Moontown

The AFC is examining a new proposal for a “grand alliance” of compatible allies to contest next year’s elections that is premised on the idea that coming together is the only option for the country’s survival.

A working paper the party has been circulating, titled “the Pathway to Victory 2011,” argues for a grand alliance and sets out a framework to drive it forward. The paper proposes an alliance of political parties, civil society groups and individuals who have similar national goals and expectations. “Therefore, the alliance would be built by a coalition of compatible allies, resting on a strong programmatic platform,” it says, adding that each partner can identify and agree on collective critical issues to be addressed in the interest of the people, including “winning the election, and the necessary mechanisms for the implementation of agreed solutions and governance after the elections.”

The drive for a broad-based partnership has been spoken about increasingly in recent weeks, particularly following the triumph of the People’s Partnership – the opposition coalition which won a landslide victory in Trinidad and Tobago. Opposition parties have publicly stated interest in the prospect of a broad partnership to challenge the PPP/C next year.

The AFC’s National Executive met yesterday in order to review the party’s position on alliances. In principle, the party has said it welcomes alliances with like-minded political and civic forces to contest the upcoming general elections. At the same time, it has also stressed that the final decision on how it will move forward would have to be made through its internal democratic process.

Last week, a citizens’ group released a draft protocol intended to formalise a partnership. “…We are all united by our commitment to improve the standards of political behaviour, public dealings, social discourse, transparency and accountability,” said the members of the group behind the protocol, who are citizens that come from all races, genders, religions, classes and wage groups. The members include some members of political parties. “We recognize that this task requires commitment to the virtues of honesty, hard work, thrift, sacrifice, fairness and life-long learning as the only pathway to excellence in personal performance and success of our country,” they added.
‘Transformative agenda’
According to the AFC working paper, a grand alliance of equals is needed to establish a transformative government, with a new and clearly defined dispensation to bring positive change and unrestricted opportunities to contribute to nation building. Further, it adds that recent developments in the region and in Europe point the way to the possibilities that can be yielded from the “mature and pragmatic fashioning of a political arrangement,” among like minded parties and civic leaders. It is envisaged that such an arrangement would put the interest of the development of the country first while preserving the unique identity of the participating parties.
Some AFC leaders have expressed concern about the party losing its identity in an alliance.

The paper notes the challenge of a grand alliance and the effective working of a coalition is how to maintain the individual identity and core principles. However, it says acting in the best interest of the nation and its people an alliance is achievable. According to the paper, such an alliance must be driven by fundamental imperatives and realities. Among these is “the acceptance, appreciation and willingness” on the part of like-minded individuals and interest groups “that coming together is the only option for Guyana survival.” Further, it notes that the constitution does not provide for post-election alliances or coalitions as well as the fact that the party with the largest bloc of votes wins the presidency and the right to form the new government. Additionally, it says that a two-thirds majority would be needed to bring about constitutional changes necessary in a post-election period.

The paper emphasises that an alliance must agree to a basic political platform with a menu of policies, clear objectives and targets to be achieved during the first 120 days and into the first term in office. Among the common principles it proposes are: governance and constitution reforms; implementation of a viable economic model for sustainable development; measures for strengthening the public safety, security and justice systems; improving social justice and socio-economic reform, including tax system overhaul; education reform; and a code of conduct for parties during campaigning and while in government.

