Ghana Immigration Scam! … “Passengers paid between $6,000 to $8,000 for trip”
Read below the comments of one person on a Ghanaian web site.
If this is true, these Ghanaians who are “stranded” in Barbados may not be as innocent, or as poor, as they purport to be!
De Standpipe Crew
http://sil.ghanaweb.com/r.php?id=3591685&thread=3579891
Subject: SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!
Author: Ga all day (68.198.34.75)
Date: 03-09-2008 00:15
I can’t believe am reading this story… I happened to be in Ghana to watch the African Cup of Nation when i friend in Tema told me one of our classmate is leaving for Barbados. To make a long story short, the plan was when they get to Barbados, someone is suppose to arrange for them to go to America and if all else fails end up in Canada.
We discuss this in lengh and i told him it might be very difficult trying to get all the passenger to the U.S.
This people payed between 6000.00-8000.00 dollars for this trip.
He told me he was interested in going too. i told him to be careful becausem it might end up being a scam run by Ghanaians and Nigerian nationals.
my point is the organizers should all be jailed for stealing peoples HARD EARNED money and selling them false hope. Am just upset that someone that i know is a victim of the scam…. SHAME SHAME SHAAAAAAAME!!!!! SHAME ON YOU.
6 comments Sunday, 9 March 2008, 8:30 am
Thompson is to be highly commended
Prime minister David Thompson is to be highly commended for his commendation of former prime minister Owen Arthur.
Well done!
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.nationnews.com/story/302713688775894.php
WELL DONE!
by CHRIS GOLLOP
PRIME MINISTER DAVID THOMPSON yesterday lauded his predecessor for the lead role he took in the regional integration movement.
In fact, Thompson told fellow Caribbean leaders that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur was deserving of a lasting tribute in recognition of his “enormous contribution” toward realising the goal of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Addressing the 19th intersessional meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in The Bahamas, Thompson said:
“As is customary, and in keeping with best practices as outgoing chair of CARICOM, allow me to highlight the work of the past six months and to assist in pointing the way forward.
“But before I do so, I would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution that my predecessors, and in particular my immediate predecessor, have made to the deepening of the relationship between the member states of CARICOM.
“You will recall that the Right Honourable Owen Arthur, as Prime Minister of Barbados and following on the work of his predecessor, had lead responsibility for establishing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy – one of the most important and sensitive components of the integration movement.
“It is generally believed in Barbados and abroad that he piloted this project with tremendous insight, tenacity and skill.
“I would therefore like to recommend that this august body create a lasting tribute, in the form of a University Chair or some other relevant regional programme, that would bring lasting benefits to future generations of Caribbean people.
“We need not look too far to find something to which we can lend the name of the former Prime Minister of Barbados,” he said.
Having said that, Thompson made it clear that a change of Government in Barbados did not mean a shift in policy toward the regional integration movement.
“The Government and people of Barbados remain resolutely committed to the ideals, principles and business of the Caribbean Community,” he emphasised, noting that the islands of the region faced similar challenges.
“Foremost of these are the rising cost of living which deeply affects all Caribbean people, major criminal incursions on our way of life and the complexities that retard regional air and maritime transport.
“Now is the time for this consortium of new leaders to inject novel perspectives and employ a spirit of vigour towards extending the many benefits accruing to the region’s people,” Thompson said.
Add comment Saturday, 8 March 2008, 4:07 am
½ Million In. ½ Million Out?
Politics is a funny thing. We will hear all about how much money these various BLP government consultants were getting, but somehow we don’t expect to hear a pang about how much money will be spent on the new DLP government consultants who will replace them… at least maybe not until the next change of government.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.nationnews.com/story/291122380962479.php
$1/2M CUT
by CHRIS GOLLOP
THE DAVID THOMPSON ADMINISTRATION has done away with $1/2 million plus bill which the previous Government paid annually in consultancy fees.
That means the consultants and their ancillary staff have been cut from Government’s payroll with immediate effect, putting an end to what Prime Minister Thompson recently described as a “horrendous” and “disturbing” situation of “pork barrel politics”.
Gone are Trevor Marshall, Victor Hinkson, Mark Williams, Phillip Goddard, Hamilton Lashley, Oral “Mackie” Holder, Angela Walcott, Kheisha Ward, Anthony Gabby Carter and Denzil Agard.
Of those listed, SUNDAY SUN investigations have revealed that Goddard was the highest paid, receiving a total of $15 000 monthly as special envoy to former Prime Minister Owen Arthur and the Minister with responsibility for Technology, Investment and Trade.
