Black Immigrant Daily News

Governor John Rankin on Oct. 4 published his first quarterly report on the ongoing reforms recommended by the Commission of Inquiry, guardedly praising the overall progress while also noting a “number of areas of concern” with the pace of the reforms since June.

“There has been good progress in some areas to date, and I am pleased with the overall constructive engagement and partnership I have had with the premier and Cabinet,” Mr. Rankin wrote in a on Oct. 4 statement.

He added that most reform deadlines have been met so far, and that legitimate reasons have been offered for any delays. However, he also expressed disappointment with other areas.

“In the quarterly review I note a number of areas of concern where there has been less progress than expected, and where I have been disappointed with the level of commitment to reform,” he stated.

The governor’s quarterly reviews are a key yardstick measuring progress with the 48 COI recommendations that the National Unity Government committed to carry out in the reform framework agreed with the United Kingdom in June.

If the NUG completes the reforms as promised, the UK has stated that it will forgo a COI recommendation to suspend the legislature and implement direct rule for at least two years. But if progress stalls, the UK may move ahead with direct rule instead.

“This review has been sent to ministers in the UK for consideration and I will hold a press conference once I have received their response to it,” Mr. Rankin said on Oct. 4.

Concerns

In the review, the governor noted three main concerns about the reform progress so far.

One involves tender waivers, a historically common Cabinet practice that auditors have said for decades prevents government from getting good value for taxpayers’ money.

The reform framework commits Cabinet to ensuring that the waivers “are only agreed in exceptional, unavoidable cases, and which must be explained publicly.”

However, the governor found that this commitment and related reforms including a new Public Procurement Act have not produced the promised results.

“Such a new approach should have included an end to proposals for tender waivers apart from in the most exceptional of cases,” Mr. Rankin wrote. “Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Proposals for tender waivers are still being presented for consideration by Cabinet, often with insufficient and poorly presented justification.”

He added that he has referred several such contracts for further audit investigation.

Register of Interests

The governor also noted House of Assembly members’ delayed progress towards their promise to make the Register of Interests public.

A version of the Register of Interests Act, 2022 introduced in the HOA in July would have published the register as promised. However, before passing the bill, HOA members went into a closed-door committee session and made changes that the governor said “severely restrict public access” to the register by requiring written applications and fees.

“In my view, these amendments are contrary to the principle of transparency,” he wrote, adding that the move is also contrary to the framework’s intent to make the register public.

The final version of the bill passed by the HOA has not been made public.

Constitution commission

Thirdly, the governor also complained about pushback over nominations for the Constitutional Review Commission, which he said “ran contrary to the importance of the commission being representative of the BVI as a whole.”

“The overarching aim of the COI and this reform programme is to improve governance, accountability and transparency for the benefit of all of the people in the British Virgin Islands,” Mr. Rankin said. “It is essential that the areas of concern I have outlined are addressed and that new governance issues do not arise.”

Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said in a July 1 press conference that CRC candidates traditionally have been chosen only by elected officials, but the governor provided three nominees this year as part of the COI reform plan. However, critics took issue with the governor’s involvement and raised personal issues with two of his nominees.

Missed deadlines

In his report this week, Mr. Rankin also acknowledged the challenging scale and demanding deadlines of the reform process so far.

“Early progress in key areas is important for establishing the pace and direction of change,” he wrote. “Reform must be deep-rooted and sustained to ensure improvements in governance in the interests of the people of the BVI.”

He noted progress on legislative items and said leaders have so far initiated all but two COI-recommended reviews.

He added, however, that some deadlines have been missed, including a June 30 deadline to start a wholesale review of assistance grants; a July 1 deadline to publish a protocol for the appointment and removal of statutory board members; various deadlines for the appointments of certain reviewers; and a July 31 deadline to start a review of the law enforcement and justice systems and powers for prosecution. He acknowledged that the last item falls under his purview.

The House of Assembly also has yet to approve additional resources to publish the territory’s laws in full, he said.

