LIAT: There’s only two basic choices…

by Iain Edghill

As I see it, there are only 2 choices facing LIAT and its government shareholders. Either it has to be deemed an “essential service” and continue to be subsidized despite the operational inefficiencies inherent in its structure; or, it has to be fully privatized, de-politicized, and forced to be self-sustaining.

Both options are problematic. In these tough economic times, when governments are cash-strapped and are trying to figure out how to stretch their dwindling resources, many constituencies will argue that subsidizing a national airline should be very low on the priority list. Conversely, there are those who will argue, not without just cause, that LIAT is crucial to inter-island communications and commerce.

Has any study ever been done as to exactly how much LIAT contributes to the GDP of CARICOM? That is crucial to the discussion here. What would the economic impact be, in $$ terms, if LIAT were to disappear? Once that figure is empirically established, that could be used as the baseline for government subsidies, a quid-pro-quo, so to speak.

Perhaps the solution is a form of public-private sector partnership, with CARICOM governments providing a baseline subsidy, and the private-sector, with aviation professionals providing the operational expertise in running the airline, as Mr. Lynch correctly suggests, being the other half of the operational and financial equation.

One thing is for sure with regard to LIAT: the status-quo is both financially and operationally unfeasible.

Will the demise of LIAT Airlines bring down CARICOM too? Do you remember “one from ten is zero”?

Our old friend Jim Lynch has been following the news that Barbados wants to pull out of LIAT Airlines and establish a national carrier. You can follow the story at CRANe – The Caribbean Regional Aviation Network.

That got us thinking… you remember the old CARICOM cry “one from ten is zero”?

LIAT isn’t CARICOM, but it is perhaps the most visible expression of Barbados’ commitment to the organization.

If LIAT falls, does it harm CARICOM?

Proposal for Barbados to Quit LIAT

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, March 28 2015 – Caribbean News Service (CNS) has obtained a document titled “Proposal for the Establishment of a Barbados Air Carrier.”

The document, allegedly authored at the senior management level of LIAT, points to Barbados, LIAT’s majority shareholder, planning to quit airline

The document proposes that a Barbados air carrier be established with its own Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and Route Licensing Authorisation. The new company would effectively replace the majority of existing LIAT services throughout the region and would seek to develop new markets.

An approach, methodology and structure for the establishment of the new Barbados air carrier were detailed in the document.

It said a traditional approach to fleet planning in a startup airline with a projected requirement of 10 aircraft would be to launch initially with two to three aircraft and a limited route network and build thereafter incrementally over a period of 18 months to the final fleet number. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has funded, via shareholder governments, LIAT’s wholly owned ATR -42 aircraft.

The plan calls for the title of those aircraft to be passed on to the Barbados Government either through shareholder agreement or through CDB taking charge of the aircraft and reassigning them.

… finish reading CNS article Proposal for Barbados to Quit LIAT

Devaluation of the dollar may only be the beginning of the end

“In the Caribbean most of the leaders are old time Marxist-Leninists, who now like to describe themselves simply as socialists – because it hides the failure of those school boy idiotic idealist beliefs still held by a bundle of old rambling communists.”

Communist idiots!

by Peter Binose

We may all wake up one morning soon and find our EC dollars worth less, or even worthless – our savings and our buying power reduced. Our local pensions worth so much less, and our food bills and everything we buy costing so much more. They won’t tell you in advance in case it causes a run on the EC dollar, with people withdrawing and buying other currencies such as the US dollar etc.

The reason for devaluation will be because of the damage inflicted on the monetary system by Caribbean states that over-borrow and can’t afford to pay back those borrowings. If you consider Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, they borrowed so much money from their national bank and could not repay it that they had to sell the bank. If that bank had collapsed it would of caused the EC dollar to be damaged and would of certainly triggered the devaluation of the EC dollar.

Root causes will remain with us – because too much debt, vast regional financial imbalances, and high energy prices have actually grown worse because of fiscal ignorance, even fiscal duncemanship by the Prime Ministers. 

