ISSUE NO.82 October 2003
Antigua
and Barbuda and the United States conclude agreement
 |
 |
Mr
Stephen Rademaker, Assistant Secretary of
State in the US State Department and Antigua
and Barbuda’s Chief Foreign Affairs Representative
with Ministerial Rank Sir Ronald Sanders signing the Agreement in Washington
D.C. |
Sir
Ronald and Mr Stephen Rademaker shake hands at the conclusion
of signing ceremony |
The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and the United States
of America have concluded four weeks of negotiations on an agreement
by which Antigua and Barbuda will not hand over US nationals accused
of war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) should
such nationals be on Antigua and Barbuda territory. Instead, Antigua
and Barbuda will transfer such persons to the US for investigation
and prosecution where appropriate.
The agreement signed by Antigua and Barbuda is consistent with
Article 98 of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC which the country
has ratified. It is also in conformity with the agreement of CARICOM
Heads of Government at their 24th Conference in Jamaica from 2nd
to 5th July 2003, which stated that “Heads (of Government) also
recognised that some Member States may wish to negotiate bilateral ‘non-surrender’ agreements
with the United States if they are advised by their legal authorities
that any agreement into which they enter is consistent with their
obligations under the Rome Statute”.
Antigua and Barbuda is the 67th country to conclude such an agreement
with the US.
The Agreement between the two countries was signed on Monday,
30th September 2003 by Mr Stephen Rademaker, Assistant Secretary
of State in the US State Department and Antigua and Barbuda’s Chief
Foreign Affairs Representative Sir Ronald Sanders. Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Colin Murdoch was
part of the Antigua and Barbuda team.
Commenting on the agreement, Prime Minister Lester Bird said, “This
agreement was important to Antigua and Barbuda because the US Congress
passed a law which prohibited the US Government from providing
military assistance to countries which did not sign Article 98
Agreements. Consequently, since July 1st, we have lost all US support
to our coast guard which is crucial both to search and rescue operations
and to the interdiction of drug trafficking. The loss of this support
has seen a significant increase in the amount of cocaine entering
our territory and, in turn, this has spawned criminal activity”.
Mr Bird revealed that he had kept his colleague CARICOM Heads
of Government abreast of Antigua and Barbuda’s position on this
matter.
He said, “On 14th July despite the CARICOM Heads agreement that
countries could negotiate Article 98 agreements with the US, I
suggested that all Governments should delay starting such negotiations
until discussions were held with the US about the possibility of
exempting CARICOM countries from having to conclude Article 98
Agreements”.
The Prime Minister continued, “Antigua and Barbuda delayed such
discussions until 1st September despite the adverse effect on our
search and rescue operations and drug interdiction activities.
On 29th August, I wrote again to my CARICOM colleagues explaining
that in the absence of an indication from the US that CARICOM countries
would be exempted, Antigua and Barbuda would proceed to negotiate
an agreement consistent with the decision of the CARICOM Conference
in July”.
Mr Bird explained “The negotiations with the US began on 1st
September and concluded on 29th September when the agreement was
signed. Under the agreement, we have preserved our own commitment
to the International Criminal Court”.
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Antigua
and Barbuda files submission to WTO Disputes Panel against the US
On 1st October, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda met a deadline
set by a Disputes Panel of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by
filing its first submission in a complaint brought against the
United States.
The WTO set up the Panel to adjudicate the dispute between Antigua
and Barbuda and the United States over the provision of cross-border
gambling and betting services from Antigua and Barbuda to consumers
in the United States.
Sir Ronald Sanders, Chief Foreign Affairs Representative of Antigua
and Barbuda, said “We are pleased that our case is proceeding according
to the schedule set by the Panel. We look forward to hearing the
response of the United States. As a small country with very little
in the way of viable exports, the gaming industry represents a
vital area of our development of electronic commerce for a global
market. We believe very strongly in our case under the law”.
Under the WTO dispute resolution process, the United States has
four weeks in which to provide its response to the Antigua and
Barbuda submission.
Antigua and Barbuda’s claim is based upon the WTO’s General Agreement
on Trade in Services (GATS). Antigua is arguing that the United
States is violating its own commitments to WTO members countries
under the GATS by prohibiting the provision of cross-border gambling
and betting services from Antigua.
The WTO dispute Panel will have formal hearings in November,
and expects to give a ruling by the end of February 2004.
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Antigua
leads charge to ensure OECD and FATF directives are not adopted
by WTO
On 6th October, Antigua and Barbuda led a charge of eight countries
in an attempt to ensure that directives by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) are not adopted by the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
Both the OECD and FATF are plurilateral organizations set up
by the G7, the richest countries in the world.
