Sterling Investment to seek funding via rights issue

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, January 28, 2015    

Sterling Investment Limited (SIL) plans to hold a rights issue by March in order to raise capital.

It would represent the first public round of funding since the company went public last October.

“We haven’t determined the size yet, but it would be a non-renounceable rights issue of ordinary shares,” stated an SIL manager knowledgeable on the matter but who opted to speak on condition of anonymity because of company protocol.

Sterling listed by introduction its 4.01 million ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) at a price of $134 per share.

“It was a listing by introduction… and now we are doing the rights issue to raise capital for the first time since the public offer,” added the manager.

SIL previously raised cash in December 2012 with a private placement. It offered investors a $10-million minimum to buy-in the private placement.

SIL indicated that its investments in 2014 “outpaced the performance of local Jamaican dollar investment products”, yielding returns of 11.56 per cent up to September 2014. Other high-profile funds have yielded from 5.35 per cent to 8.2 per cent over the same period, it added in a release.

Sterling Asset Management Ltd (SAM) holds over $20 billion in assets under management. SAM manages SIL funds for a fee of some two per cent. The investment strategy primarily focuses on overseas financial instruments, primarily fixed-income securities that are traded on global capital markets.

Turning to opportunities in 2015, SAM chief executive Charles Ross noted that a ‘strong rally’ in US treasuries suggests that US interest rates may rise later than initially expected and that European economic weakness would persist, while commodity price declines could dampen inflation expectations.

“Attractively priced bonds provide good investment opportunities, and European Central Bank Quantitative Easing should bolster the market,” Ross commented while speaking at the company’s annual customer appreciation function last Thursday. “Our focus will be on bonds that offer the best risk-adjusted returns in the global marketplace.”

CAPTION

CHARLES ROSS, chief executive of Sterling Asset Management

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Sterling Investment to seek funding via rights issue

Sterling Investment to seek funding via rights issue

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, January 28, 2015    

Sterling Investment Limited (SIL) plans to hold a rights issue by March in order to raise capital.

It would represent the first public round of funding since the company went public last October.

“We haven’t determined the size yet, but it would be a non-renounceable rights issue of ordinary shares,” stated an SIL manager knowledgeable on the matter but who opted to speak on condition of anonymity because of company protocol.

Sterling listed by introduction its 4.01 million ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) at a price of $134 per share.

“It was a listing by introduction… and now we are doing the rights issue to raise capital for the first time since the public offer,” added the manager.

SIL previously raised cash in December 2012 with a private placement. It offered investors a $10-million minimum to buy-in the private placement.

SIL indicated that its investments in 2014 “outpaced the performance of local Jamaican dollar investment products”, yielding returns of 11.56 per cent up to September 2014. Other high-profile funds have yielded from 5.35 per cent to 8.2 per cent over the same period, it added in a release.

Sterling Asset Management Ltd (SAM) holds over $20 billion in assets under management. SAM manages SIL funds for a fee of some two per cent. The investment strategy primarily focuses on overseas financial instruments, primarily fixed-income securities that are traded on global capital markets.

Turning to opportunities in 2015, SAM chief executive Charles Ross noted that a ‘strong rally’ in US treasuries suggests that US interest rates may rise later than initially expected and that European economic weakness would persist, while commodity price declines could dampen inflation expectations.

“Attractively priced bonds provide good investment opportunities, and European Central Bank Quantitative Easing should bolster the market,” Ross commented while speaking at the company’s annual customer appreciation function last Thursday. “Our focus will be on bonds that offer the best risk-adjusted returns in the global marketplace.”

CAPTION

CHARLES ROSS, chief executive of Sterling Asset Management

View the original article here

Sterling Investment to seek funding via rights issue

Mexico to issue birth certificates to citizens at its US consulates

California Highway Patrol officers Armando Garcia, right, and Ray Patton explain to immigrants the process of getting a drivers license during an information session at the Mexican Consulate, in San Diego. (AP)

The Mexican government will issue birth certificates to its citizens at consulates in the United States to make it easier for them to apply for a U.S. work permit, driver’s license and protection from deportation.

