Former Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley believes Barbadians should have a say in renaming Independence Day.He insisted that the since-reversed decision to change the name to Barbados National Day should not have been made in the absence of public consultation.Late Wednesday, a day after announcing that Cabinet had agreed November 30 would be observed as Barbados National Day from this year, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams issued a statement saying that the move would be put on hold as this was not the right time for the change.The about-turn followed public backlash and a petition and weekend protest march planned by the Democratic Labour Party.“I hope the Government takes this very seriously. This should have never been a Cabinet decision alone and in itself should have been a wider consultative process than that. But to the extent that the Cabinet did decide that and it was announced, I hope that they go beyond that and forget about the change of t
Someone should be held accountable for the recent Computer Science test fiasco, say leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley and the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB).However, Atherley has stopped short of calling for the head of Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney, suggesting that a full investigation be completed before any such decision is taken.His comments came in the wake of apologies being issued by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Education for their roles in allowing a controversial pretest to be administered to first-form students at five secondary schools, which contained inappropriate and invasive questions that included queries about the students’ sexuality and gender identity.Atherley told Barbados TODAY that the apology issued on Thursday by Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw was simply not enough.The former Opposition Leade
Former Opposition leader Bishop Joseph Atherley hopes that Barbados’ next International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme does not mean more economic hardships for Barbadians.Saying he was not surprised by Government’s move to secure more IMF funding, Bishop Atherley stated his fear is that citizens would be forced to endure stringent measures that may make it difficult for them to cope in the current economic climate.“The question is, once you re-enter a new arrangement, what will be the conditions attached to that? What does this mean for Barbadians who are already facing difficult economic times? But I have been saying since last year that I believe this Government will have to go back to the IMF for funding,” he said.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey has not been swayed from his view that prostitution must be decriminalised to protect those involved in the industry even after strong objection from former Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley.The minister stressed that there are many women who make the choice to become involved in the sex trade and have the right to be protected.“I am not saying it is right, it is what it is, but I am just telling you to offer that as a response, it is not to fully understand the dynamics of the situation. And my responsibility as the minister responsible for people remains to protect all people. Is it going to be a popular position? Probably not, but it is mine,” he said.Atherley publicly declared that he will not support any move to decriminalise sex work in Barbados and that he was sticking to his belief that people should engage in decent work and that Barbados should be finding ways to avoid people falling into despair and tu
Leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley will not support any move to decriminalise sex work in Barbados.In fact, the religious leader said that instead of seeking to go that route, Barbados should, as a responsible and mature country, be finding ways to avoid people falling into despair and turning to prostitution in the first place.“I believe in decent work. I have never considered prostitution to be decent work and if the best that this country can say to its young women or young men – because they are in prostitution as well – that we will legitimise this activity for you because we can do no better, then I think we have failed,” he said.“Certainly, the church to which I belong will not support legitimising that and I am certain that other [organisations] in the evangelical community will not support it, but I can’t vouch for everybody,” added Bishop Atherley who contended that anyone who stands against slavery cannot honestly give their