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From April Hot Calaloo update

• Ruling Party Wins Guyana Elections
• By-election loss forces NDM head in Ja to quit
• Continued protests paralyse Haiti
• Gonsalves Sworn in as new PM in St Vincent
• T&T's opposition seeks funds for court cases

• Our Political System, the real villain

• Reader responds to "patois" as language

• Soccer World Cup update

• More precautions against foot-and-mouth
• CARICOM countries sugar production tops 300,000 tons
• Shaggy pon top
• In cricket, Walsh thrives, WI dives
• Jamaica excels in World Indoor Champs
• Trinidad PM Basdeo Panday released from hospital
• EU funding to help displaced banana farmers
• Antigua to lay-off 1200 govt. workers
• Kaiser bauxite exports from Ja to double
• Caribbean Countries struggle to fight drug trade
• US college baseball team to train in Cuba
• Interest on FINSAC debt - J$14 billion
• T&T Bank buys Ja's Union Bank 
• Jamaica trade gap with T&T widens
• Castro nominated for Nobel prize
•  Colon Powell: Cuba sanctions should remain

New York recruits teachers in the Caribbean

First it was nurses who were heavily recruited in the Caribbean. But, now many teachers will be packing their bags for New York. Why? New York State Board of Education came to Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica to recruit teachers. Not surprisingly, they were greeted with an overwhelming response. Jamaican teachers who have been battling for a pay increase and saw 300 of their colleagues virtually laid-off were very enthusiastic. The recruiters considered the venture very successful, having signed up a reported 600 in Jamaica alone. Teachers recruited ranged from beginning teachers to veterans with more than 20 years experience.

 Jamaica’s Education Minister says this brain drain will not affect the schools. That is hard to believe in a system which already suffers from overcrowded classrooms. Furthermore, with the success of New York State, won't other states be mining the Caribbean’s underpaid overworked teachers too? The fact is a serious crisis lies ahead.

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Free Trade Area of the Americas

The Free Trade Areas of the Americas met in Quebec and was host to all the leaders of the Western Hemisphere except Fidel Castro. The agenda is to make the entire hemisphere a free trade zone. Caribbean leaders are salivating to follow that path. But, there is lots of evidence to show that path leads nowhere. It has got lots of high powered propaganda. What has it done for NAFTA partner Mexico? NAFTA was supposed to create jobs. One of the impacts of NAFTA in Mexico is that the trade pact has driven large numbers of Mexican farmers, small business owners and laborers out of work, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle (10/15/98). These people are left with few options but to seek a better life in the US even as an illegal alien. (Extra June 2001)

It is not here yet, but already Caribbean countries are feeling the consequences of free trade. Head of the Barbados Manufacturers' Association, Clifton Maynard, says there is some concern among manufacturers about the opening up of the market, facilitating free trade. "You only have to look at the supermarket shelves to see the vast variety of products that has suddenly come into the market," he said in an interview with the Business Manufacturers Authority (BMA), published by the Nation Group of companies. He said the BMA's concern was that "each and every one of those (products) will cost us foreign exchange and we will have to find foreign exchange to pay for them. "If that is going to be the effect of free trade and we are going to find ourselves in difficulty finding foreign exchange, then, one would say that free trade isn't good for Barbados."

Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) is not happy either. They accuse Thailand of dumping cement on the Caribbean market. Of course dumping is illegal under free trade terms. But only the big developed countries can prove and enforce it. Caribbean countries, forget it. No one will even pay any attention. In the meantime, TCL has seen profits decline by 4% from T&T$23 million reported in the first quarter of 2000 compared to T&T$ 22 million in the 1^st quarter of this year.

Bet this is only the beginning!

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Chirac champions the cause of poorest nations.

"Poverty and insecurity drive drug production and the proliferation of organized crime and illegal immigration networks. The struggle for survival accelerates deterioration of soil, depletion of water resources, deforestation and pillaging of natural resources."

These were the words of French President Chirac as he addressed a U.N. conference in Brussels, Belgium, on how to lift the world's most destitute countries out of crushing poverty. The Caribbean is poor, but these countries are so bad that Haiti was the only Caribbean country poor enough to qualify! Most of the countries are in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia with a total population of as much as about 650 million. Of this 650 million, one half live on less than US$1 a day.

Although the conference hosted leaders of the poorest countries, in addition to President Chirac, other EU officials, US Aid head and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan attended.

