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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/25/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 25th January 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 Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

BERT NO SURETY - Barbados could be under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme for the next 15 years, former Prime Minister Professor Owen Arthur has warned. Stating that the country was facing the “perfect economic and financial storm”, Arthur said the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme was neither a quick fix nor a sure one for the economy. Arthur said while the BERT programme was designed to cut government spending and raise revenue, it would reduce economic growth as a result of its dampening effect on economic activities. “The programme itself does not contain an explicit defined set of measures to spur growth in the short or medium term,” he said. He explained that given Government’s target of a primary surplus of six per cent, this would have to be sustained for the next 15 years in order to achieve the proposed reduction of the debt to gross domestic product from 157 per cent to 60 per cent by 2033. “The core provisions of the programme will continue to be operative for the next 15 years and will be difficult to implement successfully. As such, the BERT will not be a quick fix or a sure fix. It will be a supreme test of the capacity of our people to accept the austerity the programme brings and the potential decline in the general standard of living of people that may ensue,” said Arthur. He was addressing the SALISES Policy Forum at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus on Wednesday night, where he examined the topic Barbados and the Frist Phase of the IMF/BERT Plan: of Recovery and Precarity. Stating that the BERT programme contained anti-growth provisions that should be “amended as soon as is possible”, Arthur said the debt restructuring and primary surplus policy provisions were not far-reaching enough. In fact, he said given the sheer magnitude and diversity of the number of challenges that had to be confronted, “the major error of the programme by its explicit statement, is to restrict policy interventions largely to fiscal policies”. He said there were other policies that should be employed that could “assist greatly” in restoring stability and viability to the economy without inflicting more tax burdens on residents. Arthur said while the programme insists that there must be significant structural reform, those proposed were “somewhat vague”, similar to those in IMF programmes elsewhere and were limited to measures to improve the island’s public finances. He suggested that the BERT programme should consist of measures to focus on improving the country’s credit ratings so that Barbados could have preferential access to the international market once again. Arthur, who led the country as Prime Minister for 14 years, said, a clear “pro-growth” programme should be devised outside of the IMF framework to encourage economic growth. He said given the scale of problems facing the country, the basis for that growth agenda should consist of restrictions on importation by invoking the protection clause under the relevant sections of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and a major reform of the renewable energy sector to complement the BERT programme. He also said there was a need for new ways of delivering social programmes, improvement in the conditions for doing business in Barbados, a larger role for the private sector in some areas, and greater focus on technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. Citing Singapore as an example, Arthur also proposed that policymakers consider pegging the Barbados currency to “a basket of currencies”. “We have in Barbados worshiped the exchange rate and said all of our economic policies must be based on protecting the exchange rate, when our economic policies should be designed to protect and enhance the standard of living of the people and everything that can contribute to the improvement of that standard,” he said. The Barbados currency is pegged BDS$2 to U$1. “I gave one to Parliament: 30 per cent to the US, 30 per cent linked to the Pound, some linked to the Euro and that would allow us to have a stable exchange rate that will boost exports,” said Arthur. The economist said the most disappointing aspect of the BERT programme for him so far was the retrenchment aspect were Government indicated that it would lay off staff and would provide training in order to rehire them to offer services. “I cannot conceive of a process by which the clerk typist in the Barbados public sector can be made responsible for the archiving of Government’s records dating back to 1956 as a serious programme. That is a work for archivist and those who have the skills,” said Arthur. In fact, he accused the Mia Mottley-led administration of witch-hunting in its retrenchment exercise, adding that government should rethink its plan to provide $30 million a year to retrain people. “It will neither, in my view, lead to cost savings nor efficiency,” said Arthur, who described the move as “a leap in the dark”. “I am not seeing rationalization. I am seeing a lot of political witch-hunting and replacement of appointees by political appointees that will lead to the same situation we have,” he said. Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management at the Cave Hill Campus Dr Akentoolove Corbin suggested that performance measurements be put in place for public sector workers to ensure increased productivity. Adding that wage increases should not be automatic and promotion should not be based on length of service, Corbin also called for a review of the last in first out policy “because it is not working”. (BT)

FOCUS ON RESTRUCTURING SOE – Government’s Senior Technical Advisor is urging the Mia Mottley-administration not to back off from restructuring its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) over the next three years. Dr Kevin Greenidge, a Barbados-born economist seconded from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assist with the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, has reminded the Government it must not lose sight of meeting its targets between now and 2020. Dr Greenidge cautioned that despite the BERT programme having come in for praise by the IMF for making “an excellent start,” there was still some way to go. “Much remains to be done, particularly as it relates to the state-owned enterprises and the transformation and restructuring that must occur there. And that is what should be the main focus for the three years…[to] 2020,” he told Barbados TODAY. “So in a nutshell we have made great progress, but the road is still ahead…,” he added. The IMF economist noted that at the end of 2018, Barbados was on course to meet the targets under the BERT programme. “In terms of, for example, the net international reserves…we exceeded that target by a considerable amount so far. The debt is on the trajectory where we are heading; and indeed the fiscal performance has been on target. So yes, we are on target in terms of the targets set under the BERT programme,” Dr Greenidge said. According to Dr. Greenidge another disbursement of financing from the US$290 million IMF loan would be accessed in June this year, after the March 2019 review. “But we have an end of December [2018] target which was set under the programme. But that is not tied to any disbursement. That is basically what we refer to as indicative targets…like targets along the way. We expect the IMF team to come to Barbados sometime early this year to do an evaluation. That time and date will be announced by the Prime Minister at some time,” the technical advisor said, adding that the December target would be assessed during the IMF visit. Asked if he was optimistic the country would meet its end of March target, Dr Greenidge assured that every effort would be made to do so. “Right now, our first hurdle would be to see how we have done at the end of December. That remains to be evaluated. And indeed, we must continue to stay the line in order to meet the end of March target,” Dr Greenidge told Barbados TODAY. He is sticking to his guns that the ongoing retrenchments which form part of the restructuring was not a numbers game but a process designed to improve the way business was conducted in central Government and the SOEs. In looking back at where the country has come from since the May general election, Dr Greenidge is certain that Barbados has done “remarkably well” as a small country. “We are back in that it’s business as usual…normal business has resumed. But we still have a lot to do and a long way to go; but we can do it, if we stick to it,” the top economist assured. (BT)

RER REVIEW NEEDED – One local economist is calling for an immediate review of the Renewable Energy Rider (RER) programme, which allows producers of electricity from renewable energy source to sell power to the Barbados Light & Power Company (BL&P). Former Prime Minister Professor Owen Arthur said if Barbados was serious about meeting its renewable energy goals and breathing life into the economy, then the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) should review and adjust the limits and rates under the programme. In July 2016, the FTC set a temporary rate for the power being sold to the national grid under the RER programme at $0.416/kWh for solar photovoltaic and $0.315/kWh for wind until a permanent rate may be established”. At the same time, the FTC said a decision was taken to increase the capacity limit to 500kW from 150 kW for individuals. Companies have a limit of 5 megawatts (MW). Last year, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams gave notice that a permanent rate would be pursued. However, with that yet to materialize, Arthur told the SALISES Policy Forum at the University of the West Indies (UWI) on Wednesday night that the country was running out of time to improve its growth prospect. And he said he believed a lot of that growth would require a “major reform” of the renewable energy sector by “releasing it from the chains that have been imposed on it”. The noted economist argued that the country could use photovoltaic and wind energy to generate most of its energy, but suggested that the current sum being paid for the energy and the limit of how much individuals and companies could produce under the programme were simply not cutting it. “We have to move the restriction on the capacity and pricing and it can be done right away for alternative energy to become a growth area for Barbados,” said Arthur, while arguing that if this was done other sectors such as agriculture could benefit. “I believe that it is absolutely necessary that there be an immediate revision to rulings of the Fair Trading Commission that really run directly counter to the need for us to be able to generate 500 megawatts of energy from alternative sources immediately, and to do so without impoverishing the alternative energy producers and enriching the light & power. Mr Abrahams, please act,” said Arthur. The economist argued that the proposed changes would immediately enable the sector to “invigorate the Barbados economy”. (BT)

