Tag Archives: caribbean

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Trinidad & Tobago: Violence Against Women Difficult to Eliminate

Twenty-three-year-old Andrea Bharatt went missing on January 29, last seen alive as she and a friend got into a taxi after work. The friend made it home; when Bharatt didn’t, her father called her mobile. Eventually, a man answered and demanded money, though a ransom amount was never specified. On February 4, despite the efforts of law enforcement and civilians alike, Bharatt’s body was found at the base of a precipice in northeast Trinidad.

Her murder prompted a national outcry, especially as it came just two months after the abduction of teenager Ashanti Riley, who herself took “public” transportation and ended up dead. (The car in which Bharatt was abducted bore a false hired car license plate.)

The Bharatt case, however, has been plagued by controversy. Two of the suspects have died since being detained by police. The first, Andrew Morris—according to a media release from the Commissioner of Police—died because of co-morbidities after having fallen off a chair. A private autopsy subsequently revealed he was beaten to death. Furthermore, doubt has been cast as to his involvement in the crime, as he told police he was only in the business of renting cars.

The second, Joel Balcon (aka Devon Charles), who had 70 charges against him including rape and “grievous” sexual assault, died in the intensive care unit of a public hospital. As many as 45 of the cases against him were pending at the time of his detention by police.

Such glaring missteps have focused the spotlight on the country’s inept criminal justice system as well as its culture of misogyny and gender-based violence. For some, it has also revealed how citizens struggle to effect real change and the ways in which government processes often lag behind, despite protests and petitions:

A history of violence against women

A 2002 United Nations (UN) report by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women found that as far back as the 1990s, gender-based violence, including sexual attacks on women and young girls, was “pervasive” and had “long been a matter of grave concern for the Government.”

At the time, the government implemented a robust and comprehensive programme to specifically tackle domestic violence, but decades later, rates of gender-based violence are still predominant in the country.

In 2020 alone, 45 women and two girls were murdered.

Day by day, year after year, women are under attack. In 2014, senior counsel Dana Seetahal was gunned down in her car, the victim of an execution-style killing. In 2015, television presenter Marcia Henville was murdered in her home, reportedly the victim of domestic violence.

In 2016, after the body of Asami Nagakiya, a steelpan player from Japan who was visiting Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival, was found under a tree in the Queen’s Park Savannah on Ash Wednesday morning, then mayor of Port of Spain, Raymond Tim Kee, added insult to injury by saying “women have a responsibility to ensure they are not abused during the Carnival season.” Protests over victim-blaming ensued and the mayor eventually resigned.

Women are harassed on the street and in their places of work. By the close of 2016, when 20-year-old bank employee Shannon Banfield went missing and was later found in the storeroom of a variety store in Port of Spain, people said, “Enough is enough.”

Yet, 2017 had barely begun when the first female murder of that year occurred, that of a schoolgirl. Then, after the murder of Jamilia Derevenax, whose throat was slit by an assailant she knew, in the parking garage of a popular cineplex, Prime Minister Keith Rowley suggested that women should choose their partners wisely to avoid violence, demonstrating how well entrenched the victim-blaming response is, even as women continued to be killed.

Emotional, physical and sexual abuse

A 2017 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) National Women’s Health Survey for Trinidad and Tobago showed relatively high statistics for emotional, physical and sexual abuse against women, both in relationships and with “non-partners,” from a survey field of 1,079 interviewees.

More than 30 per cent of women, for instance, reported having experienced either physical or sexual partner violence or both, at least once. Close to one in three women experienced sexual violence, including rape, attempted rape, unwanted touching, and reported sexual violence. For many, this happened before the age of 18. The report also found that at 21.3 per cent, cases of non-partner sexual violence were almost four times higher than acts of sexual violence perpetrated by a partner (5 per cent).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLC3AyUFRN1

The way forward

The National Women’s Health Survey laid out several recommendations for ways in which gender-based violence could be combated in Trinidad and Tobago—suggestions which echo those of many social media users—including more adequate spaces and services for women leaving violent domestic situations, procedural review, mandatory human rights, gender sensitivity, and on-the-job training for police officers (though there is a Gender-Based Violence Unit in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service), educational campaigns that “deconstruct some of the gendered perceptions that fuel male violence,” and trustworthy health services.

Some, however, realised that the root of the problem goes much deeper. After Bharatt’s abduction, activist “Tillah Willah” shared a video of the calypsonian Scrunter’s 1979 song “Take The Number,” which advised women to make a note of the license plate of any car they get into, commenting: Scrunter sing this in 1979. 2021 come and allyuh still blaming women if they can’t figure out what a predator looks like instead of changing the way we raise boys to think women’s bodies are property.