Law enforcement

Another COI recommendation was to vet all serving customs and immigration officers, and potentially members of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and the Prison Service. Security is a constitutional responsibility of the Governor’s Office. Mr. Rankin said a UK National Police Vetting Team was appointed before the July 31 deadline included in the framework and has since made two trips to the VI.

Until the VI government establishes a permanent vetting system, the UK has agreed to pay the work costs, he said.

His office, however, missed the deadline to review how law enforcement and the judicial system detect crime and prepare for prosecution, Mr. Rankin acknowledged.

“This was due to the complexity of the review and the need to secure a panel with the expertise to ensure a professional, independent review,” he said. “However, I am pleased that His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services has agreed to lead the review, which the UK government has agreed to fund.”

He also expressed his appreciation for a recent UNICEF pledge to assist with a review of assistance grants.

“These are examples of where the delay in starting the reviews was justified to ensure we found the right reviewers through the right processes,” he said.

Recent improvements have also been made at the prison to address security concerns, he said.

Investigations

Though he said delays in appointing some reviewers have delayed important work, the governor expressed hope that the recent formation of the COI Implementation Unit will speed progress in this regard.

“I trust that with the establishment of the Implementation Unit, and full cooperation from ministers and the public service, the reviewers will from now on receive the support necessary to complete their work,” he wrote, promising to closely monitor their progress.

The Implementation Unit, which is headed by Hadassah Ward and reports to the Premier’s Office permanent secretary, was established to help coordinate the ongoing reforms.

Under the reform framework, the unit should have been established by July 15, but Mr. Rankin said issues with securing staff meant that Ms. Ward wasn’t appointed until September.

However, he added, the unit is now functioning and should help with supporting key reviews and making sure ministries submit monthly reports on time.

Document delays

Without going into detail about open investigations, the governor said early reports to him show a generally satisfactory level of cooperation with officials.

“However, I note with concern that several reviewers and investigators have reported difficulty accessing relevant documents from the public service,” he wrote. “I have asked the deputy governor to remind public servants of the need to prioritise cooperation with COI implementation. If there is evidence that access is being deliberately blocked, action will be taken in respect of the relevant officers. I trust that this will no longer be a concern by the time of my next quarterly review.”

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Guyanese Marcus Tudor announced himself to Jamaica with a three-timer as St Jago High whipped Holy Trinity High 5-2 in Group B of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition and moved into third spot with nine points, after both teams started the day on six points.

Tudor netted in the 16th, 28th and 49th minutes while Jaden Jones, in the 17th minute, and Jaedee Mitchell, in the 22nd, also got on the scoresheet for St Jago.

Billroy Medwinter and Jamar Rowe replied for Holy Trinity in the 21st and 63rd minutes.

After six games, St Jago moved into third spot on nine points behind second place St Catherine High, who are on 13 points from five games, and group leaders Jamaica College, which blanked Cedar Grove High 4-0 to be on 16 points.

St Catherine High will be in action Friday against St Mary’s College and are expected to secure three points. Holy Trinity remained in fourth spot on six points.

St Jago’s coach Garnett Lawrence was pleased with Tudor’s performance and his team’s display but wants more in order to advance from the group.

“I am somewhat pleased and still need some more from them. This is his second game and four goals from two games are not bad for him,” Lawrence told Loop Sport.

“But, after about 60 minutes, we were dead flat and that’s not a good sign if we want to come out of the zone and go to a different league of the Manning Cup. But we getting wins under our belt no matter how it may come,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Manning Cup favourites Mona High continued their winning form in Zone E, defeating Camperdown High 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller at Excelsior High.

It was their seventh consecutive win and they move to 21 points, five points clear of second place Wolmer’s Boys, who whipped Papine High 5-1. Hydel High are third on 13 points, following their 2-1 win over Kingston High. Camperdown High are fourth on eight points.

Kshaine Gordon opened the scoring for Mona High in the 21st minute with a beautiful curling effort from just outside the box. But, before the celebrations were over, Camperdown High drew level courtesy of Devante McCrea with a powerful header in the 22nd minute.

