Black Immigrant Daily News

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) has selected a “dynamic” and “remarkable” group of travel trade professionals within the United States to sit on a new ABTA (USA) Travel Advisory Board for the period September 2022/September 2023.

The board members, owners of travel businesses within the mid-west, south-east, east coast and west coast of the USA have been selected because of their strong relationship with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s US Office, the passion they have for the destination, and the important role they play in the travel industry.

The travel professionals have agreed to offer their assistance and guidance to the ABTA for a one-year period, as the Authority seeks to exponentially increase arrivals from the US market.

Antigua and Barbuda Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Charles Fernandez, speaking at a dinner held at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort to recognize the newly selected board members said, “I feel privileged and honoured to be in your company this evening because I know of your commitment – and your mission – to help our tourism product grow.”

The Minister thanked the group for their unwavering support particularly within the recent years and for their partnership. “We benefit from your knowledge and expertise, so I would also like to congratulate those of you who have had careers spanning more than 30 years in the travel industry and who are proud owners and managers in in your respective field”, said the tourism minister.

Commenting on the week, US Director of Tourism Dean Fenton said, “The last few days have been very productive. The group has been engaged in strategic think tank sessions, producing big ideas that will help Antigua and Barbuda stand-out and drive more business to the destination from the US.”

The trade partners spent five days in Antigua, familiarizing themselves with the newest destination updates, and brainstorming.

Chair of the Advisory Board Brenda O’Neale said, “The real purpose and mission of the Board is to create true value for the destination while we look forward, not backward, and present ideas that will allow the advanced uniqueness of Antigua and Barbuda to shine through.  I am especially proud to be a part of a team that cares deeply about Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism and the travel industry at large.”

The 2022/2023 Board members are: Brenda O’Neale – With This Ring Destination Weddings and Honeymoons, Debra Brown – SmartBird World Travel, Susan Berman – Berman Travel, Terry Strauss – Dedham Travel, Niki Rakowitz – Care Travel, Edouard Jean – Massive Travels, Tom Varghese – Travel Tom and Donna Borrelli – Hamden Travel.

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Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar

THE Opposition is warning the government that it is playing with fire and looking to get sanctioned by the United States as a result of its continued meetings with people who are already sanctioned.

Both Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal spoke of the recent visit by Energy Minister Stuart Young to Venezuela last Friday when they appeared on a United National Congress (UNC) platform on Monday night.

A release from Young’s Ministry, last weekend, confirmed he met with President Nicolas Maduro at Miraflores Palace in Caracas and conducted a number of high-level meetings on energy, security and other matters of national interest to the two neighbouring countries.

The release said key members of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic were also in attendance.

Persad-Bissessar and Moonilal questioned if a man who was indicted for drug trafficking in the US and facing sanctions, was among the key people he met with.

Moonilal also warned that such meetings could be harmful to TT’s international relationship with the wider world.

Persad-Bissessar also questioned the absence of Caricom and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne at the meetings.

“I want to warn this government, they are playing very dangerous games. You are playing with fire.

“Are you trying to get Trinidad and Tobago sanctioned by the US?”

She said the threat of US sanctions was raised in Parliament before but, at that time, Rowley and Camille Robinson-Regis behaved badly.

“They cussed up the late Ambassador Joseph Mondello. Rowley and Camille came to the Parliament and bouff up the US.

“They survived that time, but will we survive this time when you are consorting with known drug traffickers sanctioned by the US?”

She said while Rowley and Young were gallivanting all over place, the energy sector is falling to pieces under their watch.

“Stuart Young went on CNN to talk about oil and gas production when this nation is at one of its lowest ever gas production periods.

“Prime Minister went Doha in February to boast about gas production yet Train One collapsed without gas.”

She called on them to stop the travels and state the plans to restore and increase oil and gas production.

Insisting that Government was not able to enjoy the current high prices of oil and gas, Persad-Bissessar said the Petrotrin refinery was now earning zero.

“Rowley complaining about scrap-iron dealers when you’ve taken one of the greatest assets of our country – the Petrotrin refinery – and turned it into a scrap heap.

“Over 100 years of proud history. You turned an entire refinery into scrap metal. And did you shut it down to protect your friend?”

She called for an update on the refinery and the status of the American company Quanten LLC’s expression of interest in it.

“Where is Quanten? We know this company is operating somewhere in California, but when we checked it was in somebody’s house.

“We know the Prime Minister also went to California and spent almost a month there. But when the Opposition raised questions on this company the deal went sour?”