While the conference aimed to get the United States, Japan and the 15-nation European Union to increase their aid budgets, impoverished countries are also looking for access to rich export markets for their goods and a real commitment to debt relief. To this end, President Chirac invited other developed countries to "take inspiration" from the EU's move this year to open up its markets to almost all goods from the world's poorest countries, not including arms. That deal passed, however, only after France won a postponement of up to eight years for bananas, sugar and rice - products it gets from its own tropical regions and former colonies.

There were promises of solidarity from rich nations and proposals to make better use of aid, trade and private investment. But, President Chirac warned that, "The international community cannot assist corrupt, oppressive and predatory regimes."

Editor's Comments:
Let's face the facts. Attempts to relieve poverty is a dismal failure all over the world. At the present pace, poverty does not seem to be getting any less, but is increasing. In Jamaica I see how poverty has degraded the quality of life by plunging the beloved country of my birth into crime, violence, and handicapped the government from providing the most basic services, such as education, police protection, and health care. And Jamaica does not even qualify as one of the world's poorest! I will never see the end of widespread poverty in Jamaica in my lifetime. I don't even expect those poorest nations to come up to the level of Jamaica in my lifetime! That is unacceptable.
It is obvious something is fundamentally wrong. Failure will continue unless there is dramatic change. The forces that control wealth in the world also control poverty. The alleviation of poverty to them is a low priority, if not an out and out conflict of interest. So is it any surprise that recent methods proposed and imposed such as globalisation, free trade, structural adjustment have not only failed but have worsened the plight of the masses? And what do all these just-mentioned "solutions" have in common? They impose outside solutions on our own politicians. Our politicians get all sorts of blame, but the sad fact is their hands are tied.
Hot Calaloo recognises that the alleviation of poverty deserves to be the top priority. Because of this we will be creating a web site dedicated almost exclusively to that objective. Specifically it will use goodwill to reorder priorities to eliminate poverty in a feasible way. So be on the lookout for goodwillie.org!

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The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) considered the general elections held in Guyana last March 19 to be "orderly, peaceful and incident-free". That was the essence of an oral report Elizabeth Spehar Executive Coordinator of the Organisation's Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD), delivered to the Permanent Council at its meeting on Wednesday. The UPD had organised the team of OAS monitors that numbered 33 on Election Day in Guyana, covering some 25 per cent of the polling stations.

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The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) considered the general elections held in Guyana last March 19 to be "orderly, peaceful and incident-free". However, that report did not halt more post-election violence since. Worse yet, the violence is no longer confined to the capital Georgetown but has spread to the lower east coast of Demerara. There 3 persons were murdered execution style as racial tensions rose and fear gripped the region. Many schools were closed, and the Government considered imposing a curfew. Police patrols were stepped up.

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The Government of Jamaica, with widespread public support has embarked on a policy which will cost the unnecessary loss of lives. Jamaica's Health Ministry said it had no immediate plan to issue condoms to prison inmates to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Four years ago, prison commissioner George Prescod undertook such a plan. This issue provoked deadly riots. Prison guards virtually mutinied and have since defied the commissioner every opportunity they had. "Dem make people tink we are all homosexuals!" was their vociferous complaint.

The commissioner was isolated and vilified with virtually no one coming to his defense. But, Hot Calaloo did. Commissioner Prescod deserved praise for his pre-emptive action against the scourge of AIDS/HIV. The prison guards are ignorant and don’t know better. The institutions like the church, the press, and civic organsiations who do, witheld their support. The opposition probably reveled in the public beating the government took for bearing responsibility for this proposal. The timidity of these institutions to act responsible in a life threatening crisis like this was cowardly and disgraceful. Just like in Guyana, these institutions there seem also unwilling to risk their popularity to heal the racial political divide and censure the country-destroying tactics of PNM leader Desmond Hoyte.

In the meantime, (as reported in the previous-May- update of Hot Calaloo) AIDS/HIV has risen in the Caribbean to second behind only Africa, In Jamaica, it is now at a rate of 40 persons per 1,000. That's 4% of the entire population! The prison population continues to be particularly vulnerable.

The government with elections imminent obviously fears more adverse but ridiculous public reaction. So they have abandoned that political minefield. Instead, Acting Chief Medical Officer Deanna Ashley said the ministry and the prisons service were developing a program for education, training and better care for both inmates and guards in response to a rise in HIV and AIDS cases in the prisons.

