Moontown

National carrier would have turned 44 today

Laura Redpath, Senior Reporter

“We planned it that way with you in mind,” the 1968 advertising poster said. “That’s why … to Miami … we leave Kingston at 6 p.m. just before sunset, after the rush and business of the day.

“In just over two marvellous jet hours via Montego Bay, you’re in Miami. On your next trip to Miami, make it the best time … AIR JAMAICA.”

It was May 2, 1966, and a Gleaner article reported that Jamaica was taking its place among the “airline-operating nations of the world”.

Air Jamaica started off with two routes, serving passengers travelling between the United States of America and the Caribbean island, which was carving out a tourism niche.

Three flights, one coming in from New York, and two taking off for Miami, heralded the airline’s start.

With fleets from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), now British Airways, and British West Indian Airways (BWIA), now Caribbean Airlines, Air Jamaica was able to take off in 1966.

“Gleaming blue and white plane steps marked ‘Air Jamaica’ were wheeled out on the ramp and over the public address system the name ‘Air Jamaica’ took pride of place as passengers were called for its flight.”

An all-Jamaican crew that took the first ‘Sunjet’ plane, carrying 102 passengers, into the skies was made up of Captain Herbert Steele, Captain Michael Guilfoyle and Captain John Purchas.

The year of Jamaica’s independence, 1962, brought a realisation with it, where the Jamaican Government acknowledged the growing demand for a national flag carrier. The Government also knew that Jamaica was not ready to compete in a market where other well-established airlines existed.

The BWIA and BOAC agreement with the Government was meant to give the fledgling airline the push it needed at the starting line.

The agreement was also monitored closely, as Air Jamaica waited for the right moment to leave the nest on its own. Air Jamaica made a profit in its first 18 months, and so the Government linked with Air Canada.

canadian training

The Canadian airline agreed to provide training and technical and financial assistance as it helped with the creation of a self-contained airline.

Fashion shows, Jamaican dishes served with Jamaican rum and the famous Red Stripe were the special features one could experience on the DC-8 or DC-9 planes flying to New York and Miami, respectively.

The Story of Air Jamaica, published in 1969, pointed out that Air Jamaica intended to be “a Jamaican airline for the Jamaican people”.

With today marking the 44th anniversary of Air Jamaica’s inaugural flight and its current transition, Jamaicans can reflect on the story of Air Jamaica, as it was told in 1969:

“It is the national airline and (Air Jamaica Limited) would like to think that the Jamaican people will travel Air Jamaica not only out of a deep sense of loyalty but because they are proud of their own and believe in the island’s future.” (Jamaica Gleaner)

Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com

UNITED NATIONAL CONGRESS (UNC) chairman, Jack Warner, last night accused the People’s National Movement (PNM) of siphoning taxpayers’ dollars to pay for an elaborate plot to tarnish his name.

Speaking at the UNC’s political meeting at La Horquetta, Warner presented a four-page copy of a document which he alleged was an exchange of e-mails to validate this claim.

Warner said the scheme involved Government using taxpayers’ money to have English journalist Andrew Jennings fabricate a story to defame his (Warner’s) name. Jennings is set to address the eighth annual OffshoreAlert Due Diligence Conference in Florida starting tomorrow. - See other story

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, on a PNM platform last week, had signalled his intention to have Jennings’s statement on corruption in FIFA broadcast live locally. Warner is the vice-president of FIFA.

Last night, Warner said he received the plan for the scheme to tarnish his name in a brown envelope under his office door yesterday.

HAPPY HUG: Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, left, greets UNC St Joseph candidate Herbert Volney during the party’s meeting last night in La Horquetta. -Photo: ROBERTO CODALLO

The e-mails took place on Thursday between Washington-based communication firm, Sanitas International, and locally-based advertising firm, Valdez & Torry, Warner claimed. Valdez & Torry is handling the PNM’s marketing campaign for the May 24 general election, he said. The first e-mail sent by Sanitas at 1.16 p.m. on Thursday outlined the entire plot, Warner alleged.