Over the last few years, the OECD and the FATF have set rules,
standards and practices which they have required other countries
to adopt under either the threat, or imposition, of sanctions.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Chief Foreign Affairs Representative with
Ministerial Rank, Sir Ronald Sanders, presented a document to the
Committee on Trade in Financial Services at the WTO Headquarters
in Geneva, setting out the concerns of Antigua and Barbuda, Belize,
Fiji, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, the Maldives, The Solomon Islands
and St Kitts-Nevis.
Sir Ronald told the Committee, “The world has entered a dangerous
phase¸ it is one in which, despite the international problems
that confront the global community and the logic that such international
problems demand international solutions, a number of larger and
more powerful states have abrogated to themselves the task of making
rules and imposing them on others through either threat, or the
impositions, of sanctions”.
The Antigua and Barbuda senior diplomat declared, “The sovereign
right of states to regulate and manage their crucial Financial
Services Sector is being challenged continually by some countries
who appear to have usurped the role of international organizations
such as the WTO in global governance”.
Identifying the OECD and the FATF as two of these organizations,
Sir Ronald said they have “no legitimacy to do so”.
He described the measures introduced by the OECD and FATF as “protectionist
of the financial sectors of the larger countries and harmful to
ours (the non-members of the two organizations)”.
“The coercive methods they have adopted challenge a basic tenet of the WTO – namely
multilateralism, which includes Most Favoured Nation treatment as well as open
consultation between WTO members”, Sanders said.
The document presented to the WTO Committee seeks to limit the
impact of these plurilateral standards on WTO members by ensuring
that directives of the OECD and FATF are not adopted by the decision-making
organs of the trade body.
Sir Ronald said, “It seeks to promote the greater inclusiveness
of small states in the process of formulating these standards by
placing them under the umbrella of the WTO instead of in the bosom
of plurilateral organizations with limited membership. We propose
that the inclusiveness and international legitimacy of financial
standards, universally negotiated and universally applied, can
be accomplished best through the provisions related to Domestic
Regulation under Article VI of the GATS”.
The document makes several recommendations for consideration
by the WTO Committee on Trade in Financial Services and adoption
by the international body.
Sir Ronald concluded his remarks by stating, “Our small states
are already contributing, at great cost, to our economies, to fight
against money laundering and counter the financing of terrorism
to which we are firmly committed, and from which we will not resile.
But, we cannot accept that a handful of States, however powerful,
should usurp the right to dictate standards to the rest of the
world under the threat, or imposition, of sanctions.”
The representatives of nine countries responded to the document.
Barbados, Cuba and Panama spoke in support of it, while Australia,
Canada and Mexico, three OECD member states expressed guarded sympathy
for the concerns of the small states which advanced the proposals.
Norway and the United States were the other two countries whose
representatives spoke, both of them saying that the WTO “is not
a standard setting body”. Sir Ronald replied that he was “astonished
that representatives could reject a role for the WTO, a genuinely
international body, to set standards while accepting that the OECD
and FATF, two non-international groupings, could do so.
The Committee decided to maintain the proposal on its agenda,
and it will be discussed further at the next meeting.
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Antigua and Barbuda
suspends commitment to OECD Global Forum
The government of Antigua and Barbuda has decided
to suspend the nation's commitment to the Organisation of Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) “Global Forum on Harmful Tax
Competition Initiative.”
Sir Ronald Sanders advised the Forum of the government's decision
at a meeting on October 16.
On 15th October, at the same meeting, the OECD was accused of
seeking to impose its will by "coercion" in its attempt
to regulate cross-border taxation and exchange of information on
tax matters.
Sir Ronald said that Antigua and Barbuda had made its commitment
to the OECD to work on exchange of tax information on the explicit
understanding that before Antigua and Barbuda would adopt and implement
any aspect of the project there had to be a level playing field.
He explained that while the level playing field was uneven, when
the qualified commitment was given, it had “become manifestly more
uneven as a consequence of the decision on 21 June by the EU Council
of Economic and Finance Ministers, that within the EU, Austria,
Belgium and Luxembourg will not be required to exchange information,
but would apply a withholding tax, and that similar arrangements
would extend to Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, and San Marino,” Sanders
noted. “We were not looking for a perfect playing field, we wanted
one that was simply level.”
He added, “No member state of the OECD has been able to tell
us that their own unco-operative members can be made to change
their rejection of the principle of tax information exchange."
