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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/16/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday 16thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Midweek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

POLITICIANS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIONS, SAYS PM – Prime Minister Mia Mottley has given the assurance that neither the current Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration nor any future governments will be allowed to “operate under the cover of night”. In a fiery contribution to close off debate on the Public Finance Management Bill 2019, Mottley promised that all politicians and ministers would be held accountable for their actions in the future. Mottley said the bill was necessary when under the former DLP administration Barbados moved from $6 billion in debt to $15 billion in debt “with nothing to show for it”. “No Government in this country must ever be allowed to act in the manner in which the last Government acted, with impunity, hiding under the cover of night, with nothing to show for what they did to take money from innocent taxpayers and we have come here conscious of this. “This is not about getting even with a previous Government, this piece of legislation is about the future. This is about the standards to which we bind ourselves as a Government in good faith,” the Prime Minister said, while revealing that she had taken time from preparing the 2019/2020 Estimates to make a contribution. Describing the bill as “one of the most important pieces of legislation that will be passed in a post-Independence Barbados” Mottley said the bill would place a cap on contingencies, prevent the Central Bank of Barbados from overprinting money and would also allow for an independent audit of Government’s finances. “ . . . This will be able to significantly increase the level of accountability of a Government to be governed,” she said. She said the bill was consistent with the approach that Government had taken even before it was elected to office just under eight months ago. “We all went confident in the knowledge that Barbados could no longer be governed by people who did not feel it was their solemn duty to be transparent in the management and accounting of expenditure to this country. “At that annual conference at Foundation School back in October, 2015, we made it absolutely clear that we could not seek to come after a Government that had exhibited the highest form of banditry, wickedness, covert activity in the expenditure of the taxpayers’ money and be anything other than absolutely transparent with respect to the management of the people’s funds,” the Prime Minister said. Mottley said the bill would demand levels of transparency which had never before been seen in the Caribbean. “In less than nine months we have already brought to this house two major pieces of legislation with respect to the personal conduct of public officials and other pieces related to the standards to which public finances must be held and we have incorporated some of those in this piece of legislation here…that seeks in almost every respect to heighten the levels of accountability and transparency by the Government of Barbados, by ministries and departments, by ministers and public officials, by commercially-owned state enterprises and other state enterprises in this country, in other words, all entities or persons acting in the public name in this country,” Mottley said. (BT)

STICK TO TARGETS – President of the Barbados Economic Society (BES) Shane Lowe says he is not surprised by the recent upgrade of Barbados’ regional scale local currency rating by ratings agency Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCRIS). At the same time, the economist is warning that for the Barbados economy to enjoy continued improvement and for a boost in confidence, Government must stick to its targets under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. This afternoon the Trinidad & Tobago-based agency said it assigned a rating of “CariBB” with a stable outlook, up from “CariD” on its regional scale local currency rating of the Government of Barbados. CariCRIS has also maintained its Regional Scale Foreign Currency rating of CariD (Default) on the country’s foreign currency denominated debt. It cited Government’s completion of its Barbados dollar debt restructuring last year as a major driver of its decision, while indicating that improvements in the level of public debt, foreign exchange reserves and fiscal situation would lead to an improved rating over time. “CariCRIS’ announcement comes as little surprise and is consistent with Standard and Poor’s decision to upgrade Barbados’ local currency debt rating and maintain its default rating on foreign currency debt back in November 2018. The new rating reflects CariCRIS’ belief that the reduction in interest rates, extension of maturities and haircuts to principal (the latter in the cases of some domestic creditors) have improved the government’s capacity to service its debt, but curiously, unlike Standard and Poor’s, CariCRIS appears to suggest that the government’s capacity to repay is still weaker than 12 months earlier when they previously assigned a rating of CariBBB,” explained Lowe. “Nonetheless, both rating agencies still categorize the government’s domestic debt as ‘speculative’ in the case of Standard and Poor’s and “below average” relative to regional peers in the case of CariCRIS. Ultimately however, this rating change will likely not have a material impact on the government’s ability or appetite to borrow in the medium-term as the targets under the IMF-financed BERT programme do not permit or envisage additional accumulation of debt from the private sector over the coming four years,” he said. In November last year international ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) raised its long- and short-term local currency sovereign credit ratings on Barbados to ‘B-/B’ from ‘SD/SD’ (Selective Default). At the same time S&P assigned its ‘B-‘ issue-level rating to Barbados’ long-term debt issued on its debt exchange and affirmed its ‘SD/SD’ long- and short-term foreign currency credit ratings on the island, and its ‘D’ rating on Barbados’ foreign-currency issues. Lowe told Barbados TODAY what continued to be most important was the resolution of the external debt restructuring, pointing out that this would determine the speed at which the country returns to investment grade and regains access to international capital markets should the need to borrow in foreign currency from domestic or international private sector sources ever arise again. As for his outlook on the Barbados economy for this year, Lowe said he did not see 2019 bringing substantial tax relief for Barbadians, adding that the current baseline projections suggested that the ongoing fiscal consolidation would likely keep economic growth subdued over the coming 12 months. “Reforms of the state-owned enterprises and our tax framework should also continue and will likely change the way we live and do business going forward,” he said. “However, if the many cited capital projects get off the ground and support the expected uplift in economic activity from the recent arrival of Ross University, 2019 should bring better prospects for the country than those experienced in the last two years,” he said, adding that this should be supported by the current winter tourist season, which would play a critical role in helping to build the reserves during the first quarter of this year. Like CariCRIS, Lowe believes there was some uncertainty surrounding the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), which could impact on the spending power of visitors from that market. “Ultimately, creating opportunities for growth and employment will aid in keeping both citizens and the business community on board with the agreed and necessary fiscal adjustment in 2019 and beyond. Business confidence should improve if quarterly targets under the BERT programme are met and semi-annual disbursements from the IMF boost the island’s foreign reserves position, while growth in employment within the private sector is necessary to ease the burden from retrenchment in the public sector. “Similarly, failure to remain on track with the agreed BERT programme may create policy uncertainty and worsen both domestic and foreign investor confidence. Ensuring that these targets are met without destroying the social fabric in Barbados is key to successfully navigating our economic challenges in the coming year,” Lowe cautioned. (BT)

