Moontown

Credit Unions believed they were now “big up and better off” and were no longer for the small man, charged Opposition MP Denis Kellman Tuesday in the House of Assembly.

He said he was a “strong supporter”, but he wanted them to understand that they were supposed to look after the masses of people in Barbados.

He was speaking during debate on the Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2004, which was passed. The St. Lucy MP said that poor people were taking all their money and investing in the credit unions, but yet their businesses could not get any business.

“I am saying it is a backward step,” he said adding that Barbados was now doing what is was accusing other people of doing.

“We need to have a serious change in this country and people need to understand what is going on when contracts go out…,” Kellman said.

He said earlier that the proposal to pass legislation allowing insurance companies to invest 25 per cent of their assets in real estate was a contradiction, and called on the Government to explain, because the masses would have to pay the additional charges to compensate for the increases.

“It seems to be a contradiction to me that the Government of the day is asking the insurance companies to increase from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, when the insurance companies are saying they are losing money and increasing premiums on the backs of poor people,” St. Lucy MP Denis Kellman said.

Minister of Industry and International Business Dale Marshall explained the Bill would increase the opportunity for investment and increased returns, and there was no cost to be borne by any tax payer or insurer.

Barbados Advocate – Denis Kellman’s column – The Debate

September 5, 2003

The last few weeks have been rather interesting politically: we have heard about the Architect Amendment Bill, the Scholarship confusion, the resignation of Mr. Ronald Toppin and his statement to the press about the configuration of the Board to govern the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), the falling numbers in the trade union movement, and the confusion at the Government Electrical Department.

When the Architect Amendment Bill came to the House of Assembly, I was present on the day, but had to leave during the proceedings to attend a funeral in the constituency of which I have the honour to serve.

Before leaving I had an opportunity to read the Bill and I observed that if the amendment was passed in the state that it was presented, severe problems would be created, not only for the draughtsman and their families, but also for the many expected house owners who would now have to retain the services of an architect.

Furthermore, it could influence an increased in fees from the draughtsman because of their reduced workload. I pointed out to Mr. Thompson and three members on the Government side that I could not support the bill and that even though I was not going to present when it was being discussed that I wanted it to be known that I was not supportive of the amendment.

During the last general elections, I made it an election issue, but got no support from the affected parties who only seemed to recognized their leverage after the elections when it was not as vital then. This writer is recognizing a trend where the interest of a few is being protected, while the masses who happen to be consumers and workers have lost their negotiating power.

No surprise

Students who, according to the stated criteria, qualified to receive scholarships but instead were awarded exhibitions should not be surprised by the action of this Government. After all, they were forewarned by this writer when the Government brought its last amendment to deal with CAPE and to raise the bar for the scholarship winners.

I spoke on the amendment and asked the Government members to admit that all they were doing was trying to limit the numbers attaining scholarships, this was at the time denied.  I indicated then that I was holding firm on my stance and that within a year that the facts would prove me right.  This speech is recorded in Hansard for all to read and the facts are now in the public domain to judge.

We have now heard about Mr. Toppin’s resignation, the competency of the present board and its representation of the interest of the masses have been highlighted.

It has recently being reported that the number of persons paying subscriptions to trade unions have decreased, this has caused this writer some pain, because this writer saw the danger signals and forewarned the trade union movement years ago to protect themselves from this situation.

However, instead of heeding the advice, this writer was personally abused by a member of the trade union movement. This write believes that the movement still has what it takes to rebound but must understand that what has occurred over the last nine years has created stress for workers and has affected their work habits. I have complained for the last 20 years about the way unemployment fund has been administered.

This writer believes that as long as the current unemployment system remains in place that it would create a situation that would not encourage workers to want to work and as an alternative that the department should introduce a lump sum payment so as to encourage workers to have the desire to get back on the production line.

To increase capacity within the country, unions would do well to allow moonlighting, which would in turn create more work opportunities and would allow the country to be more competitive.

Electricians are complaining to me daily about the ad hoc changes occurring at the Government Electrical Department. On the one hand, it was the English Standard being implemented, quickly after this it was the American Standard.

What is interesting that this confusion has occurred in the same ministry that brought the “Jam Buster” system that cannot identify the driver at fault when an accident occurs at a roundabout.