Sir Ronald said the only condition Antigua and Barbuda could
demand was "that our indenture in the service of the OECD
project would be contingent on a level playing field. That demand
was not made for reasons of perversity, but to protect our small
scale financial services activities that... are vitally important
to the well being of our people."
Sanders went on to say Antigua and Barbuda recognised that unless
all OECD member states were subject to exactly the same demands
as were being imposed on the state, "we would face disaster
as financial services business left our shores for the likes of
Austria and Luxemburg.... In the absence of revenue from financial
services, Antigua and Barbuda would have difficulty in servicing
loans from the World Bank."
"My government has a duty to take care of its people. We
could not possibly tell the people of Antigua and Barbuda that
we agreed to continue a commitment where our major competitors
in the OECD have not. To do so, would be to condemn our people
to perpetual underdevelopment and hardship."
However, Sir Ronald said Antigua and Barbuda would continue to
honour existing bilateral exchange of information agreements with
countries such as the US.
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New
Cuban Ambassador presents credentials
 |
Prime Minister Lester
Bird greets new
Cuban Ambassador to Antigua and
Barbuda, HE Mr Jose Portela Alvarez |
On 7th October, the new Cuban Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda,
HE Mr Jose Portela Alvarez, presented his credentials to the Governor-General’s
Deputy, HE Yvonne Maginley.
Prime Minister Lester Bird, in welcoming the Cuban diplomat to
Antigua and Barbuda, emphasized the close relations which exist
between Cuba and the member states of CARICOM. He recalled the
ceremonies in Havana last December which celebrated thirty years’ of
diplomatic relations between Cuba and CARICOM; and he stated that
he expected the relations between Antigua and Barbuda and Cuba
to grow and develop in the coming months and years.
Prime Minister Bird expressed appreciation to the Government of Cuba for the
technical assistance provided, especially in the area of health-care delivery
to the people of Antigua and Barbuda; and for the scholarship programme which
has provided scholarships to over 120 students currently enrolled in tertiary-level
institutions in Cuba.
The Prime Minister also expressed his Government’s appreciation for the statue
of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird which stands near the Public Market in St. John’s.
The statue was designed and constructed by Cuban sculptor Andres Gonzalez.
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Prime Minister Lester
Bird calls on Caribbean Jurisdictions to take lead in policy-making
against money laundering
 |
Prime Minister of Antigua
and Barbuda, Honourable
Lester B. Bird |
In an address to the opening of the 10th meeting
of the CFATF Council in Antigua on 23rd October 2003, Prime Minister
Lester Bird challenged regional jurisdictions to take the lead
in ensuring that the region can effectively participate in the
decision-making and implementation of international policies in
the global war against money laundering.
Mr Bird contended that the international fight against money laundering has
not been conducted in a manner that is “inclusive and consultative”. He pointed
to the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which he said was still “bereft
of any Caribbean representation”.
Referring to the recent review of the FATF’s 40 recommendations on countering
money laundering, which he lamented was conducted without adequate consultation
with the region, the Prime Minister warned that the region will not be “taken
for granted by any organisation or any jurisdiction because of its small size”.
“My Government hopes that the FATF method of coercing jurisdictions through blacklisting
and sanctions is now a thing of the past, and that we will see more enlightened
approach in the future, one in which the Caribbean’s support for any project
is ensured through Caribbean participation both in its formulation and its implementation.”
“In this connection, the CFATF should take the lead in trying to create a genuinely
consultative and participatory international mechanism in which global standards
and practices should be devised and implemented,” Bird added.
(For the full text of Prime Minister Lester Bird’s Speech, please visit our
website www.antigua-barbuda.com,, under Latest News).
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Sir
Ronald is new Chairman of the Caribbean Financial Action Task
Force (CFATF)
 |
Sir
Ronald Sanders assumes the
mantle of Chair of the Caribbean
Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)
at the 10th Meeting of the Council
in Antigua and Barbuda |
Antigua and Barbuda has taken over the Chairmanship of the Caribbean
Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).
During the latest CFATF meeting, held in Antigua from October
20th to 23rd, Sir Ronald Sanders assumed the mantle of Chair of
the Task Force for the next year on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda.
Sir Ronald succeeds Alfred Sears, Attorney General and Minister
of Education from the Bahamas. Last year Sir Ronald held the position
of Deputy-Chair of the organisation, a position to which he was
elected by the CFATF membership. This year, as is customary, the
country that is Deputy-Chair assumes the role of Chair.
