Caribbean Times 76th Issue - Monday 22nd August 2016

Informative, reliable, enriching! 

Monday 22nd August 2016 A n t i g u a a n d B a r b u d a 

Vol.7 No.76 $2.00 

ZIKA PATIENT HAS 

NORMAL BABY 

By Everton Barnes 

The woman who was 

Antigua and Barbuda’s 

first known case of Zika 

virus from local transmission, 

and who was 

pregnant at the time, 

has given birth to a normal, 

healthy baby. 

That’s the report 

from Acting Chief Medical 

Officer, Dr James 

Knight, who said the St. 

John’s woman was in an 

advanced stage of pregnancy 

when she contracted 

the virus in July. 

He said the health 

cont’d on pg 3 

Visit us 

online 

at: 

www.caribbeantimes.ag 

From Left: Generation Y: Ȧdia Duberry- Co-President, C. Marcellus Forbes Jr. – PR & Communications 

Director, Brent Scotland – President. St. John Hospice: Cathy Gilkes, Althea Joseph, Agnes Meeker 

and Christine Simon. 

Halo youth give back 

Executive members of the Youth Arm of 

The Halo Foundation, Generation Y were all 

smiles as they donated almost $5,000.00 to the 

St. John Hospice, one of the 25 charities under 

the Patronage of Sir Rodney Williams and 

Lady Williams. President of Generation Y , 

Brent Scotland, announced that Generation Y 

is focused on getting youth involved in giving 

back to society. He noted that “we (the youth) 

are undeniably the future and if we want to see 

our nation prosper , then it is up to us to ensure 

that we make a difference -- setting out to do 

good in every aspect of life, and to help those 

who are critically in need”. 

The funds donated by Generation Y were 

raised from the sale of a painting depicting 

the heroic Team Wadadli rowers, who completed 

a 53-day Atlantic crossing in February 

of this year in order to raise funds for St.John 

Hospice. Agnes Meeker, President of the Hospice, 

expressed her appreciation and gratitude 

for the donation. She indicated that she continues 

to be grateful for assistance in offsetting 

the continuous expenses of the Hospice.

2 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 

Monday 22nd August 2016 

Akanii Simon – Top CSEC student 

By Joanna Paris 

“It took a lot of prayer 

and hard work”. 

Those are the words of 

the 2016 top performing 

student in the Caribbean 

Secondary Examination 

Certificate (CSEC) Examinations, 

Akanii Cedric Simon. 

The 16-year old, who 

hailed from the Baptist 

Academy, took 17 subjects 

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and attained 16 grade ones 

and 1 grade two. 

“It took a lot of hard 

work. Like every night before 

you go to sleep you 

say that prayer asking for 

strength. 

“I mean to deal with 17 

subjects, it’s a lot”, Simon 

said smiling. 

He said that he is very 

pleased and thankful for 

the results. 

Five years ago in 2011, 

Simon was the top student 

in the Grade 6 National Assessment, 

then a student of 

the primary school section 

of the Baptist Academy. 


Prime Minister, the 

Hon. Gaston Browne continues 

to stand by his 

government’s decision to 

transform the Five Islands 

campus to the University of 

Antigua. 

Speaking during a press 

conference last Thursday at 

the Prime Minister’s Office, 

the nation leader explained 

that the country needs the 

university in order to become 

even more competitive, 

through the development 

of human resources. 

“When investors come 

to this country and they ask 

about our educational facilities, 

they do not ask about 

pre-schools, they do not ask 

about secondary schools, 

His mother, Gail Stratton-Matthew, 

is equally 

proud and elated with her 

son’s achievements. 

“My first reaction was 

Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus. 

I knew my son would 

have done it. I just felt in 

my spirit”, she expressed 

happily. 

She noted that he “practically 

spoke it into existence 

five years ago while 

supporting his sister at 

the then 2011 LIME CXC 

Awards ceremony”. 

She describes her son as 

“very humble and down to 

earth”. 

they ask if we have a university 

and this to me suggest 

that the establishment 

of a university must be a 

priority”, he emphasized. 

Prime Minister Browne 

was also quick to mention 

the constant controversy 

surrounding the decision 

to utilize the Five Islands 

campus, which was originally 

built by the Chinese 

Government under the former 

UPP administration, 

for the purpose of establishing 

the Five Islands 

Secondary School. 

“Those who continue 

to look at this issue in 

a very myopic way must 

understand that this is also 

an issue of making the citizens 

of this country more 

Simon hinted at the possibility 

of pursuing studies 

in dermatology after college. 

Meanwhile, according 

to a press release from the 

Ministry of Education, 

there was an overall pass 

rate of 74.2 percent; however, 

the performance of 

students in some subject areas 

fell below this average. 

Among the subjects that 

had average pass rates below 

the overall average 

are: Additional Mathematics, 

33%, Geography, 58%, 

Mathematics, 42% and 

Physics, 58%. 

University of Antigua will increase 

country’s competitiveness says PM 

competitive and it is also 

about popularizing tertiary 

education opportunities for 

our people”, he further asserted. 

He also pointed out that 

his administration is fully 

committed to enhancing the 

quality of education offered 

at the secondary school level. 

He mentioned that the 

government has already 

invested approximately 10 

million dollars to facilitate 

the ongoing expansion of 

five secondary schools. 

PM Browne reminded 

the public that an additional 

14 million dollars will 

be used to further develop 

more school plants in January.

