Black Immigrant Daily News

Le dixième album de Taylor Swift, “Midnights”, qui marque un retour progressif de la chanteuse américaine vers ses penchants pop, a provoqué des pannes dans plusieurs pays sur Spotify lors de sa publication à minuit…

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Black Immigrant Daily News

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 20, 2022

Disappointment and disbelief – those were the sentiments expressed by the National Kriol Council (NKC) in a press release issued yesterday after Prime Minister John Briceno stated publicly that the National Kriol Council would not be afforded representation on the People’s Constitutional Commission. The legislation that sets the stage for the formation of the commission was passed in the House of Representatives on Monday and goes to the Senate for final ratification next Monday.

While there is still an opportunity to pass the law with amendments to include the NKC, the council decided to make known publicly their objections to the way the government has responded to their efforts to ensure inclusion of their reps on the commission. The organization, which believes that it has received mixed messages from GoB, said that they reached out to the Director of the Good Governance Unit, Cesar Ross, who indicated to them that the exclusion was an oversight and that Cabinet had already agreed in July 2022 to include representatives of the council. In fact, on the 27th of that month, Prime Minister Briceno made public comments indicating the government’s commitment to have Kriol representation on the commission.

“Therefore, we receive the news of the exclusion of the National Kriol Council by Prime Minister John Briceno at the sitting of the House of Representatives on Monday, October 17, 2022, with disbelief,” the release from the council states. The council further noted in the release that Director Ross had relayed confirmation to them that Hon. Henry Charles Usher, the Minister of Public Service and Constitutional and Political Reform, had committed to adding the NKC to the list of groups to be represented on the commission.

The release from the council states that Ross explained that any amendment to the bill before it was passed would delay the passing for another couple of months, since it would require going back to the House Committee. He thus stated in an e-mail, according to the NKC, that they decided to go through with the three readings of the bill, “as is, as it allows the Minister, after passing to add/subtract from the scheduled list.”

The NKC goes on to state in its release, “There are approximately 102,000 persons who identify as Kriol living in Belize, and given the immense contributions of Belizeans of Kriol descent to the development of Belize, it is unconscionable that this group of Belizeans can be excluded from such an important democratic process.”

They called the apparent refusal to grant the council representation on the PCC “an insult to Kriol people everywhere” and noted that reneging now on a commitment to allow the NKC representation on the commission “can only be and is seen as an attempt to marginalize Kriol communities”. 

Of note, the council had nominated attorney Anthony Sylvester and UB lecturer Adelia Young to be its representatives on the commission. 

The council thus called on the Government of Belize to fulfill its commitments and to take immediate steps to ensure the inclusion of the NKC.

“To do so, would be the democratic thing to do…,” the organization stated.

This evening, the Director of the Good Governance Unit, Cesar Ross, who reportedly met with Minister Henry Charles Usher this afternoon, confirmed to Amandala that “the Kriol Council, as committed before, will be on the People’s Constitution Commission.”

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If the situation between cane farmers and BSI/ASR is not resolved, sooner or later, farmers will begin phasing out of the industry, BSCFA chairman Andy Westby said.

by Khaila Gentle

ORANGE WALK TOWN, Thurs. Oct. 20, 2022

The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) says that they have been proposing, for a number of years, the use of a mediator to quash the impasse between the association and BSI/ASR, which need to agree to the terms of a new commercial agreement prior to the start of the approaching sugar crop season in December. The association held a press conference in Orange Walk this Thursday to respond to statements made by the Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño, this week. In an interview outside the National Assembly building, Prime Minister Briceño told reporters that both parties (BSI/ASR and BSCFA) had finally agreed to a mediation process that is set to begin in a few weeks.

“What we’ve been discussing and something that we have proposed to both teams is for us to have a mediator—a mediator that can sit with both sides and try to see what are the sticking points and see how we can walk them through to find an agreement,” he said.

This was also revealed by Director of Finance of BSI, Shawn Chavarria, who told 7News reporters on Tuesday that the company and the association had agreed to invite an independent mediator to assist with negotiations.

The vice chairman of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, Alfredo Ortega, says that the BSCFA has been suggesting the use of a mediator for as much as seven years now. According to Ortega, the first time they made such a proposal, in 2015, it was flatly rejected by BSI/ASR. The association then took the matter to the government, a then UDP administration, which failed to provide an independent mediator.

BSCFA chairman, Andy Westby, says that it is now up to the current administration to succeed where the past one failed. In November of last year, the association submitted their proposal to the Briceño administration, and two weeks ago, almost one year later, BSI/ASR finally indicated that they were prepared to undergo negotiations with the aid of a mediator.

The BSCFA is hoping to resolve the impasse with BSI/ASR before the start of the next crop season in December of this year. One of the main points of contention between the two parties has been what the BSCFA feels is the unfair division of profits from cane production and sales.

The current mechanism being used to share revenue between the cane producers (BSCFA) and the millers (BSI/ASR) sees BSCFA receiving 35% of the revenue, while the BSI/ASR receives 65%, but this division is done only after BSI/ASR has removed overhead costs from the total revenue. According to the cane farmers, this equates to them paying for costs that they have nothing to do with.

The BSCFA also feels that they are being kept in the dark when it comes to the accuracy of those overhead costs. And so, to make things easier and make progress with the negotiations, the association wants to split the gross revenue rather than the revenue left after overhead costs are taken out. And they want to split it 40/60—just as is the case with cane farmers and millers in Brazil and other parts of the world.

“And that is why we have brought to the table that we need these negotiations to go on so that we can have clearly that what is being charged to the farmers—the expenses that are being charged to the farmers—are a true reflection of what they are supposed to be,” said Ortega.

