BLACK EYE PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE
CANDIED SWEET POTATO; FRIED PLANTAIN
GRILLED FISH; FRIED SNAPPER
BBQ RIBS; BAKED CHICKEN
BAKED PORK; POTATO SALAD
LAMB STEW; PLAIN GRAVY
TOSSED SALAD
By JASMIN BONIMY
A well-known religious figure yesterday expressed support for the proposed amendment to the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act that would ban marital rape in The Bahamas.
“I believe that the law seeks to discourage men who are in very strained relationships with their wives even if they are still living together from forcing their wives to have sex,” said Anglican
Archdeacon James Palacious in an address to the Rotary Club of West Nassau.
“In other words, such relationships are already dead and they only need a formal burial to be performed by the courts. Consider the woman whose husband is having sex all over the place ‘homosexually’. Does she not have the right to protest by saying no?”
Controversy erupted after Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler-Turner introduced the proposed amendment in the House of Assembly in July. Since then several women’s rights activists have expressed support for the amendment. But there have been others — some clergymen included — who have expressed strong opposition to the measure.
Currently, marital rape is only recognized in The Bahamas if the couple is separated or in the process of getting a divorce. If a couple is married and there has been no separation, no rape can occur under Bahamian law.
Palacious insisted that the amendment is needed to address the concerns of a rapidly developing society.
“As societies evolve over time, they recognize certain obvious imperfections of existing laws in light of new understanding of the character and inherent worth of each individual and move to change such laws,” he said.
“The abolition of the slave trade and then slavery itself is probably the most classic example. Over the years, laws have been changed to grant either more rights and/or protection to any number or categories of persons.”
Lawmakers say the total ban of martial rape would mean that a spouse could be sentenced to up to life in prison for the rape of a spouse, even on a first offense, as is the case for others convicted of rape.
Speaking out against one of the most controversial criticisms of the proposed amendment, Palacious insisted yesterday that he saw no reason for fears that this amendment would make way for same-sex marriages.
“Proponents of this argument have legitimate reason for concern if in fact this is true, but this is mere speculation,” he said. “And even if it were true, we must not allow this debate to be hijacked by such an agenda or sidetracked by that special interest group. Any debate on the recognition of same-sex unions will be done at another time, if society considers that necessary. My position at such a time would be to say no to such a proposal.”
While seeking to ban marital rape, the bill also seeks to expand the amount of time allowed to commence prosecutions of summary sexual offenses. Under the proposed law, proceedings for summary sexual offenses could be instituted if they are reported up to two years after the alleged incident. This would be an increase from the current six months.
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A FAMILY lost over $3 million in belongings when their businessplace and home were destroyed by fire yesterday. GPR Hardware on Rochard Road, Barrackpore, was destroyed, along with owner Navin Gobin Persad’s four-bedroom home situated on the upstairs portion of the concrete structure. Persad said the fire started in one of the bedrooms of the house. His wife, Nadine, seven-year-old Nivian and son, Nivan, five, were all downstairs in the hardware when the fire occurred around 12.20 p.m. Fire tenders from San Fernando, Princes Town and Siparia arrived at the scene, but fire officers were unable to save the building or its contents. Barrackpore police officers are continuing investigations. Police officers in Point Fortin are also investigating the cause of a fire which yesterday destroyed a boat docked at Vance River, Point Fortin. The 9 a.m. fire destroyed the crew vessel NT Fanta. The boat was valued at $100,000. It belonged to Mark Singh of Clifton Hill, Point Fortin. |
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Prime Minister Patrick Manning is promising “maximum autonomy” for Tobago within the unitary State. He said Tobagonians could expect more independence as part of the new constitution reform. Manning’s statement came during yesterday family day sponsored by the People’s National Movement at the Mayaro Recreation Ground, where thousands attended an all-day function. “We will like to see Tobago have maximum autonomy within the context of the unitary state of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. Work is being done in collaboration with Tobago House of Assembly and two public meeting will be held, Manning said. He made no mention of tomorrow’s budget to be presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira. Manning arrived hours after the family day began, in time to see a small group of protesting members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU). About ten members protested with placards appealing for Manning’s intervention in their on-going battle with the management of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) over wage negotiations that saw dozens of them suspended after a fracas at the company’s headquarters in Port of Spain last months. Manning promised to speak with the protesters. During the event, supporters also heard from Local Government Minister Hazel Manning, youth speaker Sarah Guerra, and Health Minister Jerry Narace who outlined all the successes of his ministry, and expressed hope that adequate resources would be set aside for health in the budget. Manning spent much of his speech focused on governance and constitutional reform. He said there will soon be 51 consultations around the country and a green paper on constitutional reform will be used for further public comments. He said meetings will be held before the final document is prepared as the new constitution of the country. He said for there to be Caribbean integration or any arrangement with other Caribbean countries, Parliament will debate and pass a law which could lead to an economic union between Trinidad and Tobago and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States by 2011. This, he said, would be followed by a form of political union by 2013. “We can’t do it without a law in Parliament,” Manning reminded. |
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Avia Collinder, Business Reporter
In the absence of an effective government response to what is believed to be the large and growing number of uninsured motor vehicles operating on Jamaica’s roads, one insurance company is offering compliant drivers an insurance top-up for a fee of up to $4,000 more per year.