Once the principles are agreed upon, it identifies the next step as the development of a substantive accord that includes political parties, members of civil society, interest groups, organisations and patriotic individuals. It adds that the protocols for the alliance’s rules of engagement, policy framework, working relationship, mechanisms for addressing internal issues, and funding principles, among other issues, have to be carefully agreed, to ensure all parties are absolutely clear about what they have signed on to and their respective responsibilities. It adds that the accord should be in effect at least six months before the next general elections and that a manifesto be developed and agreed in preparation for national release within an agreed timeframe for the elections. In June, the AFC engaged Barbadian strategist Hartley Henry to brief local opposition leaders on the negotiations of the pact that led to the formation of the People’s Partnership. Prior to going to polls, the People’s Partnership coalition publicly signed on to a unity accord. In addition to identifying Kamla Persad-Bissessar as the leader of the movement and its prime ministerial candidate, the accord also committed the partners to placing the interest of the country before party and individual self-interest. As a government comprising the partners, they also committed to implementing a public policy programme to improve the quality of life of the people of Trinidad and Tobago based on shared principles of national development and national unity. They also established collaborative teams, a common platform for sharing a common public policy programme and agreed to establish mechanisms for the achievement of consensus.  Further, they agreed to abide with the constitution and laws and to propose legislative changes as are necessary to give effect to the will of the people.

Already, the main opposition PNCR has stated that it is committed to develop a working understanding with any individual or entity willing to negotiate in good faith on a platform to transform the country. Party leader Robert Corbin has also said he is not interested in leading the coalition and that while the PNCR is committed to taking a leading role, it would not play a domineering role or insist that one of its members be the presidential candidate for the group. The WPA, meanwhile, has said it would participate in a search for a coalition without pre-conditions, but would insist on certain principles. It explained that “parties and individuals should not use the coalition to advance their own or their party’s agenda above the need of the country.” Further, it said no party or parties, however strong, should act in a “hegemonic or opportunistic” manner. “We insist that the process be driven by a commitment to transparency, accountability and respect,” it said. On the possible leadership of the coalition, the WPA said it would insist that the issue be handled with utmost care and that in the long run its composition should be dictated by the challenges of the current situation.

Unity Party leader Joey Jagan has also suggested a model similar to the Trinidad accord, calling for a document “which is public and signed, sealed and delivered to the citizens of Guyana with a commitment from each member of such a coalition to abide, to the last breath, by what they signed.” He has proposed a 15-point agreement on a common cause, including the abolition of the executive presidency in favour of a prime minister as head of government; constitutional and election reform aimed at producing a more representative system; decentralisation of the central government with much more power and fluidity to an accountable local government; police reform; the scrapping of the VAT; and a programme to encourage remigration of Guyanese from the Diaspora as well as an influx of migrants to increase capacity for production and export. (Stabroek news)

Patrick Hylton, group managing director of the National Commercial Bank, speaks at the release of the bank’s nine-month results in New Kingston. At right is chief financial officer Yvonne Clarke. - Ian Allen/Photographer

Come August, National Commercial Bank of Jamaica (NCB) will cut its base lending rate by three percentage points, moving it to 17.75 per cent from 20.75 per cent.  NCB now joins Scotiabank and FirstCaribbean in reducing interest rates, but bank capital is still in high double digits despite years of lobbying by producers for rates that are more competitive with those of regional and other trading partners.

The announcement Friday was made alongside the release of the banking group’s nine-month results to June 30, 2010, that reflected a 10 per cent increase in net profits - a pleasing outcome for NCB group managing director Patrick Hylton.

“The bank has continued to demonstrate strong performance even in the context of difficult circumstances, particularly the JDX,” Hylton said at a briefing on the nine-month results.

“It is a very good performance and demonstrates that in terms of our business model, we are focused on the right thing at the right time.”

10.1 per cent profit increase

For the nine-month reporting period, NCB earned net profit of $8.08 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.1 per cent.

Profit for the quarter also rose relative to the second quarter at March 2010, but just by J$203 million, or 7.9 per cent, to J$2.76 billion.

Net-interest income for the nine months amounted to $15.5 billion, an increase when compared to the corresponding period last year, but the quarter reflected a four per cent decline.

The banking segment of the company’s operation continues to be challenged, with an $823 million drop in operating earnings from the combined retail, corporate and treasury units.

At the same time, the bank’s loan portfolio has shed value, dropping by J$3.9 billion to $85.1 billion, due to a “reduction in the rate of loan growth, as well as the effect of the appreciation of the Jamaican dollar

Total assets, however, improved by J$12 billion, to J$322 billion.

