Tag Archives: caribbean

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Brazil: Former Health Officer Named New Army Chief

The appointment of the Brazilian army’s former chief health officer as the new army commander is an effort by President Jair Bolsonaro to heal a rift created by his firing of the defense minister and the subsequent removal of the top generals of all three military branches, analysts said Thursday.

Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, responsible for the army’s human resources, was appointed army chief Wednesday following the hasty departure of the leaders of Brazil’s army, navy and air force. The three men were forced out a day after Bolsonaro summarily fired retired army Gen. Fernando Azevedo e Silva as defense minister.

There has been little transparency around this week’s events, as neither the president nor the Defense Ministry explained what caused the change in leadership. Military and political experts said the unexpected firings, which some described as a “bomb,” were partly the result of the commanders’ reluctance to serve Bolsonaro’s political interests.

The reshuffle generated a deep — if brief — crisis within the military. Never since the return of democracy in 1985 had a president fired all the leaders of the military’s three branches, analysts said. The move caused uneasiness and great uncertainty as to the future of Brazil’s armed forces as the far-right president struggles with declining popularity and COVID-19 batters the country.

But the tapping of Nogueira as army chief was widely seen as an attempt by the president to ease tensions.

“The choice was to lower the tone,” said Juliano Cortinhas, who coordinates the research and study group on international security at the University of Brasilia.

Inside the military, Nogueira has a reputation of being a conscientious, reliable officer. He is also the man behind the military’s pandemic contingency plan, based on social distancing.

In a rare interview with Correio Braziliense on March 28, Nogueira praised the results of the measures he implemented to limit the spread of the coronavirus among military personnel and said he was preparing for a third wave of infections.

“The figures are relatively good in comparison with the population in general because of the prevention we have,” Nogueira said. “If this improved in Brazil, the number of people infected would probably be smaller.”

The lengthy interview was said by experts and the media to have greatly displeased Bolsonaro, who has strongly opposed the imposition by states and localities of strict health measures for the pandemic, arguing their economic damage will be more harmful than illnesses.

Brazil is currently battling with a fierce resurgence in coronavirus cases. The country reported a new daily high of nearly 4,000 deaths Wednesday, raising the toll for March above 66,000 deaths. That is more than double the number of deaths reported last July, which had been Brazil’s worst month in the pandemic.

“We have to be ready in Brazil. We can’t waver,” Nogueira said in the interview. “We have to work, improve the structure of our hospitals, have more beds, human resources so we can react if there’s a stronger wave.”

In the list of possible candidate for the army’s top post, he was among the oldest serving generals on active duty, which preserves military traditions and hierarchy.

For Cortinhas, the University of Brasilia professor, the changes in the military will not alter profoundly their relationship with Bolsonaro, at least in the short term.

“There was a name change, the game goes on,” he said. “The military continues to make a very important part of the Bolsonaro government.”

Other experts, however, said the crisis revealed a split in the ranks.

Eduardo Munhoz Svartman, president of the Brazilian Association for Defense Studies, stressed the distinction between active-duty members of the military — a contingent of about 300,000 men and women — and retired members.

Those who have entered the Bolsonaro government, including the new defense minister, former Gen. Walter Braga Netto, are usually retired military members and support the president.

But among active-duty military personnel, “there is a part that doesn’t want the armed forces to be used as a tool by the president,” said Svartman, who also teaches at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. “There is growing internal polarization.”

Some active-duty generals are also eager to distance themselves from Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic. Most of Brazil’s 320,000 deaths occurred under the watch of active-duty Gen. Eduardo Pazuello, who was the federal health minister from May until last month. Pazuello is being investigated by a federal court for his handling of the collapse of the public health care system in the Amazonian city of Manaus.

While tensions have waned, João Roberto Martins Filho, a military expert, said things might never be the same between Bolsonaro and active-duty generals because of the removal of the three commanders.

“He crossed a dangerous line, and lost,” Martins Filho said. “This left a scar.”

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2015 Boundaries Report “Null and Void”

The High Court in St. Kitts and Nevis struck down the Constituency Boundaries Report of 2015 brought to the National Assembly by the Denzil Douglas Administration with Judge Justice Trevor Warde labelling them “null and void and of no effect.”

