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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Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia has welcomed this week’s declaration by the first woman to head the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) that she has zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Acting Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius made her position known at a news conference.

The Acting Police Commissioner responded to a question regarding reports of a sexual assault investigation involving a senior police officer.

“I have no knowledge of this information. But what I can tell you, I have zero tolerance for sexual harassment,” Descartes-Pelius declared.

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Says She Has ‘No Knowledge’ Of Sex Assault Probe Involving Senior Cop Acting Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday that she was unaware of a sexual assault investigation involving a senior police officer.

She responded to a reporter’s question regarding the sexual assault allegations investigation.

“I have no knowledge of this information. But what I can tell you, I have zero tolerance for sexual harassment,” Descartes-Pelius declared.

Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia President Catherine Sealys said the stand gratified her.

“We are gratified, yes, and we are finally seeing some progress in that regard in that we have an ally in somebody who stands against any form of gender-based violence,” Sealys told St Lucia Times.

She observed that she and her organisation have advocated for gender equality and better services and support for women and children victims of gender-based violence.

“We have to recognise sexual abuse – sexual harassment as part of the menu of gender-based violence,” Sealys told St Lucia Times.

She said Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia looks forward to seeing how Descartes-Pelius will perform and how strong the new Acting Police Commissioner’s stand will be against gender-based violence.

“How strong she will be about ensuring that support services in terms of victims of gender-based violence who come to police stations to make reports, whether against a member of the public or the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force,” Sealys stated.

“We finally have a woman who appears to understand the consequences, the trauma and the technicalities of gender-based violence,” Sealys said regarding Crusita Descartes-Pelius.

Headline photo: Catherine Sealys (Stock image)

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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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ORANJESTAD (AAN): Durante e conferencia di prensa di Gobierno di Aruba diabierna mainta, Prome Minister a haci un reflexion riba kico lo a pasa si Aruba lo a haya e aanwijzing

enfatisando cu Gobierno mes no tabata sa kico e contenido di e aanwijzing pasobra nunca Hulanda a indica con e lo bay hinc’e den otro.

            “Un cos si cu nos sa sigur ta, cu Hulanda lo a impone medidanan riba Aruba mientras ta cumpli cu tur e recomendacionnan di CAFT. Nos a purba di splica na tur manera posibel cu no ta tur recomendacion bo por ehecuta sin mas riba un pueblo cu ya ta sufriendo”, Prome Minister a enfatisa.

            Si e aanwijzing a bin, Gobierno lo mester a tuma mas medida entre otro hisando impuesto riba lomba di pueblo, corta mas den servicionan di Gobierno, servicionan social di bijstand, Polis enseñansa, cuido di salud, cuido di nos grandinan. “P’esey nos ta bisa awe, danki Dios nos no a haya un aanwijzing. Esaki ta un dia cu henter Aruba mester ta celebrando pasobra si e aanwijzing a bin, lo e no a bin riba Evelyn of Xiomara sino riba cada ciudadano, especialmente esnan mas vulnerable”.

            Prome Misister ta gradici un biaha tur esnan cu a yuda Gobierno evita un aanwijzinng y a indica cu pa 2023 ta trahando pa yega surplusnan. Te ainda e presupuesto ta entrega na Parlamento cu un deficit di 0.5%, pero ya caba ta logrando caba pa haci’e un balance budget. Y tur esfuerso ta pa continua otro aña pa conberti esaki den un surplus. “E lo no ta facil, e lo tin su retonanan pero nos lo traha duro pa logr’e”, Prome Minister a enfatisa.

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Secretario di Estado Alexanda van Huffelen:

*GDP mester baha cu mitad 

ORANJESTAD (AAN):  Conseho di Minister di Reino a dicidi di no duna Aruba un instruccion pa aña 2022. Un mihor resultado inespera ta haci cu e deficit ta yega na 112,7 miyon Florin Arubano (AWG); 53 miyon euro. Cu esaki e deficit ta keda bou di e 131 miyon AWG palabra y pa e motibo ey un instruccion no ta necesario e aña aki.             E mihor resultado di Aruba a sali na cla despues di e conseho di Colegio di Supervision Financiero di Aruba (College Aruba Financieel Toezicht, CAft). Riba 13 di juli CAft a conseha Conseho di Minister di Reino pa duna Aruba un instruccion pa motibo cu gobierno di e pais no tabata tin su presupuesto balansa. CAft no a nota pasonan pa trece mas balance den gasto y entrada di e pais y segun CAft Aruba no ta haci suficiente pa drecha su situacion financiero pa termino largo.            “Ta bon cu gobierno di Aruba na ultimo momento a presenta algun resultado cu ta mihor cu prome a spera y asina tene e deficit riba su presupuesto pa e aña aki bou di e limite palabra”, asina Secretario di Estado Alexanda van Huffelen di Relacionnan den Reino ta indica. “Cu esey a logra evita un instruccion pa 2022.”             Pero ainda e Secretario di Estado hunto cu gobierno Hulandes ta preocupa pa futuro di e pais y di arubianonan. “Nos ta mira cu Aruba ta mantene debenan grandi, mas di 90 porciento di e Producto Domestico Bruto (Bruto Binnenlands Product, BBP) mihor conoci como GDP. Esaki mester baha cu mitar. Casi 19 porciento di e presupuesto awor ta bay na pago di interes. Ta placa cu bo lo kier inverti den enseñansa, salubridad of combatimento di pobresa; cosnan cu ta importante pa e hendenan den e pais.”             Den Conseho di Minister di Reino a palabra anteriormente cu otro aña e pais mester tene su mes na e reglanan presupuestario atrobe. E reglanan aki ta indica cu Aruba mester tin un surplus di 1 porciento di su BBP. Na 2023 Aruba no por haci un apelacion mas riba fiansa di emergencia manera durante periodo di Corona, e asima yama sosten di liquides.

            “Pa construi un pais y mantene e confiansa di e mercado financiero, ta importante pa tin un presupuesto cu ta cuadra. Cu un debe di 5,8 mil miyon AWG Aruba ta duna futuro generacionnan un peso enorme pa carga. Pa e motibo ey ta sumamente importante cu e presupuesto ta cuadra cu e palabracionnan haci y cu tin placa pa tur locual Rubianonan kier pa nan pais.”, asina e Secretario di Estado ta bisa.             Na nomber di e gabinete, e Secretario di Estado a manda un carta pa gobierno di Aruba pa trece gobierno na altura di e decision di Conseho di Minister di Reino. Den e carta ta menciona tambe reemplaso di e fiansanan di liquides existente pa fiansanan nobo, e asina yama refinanciamento. Esaki mester sosode otro aña.

            Den e carta ta menciona cu un presupuesto balansa, mara na un ehecucion confiabel y supervision financiero adecua pa medio di e ley di consenso Aruba financieel toezicht (RAft), ta esencial pa por drenta den dialogo cu otro tocante e topico di refinanciamento di debe.

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