On the occasion of the opening of the Council of Ministers Meeting
of the Task Force on October 23rd, Sir Ronald outlined the Chairman’s
work programme for the coming year. He said that the central task
of his Chairmanship will be “to integrate the membership more closely” and
insisted that there should be no separation between members who
speak English, French, Spanish or Dutch.
He went on to explain that “The resources that this organisation
attracts, and the initiatives which it undertakes, must benefit
each of its members on an equitable basis regardless of the language
they speak or the accent with which they speak it. The scourge
of money laundering and terrorism financing, which we are fighting,
respects no language, and acknowledges no borders. It is global
in its reach and pernicious in its consequences to the livelihoods
and well being of all our peoples. To combat it successfully, requires
us to work together closely, putting aside artificial divisions
imposed upon our Region by the imperial designs of a by-gone age.”
Sir Ronald also pledged that Antigua and Barbuda would defend
the interests of the CFATF the international community. “We will
be as faithful to those interests and as fearless in defending
them, as we have been in respect of our own”, he said.
The new Chairman outlined the challenges facing the organisation
in the next year. These include seeking a common methodology by
which to assess countries’ anti-money laundering and counter terrorism
financing regimes. The methodology must be mutually agreed, formulated
by all participating countries and equally applied to all jurisdictions
in every part of the world.
Another challenge relates to being closely involved in the ongoing
work of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in revising its
40 Recommendations on anti-money laundering. The CFATF hopes to
organise a meeting of similar groups from Asia, Africa and South
America with the FATF in order to encourage a genuinely consultative
mechanism for an effective fight against money laundering and terrorism
financing.
Sir Ronald said that he intends to address issues of the internal
structure of the CFATF to ensure that the organisation is more
effective and more responsive to its members and can deliver better
training and technical assistance.
Noting that the organisation is now ten years old, he urged member
governments to “stamp their ownership of the Organisation and celebrate
is considerable accomplishments”.
Sir Ronald declared that Antigua and Barbuda was looking forward
to the challenges of the year ahead and that “all member states
can be assured of our commitment and our determination to make
a difference”.
(For the full text of Sir Ronald’s
Speech, please visit our website www.antigua-barbuda.com, under
Latest News).
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Law firm withdraws
suit brought against Prime Minister
The law firm, representing the female minor who made allegations
against the Prime Minister in a now infamous videotape, has dropped
its suit against him.
Lake and Kentish, the lawyers acting on behalf of Monique Kim
Barua, have withdrawn all proceedings against Prime Minister Bird
which had been allegedly based on charges made by the female minor
in a videotape that was distributed inside and outside of Antigua
and Barbuda.
An independent investigation, led by a former British Police
officer, Colin Wharburton, had concluded earlier this year that
the charges against the Prime Minister were unfounded.
Prime Minister Bird, in his reaction to the withdrawal of the
suit, said that “allegations are easily made and reputations easily
smeared; defending false allegations in a Court of Law is entirely
a different matter. In this regard, truth was always on my side.”
He explained that Lake and Kentish could not produce any credible
witnesses and that the case was a political smear campaign and
part of a plot against him. He added that “The deep involvement
of the law firm and others in this conspiracy is still to be fully
revealed, and justice sought against those whose purpose was solely
to attempt to destroy me politically with this outrageous and absurd
tale.”
The Prime Minister observed that the whole episode held a message
for Caribbean leaders. He said “There is a lesson here for leaders
in all walks of life in our Caribbean societies to guard against
those in our communities who would stop at nothing to destroy with
falsehood those whom they cannot defeat with fact.”
He also thanked his family, friends, and supporters, as well as other Heads
of Government for standing by him during the events surrounding the case.
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Prosecutor
Robinson trained in new anti-money laundering legislation
Barrister-at-law Wendell Robinson took part in a five-day workshop
and seminar for prosecutors in Trinidad and Tobago in mid-October.
The programme was designed for prosecutors who have the responsibility
for preparing and presenting money-laundering cases. It was aimed
at helping them to understand the necessary elements for preparing
production orders, restraint orders, receivership orders, and then
ultimately confiscation orders and then enforcement.
Robinson was given the opportunity to gain further experience
on preparing and presenting an application for cash forfeiture.
The programme was delivered with the assistance of Andrew Mitchell,
Q.C, head of Furnivale Chambers, London.
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Court
Mediation Pilot Programme soon to commence in Antigua and Barbuda
A consultation on the implementation of a court-connected mediation
programme in Antigua and Barbuda was held in the High Court of
Justice in mid-October.
