Dear Editor,
I am starting to think that the Minister of VROMI did not read the report of the Ombudsman himself. Claiming that the motion of no-confidence that is hanging over his head has nothing to do with this report, is too ridiculous for words.
Our High Council of State has given a thorough analysis of what transpired during the project. It seems like this minister wants to hold on to his position and will say anything in order not to be held accountable. He came with a story about Alegria, being the reason for this motion of no-confidence. But the question is: Why now? To divert the public's attention away from himself. Is this another smoke screen? Can't he really see or understand what he is doing wrong? Just for him to know: the people are aware of these political games.
Stop this immature behaviour and accept your responsibility for the things that have gone wrong during your tenure. We have had enough!

R. Mercelina
Initial used at author’s request.

Dear Editor,
I am not sure how many souls that are submerged in the miserable sea of alcohol will resonate with the title/equation of this article, as countless are struggling to keep their sense of worth above the surface of water, while witnessing others sinking with alcohol lower and lower, going under forever.
It’s an exercise in futility for those who are consuming alcohol to assuage feelings of inferiority and poor self-worth, trying to excise from consciousness what consciousness cannot bear – negative feelings about self. Escaping from oftentimes unbearable feelings of purposelessness, of not being socially useful and enduring a meaningless existence with the aid of alcohol only provides temporary respite and a kind of pseudo-relief. Trying to suppress our reservoir of feelings of inadequacy with copious amounts of alcohol is like trying to erase your shadow instead of the thing that causes it.
Personally I have had my episodes of drunken escapades, drinking sprees and periods of sobriety and relapses. I have on countless occasions tried to articulate the reasons why I have imbibed and overindulged so many times over, the totality of which are too numerous to recall. And almost invariably what I have discovered about myself is that lingering somewhere on the border of the conscious and unconscious are feelings of not being good enough, of not being confident enough, of not making the cut. Negative feelings of being inadequate aided and abetted by the poisonous culture of comparison resulted in me internalising unhealthy impressions about myself.
And what worked therapeutically for me to assuage feelings of low self-esteem albeit temporarily with long-term unavoidable consequences was a high daily rate of alcohol consumption; in order to flee from my low sense of worth. I literally medicated myself with alcohol and sought refuge in the abundance of confidence which increases and flows in proportion to one’s alcoholic intake.
Where those feelings of low personal value came from I have tried to appreciate from the literature of psychoanalysis, as constantly being at a low about how you feel about yourself can have a debilitating effect on your morale and overall motivation to be productive participants in life. And I know there are communities of people who have had their spirits crushed because of how they have perceived their sense of worth in relation to others.
And as much as we seem helpless on occasions to keep comparing ourselves to others at bay, comparison nevertheless continues to be the weapon that fatalises our joy, taking with it any residue of any positive regard we may have had about ourselves. We then, unknown to ourselves and unaware, mistakenly try to eject from our person those images, feelings and thoughts of not being good enough in relation to others by drowning ourselves, going overboard with alcohol.
But somehow we continually fail to see or are fearful of seeing that the illusion and relief alcohol promises us is the beginning of a dangerous, self-destructive habit. A habit that perpetuates with never-ending days of misery and darkness.

Orlando Patterson

(Alex David Rosaria is a member of the US-based think tank: Global Americans’ High-level Working Group on Climate Change in the Caribbean that just published Climate Finance and the Caribbean. What follows is a summary.)

The costs of dealing with climate change are massive and daunting. The United Nations has called it “the trillion-dollar challenge.” Climate change finance is relatively well-established with public finance organizations, but it is a new and expanding area for the global private investment community. As such, it is driven by increased concerns over climate change and the need to assume greater responsibility among stakeholders to do something about it.
Increased private-sector engagement is an important development for a region like the Caribbean that contends with tough climate change issues and is burdened by high debt levels and constrained fiscal resources. The following recommendations seek to provide a framework for Caribbean countries to approach climate change financing with greater success.
Caribbean governments need to level more pressure on multilateral lending institutions, particularly the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, to move away from basing concessional lending rates based on per capita income levels. The United States, Canada, and other non-regional stakeholders should lend their support to such an effort.
Encouragingly, U.S. Vice-President Harris’ U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) initiative pledges the U.S. Treasury’s advocacy to unlock additional financing from multilateral lending institutions for infrastructure projects in underserved Caribbean countries. The Caribbean should consider developing a plan to reach out to some of the key players in executive and legislative branches around the world (i.e., the Nordic countries and Germany would be especially receptive) for additional support.
As reflected by severe floods in Guyana and Suriname in 2022, droughts in a number of island-states, and rising sea levels throughout the region, climate change makes a natural area where U.S. and Caribbean interests converge and where action is needed, especially in the area of financing. The Caribbean needs a plan to foster robust institutional ties between regional civil society organizations dedicated to the environment and climate and international organizations. Caribbean countries need to upgrade human capital to better play the climate change finance game.
Caribbean governments facing the need for climate change financing must consider that human capital is needed to steer through what is often a complicated process. Without experts with the necessary skills, Caribbean countries will not be able to conduct reforms to improve the quality and coverage of current assets as well as manage future upgrades.
The ability to tap the newly emerging financial system that is more geared to green finance will slip out of reach in what is a competitive game. In this regard, Caribbean countries should reach out to the G7, G20, and other interested parties, including civil society organizations, for assistance.
Caribbean governments need to sharpen their knowledge of funding sources. There are many institutions dedicated to helping finance climate change projects. Once identified, governments in their application process face eligibility standards. At the same time, some governments may lack the capacity to prepare proposals or fully understand the investment process including investment banks, institutional investors, and rating agencies.
Caribbean governments need to develop a deeper understanding and awareness of ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance – Ed.] and how it plays into investor perceptions of the region. Paying attention to the Caribbean’s natural resources is usually left to the tourist sector; a broad audience of investors from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are interested in helping preserve the Caribbean.
Caribbean countries need to find a way to gain better lending terms from multilateral institutions, to overcome the high-middle income and middle income “hurdle” in terms of public lending. Specifically, they must advocate for special consideration to account for the gap between GDP [gross domestic product] indicators and vulnerability to external shocks.
For those Caribbean countries that have not done so, the creation of an environmental security investment plan is well worth pursuing.

Alex Rosaria

Dear Editor,
My father always used to tell us that “experience is the best teacher, if not of the best teachers.”
Someone sent me a video on WhatsApp which reminded me of my father.
Dear Editor, I have written another letter to you, but I think that this should make a greater impact.
I have decided to put it black on white in order that for those persons who are not so well versed with cell-phones, it can be clipped out and saved. The other letter can wait. Here we go.
A young man who appeared to be frustrated posted the following:
“Sorry to say this, but being a good person does not get you love. It gets you used.”
An older man, and so to see, a much more experienced person, with a white beard, read that post and gave the young man this advice.
“My dear brother, I totally understand what you’re saying, but let us look at this from a different perspective.
“Before we decide to throw away those ‘good qualities’, let us define ‘Good’.
“A good person is kind, but not gullible
“A good person shows respect, but expects respect in return A good person will lift you up, but will not tolerate you pulling him down A good person can have a good heart. That does not mean that he is passive.
“A good person would tell another person, regardless of who he is ,what he needs to hear and not necessarily what he wants to hear.
“A good person, just like anyone else, has standards, he has goals and he sets boundaries. Whenever you cross them, he will check you.
“A good person will look out for you, but he has no problem saying ‘no.’
“A good person has patience, but that does not mean that he is going to let you
take his kindness for weakness.
“So just because a person is good, that does not mean that he is going to put up with nonsense.
“Love you, brother.”

Russell A. Simmons