Mona went ahead once more as Zhaine Pinnock side-footed home in the 31st minute for his ninth goal of the season.

But once again, McCrea popped up pulling Camperdown level once more in the 34th minute for his fourth goal of the season before Sheldon Ricketts gave Camperdown the lead in the 47th minute.

The see-saw game continued, and Pinnock equalised for Mona in the 75th minute for his 10th goal of the season before the competition’s leading goalscorer Donhue Mitchell scored in the 88th minute.

However, the winning goal brought the game into disrepute as the Camperdown team felt the ball had gone out of play before Mitchell’s strike. In the heated debate, Camperdown’s coach Donovan Lofters was red-carded.

Meanwhile, in Zone F, Excelsior High and Campion College played to a 0-0 draw in a game that was called off last week because of heavy rain and resumed at the 70-minute mark. In essence, the teams only played for some 20 minutes Thursday and the deadlock remained the same.

Excelsior inched to 17 points and remained atop of the group, while Campion College are second with 13 points, two ahead of Jose Marti High sitting in third spot with 11 points after beating Clan Carthy High 2-0.

In Zone D, Jonathan Grant High moved to within a point of leader St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) following their 1-0 win over Spanish Town High at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

STATHS lead the group with 17 points from seven games while Jonathan Grant moved to 16 points from six games. Norman Manley High sit third with 10 points, also from six games.

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Josephine Robinson remembers a time when she worried whether her new business, Gentle Rest Funeral Services, would ever become sustainable.

In fact, the business proprietor recalls that when started back on September 3, 2002, the company only sold one coffin within their first year and had to shut down four times before re-establishing it in 2007 at its present location in St Joseph.

Twenty years later, life now paints a rather different picture for the company which will next year open a first-of-its-kind funeral home and crematorium in Jimmit.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, following the groundbreaking and contract signing of the 2700 square feet building, Robinson highlighted that despite the many challenges, her drive to make this dream a reality is what kept her going throughout the years.

“It’s about the joy, the gratification that comes from all the hard work, the nervousness, the support and love that drove me even on my low days,” she said. “There were many days when I thought that it wouldn’t work, but what I did was take a step back, breathe and redirect.”

She went on to declare that notwithstanding the hurdles Gentle Rest has been a “model for change”, and has changed the face of the funeral industry in Dominica, as well as earning the respect and support of their colleagues in the region and beyond.

“While there are challenges, we see them as opportunities for continued growth and development. If you were to ask me, then, what was my greatest challenge, I would have echoed financial, which today still is and will remain throughout. But with a quiet result, I will alter human resources,” Mrs. Robinson said.

Among their new services which will be offered is cremation, which Mrs. Robinson revealed many people have expressed interest in. However, she notes that to deal with the current space issues which Dominica is presently facing at the burial ground, a lot more public knowledge will be required on cremation, which she and her team stands ready to do.

In providing an overview of the construction, project advisor Mr. Eddison Henry said that the first floor of the two-storey structure will house sections such as the crematorium, the preparation room, the refrigeration room, as well as quarters for the staff who may be on call from time to time to meet the demands of the Gentle Rest service.

Also included on this floor will be a display room where families will be allowed to see the products that will envelop their loved ones, a chapel which will double as a conference facility, the general offices as well as provision for the general manager’s office.

The top floor, he revealed, will serve for other activities both in a “celebratory and sombre mood.”

He stressed that this will be an ideal location “symbolic for sunsets,” as the building will be picturesquely placed on the west coast of the island nestled on a small hilltop which is typical for Dominica and architecture.

“It also encompasses elements of classical, mediaeval and modern architecture, in the sense that if you look at the building, you will see the dominance of Roman columns. And that is also symbolic of the imagery that we get when we hope to move to the last place after leaving this life,” Henry said.

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Two young ladies from the Kalinago Territory have made it their mission to walk in their grandfather’s footsteps while adding a touch of modernity to the traditional.