BREA PRESIDENT: 2019 A YEAR OF ACTION – President of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) Jerry Franklin says this year must be a year of action if they are to achieve the policy target of 100 per cent renewable energy for Barbados by 2030. Franklin who was successful in his bid to retain the position of president of the association for the year says “the Association remains cautiously optimistic recognizing that several critical policy and regulatory decisions will have to be made very early in 2019 if we are to get the sector on the right path.” He noted that some of the important issues which need to be addressed as a matter of urgency this year if the target is to be met include the lengthy delays in the approval of the application processes, the duplication in the submission of documentation across agencies and the need to put in place an effective pricing system. Franklin was speaking at the association’ seventh annual general meeting at the 3W’s Oval. (WN)

‘LET’S TALK ABOUT THE 11-PLUS’ – Minister of Education Technology and Vocational Training Santia Bradshaw says more needs to be done to change Barbados’ rigorous educational system. Speaking on the sidelines of a scholarship presentation at Bagatelle Great House, St Thomas Tuesday, Bradshaw said that she would like the conversation to be on assessments that lead to the 11-plus examinations. “ I think over the last few years enough has not been said about those assessments or the ability of our students to understand subject areas because we have a lot of persons who are skilled across the board. But right now we only focus on two subject areas: Mathematics and English. Within the Ministry of Education, yes, we are looking at the 11-plus examination but we are also looking at assessments that lead to the 11-plus examination,” she said. Bradshaw who is also the Member of Parliament for St Michael South East said that the educational system needed to ensure that students with behavioral challenges were able to reach their full potential in school. “I believe that apart from focusing on an examination alone we should look at the continuous assessment of our young people, not just for academic qualifications, but any behavioural challenges that they may have so that we can put in place a system to deal with all types of children and the different ways they learn, instead of what has been happening which is a rigorous way of testing but also assessing our young people in the system,” Bradshaw said. She added it was vital for Barbadians to realize that schools were different and all students learn at different paces. “Take the children as you find them. Determine the best type of programme that will [assist] them in functioning after they leave school,” she said, adding that a lot of persons were leaving school with certificates but they were deficient in the subject area in which they were applying for employment. Bradshaw said that Barbados needed to have a conversation on what they accepted as professionals as a student did not have to aspire to be a doctor or lawyer once they gave of their best and did an honest day’s work. “The Ministry of Education is focusing heavily on technical and vocational skills. It is an area I believe was neglected for a while and I want us to get to a point where becoming a skilled labourer with technical skills is just as important as becoming a doctor or a lawyer,” Bradshaw said. The Minister said she has advised principals to teach students life skills as this was of vast importance in the labour market. (BT)

CARICOM GOVERNMENTS SEEK SOLUTION FOR VENEZUELA – Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) including Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley met by video-conference on Thursday on the latest developments in the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and issued a statement. They expressed grave concern about the plight of the people of Venezuela and the increasing volatility of the situation brought about by recent developments which could lead to further violence, confrontation, breakdown of law and order and greater suffering for the people of the country. In this regard, they offered their good offices to facilitate dialogue among all parties to resolve the deepening crisis. The Heads of Government agreed that the Chairman of Conference, Dr the Honourable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis would seek an urgent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General to request the U.N’s assistance in resolving the issue. The statement in its entirety reads as follows. “Heads of Government are following closely the current unsatisfactory situation in Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a neighbouring Caribbean country. They expressed grave concern about the plight of the people of Venezuela and the increasing volatility of the situation brought about by recent developments which could lead to further violence, confrontation, breakdown of law and order and greater suffering for the people of the country. Heads of Government reaffirmed their guiding principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of states, respect for sovereignty, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for human rights and democracy. Heads of Government reiterated that the long-standing political crisis, which has been exacerbated by recent events, can only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy. In this regard, Heads of Government offered their good offices to facilitate dialogue among all parties to resolve the deepening crisis. Reaffirming their commitment to the tenets of Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter which calls for Members States to refrain from the threat or the use of force and Article 21 of the Charter of the Organization of American States which refers to territorial inviolability, the Heads of Government emphasized the importance of the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace. Heads of Government called on external forces to refrain from doing anything to destabilize the situation and underscored the need to step back from the brink and called on all actors, internal and external, to avoid actions which would escalate an already explosive situation to the detriment of the people of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and which could have far-reaching negative consequences for the wider region. Heads of Government agreed that the Chairman of Conference, Dr the Honourable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis would seek an urgent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General to request the U.N’s assistance in resolving the issue.” (WN)

NO AIR: 300 STRANDED – Almost 300 people are stranded at Grantley Adams International Airport. Nation Online has been reliably informed they are part of the air/sea exchange - passengers who arrived via cruise ship and then transfer to flights. No flight was available, however, and the cause was not immediately known. They are also unable to secure rooms as none are available because of high occupancy rates this winter season as well as the England cricket team and its supporters who are in Barbados. The majority were in the in-transit lounge and some were also seen purchasing a late meal from one of the outlets at the Airport. (WN)

AXE TO FALL AGAIN AT NATION – Staff of the Nation Publishing Company are bracing for more job cuts. According to reports reaching Barbados TODAY, a number of positions will be made redundant in the coming months. This follows a meeting between the company’s management led by Chief Executive Officer Anthony Shaw and Group Financial Controller Noel Wood and a delegate from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) which included general secretary Senator Toni Moore and consultant Sir Roy Trotman. Sources said that managerial staff is expected to be among those being sent home. In a meeting with staff this afternoon, Shaw informed them that he had met with union officials and had presented them with the financial particulars and performance of the company since 2008, to help determine a way forward for the company. He told them that while changes in staff were possibly coming, it would not be on the same scale of those from 2018. It will be the second series of layoffs for the Trinidadian-owned newspaper company in less than a year. Last April, close to 30 workers were severed, including some from the newspaper’s sister company Starcom Network. At that time, the company blamed the highly competitive and rapidly changing print media environment for the layoffs. It also claimed that the cuts were as a result of challenges posed by the various social media platforms and dwindling newspaper revenues over the past ten years. On that occasion, one advertising sales executive, two classified advisors, one typesetter, one senior writer, one traffic coodinator, one lithographer, one graphics artist, one senior accounts clerk, one sub editor and three reporters lost their jobs. (BT)

NUPW DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY – The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is unhappy with the level of transparency from Government as it relates to proposed retrenchment of workers at the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) and the Government Printing Department. According to the union’s Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond, workers have been growing increasingly restless as murmurings of imminent job cuts grow louder while their bargaining agent remains in the dark. This week Walrond sent a stern warning to Government that the NUPW would not “take too kindly” to being informed of the cuts after the fact. His comments came following a meeting with workers of the National Assistance Board (NAB) at the NUPW, where those workers voiced similar concerns about being kept out of the loop as it relates to their job tenure and matters of occupational safety. “…We have been hearing unconfirmed reports circulating about the number of persons that are to be affected by the restructuring and retrenchment within those entities. This is something we are taking seriously because we have not had any consultations or negotiations with regards to those entities,” said Walrond. The senior trade unionist told Barbados TODAY that they have requested an audience with the Ministry of the Civil Service to discuss the concerns. Walrond did not go into details about the numbers being touted for the breadline, noting only that the word on the ground points to cuts being completed by the end of the financial year (end of March). “After the NUPW received further reports about numbers to be retrenched, we requested an audience with the Ministry of Civil Service to discuss the proposed retrenchment and mergers of these two entities. We expect that before anything is done that we have some preliminary discussions to ensure that all issues are well ventilated. To date, we have no information on how the cuts are to be implemented or the categories of workers that will be affected. We are very concerned to hear about these reports because the union is insisting that it must be involved in the process,” he said. Since last October GIS was earmarked in phase one of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. However, this afternoon Walrond told Barbados TODAY that his union has always maintained that the function of the printer and GIS were too important to be amalgamated. “The union would have expressed the view that the Government printing department should remain as it is in the interest of national security. Government needs to have its own printer for the purpose of printing legislation. We think it is strategic for Government to maintain its own printer. GIS has done an excellent job over the years. It is not a broadcasting service as some people think, it is about research and providing the public accurate information,” he argued. (BT)

