Mahogany CoConut Blog

One Caribbean Nation. ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ MINISTER URGES GUN OWNERS TO TAKE FIRM ACTION AGAINST INTRUDERS Defence Minister Wayne Sturge is advising constituents and citizens that during a home invasion, they can shoot first and "explain yourself after". He says that provision, among others, will be available under the proposed stand-your-ground legislation the United National Congress government is seeking to enact. Another measure would allow a victim to defend themselves against an intruder before they are even physically attacked. Sturge made the stunning comments during a stand-yourground consultation at the Sangre Grande Civic Centre. "You don't have to wait to see what the attacker is going to do. You don't have to wait to see if he pulls a gun or a cutlass or anything like this. You can, once you honestly believe that you are under attack, or that an attack is about to take place, or is imminent—as they say here—once you believe an attack is imminent, yo...

One Caribbean Nation.    by Professor Sir Errol R.Walrond  Some 50 years ago there was an informal forum where politicians from both parties and others would gather, relax and candidly discuss issues of the day. I recall a new minister stating that their first priority was to get the streets clean “for the tourists”. He was met with the retort from someone at the table that they should “get the streets clean for us first, then they would be clean for the tourists”. The echoes of this type of thinking persist to this day as with the tax relief for repairs/improvement on villas but none for “ordinary” house owners, or the recent Holetown redevelopment plan. Satisfying tourists.  On that occasion 50 years ago, the conversation shifted to other topics of development and it was posited that Jamaica had gone the way of satisfying the “tourists” need for a marijuana fix and the accompanying gun enforcement of the trade had evolved into corruption o...

One Caribbean Nation. No one should wait this long — especially not the most vulnerable Today’s Editorial Maurine Catlyn's story should trouble the conscience of every Barbadian. For 18 long years, this visually impaired single mother of four has waited, as reported by this media house last week, for the government to honour a promise of housing assistance. Her home, if it can even be called that, is a fragile and crumbling plywood structure precariously balanced on four concrete blocks. There is no running water, no electricity, no bathroom. Her five-year-old daughter must walk to her grandmother's nearby home just to bathe. Rainwater seeps through broken panes and holes in the walls. This is not a temporary hardship caused by natural disasters or unforeseen circumstances; it is a harsh, ongoing reality that Maurine and her children endure daily. No Barbadian — and certainly no mother raising four children while living with a disability — should be forced to survive in conditi...

One Caribbean Nation. Beyond funding The digital blueprint for road tennis’ global rise I don't usually do follow-ups, but last week's article sparked spirited feedback from the road tennis community. What truly prompted this part two, though, was one comment: "All road tennis needs is money." Yes, money matters—but it's not everything. Plenty of well-funded projects still fail due to bad timing, poor planning, or weak management. Funding helps, but it doesn't fix systemic flaws. One issue I raised last week was governance—what leadership does in managing the affairs of a sport or any organisation. Over the years, road tennis has had many passionate stakeholders who believed in its global potential. But they've leaned too heavily on government support for the sport's survival. That mindset edges dangerously close to nationalisation, not nationhood. If road tennis is going to have its moment in the sun and earn the recognition it deserves, it can'...

One Caribbean Nation. Friendship : Find your Zayn By William Skinner Anybody past sixty years old, will probably say that it is too late to make new friends. Paranoia steps in and the trust factor becomes real ; some people delight in having no friends at all , especially if they had a few bad ones very early in life. However it is generally accepted that real friends , become family and we happily introduce them as : a brother or sister from another father or mother ! Friendships such as these normally go way back to elementary or high school. They continue even with   long breaks, such as moving to another country.  These  friendships are indeed very special and they often survive serious differences. Friendships like these become almost a spiritual journey. And they should be treasured because they are quite rare. Those who are barely surviving the new technological age, are reluctantly, and   in some cases, are refusing to admit, that the cell phones and ...

One Caribbean Nation. When children are this afraid, we must listen. Today’s Editorial : Barbados Today, Wednesday, 16th April 2025 There is perhaps no more sobering reality check than hearing the raw fear of a child. The words of a student living in The Ivy, St Michael—in the neighbourhood where 21-year-old Omari Jordan was gunned down in broad daylight on Monday—are not just heartbreaking; they are a siren call. "I had to close up all the windows and everything because I don't feel safe anymore in Barbados. I know there are places that have a lot of crimes, but I don't feel safe no more," the secondary school student told Barbados TODAY when a team visited the community a day after the fatal shooting. "I pray each and every single day because I just pray to the Lord to get me to school safely and get me back safely.... I would really like to leave, like just pack up and move away if an opportunity can come to me." These are not the anxious musings of a w...