READY TO RUN FOR DEES – The man offering to be the next Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for the St Michael North West riding, says he is ready to represent. Forty-year-old financier Ryan Walters told a group of DLP supporters on Sunday during a meeting at the St James South branch office of former DLP representative Donville Inniss, that his foundation of candidacy is representation. “I want to give a contribution to the community in which I grew up. I think that I have the capacity to give a contribution at the country level. Why the DLP? I have always voted for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and in my opinion the DLP has always looked out for the interest of poor people. They have always brought policy for poor people in the country, and for the development of the normal working class,” he said. The last DLP representative for St Michael North West was former Minister of Finance Christopher Sinckler. Walters, who was raised in Ferniehurst, Black Rock, St Michael, said he came from a poor background, but was able to climb the academic and professional ladder through free education. “I grew up in the constituency and I am close to that constituency up to today. I chose there because there are some things in that community per say that I want to do and I think that I would be able to do them. “At the end of the day I believe that the candidate should represent the party, and represent the constituents. Now you can walk through a constituency and see the things that are needed. You have constituencies where there is nothing to do, there is no development at all; there is no community life. “In St Michael North West where I grew up, there was Deacons football club, which was a top football club; Deacons basketball club which was a top basketball club . . . . Sports was big in the community, sports is not big in the community today, and that is something that I would be looking to make sure happens,” he said. Walters said he was also interested in getting the children in the community to get into church. He is the General Manager of Burger King Barbados and the father of four children. (BT)

EMPLOYERS BEWARE! – Minister of Labour Colin Jordan has accused some construction companies in Barbados of unfairly treating their employees in an effort to win bids on projects. Jordan leveled the accusation during debate in Parliament today on the Employment Rights Amendment Bill 2019. He said by refusing to pay the taxes of employees, those companies were able to outbid their competitors. However, the minister warned that the Barbados Labour Party Government would not be doing those guilty companies any favours. “There are construction companies in Barbados that are treating employees as self-employed, refusing to pay National Insurance for them [and] because they are not taking that cost they are able to underbid the decent companies that treat their employees as employees. “I want to say to those construction companies that this Barbados Labour Party Government does not play in that kind of league. You are not going to gain our favour by bringing bags of money, because bags of money do not help us to see our workers as human beings. We are not selling the rights of our workers for any personal gains. This is not how this Government operates,” Jordan said. “If it used to happen before, those days are over. Those days came to an end on May 24, 2018. The rights of workers must be respected in Barbados and those construction companies who refer to their workers as self-employed but indicate where they must work, what tools they must work with, provide the tools for them, give them uniforms, give them protective gear, do all the things that labour laws indicate would cause them to be seen as employees and not as self employed; all those construction companies which are doing that, as minister of labour and speaking on behalf of this Government we are asking them to cease and desist from that bad anti-worker practice.” The minister also took issue with those “few” companies which he said frowned on their employees being members of trade unions. He said work had already begun on formulating trade union legislation which would ensure workers’ rights were protected by law. “There are a few companies where when an employee is found out to be joining or to have joined a trade union, the management of those establishments then seek to find all manner of reason to terminate the employment of that worker or those workers,” Jordan pointed out. “I am saying to Barbados that is very bad behaviour, to seek to terminate a worker’s employment because that worker has sought to join a trade union and I want to put those bad employers and all other employers on notice that in our manifesto which we still see as a contract with our people, there is provision for us to bring recognition of trade union legislation. We have begun to work on it and we will bring it to this Parliament because we believe the rights of workers to associate freely and to bargain collectively is a fundamental right that must be protected by law.” (BT)

