| ISSUE NO.44 August 2000
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 FAO
Director-General visits Antigua and Barbuda
Dr Jacques Diouf, the Director-General of the Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO), visited Antigua and Barbuda on 14th August
2000.
Dr. Diouf met with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and paid courtesy calls on His Excellency the Governor-General
and Prime Minister Lester B. Bird.
The Prime Minister expressed the gratitude of the government
of Antigua and Barbuda for the assistance provided by the FAO after
hurricane Georges. The FAO Director-General gave an overview of
the work of his organization and promised to work closely with
the government of Antigua and Barbuda in developing the Agricultural
Sector.
Dr Diouf also met the Speaker of the House, Bridget Harris, members
of the Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce and the 10 top farmers
of the year at a luncheon hosted by the Minister of Agriculture,
Vere Bird Jnr.
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Electoral
Reform Bill heads for a reading in Parliament
The Electoral Reform Bill, which seeks to address the many amendments
and recommendations to the Representation of the People's Act made
by the Supervisor of Elections, the Commonwealth Observer Group,
and by other interested parties, will be introduced to Parliament
in September.
 The
Bill seeks to repeal sections 3 to 42, 83 and 84 of the Representation
of the People Act and to enact a more modern electoral system.
An Electoral Commission is to be established consisting of five
persons, including the chairman and two persons appointed by the
Governor-General, acting on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Two other persons appointed by the Governor-General, acting on
the recommendation of the leader of the Opposition after consultation
with the Prime Minister, would also be included.
According to the Attorney-General, "A person shall not be qualified
to hold office as a member of the Commission if he is a Minister
of Government, Parliamentary Secretary, a Member of Parliament,
a candidate for election to the House of Representatives, or a
Senator."
Members of the Commission shall hold office for a period of five
years. They may be removed from office for inability to exercise
the functions of the office, whether arising from infirmity of
body or mind or any other cause, such as misbehaviour. The question
of removal from office must be referred to and adjudicated by a
specially convened tribunal.
The Commission will have the power to direct and control the registration
of voters and conduct elections in every constituency.
The Commission shall, in the exercise of its functions, not be
subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority.
Other salient points include the qualifications for registration
and the right to vote. The major change to this is the requirement
that residency be established in the constituency of voting for
at least one month prior to the calling of an election.
On the coming into force of the Bill, the governor-general will
appoint a date on which every qualified person shall have the right
to apply to the registration officer to become a registered voter.
Voter registration will be a continuous process, no longer limited
to a period of seven days a year. Further, there is to be a total
re-registration of all eligible voters and a new register of voters
shall be prepared.
Another major recommendation comes in the claims and objections
to the voters' list. The system of hearings being held only once
a year is to be abandoned, and will now take place once a month
at the Magistrate's Court.
Voter identification cards are also a major part of the Bill,
and the Electoral Commission will be responsible for the issuing
of such cards to all eligible voters. The cards, which must be
used as a form of identification during elections, will include
the picture of the bearer and the constituency in which that person
is eligible to vote.
The section on broadcasts states that the Electoral Commission
may make provision in respect to the allocation of broadcasting
time and the restriction of that time to any political party during
a period, beginning with the publication of a notice of an election
and ending with the declaration of the result.
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Antigua
and Barbuda and US Government and Senate Representatives hold
talks
 Antigua
and Barbuda Government representatives held meetings on 8th and
9th August in Washington with senior representatives of the US
Treasury and the Staff of the Ranking Minority member of the US
Senate Permanent Committee on investigations .
The Antigua and Barbuda delegation was led by Chief Foreign Affairs
Representative with Ministerial Rank, Sir Ronald Sanders KCN, CMG,
and included Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador Colin Murdoch; Head of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP) Wrenford Ferrance; and the Executive Director of
the International Financial Services Regulatory Authority (IFSRA)
Ms Althea Crick.
The US Treasury team was led by William Wechsler, Special Advisor
to the US Treasury Secretary and included Steve Kroll, Chief Legal
Counsel and Daniel Glaser, Senior Counsel. The talks centred on
lifting the financial advisory that the US placed on Antigua in
April 1999. Mr Wechsler praised the government of Antigua and Barbuda
for the significant reforms of the country's legislation on money
laundering and the establishment of independent machinery for regulation
and enforcement. He noted that evidence of Antigua and Barbuda's
considerable progress was the fact that it had successfully passed
the 25 stringent criteria laid down by the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF), the international body charged with establishing
global standards against money laundering and other financial crime.
