiduously to address this issue, such that where there are no real challenges to the removal of those homes or vehicles the ministry takes action.

“Especially with the derelict vehicles – lots of the agencies that are responsible for helping us get rid of this type of waste, those agencies are also experiencing their challenges because the agencies are not consummate recycling units, so the agencies have to depend on external markets to be able to rid themselves of the derelict vehicles,” he noted.

Minister Prescod said a number of these agencies have experienced issues with shipping the vehicles, as well as from the external market, where the country to which they are seeking to send the vehicles sometimes put a hold on accepting such imports. Given that reality, he said Government recognises the need to collaborate with the private sector to establish genuine recycling plants in the future. (JRT)

OPPOSITION Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley says he, as Member of Parliament for St. Michael West, was left out of government’s national clean-up programme.

Speaking in the Lower Chamber yesterday on a supplementary to the Ministry of the Environment for $748 000, he made the point that as the Member of Parliament for St. Michael West he was not included, even though the Minister for the Environment Trevor Prescod is his parliamentary representative.

“The Honourable Member for St. Michael East who introduced this resolution before this committee knows that I am the duly elected member for St. Michael West. He did not speak to me about recruitment of persons with respect to this matter, either in this continuing phase or in the previous phase.”

However, he did not hold Minister Prescod accountable for leaving him out of the equation.

“Knowing him, and the good job he does in representing me in this Chamber, knowing him and the level of friendship that we share. Knowing him and the frequency with which we dialogue, I must come to the conclusion that he did not directly or immediately manage this process, and therefore is totally unaware as to who exactly was recruited and from where. Had he known, I am sure I would have been personally informed and would have been given the opportunity to offer some names or suggest some names of people from St. Michael West.”

Atherley stated however that he is “happy” that government has embarking on a clean-up programme because Barbados has become a “messy” place.

“Let us not pat ourselves upon the back too early, it is not a clean place. It is still a messy place. And I would want to applaud the Honourable Member of the Environment for the labour that he exerted in an effort to bring improvement to what was really a bad situation, with mess and garbage all over the place making the country very unsightly.”

He said that the clean-up efforts must not just be for a special occasion. “I would like to think that government is not simply motivated by the thought that we are into the year of We Gatherin’, but that government is motivated by the view that we need to have a clean environment in the interest of the health of our own people, in the interest of the health of those who visit with us or to reside temporarily here and in the interest of having the country remain a jurisdiction that is attractive to potential investors.”
(JH)

There is a call for stronger numbers in the local credit union movement.

This from Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce Dwight Sutherland as he addressed members of the congregationduring a service to celebrate the45th anniversary of the St. Leonard's Anglican Church Cooperative Credit Union.

One of the older credit unions on the island, having had its start in January of 1975 with just about 50 members, the church was happy to celebrate the milestone and Minister Sutherland said that it warmed his heart to see the progress the local credit union movement had facilitated over the years.

“In December last year while speaking at a function to celebrate the 30th anniversary of another credit union, I stressed the fact that the Credit Union movement remains one of the most inspiring examples of how working class people can come together with a shared interest and a shared vision to empower and enfranchise a reality to mutual support for each other.” he said.

Calling himself a product of the credit union movement as his grandfather gifted him a sum of money from his credit union earnings to take him through his studies at the University of the West Indies, Sutherland said that after having its origins in origins in Germany 1852, credit unions have grown to number 57 000 in 105 countries.

With the Shamrock Credit Union out of the St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in 1947 being the first in Barbados, Minister Sutherland said that the movement had a heavy foundation in the church.

“In this regard, it can be said that the credit union movement in Barbados has a Christian base and can therefore be considered to be the godfather of all financial institutions for low-income people. This is especially so when one considers the fact that Jesus came to set free and empower the down-trodden, the poor and underprivileged, and the fact that the credit union movement was established as a vehicle of financial improvement and an important means of social justice to ease the burden of low income on underprivileged people.” he said.

With Barbados boasting 210,000 members across 33 credit unions the Minister stated that the movement still had the ability to transform the social and economic status of many Barbadians and that in the latest Financial Stability Report published by the Central Bank of Barbados and Financial Services Commission, there was growth of 9.5% in credit union assets. He alsowent on to say that there was an increased confidence in the movement amongst Barbadians.

“The credit union movement is more relevant today than it ever was. Especially when one considers that deposits made on the commercial banks by individuals and businesses, now attract close to 0% interest. And they are subject to unjustifiable and unreasonably high banking fees that continue to increase.” he said.