BACKLOGGED – Steps are being put in place to ensure that the over 300 complaints remaining to be heard by the Employment Rights Tribunal are done in a timely manner. That is the word from Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations Colin Jordan, who today revealed they would be pursuing the option of holding multiple tribunals at the same time. Speaking during the Employment Rights Amendment Bill 2019 during the first sitting of Parliament for the year, Jordan revealed that while 346 complaints had been received by the Employment Rights Tribunal Secretariat, only 14 cases had been heard thus far. “Of those 14, nine decisions have been handed down, five decisions are pending, ten of the cases which the complainants brought were settled outside of the Employment Rights Tribunal and there are now 327 cases outstanding. “Even as minister responsible for labour and therefore responsible for this situation at this time, I would want to admit that this is an untenable situation. This is one that cannot be allowed to continue,” Jordan said. “So one of the reasons for our haste in getting this amendment to this Honourable chamber very early in this calendar year is so we can get our tribunals going because this situation is not one that can be allowed to continue. We must work assiduously to get this backlog reduced and eliminated.” “There has been another challenge and this one relates to the availability of secretarial logistical support to allow for the meeting of more than one tribunal at a time. That has been a challenge because they have been one or two times in the past where there was a desire to have more than one tribunal sit at any given time. “I am pleased to indicate that even though Estimates have not yet been laid and even though we do not yet know what our Budgets for 2019/2020 will be, as a ministry we have included in our Estimates for 2019/2020 provisions that will allow for additional secretarial support, additional equipment that will allow two and possibly three tribunals to sit simultaneously,” Jordan said. “There are notes to be taken, there are recordings to be made and so there are requirements not just for people, but for additional equipment as well and provision has been made and we have been pushing hard to have those additional people and resources put in place to allow for the sitting and hearing of multiple tribunals simultaneously.” Jordan also pointed to the need for those persons sitting on the tribunals to take an oath of office before adjudicating matters. He admitted that while there had been no bias in selecting those persons to serve the “weighted responsibility” required a more serious approach. “We believe members of the tribunal should subject themselves to an oath of office or to the taking of an affirmation of office before the Governor General prior to discharging their responsibilities…and before adjudicating in matters relating to the areas of labour legislation that they are charged with adjudicating. “We believe that their function is serious enough and impactful enough that it needs that level of seriousness,” the Minister Jordan said. He also said they would be looking to increase the stipends given to those persons who work on the tribunals. (BT)

MPS WANT FURTHER CHANGES TO LABOUR LAWS – At least two Members of Parliament have called for more changes to the current labour laws to address some outstanding issues as the first Parliamentary session for 2019 got on the way today. MP for St. Philip North, Dr Sonia Browne, said the first change she would recommend would be a change in the mandatory retirement age of 67, especially for older workers with health challenges. Speaking during the tabling of the Employment Rights Tribunal Amendment by MP for St. Peter and Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan, Dr. Browne said: “We have an ageing population, and I know of people who are still working, who are fighting for a pension increase to pay off their mortgage and meet other commitments, but some are already experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s and are not very effective in the workplace as a result. “We also have more mature home help workers with the National Assistance Board and some of the workers with the National Conservation Commission who are suffering with arthritis, and ideally they should be retired medically unfit when they have severe health conditions which impair their work.” Browne also called for an increase in the time allocated for maternity leave. “Some women are really not ready to return to work six weeks after giving birth, so it might be better to introduce a flexi-time system where they can work a few hours a day instead of a full nine-to-five shift. It might also be helpful for more companies to have day care facilities for their staff with young children.” Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs and MP for St. James North, Edmund Hinkson, expressed concern about the number of cases the Employment Rights Tribunal had heard since its establishment. Calling its track record “unadmirable,” Hinkson said, “The first case heard before the tribunal was the one which involved the termination of 200 workers from the NCC. “In all honesty, this was a clear case of unfair dismissal and did not really have to go before the tribunal, but in the end, the taxpayers ended up paying over $3 million in compensation to the workers and another half million dollars in legal fees.” He added that of the 346 cases filed with the body, only 15 had come before it so far and of that 15, nine decisions were handed down. In acknowledging that not all of the outstanding cases will come before the tribunal, Hinkson said, “Employers must take greater responsibility for their actions. If after prolonged negotiations a company recognised that it has unfairly dismissed someone, it should concede and pay whatever compensation the worker is owed.” In addressing a concern Hinkson raised about the role of the Chief Labour Officer, as he wrapped up the debate, Minister of Labour Colin Jordan acknowledged “We intend to strengthen the Chief Labour Officer’s role. We will also launch a national training initiative for managers and supervisors, as we recognise that this is a major weakness in employer-employee relationships. And in terms of the tribunal, we will ensure that it does not become a place where workplace concerns go to die, but instead are handled in an appropriate fashion.” (BT)