Monday 22nd August 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 3 

cont’d from pg 1 

authorities were keeping a 

watchful eye on the woman 

although there were no 

fears that she might have 

given birth to a child with 

birth defects as a result of 

the disease. 

According to Dr. 

Knight it is generally believed 

that women who 

gave birth to babies with 

microcephaly contracted 

the Zika virus earlier in 

their pregnancies. 

He said both mother 

and baby are doing fine. 

The health official is 

however urging people 

who may believe that they 

are infected with the virus 

to seek medical attention 

immediately. 

He explained that all 

cases where the Zika virus 

has been found happened 

when the patients were 

tested within 48 hours of 

the symptoms. 

“After five or six days 

we see that the presence 

of viral matter in samples 

disappear. 

“So in the earlier stages 

we were getting a lot of 

negatives from samples 

sent off to the laboratory 

in Trinidad. 

“We now believe that 

this was because many of 

these folks did not seek 

medical attention until 

some days after the symptoms 

appear,” he noted. 

He emphasised the importance 

of early reporting 

as this will allow the CBH 

and others to undertake 

eradication exercises in 

the areas where the virus 

has been confirmed in a 

patient. 

“Vector control is the 

only way to beat Zika and 

we must attacked the mosquitoes 

quickly in order to 

control the spread of the 

virus,” he stated. 

So far seven persons 

have been confirmed with 

the disease. 

However, according 

to Dr Knight a number if 

samples have been sent off 

to the laboratory and the 

results are yet to return. 

Symptoms of the virus 

include rash, fever and red 

eye. 

The Zika virus has 

been linked to microcephaly 

which is a birth defect 

where babies are born with 

small heads. 

The Ministry of Information Broadcasting, Telecommunications & 

Information Technology under the stewardship of the Honourable 

Melford Nicholas is inviting members of the General Public to a 

Public Consultation at the 

Multi-Purpose Cultural Centre 

on 

Monday 22 August, 2016 from 7:30pm. 

The Provisions of the new Telecommunications 

Bill 2016 as it relates to competition, 

regulations, consumer protection, 

affordability of telecommunication 

services and quality service will be 

explained. 

The Bill which is before Parliament can be downloaded from 

www.ab.gov.ag



Antigua’s best poly clinic opens in Cedar Grove 


Cabinet is getting support from two 

experts in governance and political science 

on its decision to take to the parliament 

the controversial Statutory Corporation 

General Provisions Bill. 

Appearing on Observer Radio’s Big 

Issues Programme on Sunday, Political 

Scientist at the UWI Augustine Campus, 

Dr Hamid Ghany said the bill is in line 

with the provisions of the Constitution 

which states that Cabinet has full responsibility 

for the direction of the government. 

He noted that this is a feature of the 

Westminster-style government which 

establishes a Cabinet which ministers 

responsibilities for policy direction in 

the ministries. 

“This bill makes Cabinet government 

more reflective of the mandate 

given to a government and enhances 

By Justin Peters 

Yesterday was a very 

proud day not only for the 

residents of Cedar Grove, 

but the entire state of Antigua 

and Barbuda. Now the proud 

owners of a state of the art 

poly clinic and crèche, they 

can look forward to better 

medical care just footsteps 

from their homes. 

The project which had 

been progressing slowly 

over the past 2 years, has 

come to a successful realization. 

Although there were 

some challenges, including 

having to replace cabling 

for the A/C and generator, 

outfitting the building with 

medical equipment and securing 

the property with a 

fence and a security detail, 

they were met with the level 

of professionalism that the 

Minister of Health and the 

Environment, the Honorable 

Molwyn Joseph, who admittedly 

did not want to rush 

the project for his dislike for 

“soft openings” and the need 

to provide the people of Antigua 

and Barbuda with the 

very best health care possible, 

something that the newly 

opening clinic it is hoped 

will accomplish as the best 

Poly Clinic on the Island. 

The clinic will serve the 

constituency primarily but 

it’s doors are open to all Antiguans 

and Barbudans regardless 

of localization. The 

clinic was declared officially 

open when the ribbon was 

the level of responsibility of a minister. 

Now you can’t blame anyone for policy 

failure in a statutory corporation but the 

minister,” Dr Ghany stated. 

He added that the bill ‘fine-tunes and 

nails down with great clarity’ that there 

is no one else to blame for failures but 

the minister responsible. 

Additionally, he noted that the bill 

may also benefit opposition members 

who desire to return to government at 

some point in the future. “A new party 

coming into office has the knowledge 

that everyone (on a statutory board) 

resigns under the new legislation upon 

their party losing office. So a new government 

is guaranteed a clean slate,” he 

explained. 

After studying the contents of the 

bill, the political scientist said he is not 

perturbed by its provisions. Although, 

he added, he understands the anxiety 

cut by Honourable Gaston 

Browne, Prime Minister of 

Antigua and Barbuda, Honourable 

Molwyn Joseph, 

Minister of Health and the 

Environment and Honourable 

Charles Ferandez, Minister 

of Foreign Affairs and 

Immigration. 

Cabinet gets support on bill 

many in the society may be experiencing 

because it is breaking away from 

traditions. “Breaking away from certain 

long-held traditions in the Caribbean 

is a difficult thing. Those traditions die 

hard!” he declared. 