Writer Debbie Jacob, who runs an educational programme for prisoners, feels change needs to start at the top: Police and prisons are not functioning anywhere near the level they should be functioning. We choose to perpetuate irrelevant education and throw people — innocent and guilty — into prison, which is basically a school for crime.

We don’t have enough educational programmes, skill-based programmes and rehabilitation programmes are virutally nonexististent in prisons. We don’t have any rehabilitation programmes for sexual offenders in our prisons. We are not holding anyone accountable in this country.
We don’t care about people being in prison to study the craft of crime for over a decade before the courts that can’t hear cases fast enough throw the case out. And those of us who are trying to address the crime problem and offer solutions can’t get traction or consistency to function. Dysfunction and apathy prevail in this country with periodic outbursts of anger and disgust when a crime occurs. Victims deserve better than this. Start asking questions at the top. What is being done?

Since Bharatt’s murder, parliament has passed the Evidence Bill, which will introduce more modern mechanisms for evidence gathering in criminal trials. More controversially, pepper spray has been approved as a self-defense tool, though anyone who wants to purchase the product will require a permit to do so.

Citizens understand that it is time for immense change, but with the above measures not really addressing the causes of the problem, the question remains: will those with the power to effect change make the necessary moves to protect women?

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Written byJada Steuart
Written byJanine Mendes-Franco

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T&T Has No Deal Yet to Buy COVID Vaccines from India

Renuka Singh

There is no agreement yet between T&T and India for either the purchase or donation of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines. This was confirmed yesterday by Indian High Commissioner Arun Kumar Sahu who said this country’s order of 250,000 vaccines from the Serum Institute in India has not been finalised.

Guardian Media contacted the High Commissioner last week about the status of this country’s order of Indian-made vaccines. In a response yesterday, the High Commissioner’s office said it is willing to help expedite the order but only after T&T “places an order with the Serum Institute directly and reaches a commercial agreement.”

“The external supplies of vaccines are an ongoing process, depending on availability and domestic requirements,” the office said. It added that in the coming weeks, Indian vaccines are expected “to reach some of the Caribbean countries whose governments have requested India for donation” but gave no further details.

“The total donation of vaccine to the Caribbean countries is expected to be around 500,000 doses,” High Commissioner Sahu said.

T&T, through Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne, began discussions about purchasing 250,000 orders of the vaccine on February 16, one day after the Serum Institute received Word Health Organisation (WHO) approval. Browne has written to his Indian counterpart, Dr S. Jaishankar, for help in getting the required export approval.

“Keeping in mind our own domestic demand and other commitments for made in India vaccines, our long-standing friendly relations with the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, we will try our best to expedite this approval process,” the High Commissioner said.

However, he pointed out: “The High Commission is not aware of any proposal from the Trinidad and Tobago Government requesting for gifting of vaccines by the Government of India.”

The Government of India donated some 50,000 doses of vaccines to Barbados, another 70,000 to Dominica and will contribute some 500,000 vaccines to Caricom. By yesterday’s count, India has donated 6.75 million doses and dispatched another 22.3 million doses on commercial terms to 28 countries.

Barbados has gifted T&T 2,000 doses of vaccines, enough to vaccinate 1000 people, and 3,000 to Guyana.

“In the Latin America and Caribbean region, Mexico has already purchased 0.87 million doses; Brazil has purchased 2 million doses, and Argentina purchased 5.8 million doses,” the Commissioner said. “India has also donated 200,000 doses for UN Peacekeeping Force.”

More than 90 countries are looking for Indian vaccines either through donation or commercial purchase and as of yesterday, some 28 countries have benefited from made in India vaccines.

T&T began the rollout of the 2,000 vaccines last Wednesday in Trinidad and in Tobago on Saturday. The first doses have already been administered and the second doses are expected to be administered within the next 12 weeks.

At a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley warned that smaller countries are being overlooked in their attempts to get COVID-19 vaccine supplies. He and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the government is trying to manoeuvre around an unequal market.

According to Dr Rowley, some smaller countries are not even being allowed inside the door to place orders.

However just last week he was confident about the supply to T&T saying then that “monies have been paid, local preparations have been made, orders, negotiations outside of COVAX supply are currently underway and we are close to receiving and using our anticipated supply.”

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ILO: Growth of Digital Labor Needs Regulation

GENEVA (ILO News) – Digital labour platforms have increased five-fold worldwide in the last decade according to the ILO’s latest World Employment and Social Outlook 2021 report.

This growth has underlined the need for international policy dialogue and regulatory cooperation in order to provide decent work opportunities and foster the growth of sustainable businesses more consistently.