The Court Mediation Programme would let the Court actively manage cases by
referring the parties in a dispute to a mediation if the Court considers it
the most appropriate for of dispute settlement for that case.
The advantages of the Court Mediation programme are that parties have full
say over the final outcome of the dispute; mediation is faster; mediation is
private and confidential; parties can maintain, restore or rebuild their relationship;
parties enjoy savings in money and time and mediation is more effective because
parties work together to decide on the outcome - therefore the parties are
more likely to keep the agreement.
If at the end of the mediation process an acceptable agreement cannot be reached,
the parties are free to proceed with litigation. Mediators for the programme
will be drawn from persons of diverse professional and career backgrounds with
standing in the community who have been trained by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme
Court.
The Mediation Programme is expected to address a number of disputes
including Landlord and tenant, Commercial Contracts, Employment,
Family Disputes, Debt Collection, Personal Injury, Land Disputes
and Wills and Estates.
The Programme Committee is chaired by Justice Rita Joseph-Olivetti and the
implementation of the pilot programme is funded by USAID.
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Prime
Minister Bird to sue Spencer and Derrick
Prime Minister Lester Bird has indicated that he will be suing
Opposition leader Baldwin Spencer and Winston Derrick of Observer
Radio for defamation of character in relation to the recent dropping
of a lawsuit against him by the lawyers representing minor Monique
Barua.
Mr Bird said "My lawyers will be filing notice on Baldwin
Spencer and Winston Derrick that I intend to proceed with my case
against them for defamation”. He explained that Spencer and Derrick
had been accusing him of paying Miss Barua off to drop the lawsuit.
Describing the allegation as "total and absolute absurdity" he insisted, “I
am going to be totally vindicated."
He added that he would not rest until there was proper closure
on the matter and that his lawyers would be seeking significant
damages from them.
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Antigua
to benefit from USAID US$64.3 million
Antigua and Barbuda is in line to benefit from assistance
being provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
in the amount of US$64.3 million over five years, through its Caribbean
Regional Programme (CRP).
The overall goal of the CRP, developed in partnership with regional
institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations and the
private sector, is to support broad-based, sustainable growth.
This is being pursued through four programmes focusing on economic
development, the environment, administration of justice, and HIV/AIDS.
The economic development programme is working with the public
and private sectors in the Caribbean to improve the business environment
to meet international standards by increasing the capacity of business
enterprises to better deliver goods and services and establishing
legislative and policy frameworks to support free trade and competition.
The environment programme aims to improve environmental management
among public and private sector enterprises by increasing their
knowledge of, and access to, best environmental practices, improving
environmental policies and compliance measures, and strengthening
organisational capacity to finance environmental improvements.
The objective of the regional administration of justice programme
is to increase the efficiency and fairness of the legal system
in the Caribbean. The programme also seeks to achieve this by improving
access to legal information through computerisation, providing
training for judges, magistrates and court staff, and supporting
the CARICOM Secretariat in the drafting of laws with respect to
the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, Justice and Security and
HIV/AIDS issues.
The HIV/AIDS is focussed on increasing the capacity of non-governmental
organisations to deliver prevention and care programmes and assisting
the government to implement an effective response to the rising
problem of HIV/AIDS in the region.
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Maximum safety for
Mount St. John's patients
Hospital Director and CEO of Mount St. John's Medical Centre,
Bob Fischer, has said that the new Mount St. John's Medical Centre
is designed to provide the maximum in safety for patients and employees.
He explained that Mount St. John's Medical Centre is designed
to withstand sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour and wind
gusts of up to 220 miles per hour.
He added that hurricane shutters are built into all window heads,
and the entire hospital could be "locked down" within
a two-hour period, in the event of a hurricane.
The construction manager of the hospital project, Richard Brewer,
also outlined that the hospital was designed to meet all of the
requirements for seismic zone four.
He said that all systems had redundant capacity so that in the
event of a hurricane or earthquake, the hospital would continue
to function independent of electricity generated in the rest of
the country.
Brewer explained that the hospital will have an eight-day supply
of diesel fuel and gas stored on site in the event of an emergency.
He added that patients and employees of the soon to be opened
Mount St. John's Medical Centre can be assured that they will be
safe during whatever emergency may occur.
"Most importantly, patients will continue to receive the
necessary care and treatment regardless of what is happening elsewhere
in the country," he said.
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New
laboratory equipment installed at Holberton Hospital
 |
The new Becjman Coulter
Chemistry Analyzer |
Laboratory equipment purchased specifically for Mount St. John’s
Medical Centre has recently been installed at Holberton Hospital
in advance of the opening of Mount St. John’s Medical Centre so
that patients and physicians can have the advantage of pathological
tests immediately.