Previously, Mexico required citizens to get birth certificates at government offices in Mexico. Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. can ask friends and relatives back home to retrieve them, but it delays their applications for immigration or other programs.

Mexico is trying to help millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. apply for programs that would allow them to remain temporarily in the country and continue sending money to relatives across the border, despite Republicans in Congress trying to quash President Obama’s immigration reform plan.

“It is a huge help. It helps individuals really begin to formulate their formal identity in this country,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

About half of the 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally are from Mexico, and immigration experts estimate that roughly 3 million Mexicans could be eligible to apply for work permits and protection from deportation under the administration’s plan.

About two weeks ago, California — which is home to more Mexicans than any other state — began issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally

Starting Thursday, the country’s 50 consulates in the United States will be able to access data in Mexico and print birth certificates at the consulates.

Consulates should be able to issue birth certificates for nearly all birthplaces in Mexico, aside from rural communities, Arturo Sanchez, consult for press and commerical affairs in Santa Ana, California, said.

Over the past year, the Santa Ana consulate has seen a surge in the demand for documents. Daily appointments have jumped by a third to nearly 400, with many people trying to get birth certificates, Sanchez said.

Mexican immigrants usually seek birth certificates to obtain a passport or consular identification card so they can then apply for a driver’s license or immigration relief, he said.

In California, Mexican consular officials have supported the rollout of the new driver’s license program, holding information sessions and offering test preparation classes to help immigrants pass the written test required to get a license.

Mexican migrant workers, many who live in the United States, sent home $21.6 billion to their families in 2013, according to the country’s central bank.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Mexico to issue birth certificates to citizens at its US consulates

IT"S A HIT: Charlie Hebdo "survivor"s issue" sells out amid cover backlash

Jan. 14, 2015: A man leaves after buying Charlie Hebdo newspapers as people queue at a newsstand in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The first issue of Charlie Hebdo to be produced since Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at the satirical magazine’s Paris offices last week has been flying off the shelves at newsstands across the French capital Wednesday morning amid backlash from Islamic leaders who objected to the cover’s depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. 

Sky News reported that lines to buy the magazine began forming at 6 a.m. local time (midnight Eastern) and some newsstands had sold out by 8 a.m. The Associated Press reported that one newsstand just off Paris’ Champs Elysee sold out at 6:05 a.m. — five minutes after opening. At Saint-Lazare, people hoping to buy a copy scuffled when they realized there weren’t enough to go around.

“It was incredible. I had a queue of 60-70 people waiting for me when I opened,” one woman said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. All my 450 copies were sold out in 15 minutes.”

Sky News correspondent Robert Nisbet reported that one newsstand outside the Gare de l’Est railway station had 75 copies when it opened for business. 

“They all went, they’re waiting for more,” he said. “You can’t get a copy inside the Gare de l’Est railway station at all, such is the demand not just here, but all around the world.”

Sky News and the Daily Telegraph reported that some copies had already been listed on eBay, with one seller seeking 511 British pounds ($775). 

The first 500,000 issues of an eventual 3 million print run were scheduled to go on sale Wednesday, with another 500,000 due to be produced tomorrow. A typical print run for the weekly is 60,000 issues. 

“Distributing Charlie Hebdo, it warms my heart because we say to ourselves that he is still here, he’s never left,” Jean-Baptiste Saidi, a van driver delivering copies well before dawn on Wednesday, told the Associated Press. 

Wednesday marked the one-week anniversary of the deadly terror attack at the magazine’s offices by two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, who claimed to be members of Al Qaeda. Twelve people were killed, including eight staffers, among them the magazine’s editor and four staff cartoonists. The survivors, working out of offices borrowed from the left-wing daily Liberation, began production of Wednesday’s issue two days after the murder of their colleagues.