NCB expects the loan market to remain sluggish in an environment of increasing competition. To attract business, the bank has cut 300 basis points off base rates to 17.75 per cent, and will be reducing rates in other loan categories that are not directly tied to the base rate.

Hylton said those rates would be adjusted by 100-50 basis points in direct offers to selected clientele.

He also announced that effective September 1, the bank would be setting up a unit to focus on companies that are at the larger end of the SME sector.

“We have embarked on a programme to establish a middle-market unit within the bank to give more focus to the larger tier of SMEs, or the middle market,” said Hylton.

“Discussions are still ongoing internally and we are looking at some benchmarks, but we have not settled on them yet.”

With the advent of the JDX, which sliced an average of six points off bond prices, several complaints were raised about the slow pace at which lending rates were trending down, which Hylton dismissed at the company’s investor briefing on Friday.

“We expect that rates will come down over time, and we are seeing them coming down, but there are some structural issues which will affect the pace at which they come down,” said Hylton.

“One issue, for example, is the pace at which investors and depositors are willing to take a lower rate of interest for their own funds. The fact of the matter, though, is that we operate in an environment where we have high costs - we have high costs for security, high costs for transportation, high costs for energy. Those are some of the issues which we also need to digest.”

Diversified business model

Hylton contends that at the end of the day, the market will determine what is the appropriate rate, “and if there is an institution that is not pricing in accordance, the market will punish them”, he added.

In the meantime, NCB noted that its diversified business model was paying off for the company.

The banking group’s wealth and asset-management segment contributed nine-month operating profit of J$2.63 billion.

NCB Capital Markets Limited, the main unit in that grouping, is preparing to enter the unit-trust market and is now going through the regulatory process and putting internal systems in place.

The company’s insurance segment achieved net profit of J$1.23 billion, an increase of $74 million, when compared to 2009. (Jamaica Gleaner)

- sabrina.gordon@gleanerjm.com

Drug Enforcement Agency personnel bring alleged gangster Christopher Coke to a waiting vehicle at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, recently. - AP Photo

There is growing speculation surrounding Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke in the United States after news surfaced last week that prosecutors have filed a new sealed document with the courts.

Prosecutors gave no indication of what is contained in the document filed on June 20 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York where Dudus is to be tried on gun and drug-running charges.

“Possibly an indictment of those individuals who assisted Coke during the 10 months that the Government delayed his extradition from Jamaica,” a US-based lawyer told The Sunday Gleaner.

“It could also be a product of the Department of Justice investigation into the Manatt FARA filings,” the attorney said.

However, the attorney was quick to dismiss speculation that the sealed document could be a statement from the man the US authorities claim led the notorious Shower Posse.

“The US attorney could not take a cooperative statement from Coke unless he changes his plea to guilty or to nolo contendere (I do not wish to contest the charges).

Furthermore, all plea agreements are public record after being signed.

“Factual proffers made pursuant to a plea agreement cannot be filed under seal and can only be viewed by the court as part of the evidence at a Rule 35 hearing. This could be part of an appellate transcript but not a trial docket sheet,” the attorney explained.

Superseding indictment

He noted that one day after the security forces moved into Tivoli in an attempt to capture Coke, an application was made to the court to unseal a superseding indictment against him.

That will replace the indictment, which was unsealed in August 29 and used by the US as part of its request to the Jamaican Government for the extradition of the west Kingston strongman.

“This is not going away, no matter what the spin doctors in Jamaica try,” the US-based attorney said.

Coke remains in custody in a US jail facing charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and conspiracy to distribute firearms.

He is to return to court in September but to date, the only attorney on record for the alleged drug kingpin is the state-appointed Russell Neufeld. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Melissa Dahl writes: A Nigerian couple just got quite a surprise: Angela Ihegboro gave birth to a white baby with blue eyes and curly blond hair, reports The Sun, a British tabloid.