Noting that the small business sector was the major engine of growth for the Barbados economy and has problems accessing funding from the banking sector, Sutherland highlighted some of the other avenues, inclusive of the credit unions, that small and micro business owners had to utilise to get their enterprises off the ground.

“It is for this very reason that our Government, over the years, has sought to ease the restrictions thatmicro and small businesses face accessingfinancing by introducing a number of small business funding agencies such as Enterprise Growth Fund, the Barbados agency for micro financing Fund Access and morerecently, the Barbados Trust Loan. We must now refocus our attention to schemes such as the Credit Guarantee Scheme and Collateral Registry to work to alleviate the high collateral requirements demanded by banks for micro, small and medium enterprises to access credit.” he said.

Continuing to fight the case for small and micro business persons, Sutherland made a call for there to be a locally-owned bank in Barbados once again.

“Why I am so critical of the banks is because I believe that the banks can utilise these instruments and schemes to help the average man like the credit unions. And I can see a vision with the credit unions being a major player within the banking institution in this country. The day will return when we will need a local bank in this country.” he said. (MP)

The Lower House has approved a $1 180 500 supplemental to carry out remedial work on the island’s quarantine facilities.

In his address to Parliament on Tuesday, Minister of Health and Wellness Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Bostic stated the quarantine station at the St. Lucy District Hospital would be retrofitted to ensure that persons placed there would be comfortable for the 14-day mandatory coronavirus quarantine.

He reminded the public, “By quarantine, we are not speaking to persons with the symptoms of the virus, but for persons who do not present with symptoms but who because of their travel history or interaction with persons from areas affected by the virus, it would be necessary to ensure there is no risk.”

Bostic insisted this is part of a comprehensive and flexible plan in place by his ministry to address the coronavirus outbreak overseas.

“If in the unlikely event we have persons presenting with symptoms, persons would be removed from this station and placed at Infection Control Centre at Enmore facility of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital,” he said.

The minister added that the Best-dos Santos laboratory would be used to test for the presence of the virus, while noting international health organisation PAHO has sent a virologist to train persons here in how to test.

According to the minister, mitigating measures included examining existing protocols that were put in place for SARS and Ebola and making necessary adjustments for the 2019-coronavirus; educating the public on steps to reduce risk; engaging aid from regional and international partners; and providing more personnel at ports of entry to monitor and screen arriving visitors through the use of handheld thermal detectors, to name a few.

He once again urged Barbadians not to panic but to become sensitised as to what is happening overseas and to continue to practise proper hygiene.

“Have confidence in the local personnel, whether on front line, the workers at the ports of entry or those working at the quarantine stations or Best-dos Santos laboratory,” he stressed. (JMB)

SO RICH is the history of Speightstown that Member of Parliament for St. Peter, Colin Jordan, believes that it could become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Describing St. Peter as the heritage centre of Barbados, Jordan, who is also the Minister of Labour, gave a comprehensive look into some of the historical facts of the parish during a press launch of the “Speightstown Alive – The Carolinas Link”, which is part of the We Gatherin’ calendar taking place on Saturday.

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List back in 2011.

According to Jordan, “I am going to take the opportunity to say to all who will hear, that St. Peter expects that we will be part of some plan that will accord us World Heritage Site status. So that is a matter that we will be pursuing. We will do that even as we pursue getting our cannon back into Speightstown, not just Speightstown but right along the coast.” The cannon batteries included Fort Denmark, Dover Fort, Heywoods to name a few.

“Barbados’ economic interests had to be defended and so in recognition that the economic interests really centred in St. Peter, the cannon batteries were set up here. In an attempt to govern the masses by the planters at the time, a series of signal stations were set up, two of them were set up in St. Peter.”

Additionally, Minister Jordan highlighted the connection with the Carolinas in North America. “Barbados is the only colony that has every founded another colony. Barbados founded the colony in the Carolinas, and so if you look at Arlington House you will see what is really the depiction of the houses in Charleston. It is called single houses and that architecture was taken to the Carolinas and formed the basis of their architecture. That will be celebrated on February 15 and you will hear more about that.”

He also drew attention to the fact that there are only three Jacobean mansions left in the Western Hemisphere.

“Two of them are in Barbados and one of them is in St. Peter – St Nicholas Abbey. Drax Hall is the other.”

Highlighting Poetry at the Pub to be held on February 25, the parliamentary representative said that just a few days ago learned that the late Barbadian cultural icon Edward Kamau Brathwaite grew up in Mile and A Quarter, St. Peter. As such, tribute will be paid to the literary giant during that event.