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A Police sergeant was arrested along with four others when Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) raided a Norton Street, Georgetown house.

Reports are that on Monday, CANU officers conducted an operation at a Norton Street residence, where a known drug trafficker resides. A subsequent search of the premises led to the discovery of four parcels containing suspected cocaine. The known drug trafficker along with four persons was arrested including a police sergeant who was present at the premises at the time of the search.

They were all escorted to CANU’s Headquarters with the suspected narcotics. The narcotics tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 1.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value of approximately $1.5M. The known drug trafficker was arrested and charged in 2011 by CANU after 590 grams of cocaine was found on his premises. In 2018 he was again fingered in a drug seizure after an associate of his was arrested on his premises with a quantity of cocaine. Investigations are ongoing.

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Four-term Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Lisa Hanna has announced that she will be leaving representational politics.

Hanna, who is the Opposition spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, made her intentions known in a letter to PNP President and Opposition Leader Mark Golding. She indicated that she will not be offering herself to represent the PNP in the constituency when the next General Election, constitutionally due in 2025, is called.

“I have always been a champion of change and having the courage to do what’s right even when it’s not expedient or self-serving, as I believe courage has an obligation to pave new roads for the generation coming behind us,” Hanna said.

“As such, I have recently decided to conclude my current journey in representational politics at the end of this term,” Hanna added.

The former Miss World represents one of the safest seats, one that the PNP has never lost. However, she saw her usual margins of victory, which sometimes stand at several thousand votes, shrink to just 31 votes in the 2020 General Election.

She won the seat in 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2020.

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Trade union leaders at a media conference at PSA Headquarters, Port of Spain, on Tuesday. Photo by Nicholas Bayley

Members of all unions in TT will gather in Port of Spain on Friday to protest against the treatment being meted out to WASA workers by the government. The unions said they all categorically reject the four per cent wage offers made to them by the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Darryl Dindial.

The joint trade union federations – NATUC, JTUM, and FITUN – have come together to form the Unite to Fight movement.

At a media briefing held at the Public Service Association’s offices on Tuesday, PSA president Leroy Baptiste reminded workers they should not let government divide them against other workers.

“They keep saying that taxpayers will have to foot the bill to pay workers’ backpay. But let me remind you, workers pay taxes, we are taxpayers. We have the right to share in the spoils that we have worked for.”

He said the offer of four per cent was effectively a cut in workers’ salaries since cost of living, food prices, and gas prices have gone up, so that workers will have to find the difference out of their pockets.

Baptiste called on the public to reject the government’s policy of retrenchment of workers in TT. He said government is attacking good-paying jobs in an effort to continue the exploitation of workers by placing them permanently on contract.

“We are here to ensure that the attack on organised labour comes to an end. When they rename a company, there’s automatically no union representation. We want to make sure people are permanent in their jobs with decent pay.”

Joint Trade Union Movement head Ancel Roget said the CPO’s offer of four per cent was disrespectful and he was just a mouthpiece of the government. He said the Public Utilities Minister misinformed the population about the situation at WASA.

“The lie that there were 400 managers at WASA must be dispelled. Where you ever hear any company had 400 managers? You the workers are taxpayers and you are the employers of the government. If we hire them we must be able to fire them. If they are taking money from us, they’re no better than the bandits. If they’re riding for us, we must be riding for them.”

He reminded that there were a number of state and statutory institutions for which negotiations had not begun, and said government was hoping that the unions would accept four per cent now and forget about what had occurred by 2025.

“They are mistaken in that. If they think people will forget that by 2025, either we show them in 2025 we didn’t forget or carry 2025 to 2022. We must get rid of this PNM government.”

NATUC general secretary Michael Annisette said the offered increase was an insult to the intelligence of workers. He noted that an increase of four per cent meant that someone currently earning $7,000 per month would be earning $7,282 over the 72-month period offered.

“If workers don’t go out, the economy fails. If you don’t care about me, I don’t care about you. This issue is with the government as the employer, where under ILO convention and industrial relations act, they must come to the table and treat with the unions.”

He noted that there were negotiations with NIB and port workers where negotiations had been completed and signed off on, and government is refusing to give instructions for the backpay to be paid.

Roget said the march on Friday would be the first of many strategies to be implemented by the union, all under the ambit of the law.

The march starts at 9 am, with members gathering at the Band Stand, marching through the streets of Port of Spain and ending at Central Bank.

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