NEW BILL ENSURES WE NEVER REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST – The Public Finance Management Bill is a key component in ensuring Barbados does not go through some of the economic hardship it experienced over the past decade where lots of money was spent by Government but not properly accounted for. Attorney General and Member of Parliament for St Joseph, Dale Marshall, explained that the passage of the bill by the end of this month is one of the obligations the Mia Mottley-led administration has to meet under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. “The bill was moved in December but we needed to get it right, so we set up a joint select committee to look at it so that it could do what it was supposed to do. While we did not have any public meetings on it as we did with the Integrity in Public Life legislation, we did have good contributions on how we could improve it from the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, one of the Opposition Senators and one of the independent Senators, so we did get the benefit of opposing views from people with expertise and training in these areas.” Marshall mentioned that the original bill was passed in 2007, but based on what took place over the past decade, “It was not effective enough. This new one shows that the glaring mistakes of the last government do not happen again, and will hopefully remove some of the cynicism most Barbadians feel when they think of accountability for government spending.” He spoke to the provisions in the law which will ensure that all Government departments and state-owned corporations submit financial reports at least twice a year. “This legislation will call on every state-owned agency to have an annual plan outlining its financial and other performance. So, for example, if the Rural Development Commission wants a million dollars, they must be able to state the purpose for it, whether it is for houses, loans or payment of salaries. Their plans of action must be posted on a Government website within a week of the Estimates. And after six months, they must present a half-yearly report to Parliament, stating what they have achieved, and if they have not met all their goals, they must explain why and account for all the money they have spent.” The AG described the “piece de resistance” of the new legislation as a provision which calls on the agencies to hold public meetings every two years. “At these meetings, the public of Barbados will be able to ask the directorate and senior management of these agencies pertinent questions. All public companies in Barbados have to hold meetings like this, so it is in Government’s best interest to expose its departments to this type of scrutiny.” Another element of the legislation is that if a public official, including a minister, “Intends to commit government’s finances in an inappropriate way, a public servant has the right to warn that higher official that it is wrong, and if he disagrees with that counsel, he has to write the public servant back and give reasons as to why he is not following his. “The public servant can then write to the Director of Finance and explain everything, and if this decision causes any wastage for government, the minister will be held personally liable for it. We cannot go back and change history now, but if that aspect of the law was in place under the last administration, some people would have been in serious trouble,” Marshall said. (BT)

ENOUGH TIME – Supporters of eco-friendly products are dismissing a call from some packaging firms and vendors for more time to get rid of hundreds of thousands of dollars in Styrofoam and single use plastic bags ahead of the national ban on the importation and use of those products. In fact, Executive Chairman of ice cream manufacturer BICO Edwin Thirlwell told Barbados TODAY he believed ample notice was given for local companies to put their house in order. BICO introduced Vegware eco-friendly containers and utensils three years ago, in an effort to help ease the pressure on the island’s already overflowing landfill. “Ample warning has been given for people to come and get their stocks. I don’t think there is any excuse for not knowing that they had to take steps to make other arrangements. So you obviously have people complaining who have huge stocks that they now can’t sell,” he said. Last September Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey made the announcement on the ban of the products. However, after meeting with several manufacturers, packaging companies and other commercial entities that import and use the items, those businesses say they wanted more time to get rid of the items they have on hand. They explained that while they had no problem with the ban, they would like for the ban on imports to be implemented first and the ban on the use to come about a year later, which would give them more time to get rid of the hundreds of thousands of products they had. Meanwhile, some food vendors told Barbados TODAY they feared the price of the alternatives to the styrofoam containers would be too high and they would be forced to increase food prices. However, Thirlwell argued that Barbados was behind in implementing the ban and had to do something sooner rather than later. “I think people felt it was one of those things that nothing would actually happen, but to everyone’s amazement it actually happened. The minister made it clear the banning was on the selling and use,” he said. Thirlwell said he was aware of the concern regarding the pricing of the plant-based alternatives, adding that his company was trying to source cheaper products but this was something he had to be very careful about since often times “cheap things are not good”. And despite increased competition from cheaper products on the market, Thirlwell said Vegware continued to perform well. However, he did not forecast any major improvement in sales, pointing out that “at the moment nobody has got any money”. He argued that the country continued to suffer economically as it struggled to get rid of garbage pile up, which included a large amount of styrofoam and single-use bags. “The writing was already on the wall that this was causing huge problems,” he said. “Unfortunately it is not cheap to clean up and it never goes away. It is not a secret. Something had to be done but as usual people cry out,” he said, adding that he was “hoping somebody in the region will make a plant-based product that we can buy in the region that would be ideal.” Owner and Managing Director of the newly-formed company Caribbean Ecoware Ltd Karen Meakins told Barbados TODAY she was ready to step up to the challenge of providing a viable alternative to styrofoam. Meeakins said she believed six months was ample time for people to plan their business and source affordable and high quality alternatives. “It is not a good idea for the government to extend the time for the ban. We need to start moving forward because of the damage that styrofoam and single-use plastic cause,” said Meakins However, she warned that government should put measures in place to ensure that alternatives were affordable and of good quality, so that food vendors do not suffer. “There has to be some sort of quality control. The government has to look into all of that and figure out how to regulate what comes in because it is like with anything you are going to get substandard products that are cheap and then you will get the better products. So it is down to government to have some sort of [policy] in place to be able to regulate what is going to come in,” she said. Public Relations Officer of the Future Centre Trust Kammie Holder also welcomed the planned ban on import and use of the items, pointing out that since November last year over 20 countries had implemented a ban on the products. “We are supporting the ban as it’s the right thing to do for our ocean floor which is littered with plastic forks, spoons, stirrers, cups, plates and styrofoam containers of all sorts,” he said. “How many of those who are against the April 1, ban have coordinated a clean up, donated garbage cans or are willing to collectively buy a garbage truck? The implementation of the ban on April 1 doesn’t mean it’s an All Fool’s Day joke,” said Holder, adding that many were aware of the pending change and still went ahead and ordered “container loads” of products. Pointing out that millions of dollars are used yearly to clear clogged drains, Holder said this could be “better spent on social services for the poor”. “The environmental nipples of Barbados are indeed sore and are now in a pre-cancerous state. If we do not protect our environment who will?” he said. However, Holder said Government should ensure that the duties on alternatives were “attractive to importers and manufacturers”. “We must also demand and set high standards for alternatives as some unscrupulous importers will seek to import inferior quality at the expense of consumers’ health,” he said. (BT)