Also on the pay list were speech writer Mackie Holder, making $7 708.04 monthly for writing speeches and coordinating special projects; calypsonian and former Cultural Ambassador Gabby who was paid $6 000 as a monthly salary and $350 for travel monthly as the cultural development specialist; and Member of Parliament (MP) for St Michael South East, Hamilton Lashley, who was paid $6 400 monthly ($400 for travel), as special advisor to the former Prime Minister on poverty alleviation and the Millennium Goals.
Of the others benefiting from consultancies, Walcott, as assistant to Goddard, received a package totalling more than $5 000 a month, while his secretary Ward received $2 700.
Former MP for St Michael North West, Mark Williams, earned $5 500 a month as community projects advisor to the for Prime Minister.
Marshall, as consultant on cultural and heritage projects, earned $4 000 a month, while Agard was paid $3 000 a month for writing speeches for the former Prime Minister. Former journalist Victor Hinkson was paid $1 000 a month as research assistant to the former Prime Minister.
The salary bill for the consultants totals close to $600 000 per year.
SUNDAY SUN investigations have also revealed that university lecturer Dr George Belle had a contract for the provision of services “as needed” but did not provide for a monthly salary.
In almost every case, the contracts are to be terminated immediately, giving consultants one month’s pay in lieu of notice. In some cases, the contracts expired last Friday.
3 comments Tuesday, 4 March 2008, 1:49 am
Bruce Golding Election Promises – The First 100 Days
A review of the first 100 days of Bruce Golding’s Jamaica Labour Party government in Jamaica… promises kept and promises broken.
David Thompson’s Democratic Labour Party in Barbados made similar promises of what they would do in the first 100 days.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071216/lead/lead1.html
100 days of Golding: ‘It is a basket of success and failures’ – analysts
published: Sunday | December 16, 2007
Prime Minister Bruce Golding.Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner ReporterPolitical commentators and the parliamentary Opposition have identified a mixture of success and failures in the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) first 100 days in office.
Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Dr. Omar Davies, has sharply criticised the Golding administration on its handling of the economy. He argues that, while the increase in oil and other commodity prices is beyond the control of the Government, the depreciation of the local currency under the JLP’s watch has “compounded the external problems”. Indeed, he believes the instability in the foreign-exchange market provides “perfect cover” for possible price gouging. Furthermore, Davies argues, the “puzzling” hike in domestic interest rates is not caused by external factors.
Role reduction
The former Finance Minister in the Patterson/Simpson Miller administration is concerned about the reduction of the central role of the Finance Ministry in the management of the economy, as evidenced by the transferrence to the Office of the Prime Minister of important departments and functions – the Development Bank of Jamaica, the EX-IM Bank and the Capital Development Fund. Davies also points to the inclusion of several portfolio responsibilities, along with ministers, to the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister cannot carry that weight … Things are going to get bogged down,” warns Davies in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner.
Northern Caribbean University lecturer Charlene Sharpe-Pryce says the Golding administration has done fairly well over the last three months, making some tough, but wise decisions. One such decision is the appointment of the JLP’s South East St. Andrew candidate, Joan Gordon-Webley, to head the National Solid Waste Management Authority. Though questionable, the appointment, argues Sharpe-Pryce, has begun to effect necessary changes in the organisation.
“Mr. Golding’s ability to sift through the nuances associated with an issue and to make unpopular decisions is commendable,” comments the university lecturer.
Prime Minister Golding should also be commended, she believes, for efforts to bring normalcy to the lives of people who suffered damage and displacement due to Hurricane Dean, as well as for making good on his promise to abolish tuition fees in secondary schools.
But Sharpe-Pryce identifies a level of dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister’s decision to have members of the Public Service Commission (PSC) dismissed – a decision that appears to be overshadowing his 100-days’ tenure.
“The PM’s decision to oppose Stephen Vasciannie’s appointment as Solicitor General seems contrary – even if the PM thinks he has good reason – to his pronouncements to curtail the executive’s power. This, of all his actions to date, merits questioning: flip or flop?” asks Sharpe-Pryce.
Credibility impacted
It is a perspective University of the West Indies lecturer, Richard ‘Dickie’ Crawford, shares. “This abuse of power has impacted on the role and credibility of the Governor-General, and has forced the Opposition to seek an interim injunction in the Supreme Court (in defence of the PSC members),” notes Crawford.