GARBAGE ROW FIX - The discord between the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) and its workers over the issue of overtime pay for weekend work, has been settled for the time being. Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, has revealed that Government has agreed to continue paying overtime until a permanent agreement could be reached with the workers’ bargaining agent, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW). The minister explained that while Government was still very much determined to curtail overtime in the public service as a cost-cutting measure, they were willing to make a temporary exception for the SSA workers, because their service was critically needed on all seven days per week. “While the overtime is still an issue, we certainly cannot do without those workers being deployed to different areas on weekends. The Prime Minister is still concerned with the amount of overtime but we will continue to pay the overtime in the interim until we resolve the problem,” Prescod said in a recent interview with Barbados TODAY. Last month, as garbage continued to pile up across the island, workers threatened to stop weekend collections if the SSA management followed through with its plan to cut out overtime payments. It took a last-minute meeting of the SSA, NUPW and Minister of Labour Colin Jordan to avert a potentially messy situation. At the time workers claimed that they were being pressured into accepting new work conditions, a charge which was denied by Prescod. Under the current arrangement, a workweek is fixed from Monday to Friday and crews are paid overtime for weekend collections. The proposal was for the work week to be made up of any five days. However, Prescod maintained that negotiations were still actively continuing between the union and the SSA. He revealed that several offers are currently on the table for consideration. “We have also put on the table the concept of leasing vehicles from private persons that would be driven by the Sanitation Service Authority staff. I thought that this idea should not be too contentious but apparently we have not been able to resolve that yet. So, the talks are going on and they are relatively warm, not contentious, but we have not made the decision that I would like to see coming,” he stressed. NUPW Acting Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond said he was happy with Government’s interim position. However, he is of the view that the overtime issue will work itself out in the long-term once Government eventually acquires the full complement of trucks, which would enable workers to cover the entire island between Monday to Friday. “I have not heard anything official yet, but we would really welcome this move because this has been the union’s position all along. We understand that Government has a difficult decision to make with regard to the retrenchment. However, we had always put forward the position that it was more economical to let the overtime run until Government gets the additional trucks and then the overtime would not even be an issue because workers would be able to pick up the garbage in the normal work week,” Walrond pointed out. Earlier this month, Government received the first two of seven new garbage trucks, ordered from Japan and retrofitted in the United States. Prescod has promised that once there are no further unforeseen issues, two more trucks will be arriving next month while the remainder will arrive in March. (BT)

MURDER RATE COULD HURT ECONOMY, WARNS ECONOMIST – Within the first month of 2019, Barbados has recorded a higher murder rate than that of Trinidad and Tobago and according to economist Jeremy Stephen, a continuation of this trend could be disastrous for the economic recovery efforts. To date, Barbados has recorded eight murders, which puts the murder rate at 2.8 per 100 thousand, while Trinidad, which has recorded 32 murders thus far, has a rate of 2.3 per 100 thousand. Last year, Trinidad and Tobago recorded 516 murders, which represented a rate per 100 thousand that was five times more than Barbados, which recorded 28 murders for the same period. “This is very sobering fact because the way you look at these figures, the rate for Barbados has to be rounded off to three persons per 100 000 because you can’t have a half of a person. So we are at three and they [Trinidad and Tobago] are at two. This could easily change as the year progresses but normally when the year starts, Barbados is nowhere near Trinidad’s murder rate,” Stephen said in an interview with Barbados TODAY this morning. The University of the West Indies lecturer warned that the worrying trend could derail the Government’s recent efforts at restoring investor confidence in the country. “This could really damage investor confidence in the long term. People believe that Barbados is still a safe place but if this issue persists it definitely can undermine any efforts to attract foreign direct investment in any sustainable manner,” said Stephen. He contended that the repercussions were not limited to those on the outside looking in, noting that the nocturnal entertainment sector could also suffer as result of growing fears brought on by increased gun violence. Stephen argued that because of the possibility of being caught in the crossfire, Barbadians might decide not to leave the safety of their homes to go out at night. “From a confidence point of view it could also damage what is happening on the local side. Persons would not want to go out at night because they are afraid that people will shoot up the place. A lot of people are reacting to these murders even though they don’t know the circumstances surrounding them. It seems a little more intense than the others that we had a year ago. So if this persists it could really damage the economy and affect people’s confidence to move around,” he explained. However, Stephen made it clear that while he believes that the trend is worrying, he is by no means suggesting that Barbados is at crisis stage, as it is less than a month into the year. “We need to bear in mind that the year has only just started and there is really no need to start getting carried away. However, it is important to make comparisons to bring the problem into sharp focus. Every time we hear about Trinidad the story is that they start each year very hot in terms of murders but it is really sobering when you place the start of our year in that context,” he explained, pointing out that due Barbados’ small population and a few incidents can easily taint the image of the country. “Given the size of our population we need to understand that we cannot afford for this problem to get out of control and we need to support our law enforcement in every way. I need people to understand that this is a problem for all Barbadians,” he stressed. (BT)

UPP: THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO HEAR FROM PRIME MINISTER – Below is a statement from the United Progressive Party’s Public Relations Officer Wayne Giffith The January spate of gun-play has Barbadians in absolute fear for our lives as we witness an unprecedented display of mayhem in the streets. We fear especially for the innocent ones on their way to and from school. Despite the responsibilities related directly to law and order being accurately reassigned to the portfolio of the Attorney General Dale Marshall, his subsequent visits into troubled communities served as only ineffective optics and cannot redress the matter at hand. With Barbados at the peak of the Tourist season, the nation is anxiously awaiting the arrest of those responsible not only for these executions but those involved in the importation of illegal firearms. At this stage where homicides outnumber road fatalities, the country needs to hear from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley who was given a complete mandate to resolve the matters of national importance and security. The United Progressive Party calls on the prime minister to use her vast influence to hopefully dissuade the criminal intentions of those who wish to commit these heinous offenses. (BT)

