Moontown

Follows affidavit by Lightbourne

JamaicaObserver.com

THE application for a Judicial review filed by lawyers seeking to prevent the extradition of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke to the United States, has been delayed until Wednesday.

The matter was adjourned after Minister of Justice Dorothy Lightbourne filed an affidavit today to which Don Foote, Cook’s lead attorney, said he needed time in which to respond.

Coke is wanted by the United States to face gun and drug trafficking charges. It was the signing of his arrest warrant that sparked attacks by gunmen on security forces and the ensuing State of Emergency.

He is seeking a Judicial Review of the decision by the justice minister, giving the authority to proceed with extradition proceedings against him.

The case before the Supreme Court does not prevent the police from executing the arrest warrant against him.(Jamaica Observer)

Skerrit. *Sean Douglas photo

(DNO) Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says under his leadership the Dominican economy has improved significantly.

Skerrit told an interview with Line and Length reporter Andrew Mason on Sunday that the country has transformed in several sectors.

“You can see the improvements in the roads… we have improved education and we have improved in our health sector. We believe in our people. They are the best assets that we have. We have made housing affordable to Dominicans whether you are in the middle class or lower class. Government has opened doors that were said to be shut before,” he said.

He said however that there is still a lot of work to be done.

“The vast majority of Dominicans are very appreciative of what we have done,’ he added. (Dominica News)

Kamla Persad-Bissessar. * Guardian newspaper

(DNO) Female advocates here have been congratulating Trinidad’s new Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar’s on her victory in the recent polls.

Persad Bissessar was sworn in last week as Trinidad’s first female Prime minister.

Leader of the Dominica Freedom Party Judith Pestaina says Bissessar’s victory in the elections signals a milestone for Caribbean women.

Pestaina has called on women in politics to take the lead from Bissessar’s victory at the polls.

“This marks a new chapter in politics in Trinidad. This is not new for the Caribbean because we have had Portia Simpson Miller who served for a short while and not forgetting our very own Dame Mary Eugenia Charles. But she is breaking with tradition in Trinidad because it is a mixed population and especially for the Indian population, there have been misconceptions in some quarters that women shouldn’t be actively involved in politics,” she said.

Pestaina said women should take some encouragement from Bissessars success.

“I know a lot of women are very timid by getting actively involved in politics. I think women owe it to themselves and communities to take on more leadership oppositions and that cannot happen without the support of the people,” she said.

According to the DFP leader, women brings something unique to politics and their contribution will be significant.

Meantime Speaker of the House of Assembly Alix Boyd Knight also congratulated the new prime minister.

She told parliament last week, that Bissessar’s elevation as prime minister is a boost for Caribbean women.  (Dominica News)

(DNO) A 24-hour abstinence from smoking is being encouraged today as Dominica joins the rest of the world in observance of No Tobacco Day.

Health Minister Julius Timothy, in delivering an address to officially mark the day’s observance, says he is hoping that Dominicans will recognize the adverse effects of smoking.

This year the World Health Organization has selected the theme “Gender and Tobacco” with the emphasis on marketing to women.

“The purpose of this day is twofold. One, to encourage countries and governments to work towards enforcing stricter regulations of tobacco products and to raise the awareness of all persons on the deadly nature of tobacco marketing, especially women and girls,” he said.

According to Timothy, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths, killing 5.4 million people a year.

“The theme suggests that drawing attention to the harmful effects of tobacco marketing towards women and girls. It will also highlight the need for nearly 170 parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco control to ban all tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship, in accordance with their constitutional principles,” he said.

The Health Minister also highlighted the rising prevalence of tobacco use young girls. (Dominica News)

(DNO) Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, will spend its final two days in Dominica.

Logos Hope will depart from Dominica on Monday, May 31, 2010, heading for a new region, West Africa, after visiting about 14 Caribbean countries on her maiden voyage.

“With around 20,000 people having visited already, it is hoped that many more will come and discover this unique ship and its community for themselves over the weekend. The crew and staff wish to express their thanks to the community of Dominica for their interest and support during this time,” one crew member told a small ceremony on board the ship Tuesday.

“A visit to Logos Hope gives an opportunity to browse and purchase from over 7,500 titles of books and CDs in the book fair. The newly installed Journey of Life exhibit, which invites visitors to consider the choices we all face along life’s journey, is also now open to be experienced. From there visitors can enjoy the International Café which is serving locally produced refreshments in a comfortable, relaxed environment where the international crew and staff look forward to meeting visitors,” the representative said.

A free ‘Thank-you Dominica’ event is expected to be held on Sunday evening on board the ship beginning at 6 p.m.

“It was truly a memorable and exciting time in the Caribbean and it will be missed.  It will take a long time for Logos Hope to be back in the Caribbean, as she is now the only ship owned by the organization sailing the world,” the representative added.

The all-volunteer crew and staff comprise of around 400 people, representing over 45 different nations, who offer a unique example of unity in cultural diversity. (Dominica News)

PM Skerrit

(DNO) Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says Dominica has been removed from a list of countries deemed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to be uncooperative in the international business services sector.