“My first biggest disappointment,” he adds, “is to see Bruce Golding and the JLP, who promised to be new and different, who I had hoped were turning the corner to democracy, openness and putting the people first, doing the same, if not worse, than those who were there before them.”
Both analysts, like Davies, also believe useful time is being spent exposing the ills of the previous administration. Sharpe-Pryce opines that this energy could have been better spent seeking solutions to rising food prices and other problems besetting the country.
“Given the Government’s desire to increase transparency and accountability and eliminate corruption, this is good; however, all things must be done in moderation,” she states.
Furthermore, she notes, the JLP’s 100-day administration has been riddled with careless comments from some of its high-ranking members, such as Everald Warmington and Bobby Montague, and even the Prime Minister himself, which, she contends, is making it more difficult for the JLP to sell its vision to the public.
Murder hurting admin
The spiralling murder rate has also muzzled the administration, the analysts say, and while the problem may have been inherited from the last administration, the Government needs to put its energies into appealing to Jamaicans to unite against crime and violence.
“This fight requires the united determination of the Jamaican people to want to make a difference to stop the killing, to clean up the police force, the political parties and those private interests who operate outside of the law, running drugs, laundering money, hiring hitmen, smuggling people and goods, and not paying any taxes,” says Crawford. “Perhaps that is what the next 100 days should be all about.”
University of Technology lecturer Martin Henry also views crime as a strike against the Golding administration. “I think, especially in this Christmas season, if the Government could do anything practical, however small, t the sense of security, reduce the level of crime – which tends to spike during the Christmas season – this could have a buoyancy effect on public perception of the administration,” Henry tells The Sunday Gleaner.
But, for Henry, the “most worrying trend” is the departure of the Prime Minister and members of his government from the conciliatory/collaborative approach which he announced in his victory speech on election night. “We hope that this slippage will not be permanent or get worse,” states Henry.
He, like Sharpe-Pryce, is disappointed with the Government’s response to rising food prices, particularly its failure to communicate adequately with the Jamaican people, especially those who are able and willing to analyse international affairs as to the reason for the price increase. “The Government has been very inept in communicating the nature of this difficulty and asking for understanding and patience,” says Henry.
He identifies the administration’s achievements as keeping roads usable after the sustained rains in October and November; the bright prospect for the winter tourist season this is not largely its efforts; attempts to restructure local government; and, refund of tuition fees to parents.
In terms of achievements, Davies also has commends the administration for continuing the implementation of projects such as Highway 2000.
gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com
Promises Kept
✔ Set up committee to review libel and slander laws.
✔ Present a bill to roll back pensions of prime ministers.
✔ Abolish tuition fees in secondary schools.
✔ Implement development orders to streamline the development process in all 14 parishes.
✔ Present bill to establish an independent body to investigate police corruption and the Citizens’ Protection Bureau to investigate allegations of police abuse.
✔ Present bill to appoint special prosecutor.
Promises Not Kept
✖ Introduce bill to criminalise breaches of Government contract procedures.
✖ Introduce bill to impeach public officials guilty of misconduct.
✖ Introduce whistleblower legislation.
✖ Curtail the powers of the executive and strengthen the Opposition.
✖ Introduce bill to amend the Constitution to include a fixed election date.
Drafted, but not yet tabled in Parliament.
Add comment Sunday, 2 March 2008, 9:39 pm
Bajans can now send money OUT via Western Union
De Standpipe Crew welcomes this new development. It was very annoying that for many years we could RECEIVE money from outside of Barbados via Western Union but (except for a few brief time periods) we could not use the same service to send money out of the country to our family, friends and loved ones. The convenience and good sense of this latest financial service helps us move towards world-class status. All of the people involved in making it happen are to be highly commended.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.nationnews.com/story/298733432239902.php
Easier to send money out
From today, Barbadians can send foreign currency out of the island through Western Union’s operations at RBTT’s commercial banks.
And while the island’s growing immigrant and migrant worker population were factors in the move, RBTT’s marketing and customer service manager Frank Drakes said it was also a service demanded by many Barbadians.
The move was announced during a Press conference with top officials of the world’s largest money transfer service providers and RBTT at the bank’s Broad Street, Bridgetown office yesterday.
According to Tarcisio Bortoletto, Western Union’s regional vice-president for the Caribbean, Barbados was among the very few countries that regulated foreign exchange outflows, but the RBTT and Western Union had worked with the Central Bank of Barbados to ensure the remittances could be facilitated through the money transfers.
Money transfers out of the country as gifts are limited to the equivalent of $10 000 annually.