Arnique Valmond and Valary Antoine, both from Salybia, co-own Eezee Side Cassava Delicacies, an agro-processing company that transforms cassava (manioc) into a wide array of by-products.

As Valary told The Sun, the idea stemmed from youth and the close relationship with their grandfather, Alphonse Francis.

“He was known as the ‘Cassava Man’ by his customers. During our school days we would see him making the product, which he wanted us to continue,” Valary said. “Before his death he said ‘do not let it go.’ So, it’s a legacy from our grandfather.”

The company, registered seven years ago, now has pizzas, pastries, and a drink to its name. According to Arnique, the sisters built on the recipe left behind by their grandfather.

“We added value to the product,”Arnique said. “My grandfather started with plain cassava bread and added coconut and ginger. When we came in, we added saltfish, smoked herring, cheese, raisins etc. Then we started making pastries; we do composite bread, which is loaf oven-baked; we do pizza, lasagna and a cassava drink.”
The sisters, respectful of their grandfather and the knowledge he passed down, chose to move with the times and this is how they came to own a place in Roseau to share their heritage.

When our grandfather could no longer go to Roseau and sell, we decided we are not going to do it that way and walk around town asking people to buy,” Valary explained.

We now have a place at the Roseau Market, on DEXIA’s compound, where we sell cassava products Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,” Arnique added.

Valary says there are a multitude of benefits in carrying on her grandfather’s legacy and promoting her Kalinago culture.

“It is very important because I see it as a unique business that has a lot of benefits and it can make you independent and create jobs for people,” Valary said.

Eezee Side Cassava Delicacies currently employs five people to ensure the smooth running of its Roseau branch and its flagship establishment in Salybia. Arnique, a hard-working multi-tasker with a positive mindset, says while pleased with an outlet in the city, the company has been met with its challenges.

“One is the supply chain of raw material,” Arnique said. “So right now, we are making contracts with farmers so we can always be supplied.”

Both ladies agree that marketing is a major hurdle to overcome, and Valary cites financial support as a troublesome factor.

“The most challenging part is not getting much assistance, and the marketing part. When we started, we started from scratch. So that is a challenge,” Valary said.

Valary, who describes herself as a brave, strong, independent Kalinago woman, says feedback on the new products has been phenomenal and the future looks very promising for the company.

“Future plans are for our products to be on shelves in supermarkets around Dominica, and to be in demand in other countries,” Valary stated.

Arnique agrees that wider circulation of the product is key, particularly as people are now more health conscious.

“The business has a lot of potential, seeing we have a very unique product and it is gluten free,” Arnique added. “Many people are speaking about cassava now and they are interested, it looks like a lot of market will come from it.”

Valary pointed out there has been more competition over the years with other people selling similar products, but she and Arnique are determined to uphold their grandfather’s bequest through Eezee Side Cassava Delicacies.

“When we started, we were the first ones, but as time continued there were a lot of competitors because they are seeing it is a product that can bring in money,” Valary said. “So, there are many competitors now.”

The sisters encourage the wider public, especially youth, to support local, support the heritage, and eat healthy.

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Scarborough Secondary School – File photo/Ayanna Kinsale

ALL schools in Tobago will remain closed on Friday. The THA Division of Education made the announcement on Thursday evening. It said the decision was made in consultation with the TT Met Service and the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

Schools in Tobago were dismissed early on Wednesday owing to the heavy rain which resulted in flooding and landslides throughout the island. The division kept schools closed on Thursday in anticipation of more bad weather.

The division said clean-up operations will take place on Friday, to ensure classes are ready for teaching on Monday. Principals, vice principals, senior teachers, office staff and safety officers are expected at school on Friday to co-ordinate the clean-up efforts.

The division urged the public to remain vigilant and take the necessary precautions to ensure safety. Families affected by the adverse weather are advised to contact the 211 call centre or TEMA at 660-7489.

Students in Trinidad are expected back in class on Friday as the Ministry of Education on Thursday announced the reopening of all schools, except those where clean-up operations are required.

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