FORDE PROMISES GOV’T WILL RESPOND – Yet another Government Minister has joined the chorus of people demanding an end to the country’s deadly spate of murders. Hours before Barbados recorded its eighth murder for the year, Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment, Adrian Forde declared, “Government would not allow the criminal element to take over the country.” Forde was speaking yesterday to scores of young people during the launch of the Youth Achieving Results Program in the ministry’s training room at Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, Saint Michael. His comments came amid a bizarre spate incidents, which resulted in the death of three women in less than 48 hours. His comments also come as an apparent gang war rages in the New Orleans and Chapman Lane areas, which has resulted in the death of one man and injuries to others. “It is no secret that crime and violence have raised their ugly head in this country,” said Forde, who promised that government would not sit back on its laurels, but instead, would “handcuff” it, put it before the magistrates’ court and lock it up for life, because we are not going to allow the criminal element to take over our country. It’s as simple of that,” he said. Speaking directly to the participants of the program which works on the skills of young people in the areas of dance, drama, voice training, technical theatre, as well as a personal development costume design, jewellery-making and garment construction over an eight-month period. These skills, Forde described as the “tools of empowerment,” which he pleaded with young people to view as viable alternatives to crime and violence. “At the end of the day, our young people matter the most. I am imploring you to put down all of those weapons of destruction and pick up the tools of empowerment…the tools of the creative culture, the tools of your imagination; these must go with you every step of this journey,” he told the participants. “This voice that you hear from the minister of youth is the collective voice of every single member of the Cabinet and the government of the day,” he added, while reminding them that too many meaningful opportunities exist which should be pursued as alternatives to crime. “Put down those deadly weapons because the reality is that if we lose one, we lose one too many and our country should never be reduced to a country of fear. Barbadians must be able to carry out their duties in a fair environment. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that we provide that vehicle for you to succeed and see yourself as a leader,” he promised. (BT)

LAYNE SPOTS THE LIGHT ON THE JUDICIARY – Barbadian youth advocate Corey Layne wants to see the island’s judicial system set an example for the youth of Barbados. Layne was speaking to Barbados TODAY as the island recorded its 13th reported shooting and eighth death for the year. The youth advocate argued that the legislative system needed to “make an example of those who were perpetuating crime and fear in society”. Layne said that society needed to be alarmed when disillusioned youth in society saw a life of crime as an easy solution because felons received bail after committing heinous offences. “The young persons we need to be concerned about are the ones who are looking on and noticing that there are persons out there shooting [and] going before the law courts and in two blinks and the shake of a tail they are in front of you again. “It sends [the message] that you can participate in this type of activity with impunity when really and truly it really speaks to our judicial system – innocent until proven guilty and it takes a while to prove someone guilty,” Layne pointed out. Layne explained that the criminal subculture was becoming mainstream and the lack of justice and slow pace to trial was not helping to change people’s opinion. He stressed that Government and law enforcement especially needed to crack down on the importation of illegal firearms. “We need to look at how we can intercept a lot of these guns coming in whether it is the ports or the ports outside of the main ports. Not talk about it, not look at it, just deal with it. “Shut it off, have serious investigations, have sting operations and get rid of the persons in the system who maybe circumventing the system,” Layne contended. “We have talked a lot about night court but how much night court have we had going? There are lights in these buildings, turn on the lights and have night court!” he added. The founder and director of the National Fun Ranch also suggested that parental guidance programmes should be offered to parents from infancy to secondary level education and support programmes be offered to at-risk youth. Layne indicated that at-risk youth were often pushed into the society “ripe for the drug lords and the block leaders” and this needed to be stopped. He argued that the spike in gun violence could be “the single most destabilizing phenomenon for this country” and urged Government and civil society to unite and tackle the problem head-on. “Primary school teachers can tell you they can identify the children who will cause problems in this society. We need to pull them out and we need to put support behind programmes that will work with them, hold their hands and coach them along the way,” Layne recommended. “Put some money behind civil society, identify these children from early at primary school and secondary school and get them alongside positive mentors. We have talked about it, we have dreamed about it [and] we have romanticized about it – it is time to do something about it.” (BT)

INTERVENTION COMING – Concerned parliamentary representative for the City of Bridgetown Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic has offered to broker a truce between suspected warring factions in his constituency said to be responsible for a frightening upsurge in deadly violence in that area. The most recent fatal incident occurred last evening on Baxters Road, when an unknown gunman emerged from the nearby New Orleans area of the City and riddled Corey “Yabba” Parris, 47, with bullets while he sat in a car near Jordan’s Supermarket. But while Bostic, who is also Minister of Health and Wellness accepts that much of the violence involved residents of the City, he believes that outsiders have something to do with it as well. He told Barbados TODAY this evening that while on previous occasions he found it easy to determine who the perpetrators were and was able to bring the violence under control, this latest flare-up was more complex. “This particular spate of violence really is not as clear-cut in terms of trying to wrestle with exactly what is the root of the problem. But I would say upfront, I would urge all those persons who are engaged in this recent bout of violence to really, really, stop the violence and let’s come to a position where we can discuss to see exactly what the issues are from their own perspectives,” the City MP said. Minister Bostic said there were some things which he accepted could be done to address the deeper social problems peculiar to the City, and he would shortly intensify the initiatives and programmes already started. “The other thing though is that on this occasion, I am not convinced all of the action really relates to persons who actually live in the City, although perhaps, that is the case in some instances,” he told Barbados TODAY. The trained soldier said while he did not intend to cross paths with the legitimate responsibilities of law enforcement, he was preparing initiatives to deal with the situation as best he could. He explained that his approach would be to find out who the perpetrators of the lawlessness were and interact with them to have the issues resolved. “But it is a serious concern and of course it is a frightening situation for those persons who reside in the communities that are being impacted by this level of violence that we are seeing displayed before our very eyes,” the City MP added. “What I am working on right now, is a series of initiatives which would have to start with engaging those members of the various communities who are in positions of influence, whether it is through sports, through the church, any groupings that are within the communities to see exactly what we can do in terms of having a dialogue,” he declared. Bostic, who is a product of the City and still has family connections in the Chapman Lane community, said he would be moving to ease the social situation by addressing the serious unemployment in the constituency. “There has always been a level of unemployment among the City youth which is really not acceptable. So we are trying to deal with some of those issues by directing persons who are in a position to establish their own micro business, for example, through the trust loans,” he assured. Bostic told Barbados TODAY that help would also be coming for those who want to enhance their existing businesses. “That is a continuation of some work that was started before, even before the elections. The availability of the trust loans now facilitates that process. “The other area is that I am waiting for the First Job initiative to start so we can get some of the young unemployed persons engaged in some meaningful activity,” Minister Bostic promised. The ongoing gun violence in the City and elsewhere has already seen one Cabinet casualty with former Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson being stripped of the responsibility for the police. Those responsibilities were handed over to Attorney General Dale Marshall. (BT)

MURDER NUMBERS NOT THE WHOLE STORY: DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER –With eight murders less than a month into 2019, five involving the use of firearms, Deputy Police Commissioner Erwin Boyce is telling Barbadians the numbers, though worrying, do not paint the full picture. Boyce explained that while the numbers racked up so early in the year were indeed staggering, they must be analysed in context. “This is something from the police force’s perspective that we would not have anticipated at the beginning of the year. The level of consistency is extremely worrying. However, we must put it in context because it is only then we understand what is happening. What we are seeing in these cases is a victim-offender knowledge of each other. So, therefore, these cases could have genesis elsewhere to where the shooting actually occurred,” explained Boyce, who was speaking to reporters following the closing ceremony for the online child exploitation investigations training course at the Regional Police Training Centre, Seawell, Christ Church today. To date, Barbados has recorded eight murders, which puts the murder rate at 2.8 per 100 thousand, while Trinidad, which has recorded 32 murders thus far, has a rate of 2.3 per 100 thousand. Last year, Trinidad and Tobago recorded 516 murders, which represented a rate per 100 thousand that was five times more than Barbados, which recorded 28 murders for the same period. Responding to calls for police to take more of a big stick approach to Barbados’ gun crime situation, Boyce explained that law enforcement has always operated within the parameters of the constitution of Barbados and this current wave of violence was not about to force a deviation from that practice. “We are a law enforcement organization guided by the constitution of the land. We have boundaries, we have general standing orders, we are an accredited force and we know what direction to go and how far to go in relation to how we do our operations and how we respond to situations. So, we will always demonstrate the best way to do things. This way will ensure that John Public has the confidence in the organisation and that there is a peace of mind and less anxiety as it relates to these crimes,” the high-ranking lawman said. However, the deputy commissioner made it clear that while fear was a natural response to the spike in these types of crimes, the police were on top of the situation. “We know that there would be alarm, there would be anxieties and some peace of mind disruption. But we want to assure Barbados that operationally, the Royal Barbados Police Force and its partners are working towards ensuring that the peace of mind returns and there is less anxiety as it relates to that type of crime,” he said. Without going into detail, Boyce explained that the force has a number of strategies – short, medium and long-term on which they are working. “Once we get the full corporation of all of our partners then we are going to have a much more peaceful society,” Boyce added. (BT)