President and chief executive officer of RBTT Barbados John Beale, said the usual checks to ensure that the process was not tainted by money laundering would be undertaken.
“Western Union has the experience of working in over 200 countries and with the globalisation process, the demand to screen to ensure that those transactions are safe is becoming standard.
“It is pretty much well known what are the controls that you have to have in place and we are bringing the knowledge . . . and adapting to the reality of Barbados, working with the Central Bank and RBTT . . . and between the three of us we are very confident that the transactions that will be coming in and out are absolutely legitimate transactions,” Bortoletto stressed. (GE)
7 comments Friday, 29 February 2008, 12:11 am
DLP Manifesto Promises: 64 Days Left (and 1 Promise already broken)
One third of the 100 days have already gone! But doan worry… ’cause Bajans got short memories.
The Democratic Labour Party 2008 Manifesto made a number of promises to the people of Barbados should that party be voted into government. Three of them were promised “within 100 days” and five of them were promised “immediately”. The first official day of work for the new government was Tuesday 22 January 2008. It is now the night of Tuesday 26 February 2008 and there are 64 days left until the deadline of 30 April 2008.
One of the promises which was to happen “immediately” has already been broken.
The promises are:
PROMISED WITHIN 100 DAYS
Page 9. In the first 100 days of the new DLP administration remove VAT from building materials on houses valued up to $400,000.
Page 12. To this end and within the first 100 days of our administration the Democratic Labour Party government will convene a National Consultation on Education…
Page 42. The DLP Government will therefore: In the first 100 days introduce the Agriculture Protection Act that will require a 2/3 majority of both houses of parliament for a change of use of land from agriculture. We will reserve 30, 000 acres for agricultural use.
PROMISED IMMEDIATELY
Page 11. A new DLP Government will immediately embark on a health promotion campaign to sensitize the public to the dangers of unhealthy lifestyles;
Page 24. Immediately review the current Central Bank procedures for approving capital account transactions with a view to simplifying and speeding up the approval (or denial) process for restricted transactions.
Page 33. Additionally a new DLP administration will: Re-examine the Port charges with a view to significantly reducing these to manufacturers. Tonnage dues are charged twice – on raw materials when imported and again on finished products when being exported. This needs to be addressed immediately since it is a burdensome cost. Free along side charges (FAS) continue to be out of proportion with our competitors.
BROKEN PROMISE!
Page 36. Conversely, a new DLP government will move to immediately enact a comprehensive national Labour Rights legislative compendium which will include the following:
• A Full Employment Rights Act
• An Alternative Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Committee
• A Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act
• National minimum wages legislation
• Legislation fully recognizing Trade Unions.
Page 48. The Democratic Labour Party will also:
Immediately introduce integrity legislation requiring
• a declaration of assets by public officials,
• a Code of Conduct for Ministers,
• a new Freedom of Information law,
• amendments to the Defamation laws and
• new constitutional provisions to rationalise the powers of the Prime Minister.
SOURCE: http://www.barbadosvotes.org/pdf/2008_DLP_Manifesto.pdf
The people of this country are watching and waiting (some like hawks, some like vultures) to see how many of these manifesto promises will be fulfilled by the new DLP government.
36 gone, 64 to go.
De Standpipe Crew
1 comment Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 8:32 pm
New act to cover hairstyles. Well done Minister Ronald Jones!
De Standpipe Crew congratulates Minister of Education Ronald Jones for acting swiftly and vigorously in response to the recent blatant act of discrimination against the young people of this country who exercise their right to braid their hair.
Well done! You have our solid support.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.nationnews.com/story/297632917106228.php
Published on: 2/26/08.
by YVETTE BEST
MINISTER OF EDUCATION Ronald Jones is hinting that the new Education Act will take into consideration the now controversial issue of appropriate hairstyles for school, which is currently left to the interpretation of administrators.
He said the new act and new regulations would be presented to Parliament as soon as the necessary review of the current act and accompanying regulations had been completed.
One interpretation saw five students being barred from classes at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) last week for wearing locks. But, deputy principal Merton Forde said the students would be allowed back in school if they presented documents proving they were part of the Rastafari faith.
“Generally the laws speak to people carrying themselves in a manner which is not injurious to the health of others, or injurious to themselves. And what had me aghast, is that what seems to be appearing is a conflict of what one might argue is traditional culture and modern culture, even though the modern culture is part of the ancestral culture of Africa in this context,” Jones said.
He cautioned that it was impossible for the act to cover everything and, of necessity, it must still be general.
