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Caribbean Times 1st Issue - Monday 20th February 2017

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Informative, reliable, enriching!<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> A n t i g u a a n d B a r b u d a<br />

Vol.9 No.1 $2.00<br />

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA:<br />

THE BEST IS YET TO COME<br />

Gaston Browne is a busy<br />

man. From talks in the Middle<br />

East with the Emir of<br />

Qatar and the UAE vice president<br />

to welcoming Prince<br />

Harry on a state visit, the<br />

Prime Minister of Antigua<br />

and Barbuda is tireless in projecting<br />

his small country onto<br />

the world stage.<br />

Since leading his Antigua<br />

Labour Party to victory in<br />

the 2014 elections, the 50-<br />

year old former banker has<br />

been relentless in attracting<br />

millions of dollars in international<br />

investment, coupled<br />

with creating new laws. He<br />

says “hard work gets results<br />

done” – and so far, the results<br />

are clear for all to see:<br />

The Antigua and Barbuda<br />

economy is marching steadily<br />

forward and creating more<br />

jobs and prosperity for Antiguans<br />

and putting in place<br />

healthy investment frameworks<br />

which will attract foreign<br />

direct investments. In<br />

fact, the economy grew 4.2%<br />

last year, making it the fastest<br />

Inset: Prime Minister, the Hon., Gaston Browne<br />

in the <strong>Caribbean</strong> region and dustries and create a healthier<br />

the fourth fastest in the hemisphere.<br />

To achieve this vision<br />

economy.<br />

The focus of Browne’s administration’s<br />

economic vi-<br />

Browne is already working<br />

requires more people and<br />

sion is to increase the island’s on the solution. “We have our<br />

room availability from 3,000 own human resources, but of<br />

rooms to 10,000 rooms in the course we require many more<br />

next 5-7 years. Boosting the people to serve our development<br />

and expected growth,”<br />

number of hotel rooms in Antigua<br />

and Barbuda will create he says. “We need more<br />

jobs, grow tourism related in-<br />

unique skills, technicians and<br />

specialists. That’s why, we<br />

have supporting programs<br />

such as the Citizenship Program.”<br />

“We also need funds, as<br />

well as people, to develop industries<br />

and the Citizenship<br />

Program brings us both. We<br />

are creating new initiatives<br />

that will bring these new citizens<br />

even closer to us, becont’d<br />

on pg 2


2 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

cont’d from pg 1<br />

cause we don’t want them to<br />

be just citizens with no connections<br />

with our country. We<br />

will make sure they become a<br />

part of our society, they will<br />

be our voice and our ambassadors<br />

worldwide, they will<br />

be proud to be Antiguans and<br />

they will share our understanding<br />

of what Antigua and<br />

Barbuda is all about”.<br />

Browne points to the United<br />

Arab Emirates as an example<br />

of the kind of growth he is<br />

determined to copy. “Four decades<br />

ago Dubai had around<br />

Editor’s Note<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>Times</strong> is printed<br />

and published at Woods<br />

Estate/Friars Hill Road.<br />

The Editor is Justin Peters.<br />

Contact: <strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>Times</strong>,<br />

P.O. Box W2099,<br />

Woods Estate/Friars Hill<br />

Road,<br />

St. John’s,<br />

Antigua.<br />

Tel: (268) 562-8688,<br />

Fax: (268) 562-8685.<br />

Visit us online at our website:<br />

www. caribbeantimes.ag<br />

We ask you to send:<br />

Pertinent news items to<br />

news@caribbeantimes.ag.<br />

Advertisement inquiries to<br />

accounts@caribbeantimes.ag.<br />

Letters to the editor to<br />

editor@caribbeantimes.ag<br />

40,000 citizens, today it has<br />

over two million, including<br />

immigrants. Forty years ago,<br />

we had 50,000 but today we<br />

barely have 100,000. Every<br />

country has different immigration<br />

and citizenship needs<br />

and we are no different but<br />

we have the safest environment,<br />

the lowest crime rates,<br />

we have never been in a war,<br />

our people are friendly and<br />

welcoming, we have mixed<br />

ethnicities, religions and race<br />

and this is what makes us<br />

strong and united.”<br />

“We have created laws<br />

and policies which are of international<br />

standard, fit our<br />

requirements, and encourage<br />

investment. Our real estate<br />

industry is one of the healthiest<br />

worldwide,” he proudly<br />

points out. “I can’t recall a<br />

bear market, in fact growth<br />

has been upwards all the<br />

way. Antigua and Barbuda<br />

has the most modern airport<br />

within the OECS, one which<br />

can accommodate practically<br />

all commercial aircraft. The<br />

government is also spending<br />

$100 million to rebuild<br />

and remodel our existing<br />

cargo port to make it into a<br />

trans-shipping port that will<br />

help in boosting the economy.”<br />

“Antigua has managed to<br />

attract international investors<br />

with negotiated deals north of<br />

$3 billion dollars. Whatever<br />

will finally mature from these<br />

investments will be impressive,<br />

a figure double the size<br />

of our economy,” he adds.<br />

As examples of high profile<br />

investors and projects,<br />

Browne points to Robert<br />

DeNiro and James Parker’s<br />

$250-million Paradise Found<br />

and Sheikh Al Qasimi’s of the<br />

United Arab Emirates $120<br />

million Callaloo Cay Project.<br />

Both are part of a long list<br />

which includes Replay’s Half<br />

Moon Hotel and Jean Paul<br />

Dejorey’s $200 million USD<br />

hotel on Barbuda, where this<br />

international group will be<br />

investing several hundred<br />

million dollars to build new<br />

resorts.<br />

Browne says: “My government<br />

is still young, when<br />

we came to power a two and<br />

a half years ago our economy<br />

was at the bottom of the<br />

league table, today we are<br />

the fastest growing economy<br />

in the region. I want to see<br />

my citizens in better shape,<br />

the shape they deserve to be<br />

in. Being an island is never<br />

easy, we don’t have railways<br />

or trucks to build strong trade<br />

ties with neighbours, as is<br />

the case in North America,<br />

Europe, Africa and Asia. We<br />

don’t have oil or gas, but<br />

what we do have in abundance<br />

is the belief, motivation<br />

and desire to transform<br />

our island into a <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

powerhouse.”<br />

Through a program of<br />

continuous visits, both personally<br />

and via his team, the<br />

Prime Minister is also consistently<br />

playing an important<br />

role in bringing the <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

and the Arab Gulf countries<br />

closer together.<br />

Browne has always spoken<br />

of how much he admires<br />

the way in which Arab Gulf<br />

countries, such as the UAE<br />

and Qatar, have witnessed<br />

so much development within<br />

cont’d on pg 3


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 3<br />

cont’d from pg 2<br />

such a short time frame.<br />

And the relationship has<br />

paid dividends as, for example,<br />

when Browne had a<br />

series of meetings with the<br />

Arab Gulf countries during<br />

the Haiti hurricane crisis.<br />

These meetings were instrumental<br />

in generating financial<br />

support for the victims of the<br />

natural disaster.<br />

“I was very pleased that<br />

when I called on the leadership<br />

of Qatar, in particular, to<br />

assist Haiti that there was no<br />

hesitation. I made a request<br />

and they responded swiftly,”<br />

Browne said. “After this the<br />

UAE responded in a similar<br />

fashion by also contributing<br />

to the Haiti fund. I was delighted<br />

to play a significant<br />

role in creating that link between<br />

the two regions”.<br />

However, Antigua and<br />

Barbuda have both clearly<br />

showed that this special relationship<br />

is not one-sided.<br />

The country backed Qatari’s<br />

Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al<br />

Kuwari, advisor at the Emiri<br />

Diwan as Qatar’s candidate<br />

for the director general post<br />

at the United Nations Educational,<br />

Scientific and Cultural<br />

Organization (UNESCO) in<br />

St. John’s.<br />

Browne says: “We have<br />

managed to build a genuine<br />

and sincere friendship over<br />

here and friends always look<br />

after one another. I’m very<br />

pleased to be an advocate on<br />

their behalf, to do whatever is<br />

necessary to ensure that the<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong> as a whole enjoys<br />