If something is not done to solve the problems aforementioned, capital will have to work capital instead of labour working capital. The success of a country must be measured by the capital growth, the foreign reserves, the employment rate, the maximization of its labour and capital, and the ability to reduce its social costs by creating employment for the employable recipients of the social services.

Government must be sure that its policy of maximization of profit for a few does not limit its own operation.

(Denis Kellman is the parliamentary representative for St. Lucy, Barbados)

Denis Kellman’s Weekly Column -The Debate

Barbados Advocate (August 1, 2003)

When the Crop Over Festival was first started it was a season of celebration so that workers could enjoy their contribution to the sugar crop. This celebration manifested itself with the singing of calypso, climbing the greased pole and catching the greased pig – all part of the very popular factory yard fairs.

This created much excitement for us as youngsters, because each of us knew or was associated with someone who worked in the fields.

Every weekend during the crop season, every village shop benefited from the earnings of the sugar workers, where the ladies would purchase the weekly supplies or pay off the previous bills owed and credit the weekly supplies.

The men would gather at the shop to old talk or play a game of cards or dominoes. Youngsters like myself who worked at or came to the shop were not allowed to partake of the liquids the men used. At my grandmother’s shop, it was always good to hear Mr. Griffith in a conversation with Mr. Yearwood the headmaster or the postman.

These gentlemen knew how to greet each other or how to bid each other farewell, but the best greeting was for the belly as it was always forewarned before the liquid companion was allowed to greet the stomach.

Crop Over in those days meant something to ever person in Barbados. Today, Crop Over is for the “too few” and the only beneficiaries seem to be people who have no direct relationship with the industry. The machines have now replaced the local workers without the workers complaining; these machines use supplies that are all imported by a few people- No local workers are employed making the machinery or the supplies, which means that most of the cost to run the industry is now paid to foreign workers thereby increasing the foreign reserves of the G*’s and their comrades.

Mechanisation of Industry

The decision for mechanization of the industry was not carefully thought out and the opportunity cost of the decision was not taken into consideration. The decision should have been made after an assessment of the multiplier effect of the workers’ spending on the economy, including taxes and levies collected by Government, against the spending on machines.

These funds go directly to foreign suppliers which along with the large amount used to finance the machinery would have impacted on the foreign reserves. Another serious consideration should have been rationing after canes were cut by hand as against being cut by machine.

The record is there to show that the hand cut canes ratoon better that canes cut by the machine because the machine tends to remove even the roots, causing the farmer t ore-cultivate much more frequently.

An educational programme should have been put in place in the country involving the workers, the unions, and all other players in the country. The country should have been taught the importance of manual labour and also the importance of the industry to our foreign reserves and our economy.

Developing your country

The lesson we should have learnt from our uncle is that as you are developing your country and your local workers are not interested in certain jobs, then labour should be sourced from outside to so the work that your own workers do not want to do.

It is known that workers from other Caribbean countries were willing to reap our crops and we could have used them instead of using machinery. These workers would have used more of our local supplies than the machinery we opted for.

Today, we have a very commercialized festival, a dying sugar industry and politicians still playing mass to be kept politically alive. The national Cultural Foundation (NCF) was able to get the calypsonians to agree about a year ago to have 25 semi finalists singing one song, instead of eighteen singing two songs.

At first glance, it looked good for the calypsonians, because of the increased number of participants, more money via appearance fees could be spread among a larger number of calypsonians.

What was not seen then, was that with a pending election and based on the mood of the people, eighteen semi-finalists performing thirty-six songs would more likely be more attracking of the Government and indeed more impactful than the twenty-five (25) rendered last Friday night.

Late withdrawal

One is left to wonder about het treatment of Mr. Colin Spencer and the late withdrawals of Mr. Impact causing confusion, so that the public would not focus on the political game that has been formulated and played out.

The question is who has been included and what or who is next? We have to be careful that if the NCF is to be left with the final say on what is legally correct, then we might find that we have a festival without social commentary. A legal opinion is just that and it should not be seen as final. Can anyone tell me why Mr. Colin Spencer was not given the option to sing the other song? Was it because it was about America being the most independent country in the world or is it because they fought for themselves and on behalf of others?

If you want to further discuss this point with me check me out at the two best limes in Barbados, Eddies Sweet Lime or Moon Town Good Prices Lime which runs daily and where you can get your sea cat, sweet bread, pudding and souse, mauby, rum and beer at the best prices around. No closing this weekend.