The new rider from the Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI) provides policyholders with additional coverage in the event of collisions with uninsured motorists.
“If you are insured currently with ICWI and someone without insurance hits you and you claim with ICWI, you will pay the deductible (charge), which is five per cent and lose your no-claim benefits, which can be up to 60 per cent of the annual charge,” says Samantha Samuda, the company’s assistant vice-president of marketing and distribution.
In such circumstances, the policyholder will also be required to pay an excess charge and full insurance costs at a higher rate in the years following the claim until no-claim benefits again accrue over time.
“It will cost you a lot of money for something which was not your fault,” the company executive said, pointing out that with the purchase of the uninsured motorist insurance top-up, all applicable costs would be paid by the insurer without the usual penalties to the policyholder.
The company said its women-only Road Angels policy already includes uninsured driving coverage for damage to the policyholder’s vehicle and for personal injury where the uninsured driver is at fault.
Depending on the value of their vehicles, other policyholders will have between $2,000 and $4,000 tacked on to their annual insurance costs to avoid the penalties associated with uninsured driving by other motorists, if they opt for the added coverage.
But Paul Davis, head of the fraud unit of the Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ), says that not all motor-insurance companies penalise policyholders with the 100 per cent loss of no-claim benefits and other costs when accidents occur.
Policy provisions vary from company to company, he said.
An official with insurance and financial services watchdog, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), supports the IAJ statement.
Comprehensive policy
“Any decision that the company takes has to do with what is in your policy, which is the contract between you and the insurance company,” the FSC official who requested anonymity told Sunday Business.
“If the policy is a compre-hensive one, normally loss of no-claim benefits occurs where the insurance company has to pay, whether one is at fault or not. No-claim indicates that you have not used up your financial resources. When a claim is made, the insured loses this status.”
Industry trends indicating that a significant number of motorists are not renewing their motor policies for reasons many link to worsening financial constraints, ICWI said, led to the decision to offer more protection to compliant motorists.
The insurance association estimates that more than 30 per cent of all vehicles on the roads are uninsured.
“The estimate we use is that somewhere around one-third of vehicles are uninsured. We extrapolate from that and say one-third of accidents involve cars with no insurance.”
Added IAJ executive director Orville Johnson: “If more people would pay their premiums, the overall cost of insurance would be less. One-third is missing from the insurance pool, and so costs are higher. Note as well that motor-vehicle parts are imported and costs go higher each year with the depreciation of the dollar.”
Other remedies
Insurance expert Cedric Stephens adds that uninsured motorists pose problems in many countries and that in other jurisdictions remedies range from government programmes to insurance products offered by companies.
“Although it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle without insurance, it happens quite frequently in Jamaica,” says Stephens, who writes a regular insurance advisory column for Sunday Business.
In parts of the United States and in Canadian provinces, consumers can also buy insurance against uninsured drivers.
In the United Kingdom, Stephens said, victims of negligent, untraced or uninsured motorists get compensation from the 60-year-old Motor Insurers’ Bureau, funded by all motor-insurance companies.
IAJ’s Johnson is pressing for greater vigilance on the part of the state to reduce the incidence of uninsured driving to lower motor-insurance costs across the board.
“What needs to happen is that the law needs to police better those persons on the road without insurance. They are getting away,” Johnson said.
