Government

Minister Symmonds Accepts Windrush Generation Flag

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, has accepted the flag of the Windrush Generation group.

Mr. Symmonds, who accepted the flag on behalf of Government, met with a delegation from the Windrush Generation group, led by directors Nigel Guy and Charles Dacres, at the Ministry’s Culloden Road, St. Michael location recently, as part of the delegation’s Caribbean tour.

During the meeting, background on the history of the Windrush Generation was shared, which highlighted that in 1948 the HMT Empire Windrush vessel docked in Tilbury, Essex, carrying passengers from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom (UK).

According to the National Archives, which holds the ship’s passenger list, there were 1,027 people on board, of which more than 800 gave their last country of residence as being in the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica. Those persons on board the ship became known as the Windrush Generation.

In 1971, the Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens living in the UK the permanent right to live and work in the UK, including those referred to as the Windrush Generation. However, it was disclosed that the UK Home Office in April 2018 had kept no records of those granted permission to stay.

This affected persons from the Windrush Generation who were not issued paperwork and were unable to confirm their status and the right to legally live and work in the UK, and as a result prevented them from accessing work, housing and healthcare, and they faced possible deportation.

Director Guy said the group seeks to highlight the seven Cs, which are the commemoration of the Windrush Generation; the celebration; the contributions they made; the care that is needed for the Windrush Generation; the challenges and conflicts that are faced by them; and change.

Minister Symmonds, upon hearing the seven Cs, suggested that the group add an additional ‘C’, which would be “conscience” because he felt that there was an absence of justice in dealing with the Windrush Generation

Director Guy gave an explanation of the flag’s design, which has a blue background, a triangle logo with the text We Are Standing On Their Shoulders Windrush Generations and a ship in the middle of the triangle.

“The triangular shape takes on the form of our people’s journey, from the African continent all the way to the Caribbean, to the Americans and also the journey to Europe – United Kingdom. The richness of our people is the gold, the red is the blood that’s been sacrificed throughout the centuries and also the sacrifices that people have made in the UK as well….

“A white background is done in the UK, but we thought we’d have a blue background for the Caribbean nations to signify the warmth and colour of the sky and the sea,” Mr. Guy explained.

The Windrush Generation delegation visited Barbados as part of a Caribbean tour, which included stops in Dominica; Grenada; Jamaica; Saint Lucia; and Trinidad and Tobago. They were garnering support for the raising of the flag one day in May to commemorate the sailing of the Windrush vessel from Caribbean ports.

Also present at the meeting were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight; Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Paula Byer; PMO’s Press Secretary, Alex Downes; and Foreign Service Officer, Asha Pitt. (PR/GIS)

Caption: From left to right – Windrush Generation Advocate, Marcia Guy; Director, Nigel Guy; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with Responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight; and Director, Charles Dacres, display the Windrush Generation Flag.

Government

China-Barbados Relations Deepened Under Ambassador Xiusheng

The relations between Barbados and the People’s Republic of China have deepened and borne many fruitful ventures under China’s Ambassador to Barbados, Yan Xiusheng’s tenure.

This is according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, as he expressed thanks, on behalf of the Government, to Ambassador Xiusheng, during a farewell courtesy call on Tuesday, at the Ministry’s Culloden Road office.

The Minister told the Ambassador that his tour of duty is one which he “will remember very fondly”, and since his arrival some seven years ago, the relationship between Barbados and China had deepened.

Mr. Symmonds continued: “We are grateful to you. You have a friend in Barbados. I say this very sincerely, there have been many areas where you have offered tremendous assistance to Barbados. I think that as we look back at it, the relationship between China and Barbados has grown considerably during your tenure.

“We’ve done a lot of good business together in many sectors, education, health, transportation and virtually every aspect of our sports. In fact, every aspect of our economy and society has benefitted, in particular, the introduction of the ambassador scholarship, and we want to say thank you.”