Reading from the e-mail, Warner said, ’Time is clearly not on our side. Everyday goes by the project becomes ever more difficult. Regardless of the conference it is very good to get our hands on (Andrew) Jennings’s info and use it in promotion. We can also help him get his research out on the street to raise the profile. I have a call and an e-mail into Jennings to discuss this and several other outstanding issues regarding the conference and his travel. The conference will be a good opportunity to showcase the overall FIFA corruption with Warner as the puppet master ….

’Every day we wait decreases the chances of success and increases the difficulty. Regardless, this is going to be tough but is critical to the campaign outcome. My recommendation is for us to engage Jennings, get what info he has, facilitate media at the conference for his event and manage interviews and media for him. We can also look to go live at the conference, although I have not seen his presentation I have offered Jennings help with it.

’In fact, it would be better to go live to tape and transmit the information back to Trinidad and Tobago for newscast and for replay and the Government’s station. We have done this before. It would be interesting also to develop a separate event in T&T or make Jennings available with telephone interviews with local media from Miami.

’Time is closing and it will be tough for the client to transfer the necessary funds prior to the needs for us to be in Miami. Funds have to be transferred for Jennings from here, we may have get creative with Valdez & Torry money through a sub-contract to Sanitas and then have the client pay you direct.’

He repeated this part of the statement three times.

Valdez & Torry replied to that e-mail at 3.41 p.m. asking for a decision to be made on the conference, Warner said. The e-mail was also forwarded to PNM chairman Conrad Enill, Information Minister Neil Parsanlal, PNM Public Relations Officer Jerry Narace and Maxie Cuffie, who is the CEO of the Government Information Services Limited (GISL)

Warner later distributed some 500 copies of the information he received under his office door to members of the media and crowd on hand last night. Ending his self-described ’smoking gun’ address, Warner said this alleged plot was just the ’tip of the iceberg’.

Also on the platform last night were UNC Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, COP member Anil Roberts and Stephen Cadiz. Persad-Bissessar also introduced the 23 UNC candidates for the general election, among them former Judge Herbert Volney. (Trinidad Express)

Carolyn Kissoon and Louis B Homer

A political dynasty that spanned four decades ended yesterday with the rejection of Mickela and Subhas Panday as candidates to fight for the UNC in the May 24 poll.

The third Panday, Basdeo, opted not to submit his nomination, ending his political career weeks earlier.

The two Panday nominees were among hopefuls invited to the party’s Rienzi Complex, Couva, headquarters yesterday, where the list of candidates was announced.

The end of the Pandays came 21 years to the day that Basdeo Panday said he founded the UNC.

He said, ’This was an act of vindictiveness of the highest order to have left out my daughter Mickela and my brother Subhas as candidates. This leaves me no other option but to take my politics outside of Parliament. I shall continue to fight for my people relentlessly.’

Panday said he was never told that his relatives would be axed.

’Don’t you understand? They (the UNC executive) don’t speak to me,’ he said.

Panday said he founded the party 21 years ago yesterday.

’The party’s birthday gift was the remove the Pandays from Parliament,’ he said.

Basdeo Panday’s Couva North seat will be contested by 30-year-old schoolteacher Ramona Ramdial, a party member for three years.

Subhas Panday was replaced by councillor in the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation, Nela Khan.

He said of the decision, ’If I have to be sacrificed for the greater good for the removal of the PNM I am willing to bear that sacrifice.’

He called on the coalition to stay together after the election or electors would lose faith.

Panday said, ’Statements on the ground was that I was thrown out because of my stance in the internal elections’.

Mickela Panday became a Member of Parliament in the 2007 election.

She was replaced as a candidate by 25-year-old Stacey Roopnarine, an electrical engineer employed with Digicel.

’I am disappointed,’ she said repeatedly yesterday.

On whether she thinks she was a victim of the Panday name, she said, ’The country would have to judge that.’

She said, however, that she would continue to support the party and would not be running as an independent candidate.

’To be completely honest, I am a sitting MP and I worked really hard so I thought that I was going to retain my position,’’ she said. (Trinidad Express)

Anna Ramdass anna.ramdass@trinidadexpress.com

The final rites for the Panday name in respect of the United National Congress (UNC) were performed yesterday, as Mickela Panday and Subhas Panday, daughter and brother of UNC founding father Basdeo Panday, were both rejected by the party’s screening committee to contest the May 24 general election.