“Actually, the first thing I did was look at her and say, ‘What the flip?’” says Ben Ihegboro, the baby’s father, who came to Britain with his wife five years ago and now lives in South London with their two other children. He says infidelity is out of the question. “My wife is true to me. Even if she hadn’t been, the baby still wouldn’t look like that.”

The baby, which the couple named Nmachi, is not an albino, doctors say. Ben Ihegboro says his mother has a fairer shade of skin, “but we don’t know of any white ancestry. We wondered if it was a genetic twist. But even then, what is with the long curly blond hair?”

It’s an unusual case, but it’s not unheard of. Skin and eye color are determined by melanin, and the amount or type of melanin is controlled by about a dozen different genes, as Bryan Sykes, an Oxford University professor of human genetics, told the tabloid. For the Ihegboros, Nmachi’s blue eyes and blond hair must be the result of a trace of white ancestry from each of her parents’ genes.

“In mixed race humans, the lighter variant of skin tone may come out in a child — and this can sometimes be startlingly different to the skin of the parents,” Sykes told The Sun. “This might be the case where there is a lot of genetic mixing, as in Afro-Caribbean populations. But in Nigeria there is little mixing.”

Nmachi and her family have good company: In 2008, a set of twins — one black, one white — was born to a German couple (the mother is black, the father is white). Also that year, a British mixed race couple gave birth to their second set of twins with different colored skin. And just last week, the British tabloid the Mirror reported that a mixed-race woman gave birth to a set of twins — she was so sure the babies would have different skin tones that she nicknamed them Salt and Pepper. (The mother is dark-skinned, and the father is white.)

Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

Under pressure from parents bawling about the high cost of auxiliary fees, and with the education ministry adamant that no child should be turned away for failing to pay these charges, several schools are strugg-ling to finance the most basic services.

Science labs, sporting com-petitions and cultural activities could be slashed in some schools if they fail to collect the majority of money charged as auxiliary fees.

Part-time staff - hired to reduce the teacher-to-student-ratio in a bid to improve learning - would be sent home. So, too, would be students enrolled in some sixth-form programmes. Some security guards would also lose their jobs if auxillary fees are not collected.

“Security would be at risk, as funds would not be available to provide for (the) 24-hour security that now exists,” argued Sharon Reid, principal of St Andrew High School For Girls and president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS).

Security may go

Esther Tyson, principal of Ardenne High School and vice-president of the JAPSS, echoed the warning that security provided for the students while they are at school, and other activities designed to improve the overall quality of education would be among the casualties.

“Ardenne is known for offering a holistic education to our students. The education offered would become bare bones without the enrichment elements which now broaden the programmes that we offer,” Tyson argued.

The principals accept that times are tough and that the auxiliary fees are a strain on many parents already pummelled by high taxes and the accompanying harsh economic realities that obtain in Jamaica.

But they argue that with the Government not providing all the money needed to properly operate schools, the fees are a necessary evil needed for the good of the country’s students.

In underscoring the point, the administration of St Andrew High School for Girls claims that 25 part-time staff members would be sent home in the upcoming academic year if the auxiliary fees were not collected.

That is because the subvention from the Government would not stretch to cover the salaries of these workers.

And, even if it could, the Government’s money comes with spending conditionalities, which does not include the part-time teachers getting a dime.

Since coming to power in 2007, the Bruce Golding administration has removed tuition fees at secondary schools while increasing the subvention to the schools.

Difference between tuition fees and subvention

Colin Blair, director of communications in the education ministry, emphasised that there was a difference between tuition fees and a subvention.

“Subvention takes care of salaries as well as fixed and recurrent costs, and this is sent to schools based on their budget submitted, while the ministry pays a tuition fee per child to schools,” he said.

Blair also told our news team that “the amount that is being paid per student for the new school year (2010-2011) is $11,000 for the first tranche”.

He explained that this amount would be revised once the actual numbers were clarified in the first term. “If possible, the second tranche may be revised upwards,” Blair said.

For Reid, this is a sizeable investment in education, but it is just not enough for schools to survive without the auxiliary fees.

