Back to Hot Calaloo

Jan_Feb 2015

From the editor:

Giuliani’s attack on President Obama’s patriotism

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s  vicious attack on President Obama’s patriotism is obviously racially motivated. Obama has spent both terms trying to appease Republicans at the expense of the principles for which he stood as a candidate. But this attack is not political as the president is a lame duck. It is racist. If being president is no safeguard against racism, how is it for ordinary black folk in the US?

Of course these prominent racists like Giuliani are not overt about their racism. Some like egomaniac Donald Trump use ‘birthers’ as a cloak screen. ('Birthers' claim Obama was not born in America)  That bomber of schools, Israeli President Netanyahu, had the nerve to  lecture Obama in public when Netanyahu  was a guest here, which he would do to no other president. Why? The number of smears and insults levelled at Obama is unprecedented. Why?  No other president has to put up with such disrespect as Obama. Why?  ? Because President Obama is black.

Many of us were euphoric when Obama won. But racists were incensed because he is black. As a black person, I am well schooled in recognizing racism. I see through you Giuliani and others of your ilk even though you are not wearing your white hoods.

 For more info on Giuliani check out the following:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/20/1365678/-Wayne-Barrett-lowers-the-boom-on-Rudy-Giuliani?detail=email

T&T Government self-destructing

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has asked that the President revoke the appointments of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, National Security Minister Gary Griffith, and called for the resignation of the Director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) David West, for their roles in witness-tampering investigation ordered by Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams.

Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, attorney Garvin Nicholas will be the new Attorney General, and retired Brigadier Carl Alfonso is the National Security Minister.

The prime minister has also removed Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith, Sports Minister Rupert Griffith, Ministry in the Works and Transport Minister Stacy Roopnarine, and Justice Minister Emmanuel George. Persad-Bissessar has given up the portfolio of Social Development and People Ministry.

Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar will take on the Justice Ministry. Former advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister Christine Nawal Hosein is the new Minister of Social Development and the People. Soca Warrior footballer Brent Sancho is the Sports Minister, NJAC member Kwesu Motumba is now a minister in the Works and Infrastructure Ministry.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

 S&P downgrade Barbados

 The United States-based ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has downgraded the long-term sovereign of Barbados to “B” from “BB-”, warning also of the potential for a further economic downgrade. But while it affirmed the “B” short-term sovereign credit ratings for Barbados, S&P lowered its transfer and convertibility assessment to “B” from “BB-”.

It said the potential for a further downgrade existed “if the Government doesn’t succeed in bringing down its wide fiscal deficit, if growth boosted by key investment projects fails to materialize, or if external pressures of persistent current account deficits mount”.

“This scenario would likely lead to further deterioration in the availability of financing for large fiscal deficits,” the agency said. On the other hand, S&P said it could revise the outlook to stable if the Government succeeded in reining in the deficit in line with its targets and maintaining access to financing, especially from private creditors.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Thousands Haitians demonstrate as Martelly installs de facto Prime Minister

Since coming to power on May 14, 2011, President Michel Martelly has managed to avoid holding elections in Haiti. This has brought on a political crisis that is upending Haiti’s democratic institutions and people’s daily lives. It has resulted in a rising cost of living, devaluation of the Haitian gourde, Parliament’s dissolution, and crazily arbitrary judicial actions and maneuvers.

Now finally the crisis has led to the formation of a de facto government, led by a new and thoroughly illegal prime minister, perennial opportunist politician Evans Paul, known as Konpè Plim or K-Plim.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, who resigned in the face of popular protests on Dec. 13, 2014  is suspected by many of having embezzled or stolen millions of dollars while in power. However, there has been no accounting done of his regime’s management. The people demand accountability, and if necessary, the arrest of Lamothe.

Martelly’s unilateral choice of Paul to be PM is an affront. Although the former playwright had credentials as an anti-Duvalierist artist and activist and was the manager of Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s successful 1990 presidential campaign, he became a bitter Aristide opponent in later years and helped lead the Feb. 29, 2004 coup d’état against his former political ally.