“Common sense always must dictate what we do. Even though there are laws written down, common sense must [prevail] in circumstances such as those that confronted the administration at the school . . . . There must always be general terms used in education, because from the time you start to demarcate, you’re into a whole long troublesome process,” he argued.
He said he was “puzzled” by the SJPP development, because the students would have been in school for seven months with the locks and it only became an issue last week.
Final year student Andre Hall has since been readmitted. The 24-year-old student, of the air-conditioning refrigeration department, produced a letter from the Ichirouganaim Council for the Advancement of Rastafari saying that he wore his locks for “religious purposes”.
Minister Jones told the DAILY NATION last Thursday that as far as he was aware, all five students should have been back in school.
“One could not understand, or for that matter appreciate, the argument that a citizen of Barbados must bring any kind of document to any institution, asking them to prove if they belong to any religion, caste, sex or creed.
“That is trampling on a person’s civil rights [and] their religious rights, their democratic rights in our society, which holds up the individual as paramount, even though within the confines of the law. And there should not be any law in any educational institution which debars young people from getting an education,” he stated.
1 comment Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 7:54 am
Hair Discrimination Must Stop! Male Braiding is a Proven African Custom!
De Standpipe Crew joins its brothers and sisters at Bajan Free Press in expressing our outrage at the discrimination being attempted at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic. We are united in this matter… as tight as cornrow plaits!
De Standpipe Crew
Hair Discrimination Must Stop! Male Braiding is a Proven African Custom!
The Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic wants to stop young Bajan men from getting education based on their hairstyle, but we commend Minister of Education Ronald Jones for defending the right of our young men to wear their hair in braids.
There are several African societies where men wear (or used to wear) braided or plaited hair, including…
Young Maasai warriors in Kenya and Tanzania,
Young Samburu warriors in Kenya,
Yoruba Shango priests in Nigeria,
Osogbo, Nigeria
and the Mungiki sect in Kenya.
As black people who are descendants of West African slaves, we in Barbados MUST defend our rights, even within our own country, and especially within our own country.
There is no room in Barbados for discrimination against black people and black hairstyles, especially within our educational institutions. Enforce the rules to keep hairstyles neat, but do not discriminate against people because of hairstyle.
Bajan Free Press
http://www.nationnews.com/story/299461955129249.php
NOT IN HAIR!
 |
Stories by Katrina Bend
Unless you are a Rastafarian, don’t wear your hair like one if you want to study at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP).
That regulation right now bars five young men from completing their two-year programme at the institution in The Pine, St Michael.
Deputy principal of the SJPP, Merton Forde, confirmed the ban on Tuesday and said if the students were willing to show they belonged to the Rastafarian sector, they would not be barre from any classes.
Unhealthy
“We have regulations concerning the type of headdress considered to be unhealthy to students around them. We expect students to conform to those regulations. The students were told that their dreadlocks would not have been a problem once they are part of the Rastafarian faith,” Forde said.
One of the affected students, Carlos Adams, 22, of the Electrical Department, said that since last Wednesday, there were a series of meetings about how he and four other males should wear their hair.
Asked for letters
They are in the Electrical Engineering, Micro-Electronics and Refrigeration and Engineering departments.
When they returned to class last Friday, personnel from Student Affairs asked for letters stating their dreadlocks were religion-related. Failing that, they would have to cut their hair in order to attend classes.
Adams said: “The only way we are allowed into our class is with a letter from the Rastafarian organisations [but] the organisation said they cannot issue letters to people with long hair. You are a brethren because
of your heart.
“I think it is some sort of prejudice. Why should I bring in a letter saying that I am some part of a movement . . . . We are not little kids going to school up here. We are not seeking to change the rules in the institution. We just want to go to class.”
Damien Weekes, 24, also of the Electrical Department said security personnel refused to let him enter the institution last Friday with his hairstyle.
In the past, Weekes unlocked his hair and wore his hair in an afro style because personnel felt the students could conceal weapons under the tams (headdress) worn over the dreadlocked hair.
Adams and Weekes said when they attended the interview and orientation sessions, they were told that dreadlocked hair was not a problem, as long as it was well groomed and pulled backwards.
The students are in the final semester of their first year of their two-year programmes. They are missing the core subject, electrical installation, and if they don’t successfully complete this, they say they cannot go on to pursue studies for their City Guild certificate.
http://www.nationnews.com/story/299461954952127.php
Jones knocks ban on locks
The dreadlocks hairstyle ban at Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) has been criticised as discriminatory by Minister of Education Ronald Jones.
