Government

Minister Humphrey Wants Seniors To Be Safe & Healthy

Senior citizens have been reminded by the new Minister with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Kirk Humphrey, to do their best to be safe.

The reminder came yesterday as Mr. Humphrey, in his portfolio as Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, outlined some aspects of the National Senior Games 2025, during its launch, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).

He said: “Now that I have the crime portfolio, I guess it is even more fitting to remind Barbadians, especially, senior Barbadians, to be safe, to be mindful of their environment when they are walking to and fro. I think I will also encourage, as I did [in] Parliament, for Barbados to become a little bit better lit at night, so that women particularly feel safe as they walk to and fro. You can’t be encouraging people to walk in darkness…

“And, of course as you get older, you are a little bit more vulnerable. …To me, that is the most important thing – make sure that people can leave home to exercise in a safe way; go home in a safe way; the country is lit, the communities are lit.”

The Minister also urged seniors across the island to commit to a healthy lifestyle. He said: “I also want to encourage every Barbadian to take care of their health because it is easy to say: ‘Go and exercise!’ but if you have never exercised your entire life, I supposed it’s just a little bit harder.

“And, therefore this is a lifelong thing and those of you, who are at the age which is still considered ‘relatively young’, use this opportunity to exercise and to engage in healthy behaviours and so on. We know we have an ageing population…. There is no doubt about that. We know that we are very close to a super age population.”

The Minister also told those gathered at the LESC that his Ministry had just received the draft of the Elderly Bill and it would soon be laid in Parliament, before the end of March. Among the issues he noted it would address are: The Protection of Elderly Persons, The Empowerment of Senior Persons and The Rights of Senior Persons. (PR/GIS)

Government

Attorney-At-Law Sandra Rawlins Is New Public Counsel

Attorney-at-law Sandra Rawlins is the new Public Counsel in the Office of Public Counsel, Ministry of Energy and Business.

Ms. Rawlins was appointed on promotion to the position with effect from April 15, 2025.

The new Public Counsel said she was grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Barbados and promised to do her best along with her staff, to protect consumers’ rights and advocate for them in accordance with the law.

“My immediate plans for the organisation are to handle consumer complaints expeditiously; to have a website set up before the end of this financial year; and to continue our programme of education to consumers and suppliers,” she shared.

Prior to this appointment, she acted as Deputy Solicitor General with responsibility for Contracts and International Law, in the Solicitor General’s Chambers for about two and a half years.

Ms. Rawlins was called to the Bar in Barbados in 2006, after successfully completing the Legal Education Certificate at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago. She has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, and a Master of Laws from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, in Corporate and Commercial Law.

Since 2007, she stated, she “has gained valuable legal experience, including litigation”, while working in the Solicitor General’s Chambers. In 2017 and 2018, Ms. Rawlins briefly served as an acting Magistrate in the District A (Criminal Court) and District C Magistrate’s Court.

Before entering the legal profession, Ms. Rawlins was a graduate teacher at two secondary schools, having joined the Barbados Public Service in September 1984. (PR/GIS)

Government

Chad Blackman Sworn In At State House

Minister of Educational Transformation, Chad Blackman, was today sworn in as a Member of the Cabinet and Member of Parliament by The President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, at State House.

After the brief swearing-in ceremony, Dame Sandra congratulated Mr. Blackman, who is the new Member of Parliament for St. James North.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; Deputy Prime Minister, Santia Bradshaw; Attorney General Dale Marshall; Senior Ministers Kerrie Symmonds and Dr. William Duguid; other ministers; and Mr. Blackman’s parents Delvin and Jacqueline Blackman, among others.

Ms. Mottley congratulated the new Minister and lauded some of his attributes. She thanked Mr. Blackman “for his extraordinary humility, commitment to people, discipline and willingness to engage persons at all levels….

“I ask only that you remain humble, … [and] committed to serving the people of Barbados”, she urged.

Additionally, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Minister’s parents, saying that over the years, he had set a fine example in being committed to serving at all levels.

Ms. Mottley said a vacancy now existed in the Senate Chambers and a new Senator would be announced shortly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Blackman thanked the Prime Minister for again reposing confidence in him and allowing him to serve in the Cabinet.

He continued: “I commit to working to ensure that the country’s educational transformational journey is one that, of course, is exciting, but equally rooted in understanding where we have to go, bearing in mind the nuances that we have as a country to take into consideration, as the global community that we operate under constantly changes.

“And, therefore, we have to change and adapt to it, equally putting Bajan values and ideas to the fore because the world must benefit from the intellectual capacity that we have in Barbados.”

Mr. Blackman said he was again looking forward to serving at the ministerial level and promised to continue working on behalf of the people of Barbados. (PR/GIS)

CAPTION: Minister of Educational Transformation, Chad Blackman, is congratulated by parents Delvin and Jacqueline Blackman, at State House

Government

CHAD BLACKMAN TO BE SWORN IN TODAY

Chad Blackman is set to be sworn in on Thursday as the new Member of Parliament for St James North, following a resounding win in Wednesday’s by-election. Representing the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Blackman captured 84 per cent of the vote.

He secured 2,723 of the 3,231 ballots cast, leaving his nearest challenger, Felicia Dujon of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), far behind with 468 votes. Steffanie Williams of the Community Empowerment Party received 21 votes, while Alex Mitchell of the Bajan Free Party garnered seven. A total of 12 ballots were rejected.

With just over 8,500 registered voters in the constituency, the turnout stood at approximately 38 per cent.

When asked about how he felt after securing victory, Blackman said he was humbled, adding, “I see this, yes, as a victory, but now the real hard work begins. I made a lot of commitments to the people of St James North and, of course, the people of Barbados, and it’s really now to get on to the business of work.”