closer bilateral and multilateral<br />

relations with the Arab<br />

gulf region. And, so far, it’s<br />

been going very well and it is<br />

a courtesy that we will be extending<br />

to all of the countries<br />

within the Gulf region as we<br />

seek to strengthen bilateral<br />

and multilateral relations between<br />

the <strong>Caribbean</strong> and the<br />

Arab Gulf countries”<br />

Antigua and Barbuda has<br />

recently signed an investor<br />

protection agreement, as well<br />

as executing a double taxation<br />

agreement with the UAE,<br />

that has created the necessary<br />

framework for investors to<br />

invest in the country. Browne<br />

says that he is now looking<br />

forward to a long-term, sustained<br />

relationship between<br />

Antigua and Barbuda and the<br />

Arab Gulf countries.<br />

As a further gesture of<br />

friendship, Antigua has lifted<br />

the visa requirements previously<br />

required for Emiratis<br />

to enter Antigua. In addition,<br />

Antigua has also opened an<br />

embassy in Abu Dhabi that<br />

will serve as a focal service<br />

point for Antiguan citizens<br />

in the Middle East, as well<br />

as play an important role in<br />

strengthening and improving<br />

relationships between the two<br />

regions.<br />

Just a few months ago<br />

Antigua purchased a desalination<br />

plant, from Dubai for<br />

in excess of $3mn. It was<br />

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also announced last week that<br />

Antigua and Barbuda has secured<br />

a loan for a new hybrid<br />

energy project worth $15mn<br />

from Abu Dhabi, the capital<br />

of the UAE. This step further<br />

demonstrates the efforts<br />

of the Antiguan and Barbuda<br />

government to reduce its reliance<br />

on fossil fuels.<br />

With a rate of 4.25%, Antigua<br />

and Barbuda is the fastest<br />

growing economy in the<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong> today, despite being<br />

at the bottom of the table<br />

just three years ago. His new<br />

team works tirelessly around<br />

the globe to bring investments<br />

to the country to build<br />

a nation.<br />

Twenty years ago, a hurricane<br />

eliminated an entire<br />

year’s GDP and it took the<br />

country two decades to recover,<br />

a recovery hampered<br />

by the 2008 financial crisis<br />

and exacerbated by the mismanagement<br />

of the previous<br />

administration.<br />

For the Prime Minister<br />

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feeling that the best is yet to<br />

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4 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

Risk posed by <strong>Caribbean</strong> “exaggerated’<br />

By Everton Barnes<br />

The threat posed by <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

countries to the global<br />

financial system that is at the<br />

centre of the de-risking issue<br />

has been largely exaggerated,<br />

according to Prime Minister<br />

Gaston Browne.<br />

PM Browne made the observation<br />

during an interview<br />

conducted at the margins of<br />

the last week’s <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

Community (CARICOM)<br />

28 th Intercessional Meeting in<br />

Guyana.<br />

“To date, not a single case<br />

of money-laundering nor terrorism<br />

financing has resulted<br />

in any fines for any United<br />

States bank. So in the absence<br />

of this evidence, it is more a<br />

case perception than reality in<br />

terms perceived weaknesses<br />

in our banking systems,” he<br />

remarked.<br />

The prime minister said<br />

while he accepts that there<br />

are ‘certain gaps’ within the<br />

legislation within the region<br />

that need to be plugged, he believes<br />

that the focus should be<br />

By Everton Barnes<br />

The, Eastern West Indies Province<br />

(EWIP) of Moravian Church is convening<br />

a symposium at its headquarters in<br />

Antigua next month where members will<br />

consider a new role for the church in education.<br />

EWIP Chairman, Rev. Dr Cortroy<br />

Jarvis, said the symposium to be held at<br />

the will run from March 7 – 9 and it will<br />

hear several presentations of a likely role<br />

for the church in education. Two Antiguans<br />

who are now professors at the University<br />

of the U.S Virgin Islands, Bishop<br />

Dr. Conrad Spencer and Dr. Vaneer<br />

Goodwin will lead the discussions at the<br />

on strengthening the enforcement<br />

mechanisms to ensure<br />

that the laws on the books are<br />

rigorously enforced.<br />

In spite of this, PM<br />

Browne nonetheless feels<br />

that the foreign banks have<br />

over-estimated the risks posed<br />

by <strong>Caribbean</strong> banks.<br />

“They have over-estimated<br />

the extent of the monies<br />

that are flowing through<br />

CARICOM countries and the<br />

extent of any nefarious activities<br />

including money-laundering.<br />

Most CARICOM banks<br />

have stringent requirements<br />

regarding funds that are deposited<br />

and as far as the<br />

disclosure of funds that are<br />

deposited. In the case of Antigua<br />

and Barbuda, anything<br />

in excess of $10,000.00 must<br />

be declared and the banks are<br />

looking at smaller amounts<br />

with keen eyes,” he explained.<br />

The prime minister noted<br />

that the volume of transactions<br />

passing through the region’s<br />

banks is ‘very small’<br />

when compared with transactions<br />

in other countries. He<br />

added that as small societies<br />

‘we know one another’ and<br />

the banks are clearly aware<br />

of whose income is legitimate<br />

and whose is not.<br />

symposium.<br />

“There will be presentations by<br />

the official delegation to include their<br />

background, trends in higher education,<br />

our math enrichment program and the<br />

church’s involvement in higher Education.<br />

The rest of the program will be<br />

brainstorming/thinking aloud in trying<br />

to put the plan for the college in perspective,”<br />

Rev. Jarvis explained.<br />

He noted that the Moravian Church<br />

has what he termed ‘a goodly heritage in<br />

particular in the area of Education’.<br />

“We have lost some grounds, but we<br />

believe that God is calling us to continue<br />

to be the salt of the earth and the light of<br />

He stated that the move to<br />

de-risk banks in the region,<br />

most notably the indigenous<br />

banks, may have been based<br />

on mis-information or ignorance<br />

of the scope of the<br />

business done by banks in the<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong>.<br />

PM Browne noted while<br />

that there has been a halt in<br />

the de-risking initiative, the<br />

region must, however, remain<br />

vigilant. He said CARICOM<br />

leaders have agreed on a twopronged<br />

approach; education<br />

and advocacy.<br />

He said the region will<br />

continue to educate the international<br />

community about the<br />

efforts by the region’s banks<br />

to combat money-laundering<br />

etc., but equally, the meeting<br />

has agreed to engage a lobby<br />

group out of the US to take<br />

its case to U.S policy makers.<br />

He disclosed that a proposal<br />

by former US Attorney General,<br />

Eric Holder, is before<br />

the heads for consideration<br />

although no decision has yet<br />

been made.<br />

Moravians ponder higher education<br />

the world,” he added.<br />

He said along with the leaders Bishop<br />

Spencer and Dr. Goodwin and there will<br />

be other University Professors from the<br />

United States, St. Croix, St. Thomas and<br />

Jamaica, who will make presentations<br />

on the occasion. The Moravian Church’s<br />

long history in education dates back to<br />

the period of slavery when its earliest<br />

missionaries taught the enslaved people<br />

of African descent. That tradition continued<br />

into the twentieth century when it<br />

also operated a teachers’ college.<br />

In recent years, the church has been<br />

focusing on a re-entry into higher education.