Medical Superintendent Dr. Joseph John said that this will enable the Laboratory
staff at Holberton to become familiar with the equipment and implement quality
control procedures before moving to Mount St. Johns, therefore making the transition
to the new hospital as smooth as possible.
The main piece of new equipment is the Beckman Coulter Chemistry Analyzer.
It will allow the lab to perform tests that were previously unavailable, took
days to complete, or had to be out sourced to another lab. Those will include
test to monitor toxicity in the blood for antibiotics and other treatment drugs.
It will also facilitate more rapid diagnosis of diabetes, abnormal heart function,
pancreatitis, cancer, meningitis, cirrhosis of the liver, abnormal thyroid
hormone levels and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).
The Chemistry Analyzer will perform the Ck-MB blood test, which allows doctors
to determine whether or not a patient has had a true heart attack and diagnose
internal trauma.
The haemoglobin Alc test which allows blood sugar levels to be
monitored in the long term, will also be performed by the Chemistry
Analyzer. The traditional fasting blood glucose test only gives
blood sugar level at the moment blood is drawn, whereas Alc provides
an overall reading of the past two to three months. This will allow
doctors to determine how well the patient is controlling their
blood sugar levels are serve as a proactive measure in preventing
major complications that arise from diabetes.
Dr John emphasized that the new equipment will shorten diagnosis times for
patients, help them to be treated more effectively and recover more quickly.
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Special training for
medical personnel at Holberton Hospital
Medical staff at the Holberton Hospital in St. John’s will
benefit from special training in the use of advanced medical techniques
prior to the opening of Mount St. John’s Medical Centre. The training
will be conducted by Diagnostic Technology Systems, Inc., of Miami,
which provides hospital equipment and trains staff on their use.
Focus during the training will be on the newly acquired Zoll Defibrillator’s-Pacemaker
and crash carts, which will be used in cardio-pulmonary emergencies.
Commenting on the course, Dr. Victor Valdes, of Diagnostic Technology Systems,
said “This is standard medical care in the USA. The most critically ill cardiac
patient who goes to the casualty department may not need to be defibrillated
but may have heart block. The Pacemaker can override this and save the patient’s
life.”
This new cardiac equipment will be installed at Holberton Hospital for immediate
use until it can be transferred to the new St John’s Medical Centre.
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Minister assures nurses
of smooth transfer to Mount St. John’s
 |
Minister of Health
John E. St Luce |
Minister of Health John St. Luce has assured nurses in Antigua
and Barbuda of employment when the new Mount St. John's Medical
Centre begins operation.
Speaking recently at the opening of the Caribbean Nurses Organisation
Secretariat, the Minister said "I have set up a transition
committee of all the stakeholders to ensure that there is a smooth
transition for the workers at the hospital. Workers here, means
the doctors, the nurses, the pharmacists, emergency staff, ward
orderlies etc., and that committee is functioning." He added, "So,
I want to assure the nurses that once they want to go they will
all go down to the new Mount St. John Hospital; and you will want
to go because you have offered your services during the difficult
time, in difficult circumstances in the old building so why shouldn’t
you enjoy the new facilities. You are going to enjoy them.”
Minister St Luce also pledged his government's commitment and
support to the nursing body.
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MBS buys former Ministry
of Education building
The Medical Benefits Board of Control (MBBOC) has purchased
the former Ministry of Education Building on Church Street as part
of its expansion and development.
The Board plans to include a new Wellness Centre at the site
to provide preventative health services to the nation.
The Wellness Centre is in keeping with the Board's Policy Objectives
which includes, "in addition to providing funding for the
treatment of chronic diseases, the Scheme should also play a role
in measures for their prevention and control."
It is hoped that prevention and health promotion will significantly
reduce medical costs and will lead to a healthier and a more productive
nation in the long run.
MBBOC had already been searching for an appropriate property
to facilitate its long-term plans and had inquired about two properties
in St John's before turning its attentions to the Education Building.
The government valued the building at $3 million.
The MBBOC considered applying this cost against government's
debt to the Medical Benefits Scheme. However, the process of reconciliation
between government and the Scheme is not yet completed. Instead
the MBBOC offered a price of $2.5 million.
A MBBOC media release stated, "The Medical Benefits Board
of Control is resolved in its position that the transaction with
the government was transparent and was done in the best interest
of all the beneficiaries of the scheme."