On Jan. 1, 2014 in Gonaïves, Paul outraged his former comrades by joining former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and neo-Duvalierist former general and dictator Prosper Avril in celebrating the 210th anniversary of Haiti’s independence with President Martelly. In 1989, Avril’s soldiers had severely beaten Paul and two other activists and then broadcast their bruised and bloody faces on national television.

In the lead-up to the current crisis, some political actors had called for a political agreement and a consensus government of public salvation. This might have resulted from good-faith negotiations with the opposition political parties and other state institutions. However, Martelly’s intransigence and arrogance torpedoed any such negotiations. He unilaterally chose Evans Paul as prime minister and then installed him on Jan. 16 without Parliament’s approval, as required by the Constitution.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

CELAC condemns US sanctions against Venezuela

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)  has issued a communiqué condemning the latest wave of U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuelan government officials. The move is the latest expression of support  from the Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of U.S actions against the country. The sanctions include visa restrictions on Venezuelan government officials who the U.S. accuses of human rights violations in relation to last year’s wave of right-wing violent protests.

Meanwhile, as part of the recently submitted 2016 U.S. Federal Budget proposal, the U.S. government has vowed to spend US$5.5 million in funding civil society institutions and Venezuelan opposition groups, which marks an increase of more than US$1 million from the previous year. 

As pointed out by the Washington-based Center for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR), State Department cables made public by WikiLeaks reveal that the U.S. government has played a key role in funding and training Venezuelan opposition groups as a strategy to undermine the Venezuelan government. 

CELAC's statement called on members of the international community to observe and respect its relations with the region, including the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs and national sovereignty of other countries.  The declaration also welcomed and encouraged the promotion of dialogue and cooperation among states as a means to foster the political, economic, and social development of its members.  

CELAC is composed of thirty three countries including twelve CARICOM members.

Editor’s Comment: Here we go again, US undermining another sovereign country. It seems the US will not rest until it destroys Venezuela like it did Libya.

   Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Trinidad's PM seeks to bring back hanging

Trinidad’s  Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced recently announced that  her Government will again be seeking to reintroduce the “hanging bill” next year, even though four years ago, it was defeated in Parliament. Persad-Bissessar said the number of murders in the country were “too high” and she would ask Cabinet to reconsider the death penalty.

She justified this on the basis that the death penalty is a deterrent in certain countries. This is questionable as a recent survey of the most leading criminologists in the US found that the overwhelming majority did not believe that the death penalty is a proven deterrent to homicide.  Eighty-eight percent of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide, according to a new study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.

Almost four years ago, in February 2011, the “hanging bill” failed to secure a majority vote in the House of Representatives. The bill was defeated 29 for, 11 against after the Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) did not support the bill. The bill required a three-fourths majority.

   Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Alpart to resume mining in Jamaica next month

Russian company UC RUSAL is to finally resume bauxite mining in Jamaica next month, ahead of the reopening of the Alpart refinery at Nain in St Elizabeth on December 1, 2016.

The plant was closed for the last five years, reportedly due to low market price and high production costs.

The deal will see employment of up to 250 Jamaican contractors at full mining capacity; commencement of port development works next February; repairs of affected roads and related activities for refinery readiness in the second quarter of 2016 and the establishment of appropriate and agreed energy solutions for the reopened refinery, as well as significant electricity supply to the electricity to grid.

In order to raise economic efficiency of alumina production at Alpart, UC RUSAL will modernise the facility, particularly through conversion from heavy fuel oil to gas in order to generate steam and electricity.

Mining and Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell said this deal will have significant impact on the national economy, as the reopened refinery will:

 Operation of the new gas power plant facilities will require between 80 and 100 employees and contractors; and re-commissioning of Alpart's refinery, port, mines, and other facilities, will generate at least 1,000 to 1,200 employees and contractors over the 15-18-month period.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

New PM elected in St. Kitts-Nevis

St. Kitts-Nevis has a new Prime Minister. Kittians and Nevisians went to the poll on Monday, February 16^th to elect a new government. The coalition Team Unity won 7 seats out of the total 11. The St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party won 3 seats and the Nevis Reformation Party 1.