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 5<br />

License needed for importation of pesticides<br />

The Pesticides & Toxic Chemicals<br />

Control Board (PTCCB) of the Ministry<br />

of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and<br />

Barbuda Affairs in accordance “The Pesticides<br />

and Toxic Chemicals Act, No. 12<br />

Of 2008,”, would like to inform the general<br />

public that effective immediately, all<br />

importers of pesticides and toxic chemicals<br />

will be required to obtain an importation<br />

license for pesticides and or toxic<br />

This week’s act of violence<br />

against a young man<br />

in the heart of St. John’s was<br />

an unconscionable and inexcusable<br />

act. The Ministry of<br />

Social Transformation and<br />

Human Resource Development,<br />

through the Directorate<br />

of Gender Affairs, firmly believes<br />

that violence perpetrated<br />

against others is an egregious<br />

human rights violation<br />

that not only impacts those<br />

directly involved but all of our<br />

nation’s citizens.<br />

It is our civic duty as Antiguans<br />

and Barbudans to make<br />

concerted efforts to transform<br />

chemicals prior to their importation into<br />

the country. To avoid detention or confiscation<br />

of shipments at the port, all pesticides<br />

importers are urged to consult with<br />

the PTCCB to ensure that all pesticides<br />

and toxic chemicals that they are desirous<br />

of importing are duly registered by the<br />

Pesticides & Toxic Chemicals Control<br />

Board, for use in Antigua and Barbuda.<br />

Failure to comply is an offence punishable<br />

on summary conviction by a fine<br />

not exceeding $25,000 or imprisonment<br />

for a term not exceeding one (1) year,<br />

or both. In case of doubt and/or for further<br />

information and guidance on these<br />

matters, persons are asked to contact the<br />

Pesticides & Toxic Chemical Board’s<br />

Secretariat at telephone number 1(268)<br />

462-9191/464-4448 or email at pesticideboard@ab.gov.ag.<br />

The Social Costs of Harassment and Violence<br />

public spaces into safe areas<br />

around which people may traverse<br />

without fear of harassment<br />

or violence.<br />

Street harassment, which<br />

primarily involves unwanted,<br />

inappropriate and oftentimes<br />

repeated commentary<br />

and advances, is a negative<br />

social phenomenon that requires<br />

our undivided attention<br />

and scrutiny. As a society we<br />

have become desensitized to<br />

the harmful impact of street<br />

harassment. The failure to<br />

recognize street harassment as<br />

an ongoing cultural issue facilitates<br />

its escalation into acts<br />

of violence. We can begin<br />

to demonstrate the seriousness<br />

with which we consider<br />

these events by changing the<br />

way they are framed in our<br />

language. Our language must<br />

reflect the sensitivity and seriousness<br />

inherent in acts of<br />

harassment and violence. This<br />

will communicate our commitment<br />

to humanizing the<br />

parties involved and give rise<br />

to responses and actions from<br />

the wider society that are measured<br />

and conscientious.<br />

There is no justification<br />

or excuse for the violent<br />

act that was committed in a<br />

public space and it is our responsibility<br />

to learn how to<br />

effectively respond and react<br />

to harassment. Violence is an<br />

unacceptable means of resolving<br />

conflict. Furthermore, we<br />

should acknowledge that harassment<br />

of any kind has no<br />

place in a civilized society.<br />

Those consistently subjected<br />

to unwanted advances<br />

in public spaces often feel discomfort,<br />

fear and frustration.<br />

Let us resolve to educate each<br />

other on more appropriate<br />

ways to address and engage<br />

our brothers and sisters.<br />

Let us also make a commitment<br />

as concerned and<br />

empathetic citizens to transform<br />

Antigua and Barbuda<br />

into a nation that takes all<br />

forms of harassment and violence<br />

seriously so that those<br />

affected may feel confident<br />

that intervention will be guaranteed<br />

and swift.<br />

The Directorate of Gender<br />

Affairs remains committed<br />

to advocating for and implementing<br />

legislative frameworks<br />

and providing quality<br />

education and services to the<br />

public. The services of the<br />

Directorate of Gender Affairs<br />

are available to all members<br />

of the public through its 24/7<br />

crisis hotline at 463.5555.