ARMED MEN INTERCEPTED BY POLICE – Lawmen report that on Thursday, January 24, police from the Anti-gun and Tactical Response Unit intercepted a private motorcar at 2nd Avenue Harts Gap Christ Church with three male occupants, after a search of the vehicle was conducted, police discovered one firearm and a large quantity of ammunition. All three men are assisting police with their investigations. (WN)

UPDATE: POLICE IDENTIFY SHOOTING VICTIM AT GEMSWICK ST PHILLIP –Police have identified the man shot today at Gemswick, St Philip as Damien Hunte. Acting Police Public Relations Officer Sargeant Michael Blackman said the incident occurred around 9:00 am, he was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private vehicle. Police investigations are continuing. (BT)

MURDER ACCUSED REMANDED – Murder accused Anderson Jerome Calderon was just remanded to HMP Dodds. The 32-year-old plumber, of Block 2E North Close Wildey, St Michael, was charged with the murder of Ronald Rudder in the District "A" Magistrates' Court. The man, who is represented by attorney Neville Reid, was not required to plead to the indictable offence. He returns to court on February 21. (WN)

MURDERER LOSES HIS APPEAL – Convicted murderer Carlton Junior Hall has had his appeal against his conviction dismissed. The Appeal Court comprised of Justices Kay Goodridge, Margaret Reifer and William Chandler, upheld the decision of a 12-member jury, who had found a then 25-year old Hall guilty of murdering Adrian Wilkinson on March 2, 2016. Wilkson died on the spot at Speightstown, St Peter on Sunday, August 14, 2011, after being gunned down. Hall was sentenced to hang by trial judge Justice Jacqueline Cornelius. But Hall, whose last address was given as 2nd Avenue, Chapman Lane, St Michael, through his attorney Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim had appealed the conviction. The appeal was in relation to identification, as per section 102 of Evidence Act in what amounts to special circumstances, due to the fact that the Crown’s case relied on identification evidence. In a 31-page judgment handed down and delivered by Reifer yesterday, the court ruled that the evidence produced by the Crown was of such a standard as to constitute special circumstances, within the meaning of Section 102 2A of the Evidence Act and was properly placed before the jury who was adequately warned. The court also ruled that the trial judge had correctly overruled a no-case submission. However, because of a ruling made by Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the imposition of a mandatory death penalty is unconstitutional, the court ordered that Hall be returned to the trial judge to be resentenced at the earliest opportunity. Acting Deputy Director of Prosecution Anthony Blackman and Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas appeared on behalf of the Crown. (BT)

EXTRADITION HEARING ADJOURNED – For the third time in as many hearings a Barbadian man fighting an extradition attempt by Canada had his matter adjourned. When 64-year-old Errol Vivian Jones, of Bridgefield, St Thomas appeared before Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court today, the matter was adjourned until March 7, 2019. Prosecutor Station Sergeant Rudolph Burnett did not object to bail, meaning Jones will remain on $15 000 bail. Canadian authorities are seeking to have Jones extradited to finish serving the remaining 889 days of a sentence for breaching the conditions of his parole. However, Jones is contending that he was deported from Canada and is questioning how a warrant of arrest could be issued for him when at the same time he was in the custody of Immigration officers and being escorted from the country. (BT)

I APOLOGISE – With his plaited hair initially rolled up and then in flowing dreadlocks, Steve Carlton Skeete admitted to being a Rastafarian and said he did not have a problem with drugs nor did he need help. “I don’t rob, I don’t steal, I have it for my personal use,” he told Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court where he was facing three drug-related charges. Skeete, a 46-year-old farmer of Griffith’s Land, Black Rock, St Michael, initially pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of cannabis and not guilty to trafficking and intending to supply, all on January 23, 2019. However, attorney-at-law Harry Husbands appeared as a friend of the court and spoke to Skeete who changed his “not guilty” pleas. According to Prosecutor, PC Kenmore Phillips, lawmen executed a search warrant at Skeete’s home and found nothing inside the house, however with the assistance of the Canine Unit, a bag containing vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis was retrieved from the cellar. Skeete admitted knowledge and ownership of the approximately 69 grams with an estimated value of $345. The acting Magistrate noted that Skeete’s conviction card started in 1996 for a similar offence. He told the court “Ma’am, I apologize for my actions. I take full responsibility.” On the first count of possession, Skeete was fined $750 in three months, or on default, spend three months in prison. On the other two charges, he was convicted, reprimanded and discharged. (BT)

FARMER EDWARDS FINED $3,500 FOR GROWING WEED – Vowing to “go out there and work”, a 56-year-old St Michael farmer admitted to having drugs and told a Bridgetown Magistrate today: “I will try to do better.” Julius Alexander Edwards of Chapel Gap, Spooners Hill, St Michael, pleaded guilty to four drug charges when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court before Acting Magistrate, Anika Jackson. The charges are that on January 23, 2019, he had cannabis; trafficked in it; intended to supply it and unlawfully cultivated it. According to the facts outlined by Prosecutor PC Kenmore Phillips, armed with a search warrant, lawmen went to Edwards’ home and found a number of plants suspected to be cannabis on a mattress, some on a line drying and others in two enclosed areas in the yard. He admitted ownership. When the acting magistrate examined Edwards’ conviction card, she observed that his first offence of illegal possession of cannabis was in 1985 and others that were not similar. Stating that his last offence was more than 30 years ago, she noted that the present ones were serious, adding that there were 139 plants weighing about 400 grams with an estimated street value of $2,000. For possession, Edwards was convicted, reprimanded and discharged and for trafficking and supplying he was reprimanded and discharged. However, for cultivating, he was fined $3,500 in four months or four months in prison. (BT)

WEST INDIES LEAD BY 332 AT STUMPS – West Indies, with a first innings lead of 212 runs after routing England for a paltry 77, were 127 for six in their second innings at stumps on the second day of the first Wisden Trophy cricket Test at Kensington Oval here on Thursday. Wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich was not out on 27, alongside captain Jason Holder on seven as the West Indies finished the day with an overall lead of 339 runs with four wickets in hand. Experienced fast bowler Kemar Roach rocked England with five for 17 in 11 overs while Holder and Alzarri Joseph took two wickets each for 15 and 20 runs respectively. Earlier, Shimron Hetmyer top-scored in the Windies’ first innings with a superb knock of 81, which was laced with nine fours and two sixes off 109 balls in 157 minutes. Veteran pacer James Anderson was England’s most successful bowler with five for 46 in 30 overs. All-rounder Stokes supported with four for 59 off 25.3 overs. Summarised Scores: West Indies 289 in 101.3 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 81, Shai Hope 57, Roston Chase 54, John Campbell 44, Kraigg Brathwaite 40; James Anderson 5-46, Ben Stokes 4-46) and 127-6 in 36 overs (John Campbell 33, Shimron Hetmyer 31, Shane Dowrich 27 not out, Kraigg Brathwaite 24; Moeen Ali 3-41, Ben Stokes 2-31). England 77 in 30.2 overs(Keaton Jennings 17; Kemar Roach 5-17, Jason Holder 2-15, Alzarri Joseph 2-20). (WN)