Also appearing on the programme 

was professional of political science and 

political consultant, Dr Oswald Thomas, 

who said the issue of secondment is 

nothing new to governance in Antigua 

and Barbuda. He said there have been 

secondments from statutory corporations 

to the public sector and vice versa 

in the past with no controversy. Additionally, 

he noted that the matter of secondment 

has also been challenged in the 

court and it has emerged intact. 

Dr Thomas said he did not have any 

concerns about the bill as it seeks to 

achieve something has been in practice 

in the public service in the past.


Pineapple Beach Club Antigua coming soon 


In the upcoming season, Antigua and 

Barbuda will welcome another all-inclusive 

couple’s resort- the Pineapple 

Beach Club. 

The property is now under the management 

of the Elite Group of Companies 

and its Chairman Rob Barrett, who 

acquired the property in June. 

The current form of the resort will be 

closed on August 25th and will reopen 

on October 1st. 

By Deborah A. Parker 

A practicing Social 

Worker would like to see 

more attention given to the 

residents of the Boys Training 

School. 

The centre is government-operated, 

but it is the 

thought of a Social Worker, 

who requested anonymity, 

that private citizens lend 

a hand in the growth and 

development of the young 

men. 

“For whatever reason 

several boys are in the 

home, some if not all are 

of the mind-set that people 

see them as bad boys,” the 

woman said. 

She added, “With that in 

their minds they continue to 

make bad decisions; It is not 

at all healthy for them to feel 

like the bad guys of society.” 

“We really don’t know 

the stories, but I can assure 

you that there are root causes 

to all the bad behaviour 

According to Project Manager and 

General Manager of the Pineapple 

Beach Club, Phillipe Piacentini, the $3 

million dollar project will comprise of 

several additions and renovations. 

“What we envision for this property 

is a major clean up and remodel. We 

are going to be cleaning all the rooms as 

well as painting and to really give the 

hotel a crisp feel to it. We are also going 

to get a lot of landscaping done and also 

a lot of the furniture will be upgraded. 

“ the Social Worker continued. 

Instead of stepping up 

to the proverbial plate and 

assisting, according to the 

woman, people prefer to 

condemn. 

It is the recommendation 

of the Social Worker that 

well-resourced professionals 

within the society begin 

to give of their time and 

their means to the troubled 

youths. 

“Maybe that is just what 

they need to turn away from 

the way of mischief,” she 

added. 

There are enough lawyers, 

doctors, teachers, 

enough people to act as big 

brothers to the young men 

at the Boys Training school, 

she suggested. 

“Maybe by spending 

time with them you just may 

end up with a pool of ambitious 

young men.... bearing 

During the five-week closure of the hotel, 

we will be carrying out a lot of work 

that cannot be done when the hotel is 

open”, explained Piacentini. 

He added that the Elite Group of 

Companies is committed to playing its 

part in contributing to the fresh and relevant 

appeal for rooms in the twin island 

state. 

This, he indicated, will keep the 

flights booked and the interest high in 

the tourism based destination. 

Social worker calls on 

professionals to help troubled boys 

in mind that some may more 

patience than others,” she 

added. 

She said ignoring them, 

or pretending the young 

men at the named institution 

do not exist, will do society 

no good. 

“We may very well be 

pushing them towards a life 

of crime...if we fail to share 

our time and means with 

them, “ concluded the social 

worker. 

More rooms needed 


The tourism sector continues to be the 

largest contributor to the growth of the country’s 

economy. 

With this in mind, Prime Minister the 

Hon. Gaston Browne has indicated that the 

country needs to have ten thousand rooms 

ready, in order to be truly competitive in the 

tourism industry. 

“For those of you who try to argue that 

we have enough rooms, do not understand 

the business. If we do not get up to ten thousand 

rooms, we are not in the tourism business. 

I want to make that clear”, he asserted. 

Speaking during a recent function at his 

office, he used the Paradise Found project as 

an example of how opposition elements are 

frustrating the government in achieving this 

goal. 

He noted that the project is expected to 

create new opportunities for Barbudans and 

also to make the economy more viable. 

Prime Minister Browne said despite the 

setbacks, he is determined to see the project 

through.



Telecoms Bill goes before ‘the people’ 


The people of Antigua and Barbuda 

will get an opportunity to have their say 

on the provisions of the Telecommunications 

Bill that comes up for debate in 

parliament shortly. 

Telecommunications Minister, 

Melford Nicholas, said the ministry is 

organising a town-hall-type meeting 

tonight at the Multi-Purpose Cultural 

Centre to give the public an outlet to 

raise their concerns about the proposed 

legislation. 

“It’s an opportunity for the government 

and the ministry to hear from the 

public directly and to give us some indication 

of what are the views of members 

of the public as they relate to this 

The Rotary Club of Antigua 

Sundown (RCAS) recently 

received a donation of 

$5,000 XCD from the American 

University of Antigua 

(AUA). This donation will go 

towards funding the first ever 

Pediatric Health Fair being 

hosted by RCAS. 

The health fair will take 

place on Saturday August 

27th from 9am to 1pm at the 

University of the West Indies 

Open Campus (UWIOC) Antigua. 

The fair is for five (5) 

to eighteen (18) year olds and 

will help children see and understand 

the importance of 

health and nutrition in a fun 

and activity-filled way. 

There will be booths setup 

by AUA and other partners to 

offer free health screenings to 

include basic vision, dental, 

body mass index and blood 

glucose tests. Also talks will 

be given on various topics 

such as nutrition, obesity prevention, 

physical activity and 

fire safety to name a few. 