(See "Save the World - Use A Condom" from previous -May 01- issue )

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CARICOM Health Ministers negotiate cheaper AIDS drugs

As we learnt from last months Hot Calaloo, the Caribbean has the 2^nd highest AIDS rate in the world, second only to Africa. So it’s welcome news that CARICOM Health Ministers are negotiating a major reduction in the price of drugs used to treat victims of HIV and AIDS. The ministers had undertaken the initiative in view of the "prohibitive" cost of drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS victims. Barbados Health Minister Philip Goddard was given the task of spearheading the talks with drug companies on obtaining a price reduction. Good luck will be needed from the well known record of South Africa to get cheap drugs and the obstruction manufacturers put up. Brazil has a model drug program, but the US is obstructing it at the behest of the big multinational drug company. Shades of South Africa again.

Brazil AIDS program draws US threat
Brazil's AIDS chief accused the Bush administration of protecting the interests of drug companies instead of promoting cheaper drugs to fight AIDS in developing countries. Paulo Teixeira said his government is "very surprised" that President Bush has toughened the U.S. position on Brazil's policy of producing cheap generic drugs and providing an anti-AIDS "cocktail" free to anyone who needs it. The Brazilian program - hailed by doctors as a model for developing countries - has cut AIDS deaths by 50% to 70%, he said. But a report on patent protections, released by the Bush administration Monday, put Brazil and a number of other countries on notice that they could face U.S. trade sanctions unless they remove objectionable trade barriers to U.S. products.

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"There is gold in them thar Jamaican hills!"

Jamaica opened its first commercial gold mine in Pennants, Clarendon. The mine is being managed by Australian company Ausjam Mining, which displayed samples of some of the metal on site. The Australian firm, which has been operating here from feasibility stage since 1995, invested US$7.5 million in the project which employs 35 people, most of whom are local residents.
However, there was no goldrush nor wild celebration there for this historic occasion. Instead at the official opening, some of the over 300 residents of the area, a stronghold of the opposition Jamaica Labour Party, blocked the road leading to the mine to protest the lack of running water, telephones, and good roads in their community.

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Mining companies enrage residents

"I’m mad as hell and I ain’t gonna take it anymore!" This famous line from the movie "Network" best sums up the mood of certain townsfolk in three different villages in the Caribbean. Manufacturing plants in their neighborhoods had been bombarding their homes with excessive noise, dust, stench, or damaging vibrations produced by their operations. The residents finally responded with angry protests.

In Stevens Road, Manchester, Jamaica
Long standing pollution problem blamed on bauxite mining company, Alpart Jamaica Limited, by residents of the little hamlet of Stevens Road in Manchester, Jamaica, came to a head. The company has literally stunk up the place for three decades is the charge of the irate citizens as they blocked the railroad tracks, forcing Alpart’s bauxite-laden freight train to return, thus shutting down transportation of the aluminum ore. Residents say they have been told that the offensive odor from the plant is a result of the chemical sodium sulphite. The residents rejected Alparts proposals in response, and vowed to continue to block the line until they meet again with Alparts management. They are demanding immediate financial compensation.

In Woodside, Jamaica
In Jamaica in the little village of Woodside in the parish of Clarendon, furious residents staged a dramatic protest against Rugby Jamaica Lime and Minerals Company. The residents blame blasting with dynamite conducted in the mining process of the lime company for cracked houses, falling ceilings and houses no longer habitable in their village. So, when the company denied any compensation for damage, the residents took matters in their own hands. They used a flood of rubbish to block the streets and brought the movement of the mining trucks to a complete halt. The angry residents are reportedly suing the company for damages.

In Bendal, Antigua
Once again another quarry operations drew citizen fury. Police and residents of Bendal's village in southwestern Antigua were at a stand-off as villagers blocked the road to a quarry run that is the source of dust and chemical pollution. Despite pleas and negotiations between senior police officers and leaders of the protest action, residents refused to remove the debris from the public thoroughfare until 6:00 p.m.. An agreement was reached that the quarry operations would be closed until a meeting was held the following week between the community, officials of Government, and the Barbadian quarry operators, the C.O. Williams Company.

Editor’s Note: Three separate unrelated incidents like this! Are there more? In the the State of Maryland in the US, I have first hand knowledge about protection of citizens from side effects of blasting. Blasting must be approved beforehand by the State. This requires the submittal of a blasting plan design to show that any explosion will be within acceptable specified limits. Furthermore:

• The range of influence of the blasting must be identified.
• For houses close to the blast, the blaster must videotape the houses in detail before and after the blast for comparison purposes.
• Blast must not produce vibrations beyond acceptable defined limits in order to prevent cosmetic or structural damage to adjoining buildings
• Blast must be monitored for vibration by special instrument, seismograph, to ensure acceptable levels are not exceeded.