According to the report World Employment and Social Outlook 2021: The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work , digital labour platforms are providing new work opportunities, including for women, persons with disabilities, young people and those marginalized in traditional labour markets. Platforms also allow businesses to access a large flexible workforce with varied skills, while expanding their customer base.

The report focuses on two main types of digital labour platform: online web-based platforms, where tasks are performed online and remotely by workers, and location-based platforms, where tasks are performed at a specified physical location by individuals, such as taxi drivers and delivery workers. Its findings are based on surveys and interviews with some 12,000 workers and representatives of 85 businesses around the world in multiple sectors.

New challenges for workers and businesses

The challenges for platform workers relate to working conditions, the regularity of work and income, and the lack of access to social protection, freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. Working hours can often be long and unpredictable. Half of online platform workers earn less than US$2 per hour. In addition, some platforms have significant gender pay gaps. The COVID-19 pandemic  has further exposed many of these issues, says the report.

Many businesses face challenges relating to unfair competition, non- transparency with regard to data and pricing, and high commission fees. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) also have difficulties accessing finance and digital infrastructure

“All workers, regardless of employment status, need to be able to exercise their fundamental rights at work”

Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General

The new opportunities created by digital labour platforms are further blurring the previously clear distinction between employees and the self-employed. Working conditions are largely regulated by the platforms’ terms of service agreements, which are often unilaterally determined. Algorithms are increasingly replacing humans in allocating and evaluating work, and administering and monitoring workers.

With platforms operating across multiple jurisdictions, coherent and coordinated policies are needed to ensure they provide decent work opportunities and foster the growth of sustainable businesses, the report says.

“Digital labour platforms are opening up opportunities that did not exist before, particularly for women, young people, persons with disabilities and marginalized groups in all parts of the world. That must be welcomed. The new challenges they present can be met through global social dialogue so that workers, employers and governments can fully and equally benefit from these advances. All workers, regardless of employment status, need to be able to exercise their fundamental rights at work,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

Digital divide

The costs and benefits of digital platforms are not shared equally across the world. Ninety-six per cent of investments in such platforms are concentrated in Asia, North America and Europe. Seventy per cent of revenues are concentrated in just two countries, the United States and China.

Work on online web-based platforms is outsourced by businesses in the global North, and performed by workers in the global South, who earn less than their counterparts in developed countries. This uneven growth of the digital economy perpetuates a digital divide and risks exacerbating inequalities.

A way forward

Many governments, enterprises and workers’ representatives, including unions, have begun to address some of these issues but their responses are varied. This leads to uncertainty for all parties.

Since digital labour platforms operate across multiple jurisdictions, international policy dialogue and coordination is needed to ensure regulatory certainty and the application of international labour standards, says the report.

It calls for global social dialogue and regulatory cooperation between digital labour platforms, workers and governments, which could lead over time to a more effective and consistent approach towards a number of objectives to ensure that:

  • Workers’ employment status is correctly classified and is in accordance with national classification systems.
  • There is transparency and accountability of algorithms for workers and businesses.
  • Self-employed platform workers can enjoy the right to bargain collectively.
  • All workers, including platform workers, have access to adequate social security benefits, through the extension and adaptation of policy and legal frameworks where necessary.
  • Platform workers can access the courts of the jurisdiction in which they are located if they so choose.

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Turks & Caicos Opposition in Landslide Poll Victory

The main opposition Progressive National Party (PNP) secured a landslide victory when the citizens of Turks and Caicos went to the polls in a general election on Friday.

Led by businessman Charles Washington Misick, the PNP obtained a landslide 14 to 1 victory over the incumbent People’s Democratic Movement (PDM).

According to the territory’s supervisor of Elections, Dudley Lewis, the opposition party won nine of the 10 electoral district seats and all five of the At Large seats.

Misick, 70, is a former chief minister and the brother of former premier Michael Misick.

The PDM, in a major defeat, saw their leader, Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, who was elected the country’s first female premier in 2016, losing her seat.

The only successful PDM candidate was former health minister Edwin Astwood who won the Grand Turk South.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in a statement on Saturday said that the CARICOM Elections Observation Mission (CEOM) that monitored the polls, said that the process was free and fair “and the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands must be commended for this.”

“The peacefulness of the elections that transpired on 19 February 2021 reflected the tranquility of the society of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said the three-member CEOM team that was deployed to observe the electoral process across the territory.

CMC

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‘Crisis? What Crisis?, Democracy OK in Haiti’-Pres. Moise Tells UN

Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise told the UN Security Council that “democracy was doing well in Haiti” despite its ongoing political crisis, an assertion challenged by the United States, which called on him to quickly put an end to his era of “rule by decree.”