“It is important to note that the Ministry of Education pays the salaries of all teachers and support staff on the government establish-ment,” Reid said.

“For the 2009-2010 academic year, the sum paid so far is $115,164,633.26. This is separate from the sum provided for operational expenses,” said Reid.

Not enough

However, the JAPSS president reasoned that the subvention from Government towards operational expenses was not enough to fund programmes, approved by the school board, designed to improve the quality of education provided for the students.

She pointed out that schools are given a set staff quota based on the student-to-teacher ratio prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

“The implementation of many programmes is dependent on the employment of non-government part-time staff (members) who are paid with auxiliary fees,” Reid stated.

“The cutting of these pro-grammes would severely affect the quality of the education experience provided at St Andrew High.

“In fact, the entire landscape of our offerings, both academic and non-academic, would be completely changed, and we would no longer be in a position to provide the holistic education for which it is well known,” she added.

Auxiliary fees important

Against this background, the principals argue that the Government’s position that the paying of auxiliary fees is not mandatory is unrealistic.

“It is not realistic, because they are aware that what they are giving is not adequate,” said Nadine Molloy, principal of Buff Bay High School and president-elect of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association.

“It would be difficult for the school to survive without the payment of auxiliary fees,” she added.

Molloy pointed out that a decision to operate within the school’s budgeted allocation last year led to the slashing of two technical vocational subjects from the curriculum.

They were just too expensive for the school to continue on its limited budget.

Albert Corcho, principal of Tarrant High School and president of the Association of Principals and Vice-Principals, argues that the payment of auxiliary fees should be compulsory.

“It should be made mandatory, since the Government is paying (the tuition to) the school,” he argued.

Corcho added: “I feel that the parents should be made to contribute to the overall develop-ment of the school.”

Welfare cut

The Tarrant High principal said the welfare programme at his school would be cut if auxiliary fees were not collected.

School administrators have repeatedly argued that the financial assistance provided to needy students under the PATH programme is not enough.

This has led some schools to implement a welfare programme to assist needy students, but that could also disappear because of the cash crunch.

“Students get a hot meal out of the auxiliary fees,” said Corcho.

The administrators also lamented that sporting programmes would take a beating if the auxiliary fees were abandoned or not paid by parents.

A cutback in sports would be especially dire for the students of Tarrant High, many of whom are stronger on the fields and hard courts than they are in the classrooms, Corcho said.

He pointed out that the exposure provided by the various sporting competitions was very important for the total development of his students.

“That is what the (auxiliary) fees allow us to do: put out well-rounded students,” Corcho emphasised.(Jamaica Gleaner)

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com

Publisher and CEO of The Nation Publishing Co. Limited, Vivian-Anne Gittens, has announced the appointment of prominent Barbadian and Caribbean journalist Kaymar Jordan to the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Nation newspapers.

Close[X]

Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley yesterday heralded the opening of Tamarind Villas in Coverley, Christ Church, calling it a new dimension in Government’s bid to provide affordable housing

Close[X]

First-time home-owners Tatanya Bailey (left) and Gladstone Slocombe two new homeowners.()

Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley yesterday heralded the opening of Tamarind Villas in Coverley, Christ Church, calling it a new dimension in Government’s bid to provide affordable housing

The project was also hailed by Lashley as an example that joint venture projects between Goverment and private construction companies could work if done the right way.

Gladstone Slocombe and girlfriend Tatanya Bailey, along with two-year-old son Kamal, were given a special tour of the project’s first sale, a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house they will call home later this year.

Tamarind Villas is the first of 17 community villages that will make up the entire Coverley project.

Three hundred houses that form Tamarind Villas are due to be completed by year-end, but when completed by next year, the entire 17-village community will have 1 026 homes.

“This is a new dimension when it comes to creating new housing solutions in Barbados,” a beaming Lashley told a standing-room only crowd at the launch, which also included entertainment by calypsonian Mr Dale, songstress Kimberly Inniss, and Dance National Afrique.