In 2015 the then Labour Administration led by Dr Denzil Douglas held an emergency sitting of parliament to rush through boundary changes in Parliament ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The bill was passed and on that same evening, the house was dissolved for a general election. The Leader of the Opposition Mark Brantley fought the new boundaries proclamation in court all the way to the Privy Council where they were successful in getting a suspension of those boundaries one week before the elections.

Justice Warde gave a judgement on the matter on Wednesday in the case brought about by the then Leader of the Opposition Mark Brantley.

Justice Warde said, “I accordingly grant the following Declarations and Orders: (i) A declaration that the Decision of the Constituency Boundaries Commission made on 16 January 2015 to submit a report to the Governor-General pursuant to section 50 of the Constitution is ultra vires, null and void and of no effect; (ii) A declaration that the Impugned Boundaries Proclamation signed by the Governor-General is invalid, null and void and of no effect; (iii) An order of certiorari to quash: i) The Impugned Boundaries Decision; ii) The Impugned Boundaries Report; iii) The Impugned Boundaries Proclamation.”

The Judge accepted the claimants’ submission that the facts relayed above give rise to the irresistible inference that there was a deliberate plan by the executive branch of government.

“In the control of the then governing party, to rush the Report through the Assembly, dissolve Parliament and have the proclamation published before the Opposition was able to approach the Court to challenge the lawfulness of the Commission’s decision.  No evidence has been adduced to rebut displace or in any way attenuate this inference. It has been said that “in our legal system generally the silence of one party in face of the other party’s evidence may convert that evidence into proof in relation to matters which are, or are likely to be, within the knowledge of the silent party am about which that party could be expected to give evidence. Thus, depending on the circumstances, a prima facie case may become a strong or even an overwhelming case.”

Justice Warde said it led to a consideration of the constitutionality of a deliberate attempt to deprive the claimants of their right to access the courts.

“ The Privy Council has articulated what the consequences are should the facts be as I have found them. At paragraph 32 the Board stated: “In the Board’s view there is at least a strongly arguable case that a deliberate attempt by one branch of government, in the control of a governing party, to prevent individuals from obtaining access to the High Court for a constitutional adjudication under section 96 would be unconstitutional as it would deny the protections of the law contrary to section 3(a). In such circumstances, it is strongly arguable that section 2 would nullify the impugned proclamation and section 50(7) would not apply.

“In any event, on the ordinary principles of judicial review, it is arguable that the making of the Impugned Boundaries Proclamation would be open to challenge, notwithstanding the ouster clause, if the power to do so were exercised for an improper purpose: Padfield v Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food [1968] AC 997 and Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation.”

He said to seek to deny the claimants access to the High Court for a constitutional adjudication under section 96 would be unconstitutional.

“This is not within the four walls of the Constitution as the Prime Minister was ill-advised; it is a dear violation of the right of access to the courts guaranteed by section 3(a) of the Constitution. In these circumstances, the ouster clause in section 50 (7) would have no application.”

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Collective CARICOM voice for recovery at IMF-World Bank meetings

By Sir Ronald Sanders  

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.  The views expressed are entirely his own)  

The response by policy makers of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to the depth of COVID-19’s effects on Caribbean economies needs to be urgently reviewed, particularly regarding debt.

An unduly optimistic assessment of the extent of damage to economies and an overly confident expectation of how long the effects will last, have resulted in inadequate instruments to help Caribbean countries get out of the hole into which they have been sunk through no fault of their own.    Caribbean countries did not create the pandemic and they have been among the most successful in containing it at great cost to their Treasuries.

The staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) and the Directors on the Boards, representing CARICOM countries, deserve credit for advancing the region’s interests.   The inadequacy of the IFIs response is not their fault; it is entirely due to Board directors of some larger countries who remain stuck to mistaken policy positions whose failures have enlarged the harmful effects of the pandemic.

One of these continuing unhelpful policy positions is the application of per capita income as a criterion to deny high income Caribbean countries access to concessionary loans, even though these countries are subject to the same vulnerabilities as lower income countries.

Something of a breakthrough might have occurred.  The World Bank Board has approved the preparation of loan documents of $100 million each for the Bahamas and Barbados – two of the countries with the highest per capita incomes in CARICOM – “due to their heavy reliance on tourism”.   This is an admission that the Board of the Bank has accepted vulnerability as a criterion, that is superior to high income, as a qualification for concessionary loans.  It is to be assumed, therefore, that, if these loans are approved by the Board in the coming weeks, this criterion can now be applied to other high-income CARICOM countries such as Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts-Nevis.  CARICOM Finance Ministers at the Spring Meetings of the Bank and Fund should raise this issue collectively.