How Sir Ronald Sanders swayed Caribbean support for Britain during the Falklands War

Sue Onslow of the University of London interviewed Sir Ronald Sanders as part of the Commonwealth Oral History Project. The entire interview available to read online at Commonwealth Oral Histories, or you can download the PDF at the bottom of this post.

Sir Ronald was a diplomat starting in the 1980’s and was part of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group reporting in 2011. The first Eminent Persons Group included Barbados future Governor General, Dame Nita Barrow, who famously dressed in African garb to sneak into Soweto in South Africa and also met with Nelson Mandella in jail.

The interview covers a wide range of topics where Sir Ronald gives the perspective of someone right in the middle of the chaos that is international politics. Topics include South Africa (people, politics and apartheid), the US invasion of Grenada, the Falklands War and stories and opinions about famous people including then Barbados Prime Minister Tom Adams and lessor public figures like Reagan and Castro. 😉

It’s a good read for anyone interested in history or politics.

Here’s a passage about how the Caribbean had decided to side with Argentina in the Falklands, but then Sir Ronald decided to convince the leaders that our collective interests favoured the UK…  

Shanique Myrie ‘finger rape’ case shows CARICOM doesn’t really exist now – and probably never will

Caribbean Court of Justice considers the Shanique Myrie case

Sir Ronald Sanders has written an excellent article about the state of CARICOM when subjected to the cold light of what happened to Shanique Myrie. Well worth your time…

Since the establishment of CARICOM in 1973, tens of thousands of CARICOM nationals have travelled in its member states with no difficulty. However, a significant number have complained of discrimination by immigration officials at the point of entry of several Caribbean countries – some, even when they are travelling on Canadian, US and European Union passports.

All of this has raised questions about the value and relevance of CARICOM to the citizens of its 15 member countries. Indeed, these events have created resentment and an inclination to dismiss CARICOM as nothing but a government ‘talking shop’. The governments themselves have not done enough to address the problem, which if a solution is not found, will undermine the worth of CARICOM to many of its citizens.

from Bajan Reporter’s Eyeing the case before the Caribbean Court of Justice by Sir Ronald Sanders

Further Reading about Shanique Myrie

BFP, March 24, 2011 – Jamaican women welcome in Barbados if they submit to a finger up their vagina?

REDjet debacle shows CARICOM is a sham

“What has been dished out to RedJet is shameful. I bow my head in that shame. I truly now know that CARICOM is but a sham and obviously just a ploy for Heads of our nations to get together and feed their egos.”

by Rosemary Parkinson

The reception that RedJet has received from our so-called- unified-by-CARICOM governments has been to say the least based on protectionism for LIAT and Caribbean Airlines. RedJet were doomed to fail if Caricom Heads did not put the necessary openings in place. The Barbados government was also a tad unhurried in getting RedJet the necessary support and I am not talking investment. There was no need at the time for this – those behind RedJet saw a niche, did their homework and were well-prepared to give the people a low-cost airline. This is where I smell a rat because these businessmen would not have gone through with their plans had they not been given certain assurances…by certain people…or at least that is my belief. I could be wrong, this could be an assumption.

We the people, however, embraced RedJet, welcoming this opportunity for the Caribbean region to be more integrated. Vendors could now move back and forth and make a living. Artistes from all areas of the creative arts had an opportunity to truly know our neighbours and earn extra dollars. Families and friends could now travel easily. Regional tourism had been finally given the push it required. Regional business at all levels could now afford visits to their partners rather than just telephone meetings. Most importantly RedJet gave an opportunity for food and goods to be moved between the islands – a huge plus for us the people as we sought to reduce our import bills from the north.

RedJet was people friendly and had one and only one vision…to give the people (I said the people) of the Caribbean an airline that cared cost-wise. Naturally making ends meet and profit would have also been a priority. But digging out the eyes of their own people was not.

How one policy change will cause a worldwide explosion of Caribbean culture and commerce

The Proposal: All Cable Networks must Carry all Caribbean Television Stations as part of its Basic Package.

by Baba Elombe

“The ultimate goal of this proposal is to prepare us for entry into the lucrative world markets with our distinctive culture.”