Moise has been ruling by decree for a year because there currently is no parliament, and only a third of its senators are in office. Legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed.

He also maintains that his term lasts until February 2022 — but the opposition argues it should have ended two weeks ago, in a standoff over disputed elections.

During a rare address by a head of state — countries are usually represented by the foreign minister — Moise said that in four years, his country “had had to face down bids to interrupt the constitutional order through violence.

“At the base of all this, there is a rejection of the democratic regime and of elections as the only means of access to the management of the affairs of the state,” he said, lauding his own administration’s “tireless efforts… to appease the sociopolitical climate.”

“We are facing a powerful lobby which has great resources,” he said during a speech that lasted 27 minutes, instead of the 15 normally granted, and that was marred by the sound and image cutting out because of a poor internet connection.

He said this lobby was associated with “sore losers” and has violently blocked the senate’s regular functioning, preventing the government from being formalised and voting on a budget and an electoral law.

The president promised “limited use” of presidential decrees until the next general election scheduled for September, but Washington asked him to stop using them at all, while France said that several of the more recent ones were “a source of concern.”

Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the acting US ambassador to the UN, reiterated “the need to bring the current period of rule by decree to a swift conclusion.”

He said such measures should only be taken when absolutely necessary and in issues such as security and election preparations.

“We urge the government of Haiti to hold overdue legislative elections as soon as possible in order to restore the parliament’s constitutional role,” he said.

“Recent actions unilaterally removing and appointing three supreme court judges, creating a national intelligence agency, and actions constraining the role of Haiti’s independent audit agency risk damaging Haiti’s core democratic institutions,” he added.

The dispute in Haiti stems from Moise’s original election. He was voted into office in a poll subsequently canceled after allegations of fraud, and then elected again a year later, in 2016.

The issue has led to weeks of violent protests on the streets of the poor Caribbean country.

(AFP)

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But, the UN Human Rights Office Concerned Over Attacks on Courts

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) says it is “very concerned” over recent attacks against judicial independence in Haiti, as the country is gripped by political and institutional instability.

According to OCHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell, a judge of the Haitian Cour de Cassation (Supreme Court) was arrested on February 7 “in circumstances that may amount to unlawful or arbitrary arrest and detention.”

Throssell said 22 other individuals were also arrested, 17 of whom still remain in pre-trial detention.

While the judge was subsequently released, the person along with two others were “forced to retire and later replaced, apparently through an irregular procedure”, she said

“These developments cause concerns about judicial independence and have further eroded the separation of powers in Haiti,” said Throssell at a regular media briefing at the UN Office at Geneva.

Throssell stressed that respecting the rule of law and the system of checks and balances at all times is paramount.

“It is even more crucial now given the growing political tensions and the increasing expression of dissent in demonstrations”, she said.

OHCHR called on the Haitian authorities to ensure respect for the established legal and institutional framework, and to comply with their obligations under the country’s Constitution and international human rights treaties, she added.

“We urge the Government and opposition to engage in a meaningful and inclusive dialogue to avoid further escalation of tensions, and to resolve the current political and institutional deadlock in a manner that is both lasting and sustainable”, Throssell said.

She said OHCHR “stands ready to continue supporting Haitian authorities in their fulfilment of international human rights obligations” and expresses its continuing willingness to strengthen its human rights engagement with all sectors in the society.

Earlier this month, the Organization of American States (OAS) said its General Secretariat was “closely monitoring the current situation in Haiti,” and that it was “concerned with the respect for human rights and the independence of powers.”

“The OAS General Secretariat has an essential interest in the protection of democratic institutions and the political rights of its citizens,” said the OAS in a statement. “It is fundamental that state institutions work together to resolve the problems afflicting Haiti.

“We call for democratic structural changes in Haiti through the discussion of a new Constitution and an effective participation in general elections this year,” it added.

The OAS said that its General Secretariat “renews its support for the electoral process as the only option consistent with the Democratic Charter to replace the current constitutional President with another President on February 7, 2022.”

Opposition parties in Haiti had declared 72-year-old judge Joseph Mecene Jean-Louis the country’s interim leader, a day after an alleged coup plot was foiled, as they insisted that President Jovenel Moise must step down.

In a video message, Jean-Louis, the longest-serving judge in the Supreme Court, said he “accepted the choice of the opposition and civil society, to serve (his) country as interim president for the transition”.

Moise, who has ruled by decree since mid-January, has stated he would hand over power to the winner of the elections but would not step down until his term expires in 2022.

But the opposition has rejected his interpretation of the constitution and has insisted his term had come to an end.

“We are waiting for Jovenel Moise to leave the National Palace, so that we can get on with installing Mr. Mecene Jean-Louis,” opposition figure Andre Michel told international news agency AFP.