Noting that a previous joint venture project under a previous administration had encountered numerous problems in 2002, Lashley had immense praise for private company Housing Concepts, which worked with the National Housing Corporation on the Coverley project.

“This is a project that you can see, feel, and walk through,” the minister said. “This is for real.”

Slocombe, after touring with Lashley and Acting Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, was quite elated at finally having his first home. “I’m very happy today,” he said after the walk-through.

“This was a great opportunity, I’m glad I took it. I feel a project like this is perfect for young professionals who want to own their own homes.”

The project was officially declared open by the Acting Prime Minister. (BA) (Nation News )

She has almost 25 years in the industry and yet is far from being stale. Singing sensation Alison Hinds understands what it means to have earned her crown

Close[X]

Alison HInds said the decision to leave the band was a hard but necessary one.()

By: Michelle Springer

She has almost 25 years in the industry and yet is far from being stale. Singing sensation Alison Hinds understands what it means to have earned her crown as undisputed Queen of Soca, of yesteryear and today.

The titles and prizes she has accumulated over the years underscore her popularity but even in a climate where trophies are given for mediocrity, Hinds remembers what it was like to make music that had meaning.

Since the 1990s Hinds has become an important contributor to the contemporary wave of soca music at home and beyond. She sat with EASY Magazine and reminisced about the “old” days when paying dues was an important process in making music.

“When Square One came onto the scene we had to make sure that whatever we produced was on par with what was happening. In order to be on par with them, we had to make sure our songs were done properly.

“We came up with that from the beginning. It was never that we were trying a thing,” she said, stressing they were always conscious they were in the company of the Mighty Gabby, Red Plastic Bag, Grynner and Ras Iley.

As a backing band of the now defunct Untouchables Tent for several years, they would have garnered plenty experience in learning their craft that would have taken them to the pinnacle as one of the region’s leading soca bands.

The band went to record with producers such as Eddy Grant, Chris Allman and Nicholas Brancker in Barbados, as well as Pelham Goddard and Kenny Phillips in Trinidad. Their own Terry “Mexican” Arthur emerged out of that tradition and has become one of the island’s leading producers in the soca genre.

Today Hinds is amazed at the existing trend of first-timers recording and expecting to be paid for performances despite their absolute lack of stage experience.

During the mid to late 1990s there existed a period marketed by Trinidadian promoters as the “Bajan Invasion”, when Bajan artistes such as Edwin Yearwood and krosfyah, and later Alison Hinds and Square One, Rupee and Coalishun were dominating Carnival with ragga soca tunes.

The success of krosfyah’s Ultimate Party Pump Me Up album the previous year in the Trinidadian market turned attention to other Barbadian soca artistes.

“Edwin was the person who went into Trinidad when everything was ‘jump and wave’. He brought down the tempo with sweet melody and great lyrics and real ‘groovy’, and that was before the advent of the name ‘groovy soca’.

“It was ragga soca then as it is now. He stepped into Trinidad and ‘catspraddled’ the whole place with ragga soca. When we went in with our ragga soca tunes Bazodee, Kitty Cat, Sugar, Togetherness, they embraced us,” Hinds said.

In spite of their groovy tunes and having had the road opened for them, the band still had to prove themselves to serious soca critics. The band’s debut at soca mecca in Trinidad during Carnival in the 1990s was, for her, a humbling and nerve-wracking experience. They started playing in small clubs and eventually moved up to major band fêtes.

Hinds reminded EASY Magazine that in 1996 when she won Tune Of The Crop with Raggamuffin, the band already had ten years’ experience playing on the hotel and nightclub and tent circuit. Even with that title, she had no illusions of instant success.

“None of that mattered. People didn’t care what our background was. When we performed at our first major event with Legends, I was terrified. All I kept hoping was no one would ‘pelt’ us with toilet paper,” she said, laughing.

Before their popularity, most were fronted by men. Square One started to change that and paved the way for the likes of Destra Garcia, Faye-Ann Lyons and others.