According to Ortega, BSI has said that a 40/60 split would mean transferring 20 million dollars over to the farmers, something which the company says it is unable to do. The Prime Minister, on Monday, also agreed that that request would be unfeasible, stating “To be fair, no company will give up twenty million dollars, and I’ve been saying that to the Belize Cane Farmers Association, that if you give up twenty million dollars for revenues of what, they end up with about sixty million—you’re driving them to bankruptcy. And we need both sides.”

The chairman of the Association said the Prime Minister’s statement was disappointing.

“We were a bit disappointed when the Prime Minster mentioned that no company will transfer 20 million to us as cane farmers. I want to clarify that point—it’s not a matter of transfer. It’s a matter of reflecting the true cost that is being charged on overhead expenses where we as farmers are spending sixty five percent of our money on those costs and those numbers are not disclosed to us in detail in [BSI’s] added report. So we as the BSCFA—if these costs would reflect the true value … then there would be a just payment for both sides,” Westby said.

If an agreement is not made soon, said Westby, farmers will begin to phase out of the sugar industry and will go out of business.

“This is the third time that the Prime Minister has made mention in regards to the transfer of value of twenty million. Because that is what BSI brought up. And these are things that as BSCFA—because as you can clearly see we have 3 other associations—but it is the BSCFA that is in this path moving forward in finding true benefit for our farmers because, as the chairman rightly said, if we are unable to find or to get better value for our product, we’ll be phased out. And as you know, for the past fifty, sixty years, the north, the people from the north have been living, have been getting their benefits out of the sugar industry,” added Vice Chairman Ortega.

Ortega then added that the BSCFA has been prepared “from day one” to negotiate, but BSI/ASR have been “dragging their feet.”

At the moment, the situation between the two parties remains a delicate one, but the BSCFA is standing firm in their proposals.

“This is an industry that is the backbone of the country,” said Andy Westby. “And government cannot be neglecting the fact that this is their responsibility … They have to get up and take their responsibilities serious, because this is an industry that will benefit all of us here in Belize. And if that industry goes down, 50 thousand plus in the north will also go down. And everybody that depends on it directly and indirectly will go down.”

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More than 200 bankers, financial services professionals, regulators, Government officials, and representatives of regional and international agencies from the Caribbean, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa will meet in the coming days for CAB Conference Saint Lucia 2022.

It will be the first time since 2019 that the foremost gathering of regional banks will be convened in person, and from all reports, the highly anticipated event will be crucial and transformative.

The 49th Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) Inc. will be held at the Harbor Club – Curio Collection by Hilton on Wednesday 26 October 2022.

During the AGM, members will deliberate on matters affecting the financial services industry. There will also be voting for vacant positions arising on the Board of Directors, including a new Chairperson to replace Mr. Dalton Lee, who has served two terms with distinction.

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The AGM will be followed by two days of high-level discourse, presentations by inspirational speakers and industry leaders in technology and finance, under the theme: “Banking For The Future.”

The opening plenary will speak to Sanctions, Supply Chain Resilience, Environmental, Social and Governance Compliance, Trade Finance, and Technology & Payments. The closing plenary will address South-South Co-operation, The Changing DNA of Caribbean Banks, Leadership, and De-risking.

Among the agencies represented will be the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Atlantic Council Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, Avvant, the Central Bank of Barbados, Financial & International Business Association (FIBA), Pt. Lisas Industial Port Development Corporation (PLIPDECO), Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services (SRC) of University of the West Indies, The Leadership Xperience, Ernst & Young Services Ltd., Hitachi Systems Security Inc., Alliance One Management Consulting, the International Finance Company (IFC), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and Republic Bank, inter alia.

CAB Conference 2022 will also feature a Training Day facilitated by IFC and FIBA, which will delve into Trade Finance and Correspondent Banking.

This will be the first time that IFC will be offering training through CAB. The Atlantic Council will also take the opportunity to host a roundtable on de-risking and correspondent banking, a topic on which CAB, The Atlantic Council, and FIBA recently offered testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services in the United States of America.

Further to the business sessions, participants will also be eager to take advantage of networking opportunities during social events such as the Opening Ceremony, Poolside Cocktail, the Closing Party, and Surf & Turf Networking Day, where delegates will travel by catamaran to visit a working cocoa plantation, Fond Doux Eco Resort.

For the first time, the CAB Conference will have a Main Sponsor – UTC Global Balanced Fund Limited. CAB also welcomes the support of Diamond Sponsors, MasterCard, Howden Insurance Brokers, Euro Exim, Alliance One Management, Hitachi Systems Security Inc., Ernst & Young Services Limited, Republic Bank, and First Citizens Bank. Additionally, Grant Thornton, ERI Banking Software Ltd., Finastra, Temenos USA Inc, the International Finance Corporation, and Republic Financial Holdings Limited occupy the Platinum Sponsor positions.

Gold Sponsors include Raymond James – The Americas Group, Crown Agents Bank Limited, Bangor University, IBIS Management Associates Inc., Jack Henry, ADVANTAQ Solutions, and 1st National Bank (St. Lucia) Limited. Further support has been furnished by Ascendancy Fund, Moody’s Analytics, HPS, Salesforce / Crescent Digital, and Ictual NV.

CAB has extended thanks to a number of local collaborators, who have helped ensure a great experience for delegates, including the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, the Saint Lucia Customs  and Excise Department, the Immigration Department, Sea Island Cotton Shop, Harry Edwards Jewelers, and Barbay Limited.

CAB, the recognised voice of the industry in the region, is a community of Caribbean banks and other financial institutions, which proactively influences issues impacting the financial services sector through advocacy, education, and networking.

The pan-regional body was founded in 1974, as an instrument of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

 SOURCE: Caribbean Association of Banks

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