Former senator Youri Latortue said that the transition period was expected to last around 24 months.

“There’s a two-year roadmap laid out, with the establishing of a national conference, the setting out of a new constitution and the holding of elections,” he said.

Haiti Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe said Supreme Court judge Hiviquel Dabrezil and inspector general for the national police force, Marie Louise Gauthier, were among 23 people who were detained for their role in an alleged plot to oust President Moise.

Meanwhile, the US lawmakers said Haiti remains gripped in “a cascade of economic, public health and political crises.”

The new Joe Biden administration in the United States has called on the Haitian administration to hold talks to resolve the crisis, saying that a newly-elected president should succeed President Moise when his term ends on February 2, 2022.

CMC

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Haiti: Then & Now…Can the People & Democracy Survive?

Two aircraft carriers in the Caribbean Sea, a media circus, and a dramatic speech by then US president Bill Clinton – that was how, back in 1994, operation ‘Uphold Democracy’ in Haiti began. It returned the democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to office after he had been deposed by a military junta three years earlier.

As with Afghanistan and Iraq, Haiti was one of the many examples of US interventionism justified by the mission to establish or protect democracy. ‘Now, three decades, ten international missions, and 30 billion US dollars later, Haiti holds the world record in failure,’ wrote the former Organisation of American States (OAS) envoy, Ricardo Seitenfus, in an article for the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste.

It’s hard to dispute it: Haiti is still suffering from a lack of democracy, stability, and development. In early 2021, four years after the last UN peacekeepers left, the country’s capital Port-au-Prince is once again the centre of unrest, as barricades burn again – this time, because of yet another of the endemic state crises.

The causes are, from a European perspective, hard to understand. It’s not a right-vs-left issue, for instance: Aristide was a left-leaning priest and poverty activist on election, but ended up as a corrupt dictator propped up by bloodthirsty militiamen.

It’s also not just a question of colonial guilt, either: although there is plenty of historical justification for seeking the culprits in the French as one-time colonisers (and racist opponents of Haiti as the first independent black republic) or in modern US imperialism and the forces of capitalism, they are not, by themselves, enough to explain the situation now.

Seen from outside, Haiti can look like a mesh of wires which, every time someone tries to untangle it, only gets even more tangled up. The primary reason is that, behind the façade of its manifold institutional conflicts, there lies a complex set of deeper seated power struggles within a half-criminal state run by predatory clans.

In view of the country’s dysfunctional political structures, the international community has, in some areas, replaced the state – and this entangles it in the complex power nodes, robbing it of its credibility as a neutral arbiter and complicating matters even further.

Pressure from the streets

Without entering too much into these complexities, we can say that the current crisis has come about as follows. In 2017, President Jovenel Moïse was sworn in after a 2016 election which was contested and repeated following intervention from the international community, leading to a year-long delay in him taking office.

He has since gone on to reconstitute the army, increase fuel prices, and doc the power of the country’s Court of Auditors after it revealed that he had embezzled funds from international aid following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Never popular, the preferred successor of his singing predecessor Michel Martelly had secured support from the country’s invisible elite and the US embassy, winning the election with the votes of 18 per cent of the general population with an overall turnout of 25 per cent). Known as the ‘Banana King’, businessman Moïse has therefore been the target of street protests since the day he was sworn in, with only the pandemic to take the pressure off for a short period.

Haiti’s political system is no stranger to crises and has managed to reach a precarious equilibrium that could, at any point, come crashing down.

Now, the pressure on him is mounting again as a loose opposition coalition of unions, politicians, judges, intellectuals, and youth activists has responded to a ruling by the Superior Court of Justice that Moïse’s term of office had come to an end on 7 February: the judges count the five years of his term from 2016, when an interim president was in office pending the repetition of the election.

The opposition agreed on the eldest of the Superior Court’s judges, Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis, as provisional president, who has since disappeared entirely from the public eye, presumably out of fear that he will be arrested. There is now no clear path forward, with disagreement over whether to bring forward the next presidential election or to set up a constitutional council.

From his residence in Kenscoff, high up in the cool mountains above Port-au-Prince, Moïse has roundly rejected both options, speaking in a video address of an ‘attempted coup’ by a group of ‘oligarchs’ and having those he considers the conspirators arrested. He underlined his intention to stay in office until February 2022, promising that elections will be held in September.

The international community is in favour; the opposition does not believe a word – after all, Moïse never held the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2019, and has been ruling without the assembly by decree for a year now. Another reason the opposition is sceptical is the president’s stated aim of reforming the constitution prior to the election in order to strengthen the role of the president and reintroduce conscription; the latter is a particularly delicate topic in a country which remembers all too well the horrors of military dictatorship.