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Automated
parking units in St. John's by year-end
 |
Minister of Transportation
Gaston Browne |
Minister for Transportation, Gaston Browne has revealed that a
system of automated parking units will be in effect in St John’s
by December 2003.
The system of automated parking units will be put into effect
as a measure to alleviate traffic congestion on key commercial
streets in St. Johns.
The proposed system utilises solar powered units that may be mounted curbside
as freestanding units or on existing lampposts at convenient intervals along
the street. Motorists have the option to purchase a daily time block or the
amount of time they will need to transact their business, rather than putting
coins in a meter and returning at hourly intervals to repeat the process as
the meter expires."
Mr Browne explained, "businesses will be offered the option
to purchase blocks of 50 permits at a reduced bulk rate, which
can be offered to employees or given to customers for free to promote
their respective businesses."
The automated parking unit system was chosen from several proposals
on ways that the government could decrease congestion in the streets
of St. John's.
The Minister said preliminary studies show that with a capital
investment of under US$1.4 million to implement the system, the
government will have returns in the millions in annual revenue.
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Public
Cemetery closes
Burials at the St. John's Public Cemetery have been stopped
since 13 October, 2003. Instead government has requested that churchyard
burial plots and existing rural cemeteries be used until a new
cemetery is consecrated at Tomlinson's on the Factory Road.
The Public Cemetery will not be used for new burials. However,
it will be available to persons who have existing family plots,
providing the time frame of 7 years has elapsed between burials.
The government made this decision because the St. John's Public
Cemetery is overcrowded. There are over 300 burials each year.
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New
Post Office to be built
 |
| Minister of Tourism Molwyn Joseph |
The General Post Office in St. John's is scheduled to be demolished
and a new state-of-the-art postal facility will be constructed.
Minister of Tourism and Environment Molwyn Joseph, at a press
conference, stated that Cabinet had approved a proposal by Chairman
of the Stanford Financial Group, Mr. R. Allen Stanford to develop
the entire block across from Bank of Antigua on Thames and High
Street.
The Minister said Mr. Stanford planned to expand the bank and
needed additional land. He had approached the government to exchange
the vacant plot of land where the tourism department once stood. "When
the proposal was made to Cabinet, we saw the opportunity not only
for the development on that vacant lot, but development on the
entire block which houses the old post office," Joseph said.
The value of the exchange and the new development is EC$5.28
million.
"The government of Antigua and Barbuda will obtain ownership
of the existing Bank of Antigua property and Mr. Stanford will
build an entire new structure on the vacant lot, as well as build
a landmark structure where the current post office is located.
The government will get a new post office in the process," the
Minister said.
The post office has been at its present location since 1959.
The Ministry of Public Works and the Development Control Authority
(DCA) will advise the government concerning the type of structure
that should be built and the Ministry of Public Works will supervise
the construction of these complexes, but the Stanford Development
Company would undertake the actual construction work.
Meanwhile, Joseph said the government was in the process of finding
a temporary site for the post office. Joseph said a new post office
was needed because the current building was obsolete and "we
must recognise even in the postal service, the issue of security
is important."
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Antigua
Parliament approves new date for publication of voters' list
 |
| Members
of the Electoral Commission seated with the Speaker of the
House of Representatives (third from right) and one of the
country’s legal draftsmen. |
On the 14th October, the House of Representatives passed the Amendment
to the Representation of the People Act which sets November 15
as the deadline for the publication of the first Register of Electors
by the Electoral Commission.
After a lengthy and sometimes heated debate, members of both sides of the House
in the Committee stage, agreed that the Amendment as presented would remain
as is.
The members of the Electoral Commission were invited to be a
part of the Committee Stage of the passage of the Act.
During that stage, Chairman of the Commission Mr. McClin Matthias announced
that November 15 is adequate time for the Commission to complete its work and
publish the register.
Deputy Chairman of the Commission Mr. Bruce Goodwin revealed that the Commission
has completed retaking 60% of the 10,000 fingerprints that needed to be redone.
He said that if the Commission does not complete this process by November 15,
it will not hamper the publication of the Voters’ Register.
Referring to action taken by George Rick James of the Free and
Fair Elections League, Member of the Commission, Bishop Ewing Dorsette,
said that it was grossly unfair that a single member of the public
can prevent over 40,000 persons from having their names placed
on a new Voters’ Register by a court injunction.
James had applied for and received an injunction from the Court
halting the hearings of Claims and Objections. That injunction
was subsequently lifted.
After publication of the first Voters’ Register by the Electoral Commission,
they will be required to publish another one no later than 31st March 2004.