“We’re very thankful for 

the assistance from AUA and 

other partners who continue 

to support various RCAS 

initiatives”, said RCAS Vice 

President (and immediate 

Past President) Jenelle Allen. 

“We are constantly looking 

bill,” he told state media. 

Nicholas said consumers of telecommunications 

services in Antigua 

and Barbuda stand to benefit when the 

bill becomes law and thus it is important 

that they play an active role in the 

discussions ahead of the debate in parliament. 

The minister identified the establishment 

of a Telecommunications 

Regulatory Commission as one of the 

institution that will be put in place following 

the passage of the bill. 

“I think with the advent of the Telecommunications 

Regulatory Commission 

that for the first time in Antigua 

and Barbuda companies in the country 

will have to submit to regulations administered 

by the Commission. By that 

simple act, it will force the telecommunications 

operators to meet certain 

standards. One of the immediate benefits 

to the consumer, would be the fact 

that it will eliminate monopoly costs, 

thereby lowering the costs to consumers,” 

Nicholas explained. 

According to the minister the Commission 

is also expected to set the rules 

governing the operations of all telecoms 

providers in the marketplace. He 

added that once the bill is passed the 

providers will be held to a particular 

standard and will have to give account 

of their operations regularly. 

He noted that the Commission will 

cont’d on pg 7 

Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown receives 

funding for Pediatric Village Health Fair 

Left: Sumita Balooja (Public Relations Coordinator, AUA) and Jenelle Allen (RCAS Pediatric Village 

Committee Chair). 

for ways to address the needs 

in our community – And 

when we can get people to 

come together and work in a 

cohesive focused manner to 

help kids in need… It speaks 

volumes.


Biblical perspective 

As I traverse the streets 

of our beloved country, I am 

almost flabbergasted by the 

amount of persons enquiring 

about my articles. I appreciate 

the goodwill, but now I 

am back from my sabbatical 

and ready to go. 

Candidates running for 

political office often boast 

about themselves and rail 

against their opponents, competing 

it seems for who can 

take the lowest ground. Not 

only is their pride exposed, 

but also their hypocrisy, as 

they violate the single moral 

principle of “let him that 

is without sin, first cast the 

stone,” and “why do you 

point out the speck in another’s 

eye when you have one 

hanging out of your eye.” 

They often seem like rats 

who point their fingers at 

each other and call them rats. 

Further, campaigners 

yield to the temptation to tell 

voters exactly what they want 

to hear, lying through their 

smiling teeth. And those who 

loose are expected to fall on 

their swords and endorse the 

victors whilst they are appointed 

to the senate and of 

course is expected to tow the 

party line. 

In our system, it appears 

as though our senators have 

not fully understood and 

recognized that even though 

they are appointed by the 

political parties, their role is 

to ensure that proper checks 

and balances are maintained 

as they review and debate the 

bills which are sent from the 

lower house. In the case of 

vexing bills, their conscience 

and not party loyalty should 

be the determining factor 

how these are addressed. 

They, the senators should 

remember their oath that of 

bearing true allegiance to uphold 

the constitution of the 

land and not a political party. 

That leads me to ask the 

question as to whether or not 

the senate is really relevant to 

good governance or is just a 

rubber stamp. If the latter is 

answered in the affirmative, 

it might be best to do away 

with the bicameral system 

and have one chamber. 

Adding to the sins of the 

politician, the media shows 

its bias with propaganda for 

its preferred candidate. The 

media should be used for disseminating 

information and 

for educational advancement 

so that we can have intelligent 

debate on the issues of 

the day. The rancor which 

takes place has caused so 

much divisions amongst our 

people that even family and 

long standing relationships 

have been fractured. 

What a mess of sin!! It 

reminds us how much the 

world needs Jesus. One day, 

praise God, “the government 

will rest upon His shoulders 

(Isa. 9:6) and His worldwide 

administration will be characterized 

by righteousness 

and justice. 

He will be worthy to rule, 

having never sinned, and 

died to make all the citizens 

cont’d from pg 6 

also pay attention to what he termed the 

‘economics’ of the business which will be 

under its control. 

Nicholas also gave assurances that 

APUA Telecoms department will also be 

able to compete head-to-head with the other 

providers under the legislation. He conceded 

that one reason for the delay in passing the 

bill in parliament was the need to ensure that 

APUA had the necessary infrastructure in 

place that will allow it compete in the marketplace. 

The minister reiterated the government’s 

position that it favours ‘internet neutrality’ 

which frowns on the practice by some providers 

to block access to or deny use of services 

such as Whatsapp. He said these will 

be covered by the regulations that will accompany 

the bill after its passage. 

Along with technicians in the ministry, 

representatives from FLOW, Digicel and 

APUA Telecoms Unit will also be in attendance 

at the public forum. 

By Bishop Rolston S.M. Jeffrey 

Ph.D; D.Min.,DRE., M.Div. 

of His kingdom inwardly and 

outwardly righteousness. 

Only then will there be 

the utopia that everyone 

dreams of only then will a 

utopia be possible; because 

the primary preventative will 

have been removed, which is 

individual sin. 

The only people who will 

be working to be citizens of 

that kingdom will be those 

who have submitted from 

their hearts to the King of 

Kings and have been transformed 

by His grace. 