Jordan added that the St. Peter-leg of We Gatherin' has been successful so far, with a packed schedule of events with a major focus on the communities in St. Peter, still to come.

BARBADOS has borrowed more money in less than two years than at any other time. And what’s more, people are paying more taxes than ever before. But what has made this situation so strange is that no complaints are coming from those who are feeling these and other burdens.

Dr. Derek Alleyne, a former head of the Urban Development Commission (UDC), made the comments as he tore into the Mia Mottley administration for the policies it is undertaking under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement.

In a hard-hitting address to a meeting of the St. James South Constituency branch of the Democratic Labour Party, Dr. Alleyne, who left the UDC last year, said that workers sent home through the BERT promotion were to be given first option. However, “new men and women have been hired in the debushing programme and not a boy said a word,” said Dr. Alleyne, a long-standing DLP member.

“The water, sewerage, transport delays and misinformation about the problem, costs and date of improvement, double statements about the economy and IMF, the closure of schools, misinformation about tax returns, to name a few, all point to an administration overcrowded with persons lacking adequate personnel and purpose because it’s all about Mia Amor Mottley."

In the address, Dr. Alleyne said that the present government has the largest Cabinet in the history of Barbados and he challenged the audience to name the composition of the Cabinet.

He said that Barbadians are falling victim to a situation where propaganda and images are passing as normal daily adventures, and that the Prime Minister appears to be micro-managing the operations of the Government.

Dr. Alleyne recalled that during the campaign for the last general election, the message that dominated the airwaves was that Ms. Mottley had all the answers to the challenges confronting Barbados.

The last government and its leadership was said to be inept.

However, he told party supporters that the DLP has a record of achievement during its last term and that they need to support it.

“I have already invited supporters and members to dust off the last manifesto and the performance guide book and remind those that lay claim to a lost decade of the work undertaken by the last administration,” Dr. Alleyne added. (JB)

WHILE commending government for employing persons through its national clean-up campaign, Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley says debushing should not be the highest aspiration for persons, and shows up a systemic failure in the political system of Barbados.

He was speaking in the Lower House on a resolution for a supplementary to go to the Ministry of the Environment for the programme, where he stressed that his remarks were not intended to disrespect persons who do these types of jobs.

He suggested that little pay doing menial work is “distressing”, against the backdrop of high cost of living, high bus fares and additional water rates.

“It is discouraging. And those who sit in the corridors of here and those who hold the reins of government today and those who hold the reins of government tomorrow must understand that it is a higher level of dignity attaching to these people than we seek to think. These people are not simply units to be used for voting purposes every five years, and then have to be relegated to a station where the best they can hope for is that we give them a de-bushing job a Christmas. This is bad,” he exhorted.

“The political system is guilty of creating a culture in which menial, and it is menial if you understand clearly what I am trying to say, and I’m not speaking out of any sense of disrespect of contempt for those who do it, but this is a menial job and it should never be the highest aspiration for any of our people that this should be their lot in life.

“And the political system in Barbados , whichever administration has been in office, is guilty of creating that kind of mindset. Guilty of creating that kind of culture, in which too many of our people believe is that the highest thing to which they can aspire is to get a de-bushing job around the Christmas season,” he lamented.

“Now here we are talking about alternating them from one week to the other. And the next time around, we will not alternate them from one week to another, but we will alternate the persons who we engage. So it will be a different 12 from all the other 29 constituencies. And that is not good enough.

“We expend as a people, taxpayers, as governments, various administrations, lots of money invested in education of our people and for them to come through this system and not be so skilled, not to be so qualified in one way or another, that they can aspire beyond this to me is a systemic failing that we continue to perpetuate in Barbados,” Bishop Atherley charged.

The parliamentary representative for St. Michael West says that a lack of the requisite skills and knowledge base that would equip persons for better jobs in the society is being seen.

“The failing of the economic system has been that we are not providing that number of alternative, more sophisticated type of employment for people. So people feel they are confined and consigned to this. And the highest aspiration therefore of the single mother from down in Parris Gap is that at Christmas time I am going to the “MP” and see if I can get a job de-bushing.

“That is a failing of the political system in Barbados, it is a failing of the economic model that we pursue and persist with. And I know Mr. Acting Chairman that this government is better than that. And though somebody has to do the job, let it be simply that, that somebody must do the job, and not that the majority of people feel that that is the only opportunity they are going to get, or the majority of people feel that is the only thing for which they are ‘qualified’ or of which they are capable,” he said.
(JH)

The whole picture must be considered when searching for ways to help troubled youth.