Mr Sanders told the US delegation that Antigua and Barbuda's legislation
is among the best in the world and the test of its effectiveness
is the full cooperation that has been given to several countries,
including the US, in bringing criminals to justice. He noted that
the US, the UK, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium and the Ukraine had
all benefited from Antigua and Barbuda's work.
The Antigua and Barbuda diplomat invited the US government to
send a team to Antigua to see the operations of both the regulatory
and enforcement machinery with a view to lifting the US financial
advisory thereafter. Mr Wechsler accepted the Antigua Government
invitation and a US team is expected in Antigua during September.
The two delegations concluded that their discussion had been very
helpful and informative to both sides and Mr Wechsler assured the
Antigua and Barbuda representatives that the US had "no intention
of changing the objectives that had been set out when the advisory
was put in place". Mr Sanders thanked the US Treasury representative
and stated that Antigua looked forward to welcoming the US team
for a full, free and frank exchange leading to an early lifting
of the advisory.
The Antigua and Barbuda team also met the senior legal staff of
Senator Carl Levin, the ranking minority member of the US Senate
Committee on investigations. The Senate Committee is currently
investigating correspondent banking relations between US banks
and banks in other jurisdictions including Antigua and Barbuda.
Mr Sanders said that the Antigua and Barbuda team has very long,
detailed and helpful discussions with Elise J Bean and Robert L
Roach, two senior counsels on Senator Levin's staff.
The Antigua and Barbuda government had pledged to provide every
assistance to the Senate Committee in its study of correspondent
banking relations particularly in the area of financial crime.
The Senate Committee is concerned that US banks are not diligent
enough in their checks on banks with which they establish relations.
For their part, the Antigua and Barbuda delegation was keen to
demonstrate the high level of regulation applied to banks in its
jurisdiction. Mr Sanders told the Senate team that Antigua and
Barbuda has reduced the number of offshore banks from 72 at the
end of 1999 to 18 today. Mr Ferrance and Ms Crick emphasized that
both their agencies were "vigilant and keen to root out any entity
that abused the Antigua and Barbuda jurisdiction."
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Antigua consults with
Isle of Man on OECD Harmful Tax
The Isle of Man has assured Antigua and Barbuda that it will
not weaken the position of countries labelled 'tax havens' by signing
a letter committing it to a set of standards unilaterally set by
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
High Commissioner Sir Ronald Sanders KCN, CMG, said on 17th August.
"The Isle of Man government representatives assured me that they
knew nothing about a deal being close. They say they had rejected
the OECD-dictated "commitment" letter and done one of their own
which, in turn, was rejected by the OECD," Antigua and Barbuda's
High Commissioner reported.
Sanders visited the Isle of Man on 15th and 16th August. He said
he left talks with that territory's Chief Minister Donald Gelling
and the Treasury Minister Richard Corkill satisfied that there
would be no weakening of the position of the countries named as
tax-havens in their stance on the OECD.
The High Commissioner's visit was prompted by media reports that
the Isle of Man and the two Channel Isles, Jersey and Guernsey,
were "close to a deal" with the OECD, a 29-nation grouping of rich
nations on the matter of 'harmful taxation."
"It was important for us to know whether or not the Channel Isles
were about to do a deal with the OECD since that would weaken the
position of the other named so-called 'tax havens,' he said.
Most OECD-labelled 'tax-havens' are said to be vehemently opposed
to what they see as unilateral actions by that grouping, including
the commitment letter dictating a tax regime and process of disclosing
information.
The Cayman Islands and Bermuda have signed the 'commitment letter'
and so were not listed as tax havens.
Antigua and Barbuda wants the Isle of Man to participate in the
Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting in Malta September 19-21
but because Britain would have to decide on the Isle of Man's attendance,
Sanders said "we have to wait to see what happens with that."
Following a proposal tabled by Antigua and Barbuda at last July's
summit of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, Commonwealth Secretary-General
Don Mc Kinnon has invited the OECD Secretariat and OECD Commonwealth
members - Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - to meet
the Commonwealth countries named as tax havens.
Noting the "identical" position of Antigua and Barbuda, and the
Isle of Man in continuing dialogue with the OECD aimed at finding
a "mutually satisfactory resolution," Sanders said that territory
has agreed to continue talking and exchanging notes with Caribbean
countries listed as 'tax havens.'
