The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/15/2018
Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday 15th July 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).
$1B DEBT – More than ten state-owned corporations which were granted in excess of $1 billion in loans from Government, in some case more than a decade ago, still have not paid back a cent. Auditor General Leigh Trotman wants something done about it. According to Trotman, many of the agencies are not in a position to pay back the money, which had reached a staggering $1 110 646 643 at the end of 2017. In his 2017 report, which was laid in Parliament on Tuesday, Government’s chief auditor said the lack of payments continued to affect Government’s already troubled bottom line. (SS)
NHC CRACKDOWN ON RENT DEFAULTERS– The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is going after delinquent tenants, who, in one instance, one of whom owes as much as $60 000 in rent. A lock-changing exercise was started last Friday and resulted in four tenants in different housing estates being affected and a family member being ordered to return the key to an unoccupied unit. The action is expected to continue this week. A senior official at the NHC told THE NATION that they were targeting people who were employed and could afford to pay the rent but were refusing to do so. (SS)
PM TO ADDRESS TOWN PLANNING CONSULTATION – Prime Minister Mia Mottley will deliver the feature address at the opening of a stakeholders’ consultation aimed at reforming and modernising Barbados’ Town and Country Planning Act, on Monday, July 16. The consultation, which comes off at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, will bring together public and private planners, developers, investors, architects and others who interact with the planning process. Areas for consideration include the role of the Physical Development Plan; how can the town planning system become more open and transparent; the feasibility of a one-stop shop for planning and other permits; and how should enforcement be addressed. Other questions relate to development control decisions, the appeals process and Environmental Impact Assessments. The public is invited to participate by following the discussions, which will be livestreamed from 2 p.m. The purpose of the exercise is to enact new town planning legislation which is efficient, transparent and consistent; and which supports high quality, sustainable development for current and future generations. (BT)
JOE DROPS BEES –There’s no going back to the fold of the Barbados Labour Party Government for Bishop Joseph Atherley after he shockingly exited to become Leader of the Opposition a week after the May 24 General Election. And he hinted that much asked about resignation letter could soon be on the way as the St Michael West Member of Parliament goes about meeting with residents in the urban riding to explain his actions. In an exclusive interview with THE NATION in his office in the West Wing of Parliament, Atherley paused just briefly when asked he would return to the bosom of the party under which he won the constituency three times and lost twice since 1999. “I’ve been strongly encouraged to do so by many of them, but I don’t think that is likely to happen. I have gone to the position where I have gone with an honest heart in the interest of Barbados, in the interest of democracy . . . . Anything can happen in politics, but I don’t see that I will be returning to the fold of the Barbados Labour Party,” he said. (SS)
CAN DEMS SURVIVE – Amid preparations for what arguably is the most crucial annual conference since its formation back in 1955 in the Land’s End, St Michael home of the late Elsie Tudor-Burrowes, the once almost invincible Democratic Labour Party (DLP) finds itself today at the lowest point in its 63-year history after suffering a humiliating knock-out in the May 24 general election. The election, convincingly won by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) which took all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, has fundamentally reconfigured the island’s political landscape for at least the next five years. For the DLP more so than the other fledgling opposition parties, the BLP’s clean sweep, unprecedented in local electoral history, has particularly profound implications for the future. Since Independence almost 52 years ago, Barbados has essentially been a two-party democracy with the BLP and DLP alternatively taking turns at running the island’s affairs. A few other parties did emerge during this period. However, except for the National Democratic Party (NDP) which briefly looked as if it would develop into a force to be reckoned with, they all failed eventually to break the BLP/DLP stranglehold. The possibility of such an occurrence is no longer as far-fetched as before following the recent election. The result has left the DLP in a severely weakened and vulnerable position. Representing a dramatic fall from the once envious position it held under the late Rt Excellent Errol Barrow when it was considered as the “natural party of Government”, the DLP today finds itself practically on the same level as the other fledgling opposition parties, having been deprived of both a presence and a voice in the national parliament for the first time in its history. It is against this backdrop that delegates to the DLP’s annual conference from the 30 constituency branches and overseas groups will gather at party headquarters in Belleville next month. A post-mortem of the party’s dismal electoral performance under the failed leadership of Freundel Stuart, will undoubtedly top the agenda. A forlorn Stuart accepted full responsibility on the night of the election