COMPANY TO REPLACE TANKS – Rotoplastics Barbados will replace the three community tanks which ruptured last week, and investigate the incident that spilled thousands of gallons of the precious liquid in water-scarce communities. The 1 000-gallon tanks that burst were in Ginger Works, St Joseph and Pot House, St John. The third location was not disclosed. In a paid advertisement in today’s Midweek Nation (see Page 14), Rotoplastics said it sympathised with Barbados Water Authority (BWA) customers in the affected areas. “The damage to the tanks does not represent a flaw in the quality of the tanks, and so, we await a comprehensive report explaining the cause of the collapsed tanks,” the company stated. (MWN)

BBA HEAD: COURT CHANGES NEEDED – President of the Barbados Bar Association Liesel Weekes believes there needs to be a “reconfiguration” of the High Court if the bottleneck of cases there is to be alleviated. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Weekes said while the recent implementation of a paper committal system meant cases were now being fast-tracked from the Magistrates’ Court to the High Court where a bottleneck was being created, the hiring of additional judicial workers alone was not enough to clear the backlog of cases. “I agree that additional judicial officers would assist in alleviating the bottleneck that occurs from the paper committals to the High Court and if that was the sole reason why there is a bottleneck then that would completely alleviate the problem. “But I imagine it’s more than just a shortage of judicial officers or the rotation of judicial officers or any such thing,” Weekes noted. She pointed out that a longer rotation of judges as well as the establishment of a registry in the criminal jurisdiction were two initiatives that would ease the bottleneck. “I know that there has been discussion at the level of the judiciary and also involving the Attorney General with respect to a sort of reconfiguration of the High Court to treat specifically with creating more than one judge in the criminal jurisdiction at any one time, that would be there for a longer period than they now are,” Weekes said. “There has also been a recommendation to create a registry for that division of the High Court, so that the Registration Department and the court can actually keep track of the cases as they are filed and the progress of those cases. This occurs in the civil division and family division, but not the criminal division. “I know for a fact there is a concern that because of the lack of such a registry it is difficult to keep track of the cases and of their statuses and that is a contributing factor to the bottleneck,” she added. Weekes also lauded Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius for her role in preparing a proposal outlining how the High Court could be reorganized to properly deal with disposing of cases in the criminal jurisdiction in a more expeditious and timely manner. She said that proposal was made under the former Democratic Labour Party administration with then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite present and was well received. “I wholeheartedly endorse the proposal and I do think that they would be of significant benefit to aiding in the expedience of how matters are dealt with and the disposal of matters in the criminal division of the High Court. “That is one of the things that the judiciary was looking at and had been discussed among members. There was buy-in on all sides with the proposals that were made and I do think those would assist as well as increasing the number of judicial officers,” Weekes said. (BT)