CARICOM has designated Antigua and Barbuda as the point-country
on issues of Financial Services.
Along with Jersey and Guernsey, the Isle of Man makes up the third
largest financial offshore centre in the world and, according to
Sanders, it was important to persuade the Isle of Man to "join
us in working out a co-ordinated strategy."
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Offshore
game operator deported
The manager of an offshore gaming operation, arrested four times
in the United States for alleged narco-trafficking and who had
recently made suspicious deposits of money into his Antigua bank
account, was deported from Antigua on 17th August.
The Government said that the deportation of Robert Eremain to
Puerto Rico was not reflective of government's policy towards the "gaming
industry and does not reflect in any way on any licensed operators."
The Prime Minister's Office said that Robert Eremain, Manager
of the Turks and Caicos-registered company, Sports Offshore, also
worked illegally from 1997 to 17 August 2000 as he did not renew
his work permit issued in 1996.
"Taking all these matters into consideration it is felt that Mr
Eremain's continued stay in Antigua and Barbuda is not in the best
interest of the nation," the government said.
Government pointed out that a local commercial bank, in accordance
with the requirements of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, reported
that Robert Eremain "had been making unusual and suspicious deposits
into his account."
"As a result, pursuant to the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act,
an account in a commercial bank which was operated by Eremain was
frozen by the Office of the National Drug Control programme," the
statement added.
The Prime Minister's office said a further probe by the National
Fraud Centre of the United States revealed that the former offshore
gaming manager was arrested on four occasions for alleged "possession
with the intent to distribute narcotics in the States of Connecticut,
Maine and Massachusetts."
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 Antigua
and Barbuda passes emergency test
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) recently
conducted its annual emergency communication simulation exercise
in which Antigua and Barbuda participated.
The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) has indicated
that the country "passed the test" as verified by CDERA.
Deputy Director of NODS, Philmore Mullin said, ".... should there
be an emergency, our communication system is ready to interface
with other systems throughout the Caribbean."
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Antigua
and Barbuda among 20 top flag states for shipping
Antigua and Barbuda has been listed among the world's 20 flag
ship states on a "white list" that denotes it is a "quality flag" for
shipping.
Antigua and Barbuda's High Commissioner in London, Sir Ronald
Sanders KCN, CMG, disclosed that the Port State Control Committee,
the executive body of the Paris MOU, gave Antigua and Barbuda this
rating at a recent meeting.
Port State Control was started in 1982 when fourteen European
countries agreed to co-ordinate their port States inspection effort
under a voluntary agreement known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding
on Port State control.
The rating given by this body is important because it determines
how the ships of a State are regarded in the international community
and by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
In its latest report, the Paris MOU reported on 78 countries
and Antigua and Barbuda appeared on the 'white list' in company
with the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Japan.
The report said, "Quality flags can be found on the new 'white
list' and may pride themselves on a fleet of ships with a consistently
low detention record. These flags will also find their ships subject
to less port State control inspections since there is evidence
that they are capable of running a reputable register".
The Port State Control Committee also issued a 'black list' and
a 'grey list'. Twenty-nine counties appeared on the 'black list'
and were pronounced to be between medium, to very high risk. Another
29 were on the 'grey list' indicating that they are being cautioned
to do better.
High Commissioner Sanders, who has overall responsibility for
matters related to the London-based International Maritime Organization,
paid tribute to the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services
and Merchant Shipping in Antigua and Germany where the merchant
ships are registered and inspected. He said "the Department has
produced work of a consistently high standard that has ensured
that ships flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag enjoy a good reputation
in the shipping industry internationally".
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 BARBUDA
- Commonwealth Review Team appears successful
The Commonwealth Review Team which visited Antigua and Barbuda
in July appears to have achieved success in proposing a way forward
that sets aside separation or the creation of a federal relationship.
After almost two weeks of discussions in both islands with representatives
of the Central Government and the Barbuda Council and with representatives
of the private sector, trade unions, political parties and church
organizations, the Review Team of Pierre Bienvenu and Dr Denis
Benn proposed the creation of a joint forum of the Government and
the Council that would meet regularly and become the agent for
decision-making on Barbuda's development.
The idea won acceptance from the Council leadership and Prime
Minister Lester Bird.
