CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda
government says it is considering a
long-term lease of parts of the old air
terminal at the VC Bird International
Airport to the cash-strapped regional
airline, LIAT.
The government said that the
matter had been considered at a recent
Cabinet meeting where ministers were
informed that the new equipment
is being installed
in the old terminal,
from which air traffic
controllers will
operate air traffic.
The statement,
which was issued after the cabinet
meeting noted that long-term lease
to LIAT is being undertaken “as the
airline expands its services to routes
outside of the region.”
“When a greater portion of the
airline shareholding is purchased by
Antigua and Barbuda, the cabinet is
hopeful to present LIAT with several
alternatives,” the statement said.
Antigua and Barbuda is seeking
to become the biggest shareholder
of the financially strapped airline by
purchasing at least 39 percent of the
shares held by Barbados.
Apart from Barbados, and Antigua
and Barbuda, the other shareholder
governments are Dominica, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines and Grenada.
Bahamas
Governor General, Dame Marguerite
Pindling is stepping down from office
after serving as head of state for the
past five years, According to an official
statement.
The statement said that Dame
Marguerite, the wife of
the late former Prime
Minister, Sir Lynden
Pindling, will leave
office on June 28. It
gave no reasons for the decision.
Dame Marguerite, 87, was the
second female governor general after
Dame Lvy Dumont.
The statement said that diplomat,
Cornelius A Smith, will be appointed
as the next governor general of the
Bahamas effective from June 28.
Smith 82, has served as a senior
cabinet member and as ambassador
and permanent representative to the
Organization of American States and
non-resident ambassador to Mexico,
Malaysia and Colombia.
Barbados
Barbados has removed visa
requirements for several countries as
the government seeks to increase the
number of tourist arrivals and make it
easier for investors to do business with
the island.
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The honor guard marches next to the casket of Jamaica’s former Prime Minister Edward Seaga during his
funeral procession in Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday, June 23, 2019. See story on Page 16.
Associated Press / Collin Reid
Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Jerome
Walcott, who made the disclosure
during a post-Cabinet press conference,
said visas will no longer be required for
nationals of African countries to enter
Barbados — Cameroon, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Senegal,
Rwanda and Burkina Faso.
Visa waivers have also been granted
to the Gulf States of Bahrain, Jordan,
Oman, Qatar, as well
as the Asian countries
of Indonesia, Vietnam,
Thailand, and India.
In addition, Barbados
has an honorary
consul present in Monaco and visa
requirements have also been lifted for
that nation.
Minister Walcott explained that it was
important for Barbados to strengthen
relations with countries within the
global sphere, make new friends and
attract more opportunities.
He said government was also
hoping to attract more tourists and
investors from the Gulf States and
Asian nations.
Guyana
Guyanese Prime Minister, Moses
Nagamootoo has instructed the
chairman of the board of the Guyana
Chronicle newspaper to reinstate the
Caribbean L 4 ife, June 28–July 4, 2019 BQ
general manager who was fired two
months ago.
Nagamootoo, in a letter to the
chairman of the board, Greet Chandan-
Edmond, instructed the board to
rescind its decision to send Sherod
Duncan packing.
In April, the board made a majority
decision to fire Duncan following the
findings of an audit that revealed several
improper financial transactions.
It is reported that when the vote was
taken on whether to dismiss Duncan,
three board members voted in favor
of cutting ties with him, while three
others voted against.
The tie was broken by the chairman
Chandan-Edmond.
Duncan who once served as deputy
mayor of Georgetown was recently
elected the Georgetown Chairman of
the Alliance For Change, which is part
of the coalition government.
News Source Guyana says that
Duncan’s appointment
as general manager
of the Chronicle
was shrouded in
controversy as he was
a serving member of the Chronicle’s
board when a decision was taken to
make him the general manager.
Reports are that the chairman of
the board and two other members have
indicated that they intend to resign
from their positions.
Jamaica
Jamaica’s Finance Minister, Dr. Nigel
Clarke has announced the appointment
of businessman Richard Byles as the
new governor of the Bank of Jamaica
(BOJ).
Clarke said in January this year he
had appointed a Search
Committee chaired
by David Marston
to lead an open and
transparent search for
a new Central Bank governor.
He said the process had yielded an
eminently qualified, experienced and
credible leader in Byles to succeed
Brian Wynter as governor of the Bank
of Jamaica.
Byles, who will succeed Wynter as
governor on August 19, has had a
40-year career in business and finance
and is an accomplished corporate
leader.
He was appointed managing director
of Pan Caribbean Merchant Bank
in 1988 before his appointment as
CEO of the Pan Jam group, a leading,
diversified conglomerate in 1991.
He led Pan Jam for 13 years before
taking over as CEO of Sagicor Jamaica
in 2004.
Byles retired as CEO of Sagicor
Continued on Page 8
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