MURDER AND MAYHEM – In approximately 12 hours from 11 p.m. on Monday night, police have been left to investigate a bloody trio of incidents that left one man dead, another with multiple gunshots about his body and yet another with an almost severed hand and deep leg lacerations. A painful chorus of wailing and weeping echoed through Barbarees Gardens, St Michael after a 44-year-old man, the father of 13 children, met a gruesome death at his home while reportedly drinking his morning tea. Moments before, the quiet neighborhood was rattled by loud and rapid gunfire which residents later found out was the result of an execution-style killing unfolding. According to reports, a young woman was upstairs, “cleaning out the bedroom” and as she ventured outside, was confronted with a sickening sight. Her uncle, Daryl Rusty Harris lay unresponsive on the ground, riddled with bullets. His murder came just 12 hours after a St Philip community was left shocked by gunfire on Monday night. At the end of it, 33-year-old Brian Anthony Orlando Hunte, of Harmony Lodge, St Philip was left nursing injuries to his abdomen, left hand and back. He was reportedly attending a promotion in St Martins when he received multiple shots. Just two hours after the fatal shooting at Barbarees Gardens, drama unfolded at Glendairy Road, near Bank Hall, St Michael. That’s where a man’s arm was partially severed and he received deep lacerations on his leg over what residents believe was a domestic disturbance. Police are now on the hunt for a St George man for questioning in the incident that left Alban Mottley, 52, of Newbury, St George with the serious cuts. Earlier today police turned their attention to the Barbarees Gardens where Harris’ empty teacup, the hat he was wearing, the bucket on which he sat and the crutches, which assisted with his mobility were all scattered on the ground outside his home. Moments later, under police escort, the seriously wounded man was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) as the community held its breath awaiting word on his condition. “We understand that there [at the QEH], he succumbed to his injuries,” revealed senior investigating officer, Acting Assistant Superintendent Victor Forde. Silence turned to mayhem as the sad news of Harris’ death began to spread. “Heaven help us all,” sang one woman as she began to sob softly. This was followed by the sound of uncontrollable crying by both women and men, some of whom identified themselves as Harris’ children. His third eldest daughter, Shani Small was among them and accompanied Hinds’ sister who told Barbados TODAY that her brother had been recovering from gunshot wounds received last December 11th at Hinkson Gap, New Orleans. During that same incident, 48-year-old Adrian Todd of Rock Gap New Orleans was also shot. Nevertheless, his sister said the news of the most recent attack came as a shock. “I am lost, I am really lost. I was on my way here and somebody called me and told me that he got shot nine times,” said his sister, Kathy Harris while revealing that it was her daughter who was “upstairs cleaning his room and getting tea for him.” “I know he [Harris] was shot last month in the Orleans in both of his feet. He was on crutches and had the bandages and stuff like that,” she said, while adding, “but I don’t know what would lead up to this.” While Kathy admitted that, “everybody has their differences, people get themselves into trouble and things do happen,” she insisted that her brother who would do odd jobs including carpentry and masonry “was a loving person who would give anybody anything”. “I don’t know how I feel. I don’t have any feeling right now,” she added. Sources told Barbados TODAY that Harris was among scores of former Chapman Lane and Lakes Folly residents, relocated to Barbarees Hill for relief from the pungent odors from the Bridgetown Sewage Plant. “They brought us down here from Chapman Lane and Emmerton, but I never thought down here would get so,” said one distressed resident. As the day grew older, scores of mourning relatives gathered at the home of Daryl’s mother. They informed Barbados TODAY that she was in no position to give a statement. His gruesome murder is 2019’s third and the third in less than a week. Last Tuesday, well-known tattoo artist, 24-year-old Shaquille Gibson-Toppin became the year’s first victim after being shot outside his Retreat Terrace, Black Rock home. Days later on January 11th, Ronald Rudder was fatally shot while sitting outside his home at Ridgeway, Pinelands, St Michael. “We are concerned about the level of gun violence,” said acting Superintendent Forde. While pleading with members of the public to take all precautions for their own safety, Forde also gave the assurance that the police would be doing all they could to ensure that the public is safe and can go about their duties without “undue fear”. Police are continuing investigations into the St. Philip shooting incident which occurred about 11:10pm at Bongles Hide-a-way Bar located at St. Martins and are also asking for anyone with information on these matters to contact Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1800-8477(TIPS) or any police station. (BT)

YOUTH AMBASSADORS’ PRESCRIPTION FOR GUN VIOLENCE – Increased awareness about the abundance of employment opportunities within the region could play a vital role in reducing gun violence in Barbados. This is the view of newly-appointed Barbados Youth Ambassador to CARICOM, Chad Monerville, who believes that high unemployment is a major factor in the increased gun play, which has already claimed three lives in 2019. “We need to find meaningful ways to find growth in the economy and by finding growth you open opportunities for young people to be employed. So, we need to advocate, engage and show young people that there are opportunities within and outside of Barbados. So that is essentially how we can address this situation because I believe it to be a simple case of the devil finding work for idle hands to do,” said Monerville, who was responding to questions from Barbados TODAY after he and his colleague Tirshatha Jeffrey met with Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning. As of July last year, the rate of unemployment stood at 10 per cent last year, up 0.3 per cent from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2016, according to latest data from the Barbados Statistical Service. The statistics from the Continuous Household Labour Force Survey indicate that the unemployment rate among males stood at 9.8 per cent compared to 10.1 per cent among females. In the review period, the number of persons employed totaled 129,900; of whom 66,200 were males and 63,700 were females. The total number of unemployed persons stood at 14,400 including 7,200 males and 7,200 females. In total, the number of persons in the labour force stood at 144,300. The number of persons not actively looking for work, hence excluded from the labour force, was 76,300 persons. The labour force participation rate stood at 65.4 per cent, with participation among males at 69.7 per cent and 61.5 per cent among females. With Government cuts continuing under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme and the private sector showing little appetite for new hires, those numbers could worsen this year. However, in weighing in on the discussion, Jeffrey contended that the problem ran deeper than an employment issue. She noted that the situation was of such concern that Mia Mottley-Government could not afford to wait until things turn around before engaging young people. She pointed that many wayward young people feel disengaged from their society and needed to once again have a sense of purpose. “We desperately need engagement and youth empowerment. It is not just about employment but also helping young people to find purpose and meaning in their lives. They may not have a job to go to everyday but if they know that whatever they are doing is making a change in their community, then they feel a sense of responsibility. We understand that the economy is not the best and we may not be able to get every young person a job but if we get them to feel as though they are part of the community and by extension part of Barbados, then this is going to seriously help with the issue of violence,” she said. (BT)