Doing so, is especially relevant since countries that might have been “high income”, according to IMF/WBG measurements, in 2019, are certainly not so today.  High unemployment, resulting from the pandemic, has shaved as much as 30 % from per capita income in some countries and is likely to reduce it even more as unemployment increases and poverty expands.

Amid all this, the IFIs response to high and crippling debt in many CARICOM countries that has spiralled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has increased their debt service burdens.  While the Bank and Fund have explicitly stated that debt levels were, for some, more than 100 % of GDP prior to the pandemic, the debt instruments that they have provided are burdensome.

As an example, the IMF’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative is only temporary.  It is also applicable only to the poorest countries.   Therefore only 5 CARICOM countries qualified. The initiative is supposedly to help them cope with the economic and fiscal constraints caused by the COVID-19 crisis.  But it gives only a one-year grace with repayment having to be made over 5 years.  Clearly, there will be an increase in the debt service burdens of these countries.

The duration of the pandemic’s effects on CARICOM economies and its severe impact, will be longer than anticipated.   Countries, such as Guyana and Suriname, with their oil and gas resources will be better placed, but Post-COVID, many CARICOM countries will have much reduced economies, high debt, diminished revenues, and little capacity to recover.  The UN has already said that the Caribbean will face ‘a lost decade’ with economies and per capita income declining to 2010 levels.

They will need access to low-cost financing and grants from both IFI’s and donor governments.  Immediately, they need debt relief in the forms of write-offs and deferral of repayments on easier terms.

If these initiatives are not taken, Caribbean economies will be caught in a poverty trap from which they will not emerge for a generation and, even then, only if they experience no disasters such as hurricanes, prolonged droughts, or flooding – all of which have a high probability of occurring.

The governments of CARICOM countries are struggling to keep their economies afloat with policy initiatives either to revive dormant activities, such as agricultural and fisheries production, or to encourage new technology-based endeavours.  These will help with economic diversification over time, but they will not be immediate large contributors to economic growth or replacements for industries such as tourism.

The Spring meetings of the Bank and Fund are an opportunity for robust presentations of the plight of CARICOM countries, always recalling they did not originate or spread COVID-19.  They are in their current situation because of their vulnerability to their trading partners which, without exception, enjoy relatively large trade surpluses with the region. Some of these same trading partners are among the most vociferous in the continued application of mistaken criteria that disqualify many CARICOM countries from concessionary financing and debt relief.

At this month’s meetings of the IMF/WBG, Caribbean representatives have an opportunity to advance proposals for support.  One of the points that should be made is that, since the huge balance of trade surplus that rich countries enjoy with CARICOM states runs into billions of dollars perennially, giving them revenues and employment, they should regard debt forgiveness and rescheduling, as well as concessional financing, as investments in CARICOM countries from which they derive considerable benefits annually.

If the economies of CARICOM countries are not helped to recover, there will be a corresponding contraction in their ability to continue to buy goods and services from the rich.

Efforts must be made to create a framework that integrates debt sustainability, growth-investment, and building resilience for CARICOM countries.  Such a framework must also take full account of the region’s vulnerability to destructive forces they do not create, such as Climate Change.

CARICOM countries should speak with a collective voice in proposing such a framework to the IMF/WBG meetings, omitting no country.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com  

 

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COVID-19: US Trade Embargo a Catalyst for Cuban Medical Technology

Cuba’s own manufacturing of ventilators and CT scanners, which they’ve been doing since the U.S. embargo limits imports, has helped save them money during the pandemic.
By Reuters

HAVANA — Cuba’s homegrown vaccine candidates have made headlines worldwide. Less well-known is its production of medical gear such as ventilators and CT scanners for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in a bid to achieve “technological sovereignty” during the pandemic.

During a tour of production facilities in Havana on Wednesday, officials touted the medical gear that had enabled them to save money and keep the mortality rate from COVID-19 low even as other countries had struggled to import such equipment.

“Our country is saving money and could save many millions of dollars thanks to all the results of sovereignty we have achieved,” said Eduardo Martínez, head of state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma.

The Communist-run island nation has sought to develop such manufacturing in part in response to the decades-old U.S. trade embargo, tightened by former President Donald Trump, which hampers the import of medical equipment.