6 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

Minister of Tourism delivers address at AUA<br />

Rohrman Triathlon opening ceremony<br />

Mr. Rory Butler, Rohrman Director<br />

Visiting Athletes<br />

Other Sporting and Government officials<br />

Members of the media<br />

Ladies and Gentlemen<br />

Good evening to you all, and for<br />

those of you who are visiting a warm<br />

welcome to our beautiful twin-island<br />

nation, of Antigua and Barbuda.<br />

I am delighted to be here this evening<br />

for the opening ceremonies for<br />

the 6 th Annual AUA Rohrman Triathlon<br />

that has been organized by the Rohrman<br />

Sports Association.<br />

This event, which is now held in<br />

honour of the late Jonathan Rohr a former<br />

Triathlete who attended the AUA<br />

medical school and who sadly passed<br />

away suddenly in 2011. This event has<br />

truly become a signature fixture on<br />

our sporting tourism calendar just as<br />

he would have wanted. Jonathan’s untimely<br />

passing has left us a great legacy<br />

in promoting the sport that he so dearly<br />

loved, and is one that we can all be<br />

proud off.<br />

First of all, I would like to express<br />

my admiration for all of you that are<br />

here to participate in the triathlon. Triathlons,<br />

with three different endurance<br />

events, is known for being one of the<br />

most challenging sporting events in the<br />

world. Your dedication and perseverance<br />

in training to participate, and for<br />

some, compete is commendable. This<br />

goes for those that are here to compete<br />

in the full Triathlon, as well as the various<br />

categories of teams, mini, walk/<br />

run, beach run and age groups.<br />

This inclusivity is what I believe sets<br />

the AUA Triathlon from others. Your<br />

organisers have done a remarkable job<br />

in developing a race structure that al-<br />

Minister of Tourism, the Hon., Asot Michael<br />

addresses the gathering at the opening<br />

ceremony of the AUA Rohrman Triathlon.<br />

lows everyone to participate in a challenge<br />

that best suits their fitness levels.<br />

With over 9 events to choose from –<br />

there is a challenge for everyone, and<br />

all are welcome, including children<br />

with three different age groups!<br />

The AUA Triathlon is about providing<br />

an energetic and exciting racing<br />

challenge for everyone – in one of the<br />

most beautiful settings in the world!<br />

As a backdrop you’ll be running, swimming<br />

and cycling along some of our<br />

most beautiful beaches and Southwest<br />

Coastline including Ffryes’s Beach,<br />

Turner’s Beach, Carlisle Bay and one<br />

of our largest pineapple farms at Cades<br />

Bay.<br />

This is also the perfect time of the<br />

year to be participating in the event as<br />

you’ll see temperatures are hovering<br />

around 80 degrees and the <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

Sea is the perfect temperature for a<br />

swim.<br />

With thousands of triathlon events<br />

taking place across the globe, yearround,<br />

I truly believe we are hosting<br />

one of the best.<br />

I believe athlete participation<br />

agrees. This is the first year since the<br />

inaugural year in 2012 that we’re welcoming<br />

over 300 participants!<br />

I am also incredibly proud of the<br />

caliber of participants we are attracting<br />

from around the world. This year we<br />

are welcoming two of the world’s most<br />

accomplished athletes; David Hauss of<br />

France and Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand.<br />

David counts among his achievements<br />

a 4 th place finish at the London<br />

2012 Olympics and earned the Bronze<br />

in the 2010 European Championships<br />

while Andrea participated in the Beijing<br />

2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016<br />

Olympics placing 8 th , 6 th and 7 th respectively.<br />

She placed third in the 2009<br />

ITU Triathlon World Championships.<br />

So congratulations to both Mr. Hauss<br />

and Ms. Hewitt for their outstanding<br />

achievements – to you we extend a<br />

very special welcome and we are very<br />

excited to have you here, and participating<br />

in this event.<br />

Additionally, we have a 10-person<br />

team here being led by French Champion<br />

triathlete, and coach, Benjamin Sanson,<br />

a team of thirty from Guadaloupe<br />

and with many of you traveling from<br />

around the globe including the US,<br />

Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada<br />

and more to participate in this fantastic<br />

event. We are incredibly honored to be<br />

welcoming each and every one of you<br />

to our islands.<br />

As partners of this amazing event,<br />

I am particularly honored to be here<br />

this evening. The Ministry of Tourism<br />

and The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism<br />

Authority and has partnered with<br />

the Rohrman Sports Association since<br />

it’s inaugural year to help ensure that<br />

this sporting event takes place. As the<br />

Minister of Tourism, Economic Development,<br />

Investment and Energy, I can<br />

tell you firsthand how important it is<br />

for our nation to organize these flagship<br />

sporting events for both the sports<br />

cont’d on pg 7


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 7<br />

cont’d from pg 6<br />

community as well as for local<br />

residents.<br />

Tourism is the lifeblood<br />

of our economy, contributing<br />

over 60% to our GDP<br />

and representing roughly<br />

53% of the workforce –<br />

making it our primary industry.<br />

Our success as a nation<br />

relies on the success of<br />

tourism. And sports tourism<br />

is an important part of this<br />

industry. It contributes to<br />

the social cultural, economic<br />

and infrastructural development<br />

of our nation. Therefore,<br />

we are firm believers,<br />

in doing everything possible<br />

to support our various<br />

sporting events that we host<br />

throughout the year. We are<br />

incredibly happy with the<br />

success and growth of the<br />

AUA Rohrman Triathlon. So<br />

thank you for being a part of<br />

this success.<br />

I realize that you’ve all<br />

been training for the Triathlon<br />

for quite some time, but<br />

I do hope that you’ll have<br />

some done time to discover<br />

the beauty of our twin islands<br />

and our people. I assume<br />

given your sense of<br />

adventure and activity in<br />

participating in the Triathlon<br />

that you’re interested in exciting<br />

activities and we have<br />

many for you to experience.<br />

You can go ziplining in our<br />

rainforest, we have many<br />

hiking trails including one<br />

that leads to the highest point<br />

on our island, Mt. Obama.<br />

The thrill seekers among<br />

you can enjoy the various<br />

kayaking and snorkeling adventure<br />

options, as well as<br />

sailing and catamaran tours.<br />

If you’re a kite surfer, we<br />

offer the best conditions to<br />

take to the skies where we<br />

attract people from around<br />

the world to experience our<br />

phenomenal kite surfing<br />

first-hand. Additionally, we<br />

have Stingray City – where<br />

you can swim and feed the<br />

largest free roaming stingrays<br />

in the region<br />

Obviously – if you’re<br />

looking to recharge we offer<br />

many spas and opportunities<br />

to relax on one of our 365<br />

pink and white sandy beaches.<br />

For those athletes that are<br />

“foodies” we have countless<br />

restaurants around the island<br />

serving the best in gastronomy.<br />

While here you must<br />

try our world famous Antigua<br />

Black Pineapple. It’s the<br />

freshest and sweetest variety<br />

in the world and can only be<br />

found here!<br />

We hope that you’ll enjoy<br />

the Triathlon and build<br />

strong bonds with our nation<br />

and people. We invite you<br />

to truly explore what makes<br />

us unique. By the smiles on<br />

your faces we can already<br />

see that you have fallen in<br />

love with us and we hope<br />

this will inspire you to return<br />

again and again.<br />

Whether you are here for<br />

just the Triathlon or staying<br />

on to explore – thank you for<br />

visiting! We hope you have<br />

a wonderful stay, and a safe<br />

and successful Triathlon.<br />

Best of luck for tomorrow<br />

– though I’m sure you<br />

will not need it! You’ll have<br />

the support and encourage<br />

met from the cheering local<br />

fans along your route!<br />

Before I go, do permit<br />

me to finish with an inspiring<br />

quote from Dave Scott,<br />

Six-Time Ironman World<br />

Champion, “If you set a goal<br />

for yourself and are able to<br />

achieve it, you have won<br />

your race. Your goal can be<br />

to come in first, to improve<br />

your performance, or just<br />

to finish the race; it’s up to<br />

you.”<br />

I’m confident you will<br />

all finish tomorrow and you<br />

will all be winners!<br />

Good night and do enjoy<br />

the rest of your evening


8 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

Regional leaders want continued ‘fruitful<br />

and mutual” relationship with United States<br />

GEORGETOWN, Guyana<br />

– <strong>Caribbean</strong> Community<br />

(CARICOM) leaders say<br />

they are looking forward to<br />

“continuing the fruitful and<br />

mutually beneficial relationship<br />

with the new United<br />

States administration”.<br />

At the end of their inter-sessional<br />

summit here<br />

on Friday, the regional<br />

leaders said they “emphasised<br />

the importance of the<br />

long-standing relationship<br />

between the Community<br />

and the United States of<br />

America.<br />

“We also recognised the<br />

importance of the recently<br />

adopted bipartisan, US-<strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

Strategic Engagement<br />

Act of 2016 that seeks<br />

to increase US engagement<br />

with the governments and<br />

civil society of the region,”<br />

CARICOM Chairman<br />

and host, President David<br />

Granger told reporters.<br />

At the start of the summit,<br />

Barbados Prime Minister<br />

Frendel Stuart said 19<br />

Barbadians had been detained<br />

under the US travel<br />

ban.<br />

“In the meeting this<br />

morning, the Foreign Minister<br />

(Maxine McClean)<br />

showed me a text message<br />

or an email message she had<br />

just received saying that 19<br />

Barbadians had been identified<br />

in this whole process,”<br />

Stuart told reporters.<br />

He said his administration<br />

would be investigating<br />

Front row (l-r): Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Hon. Ralph Gonsalves; President<br />

of Haiti H.E. Jovenel Moise; Prime Minister of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit; President of Guyana,<br />