In recent months there has been a growing spate of negativism across the region emanating in a large part from our lack of knowledge about the others that we share this Caribbean space with. Most of the time hear-say dominates public opinion and the rapidity with which it takes place makes it impossible to have reasonable conversations.

We are therefore asking heads of Governments to commit to the involvement of Caribbean people in the conversation by making it mandatory for all cable networks to carry all CARICOM television stations as part of the basic package that is offered to Caribbean households.

It will cost governments nothing to implement this policy.

It is purely an administrative decision for the Broadcast Commissions to implement this policy as a priority. If stations do not wish to participate it is up to them but the networks must make room for them as a matter of our policy of regional development. Stations in each territory must have the same rights as citizens to travel where ever they desire within the region. Journalists are free to work in any of the CARICOM member states, yet their abilities and strengths are hidden and is only available to the local market.

More importantly, our intellectual and mental space is dominated by USA, Canadian, British, German, French, Chinese, Indian, Latin American, and Mid- Eastern perspectives. For example, when a number of university educated and professional young people visited Jamaica and was taken around various neighborhoods in Kingston, they expressed surprise at the quality of the housing they saw. When asked why they were surprised, they pointed out that their knowledge of Jamaica was based on music videos.

Immigration debate rages on

Where does compassion stop and idiocy begin?

Two BFP regulars are squaring off in the comments section. Mark L Fenty Sr. is calling for some sensitivity for our Caribbean brothers and sisters “visiting” Barbados. Another reader, “Observer” has had enough of illegal immigration.

Observer praises the DLP government’s recent decision to restrict health care, saying “Thank God that there was a change of Government else our social services would have been under further strain to cope.”

We’ve taken editor’s license to clean up some of the spelling and missed words that happen in the heat of debate and we’ve added the titles and subtitles too. If we’ve changed any meanings, I’m sure our friends Mark and Observer will let us know.

“DING!!! Round Two. FIGHT!!!…”

Illegal immigration problem caused by a failure to police the system.

by Mark L. Fenty Sr.

To those people who believe that Barbados isn’t going to reach a state of economic decline to the point where thousands of Barbadians are going to be flooding the more prosperous islands of the Caribbean: think again. This I believe is going to be directly attributed to the antiquated tourist industry that Barbados relies on so heavily for its foreign exchange, coupled with our insensitivity toward our fellow Caribbean nationals who reside in Barbados in an illegal status.

New Barbados WikiLeaks – Billie Miller confidential to US Ambassador: “Chinese owe Barbados for the favourable state construction deals…”

Billie Miller implies that Barbados Government Bid Process is rigged to favour Chinese Companies!

China “will continue” to win new construction contracts in Barbados!

You know why the Barbados news media doesn’t cover WikiLeaks

Barbados Free Press asks: “Can we expect a statement from COW or Bizzy Williams on the China construction contracts revelations?”

Every morning we rise ‘n shine, flip on the old PC and head for WikiLeaks first thing to see if there’s anything new about Barbados. We can’t imagine any Bajan journalist not doing that because we know that WikiLeaks has some 261 US Embassy cables sent from Bridgetown and up until April 18, 2011 only 3 had been released.

Maybe we missed some recent coverage in the Bajan oldstream news media, and if so we apologise. If it wasn’t covered, maybe the Bajan oldstream news media should apologise to Barbadians.

The latest release of 16 embassy cables is online now at WikiLeaks Bridgetown Embassy List. There’s only one “Confidential” cable in the bunch, but that’s not to say that the others aren’t important – we just haven’t looked at them yet.

Here’s some excerpts from the April 12, 2006 “CONFIDENTIAL” cable from Ambassador Mary Kramer, talking about some official and off-the-record conversations she had with Barbados Foreign Minister Dame Billie Miller…

China

“Miller told the Ambassador privately that the Chinese “owe” Barbados for all the favorable deals their state construction company has won – and will continue to win – in Barbados.”

