Black Immigrant Daily News

The new Jamaican banknotes are expected to arrive in the country by the week of December 5, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, has announced.

However, Jamaicans will have to wait until approximately mid-2023 to begin spending the new banknotes.

Clarke provided an update while responding to a query on Tuesday from a Twitter user in relation to the availability of the newly designed banknotes.

The new series comprises six denominations, including a new $2,000 note. They will be printed on polymersubstrate, a more durable substrate than the current banknotes.

While revealing that the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) has advised that the newly designed notes are expected to arrive by the first full week of December, Clarke said individuals will have to wait until ATMs are retrofitted and ready.

“The @CentralBankJA advises that the new banknotes will be in Jamaica by the week of Dec 5. ATM’s are now being retrofitted and the public sensitized before the new banknotes are publicly issued. That process is expected to last between 3 to 6 months,” Clarke tweeted.

“The BOJ will begin issuing new banknotes as soon as ATMs are ready,” he added.

During his budget presentation in March, the minister announced that national heroes whose images were removed from banknotes will have their images restored in the major overhaul of the country’s banknotes, which will introduce new and multiple security features.

Clarke said the notes would last 50 per cent longer than the current banknotes, and, they would feature the pictures of two individuals, instead of the usual one, with a $2,000 bill featuring former prime ministers, Edward Seaga and Michael Manley.

Both men were both contemporaries and political rivals, and the use of their photographs on the newly created banknote is aimed at a symbol of unity.

The $1,000 bill will bear the photographs of Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley.

Additionally, former prime ministers Hugh Shearer and Donald Sangster will appear together on the upgraded $5,000 note, while national heroes Sam Sharpe and Nanny of the Maroons will appear together on the upgraded $500 bill.

National heroes Paul Bogle and George William Gordon will appear together on the upgraded $50 note.

However, National Hero Marcus Garvey will appear alone on the upgraded $100 banknote.

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An aerial view of the persistent landslip at Bad Rock, Belle Garden. – DIQUD

THE Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is moving to resolve what it called the “critical failure” of the slope and retaining structures at Bad Rock, Belle Garden.

Over the past month, Bad Rock has experienced significant land slippage owing to persistent adverse weather conditions. In light of the ongoing risks to public safety, the road remains closed to light- and medium-weight vehicles.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development said its strategy to address the issues at Bad Rock involves extensive construction, road expansion and erosion control in the area and the simultaneous construction of a 300m x 7m connector road from Iron Ridge, Zion Hill to Long Bed, Belle Garden.

It said based on a preliminary assessment, the possibility of blasting and excavation of the rock face embankment at Bad Rock is likely.

“The scope of works extends to but is not limited to erosion control measures; construction of retaining and drainage structures; installation of guard rails; and road widening and asphalting of the roadway,” it said.

The division quoted Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, at a news conference last Friday, as saying, “Those reports came back advising us that we had some solid rock surfaces there but very shallow top soil resting on top of these rocks. And as the rains come, the top soil will just keep sliding away.

“We have had to evacuate families from that hillside, out of the abundance of caution and in the last set of rains, we see land slippage happening on the seaside beneath the road to the point where there is an area where there is a shallow underneath the road.”

It further quoted Augustine as saying that the alternative road will become necessary “because the kinds of work that will be required at Bad Rock cannot be done in a week.

“It is even more threatening than what happened in Castara a few months ago, that we were able to remedy somewhat in quick time, so we have to provide an adequate alternative route while the long-term fix is happening at the Bad Rock area.”

The division said a comprehensive geotechnical survey will be undertaken next week, after which, the design phase should be completed within 20 days.

It added the construction of the connector road will begin during the surveying and design phase, approximately 45 days before the commissioning of Bad Rock road expansion works.

“This is to allow for adequate provisions to be made for traffic management and other logistics, towards limiting inconvenience to residents and the motoring public.”

The division said it intends to meet with residents and stakeholders before the works begin. A subsequent correspondence updating the public on the approval and date for meetings will be released, it added.

Earlier this month, area representative and Deputy Chief Secretary Dr Faith BYisrael said the landslides have disrupted the lives of residents in the area. “It is an inconvenience, because that is the way we normally travel, but we have to ensure life, limb and property is secured.”

She added, “You recognise, that area we’ve had landslips for quite sometime. This seems to be the more serious we have seen it in a couple years so we do have to look at a longer-term solution.”

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COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh –

COUVA South MP Rudranath Indarsingh has said there must be no forgiveness for the People’s National Movement (PNM), as sought by former labour minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus.

He was responding from the United National Congress (UNC) platform on Monday night to the appeal she made last week, during the party’s internal elections campaign in Tobago.

Indarsingh said people must reject the call from Baptiste-Primus, who is seeking to return as labour relations officer in the PNM elections, “just as the PNM and the Prime Minister rejected her as a candidate in the last general election.

“There must be no forgiveness for the PNM. The Prime Minister and the PNM have sinned for the last seven years, and the wages of sin is political death,” Indarsingh said.

Harping on her “resurrection” since the last general election, Indarsingh surmised, “She was fired by Rowley, rejected by Rowley, rejected by the PNM.

“Suddenly she is back on the scene seeking redemption for the PNM and Rowley’s incompetence and sin for the last seven years.

“There must be no redemption for the PNM. Why does she want forgiveness for the PNM when they have taken away your rights to send a message to the PNM in terms of postponing the local government elections?

“They have gone against the rule of law and the will of the people. Must we forgive PNM for that?”

Indarsingh cringed as he recalled the first day of hearings of the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the Paria tragedy in which four divers lost their lives, when their recorded voices were played, telling of their anguish, cries of pain and suffering underwater before their deaths on February 25.

“Jennifer wants us to forgive the PNM when we know the inaction of Paria led to the death of these divers,” he said, referring to the length of time they reportedly remained alive in the hyperbaric chamber, according to the autopsy reports tendered into evidence.

“Must we forgive the PM for the interrupting and intercepting of the police merit list that led to the collapse of the Police Service Commission (PSC)?”

Indarsingh also questioned the billions of dollars allocated to the Ministries of Works and Transport and Rural Development and Local Government, when, he said, the road infrastructure has collapsed and is collapsing.

He called on Works Minister Rohan Sinanan to say how he knew $1 million could fit into a case of beer, as he demonstrated at a PNM internal election meeting in Sangre Grande.

Picking up on Sinanan’s submission that the PNM’s headquarters, Balisier House, was being rebuilt through the goodwill of donors, he asked how many crates of beer were donated by contractors.

“One of their own, Karen Nunez-Tesheira, told us that up until today it has cost $50 million to refurbish Balisier House.

“I seize the opportunity to call on the acting CoP, Mc Donald Jacob, to declare his testicular fortitude in the fight against white-collar crime – put caution tape around Balisier House. Cordon it off and declare it a crime scene and launch an immediate investigation and follow the money as it relates to how many donations have gone to Balisier House.”

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