This was highlighted by Erwin Leacock, Principal of the Government Industrial School, who delivered a lecture recently on “Youth Violence: The Barbados Experience”, at the Whim Playing Field.
When speaking of wayward youth, Leacock noted that most persons usually point fingers without realising that troubled young people exist in every household, and what matters most is how we handle the situation.

“We are talking about children who are experiencing challenges and misbehaving and you may characterise it as misbehaviour, but every single household in Barbados, every single extended family, can point to some experience they have had with adolescents who were transitioning into adulthood,” he said.

“Before we can address this issue, we have to identify who we are talking about and what may have motivated somebody to misbehave. We focus almost exclusively when speaking on troubled young people on what they have done, what they are doing, how they are disappointing, but we don’t often focus on the reasoning.”

He stated that pinpointing the misbehaviour of a child is the easy part, and stressed that it is time to pay attention to why it is happening.

He told the audience that based on his experience, troubled young persons usually start acting out due to something that would have caused the child’s reality to shift, adding that there are two different roads to delinquency experienced by males and females.

Leacock explained that the main cause of delinquency among young people in Barbados is as a result of some form of neglect, abuse or trauma.

With this in mind, he said that it would be beneficial for persons not to be so quick to judge the actions of youth who behave badly, and to extend patience and grace and think about ways in which they could lend a helping hand.

Artisans, painters, masons, operators and general workers of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance came in for high praise recently when they were treated to a luncheon of
appreciation in the courtyard of the Ministry’s Headquarters.

The initiative, spearheaded by Permanent Secretary Mark Cummins, saw members of staff from all 13 depots, including the Buildings and Operations sections, converging on the Ministry’s compound to be served a delectable spread by one the island’s top catering companies.

PS Cummins said this was the Ministry’s way of showing their appreciation for all of the hard work its staff has been undertaking over the last few months.

Also mingling and greeting workers was Minister in the Ministry of Transport Works and Maintenance, the Honourable Peter Phillips.

Noting that these workers are the backbone of the Ministry, he said, “We thought it important at this juncture to bring all of you together from the various depots, to express our deepest appreciation and our thanks to all of you for all of the hard work you have been doing over the last 20 months and during my tenure.”

Minister Phillips stated that he is aware the workers have taken a lot of harsh criticism and ridicule in the past, but he knows they have been doing an excellent job within the Ministry and within the country.

“We think it is important to pause and acknowledge the effort that you the workers have been putting in, and we as a Government have been trying our best to equip this Ministry so it can do the work that it needs to do.”

The Minister expressed thanks on behalf of himself, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr. the Honourable William Duguid, the Prime Minister of Barbados and the Cabinet, the Permanent Secretary and all the office staff of the Ministry.

He added that he recognises the workers out on the road are the centre and the engine room of the Ministry, and sees a new sense of commitment and purpose coming out from them.

One worker said she was very surprised by the event and felt very grateful and appreciated that they were remembered. Another staff member believes the Ministry can do events like this more
often.

At the end of the event, Mr. Roland Daisley, Senior Technician who is retiring after over 40 years at the Ministry, was honoured and presented with a token of appreciation. 꿼

THE Vauxhall Primary School will be closed for the remainder of the week as some repairs are to be carried out there.

Education Minister, Santia Bradshaw, told this to the media following an extensive tour of the educational institution yesterday with Ministry personnel, members of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and concerned parents.

During the visit, she viewed first-hand the reported environmental problems, which included issues with mould and broken fencing, sightings of rodent droppings and issues with unsanitary bathrooms, that exist at the Christ Church school. Her tour follows a PTA meeting held on Tuesday at the school where these issues and others were the main topics for discussion.

Bradshaw gave the assurance that the reported issues will be addressed. She said the Ministry had started the process back in December by “having the personnel along with Environmental Health visit the school with the view to identifying areas of priority, so that we will be able to acquire the necessary finances to start the work that was necessary to be carried out”. She also stated that Vauxhall Primary had already been earmarked to have repairs done during the upcoming domestic summer programme. However, because of the matter at hand, some work will be carried out at this time.

She stated one of the areas of major concern was the school’s bathroom facilities. She said work will commence there from today.

“There is only one main bathroom for girls and boys, and I feel very strongly we need to address this urgently.”