Sugar Subsidies out, Service Industry in

“Ambassador Kramer asked FM Miller to share CARICOM’s vision of a desired future for regional and global trade. The Foreign Minister responded that for over 300 years Barbados has never openly traded sugar.  Her country has always had preferential treatment; sugar has almost always been subsidized.  Miller said Barbados has determined that
sugar is not the way forward; instead, the service industry represents the most promising future.”

Cameras at Airport and Port

The PS for Trade, Samuel Chandler, entered the discussion, noting how security regulation and requirements have added cost to both exporters and governments.  Miller remarked on all the camera equipment at the port and airport, saying, “These are not one-off expenses, they are recurring expenses, but without them one risks the loss of international access for the port and the airport.”

Barbados stifles open discussion with USA

Such a frank and wide-ranging discussion between the Barbados Government and senior diplomats is extremely rare. The Barbadians normally hold embassies at arm’s length, insisting on a rigorous adherence to protocol that stifles open discussion.  Barbados and FM Miller in particular are CARICOM leaders in many areas of foreign affairs, and her views on Haiti and trade likely hold true for most CARICOM members.

KRAMER

Full text of Confidential April 12, 2006 message from US Embassy, Bridgetown

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000637

CARICOM Crime and Security Chief under investigation: Corruption, Fraud

Lynne Anne Williams accused of “Corruption, Misappropriation, hiring of unqualified staff, fraudulent accounting practices”

The Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Impacs) is headed by Lynne Anne Williams, who took over in September of 2009. She makes US$14,000 a month plus expenses, but that wasn’t enough so she created phony travel expense invoices and pocketed the money.

Anyone ever heard of “Darreyl’s Bungalow Short Term Accommodation” in Barbados? Nope. Me neither.

But Lynne Anne Williams stayed there and billed for it.

And that is nothing, just a flea bite compared with all the allegations we’re seeing in the Trini press. Yup, Williams; visited Barbados for a 20 day security meeting that never happened and she billed for the whole thing – right at Crop Over too. Must be a coincidence!

“This signifies a clear recognition by the Caribbean Community….of the danger that unchecked financial crime poses to our economic and political systems” said Lynne Anne Williams, the Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS.

Lynne Anne Williams speaking about money-laundering back in January 2011. What a joke!

Yup, it’s really hit the fan at IMPACS, and it’s not just Williams either. The allegations are flying and it’s not he-said, she-said stuff because copies of the phony invoices are in the hands of the newspapers.

So what will happen? Come on folks… you know what’s going to happen in the end. Lynne Anne Williams will quietly retire, no charges will be laid and it will all fade away. Because…

Our Assessment: Williams is guilty as hell, but will never be charged because before coming to IMPACTS she headed the Special Intelligence Agency for 14 years and nobody is going to mess with what she knows.

Who will watch the watchers?

Jamaican women welcome in Barbados if they submit to a finger up their vagina?

UPDATED: March 27, 2011 10:14 pm

Barbados Government: “Shanique Myrie is lying. There was no body cavity search”

After three days of investigations, however, McClean told reporters:“There is absolutely no truth to a story carried in a Jamaican newspaper on Thursday, March 24, that a female citizen of that country was body-searched by Immigration officers on arrival at the Grantley Adams International Airport.”

In a prepared statement, she added: “Chief Immigration Officer Ms Erine Griffith has refuted this allegation made in the Jamaica Observer. She has confirmed that her department and Customs ‘have carried out extensive investigations and the claims were baseless’.”

From The Nation story: Finger Rape Claim Untrue

Shanique Myrie: “I am not lying. They are the ones who are lying”

“I am not lying. They humiliated me and searched me like I was an animal. They can carry me back to the Barbados airport and I can show you every room they took me into. I can identify the woman who defiled me. They are the ones who are lying,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Shanique Myrie in the Nation News: Jamaican Myrie plans to sue

UPDATED: March 25, 2011 3:57 am

Barbados Government says Shanique Myrie involved in Human Trafficking

“No record” of vaginal search.

The Barbados government issued a statement late last night about the Myrie incident. Does “no record” mean the vaginal search never happened or does it mean something else? We’ll be watching this story closely, but as we said before…

“Even if Ms. Myrie was suspected and then deported for good reason such as gang affiliation or crimes committed in Jamaica, she deserves to be treated with human dignity.”