There won’t be any elections, 

praise God, but only 

divine appointments. Jesus 

will exalt the humble whom 

He promised will inherit the 

earth (Matt. 5:5), and they 

will rule and reign with Him 

(2 Tim. 2:12; Rev.20:6). Our 

position within His future 

government will be determined 

by our faithfulness 

and fruitfulness (Matt. 19:28; 

25:21-23; Luke 19:16-19; 

22:29-30). 

Editor’s Note: The opinions 

expressed in this Op-ed 

are those of the author and 

do not necessarily reflect the 

views of Caribbean Times.



Print It - Dare to be different 


There has been a welcomed 

and noticeable evolution in 

clothing in the twin island 

state, especially where African 

prints are concerned. 

Many of us remember the 

theme for the 2016 Rotary 

Club of Antigua annual colours 

fete “Colours in Africa”, which 

saw many persons arriving at 

the event decked out in unique 

designs featuring colourful African 

prints. 

In 2015, a young, budding 

entrepreneur and teacher Renee 

Hughes, had a vision of changing 

the way people viewed Africa 

and their Heritage through 

prints. 

Caribbean Times caught up 

with the young designer, who 

recently launched her website, 

printitrh.com. 

Hughes explained that she 

always had an eye for “everything 

unique”, which formed 

part of the motivation to launch 

“Print It”. 

“I have always loved fashion 

and I always loved to 

see how the African women 

dressed, to me it was just gorgeous 

and I just wanted away to 

change these traditional clothing 

and make a modern twist. It 

is not just about setting a trend; 

it goes beyond that, it is about 

celebrating our culture, our 

ethnicity and our roots. You see 

fashion is a form of communication, 

it shows who you are”, 

Hughes said confidently. 

With reference to the website, 

Hughes said that she wanted 

to give her clients, both here 

and abroad, more options. 

“I wanted to give persons 

more choices and it is also a 

way for me to showcase my


designs as I am a designer 

as well. I consider my pieces 

unique and I wanted to share 

that with customers around the 

world”, she indicated. 

The website features, maxi 

skirts, dresses, rompers, blouses 

and recently added African 

print swimwear. 

Hughes hopes that one day 

her site will be recognized 

worldwide in the fashion industry. 

She expressed thanks to 

her family, partner, friends and 

other well-wishers who have 

supported her throughout her 

venture. 

She made specific mention 

of fellow local designer, Daniel 

Shem Henry of Mr. Henry 

Designs, who she said assisted 

her significantly in the beginning, 

by bringing her ideas to 

life and showing her the art of 

drawing and sketching designs. 

The poised and elegant 

Hughes also had some advice 

for black women. 

“I think it is very important 

for us as young black women 

to appreciate our culture, because 

we live in a world where 

a different type of woman if 

dominating the fashion runways 

in the world and they are 

promoting a different type of 

clothing. You are not seeing 

the blackness being promoted 

that much. So I think that we 

should be happy to embrace 

our skin and equally embrace 

our roots. We should be proud 

of who we are”, she indicated 

boldly.



On the CCJ/JCPC 

By Cecil E. W. Wade 

It has been announced that Following 

the Carnival celebrations, The National 

Coordinating Committee for the 

Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and 

the Judicial Committee of the Privy 

Council (JCPC) will restart the sensitisation 

campaign by way of townhall 

meetings, radio and television 

programmes, newspaper articles and 

distribution of pamphlets etc. 

This is commendable, but will the 

public sensitisation and education 

have any influence on the results of 

the Referendum? 

Like many other issues of public 

importance, the support for, or stance 

against a particular matter is sometimes 

based upon the emotions of 

some people which are fuelled by the 

political parties that they favour. And 

the result of the Referendum is likely 

to be patterned off General Elections; 

in spite of the fact that some opposition 

members are in support of the 

CCJ. 

It is surprising to hear so many Caribbean 

people antagonising the CCJ 

and preferring The Privy Council. Of 

course I can understand the position 

that The Observer Group would take 

on account of the disappointments 

they experienced in their long struggle 

to the Privy Council for final determination 

of their matter; also others 

whose circumstance was similar. 

However, we should continue to 

express faith and confidence in our 

own institutions. Where there are failings 

we should endeavour to make the 

necessary corrections because we cannot 

continue to accept the popular notion 

that we are not yet ready to have 

our own final court of appeal. 

We should not permit ourselves 

to be used as the avenue for our former 

oppressor’s propaganda, that we 

are not ready to chart our own course. 

They encourage us to fight about trifles 

so that they can remain in domination 

of our efforts for self-reliance. 

Since the failed attempt at The 

West Indies Federation in 1962, a 

number of Caribbean Islands have 

gained Independence from Britain and 

had come to the realisation that there 

has to be some form of unification of 

the Islands in order to develop a certain 

degree of political and economic 

independence through integration; 

because the underdevelopment of our 

region was seen as a result of the process 

of economic development of the 

Capitalist countries which fleeced the 

Caribbean Islands for centuries. 

The dependency relationship was 

seen as a result of foreign penetration, 

exploitation and domination of 

the Caribbean societies. Hence, it was 

necessary for the Caribbean countries 

to concentrate largely on regional integration 

and self -reliance. 

In this attempt the Caribbean Free 

Trade Association (CARIFTA) was 

created and then expanded through 

the West Indies Associated States 

(WISA). And unlike the West Indies 

Federation, which was primarily a 

political union, CARIFTA was essentially 

devoted to economic matters of 

mutual concern. 