LIVING IN FEAR AFTER SHOOTINGS –Three shooting deaths within the first two weeks of the year have left residents in some communities fearing for their lives. This is in light of the brazenness of the shootings, some of which occurred in broad daylight. The most recent killing took place on Tuesday when Daryll “Rude” Harris, of Phase 2, Barbarees Garden, St Michael, was brutally murdered. The 42-year-old father of 13 was at home when a gunman walked up and shot him nine times. He was taken by private vehicle to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), where he died. His family was too distraught to speak to the media but his mother, in tears, said repeatedly: “They killed my son.” Harris was recovering from two gunshot wounds to the feet last December in New Orleans, The City, and was on crutches. (MWN)

ARM PARTIALLY SEVERED IN DISPUTE – A disturbance at Glendairy Road, near Bank Hall, St Michael, which many believe to be domestic, left one man with an almost-severed left arm and deep lacerations to his leg, residents told Barbados TODAY. They say the violent incident, which occurred around 11 o’clock Tuesday morning disturbed the otherwise quiet community. Police confirmed that Alban Mottley, 52, of Newbury, St George had his left arm badly injuried in the incident. They are now looking for another St George man to assist with the investigations.While many in the area said they did not venture outside as the commotion unfolded, at least one person said witnessed an injured man being rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) when it was finished. When the team visited the area, two women were at the house where the violence reportedly started. One of them declined comment, while the other indicated that she neither lives at the house, nor wanted to be associated with the incident. Two pools of blood, damage to the wooden house and broken bricks lying in the road, gave some insight into the pandemonium that had taken place. Residents said a cutlass was used in the attack which resulted in the injuries. The injured man reportedly retreated to a nearby house, after which, he was taken to hospital. “I am lost for words,” said one long-standing resident, who did not want to be identified. “There are some very nice, humble people living there, but I don’t believe the two people involved [in the altercation] live there,” he said. The frustrated resident also gave his ‘two cents’ on the country’s crime situation. “We will continue to get problems with crime because the young people are not listening, the old people are not setting an example. We are all to blame for what is going on in this country including the violence and the guns. I don’t know what will become of Barbados,” he said. (BT)

RIHANNA SUES HER DAD – Rihanna today filed a federal lawsuit in California alleging that her father was trading on their surname, Fenty, which she made famous, for financial gain. Rihanna, 30, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, alleged in the suit against Ronald Fenty and his business partner, Moses Joktan Perkins, the two men “have egregiously and fraudulently misrepresented to third parties and the public that their company, Fenty Entertainment, LLC, is affiliated with Rihanna, and has the authority to act on her behalf.” Fenty Entertainment allegedly tried to book concerts for her without her authorization and used the singer’s name “to solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties,” says the suit filed in US District Court in Los Angeles. The suit accuses the two men of seeking to trade on Rihanna’s “hard-earned success and the recognition and goodwill associated with her last name and her Fenty brand of products.” Rihanna, who launched the makeup line Fenty Beauty in 2017, is claiming in that the two men engaged in false advertising and invasion of privacy. The singer has trademarked the name Fenty, according to U.S. trademark records. She is seeking an injunction on her father’s use of the Fenty name and unspecified damages, according to the suit. Efforts tonight to locate Ronald Fenty and Perkins were unsuccessful. (BT)

THORNHILL GRANTED BAIL – Akilah Sharifa Dornita Thornhill was granted $2 000 bail after appearing before a Bridgetown magistrate this afternoon. The 28-year-old sales woman of #71 Edgehill Terrace St Thomas, denied that with intent to make permanent, she defaulted in whole or in part on an existing liability to make a payment dishonestly induced Kerry MacMaster, her creditor, to wait for payment in the amount of $4 000 by deception, by falsely representing that she would pay the sum of $4 000, but failed to do so when called upon to do so between September 13, 2017 and July 12, 2018. Prosecutor Constable Kenmore Phillips did not object to bail for the woman who was represented by attorney Jamila Rawlins. Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson released her with a surety before ordering that she report to the District “A” Police Station every Tuesday before 9 a.m. She returns to the No. 1 court on April 4. (MWN)