She added, “It is likely the work will normally take about two weeks and we are in discussions with the contractor as to how we can possibly seek to bring that time down in terms of maybe a week or so. So with that in mind, that being for us the major priority at this point in time, we are seeing to close school tomorrow [Thursday] and Friday, which would allow us at least four days in order to go into the weekend with a view to being able to bring in all the teams from tomorrow [Thursday] to start to address a number of the concerns.”

Bradshaw said if more time is required, the Ministry will inform the PTA, students and staff of the school.

“We will update you in terms of any possible relocations. We are still in discussions with the Chief Education Officer (Acting) with the view to making some determinations to the next step come Monday, because it will take a bit of time for us to get the bathroom facilities back up and running.”

President of the PTA, Adrian Husbands, was on hand during the briefing with the media. He thanked the Minister for promptly visiting the school to see first-hand what the environmental problems were. He also said that the PTA will be working with the Ministry to get the issues rectified. (MG)

Barbados is opening up its borders to more skilled Caribbean nationals.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley led off the debate in the Lower House on Tuesday evening on the Caribbean Community (Movement of Skilled Nationals) Act, Cap. 186A to revise the categories of persons who are eligible to be recognised as skilled community nationals, as well as to revise provisions relating to the indefinite stay of skilled community nationals and the dependents of skilled community nationals in Barbados.

Recently, CARICOM leaders agreed to include Agricultural Workers and Security Guards to the categories of skilled nationals, and the PM, who is the current Chair of the Caribbean Community, pointed out, “Each country is obligated under the Caribbean Community Act to recognise that the decisions of Heads of Government have the force of law.

“What we are doing simply is bringing this in line with the decisions taken by the Heads of Government that will now see Agricultural Workers and Security Guards that have been certified, as such by an authorised agency or competent authority, being able to move under this piece of legislation, and to be able to find work in any country that is signatory to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas for the CARICOM Single Market and Single Economy.”

Prime Minister Mottley said the Bill defines very clearly what is meant by an agricultural worker, security guard, and artisan as well as sets out how a person can so prove that they are.

“In addition, we are using the opportunity just to clean up aspects of the functioning in the legislation and to define ‘what is a community national’, a ‘qualifying Caribbean Community State’, and the provisional entry that is allowed also for the dependents of the person.”

Moreover, she made it clear, “Those provisions that would have existed before are still there.

“So that in all things that we are doing, the reality is that the country still has the right to protect itself against persons who would have previously been the subject of a deportation order for any particular serious purpose… And equally under the Treaty, the country has the right as well as under this legislation to take protective action where necessary to protect our borders.

“Let us be clear that the public purpose for which we are seeking these amendments do not in any way compromise the integrity of our sovereignty or our borders. But that it simply allows us to be able to ensure that we can have greater economic activity to the benefit of the people of Barbados and indeed to the pockets of the people of this country,” Mottley added. (TL)

Property owners across Barbados’ town centres are being urged not to ignore their upkeep.

This comes from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

While discussing ways to revitalise Speightstown during the Second Ideas Forum at Alexandra School Hall, Queens Street, St. Peter, she also insisted: “There has to be a responsibility for us to maintain buildings and properties in our town centres.”

However, Prime Minister Mottley, cognisant that some owners of properties might be finding it difficult to keep up with the necessary maintenance in recent times, hinted that Government could find a way to assist by way of a special fund.

“Even if it means in some instances Government has to put together a Low-Interest Fund that owners can borrow money, but you have to be able to keep your buildings painted.

“The same way you get the benefit of a higher valuation of the property in a town centre, it comes with a burden. And the burden is that you have to keep your property in good shape,” she stressed.

“Part of the difficulty is that the last decade was a rough decade. But we have to move to a point now where we treasure our town centres and we begin to look and see what is the aesthetic that we want to promote, that makes us first as Barbadians proud, and others then admiring what we are proud about.” (TL)

THE libel laws in Barbados and elsewhere are in great need of updating, because of the power and influence the Internet and social media currently hold.

This strong view comes from Dame Billie Miller, as she attended a discussion on best Internet practices at the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) headquarters earlier this week.

Dame Billie voiced her concerns about the world of the Internet being an almost free-for-all approach, with no recourse to misinformation being spread.

“Liability at law must attach at some point. The Internet does not have this. All of these things we have been hearing are scattered across this new universe [Internet]. Terrible things happen as a result of the Internet, good things happen too, but that is my major concern and why I am careful about what I write on the Internet. My greater worry is that it’s become so invasive, and nothing can be hidden,” she said.