RAGING ROACH – The West Indies held the advantage at the end of the second day of the first Test against England at Kensington Oval today. They finished on 127 for six wickets, a lead of 339 runs with Shane Dowrich unbeaten on 27 and captain Jason Holder not out on 7. Batting for the second time in the day after England were blown away for 77 in their first innings, West Indies then lost wickets regularly and were 61 for five by the 22nd over with Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase and Shai Hope dismissed and watching the game from the Garfield Sobers Pavilion. This, after a second 50-run opening partnership between Brathwaite and Campbell. The West Indies declined to enforce the follow-on perhaps unwilling to bat last on a fourth or fifth-day track at the Oval. Shimron Hetmeyer (31) and Shane Dowrich stabilised the innings with an important partnership of 59 runs for the sixth wicket. Hetmyer was his usual aggressive self forcing England to release their attacking fields. However, minutes before the close Hetmyer mistimed a drive off Sam Curran and was caught by Jos Buttler. Once again the left-handed Guyanese looked a class act. Earlier, it was the Kemar Roach show as he wreaked havoc among England’s batsmen with a devastating spell of fast bowling in the pre-tea session to bundle out the visitors in 30.2 overs and give the West Indies a lead of 212. Roach’s destruction of the visitors began in the first over after lunch when he bowled opener Rory Burns for 2 to leave England wobbling at 35 for two. Holder had already accounted for his opening partner Keaton Jennings, caught at gully by Hope for 17. Roach’s next victim was Jonny Bairstow who had his stumps rattled for 17 with a ball that also struck his elbow. The veteran fast bowler then trapped Ben Stokes lbw for a duck to leave the visitors in a sad state at 48 for five. The pressure continued to mount on England when the very next ball Moeen Ali pulled a short ball from Roach and was brilliantly caught at long-leg by Alzarri Joseph for a duck, leaving Roach on a hat-trick which he did not complete with his next delivery. However, Buttler would very soon succumb to Roach’s inspired spell when he induced him to edge to wicketkeeper Dowrich after he had scored four. The turn of events in the England innings sent shockwaves among the thousands of English visitors packed into the stands as their team floundered at 48 for six. At that stage, Roach had eight overs, five maidens, 13 runs and had claimed five wickets. Roach’s final figures were 11 overs, 7 maidens, 17 runs, five wickets. A brilliant performance before his home fans! Roach was supported by Holder and Joseph who took two wickets each for 15 and 20 runs respectively. Shannon Gabriel accounted for Curran with a snorter which he fended to Hope. At the start of the day, West Indies resumed on 264 for the loss of eight wickets and were bowled out just before the first hour of play for 289. Hetmeyer who was on 56 not out, was the last wicket to fall as he tried to force the pace with the last man Gabriel at the other end. He was caught at the wicket by Ben Foakes off Stokes for 81 scored in 109 minutes and including nine fours and two sixes. Joseph, the other overnight batsman, batted for fifty minutes and gave Hetmyer good support before he was caught at second slip by Buttler without scoring. Gabriel was not out on nought when the innings closed. James Anderson finished with the remarkable figures of five wickets for 46 runs from 30 overs which included 13 maidens. Stokes chipped in with four wickets for 59 runs from 25.3 overs. (BT)

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 15/5/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap Friday 15th May, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

NO JOB CUTS BUT FORCED SAVINGS - There will be no job cuts in the public service, Prime Minister Mia Mottley tonight promised, offering instead the prospect of forced savings of part of their earnings as the economy claws its way out of both a pandemic and economic restructuring. Forced savings is the involuntary savings of an individual resulting from restrictions imposed upon spending, deferred income, insurance or other circumstances. The last time the Barbados Government attempted to withhold the pay of public officers, an eight per cent cut was instituted in 1991, which was credited with the saving the dollar. But although the withheld money was later repaid, the Owen Arthur administration amended the Constitution to outlaw a future pay cut. In this case, Mottley said some of the salaries of public workers would be invested in bonds which would be redeemed at a later date. But she said a final decision would be made in the coming weeks after further discussions with the Social Partnership. The Prime Minister said: “We accept that we have a duty to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper. That is the Barbados that we know and that is the Barbados we must continue to embrace. “The Social Partnership, therefore, discussed as well, the option that I raised on the last occasion on which I spoke, which is how do we best share the burden and do we not need to look at some level of adjustment on the part of those who are working, in the form not of wage cuts in the public sector but what we call forced savings; in other words to allow Government to be able to spend money on other things, particularly capital projects, to be able to get more people working. “We do have to cut expenditure. We do not want to cut jobs and some form of burden-sharing is appropriate and I think I can fairly say that if that is the view of both the labour movement and the private sector then there should be no further job cuts for the sake of COVID-19, [but] there may always be job cuts for restructuring of institutions.” The PM said some employers in the private sector had decided that instead of sending workers home, pay cuts ranging from 15 per cent to 100 per cent could be implemented. She said this was in an attempt to prevent further job losses. “The Social Partnership, both the private sector and the labour movement, advises that their members have been facing similar situations and in many instances they have asked workers to take cuts ranging from 15 per cent right up to 50 per cent but in some instances 100 per cent,” she said. Mottley made it clear that those employees who opted to forfeit their entire pay cheque were those in a financial position to do so. (BT)

MOTTLEY: MORE EASE IN LOCKDOWN COME MONDAY – With strides being made in the fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Mia Mottley tonight announced the country would move to Phase 3 from Monday. The new stage will see the reopening of several businesses, restrictions lifted on some sporting activities and extra hours for beachgoers. However, the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will remain in effect for the time being, Mottley said. During a press conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, held following a three and a half hour specially convened meeting of the Social Partnership, Mottley said the decision to reopen more businesses was made to get more Barbadians back to work. Those businesses given the green light to resume operations on May 18 are cottage industries, repair services, barbers and hairdressers, churches, restaurants for drive-thru and take away services and contactless sports such as running, tennis and golf. Provisions will also be made for housekeepers to resume work on Wednesday, May 20. Additionally, persons will also be allowed to go to the beach between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. along with the 6-9 a.m. window allowed in Phase 2. While persons will still have to adhere to the alphabetical system, there has been some relaxation which allows for shopping by the groups to be done anytime during the day. Mottley said with the spread of COVID-19 projected to be on a downward trajectory Government was working towards “balancing lives and livelihoods”. The PM said it was important to provide safe work for safe people, to provide as many employment opportunities for Barbadians as possible and to ensure that every household in Barbados “can eat food every day”. “I hope, however, that in our drilling down we are in a position to put as many people back to work week by week by week, without compromising the gains that the country has made with respect to where we are with COVID-19. “The reality is that Barbados has tested a higher percentage of our population than a lot of countries in the world. I believe that we are close to just under 1.17 per cent of the population and that is a significant achievement and by no means something to be underestimated or ignored,” Mottley said. She said she hoped that some of the over 36 000 persons who had drawn unemployment benefits from the National Insurance Scheme, would be able to find employment with the reopening of those businesses. “We accept that with some businesses coming back on stream more and more employees will not need to benefit from an unemployment benefit in the long term and they are entitled to up to six months but some of them may well be back to work within four to eight weeks depending on the nature of their employment,” she noted. Mottley pointed out that businesses such as betting and gaming shops, places of public entertainment, in house dining at restaurants, and gyms would remain closed. She said consideration would be given to reopening them when the country moved to the next phase. Mottley said the Social Partnership was scheduled to meet again next week to continue discussions. Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association Edward Clarke, who was also present, welcomed the news of the re-opening of businesses and called on Barbadians to support them whenever and however possible. “It is critical that Barbadians get back to work and Barbados’ economy gets back to work. We cannot afford as a country to have 36,000 or 37, 000 people unemployed at any one time and that is adding to the other ten per cent. We have to change that and the private sector is going to do all that it can to ensure that we keep people employed for as long as we can,” he assured. (BT)