H.E. David Granger; Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Hon. Keith Mitchell; Prime Minister of Barbados,<br />

Hon. Freundel Stuart; Secretary-General of the <strong>Caribbean</strong> Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin<br />

LaRocque Back row (l-r): Hon. Sean Astwood, representing the Premier of the Turks and Caicos<br />

Islands; Hon. Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, representing the Prime Minister of St. Lucia; Hon. Wilfred<br />

Elrington, representing the Prime Minister of Belize; Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Hon.<br />

Gaston Browne; Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Hon. Keith Rowley; Hon. Fred Mitchell,<br />

representing the Prime Minister of The Bahamas; Hon. Karmina Johnson Smith, representing the<br />

Prime Minister of Jamaica; Hon. Yldiz Pollack-Beighle, representing the President of Suriname; Hon.<br />

Carl Greenidge, Foreign Minister, Guyana.<br />

the reports even as he expressed<br />

surprise that Barbadians<br />

and other <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

nationals were being<br />

rounded up by American<br />

authorities in keeping with<br />

President Donald Trump’s<br />

January 27 order, which was<br />

intended to keep terrorists<br />

out of the US.<br />

“We did not see ourselves<br />

as threatened,” said Stuart,<br />

adding that regional leaders<br />

would now be forced to address<br />

the issue during their<br />

Georgetown deliberations.<br />

Granger told reporters<br />

that “we have a very cordial<br />

and respectful relationship<br />

with the United States.<br />

“A change in CAR-<br />

ICOM-USA relationship is<br />

not anticipated,” he said,<br />

with Grenada’s Prime Minister<br />

Dr. Keith Mitchell saying<br />

that the region “must accept<br />

there are uncertainties.<br />

“Must adopt, wait and<br />

see approach,” he said, acknowledging<br />

the region’s<br />

concerns about President<br />

Donald Trump’s new immigration<br />

policies.<br />

Meanwhile, the regional<br />

leaders have said that they<br />

discussed the future of the<br />

African, <strong>Caribbean</strong> and Pacific<br />

Group of Countries<br />

(ACP) including the renewal<br />

of the Cotonou Partnership<br />

Agreement (CPA) which<br />

governs relations between<br />

the Group and the European<br />

Union (EU) and which<br />

comes to an end in 2020.<br />

“That Agreement is a<br />

unique and valued instrument<br />

from which CAR-<br />

ICOM has benefitted with<br />

regard to trade, development<br />

co-operation and political<br />

dialogue with Europe<br />

and should be renewed.<br />

The ACP Group remains<br />

a valuable construct which<br />

has facilitated relations with<br />

Africa and the Pacific and<br />

that the Group should be<br />

strengthened,” Granger added.<br />

(CMC)


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 9<br />

The Future of Financial Services in the<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong>: International Tax Competition,<br />

Globalization and Fiscal Sovereignty<br />

A presentation by Sir Ronald Sanders<br />

On Friday 17 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> At a Conference<br />

organised by Goethals Consulting<br />

Corp In Panama On “Widening the<br />

Pathways to Open Societies”<br />

I have been asked to speak on “The<br />

Future of Financial Services in the <strong>Caribbean</strong>”<br />

in the context of “International<br />

Tax Competition, Globalization and Fiscal<br />

Sovereignty”.<br />

As I speak, that future is bleak.<br />

Globalization has been a one-way<br />

street of impositions by powerful countries;<br />

fiscal sovereignty has been violated<br />

by the strong; and tax competition remains<br />

under threat from the mighty.<br />

Indeed, if the current pattern of incursions,<br />

restrictions and false labelling of<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong> jurisdictions as ‘tax havens’,<br />