An election in Antigua and Barbuda is constitutionally due in the first quarter
of 2004.
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Bowen forms new political
party
Parliamentary representative for the constituency of St. Philip's
South, Sherfield Bowen, has announced the formation of yet another
political party - the Democratic People's Party (DPP), which will
contest the next general elections. Bowen made the disclosure in
Parliament ending speculation that he was part of another new political
organisation, the National Labour Party (NLP), which emerged recently.
The formation of the DPP brings to ten the number of political
parties in the country - the ruling Antigua Labour Party (ALP),
the Opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), the Organisation
for National Development (OND), the Antigua Freedom Party (AFP),
the National Movement for Change (NMC), the First Christian Democratic
Party (FCDP), the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM), and the Barbuda
People's Movement for Change (BPMC).
Meantime, Member of Parliament for the constituency of All Saints
West, Hilroy Humphreys, informed members of the House of Representatives
that he was approached to join the NLP.
Both Bowen and Humphreys resigned as members of the ALP and are
now independent members in the House of Representatives
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Sandals
Antigua voted world's leading honeymoon resort
Sandals Antigua
 |
| Guests
relaxing at the “World’s Leading Honeymoon Resort” Sandals
Antigua |
Sandals Antigua Resort & Spa was named the "World's
Leading Honeymoon Resort" for the seventh year in a row at
the prestigious 10th Annual World Travel Awards held recently at
the Plaza Hotel, New York City, New York.
The Resort's General Manager, Franklyn Eaton, who said it was
a great honour to be recognised by the travel and tourism industry
as the best honeymoon resort in the world.
"It validates that the employees at Sandals Antigua truly
offer a unique customer delivery experience, which continues to
be recognised internationally," he said.
The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate
achievements in all areas of the world's travel and tourism industry.
Over 500,000 travel agents and 80,000 travel agencies were exposed
to this year's email campaign, which generated voting online in
more than 170 categories.
Consisting of 193 rooms, the Sandals Antigua Resort & Spa
was recently conferred with the Five Diamond Award by the President
of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
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Millions
spent to extend stay of cruise ships
The St. John's Development Corporation has made a major investment
in improving the security mechanism at the Heritage Quay.
The new Executive Director of the Corporation, Saiid Greene explained
that approximately US$100 million has been invested in new camera
and surveillance equipment for use on the St. John's pier in anticipation
of a record-breaking cruise season. The security system will be
in place by 1 November.
Law enforcement officials are also playing their part in seeking
to ensure the stay of cruise ship passengers in Antigua is made
a lot safer.
The investment by the government and the Corporation represents an effort to
encourage the cruise ships to stay a bit longer in port. If that is achieved,
cruise officials envisage that all the entities that depend on the cruise dollar
will considerably benefit.
He further revealed that a 10 million dollar investment has been set aside
for the government to begin a Common Area Development Plan, which will see
to the re-lighting of the city area. Greene said that they have set December
as the date targeted for the completion of this project.
"This is a critical area of investment," Greene said in response to
a question as to how government would meet this obligation when faced with the
fiscal difficulties that presently straddles the economy. "If there's an
opportunity to create greater economic opportunity, the relighting of St. John's
is certainly it.
If cruise ships will stay in our harbour longer, if the events
and entertainment programme can begin to operate there will be
a circulation of money and the investment can be justified," Greene
said. He also explained that a process of consultation has begun
with the vendors and taxi drivers to bring them fully on board.
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Antigua considers new
programme for cruise visitors
Caribbean cruise destinations have flatly rejected a US$20
hike in cruise passenger head tax which was suggested by the Caribbean
Tourism Organisation (CTO). The Caribbean Tourism Ministers will
instead be looking at other options.
An Antiguan delegation, headed by Tourism Minister Molwyn Joseph,
attended the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) meeting
held in St. Maarten.
Two of the key topics discussed at the FCCA conference were increased
bookings and activities to lure cruise ship passengers off ship
while in port.
Known methods were discussed to increase bookings, including
increased advertising and getting the cruise lines to work more
closely with the hotel associations. The cruise lines already believe
that they spend a lot of money on promoting destinations. Over
US$400 million per annum is being spent on advertising, television,
and other programmes for the various locations that are visited
on the itineraries. The cruise lines say that once they can go
into partnerships with hotels, they will advertise both their ships
and the destinations being visited.
In terms of converting cruise passengers into land-based passengers
on a regular basis, each cruise ship destination was encouraged
to come up with innovative ways to entice cruise ship passengers
off ships while in port.
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