“For the past week, Charlie, an atheist newspaper, has achieved more miracles than all the saints and prophets combined,” the lead editorial in Wednesday’s edition read. “The one we are most proud of is that you have in your hands the newspaper that we always made.”

The issue will be printed in French and Italian, with online translations available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Proceeds from the sales will go to aid the families of the victims. 

Not everyone has greeted the new issue with acclaim. In particular, the cover cartoon depicting Muhammad holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign and weeping drew condemnation from Muslim leaders around the world. 

Al Azhar, the prestigious Cairo-based center of learning for Sunni Muslims said Tuesday that the drawings “do not serve the peaceful co-existence between peoples and hinders the integration of Muslims into European and Western societies.”

The Washington Post, citing the SITE Intelligence Group, reported that extremist sympathizers had posted fresh calls for violence on social media, with one Twitter user saying “They want a car bomb this time.” 

In France Wednesday, police detained the controversial comic Dieudonne for posts on Facebook that appeared to praise the attacks that left 17 dead in three separate attacks over three days last week. 

Dieudonne’s detention for defending terrorism followed a four-year prison sentence involving the same charge for a man in northern France who seemed to defend the attacks in a drunken rant while resisting arrest.

Dieudonne, who popularized an arm gesture that resembles a Nazi salute and who has been convicted repeatedly of racism and anti-Semitism, is no stranger to controversy. His provocative performances were banned last year but he has a core following among many of France’s disaffected young people.

His Facebook post, which was swiftly deleted, said he felt like “Charlie Coulibaly” — merging the names of Charlie Hebdo and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who seized a kosher market and killed four hostages, along with a policewoman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Click for more from Sky News.

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IT"S A HIT: Charlie Hebdo "survivor"s issue" sells out amid cover backlash

Maryland delays effort to recoup $55M for failed ObamaCare site - VIDEO: ObamaCare reportedly fading as midterm issue - Full Coverage: Midterm elections

FILE: Oct. 2, 2013: A man looks over the Affordable Care Act signup page on the HealthCare.gov website in New York. (REUTERS)

Maryland officials reportedly have agreed to delay court action seeking $55 million from the primary contractor for the state’s problematic ObamaCare website.

Officials from Maryland’s health care exchange in April fired the contractor, Noridian Healthcare Solutions, and vowed to seek court actions to recoup the money.

Both sides have struck a temporary deal so state officials can focus on the second year of ObamaCare enrollment that starts Nov. 15, according to The Baltimore Sun.  

A spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley told The Sun that officials are still “evaluating claims that we may pursue in litigation.”

The first ObamaCare enrollment, on Oct. 1, 2013, got off to a disastrous start, marked by an overwhelming public response that crashed the federal site, HealthCare.gov, and several state-run sites.

President Obama, angry and “frustrated” by the start of arguably his biggest legislative accomplishment, made sure the software problems were essentially fixed after the first several weeks by hiring industry experts to work around the clock to write better computer code and fix software bugs.

But at least two state-run sites — Maryland and Oregon’s — had to scrap their failed, multi-million dollar, online projects.

Oregon has moved online customers to the federal site after software bugs and other technical problems kept the state from fully enrolling a single customer online.

The problems and transition is estimated to cost state and federal taxpayers at least an additional $85 million — including $50 million to manually enroll thousands of customers and $35 million to Deloitte Consulting to salvage the faulty technology.

Maryland officials have decided to replace their technology, instead of fixing the system or like Oregon joining the federal exchange system.

They have hired Deloitte Consulting, which has successfully run the Connecticut exchange. The effort is expected to cost $43 million.

The decision also comes just weeks before Election Day for Democratic nominee for governor Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who was O’Malley’s point man for ObamaCare.

Maryland and contractor Noridian have blamed each other and subcontractors, including IBM, for the problems.