That dignity is not only about ensuring that when necessary, cavity searches are performed by qualified personnel under as clean and dignified circumstances as possible, it’s also about a bare foam mattress with no bed linen, no shower etc.

Barbados scored badly in the latest Trafficking in Persons Report, so on one hand it is good to see the authorities paying attention to the problem. On the other hand, as the Trafficking in Persons Report states, one of the big problems with prosecuting the traffickers is that the first reaction by authorities is to immediately deport the witness, in this case Ms. Myrie.

It looks like our leaders need to read that Trafficking in Persons Report again because rather than charging the Bajan male trafficker mentioned by government, they sent the witness back so the trafficker will continue in business.

As the TIP Report says of Barbados:

“Law enforcement and immigration officials continued to summarily deport undocumented foreigners without determining whether they are trafficking victims, the government opened no investigations into possible cases of sex or labor trafficking, and it did not prosecute any trafficking cases during the year. Therefore, Barbados is placed on tier 2 Watch List.”

… from page 73 of the Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 (available at US Dept. of State link here)

Our original story…

Is our title really so provocative if it is the truth?

Jamaican Shanique Myrie (photo above) flew into Barbados on March 14, 2011. Upon arrival, she was strip-searched and then a female Barbados Immigration officer shoved her finger into her vagina twice while continuously spewing venom about Jamaicans, according to Ms. Myrie.

Wikileaks to soon put Caribbean Money Laundering Laws to the test

Cayman bank account info to go on WikiLeaks as CARICOM announces Anti-Money Laundering Deal

“Stopping money laundering in Barbados would be like cutting our own throats.”

Two money laundering news items arrived in our in-basket today from different sources, and when we put them together we thought, “Hey, synchronicity!” See? I was awake in school at least on one day. (Actually, I was awake most days because I didn’t want to get a stick across the knuckles from Mr. W.)

Thanks to one of our old friends in Manitoba Canada (brrrrrr!!!!! Youbee, come on home for February!) we know that Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer is going to hand over bank data to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 2000 people who have money parked offshore in the Caymans.

Barbadian Politicians on the list? …

Owen Arthur drives nail into Caricom’s coffin: If Barbadians elect a St. Lucian woman they are “without pride”

Updated: June 11, 2012

With Owen Arthur and the BLP getting into election mode like sharks circling a wounded fish, we thought it would be appropriate to remind folks about what Owen Arthur thinks about candidates who were born off the island…

“No greater affront…” than electing Mara Thompson

“I do not believe that there has been a greater affront, and affront means insult, to the Barbadian Democracy and to Barbadian womanhood than the affront that the Democratic Labour Party has (mumbling a bit) put in before the people of this parish. I also say the people of this country.

Than bring somebody here to be elected on the grounds that you’re electing a queen. And I am not going to mince my words!

There is no Barbadian woman who could be wife of a solution-politician who could run in Saint Lucia on the grounds that she is runnin to be the queen of St. Lucia!

Can’t happen!

And if it can’t happen in St. Lucia, why must it happen here?

There is no Barbadian woman married to a Trinidadian man who could dare run in Trinidad at all! (transcript continues here)>>>>

Hating Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for ending the hypocrisy

Trinidad & Tobago’s PM says no help for Hurricane Tomas victims unless it benefits Trinidad & Tobago too

The BFP crew joined the outrage against Persad-Bissessar’s statements made earlier this week – until Marcus walked into the room and gave us his outstanding impression of Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II…

“We’re both part of the same hypocrisy…

…but Kamla’s decided she’d rather tell the truth.”

Proponents of CARICOM love to talk about how wonderful and strong the Caribbean Community could be if we would only unite and put aside our selfishness. If the stronger and wealthier countries would help our neighbours to the best of our ability, the entire family would progress.

Fine words. Fine thoughts.