Ambassador Xiusheng said he made many friends from all walks of life during his time in Barbados and thanked the Minister and Government for the support and assistance given in helping him fulfil his role as a diplomat here.

“The cooperation between our two countries has been further enhanced and solidified. In the future, China will remain firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and be dedicated to building a community with a shared future. China will continue to advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation,” the Ambassador stated.

Mr. Xiusheng, who took up the post in 2018, was the 14th and longest-serving Ambassador from China to Barbados. He was also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.

Also present at the farewell courtesy call were acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Paula Byer; Senior Foreign Service Officer, Trecia King; Foreign Service Officer, Asha Pitt; and four officials from the Chinese embassy, including Political Counsellor, Xinhua Huang; and Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Liang Jie.

Barbados and China established diplomatic relations on May 30, 1977. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, chatting with China’s outgoing Ambassador to Barbados, Yan Xiusheng, during a meeting on Tuesday

Government

BRA Investigating Data Breach

The Barbados Revenue Authority is aware that there is some vehicle registration application information circulating on the internet and social media and is actively investigating the incident.

The security and privacy of our stakeholders is of utmost importance to us. The confidence and trust that individuals and businesses have in the Authority are the cornerstones of our systems.

We are currently working with our partners and law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the nature and scope of the reported incident.

As the investigation continues we have to be mindful not to share information about the specific nature of the incident or of the security measures taken to address them, so as not to jeopardize the work of the investigators. The Data Commissioner has been informed of this incident and will continue to be updated.

The Authority understands that restricting access to the vehicle registration portal is disruptive to Barbadians, and we regret the inconvenience that these necessary precautions have caused for the public.

The Authority advises the public to remain vigilant and monitor their personal account activity and be on the alert for any unusual activity or requests seeming to come from the Barbados Revenue Authority. If persons recognize any such activity, they should report such instances to our Data Privacy Officer at privacy@bra.gov.bb. (PR/GIS)

Government

CRC Hands Over Report To President Of Barbados

The Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) presented its report today to the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

After 27 months of intensive deliberations, the CRC has completed the mandate given to it in June 2022. Chairman of the CRC, Mr. Justice (rtd) Christopher Blackman, made the presentation at State House.

Dame Sandra thanked the members of the Commission for working assiduously to complete the report.

After handing over the document, Mr. Blackman told the Barbados Government Information Service that the Commission produced a report with several recommendations for a Constitution for Barbados.

“The draft Bill, which accompanies the report, expands the provisions of the current Constitution by more than 50 per cent, with a notable aspect being the greatly expanded Chapter on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. This has led to the recommendation for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission for Barbados.

“While the Commission has recommended the maintenance of the status quo in respect of matters such as the first-past-the-post outcome at elections and elections being called at the discretion of the Prime Minister, other proposals, limiting the powers of the Prime Minister on appointments and the like, have been proposed,” he shared.

Mr. Blackman added that there “are dissenting opinions on the Office of the President, in terms of whether the holder should be directly elected, and the qualifying criteria for the post, as well as in relation to the judiciary”.

He said the CRC was deeply indebted to the drafting team of retired Justice of Appeal and former Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Sherman Moore, and acting Parliamentary Counsel, Gabrielle Whitehall, for their hard work and delivering within the specified timelines.

In an effort to give members of the public an opportunity to share ideas, comments and suggestions, the Commission held several town hall meetings locally, and met with various institutions, stakeholders, and persons in the diaspora.

Senator Gregory Nicholls was the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, while the other members were: Senator Reverend Dr. John Rogers; former Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite; President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, Mary-Anne Redman; Vice President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Kerryann Ifill; Muslim Chaplain at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Suleiman Bulbulia; businessman, Christopher deCaires; Attorney-at-law, Sade Jemmott, and student advocate, Khaleel Kothdiwala.

University of the West Indies lecturer, Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles, served as Secretary to the Commission. (PR/GIS)