Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua minister prime Gaston Browne says the issue of youth violence, must be “addressed with great urgency” after a teenager has been hospitalised in a critical condition after he was allegedly stabbed during the annual Boxing Day Street Jam.
In his statement, Browne said youth violence was becoming a critical problem in Dominica and in the broader Caribbean region.
“Urgent and sustained interventions are required by all stakeholders, starting with parents. We need to raise better cultured children who are hardworking, empathetic, disciplined and not oriented to use violence to resolve conflicts.”
Browne warned that the issue threatened to undermine the developmental gains and attainment of the United Sustainable development (SDGs), Nations Goals requiring an all-of-society intervention.
“It requires the support and interventions of parents, teachers policy makers church leaders and the broader community to effectively resolve the issue. Blaming any one group of stakeholders is like kicking the can down the road.” Browne said, adding “Let’s take collective responsibility in nurturing a softer, more cultured and productive society.”
Barbados
The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) is urging property owners in Barbados to take advantage of an extended online 10% discount on their 2023-24 land tax bills, indicating that they have until Sunday, December 31 to do so.
Erica Lazare, BRA communications officer said in order to benefit from the 10% discount, payments must be made in full on the land-tax portal by, December 31. Adding that the BRA was pleased with the positive impact of the new portal on both local and international property owners as it provided an “easy, direct and secure” way to view and pay taxes.
“Enhancing service delivery is a key strategic priority for the authority and the land-tax portal is an initiative which contributes to achieving this.
As an institution, we want to facilitate greater self-service and compliance. This service option does that for property owners in Barbados and abroad.
We launched the land-tax portal in August 2023, and the feedback we have received from the various tax- payer segments locally and in the diaspora, has been positive.”
Lazare reminded taxpayers before they can make online payments using a debit or credit card they must first register on the portal.
Caricom
Caricom Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett recently said the regional integration movement made progress on programmes and policies this year “to positively impact the lives of the people of our region.”
Barnett, the first woman to hold the position as the region’s top public servant, promised that the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat “will continue to diligently administer the Community’s priorities of deepening economic integration and trade, strengthening foreign policy co-ordination and community relations and human and social development, sustainable development, and regional security.
“In particular, we are focused on efforts to implement the free movement of all Caricom nationals within the Community by March 2024 as determined by Heads of Government.”
Barnett said that the progress in 2023 also coincided with Caricom’s “landmark year” as it celebrated its 50th anniversary of the signing of the original Treaty of Chaguaramas with festivities across the region.
Barnett said Caricom made progress on programmes and policies agreed by regional leaders adding “we made commendable progress on the 25 per cent by 2025 initiative to reduce the region’s food import bill, thereby taking us a step further towards the attainment of food security in our region.”
Barnett said Caricom welcomed the call to countries “for a just transition, to renewable energy and reduced methane emissions, but this does not go far enough.”
She said Caricom continued to advance international partnerships and mechanisms to protect and promote the region’s socio-economic interests.
“Deliberate efforts were made, such as through the regional Youth Forum held in Jamaica in November, to include the perspectives and participation of our young people, whose input is critical to the sustainability of our efforts.”
She thanked the international partners, the private sector, labour organisations, as well as the civil society groups “which have responded so positively to the Secretariat’s efforts towards more structured engagement.
Grenada
The Public Workers Union (PWU) has accused the the management of the state-owned Grenada Postal Corporation (GPC) of engaging in union busting tactics amd violating the Labour Relations Act.
PWU president Brian Grimms told reporters that although the workers of the GPC have been represented by his union, management demanded that workers sign a six-month contract to guarantee their jobs as of January 2024.
All workers at the GPC have a personalised contract which expires on December 31.
“Some startling things were said to our membership by the manage- ment of the postal corporation at that meeting. They stated to staff in an intimidating fashion that if they do not sign the six-month contract which has no increases, they in principle have forfeited their jobs,” Grimms said.
“We see this in no uncertain as union busting at the highest level because they are not engaging with the union on a new contract and they are trying to intimidate the staff by saying they (the manage- ment) can do better,” he added.
Grimms said that the action of the GPC is in violation of the workers constitutional right.
Guyana
The Guyana government recently announced that it would be seeking to recruit 200 nurses from Cuba this year as the country deals with a shortage of locally trained nurses.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, speaking at a news conference, told reporters that 80 Cuban nurses had been recruited last year to help ease the shortage and that the ministry would try to recruit more while simultaneously reducing the workload of nurses in the system.
“As you know we have a problem with attrition of nurses,” Anthony said, noting that several solutions were being pursued, including recruiting 200 nurses from Cuba, who should be in Guyana early 2024.
“In the past we weren’t bringing a lot of nurses (from Cuba), we were bringing more doctors but now we have asked the Cuban government for more nurses.”
The health authorities said that a three- month crash course was being done to help Spanish-speaking nurses from Cuba integrate better locally.
Anthony said efforts were underway to help reduce the work- load of nurses and that the ministry was willing to hire personnel to get non-clinical work done.
He added that an estimated 4,000 nurses will be needed as the government built new hospitals and facilities across the country.
Jamaica
Jamaica police commissioner Maj Gen Antony Anderson recently announced that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), has successfully completed training of the first batch of Haitian police officers.
The police force has been tasked to equip its Haitian counterparts with the knowledge necessary to handle the security issues plaguing the French-speaking Caricom member state which has escalated after the July 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moïse.
Anderson said the initiative provided the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience which he gained over many years of tackling difficult circumstances.
“I think we are on the second iteration now, which is important that we actually got something going, something off the ground to meet the mandate given to us by the prime minister to assist where we can and we are already doing that.”
Although, Haiti has suffered from gang violence for decades, the current wave of brutality have escalated and gangs have taken control of large parts of the country, waging terror on residents and killing hundreds.