“No child or student studying can be excluded from a school as result of a hairstyle, particularly in a situation where they are kept in a clean and inoffensive manner. So I’m surprised that that would even arise. It would then be termed discriminatory circumstances, but nothing has reached me here in relation to that particular manner,” Jones told the
DAILY NATION yesterday.
“These are not little children, this is a tertiary institution. And even though we want persons to be decorous, to treat adults like children would be a no-no. Once the hairstyles are clean and conform to generally accepted standards, no young person should be left out of school . . . . Most of these things have to be handled sensitively otherwise they would come over as discriminatory,” the minister added.
Backward
Director of the Commission of Pan-African Affairs, Ikael Tafari, who is a part of the Rastafari Movement, described the SJPP regulation as backward, discriminatory, ridiculous and a dangerous practice.
“It’s a violation of a religion. People like me, Adonijah and other Rastafari; 1 000 in the island, they are stopping people from getting skill training on dreadlocks . . . How are we going to really determine Rastafari? There are different beliefs . . . . You don’t have to join an organisation to be a Rastafari . . . . Barbados has to get serious. We are a multi-religious society. They must stop discrimination.”
2 comments Thursday, 21 February 2008, 10:23 am
Union blinks first. Strike called off.
And the union blinked first.
On one day, off the next. We see this flip-flopping by the Barbados Workers Union as a sign of weakness, even though we ourselves can’t decide which side is right or wrong in this mixed-up Royal Shop/Sandy Lane/national strike matter.
Success comes to those who are decisive and those who endure to the end.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/14218/10/
Strike on hold
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
The planned nationwide general strike scheduled for tomorrow has been put on hold.
Over the past few weeks the Barbados Workers Union has been fighting for the re-instatement of workers at the Royal Shop in Bridgetown and at Sandy Lane.
Some 30 workers at the two establishments had walked off the job in solidarity with two colleagues they claim had been unfairly treated by management of the two companies.
The decision to call off the strike for tomorrow come about after meetings between the BWU and Prime Minister David Thompson.
“As Prime Minister he is not fully aware of what was going on in those areas because he is only just been made Prime Minister.
“That he’s very interested in the climate in which industrial harmony will be the order of the day.
“Three is that he believes that given time his Minister of Labour will be able to make a recommendation to the parties and that he would ask us the Barbados Workers Union in the national interest to pull back from the strike for tomorrow Wednesday.
“Mindful that the Prime Minister might have done this since we heard yesterday that he had been trying to contact me I did seek to have an assurance from the very large group that was present that if an approach were made and if that approach saw the government as being keen to affect a settlement where people would have respect and would not be trampled, that we would in the public interest call off the strike for tomorrow Wednesday.
“So we are announcing to the public of Barbados that the strike scheduled for tomorrow morning starting at 00.01 am Wednesday that strike is no longer on.
“We will keep the public informed regarding the ongoing discussions between Sandy Lane and Royal Shop and ourselves.
“We are expecting that they would realize that hardlining will force hardlining from the trade union and we expect them to exercise the same level of willingness to treat in a human manner what is a human problem.
http://www.nationnews.com/story/294325875078180.php
SHUT SHOP!
THIS IS not a stay-at-home demonstration. It will be a national stoppage!
Those were the words of general secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Sir Roy Trotman, last night. Several workers’ representatives turned up at the union’s Solidarity House auditorium, where one after the other they offered their unwavering support to the union and condemned owners of Sandy Lane Hotel and The Royal Shop over their refusal to reinstate 30 employees who were dismissed after they walked off the job.
Sir Roy, who had just spent eight hours earlier in the day engaged in meetings with both owners and their representatives at the Labour Office, listened attentively to each speaker before updating the packed auditorium.
He said they had “instructed very strongly” that there would be a work stoppage of all members of the BWU “because they believe that the behaviour of both companies is unsatisfactory and cannot be tolerated”.
“There has to be a change not only in the two companies but in the thinking of employers generally about the freedom of workers.
“We are preparing during the course of tomorrow for a shutdown and we are going to be taking our position and remaining with that unless in the intervening period something happens that would allow for us to feel that a serious effort towards a solution is in the offing,” said an upbeat Sir Roy.
He added the union was prepared to give respect to whoever wanted to bring about a resolution, even at the 11th hour.
Sir Roy said union members would be given instructions during the course of today on what the protest would entail.
“Wednesday is a demonstration. If after Wednesday, there is no effort made by any of the parties to try to reach an accommodation, then we will have another go but the strike will be longer,” he stated.