It is crystal clear that the governments have to be more vigilant in protecting its citizens from big powerful companies riding roughshod over these small rural communities.

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U.S. voted out of UN rights group

The United States, a vocal critic of human rights records of China and Cuba, lost its seat  on the top U.N. rights body for the first time since the commission was established in 1947. The U.S. ouster comes the same day Sudan and several other nations with poor track records on human rights were elected to the panel. Diplomats gave various reasons for the U.S. loss, including the current absence of a U.S. ambassador at the world organization and retaliation for frequent American criticism of rights abuses in other countries. In voting for spots on the 53-member U.N. Humans Rights Commission, the United States was edged out by three European countries - a loss that means the United States will not be able to vote for at least a year on commission resolutions.

Of course the US massive debt to the UN and the US congress arrogant refusal to pay has not helped. The US debt is about US$1.9 billion, approximately 56% of the total UN debt.

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IMF provides US$13.7 mln in technical assistance to CARICOM

A US$13.7 million technical assistance package will become available through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to member-states of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). Member-countries will be assisted in increasing public sector savings, containing public debt within manageable limits, and increasing the level of economic and social infrastructure development in their respective societies. CARICOM Chairman and Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur signed agreement establishing the financial package on May 8, paving the way for the start-up of the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC), which will focus on strengthening the financial sector within CARICOM Member States.

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CARICOM has youth development plan

A regional framework is being put in place to coordinate youth development activities across the CARICOM region with a new emphasis on issues relating to Health, Poverty, and Human Resource Development of Youth. This plan evolved out of a two-day meeting in Trinidad of CARICOM Directors of Youth from May 7 to 9. The impact of the wide-ranging discussions, which primarily framed the regional strategy for Youth Development across the Caribbean, set out plans for training youth workers and young people. The plans include proposals for an accreditation process.

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Grenada political parties agree to merge

Agreement has been reached in principle for the 50 year old Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) and the six-month-old United Labour Congress (ULC) to join forces, opposition leader Michael Baptiste has confirmed. They plan to cooperate under the banner of the GULP and will maintain the star as the party's symbol. Baptiste who heads the ULC said both parties have decided to take the proposal back to their respective executive councils for ratification.

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Nevis eyeing wind as potential energy source

The government in Nevis, acknowledging the dangers posed by global warming and the high costs of fuel, is looking into the possibility of using wind power as an alternative source of energy. Premier Vance Amory made the observation Wednesday after receiving a report by a Guadeloupe-based renewable energy research organisation, Institut de Cooperation Franco Caraibe, that had conducted a fifteen-month survey on wind potential on Nevis. The report indicated that Nevis has an inexhaustible wind potential and urged for its tapping.

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Another major gas discovery in Trinidad

British Petroleum Trinidad and Tobago (BPTT) said it has made another major gas discovery, about 42 miles off the country's east coast. BPTT said the discovery of one trillion cubic feet of gas was made in the Cashima 1 well. The Cashima 1, the first of four exploratory wells planned by BP for 2001 was drilled to a depth of 13,160 feet in 263 feet of water.

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Sharpton in Jail for Vieques Protest

A federal judge sentenced the Rev. Al Sharpton to 90 days in jail for trespassing on U.S. Navy land as part of a protest against military exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. The New York civil rights activist was arrested May 1 with 12 other protesters on Navy land. At least 180 people were arrested during the exercises April 27 to May 1. Because Sharpton had prior arrests for civil disobedience in New York, he was sentenced as a repeat offender. He also was fined $500.
Sharpton was taken to the federal prison in suburban Guaynabo. His lawyers said they plan to file an appeal with the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.
Eleven other activists who were arrested with Sharpton also appeared in court Wednesday. Nine were sentenced to 40 days in prison and $500 fines. They included New York City Councilman Adolfo Carrion and New York state legislators Jose Rivera and Roberto Ramirez. Two defendants were put on probation because they are ill. Other high-profile protesters arrested during the demonstrations included environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, actor Edward James Olmos and New York labor leader Dennis Rivera.

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SPORTS

Jamaicans beat two invincible Olympic champs

Defending 100 m Olympic men's champion, Maurice Green, is not invincible anymore. In the Prefontaine meet in Eugene, Oregon, Greene was beaten into third place by Jamaica’s Patrick Jarrett. Jarrett won in a wind-aided 9.89, the fastest in the world this year. Second place went to Tim Montgomery of the US. Jarrett was a quarterfinalist in the last Olympics, but has obviously come a long way since then. In that race he beat some other powerful contenders as the results below shows.