PM: WATER UPGRADE LOAN IN THE PIPELINE – The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is to borrow $50 million to carry out major upgrades, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said this evening. Even as the COVID-19 crisis has affected an “aggressive programme” planned for the BWA, Government was still committed to getting work done, she said. The PM told journalists: “We had hoped to be able to move on the combined problems that we face in the Water Authority and in the country with access to water at an earlier stage but we knew we had to finish the debt restructuring. “That debt restructuring finished the end of last year and just as we were getting ready to move in to an aggressive programme both for the purchase of equipment for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as well as for Water Authority to deal with a number of major projects, the public health disaster pandemic came.” Mottley, who was speaking at press briefing after she and Ministers met with the Social Partners at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, referred to a “Vineyard project” which will bring relief to the residents of many areas affected by water woes. She declared: “We have not stopped however, and the Director of Finance is working with the Barbados Water Authority in order to be able to ensure that can be able to borrow somewhere between $50 to $55 million dollars depending on the fine-tuning of an additional project that we are looking at. “It will also mean that the capital works programme for expended road works that Minister Duguid and his ministry is about to execute will also take into account the laying of mains at the same time because you would surely agree with me that it makes no sense to break road, dig it up and then pave it back without putting in the mains.” The Prime Minister said the water issue was “a matter of urgency” and assured Barbadians her administration will work with them. She said: “We have to be able to address the water issue as a matter of urgency, we hear you we are going to work with you. “But we also recognise we are up against a drought and a major ground water crisis that is a result of the climate change that the world is facing. “Many of you will recall that less than two months ago, Dr [John] Mwansa gave evidence before the Budget Committee of the House of Assembly and indicated that when they went into Bowmanston that what would normally be 70 feet of water that they found less than three to four feet.” (BT)

NO CHILD CARE SERVICES YET – Even as more businesses have been given the go-ahead to reopen from next week, child care services remain closed, the Prime Minister revealed this evening. And while admitting that Government was still “working through the protocols” in having those services available, she instead called on “extended family members” to lend assistance to parents and guardians who have to go to back work. Mottley also disclosed there were still several challenges that are hindering the reopening of primary schools and nurseries. She revealed that consideration would be given to them when the country moved to Phase 4 of pandemic recovery. The Prime Minister told reporters: “Looking at it, public health has some concerns that are real. I in my layman’s world would have said let’s get at least the primary school children back out but then there is the issue of controlling primary school children and them coming back into the household and all kinds of things so I’m not preparing to advise the Government on these matters, but suffice to say that that is part of Phase 4 at the earliest. “We are working diligently but we are sensitive to the fact that some people who have to go back out to work do need the support for their children and somebody to keep them and in some instances where the grandparents are sick or at risk that is not an option. “We are trying to get our heads around it; it is a serious issue not just for us but we see it globally.” She said members of the extended family were crucial in this regard. But she did not indicate alternatives for those parents who had no such social network. The PM said: “We are asking truthfully the extended family to play a role; this is Mia talking, this is not the Prime Minister talking. If you have family help out one another, that is what family is for. “It may well be that you can’t go by your parents because they are at risk but you have a cousin, a nephew, a niece, somebody, because that is the Bajan way so let’s do it.” (BT)

EXAM QUESTION – Government is set to address issues related to the Common Entrance Examination when senior ministry officials meet tomorrow with teachers’ representatives. President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman has said the dates and structure of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) tests and the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Exam are among topics on the agenda. Redman told Barbados TODAY the union’s leadership met last Friday with the Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson after the BSTU wrote her calling for an urgent meeting to discuss a number of concerns surrounding the administration of the new online school term. “That meeting was a listening meeting. She listened to our concerns,” Redman said, adding that the follow-up meeting tomorrow will try to address four major areas of concern for the teachers. “The Ministry of Education is to address an end of term date, synchronous and asynchronous teaching, the mandated three-hour minimum of synchronous teaching and dates and structure of CXC and the BSSEE,” she disclosed. The BSTU and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) have taken exception to a list of new expectations issued by Adamson in a letter dated May 3, 2020, the day before the online classes started. Both unions have said they are unhappy with the tone and content of the letter and have identified similar areas of contention. But the BSTU went even further and put its concerns in writing to the Chief Education Officer . Among the 29 sets of expectations listed by the senior ministry official, the union is particularly worried about five of them which Redman described in her letter as a “betrayal” considering what was agreed to during an April 1 consultation. One area of concern related to the provision of computer equipment. “The directive that teachers should have laptops bears no relation to the fact that many of them still do not and have yet to be provided with any. We discussed and you agreed, as did BAPPSS [the association representing public secondary school principals], that teaching would consist of both synchronous and asynchronous classes, and that neither type, for a variety of pertinent and sensitive reasons, should be mandated,” the BSTU leader said in her correspondence. (BT)

CXC GOING AHEAD IN JULY - The Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) CSEC, CAPE and CCSLC examinations will go ahead in July as scheduled. Registrar Dr Wayne Wesley yesterday confirmed this would be the date for the regional examination, with results to be made available by the first week of September 2020, in accordance with approval given at the First Emergency Virtual Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in May. That meeting, chaired by Antigua and Barbuda Minister of Education Michael Browne, was attended by Ministers of Education, senior Ministry of Education officials from across CARICOM and key stakeholders stakeholders, including CXC, University of the West Indies, CUT and (other stakeholders). In a virtual press conference yesterday, Wesley clarified the process for the modified examination and provided detailed information on the approach.(WN)

COACHES NOW MAYBE TAXIS LATER - Coaches are to be used to boost the public transport service and Minister of Transport William Duguid is to meet with taxi drivers to see how they can be employed to move commuters, the Prime Minister has announced. Briefing journalists at the end of a meeting with the Social Partnership at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, she said that 33 electric buses the Transport Board ordered are to arrive between the end of June and early July. But she said that in order to maintain the 60 per cent capacity restriction to observe social distancing on buses, the transport system has to be “augmented”. The PM said: “In the interim Government is of the view that we are going to have to augment the bus capacity both with working with the private sector, privately-owned buses, not only the traditional B and ZM but we may have to look at some of the coaches as well to include some of the coaches into the transport board’s fleet through rental and working with the owners of those vehicles. In particular starting with the Ross transport Coop because, as you know, Ross University has not resumed operations as yet there was a large Coop of buses that was formed in order to be able to facilitate the movement of the students from where they live to this very site.” Prime Minister Mia Mottley (centre) flanked by Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw (left) and Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association Edward Clarke during today’s press conference. Giving the country the assurance that the transport sector will be one of the first things she intends to work on, she said: “I have asked the Minister to facilitate discussions with the taxi drivers and others. “We need to be able to ensure that we can have affordable and accessible transport as far as possible. There are some people who will want to get somewhere and may not necessarily want to be exposed on a bus but may be prepared to go in a taxi but we need to have a transparent system for charging and the technology can allow us to do that now in terms of distance travelled. “The apps that we use but at the same time, we also need to ensure that in the absence of a meter and using the technology for the setting of distance and the rates of the fares per kilometre that we also use it for availability. So that a person does not have to move from St Lucy to Spooner’s Hill to pick up somebody when there is a taxi a Black Rock that can do the job closer. “So how best do we leverage the technology with existing taxis owners to be able to augment affordable and reliable access to public transport in Barbados whether through buses, ZRs, minibuses, coaches or taxis. I think we can do it together.” Mottley urged public and private transport workers to continue to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. “As we meet here today they were others meeting within the transport sub-sector. We are aware, that not in every instance, regrettably, transport providers have adhered to the 60 per cent that we have asked them to adhere to. We are reminding them of it. It is for their own benefit,” the Prime Minister said. (BT)