The newly-elected Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts/Nevis is Dr. Timothy Harris of the People’ Labor Party and the Team Unity Coalition. His swearing in as PM comes following a historic but controversial election in the Federation. He defeated 20-year head of state, Dr. Denzil Douglas of the St. Kitts Labor Party.

Harris was the foreign minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the St. Kitts Labor Party government of ousted four-term Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas before being fired. He served in Douglas’ cabinet from August 10, 2001 to January 25, 2013 and has been dubbed a “traitor” by the SKLP for joining with another former Douglas minister and Team Unity candidate, Sam Condor, to form the PLP.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Jamaican singer Sean Paul receives death threats

Just before the new year,  Jamaica’s Grammy award winning singer, Sean Paul,  reportedly received a death threat from an Islamic group  claiming to have ties in Syria, according to the Jamaica Observer newspaper. It said the video message was posted online and that the publicist for the artiste, Carlette DeLeon.

“Sean Paul, if you visit the Maldives, the world will see your burned and blood-drenched dead body,” said cards held by a cloaked figure in the video posted on YouTube.

   Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Tablets for all teachers' colleges in Jamaica

ALL teachers' colleges in Jamaica will this year receive tablets under the Tablets in Schools project, which began last year with a pilot in 38 educational institutions. Tthe education ministry is moving to have all the needed books, starting at the primary level and including the basic texts at the secondary level, uploaded to tablets. It is expected that putting the textbooks in electronic format will result in savings for the ministry, by eliminating the need for book repairs as well as the cost associated with transportation

This will include all books at grade one to three, except for math texts. Some texts at grade four to six and seven to 13 will also be available in e-format. The ministry is currently in discussions with publishers, so this number could increase by the start of the next academic year.

However, while the Tablets in Schools project has been having positive effects, butt there was also a negative side. Family members are using the tablets at home to show blue movies for hire, causing the education officials to question the whole program. Also, reportedly, the teachers, by and large, don't understand the system as well as plenty of the students.

   Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

 Caribbean travelers sickened by mosquito virus

Many visitors to the Caribbean region return home with a mosquito-borne virus that has recently appeared there. The chikengunya virus (chick-v) causes very severe joint pains, but few physicians in the United States can recognize its symptoms. The virus began its spread from Asia and Africa in 2013 and has now infected a million individuals in the Caribbean, Latin America, and some portions of South America and Mexico. Over 2,300 travelers from the U.S. have brought the virus home after visiting the Caribbean.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Ziggy wins reggae Grammy

Just two days after his father would have turned 70, Jamaica’s Ziggy Marley did his family proud with his second straight Grammy Award wint. Marley took home the Best Reggae Album Grammy for his album, “Fly Rasta,” beating out a group of reggae heavyweights that included Sean Paul, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Shaggy, Sly & Robbie and Soja.

He also won the award the previous year for “Ziggy Marley in Concert.” The oldest son of Bob and Rita Marley and a native of Kingston, Ziggy has now won six Grammy Awards.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Students protest at UWI St. Augustine campus

Students of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago brought activities at the campus to a standstill recently.

The Trinidad Express newspaper reports that, approximately 4:00 a.m., students formed human chains at the north and south entrances of the campus, declaring that they would not to let anyone onto the compound until their grades were released.

Grades are being withheld by lecturers who are protesting the failure by the UWI to pay outstanding money. Last July, the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) signed an agreement for a six per cent increase in pay. They received their new wages but failed to receive their back pay. The protest ended before noon, but students have reportedly promised to resume if the issue is not resolved.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo

Twenty killed and scores injured in Haiti carnival parade

Tragedy struck the carnival parade in Haiti. At least 20 people on a packed Carnival float were killed and 46 injured when the float came in contact with a power line as it moved through the streets of the capital.

According to media reports, someone on the float used a pile to move the line so the float could pass under it. The police report that some of the victims were instantly electrocuted while some managed to jump off, causing panic in the crowd.

 Top       Back to Hot Calaloo