Details of how the joint forum would work are expected to be set
out in the report of the Review Team. The Report will be submitted
to Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, who will transmit
it to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for action by the Government
and the Council.
It is not clear when the Report will be submitted. However, the
members of the Review Team are presently working on a final draft.
Control of land on Barbuda featured prominently in the discussions
held by the Review Team, but the issue was not in the Team's terms
of reference since the London Constitutional Conference in 1980
regarded the matter as settled. Nonetheless, there was general
acceptance that the Court system in Antigua and Barbuda has provided
a fair and objective agency for both the Barbuda Council and the
Central Government to settle disputes that have arisen over land.
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'Irresponsible'
statement threatens Codrington Lagoon lobsters
There is a lobster rush in Barbuda, despite the fact that the
Barbuda Council has placed a ban on lobster fishing.
Council Chairman, Arthur Nibbs, said that the ban was enforced
last July for a period of 18 months in order to prevent persons
from harvesting lobsters from the Codrington lagoon.
The ban was put in place to allow the lobsters a chance to replenish
themselves.
"Unfortunately, a police official was quoted as saying that the
Council has no authority to place a ban on the lagoon, as there
was no by-law, and he doesn't think he could stop anyone from fishing
in the lagoon," Nibbs said.
Since the police reportedly made the statement, a number of Barbudans
have been going to the lagoon to harvest undersize lobsters weighing
less than a pound, Nibbs added.
He believes that the police official acted irresponsibly and
unprofessionally, causing the Council to lose over 10,000 lbs.
of lobster.
The Barbudan fishermen are reportedly paid $13 a pound for the
lobsters they export to Guadeloupe.
Nibbs stated that he will be working closely with the Fisheries
Department to deal with the problem.
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New
airport for Barbuda awaits agreement
The government has proposed that a new airport should be built
on Barbuda, but while members of the Barbuda Council are in support
of the project they want its location changed.
Chairman of the Council, Arthur Nibbs, says the Council members
believe that the new facility should be built on the north-eastern
side of the island.
Nibbs stated that the proposal to expand the old airport would
mean the relocation of homes in the immediate area.
He says if the airport is built on Barbuda's north side, the taxi
drivers operating on the island will have an opportunity to capitalize
on the new facility.
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 PUBLIC
WORKS - Renovations to PWD&C
Major renovative work is being carried out on the Public Works
Department (PWD&C), located in St. John's.
According to the Director, Mr B. T. Lewis, the improvement is
designed to provide greater office space and an improved working
environment for the employees.
"We at the Public Works Department have been taking care of other
government buildings ensuring that they are in top condition and
suitable for work, however, the time has come for us to put our
own house in order here at the PWD&C."
A number of government buildings are slated for renovation this
year, as renewed efforts are being made to boost productivity and
the work ethic within the Public Service.
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EDUCATION
- Male students trailing in exam results
Male students in Antigua and Barbuda continue to trail behind
their female counterparts in the classroom.
Education officials said this trend was discovered in the top
61 students who were successful in the Primary Examinations thus
enabling them to continue their education at High Schools across
the country. 23 male students were listed in the top 61. The remaining
38 were female.
Jodi Browne of the Irene B. Williams School in Swetes Village,
received the best marks in the examinations. However, Jodi is only
one of 16 students named from Government Schools in the top 61.
The others were from private schools. A break down shows that the
St. Andrews School received 13 passes, the highest scored by any
school in the top 61.
There were 1379 students who wrote the exam with a 65% pass rate
or a total of 909.
Officials said that 458 students wrote the Post Primary Examinations
with just about half of that number being successful.
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Antigua concerned
about conditions of students in Cuba
The Antigua and Barbuda government has dispatched a diplomatic
note to the Cuban government, concerning the living conditions
of 55 Antiguan and Barbudan students there.
Antigua and Barbuda's non-resident Ambassador to Cuba, Colin Murdoch,
said the students' main grouse was Cuba's planned introduction
of a US$100 accommodation tax on private rental for each student.
"I have written to my counterpart asking that the Antiguan and
Barbudan students be exempted from paying this tax," Murdoch said.
If implemented, the new tax would be a "significant dent" to the
US$150 allowance per student being provided by this country's Board
of Education.
Murdoch, in his letter to Cuba's Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean,
Lazaro Cabezas, also outlined a litany of other grievances faced
by the Antiguans and Barbudans. Those included lack of access to
telephones, alleged constant theft and matters related to the certification
of their various disciplines of study.
