Black Immigrant Daily News

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says a special allowance will be paid to Nurse-Midwives here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Prime Minister made the announcement during his Independence speech at the Military Parade at the Victoria Park yesterday.

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The Prime Minister also announced that payment will be made to volunteers who worked during the La Soufriere Volcanic eruptions.

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According to Prime Minister Gonsalves, the Government will offer the Duty free concession on Christmas barrels from Monday November 14th this year.

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Flooding along Penal Rock Road on Friday due to several days of heavy rainfall. Photo by Lincoln Holder

One of many massive landslips along the Penal Rock Road in Moruga has cut off the community, and frustrated residents again protested to highlight the state of the road on Friday.

“The Moruga Main Road is already bad. Now cars cannot go to Penal through the teak (an area further along the Penal Rock Road) from here. It is dangerous for the trucks and other heavy vehicles to pass,” a resident said.

The Penal Rock Road runs from Basse Terre Village, Moruga, to Penal Junction in Penal.

The residents live along the 14 mile-mark in Santa Maria Village.

People gathered near Blas Cha Cha Trace, saying they were left with no choice, as all their cries seemed to fall on deaf ears. They blocked the road with tyes and used appliances.

A major landslip along Penal Rock Road, through the teak fields is now impassable to vehicles. Photo by Lincoln Holder

They recalled that a few weeks ago, a concrete cement mixer truck transporting cement capsized. Luckily no one was injured. The truck was removed by the company it belongs to. But the mixer was still on the roadside when Newsday visited on Friday.

One parent said the Santa Maria RC primary school was closed for a week because the water truck could not supply the school.

Resident and shop owner Mary Guevarro said taxi fares from Basse Terre to Santa Maria increased from $6 to $12 recently.

“No goods vans want to take a chance to come in the area. To buy items, we have to meet them part-way. Cars are damaging by being on the road. In case…someone needs an ambulance, the only way they would be able to reach here is by air,” Guevarro said.

She said a man from a neighbouring community had tried to make the existing “piece of road” workable by putting materials and smoothing them with his backhoe.

Photo by Lincoln Holder

Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin met the protesters on Friday. She said the road’s deplorable and dangerous state had been the subject of countless letters to the Works and Transport Ministry and countless parliamentary questions posed to the line minister. Yet the problem is still to be resolved.

Earlier in the week, residents along the Penal Rock Road, in the Penal area, staged several protests calling for the authorities to fix the bad roads.

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Gerard Balfour performs on Wednesday at the Stars of Soca competition. – Photo by David Reid

ROSTON Simon won the $50,000 first prize in the Tobago Stars of Soca competition on Wednesday night at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex.

The event, organised by Radio Tambrin and M&E TV’s Peter Lewis, was facilitated by the THA and Tobago Festivals Commission.

The dreadlocked Simon, who goes by the sobriquet Culture B, delivered an energetic performance to his selection, Strong Rum

The song, which had the audience in stitches, told the story of man with a penchant for mixing at least two types of rum to have a good time.

Simon told the crowd that several young women had approached him to be “winer girls” for his performance, but he declined their offer.

Instead, he opted to present elements of the Moriah Ole Time Wedding, with its unique brush-back dance, for the benefit of tourists in the audience who had come to Tobago for the island’s inaugural carnival.

Second place went to the duo Michael Skeete (Mike-Tower) and Kwame Mc Clean (Too Real) with Firestorm. Their lively presentation featured smoke, fire breathers and dancers dressed in red.

Michael Skeete, left and Kwame Mc Clean, known as Too Real, placed second at the Stars of Soca competition at Shaw Park Cultural Complex, Wednesday. – Photo by David Reid

Mc Clean told the audience, “I want you all to understand something about our fire. This fire is what we call an internal fire. No water could out this. If you bring Iwer George in here – the Water Lord – we will turn him into steam.”

They received $30,000.

Coming in third was Gerard “GMB” Balfour with Problems, a song about the hardship blue-collar workers often experience in getting money from contractors and the government.

Dressed as a labourer, Balfour, one of Tobago’s top pannists, spoke about the problems he was experiencing as a cash-strapped family man.

“I want it. I need it. Money, money, money,” he declared in the song’s hook.

“I just come from wuk. Ah wuk whole time, call the supervisor. Wife calling me, pampers to buy, flour gone up. Everything just sky high, and now he telling me he doh have the money.”

Balfour said he does not want any handouts but prefers to “work for what is mine, 24-7 I on the grind.” He got $20,000.