and announced he was stepping down from the leadership. However, given the vicious and unforgiving nature of DLP politics, it predictably will be “cat piss and pepper” on George Street, to use a Barbadian colloquialism. Indeed, the bacchanal has already started. Amid jostling for leadership taking place behind the scenes, news broke a week ago that the party’s executive had abruptly cancelled the long-running Astor B Watts weekly lecture series at which Donville Inniss, widely considered as most suitable candidate to succeed Stuart, was the scheduled next speaker. It was anticipated that Inniss was going to be critical of Stuart’s leadership, as he has been many times before, and the cancellation was seen as an attempt to stop the former Commerce Minister in his tracks. Whether Stuart likes it or not, he cannot escape having to face the music. What is going to be particularly painful for him, in his present state of powerlessness, is the possible sight of many, with their symbolic daggers drawn, who used to profusely praise him when he was prime minister and wielded power. In the rough world of DLP politics, it is simply part of the course. The inescapable truth is that the DLP’s failure to win a seat was the result of a national popular revolt against Stuart’s ineffective and uninspiring leadership. Barbadians simply had had enough. It is refreshing that in less than two months on the job after leading the BLP to victory, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has earned the plaudits of Barbadians for demonstrating once again what a real difference dynamic and effective leadership makes. Issues like the festering south coast sewage crisis which seemed beyond Stuart’s capability to solve, have been brought close to resolution. Besides widespread dissatisfaction with Stuart’s leadership, the other major reason for the complete rejection of the DLP, which managed to win just two electoral boxes in the whole of the island, was the irrelevance of what the ousted regime was offering to address the real and pressing needs of Barbadians. Indeed, Stuart often came across as being so detached from this reality that it appeared, through his political narrative, that somehow he expected Barbadians to continue supporting the DLP, not on the basis of their response to current problems, but the many good things it had done under Barrow 50 years ago. The political combination of Stuart and Chris Sinckler has inflicted such far-reaching damage to the DLP’s political brand that confusion now reigns in the mind of the average Barbadian as to what the DLP really stands for today. The DLP brand was created by Barrow and Cameron Tudor during the party’s heyday in the 1960s. It defined the DLP as a caring party which had introduced free secondary and tertiary education to empower the children of the labouring masses. The DLP was also seen as the party which looked out for the interests of the “small man” in contrast with the BLP which Barbadians during Barrow’s time regarded as the party of the privileged and wealthy. That favourable image of the DLP ceased to exist about five years ago. By introducing tuition fees for Barbadians to study on Cave Hill, after Stuart had assured that such would be a retrograde step, and the award of contracts which always seemed somehow to go to big contractors, Stuart and Sinckler’s policies destroyed the essence of the DLP brand. We live in the age of brands. If your brand is not cutting it, you are simply wasting your time. You are destined for failure which is the fate that has befallen the DLP. Against this backdrop, the critical task for next month’s DLP annual conference is choosing new leadership which understands the urgent need to redefine and reinvent the DLP to ensure relevance in the context of changing Barbadian needs. Voters sent an unmistakably clear message to the DLP at the recent election: Purge the Augean stables! Restructure, rebrand and reposition if you are hoping to continue playing a role in Barbados’ future! The message from the electorate is inherently ominous. The DLP has been given the option of either responding positively and addressing its shortcomings or burying its head in the sand, as it has done for the last eight years, and suffer the fatal consequences of political irrelevance. It is worth noting that in the last 30 years, quite a few once dominant political parties in the region have gone out of existence because of irrelevance. Eric Gairy’s Grenada United Labour Party is one which immediately comes to mind. If the DLP misses the boat, it is quite possible that one of the newer parties could quietly emerge as the alternative to the BLP which, I expect, will be around for a long time if Miss Mottley keeps on the present path and, most importantly, delivers. In the reconfigured Barbadian political landscape of today, Barbadians appear more open than ever to the idea of giving serious consideration to a “third” party, once its solutions are relevant to their needs. The days of voting for a party on the basis of longstanding loyalty, as was the case with the Dems in St John, are now most likely over. (Reudon Eversley is a political strategist, strategic communication specialist and longstanding journalist. Email: [email protected]) (BT)
BELGIUM BEAT ENGLAND TO SECURE THIRD PLACE FINISH – Belgium beat England 2-0 in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate’s side home with a second straight loss. France will face Croatia in Sunday’s final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A fourth-minute goal from Thomas Meunier and an 82nd minute Eden Hazard strike earned Belgium the victory and the third-place, which improves on their previous best performance of a fourth-place finish in 1986.