Recognising that such moves within the confines of the current laws would take a while to iron out, the veteran stateswoman pointed out that because serious crimes are planned via the web, looking into stricter laws to help curb such criminal uses is inescapable.

“Terrible things are planned and carried out on the Internet. Murders and everything,” she added.

Corporate Communications Manager at Flow Barbados, Alan Harris, agreed with her that the amount of illegal activity and high level of misinformation being seen online, requires a closer look at current laws governing such activity. It was his belief, however, that educating the wider public on the issues to be on the lookout for while online, should be concentrated on at this point in time.

“Personal responsibility is paramount above all. As Barbados’ leading telecommunications provider, we would do all we can to insure and mitigate all the risks that are out there. At the end of the day, personal responsibility trumps all, and that is why we would want all Internet users to take responsibility for what they do online, and use that as the first form of defence,” Harris said.

Parents are being encouraged to strengthen their relationships with their children.

Principal of the Government Industrial School, Erwin Leacock, extended this challenge during a discussion on ‘Youth Violence: The Barbados Experience’ at the Whim playing field on Tuesday night.

Admitting that he knows there will be challenges, he strongly encouraged parents to fight to start strengthening their relationships with their children.

He reminded persons that everything they were going through today was experienced by their parents in the ’50s and ’60s, however they had the support of an extended family unit.

In today’s society, this extended family unit seems to be non-existent and it is for this reason he stressed the importance of building great relationships with their children.

He did not believe it was solely the job of the parents to raise a child, but the community had a part to play. However, he believed that based on the lack of community spirit, the community had some work to do in order to assist in raising positive children.

Leacock candidly stated he believed if Barbados were to export a commodity that Barbadians were good at and perfected, it would be telling children what was wrong with them; and he believed it was time for this narrative to change.

He highlighted that as a community, it seemed as if they were struggling to give young people hope, and stated that this current standard was unacceptable as it played a part in the negative outlook children had for themselves.

“We have to start looking at and rethink how we do things here in Barbados. We have to start acting like a community, we are going to have to start recognising that every child in our community and neighbourhood is a part of us,” he said.

“We are going to have to start appreciating some of the challenges that some parents and some single mothers are going through. We need to start recognising some of the challenges that they are going through; and we have to start, as a community, recognising the root causes of some of these problems and behaviours, because for too long we have been polite and for too long we have had these unrealistic expectations.”

Leacock stressed that too many people in Barbados spend much of their time criticising persons who have made mistakes in parenting and not enough time trying to see how they could help, adding that he believed it was time to get back to communities raising children.

After 25 years since the original World Conference on Women held in Beijing, governments from around the globe have made massive strides in the pursuit of gender equality laws and initiatives for their citizens. Though much work has been done, much more needs to be carried out if we are to see a more permanent change in reaching full gender equality.

This comes from Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, as she addressed the opening of a two-day meeting at the Hilton Barbados, on accelerated action for Gender Equality here in the Caribbean. The talks, entitled ‘Building a co-ordinated position for Caribbean negotiations on Beijing +25’, saw dignitaries and representatives from parliaments, ministries, national gender machinery, multilaterals, civil society and other organisations from around the region taking part in spirited discussions on the issues women and girls currently face within this part of the hemisphere and other nations.

Minister Forde, who was also a part of the delegation that was involved in the 1995 Beijing conference, spoke of the importance of continuing in the work that was done so far by world governments, into creating a fair and just society for all.

“Twenty-five years later, we have been able to witness the changes in women’s rights. However, it is incumbent upon all of us, both male and female, to continue in the vanguard and renew efforts to be bold, inclusive and intergenerational in every sphere of life. We must pass onto our girls and men if we are to achieve those values that were set forward,” she said.

It was her belief that as the world continues to change its approach to all current issues, those in discussion about gender equality must also be flexible in their approach and encourage new fresh ideas.

“Our world is fast changing, and when we reflect on 1995, and compare the massive changes between then and now, we must continue to plan purposefully as we witness the challenges across the world compared to then when we all met in China. Never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate infanticide, domestic violence, deprivation of our girls from educational advancement, with some of them being put into slavery and prostitution. There have been some retrograde steps taken during that period that we never contemplated. These unfolding actions of discrimination and stigma, as well as deprivation of women and girls, have really been a terrible backlash in our hard-fought battles,” Minister Forde revealed.

Though some areas have seen a step back in efforts, Minister Forde is confident that the renewed interest towards equality within the workplace, health sector, and wider financial markets will encourage more progress in the next following months from world leaders, as the United Nations (UN) seeks to push more modern thinking and recommendations in all sectors.