US interests in Haiti

Why is the international community supporting Moïse, here? There are two main reasons. Firstly, he does not challenge US foreign policy interests. This is important because Haiti has become an unofficial US protectorate, a de facto status made clear by an anecdote from the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

With the airport severely damaged, especially its control tower, a team was dispatched to repair it by the UN mission (MINUSTAH). Orders came from the US to open it for the US Air Force, which promptly took control of it, but to keep it closed to flights from socialist Venezuela. The latter were ready to land before the Americans, yet found themselves forced to unload their aid supplies in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. Later, under pressure from President Donald Trump, Moïse turned against Haiti’s formerly close ally (and major creditor) Venezuela and supported plans to turn the country into a sweatshop for US fashion labels.

Secondly, the international community is banking on Moise for fear of anarchy. With the opposition disunited, there is no clear leader in view who represents a prospect of stability and governability. Haiti’s political system is no stranger to crises and has managed to reach a precarious equilibrium that could, at any point, come crashing down.

Haiti’s dysfunctional political culture

What has become clear is that constitutional blueprints from elsewhere in the world don’t work in Haiti. The semi-presidential system copied from France, for instance, was supposed to keep authoritarian presidents in check, submitting them to parliamentary consent by an assembly that nominates a prime minister. The result has, however, proved to be a lasting paralysis in the country’s institutions due to a lack of political parties, depriving the president of a majority and keeping the terms of Haitian prime ministers short.

As such, it’s not just Moïse that Haitians are angry with. Their anger is mixed with bitter disappointment at the position of the international community.

This points us towards the real core of Haiti’s woes: the country has a political culture that does not see state institutions and other power centres as checks and balances moderating between competing interests, but simply as prizes to be taken.

There is no emphasis on consensus, no willingness to negotiate: everyone is in the game to annihilate his opponents or at least block their path to power in order to claim it for himself and then share out the booty with his supporters. ‘If you don’t join in, they think you’re a spoilsport,’ was the way a former interior minister, Paul-Gustave Magloire, once put it to me.

This form of rampant power-politics also doesn’t shy away from violence. There are historical grounds for this mentality. Haiti is a young nation born of a slave-state into which the French colonial rulers deliberately brought people taken from differing regions and without common languages or culture in order to make communication difficult and, so the logic, to prevent slave rebellions.

The young are questioning the status quo

Thus far, these dysfunctional power systems have hindered the emergence of a broad societal consensus, with fundamental questions such as how the country should seek to structure its economy or what the role of the state and that of the market should be remaining undiscussed.

The only people who have a clear plan for the future are those in the business elite – and their plan does not foresee any changes to the privileges they enjoy nor to the lack of educational provision, healthcare, and infrastructure from which the population at large is suffering.

And when it comes to instrumentalising the international community, this elite has a well-developed skillset, with the liberalisation in trade between Haiti and the US in the 1980s and 1990s as a notable example: conducted in line with the neoliberal economic thinking prevalent at the time, the effect of the opening of the markets was to ruin Haitian farmers and leave the population dependent on food imports from the US.

As such, it’s not just Moïse that Haitians are angry with. Their anger is mixed with bitter disappointment at the position of the international community: ‘They preach democracy and development while financing and propping up a corrupt elite whose actions contravene these goals,’ says Jean-Ronald Joseph, for instance, Professor of Political Science at the Quisqueya University in Port-au-Prince.

The demonstrators currently out on the streets calling for a constitutional assembly are by and large young people who want a new societal consensus. Moreover, they are getting support from their contacts abroad: although the brain-drain has been a constant problem in Haiti (three quarters of Haitians with degrees emigrate), in today’s globalised world, leavers no longer lose touch with their roots. Many return on frequent visits, invest in the country, and are politically active. It is the country’s young who are questioning the status quo of the failed state that is Haiti. The international community should start listening to them and rethink its strategy.

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St. Kitts and Nevis Protocols Ignite Tourism Relaunch

Travel Pulse- Like many Caribbean destinations, dual-island nation St. Kitts and Nevis was headed toward another strong tourism season in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The destination had reached historic highs in air arrivals just prior to the March travel disruption, with visitors drawn to the country’s mixture of beautiful beaches, historic attractions, watersports and diverse hotels and resorts.

The Caribbean country re-opened last fall following the establishment of a comprehensive system of protocols designed to enable the return of visitors from the United States and Canada, the destination’s two largest markets. We spoke with Raquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, to learn the details behind the country’s tourism relaunch.