“The girls were there basically as decorations before . . . . The attention blew me away. I never went in thinking I was going to dominate or forge a way for female artistes. It was nothing like that . . . we worked hard to get that respect from people in the land of calypso and it was a very big deal,” she said.

In 2005 Hinds got married and had her daughter Saharan. The decision to leave the band was for her a hard but necessary one.

“I thought about it for a long time, and I knew the time had come for me to move on. I was starting to feel really burnt out, having been touring consistently for over five years.

“I also knew when she was born I would have to give up touring and it didn’t seem fair to the other guys. It was really hard for me as we had been together for more than 18 years.  But it was a decision I had to make,” she said. Since going out as a solo act she has continued to tour but now arranges her schedule around important dates on her daughter’s calendar – back-to-school, plays, sports day and the like.

Square One reigns supreme to this day – which is evident from the masses that flock to see them on the band’s rare appearances together. Last weekend was a case in point when they headlined Soca On De Hill at Farley Hill National Park, performing some of their hits, that are still popular today in the Crop-Over fêtes.

Hinds is aware of the criticism launched against her for performing songs that belie her age, maturity and musical development. But she warns that those songs only tell one side of the Alison Hinds story.

“I’m in the process of transitioning. As we speak, I have writers working on a special Caribbean musical that will explore the full range of my talents, dancing, singing and acting.

“The script and music will tell the story of Caribbean life that is little known around the world,” she said. (Nation News)

It is one thing to see the Hypa Kids perform their effervescent tune Happy Feet in the Celebration Time calypso tent, where they are based, egged on by their dad Ricky Li’l Rick aka Hypa Dawg Reid.

Close[X]

The Hypa Family: Li’L Rick (third from left) relaxing with his children (from left) Rene, Rinicko, Rickara and Marika.()

By: Michelle Springer

It is one thing to see the Hypa Kids perform their effervescent tune Happy Feet in the Celebration Time calypso tent, where they are based, egged on by their dad Ricky Li’l Rick aka Hypa Dawg Reid.

It is quite another to see a massive 10 000 strong audience of mainly adults, such as the one that was present at the Farley Hill National Park last weekend for Soca Pon De Hill, erupt in thunderous jubilation when the two youngest members of the Reid clan, Rickara (seven) and Rinicko (ten) took the stage.

They are perhaps the most popular family for the Crop-Over Festival, if not the “hypa-est”, but it was clear last Thursday, as Reid and his Hypa Family, including his 13-year-old daughter Marika René, Unda Dawg, 19, and the Hypa Kids sat down for a rare interview with the SUNDAY SUN, there was more than mere hype behind this family affair.

Beyond the sensationalism and controversy he often finds himself at the centre of, Li’l Rick is also known for his shrewd business sense. The Hypa Family can be easily be seen as a complement to his business plan.

This is the Hypa Kids’ second year performing for the Crop-Over Festival. Hypa Dawg explained how it happened.

“It was simple. They came to me and said they wanted to get involved after Unda Dawg and myself came out with Break ‘Way (2008)”, he said.

Of the song Happy Feet, Reid explained he was inspired by the November 2006 movie and had initially written the song for himself but on reflection realised it suited a younger age group.

Writing Happy Feet for the children was a great way for him to tap into his childlike side, Reid said. He explained he had to take on a child’s persona to approach it from a child’s perspective.

“Writing for children you have to put yourself in the position of a child and pretend to be a child. You need to put yourself in the person’s shoes you’re writing for,” said Reid, who is competing in today’s Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions.

“Rickara started singing the song first. Then I heard the two of them running around the house singing the song so I said I would rewrite the song with parts in it for Rinicko,” Reid said.

“It wasn’t hard for me to learn the song. It took me three days to remember it,” Rickara said.

They both added they liked being on stage performing in front of crowds like their father, but for Rinicko holding the microphone was the best part.

Reid has reservations for now about their being involved in the Junior Monarch competition.