England were on top for most of the second half but with captain Harry Kane looking tired, Belgium’s greater sharpness in the final third proved decisive. Meunier’s goal came after Romelu Lukaku swung the ball out left to Nacer Chadli who burst down the wing and slipped the ball across the face of the goal and the midfielder confidently slotted past Jordan Pickford. The goal means Belgium have had 10 different goalscorers at this World Cup – equalling the record set by France in 1982 and Italy in 2006. While England manager Gareth Southgate made five changes to the side which lost to Croatia, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez made just two switches. Meunier returned from suspension and Youri Tielemans given a start ahead of Maroune Fellaini in midfield with the Belgians fielding their strong front three of Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. De Bruyne should have made it 2-0 in the 12th minute when the ball found him at the back post after a slip-up from John Stones, but his poorly struck shot was easily dealt with by Pickford. Kane, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, had an opportunity when set up by Raheem Sterling in the 24th minute but was off-balance as he screwed his shot wide. Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford for Sterling and Jesse Lingard for Danny Rose at the break and the change worked well, with England well on top in the second half. Toby Alderweireld was forced to clear an Eric Dier effort off his line at full stretch after a neat exchange between the Tottenham midfielder and Rashford ended with a chip over Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois. Dier and then Harry Maguire both headed wide from promising positions, while at thee other end Meunier went close to a second with a powerful volley that Pickford did well to save. But the game was wrapped up when De Bruyne burst from midfield and slipped the ball through to Hazard, who glided past Phil Jones and fired into the bottom corner. (SS)
KERBER STUNS WILLIAMS TO WIN WIMBLEDON TITLE – Germany’s Angelique Kerber stunned American Serena Williams 6-3 6-3 on Saturday to win her first Wimbledon title. Seven-times champion Williams had been bidding to claim a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown but made too many errors as Kerber ran out a comfortable winner in the final. Kerber looked understandably nervous as she served for the match at 5-3 but could celebrate when Williams netted a backhand on her first match point. (SS)
ANNUAL CADET CAMP STARTS MONDAY – Approximately 650 cadets will get an opportunity to sharpen their military skills when the Barbados Cadet Corps stages its Annual Summer Camp. It will be held from Sunday, July 15, to Saturday, August 18, and cadets will be trained in areas such as drill, weapons training, shooting, first aid, land and sea navigation, seamanship, music and field training exercises. The camp will be conducted in phases and parents are advised that the cadets must report directly to their respective campsites at 7 a.m. During Phase One, from Sunday, July 15, to Saturday, July 21, Star One Alpha and Star Two Alpha, Star Three and Master Cadets will gather at Paragon, Christ Church, to undergo training, while the band’s session will be at the Regional Police Training Centre (RPTC). Phase Two will be held from Sunday, July 22, to Saturday, July 28, for Star One Bravo and Star Two Bravo, at Paragon, Christ Church; Sea Cadets at The Ellerslie School; and Master Cadets and Star Four, at the RPTC’s Training Centre. During Phase Three, the Commandant’s Parade will be held on Saturday, August 4, at Harrison College, beginning at 4 p.m. Parents and guardians are encouraged to support their children and be present. In preparation for that parade, there will be rehearsals on Tuesday, July 31, and Thursday, August 2, at Harrison College. All cadets are expected to report to the school at 8 a.m. (BGIS)
BCIDA TO HOST A WORKSHOP FOR FASHION DESIGNERS – Fashion designers and those aspiring to become designers are invited to register for a one-day export readiness workshop being held by the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority (BCIDA). The workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 31, and is being hosted by Fashion and Creative Consultant, Richard Mkoloma. Anyone interested in participating should present a fashion portfolio including samples of clothing and information on current production capacity. They must show evidence of resource readiness to meet any potential export opportunities and present information on current market penetration strategy. Those selected to participate in the workshops will be expected to spend up to 90 minutes with the consultant and attend a brand and product strategy lecture. To register, anyone interested should email [email protected], no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 20. Spaces for the workshop are limited, therefore, priority will be given to those who fulfil participation requirements. For more information call BCIDA at 535-7770, or email [email protected]. They may also visit the website www.cidabarbados.org. (BGIS)
DE ANNOUNCER FIRST ON STAGE FOR SEMIS – The positions have been chosen for Friday night’s Pic-O-De-Crop semi-finals. Leading the charge will be De Announcer, who pulled position No.1 earlier today at the National Cultural Foundation’s West Terrace, St James headquarters. Donella will be the final calypsonian to take the stage. All were contented with their positions as there were no exchanges. In order of appearance on stage they are: De Announcer, Chrystal, Doyenne, Charisma, AC, Kid Site, Colin Spencer, Smokey Burke, Billboard, Structure, Raheem, Apache, Amazing Dre, Mr Blood, De Doctor, Miss Sammy G, Jude Clarke, and Donella. (SS)
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