Daily coronavirus cases hit a new record of 1,051 on the island of 11 million inhabitants on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 75,000. Deaths remain low at 424, one of the lowest rates per capita worldwide.

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Carnival is Banking on US Opening Up by Summer

In this file photo, a Carnival cruise ship (right) in Nassau’s cruise port.

Nassau Guardian- Carnival Cruise Line is banking on the US opening up during the summer and won’t be homeporting its ships in the Caribbean.

While Royal Caribbean International hopes to get the jump on a return to cruising in June by homeporting in Nassau, Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) is holding on to hope that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifts its conditional sail order by June, with CCL President Christine Duffy shunning the idea of homeporting outside the US and calling CCL “America’s cruise line” in a video released last week.

Duffy also said in the video that the cruise line has not made a decision on whether or not it would make vaccinations mandatory for cruise passengers.

“We have not made any decision about vaccines being a requirement,” Duffy said.

“We have not made a decision here at Carnival about our June sailings. In fact, we could be given the opportunity to start cruising from the US.

“We currently do not have any plans to move our ships away from their US home ports. I have always said Carnival Cruise Line is America’s cruise line. We sail from 14 US home ports. Fifty percent of our itineraries are less than seven-day sailings and a significant number of our guests drive to their Carnival Cruise vacation.”

While hopeful that cruising could begin this summer, Duffy also maintained that the timing for restart in the US “continues to be uncertain”, especially given that the CDC continues to contend that cruises continue to be high risk in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Duffy is hopeful that this position could and should change with the further rollout of the vaccines and because other forms of transport and entertainment facilities are already open.

“As more Americans are vaccinated, our focus is on securing a decision that will allow for a resumption in cruising from our US home ports, consistent with the expected return of other forms of travel for the summer,” she said.

“But with the promise that all Americans who want the vaccine will have access to one by the end of May, we are optimistic that we will see travel resume in time for summer.

“If it’s safe to fly on an airplane, stay in a hotel or resort, or visit an amusement park, it should be safe to sail on a ship with the additional health and safety protocols that we have in place. Hopefully, from the US.”

Royal Caribbean revealed to Guardian Business this week that bookings for its cruise departing from Nassau’s cruise port in June are off to a “strong start”.

And Crystal Cruises, which will also homeport in The Bahamas, reported that in the first 24 hours of the reservations opening for its new luxury Bahamas cruise starting on July 3, almost 4,000 people reserved staterooms or suites on one of its seven-night cruises through The Bahamas.

Chester Robards

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Aruba PM Resigns Amidst Legal Probe of Coalition Partner

Evelyn Wever-Croes, Prime Minister of Aruba, signs the resignation letter of her Cabinet.e

There is shock across the Dutch Caribbean as the Prime Minister of Aruba, Evelyn Wever-Croes, has tendered her resignation and that of her Cabinet.

During a news conference yesterday, it was stated the decision was taken after the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced an investigation into the government’s coalition partner, the POR party. No details of the investigation have been given.

Wever-Croes has requested that the Governor of Aruba dissolve the Parliament of Aruba. The Cabinet will attend to ongoing issues until a new government is formed.

Elections for Aruba are scheduled for September 2021, however, it is now unclear whether an early election will be called due to this latest incident.

In November 2017, Wever-Croes was sworn in as Aruba’s first female prime minister.

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Associated Press World View: What Went Wrong with J&J Vaccine, Another US Mass Murder, Chauvin Trial Latest, More

April 1, 2021

Alternate text

Today an AP Exclusive shows the company at the heart of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine problems has been cited repeatedly for issues including cracked vials and poorly trained employees.

We analyze President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.

And 20 years after the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, we look at which parts of the world have followed suit and which have not.

Also this morning:

  • Child is among 4 dead in California shooting
  • 7 pro-democracy leaders convicted in Hong Kong
  • Ancient coins found in Rhode Island may solve pirate mystery

KARL RITTER

Southern Europe News Director

The Associated Press

Rome

The Rundown

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The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard an unknown amount of its coronavirus vaccine has a string of citations from U.S. health officials for quality……Read More

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Infrastructure was a road to nowhere for former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama. But Joe Biden believes he can use it to drive America to the future after a dozen years of false… …Read More

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ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — A shooting at a Southern California office building on Wednesday left several people dead and injured and also led to officers firing shots, authorities said. A report… …Read More