The decision to delay action also came amid an ongoing inspector general’s probe, which was requested in February by Maryland GOP Rep. Andy Harris.

“Millions of dollars were wasted because of a lack of oversight by Lieutenant Governor Brown, and now the state must try to recoup some of the money he allowed to be sent to companies who couldn’t deliver,” Harris told The Sun. “The federal investigation should provide critical information about how taxpayer dollars were wasted and whether fraud occurred.”

Justin Schall, Brown’s campaign manager, said: “It’s disappointing that congressman Harris would mislead the people of Maryland and play political games with a federal investigation.”

Thirty-six states are part of the federal exchange, and there are 14 state-run sites.

The president crafted the legislation to help an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans get coverage.

The administration reached its goal of enrolling 6 million people by its self-imposed March 31 deadline. And right now, 7.3 million people have enrolled in marketplace plans, paid their premiums and have access to insurance, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Maryland delays effort to recoup $55M for failed ObamaCare site - VIDEO: ObamaCare reportedly fading as midterm issue - Full Coverage: Midterm elections

Canada, US issue Haiti travel advisory following upsurge in crime

Haiti anti-riot soldier (Credit: Caribbean360/Bigstock)

OTTAWA, Canada, Saturday June 28, 2014, CMC – The Canadian and United States governments have warned their nationals about traveling to Haiti in light of what they view as an increase in crime in some parts of the earthquake-ravaged, French-speaking Caribbean country.

“There is no nationwide advisory in effect for Haiti. However, you should exercise a high degree of caution due to high crime rates in various parts of the country and ongoing political tensions,” said Canada in a statement, warning against non-essential travel to the neighbourhoods of Martissant, Carrefour, Bel Air and Cité Soleil, in the Port-au-Prince area, “as the security situation is particularly unstable and dangerous.

“The decision to travel is your responsibility. You are also responsible for your personal safety abroad. The Government of Canada takes the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provides credible and timely information in its Travel Advice.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

“In the event of a crisis situation that requires evacuation, the Government of Canada’s policy is to provide safe transportation to the closest safe location. The Government of Canada will assist you in leaving a country or a region as a last resort, when all means of commercial or personal transportation have been exhausted,” the government said in the statement.

It said that the neighbourhoods of Martissant, Carrefour, Bel Air and Cité Soleil, in the Port-au-Prince area “continue to be dangerous due to criminal activity,” adding that local authorities lack the “capacity to ensure order.

“Personal safety and a police presence are not guaranteed. The police are unable to respond in a timely manner to calls for assistance in these areas, and it is strongly advised to avoid going out after nightfall,” it said.

The Canadian government also said that the security situation is “hazardous and very unpredictable.

“Remain extremely vigilant wherever you are in the country. Criminal activity is especially evident in large centres such as downtown Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs continue to operate,” it said.

“There has recently been an increase in armed robberies targeting travellers, particularly foreigners of Haitian origin, arriving on international flights at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince,” it said, noting that in most cases the victims’ vehicles are followed by criminals on motorcycles.

“Criminal gangs have committed robberies by erecting roadblocks. If you have to travel through this area, remain extremely vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities,” Canada said, noting that murder, kidnapping, armed robberies, burglaries and carjackings have been known to occur even in daylight hours.

The Canadian government said the general Haitian population, regardless of social class, ?can be considered at risk of being kidnapped.

In issuing a similar travel advisory, the consular section of the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince said it has “noted a recent increase in the number of travelers who have been victims of robbery shortly after departing Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

“In most cases, victims report that they were followed by armed individuals on motorcycles shortly after leaving the airport and robbed of cash and other portable valuables,” the statement said, urging Americans to ensure that they are picked up at the airport by their host.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said 73 people have been murdered so far this month, compared to 54 in May, 66 in April, and 45 in March.