"These are genuine concerns and we have to be sympathetic to them," Murdoch
said.
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$1m
on scholarships this year
The Board of Education is spending in excess of EC$1 million
in scholarships for students to study overseas this year.
The Board has revealed that 137 scholarships have been awarded
for the 2000/2001 term.
Of the 137 awardees, 33 student have been given the opportunity
to study in Cuba.
Students studying in Cuba are given US$150 per month as a stipend
during their period of study.
The Board of Education was established in 1994.
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New book depicts what
life was like not long ago
Leon "Chaku" Symister, an Antiguan playwright, poet, professor,
and an attorney at law, has produced a new book of Caribbean short
stories.
The book is called "Under the Calabash Tree," and, as Symister
said, is intended to give Caribbean children living outside the
region an idea of what life was like in the islands not so long
ago.
Symister said that he hopes the book shows Caribbean people in
a different light; not simply depicted as smiling natives serving
rum and coconut water to tourists on sandy beaches with blue water
and white or pink sand.
"We have an indigenous culture that emerged from the intermixing
of Africans, Europeans, Asians, and the original people of the
islands," he said.
Symister was co-founder and artistic director of the local Third
World Theatre Group during the 70s. He produced plays such as "Voices
of Protest" in 1976 and "Tilting Scales" in 1980.
Symister is currently an associate professor at Lehman College,
and is a member of the Bars of New York, New Jersey, and the United
States Virgin Islands.
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 Minister
of Finance chairs ECCB's Monetary Council
Antigua and Barbuda's Finance Minister, John St. Luce, is
the new Chairman of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean
Central Bank (ECCB).
St. Luce took over from Anguilla's Victor Banks who expressed
satisfaction with the general development of the Council, adding
that, there has been a healthy transition of leadership.
"I strongly believe that the wide acceptance of the Bank's mission
across the political spectrum has ensured the longevity and the
success of the Bank in providing the needs for this region."
In welcoming the delegates, Mr. St. Luce said: "I want to assure
my fellow Caribbean citizens that Antigua and Barbuda will always
be there to play an integral part in our Monetary Council and of
course in the Central Bank."
The Council's mandate is to oversee the monetary and financial
affairs within the member countries of the Organization of East
Caribbean States (OECS).
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 Media
Centre for Antigua and Barbuda
The Lester Bird Administration is moving forward with plans
to build a Multi - Media Centre in Antigua in it's bid to professionalize
the broadcast industry.
According to Information Minister, George B. Walker, a plan was
drawn sometime back. "However, we are going to make a number of
changes as the times are more modern and we have to deal with all
the new technology that is being thrown at us in the world of broadcasting
and informatics," he said.
The Centre which will be built at Scotts Hill where ABS Television
was located, will bring to the country a whole new world of Information
Technology among other things.
"As you know, the internet has transformed the information industry
in a marked way. Added to that, recently our Prime Minister, was
made responsible for the development of the Informatics Industry
in the Region. With this in mind, we are moving ahead and swiftly
so, to ensure that Antigua and Barbuda stays way out front, as
far as Information and Broadcasting in the Region is concerned."
A master plan for the training and development of ABS Radio and
Television employees is also a major part of the project.
"We want to see a more interactive format, especially at radio.
A lot of information is readily available and this can be used
to educate and inform the populace, if handled or programmed properly," the
pro - active Walker said.
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Hector
replaced by Derrick
Colin Derrick, an Antigua and Barbuda lawyer, was sworn in as
an opposition Senator on 23rd August 2000.
Derrick replaced veteran politician Tim Hector, whose appointment
was revoked two months ago because he part of a government delegation
to a United Kingdom-Caribbean conference in London.
Derrick lost to the ALP's Gaston Browne when he contested last
year's general elections.
Asked the rationale for replacing Hector, a seasoned politician,
with a relative new-comer, United Progressive Party (UPP) leader
Baldwin Spencer said: "Mr Derrick is a seasoned politician as well
in the sense that he has been involved politically for a while
albeit that he may have contested (an election) for the first time
in 1999, but he has always been a very important part of the United
Progressive Party."
Shortly after the decision by the UPP to have his senatorial
portfolio revoked, Tim Hector accused Spencer and the rest of the
party executive of not giving him a hearing before making a decision.