The Caribbean Common Market 

and Community (CARICOM) succeeded 

CARIFTA in the early 70s with 

a view to produce a much more ambitious 

integration movement in the 

Caribbean. 

In attempts to become independent 

and self-sufficient, the Caribbean territories 

had established Institutional 

Organisations such as University 

of the West Indies, Council of Legal 

Education, Caribbean Examination 

Council, Caribbean Investment Corporation, 

Caribbean Development 

Bank, Regional Shipping Council, and 

Caribbean Meteorological Council 

and so on; all with the view to achieving 

a certain degree of economic and 

political independence. 

Yet we see a strong tendency to 

want to retain the Privy Council to feature 

prominently in our jurisprudence. 

There have been consultations 

on the CCJ/JCPC matter; and it was 

shocking to see that some proponents 

of black power and black consciousness 

speaking in support of retaining 

the Privy Council in preference of the 

Caribbean Court of Justice. 

It was somewhat amazing, amusing 

and highly ironic when a speaker of 

some notoriety, resplendently dressed 

in his “African clown suit” was seen 

speaking at a business breakfast conference, 

in support of the Privy Council, 

and against the institution of the 

Caribbean Court of Justice. 

One of our problems is that we do 

not think for ourselves. We should 

never lose sight of the fact that the 

poverty which afflicted us for generations 

after Emancipation held us down 

to the lowest order of society, nominally 

free but economically enslaved, 

living in a state of recognised inferiority. 

The CCJ should be supported and 

implemented in order to sever the remaining 

ties to the Colonial past. 

National and regional economic 

and political independence should 

transcend the divisive and selfish party 

politics which prevails in Antigua 

and Barbuda. 

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed 

in this Op-ed are those of the 

author and do not necessarily reflect 

the views of Caribbean Times.


Friday’s Sudoku Solution 

S U D O K U 

CROSSWORD 

Across 

1. Wild party 

5. Big brother? 

10. Ticklish doll 

14. “Little Caesar” role for Edward 

G. Robinson 

15. 1944 Otto Preminger film 

16. Diamond, Young or Simon 

17. Huh? 

20. Valued highly 

21. Fireplace utensils 

22. Start for Jose or Diego 

23. Business association 

25. Huh? 

33. Oscar winner Berry 

34. Post of etiquette fame 

35. Abbr. on a ticket 

36. One way to stand by 

37. Obligations 

38. Fixed charge 

39. Muscle car initials 

40. Frenzied 

41. What ibn means 

42. Huh? 

45. Follow a command 

46. “___ Poetica” (Horace) 

47. “Don’t ___ me, I voted for 

...” 

50. Absolutely certain 

55. Huh? 

58. Source of some lows 

59. Supplement 

60. Monopoly payment 

61. Obedience-school word 

62. Elementary atomic particle 

63. Captain Hook’s sidekick 

Down 

1. Yuppie cheese 

2. Helps out 

3. Sean Connery, by birth 

4. “To tell the truth ...” 

5. Homecoming returnees 

6. Ruinous agent 

7. Melville’s foretopman 

8. Pitchblende, e.g. 

9. Smoker’s amassment 

10. Inter 

11. Mean partner 

12. Chinese dynasty (1368- 

1644) 

13. Contemporary of Ford 

18. Beleaguer 

19. Go away from the fold 

23. Hog side 

24. Malaises 

25. Tories’ opponents 

26. “It ___ Be You” 

27. Concede 

28. Diminutive 

29. External boundary 

30. Yemeni neighbor 

31. “The Jungle” author Sinclair 

32. Cause of shrinkage 

37. Watch feature, perhaps 

38. Farm alarms 

40. Lady with a dream in a Louis 

Armstrong tune 

41. Bit of parsley 

43. Grits stuff 

44. Singer Sheena 

47. Toddlers’ garb 

48. Exam for a would-be DA 

49. Gillette product 

50. Okra units 

51. Not taken in by 

52. It’s on the agenda 

53. Liana 

54. Luncheon conclusion? 

56. On the ___ (hiding out) 

57. J.F.K.’s predecessor



Today’s weather forecast 

Antigua and Barbuda 

Mostly sunny skies. 

High - 85ºF 

Low - 78ºF 

Wind: East 9 mph 

Sunrise 5.52 am; Sunset 6.27 pm 

Friday’s Crossword Solution 

HOROSCOPE 

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). 

Your optimism will be naturally 

buoyed by smiling faces 

around you. You may find 

yourself looking forward 

to the simplest of tasks like 

something wonderful is going 

to happen — and so it does. 

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). 

Family ties are complex and 

infuriating and imbued with 

all the necessary ingredients 

for your soul’s evolution. If it 

weren’t difficult, it wouldn’t 

be powerful. 

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). 

What seems from the outside 

to be a normal little scene will 

read as something very different 

to you, as it perfectly 

illustrates and encapsulates a 

feeling from way back. 

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). 

The person who harbors resentment 

becomes a slave to 

the one he has contempt for 

and is essentially consumed 

with the angry focus that resentment 

demands. If you feel 

resentment, do what it takes to 

get free. 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22- 

Dec. 21). The destination is 

still far off. To sweeten your 

sense of anticipation and keep 

you headed in the right direction, 

assign checkpoints along 

the way. There will be satisfaction 

in the achievement of 

each small goal. 