Racquel Brown St. Kitts and Nevis Tourism Authority CEO
St. Kitts is a destination for the discerning traveler who is eager to explore.” – Racquel Brown, St. Kitts and Nevis Tourism Authority.

 

TP: How did St. Kitts and Nevis approach the re-entry of visitors to the twin-island nation?

RB: “We reopened on October 31st with some of the most complete and comprehensive travel requirements in the Caribbean. The Federation is home to only 53,000 nationals and residents. It was for this reason our border reopening was delayed, to ensure we would mitigate community spread, the number of cases and deaths.”

TP: What does the entry process entail?

RB: “Under our current requirements travelers must take a nasopharyngeal RT-PCR test, administered by a medical professional, 72 hours prior to departure. They must submit a negative test result and [secure] a confirmed booking at a ‘Travel Approved’ hotel with the completed KNA travel form. Once complete and reviewed, the traveler will receive an approval letter to enter the Federation which they must present when boarding their flight.”

TP: What sort of protocols are in place in the destination?

RB: “Once they are on island, travelers are asked to ‘vacation in place’ at their Travel Approved hotel, where they are free to move about the property, dine at restaurants, use available amenities and partake in activities that the various hotels are offering.

“While they are vacationing in place they are asked to undergo serial testing on day seven and day 14, if they are staying for that length of time. If they test negative on day seven, they will be able to partake in select excursions and tours on the island. All travelers are also required to take an exit PCR test 48 to 72 hours before departing the Federation.”

TP: What do you think is driving the return of visitors?

RB: “While the [protocols] may seem daunting, we have seen that pent-up demand is driving persons to vacation in St. Kitts, particularly persons who are seeking an uncrowded destination which abides by a complete set of rules that allow us to keep case rates low giving travelers some peace of mind.”

TP: Is there sufficient airlift to the destination?

RB: “Since reopening we have resumed airlift service on American Airlines from Miami, flying three times weekly; on United Airlines from Newark, flying weekly on Saturdays; on Seaborne from San Juan, Puerto, flying twice weekly; and on LIAT, which has daily flights to St. Kitts from the British Virgin Islands and Antigua. American Airlines is also resuming weekly flights from Charlotte starting Saturday, April 3. So, as you can see we are slowly but surely expanding our airlift schedule and reopening routes allowing more persons to visit St. Kitts.”

TP: What were the primary concerns when the country re-opened its borders?

RB: “Our primary concern was how travelers would react to our existing requirements, which at that time were quite comprehensive compared to other Caribbean destinations. However, the health and safety of our citizens, residents as well as visitors was tantamount for us and we continued to focus on promoting the “vacation in place” experience.

“Though it may not allow you to wander freely about the island and interact with our warm and welcoming people, you still get to experience the beauty of our island and enjoy a getaway that leaves one feeling restored and reenergized.”

TP: What are the protocols you identified as key to permitting a return of visitors?

RB: “The Ministry of Health and Covid-19 Task Force worked diligently to review all information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and reviewed the requirements put in place by other destinations that had reopened. We identified what practices worked best and incorporated them into our existing travel requirements.

“Our contract tracing is very detailed and thorough. We inform and monitor all persons who have come in contact with the traveler. Meanwhile, the travel corridor between the airport and the hotels allows us to minimize direct contact between visitors and locals and protect against potential community spread. “

TP: How has the government work with travel stakeholders to implement the new procedures?

RB: “Through our Travel Approved Training and Seal certification program, over 4,900 individuals working in the tourism industry in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis have undergone training, paid for and provided by the Ministry of Tourism, St. Kitts Tourism Authority and Ministry of Health, to ensure we operate safely.

“All hotels open to international travelers and returning nationals and residents are required to receive the Travel Approved certificate which indicates that business meet both the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and Ministry of Health inspections standards.”

TP: St. Kitts and Nevis has established separate hotels for different categories of guests. Why was this step taken, and what has been the result?

RB: “Currently hotels are split into two categories: mandatory quarantine in a government-approved facility for nationals and residents and those open to international travelers for vacation-in-place [visitors]. Hotels in both categories are required to have their staff trained and hotel inspected to receive the Travel Approved seal to operate.

“The Travel Approved hotels for vacation-in-place are geared towards international visitors who are most likely to be in St. Kitts for a short stay. These hotels provide onsite programming for a fulfilling experience allowing visitors to safely engage in a variety of activities including non-motorized water sports, fitness, spa and more.”

TP: How have the new protocols impacted the St. Kitts and Nevis travel experience?

RB: “Earlier this year we launched our new campaign ‘Awake Your Sense of Wander’ and redefined and positioned what that means within the current travel requirements. This includes allowing your mind and spirit to wander, marveling at the loveliness of St. Kitts and allowing the serene beauty of the island to reinvigorate your energies.