CLEANERS SEE LIGHT AT THE END OF TUNNEL – COVID-19 nearly wiped out some cleaning businesses, with many having to lay off staff and cut back on work hours, but the gradual reopening of the country is offering them fresh hope. They are beginning to see a pick-up in business compared to the past six weeks, as in Phase 2 of reopening it is now mandatory for offices to be cleaned twice a day. Owner of Alcar Cleaning Enterprises Inc., Alex Linton, told the Weekend Nation that although the company did not close its doors, its staff complement was drastically reduced. “We had to do a lot of cutbacks and adjusting to fit in with the curfew hours, and the new conditions laid down by the customers. They had to bend a bit to meet the requirements, so we had to bend with them. (WN)

LIGHT AND POWER PROMISES LOWER BILLS, DISCOUNT – Light and Power has announced lower electricity bills in the short-term amid plummeting fuel prices in the fallout from the COVID pandemic. With an expected decline in the Fuel Clause Adjustment element of the monthly bill as world oil prices slumped to below zero, BL&P Customer Care Manager Rodney Dottin promised a cumulative 44 per cent saving will be passed on to customers. In a statement, he announced: “A significant impact of the pandemic on the global economy is the price of fuel and customers will see a notable ease in electricity rates because of the drop in world fuel oil prices. “The Fuel Clause Adjustment (FCA) for the month of May is 16.2176 cents per kWh, compared to 24.1235 cents per kWh for April, a decrease of 33 per cent. “Cumulatively, from March to May, there has been a 44 per cent decrease in the fuel component of customers’ bills.” As an example, Dottin said if a residential customer using 350 kWh would be billed in April $195.03, in April for $178.76 and in May for $146.24. Dottin also said the electric company has entered into talks with fuel suppliers on fuel hedging and has applied to the Fair Trading Commission for approval to set up a fuel hedging programme. “Fuel hedging at a time like this can bring competitive pricing and stability to the fuel portion of customers’ bills,” he said. Announcing an additional concession to customers during the public health crisis, the company said it has extended the payment discount to residential customers on their bills for March and April bills that are settled within 15 working days following the lifting of the national curfew. Dottin said: “We will extend the payment discount to Domestic customers on bills issued from customers who have paid their bill prior to this announcement, the discounted amount will be applied as a credit to your account. There is no need to call Light & Power or for any additional action on your part.” Light and Power’s customer service office at the Garrison is to remain closed and the customer service manager advised customers to continue utilizing “alternative, non-face-to-face options” for making queries, requesting new services and paying bills, a reference to online billing and payments. (BT)

FIRE CLAIMS TWO CARRINGTON VILLAGE HOMES – A father and son are now homeless after fire destroyed their homes and damaged three others and a vehicle at Baycroft Road, Carrington Village, St. Michael, this afternoon. Divisional Officer with the Barbados Fire Service, Mervin Mayers, said: “This afternoon we received a call about a house fire in Baycroft Road. When we got there two houses were alight, and in the end, two houses were destroyed, two houses slightly damaged, and a car was slightly damaged to the left side.” Two water tenders from the Bridgetown Division and one from the Arch Hall station with Mayers in command and two senior officers and 12 firefighters responded to the call. The two houses destroyed in the blaze belonged to Michael Stoute, 66, and his son Antonio Stoute, 24, while two of the houses that were slightly damaged were occupied while the other was unoccupied. Police and fire officials are investigating the blaze. (BT)

THREE SLAIN IN EARLY MORNING MASSACRE - Three execution-style murders including that of a 42-year-old mother has shaken the foundation of a quiet, closely-knit St Philip community leaving residents stunned by the blatant disregard for human life. Thursday morning’s first few minutes were interrupted by rapid and continuous gunfire at a house in River Land where five people – three men and two women were staying. When the brazen slaughter was finished, only two people were still alive. The others lay dead, reportedly with gunshot wounds to the head. “I was in my bedroom after 1 o’ clock and I heard ‘pax pax pax’ all the time. It stopped, then it started back again and restarted and we heard it again and we stayed put and then we heard the son hollering for my boyfriend,” recalled next door neighbour, Latrina Sobers. “We looked out and someone said ‘call the police’ saying that his entire family is dead,” said Sobers, who had been trembling and speechless just hours before. Family matriarch, National Conservation Commission (NCC) employee, Daile Sutton, her 24-year-old son Keno Sutton and Kyle Parris, 23, who many described as Daile’s son-in-law were all slayed in the fifth hour of Barbados’ 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. The slain mother’s daughter and another son survived the incident and are mourning with another daughter, who does not live at the family home. Details of the incident were strikingly similar to those which unfolded at Rices in the same parish last March, when 52-year-old Betty Mayers was gunned down along with her son Jamal as two young boys, ages 6 and 11 scampered to safety. On the most recent occasion, Avril Greaves, Daile’s uncle, described the 42-year-old mother as a friend to everyone in the community. “The other side of her family is taking it even worse. Everyone is crying and they’ve got me crying too. She is very friendly to every one up here. I don’t know what was going on otherwise,” Greaves told Barbados TODAY. He revealed that Daile had just recently returned to work after the 24-hour Government imposed shutdown due to Coronavirus concerns. “She went back out to work just last week and she had already started buying paint because she took pride in her house,” he added. When asked why anyone would want to target the family, he said: “The truth is that everything has a cost. But the victims would be the only ones who can tell you why it happened. Either way, there is no reason for killing people like this. “We would like to find the persons that did it, because even though they came for whoever they came for, they should not have come for her. She has been a friend to everyone out here,” he added. While not many people are familiar with Kyle Parris, some remembered Keno Sutton as a young man who did odd jobs and was usually very pleasant. Another resident, who requested anonymity, told Barbados TODAY she was concerned that the ongoing curfew has made the community, which was usually lively at night, a target for cowardly criminals. “So if anybody were going to come and shoot, they would have to shoot on the outside. But because the curfew was going on, … it seems the person who did it was very intentional and to shoot them in their head confirms that,” she added. “Not many people know about River Land. So I was shocked about this triple murder.” (BT)

HUSBAND ON SERIOUS INDECENCY CHARGE – A 53-year-old husband accused of committing an act of serious indecency against his stepdaughter and assaulting his wife, was remanded to the Psychiatric Hospital after he appeared in the Bridgetown Traffic Court yesterday. The accused, who is unemployed, was not required to plead to committing the act of serious indecency against the girl, who was 13, on May 12, and assaulting the girl’s mother, his wife, the next day. Prosecutor Sergeant Edwin Pinder, who said he was “vehemently” objecting to bail for the accused, pointed to the seriousness and the nature of the charges. He noted the offences could attract a jail term of up to 15 years on conviction. (WN)

SUKI LOOKING TO PUSH MORE – Draughts master Ronald “Suki” King says he will have to re-evaluate his role as a player/promoter to remain a world-class contender. King acknowledged in an interview with the Weekend Nation that he will no longer be able to combine both roles. Last October, the dynamic King paid the price for trying to organise, promote and play in the World Three-Move Restriction clash with Sergio Scarpetta, suffering a crushing 8-1 loss to the Italian. “It was really tough on me last year when I played for the world championship, working late at night and then struggling to be at my best the next day.” (WN)

The world is facing the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. As we continue to do our part in Barbados please remember to stay home but on the days you have to go out wear your masks, practice social distancing (stand 6-10 feet away from each other), practice good daily hygiene, eat healthy, exercise and keep your mind active. There are 231 days left in the year Shalom! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell #coronavirusinbarbados #nationalresponse #dailynews #thechasefilesblog

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