View the original article here

Canada, US issue Haiti travel advisory following upsurge in crime

Canada, US issue Haiti travel advisory following upsurge in crime

Haiti anti-riot soldier (Credit: Caribbean360/Bigstock)

OTTAWA, Canada, Saturday June 28, 2014, CMC – The Canadian and United States governments have warned their nationals about traveling to Haiti in light of what they view as an increase in crime in some parts of the earthquake-ravaged, French-speaking Caribbean country.

“There is no nationwide advisory in effect for Haiti. However, you should exercise a high degree of caution due to high crime rates in various parts of the country and ongoing political tensions,” said Canada in a statement, warning against non-essential travel to the neighbourhoods of Martissant, Carrefour, Bel Air and Cité Soleil, in the Port-au-Prince area, “as the security situation is particularly unstable and dangerous.

“The decision to travel is your responsibility. You are also responsible for your personal safety abroad. The Government of Canada takes the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provides credible and timely information in its Travel Advice.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

“In the event of a crisis situation that requires evacuation, the Government of Canada’s policy is to provide safe transportation to the closest safe location. The Government of Canada will assist you in leaving a country or a region as a last resort, when all means of commercial or personal transportation have been exhausted,” the government said in the statement.

It said that the neighbourhoods of Martissant, Carrefour, Bel Air and Cité Soleil, in the Port-au-Prince area “continue to be dangerous due to criminal activity,” adding that local authorities lack the “capacity to ensure order.

“Personal safety and a police presence are not guaranteed. The police are unable to respond in a timely manner to calls for assistance in these areas, and it is strongly advised to avoid going out after nightfall,” it said.

The Canadian government also said that the security situation is “hazardous and very unpredictable.

“Remain extremely vigilant wherever you are in the country. Criminal activity is especially evident in large centres such as downtown Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs continue to operate,” it said.

“There has recently been an increase in armed robberies targeting travellers, particularly foreigners of Haitian origin, arriving on international flights at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince,” it said, noting that in most cases the victims’ vehicles are followed by criminals on motorcycles.

“Criminal gangs have committed robberies by erecting roadblocks. If you have to travel through this area, remain extremely vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities,” Canada said, noting that murder, kidnapping, armed robberies, burglaries and carjackings have been known to occur even in daylight hours.

The Canadian government said the general Haitian population, regardless of social class, ?can be considered at risk of being kidnapped.

In issuing a similar travel advisory, the consular section of the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince said it has “noted a recent increase in the number of travelers who have been victims of robbery shortly after departing Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

“In most cases, victims report that they were followed by armed individuals on motorcycles shortly after leaving the airport and robbed of cash and other portable valuables,” the statement said, urging Americans to ensure that they are picked up at the airport by their host.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said 73 people have been murdered so far this month, compared to 54 in May, 66 in April, and 45 in March.

View the original article here

Canada, US issue Haiti travel advisory following upsurge in crime

Holness: Gov"t must pay attention to Chinese workers issue

OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness says the Portia Simpson Miller-led Government is under an illusion as far as the issues concerning the employment of Chinese nationals on major investment projects in Jamaica are concerned.

