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Toward a New Venezuela-Caribbean relationship

KINGSTON, Jamaica - SINCE 2005 when the late president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez introduced the PetroCaribe initiative, several Caribbean governments have enjoyed a vital lifeline. But the time may have come to review the scope and expectations of the PetroCaribe relationship in the interest of the beneficiary Caribbean countries and Venezuela itself. Under PetroCaribe, the beneficiary countries have been allowed to pay for 40 per cent of oil shipments from Venezuela within 90 days (either in cash or in goods of equivalent value).

Transparency’s barometer: Caribbean under pressure?

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Corruption: it’s the big story in the Caribbean. Only here? In one view, it’s a universal problem; we should pay up quietly, tolerate a world of overpriced contracts, runaway crime and substandard services. In another, it’s controllable. Sweden is cleaner than Serbia. Democracy allows aware voters to keep bad stuff in check. Transparency International last week released its Corruption Barometer survey, based this year on 114,000 interviews in 107 countries. That’s plenty data. There are obvious problems with an international survey.

Clash over CARICOM - Let’s take a break!

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The following is an edited version of a speech delivered to the Lions Club of Kingston recently.
Many Jamaicans are still uncertain as to the net benefits of our membership of CARICOM. The primary concern has been our trading relations with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) within this free-trade framework.

WI players weak in mind games

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - On yet another occasion, the mental brittleness of West Indian cricketers, the batsmen in particular, has been demonstrated as the major weakness in the team performing consistently at a high level. After winning (even though they tried desperately to lose their first game against India) their first two games in the tri-nation series with India and Sri Lanka the West Indian batsmen simply could not apply themselves to the not-too-difficult tasks set them by the two Asian teams.

Propaganda and emotions trump fact

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua - A recent run-in with a member of the Stanford Victims Coalition was an eye-opener for us. While we were not surprised by the absolute disdain that was being demonstrated toward Mr Stanford, we were surprised by the disgust pointed towards Antigua & Barbuda. It is clear that time has not healed any wounds in this situation.

Opposition party urges rejection of multi-million dollar license fee

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is calling for a meeting between the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) and television broadcasters to discuss the recent decision to impose a GUY$2.5 million (One Guyana dollar = US$0.01 cent) license fee on the industry. In a statement, APNU said that it was also urging broadcasters to reject the fee which it said offends freedom of expression as guaranteed in Article 146 of the Guyana Constitution.

Government clears “false and misleading” statements on Electronic Crime Bill

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Grenada government says it is “false and inaccurate” to state that it had approved into law legislation that provides for criminal charges to be brought against anyone sending offensive messages over the internet. In a statement, the Keith Mitchell government said that it wanted to “clarify misleading comments from the Vienna based International Press Institute (IPI)” that the government had passed into law an Electronic Crimes bill.

FAO to hire Vincentian to improve cooperation with OECS

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC - The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will hire a Vincentian to work with them to improve cooperation with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, made the announcement on Wednesday following a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. During a joint press conference on Wednesday, da Silva, who is on a two-day official visit said the FAO has agreed to have better coordination mechanisms with the OECS and will look for ways to have a common approach within the nine-member bloc.

Haiti’s president expected at NAACP convention

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Haiti's president is expected to attend the NAACP's national convention in Florida. The nation's oldest civil rights organization will mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers at the convention in Orlando. The convention opens Saturday and continues through Wednesday.

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