As the party celebrated its 21st birthday yesterday, UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar declared the names of 23 candidates at the Rienzi Complex, Couva. See Page 7.

In a surprise move, she also announced that Suruj Rambachan would contest the Tabaquite seat previously won by Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.

Both Pandays had successfully contested the Oropouche West and Princes Town North constituency seats respectively in the 2007 general election.

On January 24, Basdeo Panday, who represented the people of Couva North in Parliament for over 30 years, was defeated by Persad-Bissessar in the internal party election. Since then he has cut ties with the party’s new executive and will not be contesting any seat under the UNC.

NOT CHOSEN: Mickela Panday

Yesterday, it was announced that the new candidate for Couva North will be the young Ramona Ramdial, party elections officer. Therefore, should the UNC form the next government, not a single Panday would sit in the House of Representatives. Previously there were three.

Caroni Central MP Dr Hamza Rafeeq, Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath and Maharaj will also no longer occupy seats in the House. In effect, all the people who had not worked with the new party executive were booted out.

Persad-Bissessar said this was not a plan to wipe out anyone.

’I was not of the view that there was any indication that we were on a mass wipeout. The only mass wipeout that we have is against Manning and his regime,’ she said yesterday.

Should there be any backlash over the rejection of the Pandays, Persad-Bissessar said the party was prepared to face the consequences and the people would judge on May 24.

’The people will judge that on the 24th of May, when you make decisions politically you face the political consequences, and on the 24th of May the people will judge us for our actions and our decisions.

’I’ve gone forward after long deliberations by the screening committee and thereafter with the Executive. These decisions were not taken lightly, they were not taken overnight and they were taken in the fullness of all of the circumstances and knowing that when we get into government, that we must be able to hold a government together and that was the team that was chosen, as you see them here, to hold that government together,’ she said.

Under the coalition agreement, the UNC will field 23 candidates, COP ten, NJAC four, Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) two and Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) two in the May 24 general election.

Asked specifically why the Pandays were not successful as candidates, Persad-Bissessar said, ’The screening committee was not of the view that the given persons should be the candidate; they chose the candidate they felt was best able to represent the constituency.’

She said in time the hurt would disappear.

’I believe at the end of the day while there may be persons hurt, that personal hurt will pass and will heal to the greater good, which is for us to work together to improve the quality of life of all the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. So we have a team that reflects, in my respectful view, the rainbow that is Trinidad and Tobago,’ she said.

She continued, ’I don’t think there will be a backlash, I think there will be some personal hurt which is normal, it’s a human condition that sometimes we will be a little disappointed but I feel the personal hurt will heal and give way to the greater good; we have seen that with Mr Vasant Bharath for example.’

Bharath was rejected as the candidate for St Augustine, but he pledged support to COP candidate Prakash Ramadhar.

Persad-Bissessar said there were challenges in selecting candidates, as many persons of high calibre wanted to serve. She expressed confidence that the team chosen reflected the ’Rainbow of Trinidad and Tobago’.

Party chairman Jack Warner added, ’Today, this party is 21 years old. In this party’s 21-year history, never has this party undergone the level of democracy in terms of screening candidates. I tell you that is unprecedented, unparalleled and unheard of in the history of the party.’

Rambachan took the opportunity to thank Maharaj for his tenure and added, ’I hope to bring the quality of representation that the people will deserve. We are servants of the people, they are not only electing us, they are hiring us to work for them and that’s the attitude I will go into that seat and deliver to them on that basis to satisfy them, delight them.’ (Trinidad Express)

THERE’S A CALL for legislation to govern the role and duties of bailiffs and debt collectors in Barbados.

It came from Crown Counsel in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Lancelot Applewaithe as he addressed a meeting of the Barbados Association of Bailiffs and Debt Collection Agencies Inc at Westbury Primary School on Thursday evening.

Applewaithe said that if the role and duties of bailiffs as part of the legal system was to be accentuated, properly regulated and understood, specific legislation was needed.

Applewaithe pointed out that Trinidad and Tobago had enacted a set of regulations in its Bailiffs Act, but in Barbados there are six separate pieces of legislation under which bailiffs operate.

“Don’t you think it would be better if you had one act as the legal profession has the Legal Profession Act which sets out everything?” Applewaithe asked.