At the end of this conference, it was expected that participants would gain a consensus of future steps to be taken that will be brought forth at the upcoming 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2020 and the UN Women Gender Equality Forums in May and July.

PRIME Minister Mia Amor Mottley has commended the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for reaching its golden anniversary, noting that the Bank has had a relationship with every Prime Minister of Barbados since Independence and has provided almost $1 billion in development capital over the past five decades.

Her comments came as she delivered an address at the CDB’s 50th anniversary thanksgiving service held at the Frank Collymore Hall on Sunday evening, where she stated: “If ever this region needed the oxygen of finance for the thrust of development is now, as we face a series of existential crises that threaten to destabilise our progress since Independence.”

Reflecting that some of the challenges which were highlighted by past leaders of the Caribbean Development Bank are still being seen in 2020, Prime Minister Mottley has challenged the Bank to look at ways in which the region can move forward to the next level.

“I ask myself therefore as we stand here and as Chair of CARICOM: What is the intervening factor that is now necessary to move rhetoric to action to move this region to the next level of development? I don’t believe that there is any magic in it, but I do believe it is about commitment, staying the course and staying focused.”

It is against this backdrop that she asked that a commitment be made in a way that is measurable. “Commit in a way that is fuelled by our concern and care not just for those who appear to be doing well, but for those who have not gotten on the train yet,” she said.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of tapping into renewable energy resources. “I am comfortable and confident that within the walls of the CDB, the Caribbean Community and other regional institutions and our governments, we have the capacity to come up with the financial instruments that can result in our population, our people, benefiting in real ways from the profits to be determined as a result of the exploitation of the sun, the water, the wind that can be used to power our nations as we fight the battles against the climate crisis.”

Prime Minister Mottley says she also looks forward to the CDB working with the Regional Development Fund to allow the region to be able to proposition the Bank and the Fund to work with the savings of the people of the region, “...who are being inappropriately served by interest rates of 0.01 per cent or less on their savings, to find instruments to build out our own societies”.

She said a strategic goal must be placed on the health of the region. “We have once again the opportunity to bring a bounty to Caribbean farmers, in Caribbean households, by saving money by what they grow instead of spending money and valuable foreign exchange to import from another man’s land,” she noted.

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of incorporating the youth of the region to carry the baton of the CDB.

“I’d like to urge the Bank to help us reach out to young Caribbean citizens and to create that space for conversation and that space as you celebrate your 50th year... But I want to hear honestly the voices of those under 25, because they are the ones who must have the passion and who must have the commitment and who must have the vision to take us to the next stage,” she said.

There should be a baseline for education and healthcare access globally, says Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley, and it would aid in diminishing any burden migration puts on a country.

The Prime Minister was in discussion with President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Luis Moreno, who posed the question of what policies could be drafted to take advantage of the vast talent in the Caribbean, with the support of the IDB, especially during the digital revolution of this age.

Referencing the need for workforce support by Guyana after the discovery of oil, Mottley acknowledged that Barbados was late to the game.

“There is no doubt Guyana has already started to pump, Suriname has been pumping for many years but the bounty is ahead of them. We have come into the game late in terms of preparation of skills that we can offer them. With the best will in the world with a population of 780 000, Guyana is going to need people to come in to deal with the oil and the non-oil economy,” highlighted Mottley.

She also indicated that Suriname was bigger than the Netherlands, but only had a population of approximately 600 000, compared to 17 million in the Netherlands; and Barbados having a similar land size to Singapore, which has a population of 5 million, while Barbados has 300 000.

“You begin to see that we just do not have enough people coming to work every day, so we need to be able to manage migration better. In order to manage migration better in the community, we need a minimum floor; a floor below which no citizen will fall, such that the xenophobia that attaches itself to migration would not be an issue.”

The leader contended that the matter was not only a Caribbean issue, but one that was global and there needed to be a global compact which worked towards having a minimum level of education and access to healthcare for all citizens.

“Such that if they choose to move, the move as a valued asset and not as a burden on other people’s population.”

Right now Barbados does not have legislation in place to allow cadaveric organ donation but two medical professionals believe that the establishment of this legislation would be beneficial to the country.

Speaking during the Rotary Club of Barbados’ weekly luncheon that took place yesterday at the Hilton Resort, Dr. Nerissa Jurawan stated that there was a need for more education and awareness on the success of organ donation in Barbados, as not many persons were aware.