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 

19). As for those skills you 

so want to possess that don’t 

come naturally to you — they 

didn’t come naturally to the 

masters you admire so much, 

either. These qualities must be 

cultivated, and you’ll do just 

that. 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 

18). When you come into the 

scene, you come to run it. This 

requires that you think ahead 

so that you’re in a proactive 

position, which is much stronger 

than a reactive position. 

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). 

You’ve tried and failed to communicate. 

Why didn’t it work? 

Maybe the problem isn’t you. 

After all, you can explain it 

to them, but you can’t understand 

it for them. Give it one 

more go before you give up. 

ARIES (March 21-April 

19). To bring full attention to 

dressing, eating, walking and 

the rest is a form of meditation. 

It’s almost impossible 

to execute, but you’ll learn 

something trying — namely 

how easily and often we fall 

out of the moment. 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). 

You’re not looking for love, 

but love is looking for you, 

and it will finally make eye 

contact this afternoon. The 

attention will trigger ancient 

and contradictory emotions, 

and you may feel like freezing, 

fleeing or fighting the attraction. 

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). 

You want to learn, but you 

don’t like the feeling of being 

managed by an authority 

figure. This isn’t about the situation 

at hand; it’s about old 

baggage. If you challenge this 

authority, it will cut you free. 

Is that what you really want? 

CANCER (June 22-July 22). 

People fit together for reasons 

other than can be seen on the 

surface. You will witness or be 

involved in a companionship 

that may seem superficially 

odd, but it works perfectly.


Island Boys Tapeball Cricket bowls off 

By Vanroy Burnes 

The Island Boys Tape 

Ball cricket competition 

bowls off Sunday with 20 

teams to include 15 males 

and 5 females. The league 

which is in its second year 

is officially called the LL 

Supply Ltd & Kenneth A 

Gomez & Sons IBSC TBL 

T-20 & T-15 Competitions. 

The Male will play 20 

overs while the female will 

play 15 overs. 

The teams taking part 

includes Empire, ACB 

Warriors, Dredgers, 

Frederick fails to advance 

By Carlena Knight 

Overseas based high jumper, Priscilla Frederick failed 

to advance to the round of 16 in the Women’s high jump 

on Thursday morning at the Rio 2016 Olympics. 

The 27 year old finished in 28 th position with a jump of 

1.89m knocking her out of a chance to proceed onto the 

next round. 

Deposited not moving on Frederick in a post interview 

spoke on her performance and her growth this year. 

‘My practices here haven’t been the best but I’m very 

grateful and happy. I made to the top events in track and 

field throughout the year, places I never expected to reach 

and I’m happy to do that representing Antigua and Barbuda’. 

The purple hair don’t care sensation also spoke on her 

goals for the future. 

‘This Olympic experience opened my eyes to new 

heights. I’m going to go back and train harder and remain 

focused as I set my sights on the London 2017 World 

Championships’. 

The 4x100m relay team also did not advance from 

round 1 as they finished in 12 th position on the overall 

standings in a time of 38.44secs. 

Chevaughn Walsh, Cejhae Greene, Jared Jarvis and 

Tahir Walsh were the four athletes who took part in the 

relay race after both Miguel Francis and Daniel Bailey 

pulled out due to injuries. 

Bryson’s Shipping & Insurance 

Bullets, All Stars, 

Settlers Ceco Pharmacy 

Future Stars , Auntie Sues 

Kitchen Herbert’s United, 

Sisserou, Success Catering 

Buckley’s 3 J’s, Island 

Boys, Medicare Pharmacy 

& AUA College of 

Medicine PMS, Left Out, 

Pelican Safari East Side 

Breeze, Global Bank of 

Commerce TNK Stars and 

Mahico in the male division. 

In the female there will 

be Bryson’s Shipping & Insurance 

Bullets, Caribbean 

Alliance Insurance Strictly 

Business, Female Flyers, 

Happy Crew Verdi and 

Happy Crew Vellas. 

There will be two 

matches at each venue the 

PMS Ground, Clare Hall, 

Dredgers, Powell’s and 

Grammar School. 

There will cash prizes 

of $6000.00 up for grabs. 

The matches scheduled 

for Sunday are Empire versus 

Settlers at PMS, ACB 

Warriors versus Ceco Pharmacy 

Future Stars at Clare 

Hall, Dredgers versus Auntie 

Sues Kitchen Herbert’s 

at AGS, Bryson’s Shipping 

& Insurance Bullets versus 

Sisserou at Powell’s, 

All Stars versus Success 

Catering Buckley’s 3 JS 

at AGS, Island Boys versus 

Medicare Pharmacy & 

AUA College of Medicine 

PMS at PMS and Left Out 

versus Pelican Safari East 

side Breeze at AGS in the 

male. 

Meanwhile in the females, 

the scheduled 

matches are Happy Crew 

Verdi versus Female Flyers 

at Dredgers and Happy 

Crew Vellas versus 

Bryson’s Shipping & Insurance 

Bullets at Powell’s.


Monday 22nd August 2016


Principal calls for more qualified 

athletics coaches in schools 

By Vanroy Burnes 

Principal of the Princess 

Margaret Secondary School 

Dr. Colin Greene is calling 

for the hiring of more qualified 

athletics coaches in the 

Ministry of Sports to fill the 

needs the program. 

Dr. Greene was speaking 

after the unfortunate situation 

in the Rio Olympics in 

Brazil for this as it relates to 

the Antiguan athletes after 

they failed to medal and exited 

early in the events. 

