Moontown

DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN’S- THE DEBATE

OCTOBER 18, 2007

The game continues. We are now the laughing stock of
the Caribbean. It worries me because when we were restructuring our economy in
the nineties these were the occurrences that we expected. We have now allowed
our leading company and its shareholders to be the laughing stock of the
Caribbean.

Previously, I forewarned readers that what we were
seeing was only the beginning of our demise. We are all over the world bragging
about our economic prosperity and demonstrating that since 1994 how these
companies were successful in increasing their profits.

We are now at a cross road. Is it a myth or is it
that other countries are doing better than us? The problem is that we have not
developed our investment market and we have continued to be a savings market.

We must ask ourselves the reason for major companies
not expanding their share capital. For too long, we have allowed these companies
to pose as public companies, while at the same time operating as if they are
private.

Can anyone tell me the company that has shared its
capital base lately? In the real world, most public companies would have used their
performances to offer shares to expand their companies.

BS&T as a company should have been buying
companies across the Caribbean instead of being the comic page. I advised the
directors to look at the bigger picture and to appreciate the message being
sent by allowing our competitors to take us over.

I am sorry that the authorities in Barbados have
allowed our shareholders to be treated like our fishermen. Now that the
shareholders have been treated in this manner, we can now appreciate the
treatment meted out to our fishermen.

When our fishermen were being imprisoned, everybody
ignored their plight. Now that the private sector and the Government have been
embarrassed on this matter, we will hear everybody using the fishermen to put
their case.

My position on this matter has not changed. I still
believe that selling BS&T is the most regressive occurrence. It being our
flagship must continue to be the leader. The sale of BS&T for capital gains
and foreign exchange is a short term gain with future losses that this country
cannot afford.

The game played by these companies is a slap in our
face and it will undermine the economic climate of our country. We have not
learned anything from our treatment in the nineties and the purchase of
Paradise by Sandals.

Our history is known, but it seems that we have
forgotten that we are leaders and not followers. Oil has done it for Trinidad and
tourism has done it for us. We have nothing to show from the billions in
capital gains from property sales. I have said before, that the same way that
our Sugar Industry has to account for all foreign exchange, the same principle
has to apply to the tourism sector. We cannot continue to allow a “too few” to
rape our country.

 Our problem
is that we are too selfish. We have done everything possible to keep masses out
of the capital market. In most progressive countries, profitable companies
offer shares to increase their opportunity to expand their companies. In Barbados,
it appears that we can only appreciate the masses when we are in trouble.

With the introduction of VAT, BS&T as a leading
importer was able to capitalize on the shift in taxation, yet we have not seen
the expansion in the company that one would have expected. As politicians, we
must understand that we have to tailor policies to suit Barbados, which will be
beneficial to workers and the private sector.

I always thought that in law that an offer and
acceptance was important, until this BS&T fiasco. I was taught in law that
if someone offered to buy something from me and I accepted it within their
terms and conditions that it was legally binding on them. But it seems that the
pride and industry that we bragged about on becoming an Independent country has
been lost. May be this is the cost of Republican status.

If BS&T is important to others then it would
have to be more important to Barbadians. Barbados must continue to be developed
by Barbadians.

They laughed at us when we had no money, now they
are laughing harder now that we have a lot of money.

Peace, love, unity, humility, Kellmanomics, wisdom
and understanding.

SHRIMP STIR FRIED RICE; RICE AND PEAS

MACARONI PIE; SAUTEED YAM

FRIED PLANTAIN; BBQ SPARERIBS

BBQ PIG TAIL; BAKED PORK

BAKED CHICKEN; FRIED SNAPPER

FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH

CURRIED BEEF STEW; PLAIN GRAVY

STEAMED VEGETABLES; TOSSED SALAD; COLE SLAW

Just over $129 million has been earmarked for the reinte-gration of deported persons from the United Kingdom (UK), and the rehabilitation of persons incarcerated by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in the 2010/11 Budget.

The project, the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Local Offenders and Deported Persons, is designed to significantly improve the reintegration of Jamaicans who have been deported from the UK after completing prison sentences, as well as to build the capacity of the DCS to rehabilitate inmates.

Objectives

Its objectives include changing the management programme designed and implemented by the DCS; improve supervision of offenders; enhance use of service orders; and improve DCS custodial and non-custodial facilities for rehabilitation.

Funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the tune of £3 million, it was imple-mented by the Ministry of National Security in November 2008, and ends in March 2011.

For this fiscal year, the physical targets of the initiative involve refurbishing the facilities of the Salvation Army and Community Group Homes, for the short-term accommodation of deported males; renovating the facilities of Open Arms, for the longer-term accom-modation of deported males; provide support to Hibiscus, National Council on Drug Abuse and Hush the Guns; and the construction of a reception facility at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.

Targets achieved

The programme also aims to provide support service to the Jamaica Reducing Re-offending Action Plan; develop a com-prehensive deported persons database; and establish the projected sub-investment projects for the Bellevue Hospital and Correctional Services Production Company.

Some of the targets achieved since February 2010 include the archiving of old records, to enable the efficient verification of deported persons; completed construction of the Twickenham Park Firearms and Tactical Training Unit; implementation of reception and short-term housing services for deported persons at community group homes; and the work of the Open Arms Drop-in Centre to facilitate the rehabili-tation of male deportees suffering from mental illnesses. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Archbishop Donald Reece says paedophilia is a psychological problem, not a spiritual or moral one. - Ian Allen/Photographer

André Wright, Night Editor

While condemning the cover-up of child sex-abuse cases involving Roman Catholic clergy globally, Archbishop of Kingston, the Most Reverend Donald Reece, says paedophilia should be treated as an irreversible psychological problem and not necessarily a moral or spiritual failing.