MISSING CONVICT IMPRISONED – Twenty-nine-year-old Jamar Crichlow of Lears, St Michael, had pleaded guilty to having apparatus fit for the misuse of a controlled drug – cocaine – on November, 17, last year. He was sent to the Psychiatric Hospital for assessment so that he could be considered for the Drug Treatment Court, but he went missing. On January 10 this year, his mother, who stood surety for him said she had not seen him “for a while”, and as a result, she withdrew as surety and a warrant was ordered for him. Last Monday when Crichlow appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Graveney Bannister, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison. The prosecutor was Sergeant Vernon Waithe. (BT)

I WAS WRONG – Between sobs, a 56-year-old woman told a magistrates’ court today, that she was sorry for embarrassing herself and family after stealing $27 worth of items from a beauty store on January 14. Janice St. Clair of 6 Hilton Row, Princess Royal Avenue, Pinelands, St Michael, admitted to acting Magistrate Anika Jackson that she went into BGI Beauty Inc. on Constitution Road, St Michael, and stole one nail polish remover worth $12; a pack of hair nets worth $3 and two hair accessories worth $12, total value $27. According to prosecutor, PC Kenmore Phillips, the mother of five entered the establishment around 12:30 p.m. and went to the shelves where the items were displayed and placed them in a bag. She was observed by security and the police were summoned. Initially, St Clair said she had nothing to say after the prosecutor oulined the matter, but changed her mind and said: “I am sorry, I know I was wrong.” She further told the court that her eldest child, a 38-year-old young man chided her and said: “Look at you, you tell we don’t get we selves in nuh trouble and look wuh you gone and do.” Noting that the ages of her other children are – 37, 31, 30 and 26, St Clair said that her daughter does not live at her. Asked if her four sons were working, she said only the 38-year-old, adding that one was also deaf and dumb, and the others were not working because of the economic situation now being experienced in the island. When the eldest son came to stand surety, he admitted that he was still angry with his mother and the acting Magistrate pointed out to him, that his brothers were adults and must contribute to the household. She added “As the eldest, I want you to impress upon the others the need to help your mother. Barbados has a lot of opportunities, there are things out there that can be done.” Before placing the middle-aged woman on 80 hours of community service, the acting magistrate told her “I have taken into account that you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and placed yourself at the mercy of the court. You admitted that you are embarrassed and that you are under undue stress.” However, she warned St Clair that if the Probation Department found that she was not fit for community service she would look at other options but fining for theft was out of the question. Bail was in the sum of $500 with one surety and the matter was adjourned until April 5. (BT)

YELLOW RULE AT L.T. GAY - Yellow House Tigers made the loudest roar on Tuesday when they were crowned champions at the Lawrence T. Gay Memorial Inter-house Championships at the National Stadium. They were pushed all the way by Blue Panthers, but Yellow’s unwavering determination and speed helped them emerge champions by four points. Yellow amassed 254 points, while Blue were second with 250. Red Rockets and Green Giants tied with 207 points. Red’s Dwanesha Hoyte and Green’s Kishawn Burnette, competing in the Under-11 division, were once again named victrix and victor ludorum with 36 points each. Hoyte was the first across the line in the Under-11 Girls’ division, gaining gold in the 100, 200 and 300 metres. Burnette dominated the boys’ division, also capturing those events. (MWN)

LOCAL BEACHES RANKED AMONG THE BEST – Three of Barbados’ beaches have made the cut as best of the best in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 by one of the world’s largest online publication flightnetwork.com. According to the online source, Bathsheba beach was ranked #11, Harrismith beach #28 and Crane beach #48. Flightnetwork did not explain how it arrived at the various rankings, but provided several scores, which showed that some of those ranked lower received better scores than those ranked higher. Giving a breakdown of the scores, Flightnetwork said Bathsheba received 9.5 out of 10 for its “sheer untouched beauty”; 8.5 out of 10 for its “remoteness”; and 9.5 out of 10 for its sand and water quality. Harrismith beach received a score of 9 out of 10 for sheer untouched beauty, 7 out of 10 for remoteness and 8 out of 10 for sand quality, while the Crane beach received a score of 8, 7 and 9 respectively. It also gave annual days of sunshine and average annual temperature for each destination. The website said to create the list of Central America and the Caribbean’s Top 50 Beaches it “collected insights from over 1,200 journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies who know all things travel”. “The invaluable wisdom they provided ensured our list of Central America and Caribbean beaches will lead you to shores so extraordinary you may decide to permanently change your address,” it added. The top three beaches in that survey were Grace Bay beach in the Turks & Caicos, Seven Mile beach in the Cayman Islands and Varadero beach in Cuba. Rounding out the top 50 beaches for last year were Playa Sombrero in Costa Rico and Jacmel beach in Haiti. (BT)

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