Dominica was placed on a “grey list” of countries after failing to implement the internationally agreed tax standard

The grey list was compiled by the OECD of jurisdictions that “have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard, but have not yet substantially implemented”.

But Prime Minister Skerrit says Dominica was removed from the grey list because of measures it took recently.

“We had to take action towards addressing this and Dominica has so far signed 12 tax information exchange agreements with different jurisdictions. We are also concluding negotiations with the government of Germany and Canada and we are hoping to have it conclude in a week or so,” he said.

He said “this has caused Dominica to be considered compliant and the country has been removed from the grey list”.

According to him, Dominica could have received negative publicity if government has not taken the first step.

He says the agreement being signed will give the G20 countries and Dominica the opportunity to work together to fight illegal activities. (Dominica News)

Hershell Brown, CEO

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking to make the process of starting an agricultural enterprise easier, with the creation of the Agro Investment Corporation.

Started in October 2009, the Corporation is the business facilitation arm of the Ministry and is responsible for investment promotion and facilitation, and project and market development. It is a merger of the Agricultural Development Corporation and the Agricultural Support Services Productive Projects Fund Limited.

According to the Corporation’s chief executive officer, Hershell Brown, agro-investors receive help with developing business plans, joint venture agreements, and all the other activities related to getting their business up and running.

“This is being done through a number of mechanisms. The main one that we are focusing on now is developing an asset bank … we seek to determine what use assets can be best put to, then we identify investors to marry them with utilisation of these assets,” said.

Other activities are being carried out, such as the Young Farmers Project, which seeks to identify graduates of tertiary institutions, and provide them with arable lands and assist them with technical support through entities, such as the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

Infrastructure development

“In addition, there is the matter of infrastructure development as it relates to post-harvest facility. We have rehabilitated a yam packing house in Trelawny, and we have leased that property to an exporter,” he notes.

Brown explains that the Agro Investment Corporation is a facilitatory agency, and seeks to operate as a one-stop shop, except for the credit component.

“Once the investors approach and they meet the criteria, we assist them with all the other processes, that is, to identify their market, put together their business plan and provide a sort of hand-holding activity from project identification through to project implementation,” he adds.

He notes that while the Corporation does not provide technical support, it liaises with several Government entities, such as RADA and other research stations, to provide investors with the best possible technical services.

According to Brown, the agency works with investors who recognise agriculture as a serious business.

“Any investor who is willing to get into production, recognising it as a regular business investment, we are willing to work with them, once it makes economic sense,” he says.

Investment packages

He emphasises that the entity is not seeking to duplicate the efforts of other government agencies, but that it puts together investment packages using marketing information from the Ministry, and by liaising with JAMPRO and RADA.

“We pull all of that together, so that an investor can walk into Agro Invest and get a ready-made package, sometimes on the same day,” Brown said.

The CEO notes that the agency is continuing with some of the initiatives of the Agricultural Support Services Productive Projects Fund, such as investment in sheep at the Rhymesbury property in Clarendon, and working with pepper producers.

Meanwhile, the Corporation is creating two agro-industrial parks at Spring Plains in Clarendon, and at Amity Hall in St Thomas.

“We put together packages having good arable lands, providing technical support and then invite investors to invest in specific production on these properties … that has been going well. That is one of the early successes of Agro Invest,” Brown said.

In addition, the agency is working with 50 potential investors, and assisting them with organising business plans in order to access credit from institutions.

Some $40 million has been set aside in the 2010/11 budget to carry out the activities of the corporation. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the country stands to lose US$350 million in earnings because of the unrest in Kingston last week resulting from the attack on the state by criminals seeking to block the arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

According to Bartlett, approximately 300,000 fewer visitors may come to Jamaica this year.

“We had projected a growth of six per cent this year and we were on track, but this may be affected and right now we need US$10 million to combat the negative effect,” he said.

During the unrest, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom issued travel advisories against Kingston, Jamaica.

The tourism minister spoke with The Gleaner during an extraordinary meeting with stakeholders, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), the National Cruise Council of Jamaica and the New York-based advertising agency FCB yesterday at the Secrets Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.

He said that the plans to combat the challenges were still being fine-tuned.

Unwelcome publicity

The gang war between the police and gunmen in Tivoli Gardens, which left 73 civilians and three security officers dead, made headlines in most of the news media worldwide, sending jitters throughout the travel and tourist industry, on which Jamaica depends.

Although none of the six resort areas were part of the confrontations and are far from the capital city, the entire country got caught up in the unwelcome publicity.

“We are setting up a strategic response team, and our programme will include extensive road activities in all our supplier markets, namely the United States, Canada and the UK,” Bartlett said.

He noted that although the fall-off in the resort areas was not significant, the effect on Kingston was horrendous. “Kingston has been the real casualty. The arrivals at Norman Manley International Airport have fallen significantly”, he confirmed, adding that the city has experienced a reduction of 43 per cent in overseas-generated business.

The bigger problem for Kingston is the meeting and group activities which were cancelled at the last minute. Sporting events such as the West Indies cricket matches scheduled for Sabina Park in June had to be moved to Trinidad.