Reece, who is the head of Jamaica’s Roman Catholic community, acknowledges that the church’s system of dealing with child sex abuse - by sending priests on 30- or 40-day therapeutic retreats - was short-sighted and wrong, leading to the development of institutional secrecy.

The church leader argued that paedophilia has a psychological imprint which can never be cured.

“It’s just recently we have come to appreciate that paedophiles are incorrigible. It’s in-built into their system from puberty; there is no way they can be reformed, just like an alcoholic,” Reece told The Gleaner.

Church stunned

“It (paedophilia) is not a spiritual thing, it’s a natural thing in their system. If you put a paedophile in a nursing home with adults, he performs well. But don’t let a child cross his path, or he goes bananas, bonkers,” he said, adding that the reassignment of clergy did more to fuel, rather than fix, the problem.

His comments come at a time when the Catholic Church has been stung by a series of paedophilia cases in Europe whose magnitude could rival revelations that rocked the denomination at the turn of the century. Criticism has come closer to the Vatican, as Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of mollycoddling paedophile priests under his purview, including in his homeland Germany, when he was archbishop of Munich. There have also been tens of thousands of cases reported in Ireland.

Reece said he empathised with victims of sexual abuse: “Hopefully, those who have been abused will get healing, … to the point they can integrate, without being crippled.” The archbishop argued that Roman Catholic clergy were no more culpable than their Protestant counterparts. He also said Catholic dioceses have come under assault by litigation lawyers who were intent on pillaging the church’s purse by leading a smear campaign.

“If somebody from a (religious) parish were to be accused of molesting a child, when he is taken to court, it’s not only that person’s resources that are tapped, it’s the entire diocese’s.”

Reece said the failure to rein in sexual predators under the church’s umbrella had been rooted in taboo, where parents and church officials swept cases under the carpet, thus protecting priests from prosecution and preserving victims’ dignity.

“Society allowed these things to happen. It was condoned, in a way,” he said.

Reece said no cases have been reported in the Jamaican archdiocese under his watch - dating back to April 2008 when he succeeded the late Lawrence Burke - and that he had no knowledge of any instances before his tenure. The archbishop deflected questions about why the local church had not launched an exploratory probe in Jamaica, arguing that no investigation was needed unless cases were reported.

He was however adamant that he would take action if priests sexually abused children here.

“I can’t swear for anybody, but if it comes to my attention, I will be going to the police.”

Reece said the local Catholic Church has a review board, comprising about 10 people from the Montego Bay, Kingston and Mandeville dioceses, which investigates allegations of improper clerical conduct and makes recommendations to the hierarchy for action.

The Holy See, the central government of the Catholic Church, has insisted that no more than five per cent of its clergy globally has been involved in child sex abuse over the last 50 years, a number it says is comparative to, or less than, instances in other denominations. (Jamaica Gleaner)

andre.wright@gleanerjm.com

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Outspoken players union chief, Dinanath Ramnarine, says regional cricketers are displeased with the current state of affairs and has once again beseeched the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to be more professional in how they administer the game.

Speaking here Friday, Ramnarine said he had received numerous complaints from players throughout the recent regional first-class season, with issues ranging from the standard of accommodation to practice facilities.

He said if these issues were not seriously addressed by the governing body for the sport in the region, the standard of cricket would continue to decline.

Several issues

“The players are not happy with the way things are going in West Indies cricket at the moment and they have complained about a number of issues to us,” Ramnarine said.

“We have since taken it up with the West Indies Cricket Board and if they don’t act decisively, West Indies cricket is going to get worse. They are in breach of the ‘minimum standards requirement’ which we have signed and we have taken up the matter.”

He continued: “Imagine, players complaining in this day and age about the state of hotels, no practice facilities, some had to sleep on the floor in a hotel in Trinidad and one player even had to bathe by a standpipe in Jamaica.” (Jamaica Gleaner)

MUMBAI

Dwayne Bravo and the Mumbai Indians continued their winning ways in the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday when they romped to a 41-run victory over the Deccan Chargers.

The West Indies all-rounder, batting at three, struck three fours and one six in 23 from 16 balls, as Mumbai posted 172 for seven from their allocation of 20 overs at the Patil Sports Academy.

Bravo continued to struggle with the ball when he conceded 16 runs from two overs, but Kieron Pollard snared Venugopal Rao, as the Chargers were dismissed for 131 in 17.4 overs.

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar continued in his rich vein of form when he hit the top score of 55 from 43 balls for Mumbai.

But the Indians got a late boost when Harbhajan Singh lashed eight fours and two sixes in 49 not out from 18 balls.

West Indies speedster Kemar Roach, playing in his first match, was expensive. He failed to capture a wicket and his four overs cost 32 runs.

Rudra Pratap Singh was the most successful Chargers bowler with three for 31 from four overs, while Pragyan Ojha and Jaskaran Singh collected two wickets apiece.

The Chargers suffered an immediate setback when their captain Adam Gilchrist was caught at slip off the second ball of the chase from Harbhajan.

Deccan got to 47 for one in fifth over, but they were rocked when three wickets-two to Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga-fell for three runs in the space of seven balls.

Herschelle Gibbs fell for 27, Monish Mishra for 13 and Andrew Symonds for one to send the Chargers sliding to 50 for four in the sixth over.

Rohit Sharma tried to revive the Chargers’ chances with three fours and two sixes in 45 from 28 balls, but Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan and Malinga each finished with three wickets to make sure there was no comeback story.

-CMC