Add comment Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 1:15 am
Matthew Farley should shut up about cornrow Senator
Matthew Farley should just shut up with his blathering about Senator Damien Griffith’s hairstyle. He is vexed because the young senator has his hair plaited in cornrows. We don’t wear them ourselves, and while most of us don’t personally approve of men wearing braided hair, we readily acknowledge and strongly defend the right of any man to wear his hair as he pleases. Does anyone remember the Ingrid Quarless matter when she was fired from her job in Barbados for wearing braided hair? Such an act by any employer would be unthinkable in Barbados today.
So Mr. Farley, please shut up and wisen up. We are long past the days of powdered wigs. Senator Griffith should be judged by his performance and his performance alone.
De Standpipe Crew
http://www.nationnews.com/editorial/292550790276140.php
Cornrows not nice for Senate
by MATTHEW FARLEY
THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the various members of the Upper House of Parliament in Barbados was rather refreshing, especially given the array of interests that are well represented.
As an educator, administrator and a proud citizen of Barbados, I extend warmest congratulations to all the newly appointed members of this august chamber.
While following the coverage in the Press, my attention was readily drawn to the youngest senator Damien Griffith. I learned that he is the president of the Young Democrats and Prime Minister David Thompson must be commended for having the foresight to include this young man who I am sure will have a rich future in politics, if this is indeed his choice.
This country has need of young bright, energetic and visionary leaders whose charge it will be to take this country into the future. Let me also say that Senator Kerry-Ann Ifill is also very deserving of her appointment to the legislature.
Well dressed
But of all the things that struck me in the coverage was the appearance of Senator Griffith. To be more specific, the fact that he attended the swearing-in ceremony with his hair in cornrow style. While he was otherwise well dressed I am of the view that the hairstyle was inappropriate, given the traditions of our Parliament.
I know that those within the hearing of my voice would be labelling me as part of the colonial past. On the contrary, I understand the concept of independence. I understand the importance of a people determining their destiny. I also understand neo-colonialism in all its dimensions.
As an educator I grapple daily with the tension between change and conservation; what should be changed and what should be conserved. It is a tightrope that we walk daily.
I am one of those vociferous Barbadians who believe that Admiral Horatio Nelson has no place in our National Heroes Square. I support the Caribbean Court of Justice and, like the former Prime Minister, I like the concept of CSME [CARICOM Single Market and Economy].
But I still maintain that we have allowed falling standards to pull down the dignity of our institutions. I visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital recently and, much to my consternation, saw a nurse in uniform with a ring in her nostril. Persons like Senator Griffith need to be mentored into norms and standards of our institutions.
Inappropriate
I do not think that his hairstyle is linked to any religious creed. In the same way that the proponents of standard English are insisting that parents must insist on their children understanding when and where, I think that similarly, someone should have told Senator Griffith that his cornrow style, nice though it may look, was inappropriate for the august chamber we call the Senate.
I call on those guardians of standards and those who see themselves as custodians of our institutions, not to condemn, but to caution against permitting fashion, fads and elements of the bashment culture to invade our institutions.
I acknowledge that the High Court judges no longer wear the traditional wigs and I imagine that other changes have been advocated over the years. But to jump to the elevation of “cornrows” to Parliament is more than a quantum leap of standards.
Won’t be long
If this trend is allowed to catch root in the Senate, it would not be long before female Senators flaunt their breasts in the face of the President of this august chamber, wash cloths and scarves hang loosely from the pockets of those who are called to service in this high office and hipster jeans and tattoo-bearing butts become the norm.
It won’t be long before other young men whose potential matches that of Senator Griffith saunter into the Upper House of Parliament, exposing their brand-name boxers and wearing trousers which have long deserted their butts.
One of the opponents of same-sex marriages in the United States, who was concerned about our seeming willingness to accept all kinds of unions, noted that once we start doing this, one day some man will assert his right to get married to his “donkey”.
The point is that once we allow and accept any and everything in the name of “rights”, where do we stop?
Damien Griffith must be told that he is now Senator Damien Griffith. He must be told that whether he likes it or not, he is now a role model for the youth whose interests he represents.
While all of a sudden he does not lose all of his individual rights, he must constantly gauge his actions against the kinds of signals he may be sending to his young colleagues.
Senator Griffith must be told that while such a style would be appropriate for the Barbados Music Awards, it was inappropriate for a swearing-in ceremony at Government House. Senator, “to whom much is given, much is expected”.