Grenada’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard (right), is escorted by a prison guard upon his arrival at the Grenada Supreme Court for a resentencing hearing in St George’s in 2006. Bernard Coard, the former deputy prime minister of the short-lived People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG) in Grenada, who was imprisoned for 26 years for the murder of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop in 1983, intends to join his wife in Jamaica.
Coard was freed yesterday after the governor general accepted advice to remit the remainder of his sentence.
The 65-year-old was on his way just before midday yesterday, along with 13 other prisoners from the Richmond Hill prison, some of whom are former members of the now-defunct People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA), which carried out the assassinations.
“I will be spending as little time as possible here (in Grenada). My wife is not well. Her health is not very good. I will join her in Jamaica as soon as I can secure a passport. I will be based there,” the CANA news agency quotes Coard as saying yesterday.
Wife already in Jamaica
His wife, Phyllis, has been in Jamaica, since March 2000, where she has been receiving treatment for a severe medical condition.
Both Coard and his wife were part of the ‘Grenada 17′ who were convicted of murdering Bishop and members of his Cabinet in 1983.
The PRG came to power in 1979 after it ousted then Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy in the first successful coup in the English-speaking Caribbean.
But the left-wing government that had close ties with Cuba, the Caribbean’s only Communist country, was split along ideological lines, with some members supporting Coard, and others Bishop.
Bishop and several members of the government were placed under house arrest and later shot and killed by members of the PRA.
Three of those convicted - Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroude and Cecil Prime - were released in 2007 after the High Court ruled that they had spent enough time in jail for their roles in the 1983 killings.
The court had also ruled that 10 other convicted men, including Coard, would serve 40 years’ hard labour on their murder convictions, clearing the way for them to be freed within three years.
The new court sentencing followed a ruling by the London-based Privy Council, the island’s highest court, that overturned the death sentences that had originally been imposed on the former government and military officers.
The Privy Council had ruled that the death sentences were unconstitutional and, as a result, this also invalidated the process by which those sentences were later commuted to life imprisonmen
INFLUENZA A (H1N1) (formerly swine flu) fear swirled through the air at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, campus yesterday after three students were confirmed to have been infected with the virus.Campus officials have reported that the affected persons and others with flu-like symptoms have been isolated.
Well-placed sources told The Sunday Gleaner that a total of 60 students were showing flu-like symptoms.
Mid-afternoon yesterday, Deputy Principal Joseph Pereira convened a meeting with director of student services, Thelora Reynolds, administrators of halls of residence, and a team from the Ministry of Health.
The UWI issued a statement later saying that the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health had visited the campus and had instituted the necessary public-health measures.
As a precaution and containment measure, the UWI said it was advising members of staff and students who might have symptoms of influenza to stay home and to contact the nearest health practitioner. “They should not report to the campus until they have been properly assessed.”
Classes not suspended
In the meantime, the UWI said based on the advice of the Ministry of Health, it is not necessary to suspend classes. However, out of an abundance of caution, it has decided to cancel all social events scheduled to take place at the Mona campus for the next seven days.
The university is working closely with the Ministry of Health and is assuring the public that the situation is being closely monitored by the administration and the public-health authorities. Steps are also being taken to minimise the spread of the infection.
Nation News (Barbados)
Victor Lewis telling his story from the spot where he saved one of two visitors last Wednesday from drowning at Bathsheba, St Joseph.
by PHILLIPPE AIMEY
WHEN VICTOR LEWIS looked the visitors in the eyes last Wednesday, he held their hands and said: “Make sure you spend the rest of your lives together, because you could have just died together.”
Lewis, a regular sea-bather at Bathsheba, St Joseph, saw the two people out to sea in distress.
What Lewis didn’t know at the time was that these two were newlyweds, and were only two days into their honeymoon.
“They were on the beach with another couple who genuinely could not attempt to save them and I saw this white lady running for help, while the man stayed in the shallow water encouraging them to hold on.
“Another guy swam out and saved the man who was in the most difficulty and I saved the woman,” Lewis said.
The exact spot where the incident occurred was below Roundhouse Restaurant and the old Powell Spring Hotel where, according to Lewis, very few people swim.