“You will know where to find all your authority under one head and I think that will be more instructive. One piece of legislation rather than this hodge podge kind of thing.

“This piece of legislation in my opinion would set out the desirability of qualification such as the para-legal certificate and I think it is very good that bailiffs should understand at least something about the law,” he said.

Applewaithe stressed the importance of controls, without which people would tend to step out of line.

“The legal profession has controls so you must have controls. You can get together and shape your ideas. In the same way that you make up the articles for a company you can put together what moves you want to control and approach the necessary authorities to have them enacted,” the Crown Counsel said.

Applewaithe, deputizing for Director of Public Prosecutions, Charles Leacock , said whether the role of the bailiff could be seen as akin to a para-legal practitioner, the ultimate responsibility of the bailiff was to diligently and fervently follow the instructions of the client.

He said they should follow the instructions of the client to the letter. “That is where you function properly. Do not step outside the bounds of your authority. You will be acting ultra vires and you will not be covered by any immunity that may have been available to you by the agreement you had when you were instructed by the client.”(Nation News)

(PW)

RICE AND PEAS; MACARONI PIE

SCALLOPED POTATOES; STEAMED PUDDING AND SOUSE

COU COU; BAKED CHICKEN

BAKED PORK; BBQ SPARERIBS

BBQ PIG TAIL; FRIED SNAPPER

FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH

BEEF STEW; STEAMED FLYING FISH

STEAMED VEGETABLES; TOSSED SALAD; COLE SLAW

SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS by Government, the Private Sector and Labour, will be among the highlights of today’s May Day activities.

The signing will take place following the Labour Day march which starts this morning at the Garrison Savannah and ends at Browne’s Beach, Bay Street, St Michael.

General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Sir Roy Trotman explained that due to problems and challenges Protocol 6 could not be completed.

“Due to being tied up with fighting for job security of some companies in Barbados and creating a job protection programme we were unable to completed Protocol 6.”

However, Sir Roy was certain it would be signed next May 1, 2011.

The theme for today’s activity is Alone We May Go Faster, Together We Will Go Further. The march will come across Culloden Road where participants will stop for a wreath-laying ceremony at the bust of National Hero, the Rt Excellent Sir Frank Walcott, former general secretary of the BWU.

The May Day walk is intended to raise awareness of the struggle of workers and the progress that has been made through the years.

Sir Roy, who is also president of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations said: “We want to assure you that though we are making efforts to work with employees and though employers are working with us there are still some signs looming over the horizon that tell us that there are some people who want to take us back to the dark ages.”

He advocated that employees and workers go the route of consultation and discussion to resolve their differences.

“We do not suspect that there will be an end of problems with workers and employers, but we are hopeful that we wlll be able to reduce the incidents or even prevent the difficulties and the waste that come from useless fighting.” (LK) (Nation News)

William Layne, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

by TONY BEST

BARBADIANS who bought annuities from CLICO International Life Insurance Limited (CIL), when they were not supposed to be sold, ought not to worry too much.

According to William Layne, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and chairman of the Oversight Committee set up by the Thompson Administration to study CLICO’s finances, the policies are “not worthless”.

He told the SATURDAY SUN in New York, after attending an investment insurance seminar sponsored by Invest Barbados, that CIL had sold annuities at a time when it did not have permission to do so.

In a statement to the Press last week, Layne revealed that CIL had been prohibited from writing new business by the Supervisor of Insurance in August 2009, in accordance with Section 55 (1) of Cap 310 of the Insurance Act, because the company had not complied with the provisions of the Insurance Act Cap 310 as far as the Statutory Fund was concerned.

In addition, the company had not submitted its audited accounts for the year 2008 as provided for under Section 39 of Cap 310.

Following that statement, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur was quoted as saying that the annuities policyholders were now holding were “worthless pieces of paper”.

But Layne disagreed: “I wouldn’t say the policies are worthless, they wouldn’t be.

“I can’t say what options they are under the law because I am not that cognisant of that aspect of the law. I think people would have bought the policies in good faith, but the fact that the company had no authority to sell them is another matter.”

As for all policyholders, Layne was quick to say that their interest was being protected by the Supervisor of Insurance.

“In so far as the policyholders (are concerned) they have the protection of the Supervisor of Insurance under the law,” he told the SATURDAY SUN.