The UPP was officially formed in 1992 out of an amalgamation of
the rogressive Labour Movement, the National Democratic Party (NDP)
and the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM) led by Tim
Hector.
Hector, a newspaper editor and cricket analyst, has since bowed
out of active politics.
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 Vendors
to be trained
Vendors who will be plying their trade in the new Mall in
Heritage Quay will be involved in a series of training sessions.
The workshops for the souvenir vendors are being organized by
the St John's Development Corporation.
The aim is to improve the professional image and customer service
skills of vendors who work in St John's.
The Corporation has been mandated by the government to manage
and organize vending on a structural basis in the St John's area.
The programme runs until September 5 at the Multi-purpose Centre.
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Scenes
from Antigua's Carnival 2000
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PM
Bird challenges West Indies Cricket Board to change its policy
 Prime
Minister Lester Bird, chairman of the CARICOM Sub-committee on
Cricket has raised the question of the validity and sense in continuing
the policy of the West Indies Cricket Board that only players who
either play or make themselves available for the Domestic Busta
Cup Tournament are eligible for selection to the W I Team.
Bird said the recent debacles in South Africa, New Zealand and
now England stand as testimony to the parlours state to which our
cricket has fallen.
The PM, in a speech to the 40th Anniversary of the Jaycees on
the 23rd August said that we must not despair, he pointed out that: "we
tend to forget that the W I Cricket Team was feared and respected
for close to three decades as they laid waste to all who challenged
them to a contest. When we were on a winning streak, the team was
drawn from the same reservoir of four million people in the Caribbean
from whom they are drawn today.
"The reservoir," Bird said, "is more than five times smaller than
the reservoir from which Australia draws its team, six times smaller
than Sri Lanka's, twelve times smaller than England's, thirty-two
times smaller than Pakistan's and two hundred and thirty eight
times smaller than India's."
"Yet we beat all of them and reigned supreme for year."
The PM went on to say that it serves no useful purpose to denigrate
and castigate our cricketers. What we should seek to do is to professionalize
our system as Bob Woolmer did with South Africa when they returned
to international cricket and as the Australians have done.
Bird stated categorically that with our limited resource base
we cannot afford to limit our selection to only those who play
in our domestic championship. We have to tap all our players no
matter where they play so long as they are playing 1st class cricket
in any of the Test-playing countries.
Bird further went on to say that it is ludicrous that players
of the calibre of Vasbert Drakes, Kenny Benjamin, and Otis Gibson
who play in South Africa should automatically be excluded as a
result of this policy.
We only have to point to what Jamaica did in tapping their players
no matter where they lived or played football.
It is instructive that Jamaica usng this policy became the first
and only team from the English-speaking Caribbean to go to the
Football World Cup.
Sir Vivian Richards has asked Curtley Ambrose not to retire, but
to go to Australia, otherwise we will be disgraced. Bird suggested
that the biggest disgrace may come if Kenny Benjamin, Vasbert Drakes
and Otis Gibson are not considered for the Australian tour and
that this unfortunate policy will not hamper W I cricketers playing
abroad.
After all, Mr Bird said, why should we expect our best players
to forego maximizing their economic potential when they are in
their prime!
"The truth is that Sir Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond
Haynes, Andy Roberts, the late Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh,
Curtley Ambrose and many others of our great cricketers honed their
skills in English County Cricket much to the chagrin of the English
authorities and clearly to the benefit of West Indian Cricket and
their excellence and dominance," Mr Bird said.
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Mid-morning
blaze destroys bus
Fire Officials from the All Saints Service Station are investigating
the cause of a mid-morning fire which gutted a Nissan 14-seater
passenger bus, HA 283, on the Jonas Road.
The bus was owned by Samuel Blake, who resides at New Winthropes.
An eyewitness said that the fire began just about 10:50 am, "I
was driving through Freemansville when I looked North and saw black
smoke coming from the bus. It was only when I almost reached the
bus that I noticed that the vehicle was on fire."
Officials say Blake was the lone occupant in the bus at the time
of the fire.
Meanwhile, Transport Board Manager, Mr. Leroy Adams, is reminding
all owners and operators of all public service vehicles, that it
is an offence not to have a fire extinguisher in the vehicle.
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New management team
for Antigua prison
A new management team have assumed responsibility for the
administration of the Antigua prison from August 15 following the
expiration of the contract of the Trinidadian firm, Amalgamated
Security Services.