and the <strong>Caribbean</strong> as a region of ‘high<br />

risk’, is not halted soon and swiftly, not<br />

only will financial services have no future,<br />

but the <strong>Caribbean</strong> region as a whole<br />

could be relegated to the backwater of<br />

global existence.<br />

The evidence of the last 30 years<br />

speaks for itself.<br />

OECD CAMPAIGN<br />

It is clear that the major member<br />

states of the Organisation for Economic<br />

Cooperation and Development (OECD)<br />

have been embarked upon a campaign<br />

to eliminate competition in financial services<br />

from <strong>Caribbean</strong> countries and other<br />

developing states, since the 1990s.<br />

That campaign has never waned.<br />

It has gained validation in the international<br />

community by seducing or coercing<br />

some developing countries into participation<br />

in groups, created at the behest<br />

of G7 countries, ostensibly to establish<br />

globally acceptable rules on tax information<br />

exchange, transparency, common<br />

reporting standards, anti-money laundering,<br />

counter terrorism financing and tax<br />

evasion.<br />

One such group is the OECD Global<br />

Forum on Transparency and Exchange<br />

of Information for Tax purposes which<br />

claims 139 members and in which the<br />

countries of the European Union are over<br />

represented since they participate as individual<br />

nations and as a collective body.<br />

At the end of the day, the seemingly<br />

broad membership of the OECD Forum<br />

is window-dressing for the menacing objectives<br />

of the more powerful countries.<br />

The high number of members, masks<br />

the fact that no small nation can resist the<br />

candy-coated but bitters pills with which<br />

they are presented.<br />

In the end, sanctions hang like the<br />

sword of Damocles over the heads of<br />

those who participate.<br />

The entire process remains one of<br />

pushing the agenda of automatic access<br />

to tax information and ending tax competition<br />

in keeping with the prevailing<br />

ideology of European Union countries<br />

especially.<br />

SOVEREIGN RIGHTS IG-<br />

NORED<br />

Despite all the rhetoric of ‘level<br />

playing fields’ and respect for sovereign<br />

rights, the world remains one in which<br />

might parades in the armour of right, and<br />

power camouflages itself in the clothes<br />

of justice.<br />

In this matter, there has been – and<br />

continues to be – the most blatant disregard<br />

for the rules of international law;<br />

rules that have been spelled out by the<br />

UN and upheld by the International<br />

Court of Justice.<br />

Those rules specify quite clearly that<br />

By Sir Ronald Sanders<br />

States cannot intervene in areas solely<br />

within the jurisdiction of other States,<br />

and international organisations are restricted<br />

from intervention within the domestic<br />

jurisdiction of states.<br />

Yet, the powerful nations of the world<br />

– clustered in the OECD – do precisely<br />

the opposite.<br />

And, weak and vulnerable nations are<br />

powerless to respond.<br />

In fear of sanctions, such as blacklisting<br />

by OECD countries and the European<br />

Union Commission, and penalties<br />

from the United States, they acquiesce;<br />

surrendering their sovereignty.<br />

At the conception of the United Nations,<br />

world leaders committed themselves<br />

to a world “governed by justice<br />

and moral law”, one in which they asserted<br />

the “pre-eminence of right over<br />

might and the general good against sectoral<br />

claims”.<br />

If, in the history of the UN, that commitment<br />

was ever respected, it has certainly<br />

been disregarded if not reversed in<br />

cont’d on pg 10


10 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

cont’d from pg 9<br />

relation to fiscal sovereignty and globalisation.<br />

‘DOGS OF WAR’ RELEASED<br />

And, in all this, the powerful nations<br />

have seduced the international media<br />

into becoming participants in their campaign.<br />

As far back as 1834, a US Senator described<br />

this with prescient clarity.<br />

He said “power marks its victim; denounces<br />

it; and then excites public hatred<br />

and odium to conceal its own abuses and<br />

encroachments”.<br />

So, as one commentator put it: “The<br />

dogs of war have been released on <strong>Caribbean</strong><br />

off-shore centres”.<br />

In the wake of the so-called “Panama<br />

Papers”, Panama has had its share of the<br />

snarling and bites of the war-dogs.<br />

The truth that dares not speak its<br />

name is that “automatic exchange of tax<br />

information”; false branding of countries<br />

as “tax havens “while the real tax havens<br />

continue to thrive and prosper; and sanctions<br />

against what is described as “uncooperative<br />

jurisdictions”, is a form of<br />

neo-colonialism.<br />

It is a campaign to dictate the tax<br />

systems and structures of other nations<br />

for the benefit of OECD member-states,<br />

curbing the rights of sovereign but weak<br />

states and autonomous jurisdictions.<br />

This campaign has been continuous<br />

and unrelenting, reaching an apex 17<br />

years ago, when the OECD launched its<br />

so-called ‘harmful tax competition’ in<br />

1999.<br />

NO UNIFIED RESPONSE FROM<br />

VCTIM COUNTRIES<br />

The campaign has persisted and has<br />

been successful not only because of the<br />

coercive might of the powerful States,<br />

but also because there has been no unified<br />

response from the countries and jurisdictions<br />

which are their victims.<br />

Indeed, there is still no unified response.<br />

The victim-nations lack the cohesion,<br />

the coherence and the capacity to formulate<br />

a common position and to stand-up<br />

for themselves.<br />

Instead, there is a scramble by individual<br />

powerless nations to salvage what<br />

they can of their financial services sector,<br />

and to avoid, at all costs, the sanctions<br />

and penalties of the powerful countries.<br />

So, they play the game as best they<br />

can, with their feet hobbled and their<br />

hands tied behind their backs.<br />

The upheaval against the discriminatory<br />

political order that we have seen<br />

within the affairs of nations has not yet<br />

taken root in the affairs between nations.<br />

There is as yet no leader ready to<br />

trump the abuse of the last three decades.<br />

In fact, the absence of cohesion and<br />

coherence by developing countries<br />

might be obvious in a recent decision by<br />

the government of Ecuador, as Chair of<br />

the G77& China at the UN, to work for<br />

an independent UN body that will eliminate<br />

tax havens and illicit financial flows.<br />

There had been no prior discussion<br />

with other developing countries on this<br />

effort, and no clear indication of which<br />

jurisdictions Ecuador regards as tax havens.<br />

The initiative might get the support of<br />

developing nations if the real tax havens<br />

are identified.<br />

As it is, more than a little suspicion<br />

now attaches to its motivation and its initiators,<br />

and that is unfortunate.<br />

But, in any event the OECD countries,<br />

including the US, would hardly<br />

support a UN body over which they<br />

would have no control.<br />

They are far more comfortable with<br />

the OECD Global Forum on Taxation<br />

that they dominate and with their own<br />

unilateral actions such as the US Foreign<br />

Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)<br />

and the blacklists of countries they issue<br />

from time to time.<br />

CARIBBEAN NOT A TAX HAV-<br />

EN<br />

It is well-known that <strong>Caribbean</strong> jurisdictions<br />

have been labelled as ‘tax havens’.<br />

There is this belief that we are rum<br />

and Coca-Cola societies that deliberately<br />

hide the ill-gotten gains of foreigners;<br />

help people to shield their taxable revenues<br />

from tax authorities; and have offshore<br />

centres in furtherance of the Hollywood<br />

image of swashbuckling Pirates of<br />

the <strong>Caribbean</strong>.<br />

Nothing could be farther from reality.<br />

A ‘tax haven’ is an area or jurisdiction<br />

where payable tax is hidden, and where<br />

countries, in which such payable tax<br />

originates, are prohibited from receiving<br />

information on the such taxable assets.<br />

That is not the <strong>Caribbean</strong>; it is other<br />

countries – some in the OECD; but not<br />

in the <strong>Caribbean</strong>.<br />

Low tax or no tax jurisdictions are<br />

not ‘tax havens’.<br />

Low tax or no tax is not a measure of<br />

a ‘tax haven’.<br />

Countries pitch their tax levels in accordance<br />

with the imperatives of their<br />

economic and social development.<br />

For instance, with a corporate tax rate<br />

of 22%, Ecuador is 7% lower than the<br />

average of the Americas and considerably<br />

less than Europe.<br />

But Ecuador would not consider itself<br />

a tax haven.<br />

In the case of my own country, Antigua<br />

and Barbuda, we are a low tax jurisdiction;<br />

indeed, we abolished income<br />

tax completely last year on the strong<br />

belief in two things: first, that the costs<br />

of pursuing such taxes outweigh the benefits,<br />

and second that money left in people’s<br />

pay packet will promote economic<br />

growth through spending and saving.<br />

With growth of 4.3% last year, Antigua<br />

and Barbuda was the fastest growing<br />

economy in the <strong>Caribbean</strong> and the fourth<br />

fastest growing economy in Latin America<br />

and the <strong>Caribbean</strong>.<br />

