GAPF powerlifters continue to lift Guyana proudly!

I would like to congratulate the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) and their outstanding athletes who performed excellently at the 5th IPF/NAPF CPC, maintaining Guyana’s dominance in regional Powerlifting.

Once again Randolph Morgan, John Edwards, Kenneth Melville, Karel Mars,  Colin ‘Mr. Clean’ Chesney along with our lone female Dawn Barker who comprised Team Guyana, made light work of the weights offered them in their categories to bring home six gold medals and one bronze.

Even though unfortunately Chesney was not lucky to gain any medals, we are all proud of the team effort our powerlifting athletes executed to once again keep the golden arrowhead very visible among the other Caribbean countries, letting them know that Team Guyana remains a powerful team with which to contend.

What I find most powerful and astounding is the tremendous adversity under which our Powerlifters continue to operate and still continue to make us proud in regional competitions. Once again the GAPF is faced with the dilemma of severely inadequate sponsorship; this time forcing the Guyana team to be reduced to six persons. The shameful way corporate Guyana treats Powerlifting needs to be significantly addressed by the Federation and its stakeholders.

Banks DIH the ‘saviour’ of all things sport and Buddies Gym along with the other businesses establishments and persons who might have contributed financial assistance, time and energy in fielding this successful Guyana powerlifting team must be congratulated.

GAPF athletes have continued to set a standard of excellence in the sport of powerlifting both nationally and regionally. I sincerely wish that corporate Guyana begin to recognize that the sport of powerlifting is a deserving discipline that is worthy of their financial support.

Once again to the GAPF President Mr. Peter Green and the executives and athletes of GAPF, I salute you for another display of excellence and discipline in the ugly face of adversity. Continue to do well and make us proud. One day I sincerely believe that corporate Guyana will finally recognize that the sport of powerlifting has the potential to lift brand awareness and create better brand positioning at home and abroad should they care to expand their target markets sensibly.

CARICOM needs to place severe sanctions on Barbados for their continued Immigration violations

I read in the Jamaica Observer Edition on Thursday March 24^th an article entitled Finger-raped in Barbados - J'can woman deported after shameful cavity search by immigration officer (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Finger-raped-in-Barbados_8573453) and could not help but shudder at the way some of our CARICOM neighbors treat each other. Barbados within the last 15 years have allowed many of their immigration officers to treat travellers from certain Caribbean countries in the most disgraceful, disrespectful, unprofessional and inhumane manners all in the name of national security.

The recent violation of the young Jamaican woman who was allegedly forced to undergo repeated virginal cavity searches while being verbally abused in the process reflects horribly on the professionalism and integrity of the Barbados immigration system. What makes matters like these more ugly is the fact that the offending party or parties continue to operate with little or no reprimand from their superiors or those responsible for governing the professional and ethical standards of the Barbados immigration office.

As Jamaicans suffer, so do many Guyanese. Many are the tales of unprovoked, demeaning treatment and most time inevitable deportation of many Guyanese who find themselves on the wrong side of the Barbados immigration system. While it is true that some persons do present themselves in many countries including Barbados with the intent of engaging in nefarious activities, all persons from certain Caribbean countries should not be classified as lawbreakers.

CARICOM for the last decade have been trying to create a Single Market and Economy for the Caribbean where one of its tenets is the free movement of Caribbean people. Yet CARICOM seems helpless in bringing one of its wayward members (Barbados) in line with regard to its human violation and discrimination that passes for immigration service at its airport.

I would suggest at the next heads of government meeting CARICOM leader seriously address the situation existing at Barbados Immigration! It is high time some form of sanction be placed on the Barbados government for these repeated immigration transgressions that it seems incapable of handling.

Barbados is not Australia. And Australia has one of the most rigorous immigration systems in the world. However as rigorous as the Australian immigration system is, its officers are highly trained, professional, courteous, respectful and sensible.

Maybe some professional training needs to be conducted for Barbados Immigration Officers. The region needs to denounce this kind of atrocious unprofessional conduct of this female Bajan immigration officer. I expect all the women's rights groups to rise up and denounce this dastardly act carried out by one woman to another.