“St. Kitts is a destination for the discerning traveler who is eager to explore, to see the rainforest, the beaches, to taste our food, learn about our culture and explore our markets.”

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UK: Coke Worth $259m Found in Banana Boxes from Colombia

Cocaine weighing 2,300kg and with an estimated value of US$259 million has been found inside a consignment of bananas that arrived in the UK from Colombia.

The haul of cocaine was intercepted in Portsmouth and the drugs were removed, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The pallets were then loaded with dummy packages and delivered to Tottenham Industrial Estate in north London.

Ten people were arrested over the haul, which represents one of the UK’s biggest ever drugs seizures.

The NCA said three people had been charged.

The raid was a joint operation between the NCA and the Met Police and was the culmination of a week-long investigation, following intelligence received by detectives.

Drug seizureimage copyrightNCA
image captionThe consignment is equivalent to more than half the quantity of cocaine seized in an average year

Officers tracked the shipment of drugs on 41 pallets as it arrived in Portsmouth, where UK Border Force officers removed the cocaine.

The pallets were then delivered to Tottenham. Police moved in once enough evidence had been gathered from a surveillance operation at the site.

Body-worn footage showed armed officers breaking into storage units where the drugs had been due to be delivered.

‘Five million drug deals’

The Met’s Det Supt Simon Moring believes officers have cost organised criminals more than £100m in profits.

He said: “By the time that’s divided down into deals we could be talking about five million drug deals.

“That’s five million deals taken off the streets of the UK – that will have a profound effect on the price in the UK and the criminals involved.”

John Coles, head of specialist operations at the NCA, said: “Illegal drugs are a corrosive threat and those who deal in cocaine are often violent and exploitative.

“Cocaine supply is directly linked to the use of firearms, knife crime and the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.”

The consignment is equivalent to more than half the quantity of cocaine seized in an average year.

About 4,200kg of the drug was intercepted in the year to March 2020.

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El Chapo’s Wife Arrested in US for Drug Trafficking

BBC- The wife of jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has been arrested in the US on suspicion of drug trafficking, US authorities say.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, was detained at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC.

She is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.

Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence in New York for drug trafficking and money laundering.

The 63-year-old is a former head of the Sinaloa cartel, which officials say was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.

His trial in 2019 heard shocking revelations about his life, from drugging and raping girls as young as 13 to carrying out the cold-blooded murders of former cartel members and rivals.

Ms Coronel Aispuro is due to appear in a federal court in DC via video conference, the US justice department said.

As well as facing drug trafficking charges, she is also accused of conspiring with others to help her husband escape from prison in Mexico in 2015.

He was sprung from Mexico’s maximum-security Altiplano prison after his sons bought a property near the prison and a GPS watch smuggled into the prison gave diggers his exact location. He escaped by riding a specially adapted small motorcycle through the tunnel.

Court documents said Ms Coronel Aispuro was allegedly involved in planning another prison escape for her husband before he was extradited to the US in January 2017.

She has not commented on the charges.

media captionEl Chapo trial: Five facts about Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán

Ms Coronel Aispuro is a dual US-Mexico citizen and the mother of twins with Guzman. She attended nearly every day of her husband’s three-month trial in New York, during which she heard not only grim accounts of murder and rape, but also claims he spied on her and other mistresses.

She stayed loyal, saying at the end of the trial: “I don’t know my husband as the person they are trying to show him as, but rather I admire him as the human being that I met, and the one that I married.”

Guzmán came from a poor family in Sinaloa state, north-west Mexico. His organised crime business grew so big that he entered Forbes’ 2009 list of the world’s richest men at number 701, with an estimated worth of $1bn (£709m).

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Guatemalans Outraged by Fake COVID-19 Tests

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Lawmakers and rights official in Guatemala called Monday for an investigation into 30,000 fake COVID-19 tests that were bought by public health officials.

The 30,000 tests and testing materials cost the Central American country’s Health Ministry almost $1 million, but were found to be unreliable.

Jordán Rodas, the head of the country’s human rights agency, said Monday “it is inconceivable that in the midst of a humanitarian crisis there is corruption in even the purchase of COVID-19 tests.”

A private Guatemala company says it bought the tests from a U.S. firm, which denies having sold them.

Edwin Asturias, the former had of pandemic efforts in Guatemala, asked in his Twitter account how many people might have relied on a false negative from the tests and unwittingly infected others.

Health Minister Amelia Flores has asked prosecutors to investigate representatives of the Guatemalan company and a former health official for possible fraud, perjury and other misdeeds.

Guatemala has had 171,289 coronavirus cases and 6,306 deat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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