The Caricom party line heard for decades ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

So when Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said that Trinidad and Tobago taxpayers are getting tired of being thought of as the CARICOM family piggy bank, that she has to consult with the citizens before her government can make promises AND that if houses are to be built as a gift from T&T, it will be T&T companies that build them with T&T materials… WELL… that put the mongoose in the chicken pen!

Remember Haiti?

It’s been almost nine months since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As with every major crisis there was lots of interest, promises and concern for a little while. Then we forgot about Haiti. All of us forgot, Barbados included.

Barbadian Engineer: United Nations turned away Caribbean professional assistance in Haiti

Updated: December 9, 2010

The recent stories about Haiti’s political troubles and the UN being fingered for causing the recent outbreak of cholera bring us back to this story about the the UN’s refusal to use Caribbean engineers after the January 2010 earthquake.

We haven’t seen much progress in Haiti since the earthquake – with millions still camped in the open. We wonder about all the aid pledges and foreign assistance on the ground. Have things returned to “normal” with the rest of the Caribbean and the world content with the state of affairs? If Haiti wasn’t an island but was instead a part of Florida, would the response be the same?

Here’s our original article. Perhaps Bajan professional engineer Grenville Phillips II can provide an update from his perspective…

“15th January 2010 – I contacted the Secretary General of the Caribbean Council of Engineering Organisations (CCEO), and the Chairman of the Caribbean Division of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) about surveying their members for a possible deployment…. we soon had a long list of Caribbean based structural engineers who volunteered to be deployed in Haiti, to help their fellow Caribbean brothers and sisters in their time of desperate need.”

… from the Weighed in the Balance article Haiti Deployment

What was the UN’s agenda in ignoring Caribbean Professionals?

The day after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Bajan professional engineer Grenville Phillips II started organising Caribbean structural engineers for deployment to Haiti to assist in evaluating the thousands of damaged schools, hospitals and other public buildings and to train Haitian engineers to perform the same task.

Short story: When Grenville arrived in Haiti, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) told Phillips (and through him the other Caribbean structural engineers) that their services were not needed and were not welcome.

Indigenous Peoples Cry For Justice As Caribbean Nations Conveniently Submit To USA’s Will

Grand Chief Ed John in Panama

“This ‘Human Prosperity’ theme of the OAS Heads of State Summit to follow us immediately in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago CANNOT be implemented for the benefit of the non-indigenous citizens of the OAS states at the expense of OUR Indigenous peoples – because for far too long that is EXACTLY what has been happening!”.

…Grand Chief Edward John – political executive of the First Nations Assembly (of Canada) Task Group

My Controversial Report On The 3rd Indigenous Leaders Summit – by Damon Corrie

The 1st Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas was held in 2001 in Ottawa, Canada, North America, the second was in 2005 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; South America, and the 3rd was just concluded on April 15th 2009 in Panama City, Panama; Central America.

Controversy tends to follow anything that seeks to advance the long denied rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas – a Hemisphere that with the sole exception of Bolivia (which FINALLY has an Indigenous President and government) – STILL suffers to varying degrees under Colonialism & Neo-colonialism – 517 years AFTER the arrival of Columbus and the ensuing Genocide, Ethnocide and Ecocide he (and subsequent Eurocentric plunderers) unleashed in the ‘New World’.

At the opening ceremony held in a conference room at the Hotel Riande Continental in Panama City on April 14th 2009 the pre-session prayer was said by a respected elder of the local Kuna Tribal Nation.

“The Indigenous Caucus of the Americas is only being permitted one brief address to the OAS Heads of State – then like dutiful servants we must leave the room, not even being permitted to sit as official observers as we were granted in previous OAS Summits.”

The influential leader Mrs. Beverly Jacobs of the Native Womens’ Association of Canada, was the first speaker to address the 100+ Indigenous Leaders from North, South, Central America and the Caribbean gathered.

This was followed by a video address by his Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza – Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), and this was presented on his behalf by her Excellency Abigail Castro de Perez – Ambassador and representative of the OAS in Panama.