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AMSTERDAM (AP) — Twenty years ago, just after the stroke of midnight on April 1, the mayor of Amsterdam married four couples in City Hall as the Netherlands became the first country in the world…..Read More

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Floyd’s struggle with three police officers trying to arrest him, seen on body-camera video, included Floyd’s panicky cries of “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” and “I’m… …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

HONG KONG (AP) — Seven pro-democracy advocates were convicted Thursday for organizing and participating in an unlawful assembly during massive anti-government protests in …Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Fed up with the incessant attacks on Asian Americans, Stan Lee recently started voluntarily patrolling San Francisco’s Chinatown. So when the 53-year-old f…Read More

AMIENS, France (AP) — (asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)Moves Thursday, April 1, as virus mainbar. Photos XFM501-14 are set for release at 0700 GMT.(asterisk)(asterisk)(asteri…Read More

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — A handful of coins unearthed from a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island and other random corners of New England may help solve one of th…Read More

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Grenada: Cops Concerned Over Increase in Illegal Immigrants

Police officials in Grenada are concerned about what appears to be an increasing number of immigrants from Venezuela and CARICOM nations illegally entering the country, particularly as the country tries to prevent community spread of the virus.

Commissioner of Police Edvin Martin disclosed on Tuesday that for the first quarter of 2021, 15 illegal immigrants were held. There were only 20 illegal entries recorded for all of 2020.

“We do not know how many have escaped the law enforcement gaze. We do not know how many might be circulating within our society, and hence the call for us to continue exercising vigilance,” he told journalists during the weekly post-Cabinet briefing.

“It could be a travesty if any such person circulating in our community is positive with a [COVID-19] strain that can potentially affect our population.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Shawn Charles said health officials were extremely worried about that development.

“The Ministry of Health is very concerned because we do have examples from other territories where illegal entry into the country has played a huge part in the establishment of community spread there, and these countries have not been able to get past these events and the populations are right now experiencing some difficulties as a result of that,” he said.

“We have been able to exert a high level of control, but we always want people to remember that not everyone who enters Grenada enters through our net.

“So, it is never accurate to say, ‘well we have no COVID-19, why can’t we do this?’. It is more accurate to say no known cases because we may have some that may escape our control measures,” Dr Charles added.

Since the start of the pandemic, Grenada has confirmed 155 cases of COVID-19. There has been one death.

CMC

 

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D-Cash: SKN Among First to Get Digital EC Dollar

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has officially launched the digital version of the EC dollar – or ‘DCash’.

The currency was rolled out as a pilot in four countries yesterday: Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia.

DCash is being touted as an innovative, real-time payment option within the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCB) that offers a safer, faster and cheaper method of making payments, and sending and receiving funds to and from other DCash users and merchants.

Consumers can access DCash via the official app, the DCash wallet, and conduct financial transactions using their smart devices.

Speaking during the virtual launch yesterday, ECCB Governor Timothy Antoine explained that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic where physical and social distancing is a requirement, DCash offers a contactless method of payment that will serve member states well in the new normal.

He said the ECCB is firmly committed to the safety, soundness and integrity of the region’s financial system and, in this regard, the bank has been careful to embed anti-money laundering and counter financing protocols in the DCash design and industry standards and best practices as it relates to cyber security.

“Due care and attention have also been given to data privacy; payments and transfers are near instantaneous and there is no charge for transacting DCash – the central bank has made that upfront investment.

“For both financial institutions and businesses, reduced use of physical cash translates into a reduction in the storage, security and transportation costs associated with the movement, handling and securing of physical cash,” Antoine said.

He also explained that by using the reporting function in the DCash app, users will be able to track their transactions and monitor their spending.

The pilot phase will run for 12 months and will include an e-commerce portal. The pilot will also eventually be rolled out in other ECCU member states.

“Leveraging our experience with the first four pilot countries we expect the onboarding process will be faster,” he added.

“It is our strong desire to see all member countries in this pilot as soon as practicable but no later than September 2021.”

DCash can be obtained from participating commercial banks, credit unions or other authorised institutions. The two participating merchants in Antigua are the Caribbean Union Bank (CUB) and the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB).

DCash quick facts

O Use it for paying for goods and services

O  Send it to family and friends who also have the DCash app

O  Merchants can offer this contactless payment option to their customers

O  DCash is a digital analogue of the national currency, not a type of crypto-currency

O  DCash payments are made in real-time; all you need is internet access

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