(Honourable Denis Kellman is the parliamentary representative for St. Lucy, Barbados.)

Written By: Maryanna Williams 

Kenny Anthony may not be able to shake the Rochamel story off because the more the nation finds out the more questions there are to answer.

Just when I thought all that could be said about Rochamel had been said, I stumbled upon yet another disturbing and deliberate misrepresentation. The resolution before the House of Assembly on the 17th December 2002 seeking funds to “. . . refinance government’s obligations in respect of the former Hyatt Hotel” contained a material misstatement.It must be remembered that prior to coming to the House of Assembly on 17th December 2002 the government had given a guarantee to the Royal Merchant Bank for loans the said bank made to Frenwell Limited. It is this same guarantee that the government refers to as obligations in respect of the former Hyatt Hotel. To point out the misstatement of fact it is important to understand the term guarantee or surety, and examine the phraseology of the 17th December 2002 resolution before the parliament.

According to article 1825 of the St Lucia Civil Code the word guarantee (surety) means: “The act by which a person engages to fulfill the obligations of another in case of its non fulfillment by that other who is termed the principle debtor.”

Now let us look at the resolution that came before the parliament: “and whereas the Minister for Finance considers it necessary to enter into a fully under-written Fix Rate Bond facility of US$41,000,000 or its equivalent in Eastern Caribbean dollars at an issue price of 100 percent per value with the RBTT Merchant Bank Ltd for the purpose of refinancing Capital works programme and for refinancing government’s obligations in respect of the former Hyatt Hotel.” I now ask the question: as guarantor, to whom was the government of St Lucia obligated to, the bank or the principle debtor?

By the definition provided above, the guarantor, which is the government of St Lucia could only be obligated to the bank. Therefore any resolution before the parliament should speak to the government’s obligation to the bank and no one else. Why then was the resolution speaking to obligations to the former Hyatt hotel? I put it to you, dear reader, that this misrepresentation of the facts was to get the opposition members of the House and the public to assume that there was direct connection between the money being sought and the construction of the Hyatt hotel. A ploy which was to set the stage for the much used Kenny Anthony defense that as a consequence of having to honour a guarantee to the bank a hotel formerly Hyatt now Sandals was constructed. As I have said in previous articles no one can objectively make that connection. Kenny Anthony, the Minister of Finance still does not know how the loan money the government guaranteed was used.

Had the resolution stated that the loan from the Royal Merchant was to honour a guarantee given to the said bank and not the misleading reference to: “obligations in respect of the former Hyatt Hotel,” obvious questions would have been asked: who is the principle debtor? Frenwell Limited? Who are they? How much is the government guaranteeing? (Remember the resolution never specified the amount of the loan that was going toward settling the so-called obligations to Hyatt). When was the money loaned to Frenwell Ltd? Who was protecting the government from any possible misuse of funds they had guaranteed? What is the government receiving in return for honouring the guarantee? Answers to these questions would have found the minister of finance seriously wanting and reckless in the management of public funds.

The purposefully designed resolution regrettably and shamefully succeeded in avoiding the earlier posed questions. The question remains what recourse do the people of St Lucia now have in such a clear case of reckless use of public funds by the then minister of finance? We shall have to wait and see what this government does to correct this injustice.

I have always been fascinated about the wide-spread anti-Kenny feeling in the country even when a majority of the population does not fully understand the issues that many believe proved to be his undoing at the December 2006 general election: Rochamel; Helen Air; NCA; Helenites and more. A recent poll on the Star’s website lends support to the majority view on these vexing issues. According to the STAR’s poll 60 percent of respondents claimed they did not fully understand the Rochamel story. Notwithstanding the lack of understanding of the issues, a poor financial manager has become the image of Kenny Anthony. Not to mention the frustrating dual personality of Kenny and Tony.

Kenny Anthony, a constitutional legal expert sadly used his knowledge and skill to bury his wrongdoing over the Rochamel affair, and did so with the complicity of his party colleagues. At the appointed parliamentary sitting when the purposely designed resolution was presented by the then prime minister, there was an uncharacteristic silence on the government side. The normally loquacious Philip J Pierre seems to have lost his tongue on this occasion. Perhaps so impressed by his leader’s presentation he preferred to be just a listener. Parliamentary colleagues then, like cabinet colleagues now, are always ready to close ranks to protect their own at the expense of the people they are suppose to serve.