Gail Devers was the other Olympic champ defeated. She came 2^nd to Jamaica’s Deloreen Ennis-London in the women's 100m hurdles, once again the fastest time in the world this year.

One Olympic champion still reigned supreme, Marion Jones. She won the women’s 200 m very comfortably. But Jamaica’s Juliet Campbell notched 2^nd place.

Results:
Men
100 -- 1, Patrick Jarrett, Jamaica, 9.89 seconds. 2, Tim Montgomery, United States, 9.92. 3, Maurice Greene, U.S., 9.92. 4, Bernard Williams, U.S., 9.95. 5, Jon Drummond, U.S., 10.18. 6, Shawn Crawford, U.S., 10.26. 7, Bryan Howard, U.S., 10.38. Bruny Surin, Canada, did not finish.

Women
200 -- 1, Marion Jones, U.S., 22.26. 2, Juliet Campbell, Jamaica, 22.75. 3, Latasha Colander-Richar, U.S., 22.87. 4, Torri Edwards, U.S., 23.00. 5, Chandra Sturrup, Bahamas, 23.03. 6, Christine Arron, France, 23.50. 7, Nova Peris, Australia, 23.44. 8, Chryste Gaines, U.S., 23.50. 9, Inger Miller, U.S., 23.50. 10, Falilat Ogunkoya, Nigeria, 23.79. 11, Fatima Yussuf, Nigeria, 23.85.

100 hurdles -- 1, Deloreen Ennis-London, Jamaica, 12.68. 2, Gail Devers, U.S., 12.69. 3, Anjanette Kirkland, U.S., 12.88. 4, Michelle Freeman, Jamaica, 12.90. 5, Vonnette Dixon, Jamaica, 12.96. 6, Dionne Rose, Jamaica, 13.02. 7, Sharon Couch, U.S., 13.36.

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Rene Simoes new T&T coach

Former Jamaica national soccer coach and architect of their march to the 1998 World Cup finals in France is now in the coach of Trinidad and Tobago under-17 soccer team.

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Letters to the editor

On "United Fruit Co." poem
Michael,
I was surfing the web looking for a poem by the title "United Fruit Co." I wanted to pass it on to a friend of mine. Thanks for posting it on your site! 
I notice it was attributed to "anonymous". It was written by the great Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. This English version is a translation by Robert Bly, a well-known American poet and translator.
All the Best,
Dennis Fritzinger
(Pablo Neruda, Winner 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature, find poem United Fruit Co. under Cute Chiquita Banana is ugly United Fruit Co.)

On Caribbean students in Cuba
Caribbean Students have studied medicine in Cuba ever since the early 1970s. My conservative estimate would be about 2,000 Caribbean doctors have graduated since the program started. It could be more. Students have also studies dentistry, engineering, architecture, social science, assorted construction trades, as well as physical education. Students from Africa, Latin America and Asia have also benefited from the generosity of the Cuban Government. The US was the last frontier.
-Diana Cassells

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Trinidad ordered to pay more money to Muslimeen

The Jamaat al Muslimeen group in Trinidad will get more money from the government for the destruction of its buildings in the aftermath of a 1990 coup attempt, a high court judge ruled at the weekend. Justice Carlton Best awarded TT$625,000 (US$99,187) to the group for the destruction of the buildings at their Mucurapo headquarters in the western township of St James. The group had been earlier given an interim payment of TT$1.5 million (US$238,050). The Muslimeen group led by Yasin Abu Bakr had made a claim for TT$12 million dollars.

It seems they lost the revolution but won the money!

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Bermuda hotel staff share profit

Bermuda's hotel workers are set to get their own "piece of the pie" with a profit-sharing program which will earn them up to 1,000 dollars (US) a year, the Royal Gazette newspaper reported. The scheme will see hotel staff earn extra cash if they hit productivity targets agreed between their employers and the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU). The BIU, Bermuda Hotel Association (BHA) and the Hotel Employers of Bermuda are delighted with the "Success Sharing Program", which they say will benefit quests as well as workers.

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Caribbean countries oppose whale sanctuary

Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines all voted against the establishment of a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary at last year's 52nd meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Australia. They are set to oppose it again at the meeting in July. Australia is lobbying to get at least three of these countries to abstain to give the resolution a chance of passing. The countries explanation is that they are pro-whaling, but unfortunately seems that pro-whaling means anti-whale.

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