-in Barbados
(The following article appeared in yesterday’s Barbados ‘Weekend Nation’ in the writer’s regular “Our Caribbean” column. It is reprinted courtesy of that newspaper): “IN the month of August when most Caribbean families arrange to spend a period of vacation – at home or overseas – Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago continued to suffer from painful images as primary “killing fields” in CARICOM with climbing murder rates – 900 and 348,  respectively, over the past eight months, and climbing.
No CARICOM member state has escaped being affected, to varying extent, by the crime and violence epidemic.
It’s a distressing experience today also for Barbados that once prided itself in being far removed from rampant criminality.
With criminality and politics dominating media coverage during last month, including spreading concerns about the way forward for CARICOM, the inauguration took place on August 13 of the controversial Surinamese politician, Desi Bouterse, as President–this time duly elected; previously by military coup.

As governments of CARICOM continue to adjust to the reality of having to do the Community’s business with Bouterse, the Suriname President has announced coming official visits to border neighbour Guyana and also Venezuela, starting next Monday.

In Barbados, amid expanding aggressive party politicking between the ruling Democratic Labour Party and opposition Barbados Labour Party, there came the very encouraging news that Prime Minister David Thompson was “back on the job” – as headlined in a ‘Daily Nation’ report on August 31.

He had quietly returned last Sunday night from the USA after a two-month leave from official duties to undergo a major surgery. He plans on speaking to the nation before long, he said, “on a range of issues…”.  I suspect a significant announcement is also forthcoming.
MEDIA
On the region’s media front, interesting developments would most certainly include two examples that relate to the Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and the NATION Publishing Company.

From my perspective, they constitute good as well as surprising “messages” that came within a week of each other.

First, there was the assumption of duties on September 1 as new Editor-in-Chief of NATION newspapers Kaymar Jordan.

It is a name well-known in regional broadcast journalism and, until last month, Director of News and Current Affairs of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

The Editor-in-Chief post has been held vacant since the retirement in 2007 of the very distinguished Harold Hoyte, now Editor emeritus and Chairman of Board of Directors.

In various capacities and different periods I have worked with Kaymar, a very charming and enterprising journalist, first at what existed as CANA (Caribbean News Agency) and subsequently with the CMC.

It is an impressive professional leap for Kaymar and, as I remarked to her, the appointment could prove “a gain for the NATION, though a serious loss for the CMC”.

The very surprising and sad news was when I learnt that after some 32 years in the employment of the NATION, in a host of journalistic capacities and with impressive performances, including almost nine years as Executive Editor, Roxanne Gibbs found it necessary to suddenly bid “goodbye” last month, and closed a notable chapter in her admirable professional life with the NATION.

As I consider it to be the case for the CMC with Jordan’s departure, I also think it a loss for the NATION as a consequence of Gibbs’ sudden parting with the company. Best wishes Roxanne, my colleague of long standing; and welcome Kaymar, now to new challenges as Editor-in-Chief of the NATION.