The Third speaker was her Excellency Patricia Lagan-Torrel – Ambassador of Canada to the the Republic of Panama; the governments of Canada, the USA, and Spain provided funds to make the 3rd ILSA possible and the OAS provided logistical support in no small part by tireless workers such as Mr. Luis Toro and Ms. Jessica Grebeldinger – both great friends to the cause of Indigenous rights.

Fourth to speak was the well known indigenous Lawyer Hector Huertas of the Kuna Tribal Nation of Panama, and one of the key points he raised was the fact that “Everyone must realize that the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a ‘minimum standard’ – not a be-all and end-all for the inherent and undeniable rights of Indigenous Peoples of the world; so the American declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (still being created) CANNOT fall below the rights enshrined in the UN declaration – which is global in scope.

* Readers should note that the UN declaration being referred to was passed by a vote of support of every UN member state EXCEPT the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – but soon thereafter the Australian government changed and the new administration quickly adopted the Declaration leaving 3 isolated ‘Democratic hypocrisies’ still in opposition.

Fifth and last to speak was the veteran respected Grand Chief Edward John – political executive of the First Nations Assembly (of Canada) Task Group, and he provided a wealth of information to the appreciative audience gathered, but his most memorable statement – and one that reverberated around the room to enthusiastic support was when he thundered: “This ‘Human Prosperity’ theme of the OAS Heads of State Summit to follow us immediately in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago CANNOT be implemented for the benefit of the non-indigenous citizens of the OAS states at the expense of OUR Indigenous peoples – because for far too long that is EXACTLY what has been happening!”.

The Grand chief went on to state “We have taken 40 cases against the government of Canada to the Supreme Court of Canada and we have won ALL of them, yet the government of Canada still refuses to comply with the rulings of their own Supreme Court!”

As I sat in the audience, as a Barbadian by birth of Guyanese Lokono-Arawak descent, and cognizant of the fact that I was part of the planning committee for this 3rd indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas and head of the communications sub-committee (my tenure expired as of 6.30pm on April 15th 2009 when the Summit officially ended), I was saddened to hear that the Governments of Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil – were still frustrating the efforts of the Indigenous Caucus in the draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s process, when I had attended the last OAS session in Washington DC a few months ago the USA and Canada had dropped out of the process entirely – which is an act guaranteed to sabotage any progress we hope to make on that front due to the ‘Consensus’ requirement within the OAS.

Uncirculated, Confidential EPA Draft Document Leaked To Blog

“Uncirculated, Confidential EPA Draft Document Leaked To Blog”

That is the headline so far about the EPA – European Economic Partnership Agreement.

I haven’t really digested the 143 page document, but Keltruth Blog looks like they have come up with some interesting reading – some of which is quite surprising including an agreement to be gentle in the enforcement of the final agreement.

Let’s see what our readers can come up with…

Keltruth Blog: Regional Heads discuss differences on EPA – Keltruth Corp. Receives Document

The Folly Of CARICOM – Tourists See Caribbean Violence As Barbados Violence

CARICOM was supposed to be the great playing-field leveler: providing small island nations in our region with the economic and political clout of larger entities. Unfortunately, CARICOM is about as effective and successful as was the great 1958 West Indies Federation – which is to say, “not at all”.

And then there is the matter of the “Caribbean Brand” for tourism which was a disastrous policy created and followed by the previous BLP Government as part of the effort to prop up the pretense and phony benefits of CARICOM.

I wonder who the morons were who thought our Bajan image would be enhanced by linking to places like Jamaica, where armed guards have to look after the tourists swimming within sight of their hotel!

The folly of the “Caribbean Brand” has been once again shown by an article published in New Statesman concerning the recent horrific honeymoon murders of Ben and Catherine Mullaney in Antigua.

According to the article, we’re all the same in Caribbean… violent, bloodthirsty savages – and that includes Barbados – once again according to the author.

Our friend over at RealBajan.com alerted us to the New Statesman article and has the link and some thoughts about where author Darcus Howe can stick his misinformed propaganda.

Although Barbados Free Press and Real Bajan disagree on the usefulness and impact of CARICOM, his article is well worth reading: Savage Murder in Antigua, Darcus Howe Prematurely Writes Caribbean Obituary