According to Dr. Greene 

said there is no way you can 

have one athletics coach in 

the whole ministry that is 

stationed at Yasco. 

He noted that athletics 

coaches should be deployed 

at all corners of the country 

where there is a school 

and although these schools 

do not have a track, grass is 

the best training ground for 

them because it happens all 

Business league 

basketball returns 

By Carlena Knight 

The 2016 Digicel Cool & Smooth Business Basketball 

league will make its return on September 17 th . 

Organizers of the highly anticipated league, Michael 

Roach and Foston George (ABBA representatives) and Carl 

and Oleno Knight will host a very important meeting with 

all interested persons on August 23 rd in preparation for the 

event. 

The League champions of last year were 3Ds Snackette 

while the playoffs championship was captured by Kennedy’s 

Club Ltd. 

over the world. 

Dr. Greene said we 

should implement a system 

like Jamaica, where qualify 

coaches are employed 

and place in position, these 

coaches will then identify 

athletics talent and then help 

to develop those athletes. 

The Princess Margaret 

Secondary School of which 

Dr. Greene is the Principal is 

the most successful school 

in terms of the inter-schools 

athletics program. 

Antigua & Barbuda stint 

in Rio was nothing to write 

home about except for the 

fact that both Daniel Baka 

Bailey and Ceajae Greene 

manage to make it to the 100 

meters semi-finals, but only 

Greene contested the event 

after Bailey pulled out due 

to injury. 

Greene eventually ended 

up in sixth position. 

Miguel Francis, the country’s 

best chance of Medaling 

in the 200 meters event 

also pulled out due to injury 

while high jumper Priscilla 

Frederick and Swimmers 

Mascal Gomes and Roberts 

were eliminated early in 

their event. 

However, the situation of 

the athletes’ injuries did not 

go down well with members 

of the public especially with 

Bailey after he did not show 

up in the lane, only to find 

out later that he was injured. 

The situation angered 

most persons and has called 

for a more professional attitude 

to the welfare of our 

athletes at major events like 

the Olympics. 

Bailey’s injury and also 

that of Francis did not provide 

any realistic chance in 

the 4X100 relay thus misses 

out of the finals. 

However apart from Dr. 

Colin Greene’s call for more 

qualify coaches in the school 

system, there are also calls 

for the urgent upgrade of the 

lone YASCO athletic coach 

by athletics officials, while 

some are calling for a completely 

new facility in line 

with international standards. 

ATTENTION ALL EMPLOYERS 

AND SELF EMPLOYED PERSONS 

The Antigua & Barbuda Social Security Board (ABSSB) 

advises of its intent to commence criminal prosecution on 

ALL non-compliant employers and self employed persons. 

To this end, all employers and self employed persons, who 

are in breach of their statutory obligation to Social Security, 

are strongly urged to contact the Social Security office to 

regularize their status between June 1, 2016 and August 31, 

2016. 

The ABSSB wishes to commend all employers and self 

employed persons who have consistently complied with 

their statutory obligation and encourages all employers and 

self employed persons to ensure that moving forward every 

attempt will be made to adhere to their Social Security obligations.



Fourth day called off in first hour 

PORT-OF-SPAIN - All 

efforts to get the Queen’s 

Park Oval ready for play 

were given up in the very 

first hour of the fourth day. 

At around 10.25am, the 

fourth day was called off. 

Since the early morning 

on day two of the Test, there 

had been barely an hour of 

rain, but the outfield was in 

such a bad state that not a 

ball was bowled for three 

days. 

The ground was not fully 

covered, it didn’t have a super 

sopper, and Test cricket 

went through another surreal 

day of no action. 

With the Test certain 

When Mitchell Starc had Dhananjaya 

de Silva caught at midwicket off a slower 

ball, he became the fastest to 100 ODI 

wickets, achieving the landmark in his 

52nd match, a game quicker than Saqlain 

Mushtaq, and two quicker than Shane 

Bond. 

It was another sunny day with no play in Port of Spain. 

to end as a draw, Pakistan new No. 1 Test team; India 

were all set to become the needed to win this Test to 

After an inauspicious start to his ODI 

career - 0 for 51 off 8.5 overs against India 

- Starc has been on an ODI roll, with 

11 hauls of four or more wickets. No other 

bowler has as many four-wicket hauls 

at the time when they got to 100 - the next 

best is Waqar Younis, who had ten such 

retain their top spot. (ES- 

PNcricinfo) 

Starc zooms to 100 wickets in record time 

Mitchell Starc 

hauls when he reached the 100-wicket 

mark. Starc’s first 50 wickets took 29 

games; while that was still impressive, 

21 players had reached that mark faster, 

with Ajantha Mendis getting there in just 

19. Starc was ten matches behind Mendis 

at that stage, but he is 11 games ahead at 

the 100-wicket mark - Mendis only got 

there in his 63rd ODI. 

Starc’s strike rate of 24.4 is the best 

at the 100-wicket mark among all bowlers 

(strike rate at the end of the match 

in which they got their 100th). Shoaib 

Akhtar, who got to his 100th in his 60th 

game - and took his career-best figures of 

6 for 16 in that game - was next best at 

the 100-wicket mark, with a strike rate of 

26.24. 

In terms of averages, he is fifth, after 

Saqlain Mushtaq, Curtly Ambrose, Joel 

Garner and Waqar Younis. (ESPNcricinfo)

Caribbean Times 76th Issue - Monday 22nd August 2016

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