Dr David Estwick, Minister of Economic Affairs, who delivered the feature address at the seminar attended by scores of American executives, Barbados Government officials and Bajans in New York, said that the annuity issue and other CLICO matters were being considered by the Oversight Committee led by Layne and he would await the panel’s recommendations before commenting on the next move. (Nation News)

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton (left) chatting with students at the gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex after a speech yesterday in which he said: “I believe in you, I hope you believe in yourselves.” (Picture by Sandy Pitt.)

AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST Reverend Al Sharpton has urged Barbados’ schoolchildren to avoid the short-cuts that create “paros”.

In an hour-long talk at the gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex yesterday, he advised thousands of primary and secondary school students not to get involved in illegal drugs and gangs and to be prepared to work hard to achieve.

“Let me tell you a secret about an old paro,” he said. “Most old paros were young paros. They just got old being a paro.

“They started young, taking short-cuts, feeling they didn’t have to do anything, feeling the world owed them something, feeling they can argue against those that were trying to tell them (what to do) . . . and they got old doing it.

“And nobody cares about an old paro because they wasted their life and every time you look at an old paro, think about that could be you if you don’t do something to use your youth to do something.”

Sharpton spoke on Marrying Rights And Responsibilities To Produce A Better World - The Role Of Youth.

He told schoolchildren to aim high, don’t fall victim to flatterers who have nothing good to offer beyond comments about their beauty and backside and the possibility of sex, and not to let a difficult upbringing stop them from improving their lot.

“I know the hip thing is to be a thug and a gangster and the hip thing is to run around and get high and to hang out with girls and the girls hang out with the dudes,” he remarked.

“But let me tell you something: yearning to be a gangster, if you do your research, the gangsters are trying to become legit. Why do you want to be something that they don’t even want to be?”

According to Sharpton, “any fool can be a gangster and a thug” but it takes tough, strong people to defy the odds and make a big success of their lives.

In a presentation spiced with stories about his life, he told the youths that they must be prepared to make sacrifices, pointing out that nothing good comes without hard work, sacrifice and responsibility.

“You can be whatever you want to be, if you are determined to be that,” he said.

Sharpton fielded several questions from the students, mostly about his upbringing and how he handled the challenges caused largely by poverty.

The presentation was organised by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource development. (TY) (Nation News)

Sir Roy Trotman. (FP)

THE BARBADOS WORKERS’ UNION (BWU) is in a fighting mood this Labour Day following the laying off of workers at a hotel chain without adequate reason.

Yesterday BWU general secretary Sir Roy Trotman revealed that two hotels within the Elegant Hotels chain had formally given notice to some workers that their contracts of employment would be terminated, and they would be given four weeks’ pay in lieu of notice and vacation pay. However, the workers have not been given any reason for the dismissal.

Sir Roy slammed the move “as a deliberate policy” to fire people for no good reason.

Though he did not say how many workers were affected, the veteran trade unionist said that as far as he was made aware there has been no difficulty in the management-worker relationship, yet individuals were being fired on the grounds that the company merely wished to terminate the contracts.

He noted there was clear indication of a new contract that workers were asked to sign, and questioned if it was supposed to be a transfer, then why would there be the need for a new contract.

“It is either a contradiction of terms or it is a lying excuse to get away from your responsibilities,” he said.

Sir Roy stated that the practice was contrary to the rules governing the agreement with the BWU and the hotel industry. It also ran contrary to the hotel’s policy as is stated in the documents of the chain.

He said if there was no disciplinary action to be taken against the workers, and if there was disaffection then it should have been made known to the employees which was not the case.

“The employer believes he can terminate any one he wishes to with just a month’s notice and paying the money in lieu of termination. This should not be happening because the Human Resources Director has been within the leadership of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation,” said Sir Roy.

He promised that the BWU would be working to help two of the workers who have so far come forward. He explained that the issue was raised with the human resources personnel with the hotel group and they agreed to meet on the domestic level. However, problems arose with having the matter resolved.

The general secretary pleaded for workers to come out today to support those affected by the hotel chain, and pledged that the BWU would be speaking to the relevant tourism authorities, and if necessary will march in consolidation with the affected workers. (LK) (Nation News)