And finally to those who wish the Rochamel saga would go away I shall have to disappoint and say it will not—until the chief architect and offender of the public’s trust turns penitent. The lesson in this never ending Rochamel story is for politicians especially those who hold the reigns of power: obfuscation in accounting for the country’s limited resources does not pay, cannot pay and will not pay. Why? It is because before long someone will discover, expose and make politicians pay for their misdeeds even if the law does not or is unable to. What the parliament fails to do in the spirit of accountability and transparency, civil society through the media must do, if this country is to remain civil. I therefore make no apologies for being the Rochamel
horse fly.

St. Lucia Star

Written By: Nicole Mc Donald 

Casino tourism is expected to rise even in this economic climate. Is St Lucia missing out because of stringent laws?

While in opposition former Prime Minister Sir John Compton made it very clear that his opinion was that casinos were the devil! The ‘Father of the Nation,’—who is credited with having dreamed up most of St Lucia’s current industries and infrastructure—at the thought of a casino being built in St Lucia forecasted that “crime would sky-rocket.”

At the time Compton was responding to the fact that the Gaming Control Authority had approved a license for American Bernie Burkholder, formerly of Treasure Bay casinos. Sir John even called on churches to take a stand. Father Michel Francis responded by saying that the Catholic churches’ silence “was by no means consent” and that a casino would do “untold damage to the island’s social fabric.” But Compton is gone now and apparently with him some of the ideas he had when he led the United Workers Party back into power in 2006.

Needless to say Treasure Bay has yet to build a casino in St Lucia even though a site was mapped out near Pigeon Island and the Gaming Control Act was amended in 2003 to accommodate their application allowing for a stand-alone casino. So why is the casino issue making news now? BBC Caribbean reported earlier this week that Cabinet had approved for a casino at Baywalk, loosely known as the Chreiki mall, which is currently under construction in Rodney Bay. Construction began in August 2007 on the shopping mall, set to house 60 stores, indoor parking, as well as the island’s first casino!

Chairman of the Gaming Control Authority, Lisle Chase, confirmed this information to the STAR this week, but said that though Cabinet had approved a site for the casino the Gaming Control Authority had not yet recommended that an operator be approved to run the casino. In fact one operator who applied to run the casino had already been denied. This is not surprising said Chase who admitted that an operator of a casino must be squeaky clean and undergo stringent background checks.

Needless to say, the laws concerning operating a casino in St Lucia and the current economic climate have both ensured that the vision of some that St Lucia may one day have a burgeoning gaming industry is on pause.

“Gaming has not gone in any direction. The idea was to provide amenities for our tourism industry . . . St Lucia, I don’t think in anybody’s mind would ever be a prime gaming destination. There are many studies that show when people travel only a small percentage travel because there is gaming in a destination. However, a very significant percentage of people who go to a destination will go to a casino to game if it is available,” said Chase.

As for the first license the Authority granted to Treasure Bay, Chase said not to count them out just yet.

“They got their license in 2006 and they changed their management structure thereafter. Since the new (UWP) administration took over the Treasure Bay people have come back on a number of occasions to revisit the project with this administration. At the time that they had indicated they were ready to move, we were hit with the global crisis. They obviously got cold feet. I mean this is a lot of money to put into a small Caribbean jurisdiction.”

Of course there were also the issues that Treasure Bay had with the fact that the Gaming Control Act of 2000 prevented locals from gaming at a casino. In a time when tourist arrivals are down drastically even hotels are trying to tap into the local market to keep their rooms occupied.

“Treasure Bay was worried that there would not be sufficient business to support capital expenditure,” Chase admitted.

Back in 2005 Treasure Bay’s Burkholder was very clear about the issue of it being illegal for locals to patronize casinos to the point that the developer said he would have to review his level of investment in the island. He sent out a challenge to then Prime Minister Kenny Anthony to amend the law.

“There is absolutely no difference in somebody going into a casino and playing black jack or a slot machine as compared to somebody going to a restaurant or a show. It is a legitimate business. It is highly regulated. It is unpractical and unwise to exclude all St Lucians from enjoying this amenity,” said Burkholder.

Kenny Anthony at the time said he would not budge on the issue and took an overprotective approach, stating: “We feel that our citizens need to be protected; protected in a very narrow sense, not that we think they can’t take care of themselves but we have maintained that the fact that there are certain mores, certain precepts in our society, certain anxieties felt throughout the length and breadth on these matters and that the views of ordinary St Lucians should be fully respected in this matter. Maybe when St Lucians reach a certain point of their development then whatever restraints they feel they have in these matters they will free themselves of these restraints.”