But, Antigua and Barbuda, like most<br />

<strong>Caribbean</strong> countries, is not a tax haven.<br />

To be continued


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 11<br />

Friday’s Sudoku Solution<br />

S U D O K U<br />

CROSSWORD<br />

Across<br />

1. Graded<br />

6. Scored on serve<br />

10. Risqué<br />

14. Remove<br />

15. Concern<br />

16. Vocalist ____ Fitzgerald<br />

17. Ritual<br />

19. Sightseeing trip<br />

20. Numero ____<br />

21. Water jug<br />

22. Showed feelings<br />

24. Wicker<br />

26. Aquatic animal<br />

28. Responsibility<br />

30. Tell again<br />

34. ____ Macpherson<br />

37. Expire<br />

39. Gloomy<br />

40. Stage signals<br />

41. Mischievous one<br />

42. Notre ____<br />

43. Possesses<br />

44. Kidnapper’s demand<br />

47. Unwrap<br />

48. Not indoors<br />

50. Grateful ____<br />

52. Category<br />

54. On a ship<br />

58. Cash in<br />

61. Breaks bread<br />

63. Itinerary word<br />

64. Baking chamber<br />

65. Academic guidance<br />

68. Tractor-trailer<br />

69. Christmas carol<br />

70. From Oslo<br />

71. Funnyman ____ Idle<br />

72. Hamilton bills<br />

73. Lugged<br />

Down<br />

1. Happen again<br />

2. Sports ring<br />

3. Gypsy’s card<br />

4. WNW’s opposite<br />

5. Dishonor<br />

6. Pimples<br />

7. Nile city<br />

8. Period of note<br />

9. Erases<br />

10. Witty reply<br />

11. Very many (2 wds.)<br />

12. Crossword hint<br />

13. 36 inches<br />

18. Confess (2 wds.)<br />

23. Netting<br />

25. Baby’s “piggies”<br />

27. Camera stand<br />

29. Fishing nets<br />

31. Office acronym<br />

32. Not wild<br />

33. Paradise<br />

34. Yodeler’s feedback<br />

35. Hawaiian cookout<br />

36. “____ we forget”<br />

38. Den and study (abbr.)<br />

42. Extinct bird<br />

44. Annoy<br />

45. Inflexible<br />

46. Vegetarians’ taboos<br />

49. Picturesque<br />

51. Not present<br />

53. Lucky dice roll<br />

55. Turn aside<br />

56. Wash cycle<br />

57. Out of style<br />

58. Stood up<br />

59. Always<br />

60. Actress ____ Moore<br />

62. Is unwell<br />

66. Forest female<br />

67. Cow’s comment


12 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

Today’s weather forecast<br />

Antigua and Barbuda<br />

Rain showers early with some<br />

sunshine later in the day.<br />

High - 79ºF<br />

Low - 71ºF<br />

Wind: South East 8 mph<br />

Sunrise 6.30 am; Sunset 6.11 pm<br />

Friday’s Crossword Solution<br />

HOROSCOPE<br />

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).<br />

It’s fun to spend money on a<br />

friend! It will make you happy<br />

to do so today, and your friend<br />

will also be quite pleased. Furthermore,<br />

the generous act will<br />

attract good fortune, financial<br />

and otherwise.<br />

ARIES (March 21-April 19).<br />

People who love you sometimes<br />

try to decide things for you.<br />

This is a waste of time for them,<br />

considering you’re not about to<br />

adopt anyone else’s choice unless<br />

it also happens to be your<br />

own.<br />

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).<br />

Thinking about the problems of<br />

the world again? The solution is<br />

near — and the solution is you.<br />

You so clearly see what needs to<br />

be done, and there’s no reason<br />

you shouldn’t be the one to do it.<br />

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).<br />

The great thing about being<br />

born under the sign of the twins<br />

is that you’re not tied to reacting<br />

to life in any one way. Instead of<br />

saying “that’s who I am,” you<br />

believe that you are who you<br />

decide to be.<br />

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).<br />

Games are more fun when everyone<br />

understands and plays by<br />

the rules. Also, the rules should<br />

be explicit in determining when<br />

the game is over. It’s easier to<br />

commit fully when we know it’s<br />

only for a limited time.<br />

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).<br />

You’re the official greeter of<br />

the zodiac now, making people<br />

feel welcome around you. It’s<br />

perfect because there are new<br />

people coming into your world,<br />

and they will always remember<br />

the warm first impression you<br />

made.<br />

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).<br />

Something is going wonderfully<br />

right in your world, and you<br />

can create even more of it, too,<br />

if you can only remember your<br />

recipe. This is the moment to reflect,<br />

observe yourself and write<br />

it all down.<br />

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.<br />

21). Why do you want to do<br />

it? What or who gives you the<br />

impulse? You can work without<br />

being inspired, but you’ll be so<br />

much more effective if you take<br />

the time and make the effort to<br />

find your inspiration first.<br />

CANCER (June 22-July 22).<br />

Light travels faster than the<br />

speed of sound, creating an outof-sync<br />

relationship between<br />

seeing a thing and hearing it.<br />

In the delay between, second<br />

guesses will abound.<br />

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Virtues<br />

often seem far less exciting<br />

than vices. Take patience, for<br />

instance — not exactly a glamorous<br />

quality to strive for. However,<br />

to be patient in a moment<br />

of anger today will help you escape<br />

future days of sorrow.<br />

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.<br />

19). Short-term comforts will<br />

keep you going today. Pepper<br />

your life with treats. A nap, a<br />

snack, your favorite show — all<br />

sparks of pleasure to enjoy in<br />

very small bursts between the<br />

main events of life’s work and<br />

purpose.<br />

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18).<br />

The ancients suggested you<br />

should not climb trees to look<br />

for fish. Though it’s not entirely<br />

impossible to catch fish from a<br />

tree today, if you’re hungry for<br />

fish you’ll go where the probability<br />

factor is more in your favor.


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 13<br />

All members of the Executive of the Antigua and Barbuda<br />

Ex-Servicemen Association are reminded of the monthly meeting,<br />

to be held on Tuesday 21 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> at 5 pm, at the<br />

Association`s Headquarters "Leah House" on Prime Minister`s<br />

Drive. Please be on time or notify the Chairman on 720-0058,<br />

PRO on 721-1970 or the Secretary on 723-3452.<br />

Bring along your picnic blankets and folding chairs and enjoy<br />

a relaxing evening on the lawn watching a movie or just<br />

mingling with a bowl of delicious hot soup at the South Zone<br />

Planning Committee of the Anglican Church's Pre-Lenten<br />

Water Night and Movie on Friday, <strong>February</strong> 24, <strong>2017</strong> from<br />

6 pm to 9 pm at All Saints Anglican Rectory Grounds, Matthews<br />

Road, All Saints. The contribution is only $10. Patrons<br />

will have a choice of various types of soups. There will<br />

be Hot Dogs, Cupcakes, Popcorn and a bounce castle. Beverages<br />

will also be on sale. Tickets are available from Parish<br />

Priests and members of South Zone Planning Committee.<br />

All registered members of the Antigua Barbuda Amateur<br />

Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Federation please take note<br />

that Election for the post of Vice President will be held on<br />

4th March, <strong>2017</strong> at the ABI Financial Building, 2nd Floor,<br />

Redcliffe Street, St John's, Antigua at 6:00 p.m. sharp.<br />

Services<br />

Personal DNA Test Kit Delivered to your home or elsewhere<br />

for $600 (Value $645) Gift Certificates available for<br />

you friend, relative or co-worker. Call (268) 562-8048 or<br />

Whatsapp 779-8544. Visit: www.cdadetectives.com Get<br />

$50 off if you visit CJ at Power 100.1 FM in the ZDK building.<br />

The fundraising post Valentines for Antigua & Barbuda Diabetes<br />

Association is now rescheduled for Tuesday 2<strong>1st</strong> <strong>February</strong>,<br />

<strong>2017</strong> from 4:00-6:00pm.<br />

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE ANTIGUA AND BARBU-<br />

DA SCOUT ASSOCIATION Notice is hereby given, in<br />

accordance with Section IV(4)(b) of the Constitution, that<br />

the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Antigua and<br />

Barbuda Branch of the Scout Association will be held at<br />

Government House (located on Independence Avenue) on<br />

Thursday 23rd <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> at 5:00 p.m. All Members are<br />

invited to attend and to be punctual. Members are reminded<br />

that subscriptions for <strong>2017</strong> are now due and payable.<br />

The Social Security Board wishes to advise all self employed<br />

persons that their declared earnings shall not be less<br />

than the minimum wage, and are reminded that their Social<br />

Security contributions rate remains at 10%.<br />

Please be informed that the Sons & Daughters of Willikies, Inc.<br />

will be having a general meeting on Tuesday 2<strong>1st</strong> <strong>February</strong>,<br />

<strong>2017</strong> at 7:30 p.m. at the St Barts Centre. All Sons & Daughters<br />

of Willikies are invited to attend. Do come and participate in the<br />

<strong>2017</strong> Reunion discussions.<br />

Do you want to improve your posing techniques? The ABA-<br />

BWF invites all athletes & prospective athletes to a posing<br />

workshop on Saturday 25th <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> from 12-4pm at the<br />

Xtreme Health & Fitness Gym. For more details contact us at<br />

268 7640102/7285909.