To fix this issue, Jurawan said that they were aiming to fix this and raise more awareness.

“The other issue in Barbados is that there is no legislation in Barbados to donate organs, so we can’t have a drive to say if you’re willing to donate your organs when you pass, you can sign up. So we have long strides to make in terms of education about why donation is important,” she said.

She believed that prevention was better than cure and given the fact that the number of chronic diseases cases appeared to be skyrocketing in Barbados, perhaps now was also the time to have a national discussion on the importance of screening for these non-communicable diseases and taking better care of our bodies.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of the luncheon,Consultant Surgeon at the QEH and Surgery Lecturer at the UWI, Dr. Margaret O’Shea also believed that the creation of this legislation would be beneficial.

“We don’t have enough living donors, but this is a worldwide issue, and we do think that in Barbados, in order to become more sustainable we do need the cadaveric programme to start and I think this administration is poised to do it and they are certainly more keen to do such,” she said.

She explained that sometimes patients may not have a donor or family members to be considered as a donor because of an NCD of other disease and with the creation of this legislation, patients would be able to have an option available.

She stated that in Barbados right now, persons were only considered dead when their hearts stopped beating, and by that time the kidney would no longer be of use; with the legislation allowing them to use the kidney of a person who was brain dead and signed up to be an organ donor, then patients with end stage renal disease and no living donor option, have a fighting chance.

Kidney transplant is better than being on dialysis.

Dr. Nerissa Jurawan stated this as she spoke during the Rotary Club of Barbados’ weekly luncheon that took place yesterday at the Hilton Resort.

Jurawan highlighted some of the key advantages of kidney transplant, which included longer survival, a better quality of life and a huge cost benefit for patients with end stage renal disease.

She stated that research revealed that patients with a successful kidney transplant actually lived longer than patients that remained on both types of dialysis, adding that a live donor transplant lasted between 10 to 20 years or longer.

Data from the US Renal Data system reported that patients who were on dialysis did not survive as long as patients who received a transplant.

“It seems like a global problem. We are spending more and more of every health budget on chronic diseases, and dialysis is extremely expensive, in Barbados we cannot cope with what we are seeing, we don’t have enough resources to dialyze enough of the patients that we are seeing,” she said.

“So kidney transplantation saves money when compared to dialysis and that money that we are saving we can use to help more patients with kidney chronic disease because the dialysis is not a sustainable long term solution for chronic kidney diseases so we need to gear more of our resources towards transplantation.”

She pointed out that like every surgery there were risks involved in transplant, however, the benefits outweighed the risks and patients were usually monitored closely to ensure that any complications were picked up and treated immediately.

“Research has shown that with these types of complications, it is still better to have a kidney transplant compared to remaining on dialysis,” she said.

Dr. Jurawan assured that any healthy adult would be able to donate a kidney, adding that the donor did not have to be of the same gender, blood relative or husband and wife.

So far, the transplant success story in Barbados is doing well, and they have done 10 successful transplants with the help of the Transplant Links Team.

A registry listing third sector organisations will soon be coming on stream in Barbados, to ensure a greater level of transparency, trust and legitimacy for those operating in this sector.

Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan pointed out the above, as he spoke during a Panel Discussion focusing on the engagement between Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Government, which formed part of the recent Closeout Workshop for USAID’s Local Capacity for Local Solutions Project. That event was held at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.

“We will be creating a unit which will have a registry. The intention is to have registry of third sector organisations – civil society, faith-based, community-based organisations, NGOs – a register for those organisations, and we will be insisting on good governance, effectively demonstrated by some kind of organisational structure, also financial statements on an annual basis,” Jordan revealed.

He noted that audits for larger organisations will be required, whilst smaller organisations will be allowed to have financial reviews due to their size and the costs involved in having audits carried out.

There will also be a process of appeal for those who may be de-listed or taken off of the register due to non-compliance, Minister Jordan also stated.

“If an organisation is going to be taken off the register, de-listed, there must be recourse to appeal and the structure will include a mechanism such as that,” Jordan added.

“So what we are doing is building a structure, a framework that will assist in the process of ensuring the legitimacy that is necessary, because we have found that is one of the areas that has created some difficulty,” he further explained.

This will also augur well for civil society organisations seeking funding from international donors, who will now be able to ascertain how legitimate they are.

“NGOs and CBOs here can write a good proposal, but there needs to be the trust element that says to potential donors, this is a legitimate organisation. This is an organisation that the public understands is working to better some area of need, in the country,” Minister Jordan commented. (RSM)