“I would think about entering them in the Junior Monarch later on but right now I like how they’re doing on their own outside of competition. Sometimes defeat can be hard for children. While social commentary is a good experience for them, the music doesn’t really go anywhere after that. That’s also why I wanted the Hypa Kids to do party music so that it would last outside of Crop-Over,” he said.

Patrons familiar with the Celebration Time tent would have seen Reid appear on stage during the Hypa Kids’ performance. This, he indicated, is purposely orchestrated.

“I put myself as the hype man or the emcee for them hyping up the crowd to put up their hands.”

Asked about rehearsals and preparation for live performances, Reid explained that, just as he had done with Unda Dawg, “We would talk about on the day. They learned the songs really fast in terms of sitting down on the rhythm and holding the melody in key.”

A football injury kept Unda Dawg away from the stage this year. Patrons at Soca Pon De Hill got an opportunity to see him on stage when he performed with his father. But he’s also keen on deejaying and has been investing in the field with the help of his dad.

“It was great for me to be back on stage. I missed it. I had even written a song for another guy and myself to perform but that’ll have to be next year now.”

The Hypa Kids and Unda Dawg all performed at yesterday’s Kiddie’s Kadooment and Junior Monarch at the National Stadium. The only member of the Hypa Family missing from the stage was Marika, who by her own admission is very shy and reluctant to take the microphone. Nonetheless, Reid hopes she will get involved in the administrative side of the family business.

Asked how he felt at Farley Hill when the crowd responded so exuberantly to the Hypa Kids, an equally bashful Reid stated: “I felt really proud. It reminded me of when Unda Dawg first went up on a big stage with a lot of people and everyone was [teasing] he would “take me out”.

It was good reliving those feelings again with the kids who came out much younger than he did and to see them handle themselves on stage. It feels really good that the kids are being acknowledged also by the National Cultural Foundation and the whole family will be coming out and performing together,” he said.

Ever the savvy businessman, Reid indicated there were plans afoot to incorporate the entire clan in future projects.

“I’m talking with another producer about putting out an album at Christmas and there might even be some songs out for Independence as well in November. The plan is to keep the Hypa Kids and the Hypa Family rolling inside and outside the Crop-Over festival,” he added. (Nation News)

Publisher and CEO of The Nation Publishing Co. Limited, Vivian-Anne Gittens, has announced the appointment of prominent Barbadian and Caribbean journalist Kaymar Jordan to the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Nation newspapers.

Close[X]

Kaymar Jordan, new Editor-in-chief of THE NATION newspapers.()

Publisher and CEO of The Nation Publishing Co. Limited, Vivian-Anne Gittens, has announced the appointment of prominent Barbadian and Caribbean journalist Kaymar Jordan to the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Nation newspapers.

Jordan, currently Director of News and Current Affairs at the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), officially takes up the position on September 1, 2010.

“I grew up on the Nation. For me, it is the leading newspaper in Barbados and to be given the opportunity to lead its editorial team is truly humbling.

“I look forward to working with the entire team to ensure that the Nation remains the paper of choice,” she said in accepting her new mandate.

Jordan, who holds a master’s degree in communications policy (with distinction) from City University of London and a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of the West Indies, brings a wealth of media experience and training to the position.

She has already accumulated 17 years of varied experience in journalism. She started out as a rookie reporter/sub-editor at the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) back in 1993.

She quickly moved up the ranks from radio producer to print editor, regional television lead anchor and newsroom manager.

Gittens welcomes Jordan’s broad multimedia experience and skills as the Nation goes through its transition to meet the expanded and diverse needs of its audience and customers.

“We are happy to have her join the Nation team. Her range of work as a journalist across the region already speaks for itself. I believe that coupled with her strong work ethic, professionalism, obvious passion and drive, she will be an asset to the Nation family,” Gittens said.

The position of Editor-in-Chief has been vacant since the retirement in 2006 of Harold Hoyte, co-founder of the newspaper and its Editor Emeritus. (Nation News)

(PR)