A representative for Treasure Bay had told this reporter in 2006 that if St Lucians wanted to use their casino they would have to battle the clause in the legislation themselves; that Treasure Bay would have to operate within the laws. Vice president and general manager for Treasure Bay VI Corp Barbara Shattles however made the point that a casino is not just about gambling but entertainment.

“St Lucians will have to push that if they want it,” said Shattles. “I don’t think anyone in St Lucia is working on that or pushing that at the moment. But when you have a casino that is going to bring in big name entertainment I can’t imagine that the St Lucians wouldn’t say: ‘Wait a minute, I might want to go see Kenny Chesnie and this is not fair.’ But that is between St Lucians. We are going to run that casino just exactly how the regulations read.”

There are indications, however, that the UWP administration is not of the same mindset as the former SLP and that the present government does not agree with the ‘Father of the Nation’ that casinos equals crime. In fact sources close to the Baywalk development hope that by next year the Gaming Control Act will be amended to allow locals to use the casino. After all, the casino will be located in a mall, which no doubt will be frequented by locals. The logistics of controlling who is local and who is not when they enter a casino could create a problem. Not to mention the fact that the law could be challenged on whether it is unconstitutional; that a St Lucian can be denied the same rights that a visitor to St Lucia has. Our source was very concerned that St Lucians who can afford it travel to other countries to spend their money at casinos when we could keep that money in circulation in St Lucia by providing a casino.

For his part the Gaming Chairman did not want to speak directly to whether the law should be changed.

“Whether it is right or wrong to stop locals from gaming really comes down to a matter of social conscience. Whether you believe that gaming in a casino environment is more harmful to locals than cockfighting, or people spend a lot of money on the lottery . . . Gambling is built into an awful lot that people do. It is really going to be difficult to police this,” Chase admitted.

Having been to casinos all over the world Chase was not ready to admit that the advent of casinos in St Lucia would immediately translate into social decay.

“I have not seen what people fear most. I know that the mob or the mafia is entrenched in certain parts of the world but I would hope that St Lucia will always maintain a certain approach to the regulation of casinos to ensure that we never go down that road,” said Chase adding that he cannot see St Lucia turning into a mini-Las Vegas.

Chase advised that those applying to operate a casino in St Lucia “come with clean hands.”

“Don’t come simply with an idea that you are going to operate a casino. Don’t think that you can get around the system by who you know. That is not going to happen. Successive governments have proven that they do not interfere with the work of the authority. We are not obstructionists in any way, it is made up of business professionals and we understand the business imperative of getting the casino going.”

Since the Gaming Control Authority came into being it has only received two applications. Countries in the Caribbean that have reaped huge benefits from the gambling industry include Aruba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Even in the current economic climate Aruba is estimating growth in this sector. Joanna Walding, the UK director of the Aruba Tourism Authority, says: “The increasing mainstream profile and consumer popularity of gambling makes it likely that ‘casino tourism’ will be a growth sector in the months and years to come. The majority of clients won’t be regular gamblers but will see the casino as a fun way to spend an evening or two during their trip.”

Isn’t it time we too began to think out of the box?

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) on Sunday tackled incoming West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Chief Executive Ernest Hilaire over comments he made recently on the likelihood of Chris Gayle being re-installed as West Indies captain.

In an interview with the international cricket Web site Cricinfo this past week, Hilaire raised concern about the West Indies captain — prior to the bitter WIPA/WICB dispute — being automatically re-instated as captain and WIPA says it views the comments with “utmost concern.”

Scheduled to assume duties as WICB CEO on 1 Oct., Hilaire pointed to comments attributed to Gayle that he is “not interested in playing Test cricket anymore” and suggested that the hard-hitting Jamaican left-handed batsman be quizzed about his leadership ambitions.

Hilaire conceded in the interview that it is for the selection committee to discuss the captaincy issue and make a recommendation to the board, but said he believes it “would be wise” to quiz Gayle about his comments.

WIPA has taken offence to Hilaire’s statements and described them as disturbing.

“Dr. Hilaire has not yet assumed the office of CEO but has made statements that some might consider disturbing as it relates to one of the most important positions in the fabric of Caribbean life – captain of the West Indies team,” WIPA said in Sunday’s press release.