“The Jamaicans are industrious people and I believe on projects being executed by the Chinese, there are Chinese labourers working, doing jobs that could very well be done by Jamaicans. That is an issue I am disappointed that you have brushed aside. It is an issue your Government needs to pay special attention to, you are under an illusion,” Holness said Tuesday yesterday after he raised the issue with the prime minister in Parliament.The Opposition leader prefaced his question off concerns, the most recent of which were raised by the Joint Industrial Council (JIC) of the building and construction industry. On Friday JIC blasted the Government for what it said were “egregious and misleading” statements in the media concerning the presence of Chinese workers on construction sites in the island.The council claimed that it had still photographs and videos showing Chinese workers doing common labourers’ work “while many skilled and unskilled (Jamaican) workers are unemployed.”But the prime minister, the latest Government member to comment on the matter, disputed those claims.“There is no large number of Chinese workers in the country. Let us be very careful the Chinese are very disciplined people and if they get something to do they are going to do it. I do not see anywhere in Jamaica a large quantity of Chinese traversing the streets or communities across the country,” she said,She further discounted comments by Opposition Spokesperson on Labour Pearnel Charles that her Administration, in another life, had negotiated a concession of a 40 per cent employment for Chinese labour on major projects.“They came to me and they asked for that to continue, I advised them that it was not in their interest, neither security nor otherwise. I would allow 100 per cent Chinese on any project where there is no Jamaicans available. Did your Government negotiate a percentage of Chinese labour on all major Chinese projects?” Charles asked.“If that exists, it was not negotiated under my Administration. No one would be able to get me to sign all work over to any category or class of persons and you know this and you are touching my heart in a bad way,” Simpson Miller said.“If we continue to have discussions this way, the question I want to ask is, is whether we want to say to the Chinese, do not invest in Jamaica. It would be dangerous for any Government not to protect the interest no matter what investment, of the Jamaican people,” she added.Last week, Labour Minister Derrick Kellier said for the period April 2012 to July 2013, a total 4,098 work permits were issued. He told members of the press that of this number, 1,741 — or 43 per cent — were given to Chinese nationals. He further admitted that for a number of these investments such as the ones the Chinese have made in Jamaica, there are conditionalities and employment ratios that are predetermined.(L-R) SIMPSON MILLER… there is no large number of Chinese workers in the country. HOLNESS… Government needs to pay special attention to the issue

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Holness: Gov"t must pay attention to Chinese workers issue

JLP Standing Committee to decide delegates issue tomorow

TOMORROW night’s meeting of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP)’s Standing Committee at Belmont Road, St Andrew, will mark the sternest test yet for the party since the hint of a challenge to its leader, Andrew Holness, became public last month.

The committee, which meets weekly to discuss internal, as well as external issues on which the party takes positions, will have to decide whether or not the 25 constituencies which failed to meet an extended deadline of May 15 for registration, should be able to send delegates to the conference in November, at which a leader might be chosen.Issues like these are not new to either of the two main political parties. In 2008, the appellate commission of the People’s National Party disbanded some 900 groups suspected of being “paper groups”, prior to the contest between Portia Simpson Miller and Dr Peter Phillips; and in 2012 barred non-paid-up members from participating as delegates, and relegated them to the role of observers.However, the passions generated by the current JLP campaign are characterised by emotional charges, such as a struggle for the soul of the party pitting the young guard against old guard, the grassroots against the elite and traditional politics against transformational leadership.Emotions have flowed over into demonstrations at Belmont Road, face-to-face clashes between senior representatives and behind-the-scene manipulations and gestures, as most party functionaries strain to keep their choices close to their chests until the last minute.In an effort to bring things under control and rev up the oversight mechanisms, Holness moved last Wednesday to get the Disputes Resolution Committee, chaired by Leslie Campbell, to start dealing with the verbal clashes, which the party felt were bringing it into disrepute; roll out the highly respected Electoral Commission, headed by tough attorney-at-law, George Soutar, and including Electoral Commission representative Senator Tom Tavares Finson and veteran parliamentarian Derrick Smith, to start the oversight process; and get the Legal and Constitution committee, headed by another attorney, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, agreed on a position regarding how to deal with the registration of delegates.It is expected that the Legal and Constitution committee will advise the Standing Committee tomorrow night to allow all 63 constituencies to choose delegates for the conference, based on normal criteria, including the number of votes polled by the candidate, as well as the margin of victory.This would be a victory for likely challenger Audley Shaw, as several MPs, including the controversial Everald Warmington (South West St Catherine), feel that only the constituencies registered by the extended deadline of May 15 should be allowed to select delegates. This would have excluded 25 constituencies, including Shaw’s North East Manchester.Inside sources told the Jamaica Observer that members of the Legal and Constitution Committee rejected an argument from Senator Johnson Smith that, although the term “registration of constituency” is used to refer to the procedure for registration under Rule 19 of the JLP’s constitution, the Constitution does not require registration of constituencies, per se.They also rejected Johnson Smith’s view that there are “no express consequences of the failure to comply with the rule, and in particular no indication that registration in accordance with Rule 19 should be a condition precedent to the accreditation of delegates”.Johnson Smith contended that the rules recognise branches, not the constituencies. But, despite rejecting these arguments, the committee felt that a reprieve should be granted to the illegitimate constituencies to participate in a poll for leadership.“We believe in the need for the registration, but we think that there is room for extending the period for registration to enable the (illegitimate) constituencies to be registered,” one member explained.However, there is still the fear that Warmington, who has been insistent that the constituencies and the deputy leaders must abide by party rules and constitution, may take the issue back to court if that advice prevails.Warmington, apparently, would have support from a number of older party stalwarts, including some passionate supporters of Holness, as well as members concerned about continued disregard for the constitution and the rules.The fact that Shaw, despite being one of the subjects of Warmington’s attempt last year at an injunction blocking him and two other deputy leaders from re-election for failing to observe the requirement for their nomination 30 days before the conference, only registered his constituency on July 22, has made matters worse.In addition, some Standing Committee members are suggesting that if the PNP could have removed over 900 groups from its formal list in 2008, and ban non-financial delegates from participating in last year’s conference, why shouldn’t the JLP ban constituencies consistently failing to observe the rules?However, JLP general secretary Dr Horace Chang believes that the Standing Committee will favour whatever advice is given by the Legal and Constitution Committee Monday night, as is the norm.As Chang told the Sunday Observer on Thursday, “it was highly irresponsible for the constituencies not to register within the deadline, but it would raise a question of the legitimacy of the process if so many constituencies were excluded”.CHANG … highly irresponsible of the constituencies not to register on time