“There are some natural pools here where you can bathe comfortably when the tide is low . . . . they were a bit farther down where the old folks call ‘music’ and has a very serious drag and undercurrent.
“I know the area and the conditions and I also had some rope in my van, but there was not enough time for hesitation, they were really in trouble,” he said.
Lewis, who teaches electrical work at the Alleyne Secondary School, told the SUNDAY SUN that the other hero did not want to be identified, but was his former student at the same school some years ago.
“When the man was brought on shore it was clear he had taken a lot of water, but the lady was relatively okay and he eventually came around.
“I went about my business jogging and when I came back up the beach on my third lap or so, she came to me thanking me and offering me US money, but I told her to keep it. I had done my part,” he said.
Lewis said the situation really stirred him when the couple told him they had just been married and were only on the second day of their honeymoon.
“When they told me that, it really hit home how sad it would have been had they died. And to be honest, the only thing I did is hold both their hands and told them to make sure they spend the rest of their lives together because they could have just died together,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Bougainvillea Beach Resort on Maxwell Coast Road, where the visitors were guests, confirmed Lewis’ story, but did not release the name of the guests.
Lewis said it was important that lifeguards be posted at some of the less popular beaches that attracted tourists.
“Tourism is our thing, and if we are investing there, we have to invest all around and make sure we secure that investment.
“Not a single lifeguard was in sight, so although it is not a popular beach, we need to get about 20 more guards to patrol the quieter areas and increase the warning signs for those who are not familiar with our conditions,” he said.
by EZRA STUART
THE WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD (WICB) will no longer be pursuing disciplinary action against former
captain Chris Gayle and other first-choice Test cricketers for a number of indiscretions.
The revelation was made in a controversial document circulated to the media in Barbados on Friday afternoon by outgoing WICB director Conde Riley.
The draft document, captioned Agreement By WICB And WIPA In Mediation was drawn up by the board’s negotiating team, led by Trinidadian Gerard Pinard on the penultimate day of the failed mediation talks with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), under the chairmanship of mediator Sir Shridath Ramphal.
In the document, there was agreement that disciplinary proceedings initiated against the players for their refusal to play in the Bangladesh series, coverage of the sponsors’ logo during the England series, and the players’ non-attendance at the ICC World Twenty20 Ticket launch in St Lucia, would no longer be pursued.
The parties also decided on administrative arrangements to expedite injury payment to players, while the WICB agreed to an audit of the Provident Fund.
However, a number of other matters, including the status of the West Indies Players Association and the nature and ownership of “team rights”, which did not reach a consensus during the mediation talks, will be referred to arbitration.
These include the costs incurred by the WICB in relation to the strike action taken by the first-class players, the recovery of the sponsorship funds lost by the board as a result of the players’ refusal to sign the 2008/2009 retainer contracts and the regional cricket development fund.
Also heading to arbitration is the payment of the sponsorship fees of US$35 000 per day and the contracts for the recent India and Bangladesh series, the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England and Champions Trophy in South Africa.
The parties also agreed that WIPA’s claims from the WICB in respect of the use players IP (intellectual property) and image rights and in respect of endorsements under the “Vampire” logo will be sent to arbitration.
It was however, concurred that going forward as provided in the new Memorandum of Understanding, the basic financial arrangement between WIPA and WICB, will be for an agreed percentage of the board’s average annual audited revenues over a period of years, as agreed in the new MOU.
Prime Minister David Thompson is the centre of attention as he is flanked by two stiltmen.
HUNDREDS of Barbadians and American visitors strolled through Bridgetown Market at Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Jacksonville, Florida, yesterday, in a recreation of the Crop-Over event.
Prime Minister David Thompson, his wife Mara, and daughters, as well as the Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy and Minister of State, Senator Arni Walters, attended the event as part of a Labour Day weekend celebration, entitled Barbados Comes To Amelia Island.
There were stalls with Barbadian handicraft, clothing, food and drink, along with a Bajan rumshop and rum tasting. Stiltmen and Bajan tuk band enlivened the area.
Organised by the Barbados Consulate-General in Miami and the Barbados Tourism Authority, the event launched the special tourist initiative geared to reach out to the Barbados diaspora in the United States to get nationals involved in marketing Barbados.
Amelia Island Plantation Resort employs 60 Bajans recruited from Barbados for a sixth-month stint. (TB)