Culture B balances on one leg as he sings Strong Rum at the Tobago Stars of Soca competition on Wednesday at Shaw Park Cultural Complex. – Photo by David Reid

The remaining competitors each received $5,000. Artistes were judged on music, performance, lyrics and crowd response.

At the start of the show, Radio Tambrin managing director George Leacock thanked the artistes who participated in the preliminary round of the competition leading to the finals.

He said all of the finalists displayed amazing attitudes.

“I have not seen a competition in Tobago in recent times with artistes being so supportive of each other.”

The Tobago Stars of Soca competition was inspired by Radio Tambrin’s popular Touch De Road initiative.

THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris, assistant secretary Megan Morrison and Tobago Festivals Commission CEO John Arnold attended the event.

Tobago Stars of Soca results:

1. Roston Simon

2. Michael Skeet and Kwame Mc Clean

3. Gerard “GMB” Balfour

Unplaced:

Raychards Kerr

Gideon King (Tears)

Heston Lopez (IV)

Caston Cupid

Nkem Scotland (Kaspa De Lyrical)

Odwin Thomas (Dance Mijah)

Omari Or (Trip)

Stephen Sampson (Shinez)

Jhevon Jackson (Royal)

Ronnie Bastaldo (Korn Dogg)

Marlaner walker (Jah-Tifer)

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Guyana Association of Women Lawyers condemns the arrest of Counsel by Special Organised Crime Unit

The Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) vehemently condemns the actions taken by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) in arresting Attorney-at-Law, Tamieka Clarke.

SOCU by their actions intimidated Ms. Clarke and prevented her from executing her duties to her client. At no time should an Attorney-at-Law be fearful of executing his/her duties.

An Attorney-at-Law has the legal right and responsibility to offer legal counsel to their client. One such responsibility is to remind the client that he/she cannot be compelled to give evidence in a criminal matter, which is enshrined in Article 144(7) of the Constitution of Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

The Attorney-at-Law advising her client that he has a right to remain silent during an interview is not outside of the scope of the law.

We call on the commissioner of Police to issue an apology and cause an investigation to be promptly conducted into the actions of SOCU.

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Chairman of Digicel Denis O’Brien offered his support to the regional reparations movement during an engagement last week with the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC).

Mr. O’Brien presented a proposal entitled “Repair” that he said could assist in advancing CARICOM’s call for Reparations for Native Genocide and Slavery.

The Plan seeks to persuade the British and European governments and institutions to establish a new long-term fund for reparations. He said the fund will have clear five-year targets with financing flowing to the region annually.

The Digicel Chairman had already publicly declared his solidarity with the work of the CRC and had spoken on the matter to several CARICOM Heads of Government, the Commission’s Chairman, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, and national reparations committees.

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O’Brien said the proposal supports the CRC Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice in which reparation is defined as an economic and social development strategy for the region. He agreed with the CRC’s position that Europe owes the region a ‘Marshall style Plan’ after 400 years of wealth extraction by which it was enriched.

The Chairman of Digicel said his repair plan will facilitate multisectoral investments in agriculture, health and education, among other areas. He suggested that such a multi-sectoral investment and trading plan was critical to the successful recovery of the region from current international economic crises.

In applauding O’Brien and his team for their affirmation and support of the work of CRC, Professor Beckles said the Repair plan has the potential to engage in high-level government relations with the UK, Europe, and the European Union.

“This level of engagement will help build momentum in support of CARICOM’s call for reparations,” he added.

The Repair plan seeks to energise the movement for reparations through public relations campaigns in the United Kingdom, and European and Caribbean communities. To achieve this objective, a robust communications strategy utilising both traditional and social media platforms will be implemented.

Mr. O’Brien commended the Commission for its outstanding work in bringing reparations to the top of the global agenda. Everywhere in Britain, he noted, exposure and apologies for enrichment from slavery are the order of the day.

The next critical step is to influence public opinion so that European leaders will offer reparations instead of cautious statements of regret.

He also called for the establishment of a team of regional economists from UWI and other partners to prepare a report on what the ‘Marshall Plan style Reparations’ development program would entail. The time he said has come to put a firm but reasonable reparations for development proposal before Europe.

The Commission and Mr. O’Brien team agreed to collaborate and to work together to further develop the proposal in the coming months.

The CARICOM Reparations Commission invites other private sector corporations in the Caribbean and in Europe to similarly partner with the CRC to seek reparatory justice for the peoples of the Caribbean.

SOURCE: Caribbean Community Secretariat

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