14 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

AGHS dominate Inter-<br />

School Basketball<br />

Senior Girls Division<br />

By Carlena Knight<br />

Antigua Girls High<br />

continue to dominate in<br />

the Senior Girls division<br />

of the Cool and Smooth<br />

Inter-School Basketball<br />

League after adding another<br />

victory to their undefeated<br />

streak, this time trouncing<br />

Princess Margaret, 26-14,<br />

last Thursday at the JSC<br />

Sports complex.<br />

Thalia Aska was the<br />

leading scorer for her team<br />

with 10 points while Kahtalia<br />

Valentine assisted with 9<br />

points and 5 steals.<br />

Britnay Gore had 12<br />

points in a losing effort.<br />

Buckleys Primary also<br />

picked up a 9-4 victory over<br />

St. John’s Catholic in the<br />

Mini-girls Primary division.<br />

Azairiah Henry led her<br />

team to victory with 6 points<br />

while teammate Julisia Caesar<br />

chipped in with 3 points.<br />

Mya McIntosh of St.<br />

John’s Catholic made 3<br />

points in a losing effort.


<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong> c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 15<br />

Villa Primary to host Black<br />

History Calypso Competition<br />

By Carlena Knight<br />

The Villa Primary School<br />

is set to host its first annual<br />

Black History Month Calypso<br />

Competition under the<br />

theme, ‘Shout it Out Loud!<br />

We’re Black and We’re<br />

Proud!’.<br />

The free admission event<br />

will take place at the Villa<br />

Primary School grounds<br />

on Thursday 23rd <strong>February</strong><br />

starting at 4:30 p.m. and<br />

will feature nine competitors<br />

ranging from Grade 1 - Grade<br />

5.<br />

Gavriel Henry aka Da<br />

Likkle Messengah from<br />

Grade 1, Jerome Evans aka<br />

The Lyrical Weapon from<br />

Grade 2, Nicholas Orr aka<br />

The Mighty Orr from Grade<br />

3, Tyara George aka Princess<br />

Fiya of Grade 3, Shakira<br />

Quinland aka Princess Shakira<br />

of Grade 3, Tashyla Joseph<br />

aka Singing Tash of Grade<br />

4, Noah Yeboah aka The<br />

Black School Boy of Grade<br />

5, Adonijah James aka Little<br />

Dab of Grade 5 and Joel<br />

Lewis aka The Velvet King of<br />

Grade 5 will sing their hearts<br />

out in the hopes of capturing<br />

the coveted title with original<br />

songs that were written and<br />

composed with assistance<br />

from their teachers and calypsonians<br />

from the community.<br />

A number of prizes and<br />

awards are up for grabs such<br />

as gift certificates from Subway<br />

and KFC and a grand<br />

prize of a round trip for two<br />

to any destination compliments<br />

of LIAT just to name<br />

a few.<br />

The event is sponsored<br />

by the Prime Minister of Antigua<br />

Barbuda, Hon. Gaston<br />

Browne, LIAT, Townhouse<br />

Furnishings, Ahkimo, Cool<br />

and Smooth, Brownie’s Bakery,<br />

Kentucky Fried Chicken,<br />

Subway and the Hell’s Gate<br />

Steel Orchestra.<br />

Informative, reliable, enriching!<br />

Think you have a good news story; did you witness<br />

anything that is news-worthy; did you take that<br />

valuable picture; things happening in your community<br />

but there is no outlet or voice for you? You can<br />

earn just by telling your story.<br />

Call <strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>Times</strong> at (268) 562 8688<br />

Email: editor@caribbeantimes.ag<br />

Or news@caribbeantimes.ag<br />

Reach us now with that breaking news!<br />

VACANCY<br />

Senior Manager<br />

A well-established financial institution is seeking<br />

to recruit a Senior Manager.<br />

The Position/Job Profile<br />

The successful candidate will be expected to<br />

manage credit risk and total client relationships.<br />

The candidate will be responsible to<br />

lead the team of the collections department.<br />

Essential Skills and Experience<br />

Candidates must have at minimum a first degree<br />

in Finance, Accounting or related discipline<br />

from a recognized institution. A minimum<br />

of 6 years experience in a financial<br />

institution with management experience being<br />

no less than 3 years. Technical competencies<br />

in Microsoft products and the ability to use a<br />

loan program. The candidate is also required to<br />

have a good understanding of financial statements,<br />

proven experience in collections and<br />

credit analysis skills.<br />

The successful candidate will possess excellent<br />

written and verbal communication skills.<br />

Strong negotiation skills. Excellent interpersonal<br />

skills, the ability to work well with<br />

a team, good work ethic strong integrity and<br />

confidential.<br />

Applications inclusive of Resume can be sent<br />

to<br />

Vacancy: Senior Manager<br />

The General Manager<br />

PO Box 703<br />

St Johns<br />

Antigua W I<br />

Or email Financialinstituionanu@yahoo.com


16 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g<br />

<strong>Monday</strong> <strong>20th</strong> <strong>February</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

13-year-old hospitalised<br />

following accident<br />

By Everton Barnes<br />

A thirteen year old girl<br />

has been hospitalized at the<br />

Mount St John’s Medical<br />

Centre with injuries sustained<br />

in a traffic accident<br />

on Sunday morning.<br />

Police reports said the<br />

teenager – Dechenelle Anthony<br />

- was a passenger in<br />

a motor vehicle driver her<br />

mother – Dornell Anthony<br />

of All Saints – when the<br />

accident happened around<br />

10:50 a.m. in the morning.<br />

The mother told the<br />

police that she was traveling<br />

from north to south on<br />

Matthews Road when her<br />

vehicle started to shake violently<br />

and that she had to<br />

swerve to avoid an oncoming<br />

vehicle. In doing so, she<br />

lost control of the vehicle<br />

and it struck a utility pole<br />

and flipped over.<br />

Her daughter’s injuries<br />

By Joanna Paris<br />

Independent Senator, Calvin<br />

Parker has called on the<br />

government to remain steadfast<br />

in its undertaking geared<br />

towards creating economic<br />

stability despite international<br />

pressures.<br />

Speaking during his contribution<br />

to the <strong>2017</strong> Budget<br />

debate in the Upper House<br />

last Friday, Senator Parker<br />

mentioned the current struggle<br />

with the United States<br />

with regard to the internet<br />

gaming dispute and the issue<br />

of de-risking. He said that the<br />

country is poised for economic<br />

progress and must therefore<br />

remain confident with its policies<br />

and strategies.<br />

“Our response has to be<br />

creative, innovative and bold<br />

Madam President, because<br />

unless we are brave enough<br />

to take the big steps and make<br />

were said to be ‘serious’ but<br />

the mother and her 19-year<br />

old son, who was also a passenger<br />

in the vehicle were<br />

treated at the hospital and<br />

discharged.<br />

Senator Parker urges Government to remain<br />

strong in spite of international pressures<br />

the big decisions and try<br />

something new, we will continue<br />

to filter to the bottom<br />

and be bottom feeders and we<br />

as Antiguans and Barbudans<br />

are not bottom feeders. We<br />

are leaders and an aspiring<br />

powerful country. As far as<br />

I know too we have been at<br />

the forefront of international<br />

banking”, Senator Parker<br />

pointed out.<br />

He also advocated for active<br />

participation in the decision-making<br />

processes.<br />

“I am calling on our people<br />

to engage in what is happening,<br />

to add their intellectual<br />

capital to the development<br />

of new instruments, new<br />

ways, new methods o make<br />

the country the best in the region”,<br />

he emphasized.

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