WIPA said it is concerned over whether Hilaire’s views are personal or representative of the board’s position and warned that his pronouncements could prejudice the process and “must be taken very seriously.”

Gayle and most of the region’s first-choice players have been out of West Indies cricket since July this year.

Because of the contracts row, the leading players made themselves unavailable for the Bangladesh home series that featured a makeshift squad which was also used for the current ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Gayle has a moderate record as West Indies captain but has held a commanding status as team leader during his tenure.

He led West Indies to the recapture – first time in nine years — of the Wisden Trophy over England earlier this year for the high-point in his captaincy and his overall record as Test captain is three wins, five losses and six draws in 14 Test matches.

WIPA also said in the press release it welcomes genuine partnership with WICB. It embraced Hilaire’s recent statements in the Cricinfo interview about building a partnership with WIPA. “WIPA welcomes those statements and commits to diligently executing its role in ensuring that the partnership is genuine, sustainable and in the best interest of West Indies Cricket,” WIPA said.

Adding to his long list of legal woes, Sir Allen Stanford now has two black eyes, a broken nose and a concussion.

Sir Allen has since returned to prison after he was hospitalised for treatment of his injuries which he received during a fight with a fellow inmate at Joe Corley Detention Facility in Conroe.

But he will no longer stay at the facility as US District Judge David Hittner has ordered that he be moved to the Federal Detention Centre in downtown Houston.

The decision to move Sir Allen, according to reports, had nothing to do with the fight he got into with another prisoner.

Hittner granted a request that was filed last week before the fight. Stanford’s attorneys claimed that the Corley facility interfered with their ability to meet with their client and review the large number of records in the case, according to an Associated Press story.

“The court recognises the extraordinary nature and complexity of this case, the extent and gravity of the charges levied against Stanford, the hundreds of records involved and the enormous amount of time no doubt necessary to review those documents and adequately prepare a defence,” Hittner explained.

Sir Allen is to be moved no later than Thursday.

The 59-year-old Sir Allen has been behind bars since he was indicted in June on 21 counts, including wire and mail fraud.

He is accused of running a US$7 billion Ponzi scheme.

A team from the European Commission (EC) delegation in Barbados was in Antigua yesterday to discuss political and economic developments in the country as part of the annual Mid Term Review of projects and programmes.

The Ministry of Finance, the Economy and Public Administration is the public sector mechanism that will be the main beneficiary of 10th European Development Fund (EDF) support.

During a press conference yesterday, National Authorising Officer (NAO) Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry said the discussions ranged from the fiscal and economic impact of Antigua and Barbuda’s economy to the poverty assessment report, and strategies the country has been developing in response to the poverty assessment.

“We also have to look at institutional support for the Office of the NAO as well as the Ferry Docking Facility, which is to be financed from the CRIP, the regional TCF programme,” Dr. Henry stated.

He said they also reviewed the progress made on the Learning Resource Centre at the Antigua State College along with several other interventions, for which Antigua and Barbuda has gained European Union assistance.

“During the course of our discussions, it was made clear that our partnership will continue and the European Union, through its commission will endeavour to provide Antigua and Barbuda with ready resources,” Henry added.

Under the 10th EDF, the EU through its commission has allocated some $3.4 million Euros towards the Fiscal Modernisation Programme, which is going directly to the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Public Administration.

Henry said a programme has already been designed for this project.

Under the 10th EDF, the office of the NAO is to receive some additional support in terms of capacity building from the EU.

“As you are aware, some couple of days ago, the CARIFORUM officials agree to allocate some six million Euros toward the expansion of the Hospitality Training Institute at Dutcman’s Bay. This is a critical priority project for Antigua and Barbuda and the rest of the OECS in terms of human capital development. We look forward to ministers of CARIFORUM agreeing and sanctioning this particular entire road map,” Dr. Henry said.

Meanwhile, Head of the European Commission for the Eastern Caribbean Ambassador Valeriano Diaz said it is good to see that a working dialogue is improving.

“This opportunity has been very good for us because it give us the opportunity to listen to high officials from different ministries to know the main concerns. It is very useful to have this type of meeting especially now that we are about to start the implementation of the 10th EDF,” Diaz said.

“Yes we are here behind you. We are also going to continue our conversation in ten days in Barbados so that we can finalise our review.”