Being a senator has nothing to do with looking cute or sexy but our behaviour must respect the standards and the traditions of this esteemed institution. I wish you well in your tenure as a member of our Upper Chamber, Senator Griffith.
http://www.nationnews.com/story/325601776907902.php
Head over hair!
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by AMANDA LYNCH-FOSTER
YOU CAN’T JUDGE a book by its cover.
It’s what inside that counts.
Substance over style.
There are a million sayings that touch on the attitude which has been spreading among Barbadian employers and managers in recent times.
Rosalind Jackson, managing director of human resource and recruitment firm Caribbean Catalyst and former human resource manager for Ernst and Young, said that employers’ attitudes towards employee appearance have become more liberal.
“Things have changed dramatically. Ten years ago we would have asked people to refrain from wearing [certain styles]
in the workplace. I think we have gone beyond this. People are now recognising what is substance and what is form,” said Jackson.
This attitude did not come easily – at least not for those who suffered discrimination in years gone by for such things as wearing braids, dreadlocks or even twists.
Twenty-one years ago Ingrid Quarless, an activities hostess with Grand Bay Beach Resort (now Grand Barbados Beach Resort), was fired for refusing to change her braided hairstyle. At that time, she did not even get the support of the Barbadian public.
“They [the public] were very demoralising. I became a laughing stock. I was mocked. I became ‘the lady with the braids’. So it became like a neurotic woman’s fight and not a fight that should have been for all of us,” she told the SUNDAY SUN in 2005.
It turned out that it was a fight for everyone. Just a decade later, in the mid-1990s, braids were no longer considered unprofessional and were sported by professional women, including managers.
However, what many Barbadians still had a problem with was natural hairstyles. Cabinet Minister Elizabeth Thompson stirred up controversy in 1996 and 1997 when she began wearing her hair in natural twists and ‘nubian knots’.
While some lauded her for her choice, others were not complimentary. Thompson related to THE NATION at the time that she was stopped by a woman on Broad Street who told her in no uncertain terms that she did not want a “rasta minister”.
Others declared that her hair looked “picky” and was unbecoming for a woman of her status.
Not only women have been discriminated against for their appearance. Dreadlocked architect Jerome Sealy told the SUNDAY SUN that when he returned to Barbados in 2000 after university, it took him two years before he could get a job in his profession. In the meantime, he worked as a bartender to make a living.
“I was asked to numerous interviews because of my qualifications, only to be invited in, greeted politely and then questioned primarily on my qualifications. They didn’t seem to believe I could be as good as I claimed with my hair. One of my family’s friends and an early mentor of mine spent two minutes staring at my hair until my answers slowly convinced him that he should be looking at my face,” related Sealy.
Yet, at the 2006 Christmas luncheon of the Barbados Institute of Architects, the SUNDAY SUN observed several members sporting dreadlocks. Sealy’s own experience seems to indicate a shift in attitudes.
“I think it would have been a lot easier if I had shaved my head, as advised by almost every adult I spoke to. Not everyone has my perseverance but I have always believed that life is more satisfying when you do things your way. Now everyone loves my hair, and no one mentions anything about cutting it,” he said.
So, besides the battles of the persistent such as Quarless, Thompson and Sealy, what else has precipitated this change?
Eddie “Ahkentoolove” Corbin, lecturer in the Department of Management Studies at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, said globalisation had made employers more worldly and hence, more liberal.
“Many more people are travelling, experiencing different cultures. With globalisation, different employers are coming in with different approaches and different cultural norms. Where we tended to be more conservative, more British in what we had, there are now more American norms,” said Corbin.
Industrial relations officer with the Barbados Employers Confederation, Sandra Cadogan also believed that happenings overseas were having their effect here, particularly battles by the black minorities in the United States and Britain to have their way of dress and styling accepted.
“In the UK and USA people are asserting their rights as ethnic people and in Barbados employees are doing that as well. Before, a person of another colour might be allowed to wear their hair longer whereas they might have expected black people to wear their hair always trimmed and cut, but now people are asserting their rights,” said Cadogan.
Dr Hensley Sobers, human resources manager at the Central Bank of Barbados and president of the Barbados Employers Confederation, said employers now tended to care more about an employee’s talent than his/her appearance.
“The slant, I think, has gone where persons are looking at professionals more from the technical know-how and their academic talent, that they are bringing to the job more than their appearance.”
* amandalynch@nationnews.com
2 comments Friday, 15 February 2008, 4:33 am