“Those matches usually bring good occupancy for the hotels in Kingston,” Barrtlett said.

Summer booking concerns

Stakeholders in the metropolis are of the view that it will take up to 18 months to repair their name in the marketplace.

However, the net fall-out for the six resort areas amounts to approximately 2,000 visitors or two per cent of the arrivals during the similar period last year. Throughout the period of the unrest, some 125,000 tourists visited the island, Bartlett said.

Obviously not significantly affected now, the minister is more concerned about forward bookings for the summer months of July and August. “The level of the nervousness in the market could cause people to review their decision,” he said.

According to Bartlett, if the situation is not cauterised within the next six months, it could affect the upcoming winter tourist season. To minimise the effect, he said a campaign programme to be developed should help to restore confidence and drive forward bookings.

“We have to continue to show that there are normal and buoyant activities in the resort areas and restore full trust in the destination.”

Accordingly, there has been very active collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and its partners - the JHTA and the National Cruise Council of Jamaica - which Bartlett said are committing resources to the aggressive phased initiative which is to be launched.

- Gleaner Writer, Richard Morais contributed to this story. (Jamaica Gleaner)

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com

Coke

THE MOTION filed by west Kingston strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke challenging the extradition proceeding against him is to resume in the Supreme Court today.

The matter was first heard in chambers by Chief Justice Zaila McCalla on May 21.

Coke is seeking a stay of the warrant of arrest and is applying for leave to go to the Judicial Review Court to challenge the minister of justice’s decision to sign the authority to go ahead with the extradition proceedings.

Coke, 41, is wanted in the United States to face charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and illegal trafficking of firearms.

When the applications came for hearing, the case was adjourned as the director of public prosecutions (DPP), who is a defendant, was not served with the court documents.

The justice minister is the other defendant.

McCalla ruled that Coke’s attorneys serve the DPP with the necessary documents and that she be given time to respond.

On May 18, a resident magistrate signed the warrant for Coke’s arrest to face extradition proceedings in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Coke is seeking a stay of the proceedings in the Resident Magistrate’s Court until his motion has been heard and determined.

The United States made the extradition request for Coke in August last year. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Grange

Samuda

Charles

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Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

LONG-SERVING members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have admitted that the extradition request for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips affair and the bloody attempt to arrest the alleged drug kingpin are proving to be a political nightmare.

“This is the most stressful period in my 40-odd years of association with politics,” Karl Samuda, JLP general secretary and a seasoned political campaigner, told The Gleaner.

Samuda is one of the old guards of the JLP who have been involved in many political battles since the 1970s.

But none of the battles have ever included a former JLP leader snipping at the present leader.

Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga’s call last week for the resignation of the current JLP leader and prime minister, Bruce Golding, has obviously rocked the party even though the old warriors have refused to speak to the matter on the record.

Some of these seasoned political warriors in the JLP survived detention in the state of emergency in the politically tumultuous days of the 1970s.

They have come through untold political violence and major internal upheavals that have ripped the party apart over the past 20 years.

Now, the signs of numbness and battle weariness seem to be setting in.

“Whatever may be right or wrong - and nothing is absolute - nothing is totally right and nothing is totally wrong, the experience graphically highlights the existence of the two Jamaicas,” said Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange who cut her political teeth in west Kingston.

Another veteran Pearnel Charles who never recoils from speaking his mind but, like his colleagues, is having a tough time dealing with reports that many innocent persons may have died last week in Tivoli Gardens.

“If there is any truth to what I am hearing about people being killed innocently by members of the security forces, this is the darkest period in our history,” declared Charles.

Both Grange and Charles were detained in the 1976 state of emergency.

Samuda was a member of the so-called ‘Gang of Five’ - a breakaway faction of the JLP - along with Charles in the early 1990s.

He has been engaged in some fierce political combats in the past, his passion and drive always near the surface.

By his own admission, Samuda’s experience, when he was booted from the JLP in 1991, went to court to challenge the decision and lost, pales into comparison to the way he now feels.

“This whole episode emanating from the operation in Tivoli Gardens and the death of (businessman) Keith Clarke (East Kirkland Heights, St Andrew) have taken a great personal toll on my emotion,” Samuda declared.

“I hope that we will remain strong, that we will be able to come through this in a manner that will assist in healing those wounds,” Samuda added.

Grange agreed. “It is painful to see innocent lives being lost and this does not mean that I am supporting criminality,” she declared.

Charles spent nine months in detention and three months under house arrest in 1976. In the early 1990s, he too was numbered among the ‘Gang of Five’.

The outspoken politician highlighted the tumultuous period of the 1970s when he was locked away and assaulted repeatedly as a trade unionist and political activist, as a time of personal challenge.

But like Grange, Charles was disinclined to make definitive comparisons.

“If we start to dissect the challenges into personal issues, we have lost the war,” he declared. “We have never had anything like this before where elements have taken on the state.”

According to Charles, these are great challenges that can bring great opportunities. (Jamaica Gleaner)

gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com