Montserrat-born Basil Walters takes over as Superintendent and
Vincent Jackson of Antigua holds the position of Director of Corrections.
They will be responsible for 94 prison officers and report to Dr
Knolly Hill, who was appointed Director of Rehabilitation a few
months ago.
Jackson will be in charge of all administrative matters pertaining
to correctional institutions and Walters will receive on-the-job
training at Barbados' Glendiary Prisons.
Veteran Barbadian Prison Officers, Granville Toppin and John Lythcott
have been seconded to Antigua to provide training for the officers
during the next few months.
Walters told reporters after a symbolic handing over ceremony
on August 11 that he was ready to make "unpopular decisions."
"There will be decisions made that will be unpopular but I am
here to see that those decisions are carried out. Decisions of
policy, management, structure, discipline and rehabilitation," he
said.
The new guard also shared their views on haircuts.
"We will not discriminate against anyone but I believe strongly
that once you have been sent by the courts to prison you have lost
certain rights and you must follow the rules," Walters said.
Jackson agreed by saying: "As it stands, present prison rules
dictate that every prisoner is due a haircut."
Another task that will confront the new team is the issue of security,
which has been breached twice between May and July when seven prisoners
escaped by scaling the eastern wall. All but one were recaptured.
"Security is lax and we can't have people breaking out. We just
can't have that. My plan is to make sure that this prison is secure," Jackson
added.
Apart from the breakouts, a fire destroyed a major portion of
the facility in January, 1999.
A commission that probed the incident recommended that a new prison
- equipped with modern surveillance devices - be constructed.
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Income
Tax proposals to be amended: Private sector still unhappy
Cabinet has agreed to table amendments to the Income Tax
(Amendment) Act 2000.
The Act was introduced in Parliament earlier this year. It seeks
to impose a 2% tax on gross income on a monthly basis to improve
the government's cash flow and to ensure that taxes are paid by
all those who are liable.
Planning Minister, Gaston Browne, says that after a meeting with
representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, government has agreed
to make several amendments to the law.
Amongst the amendments would be an automatic refund mechanism
over 12 months of any over payments of tax made when taxes are
by all those who are liable.
Despite this, members of the private sector are unhappy about
the 2% tax and many have signed a document stating their refusal
to pay. Such a refusal would be an illegal act and the perpetrators
could be subjected to legal proceedings.
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Ministry
of Tourism to 'raise the profile' at upcoming summit
 The
Ministry of Tourism and Environment is to hold a tourism summit
from 18 - 20 September under the theme "Raising the Profile."
The summit is being held in an effort to heighten national awareness
of tourism and to gain an input from stakeholders in the development
of a national tourism plan for 2000 and beyond.
The three-day summit will bring together tourism partners in Antigua
and Barbuda and from across the region, who will discuss issues
affecting the industry regionally and nationally.
Minister Joseph said, "It will take the format of presentations
and panel discussions on several issues, such as marketing, product
development, the environment, promotion, hotel development, and
investment."
"An important activity during the seminar will be the formation
of working groups that will deliberate on critical issues impacting
on the continued development of Antigua and Barbuda's tourism industry.
The end result of this exercise will be the development of action
plans and corresponding committees to address implementation," he
said.
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'A ya me born' must
be about real pride
Executive Director of the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association.
Cynthia Simon wants Antiguans and Barbudans to "develop a culture
of national pride."
"...A pride not lightly, frivolously expressed in the words 'A
ya me born' in a manner which seems to suggest 'a ya me born' so
I do as I please, but a pride through which we express our understanding
of respect for self, respect for others, and respect for things," Simon
said. "We, as a people, must begin to really understand and work
to bring into being that new culture in this millennium; a culture
of respect, value, positiveness, graciousness and finesse," she
advised.
She issued this challenge to hospitality workers at a graduation
exercise marking the completion of the "Excellence Together" training
programme, during which certificates were presented to the 107
participants.
The evening's programme was in keeping with the theme of the training
exercise: An Evening of Excellence.
The feature address was delivered by Tourism Minister Molwyn Joseph,
with greetings and comments from Casmin Knowles, the local representative
of American Express, co-sponsors of the training programme.
The second annual "Excellence Together" training programme formed
part of the AH&TA's agenda for this year. The year 2000 has been
designated by the tourism association as the Year of Human Resource
Development for Hospitality Industry Workers.
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