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JLP Standing Committee to decide delegates issue tomorow

Going solar? Electricians issue warning

News

BY KARYL WALKER Editor — Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, August 13, 2013

THE Jamaica Licensed Electricians Association (JLEA) is warning Jamaicans who plan to install solar panels on their premises that approval must first be granted by regulatory bodies.“Firstly, you must get approval from the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation). The OUR will give you the necessary approval and it must be done by a certified engineer before you can actually start the work. Then it must be inspected and the necessary certification given by the Government Electrical Inspectorate,” Ewart Foster, a representative of the JLEA, told reporters and editors during yesterday’s weekly Observer Monday Exchange.Thomas was peeved that most persons are taking a willy nilly approach to installing solar systems and other equipment and are compromising their safety and that of others.“What is happening now, people are doing the thing the opposite way. They don’t use the right material and don’t do the work to the correct standard and might not be inspected and you find persons spending billions of dollars and it might go up in smoke,” he said.He called on the OUR to actively educate the public about the dangers of installing solar systems without adhering to the proper procedure.One of the main functions of the Electricity Division of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is to inspect and certify all new industrial, commercial, and domestic installations before they are connected to the power grid.Omar Palarchie, a licensed electrician and prominent member of the JLEA, pointed out that any electrical equipment that is being connected to the national grid must first be inspected.“You can’t just go ahead and connect something to the Jamaica Public Service grid,” he told the Monday Exchange. “JPS is not going to allow that, because the system is already running to a certain efficiency and adding anything to it can upset that integrity.”He also pointed out that for safety reasons all solar systems connected to the power grid must be retrofitted with a ‘on and off’ switch.“There are some little grey areas that will require all of us (electricians and electrical engineers) to come together to ensure compliance,” Palarchie said.The JLEA was formed in February this year and currently has some 200 members.According to Thomas, the association was formed out off the need to regulate the industry and maintain professional standards among licensed electricians and electrical engineers.

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Going solar? Electricians issue warning