Media consultant Barbara Jacob Small is urging Dominica to defend it rights in the CARICOM Community and follow the example that Jamaica has laid.
Small was addressing media workers here during a CARICOM Single Market Media Workshop which is currently underway at the Billy Doctrove’s Pavilion Conference Room at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.
“We need to defend our rights as Dominicans in the CSME and follow the example of Jamaica behind Shanique Myrie,” she said.
According to her, if Myrie did not have a whole nation behind her, “that case was going nowhere.”
In March 2011, according to media reports, Myrie arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados and was “treated unfairly,” was subjected to a cavity search and eventually deported.
She took the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and was awarded BDS$77,240.
The CCJ ruled that what Myrie was subjected to ran contrary to the rules of the revised Treaty of Chagaramas.
Small stated that Myrie’s case set a precedence.
“Because of her there is a ruling by CCJ and it is written in law that any CARICOM national that is not pleased with how they are treated at the border, they have a right to complain,” she explained.
At the same time, she is calling for a Media Workers Association to be established in Dominica.
“We must have national media associations because when we go to Grenada to do this very same training, we had an opportunity to do it in partnership with the media Association of Grenada,” she pointed out. “So for the same reason your country is part of a block, your sector needs to be part of a bloc.”
She stated that the media workshop should really have taken place between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dominica Association of Media Workers since, she said, these associations must have the opportunities to be seen as spearheading things like building and empowering networks.
Small also encouraged media workers to do more to educate the masses on various areas in the CARICOM Community and their rights as members of that community.
Presently the Media Workers Association of Dominica (MWAD) is dormant.
we were once Federated and Jamaica and Trinidad pulled out and leave us for dead.Now only the name that changed
Actually Ms. Small shouldn’t even have a job to do. After 57 years, beginning with Federation in 1957, Carifta, Caricon, CSME, OECS all we are still doing is talking, talking, talking! I heard the lady on the radio talking to Matt this morning, saying you could move if you had a skills’ certificate. My lady, you can do the same if you want to go to the U.S. for a skilled job . That is not free movement at all but restricted movement. We all carry a Caricom passport but still guarding against citizens from other Caricom nations to come and settle without hinder. Do we even have reciprocal agreements for health care, social security and so on? Can you transfer your Dominica state pension to Barbados to make it join with their state pension there for instance. Can I go to Barbados and rent a house there to live without the permission of their government? To be honest, I don’t know the answers but these are the things we should fix first before we talk about anything else.
Actually DNO, the word is ‘bloc’ which means “a group of people or countries that are connected by a treaty or agreement or by common goals” ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Just a gentle heads-up to let you know that although the word sounded like ‘block’ when the speaker was talking, there is actually a different spelling.
No criticism here, just trying to get our local journalists on par with the rest of the world grammatically.
It is unfortunate that the media in Dominica does not see itself as an arm of the development process. Some members on both side of the political fence promote radicalism and fanatical attitude with untruth, exaggeration and exacerbation. It is like bad news always sell so anything goes and the more scandalous the better.
They do not care for their effect on impressionable minds. The claim certain rights, but pay no attention that rights and obligation go hand in hand.
They do not address issues, But insist on the castigation of people with all their negative slants.
Well its time for them to change their attitude to a more positive mode, and realize that they need to be part of the solution to our development problems
We have too many blocs and individuals operating as anti-government pressure groups.
The unpalatable truth is that we had more unity, ease of freedom of movements of goods and people under British rule than we have today after years of independence. Europe, with different languages, different legal systems, different cultures, different education systems and far more people managed to get together so successfully that we even depend on their aid, whilst we cannot help ourselves. I think it is time our leaders put their ego’s aside and realize that we can not afford to live in that isolation if we are to thrive as one Caribbean people. At the moment we are stagnating.
@Malatete……..During the colonial plantation era we were fighting the European masters and their local supporters. Today we are fighting each other. Look at the political division in Dominica that is impeding unity for progress.
We must realize that the people we hurt are our relatives, because we share the same ancestors.
Are we going to be like the black Americans who united to fight racism and segregation and are now killing each other with black on black crime; or like the European Union and NATO for our protection and development.
The victims of crimes in the Caribbean are our own people.
Just look at the negative comments and the name calling allowed on DNO, who do they hurt. DNO is doing nothing to stop it
MWAD must be dormant we know wht they doin lol
Matt just sitting on his toffee apple, waiting for titbits being fed to him by Carlisle. One time Matt was an investigative journalist but these days he sitting on the wall like humpty-dumpty. A great shame. Wake up Matt, it is not too late!
It’s non existent because we have a dictatorship in place.
There is one “block” in Dominica and it is called Labour. I also believe you meant ‘bloc’ as in a group and not ‘block’.
There are too many blocs of blocks in Dominica who blame everyone and any one for their lack of success.
When I read about Dominicans at home and abroad who have achieve greatness and success I realize that they did not come from the bloc that blamed the establishment. They did what they had to do to succeed. It has been said that the heights that great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight but they while their companion slept (complain and criticize) were toiling upwards in the night.
When Linton and Skeritte were campaigning they did not go to sleep, but did what the had to do to succeed. When Patrick John decided to obtain independence for Dominica, every one was against him, he stood alone for a while. No one was saying yes we can, but he was able to change public opinion to support him and independence
Who owns all the factories in the caribean community. All the food and drinks we buy who do we buy it from.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Am I hearing right? I thought the government was there to protect the media not to influence it. Media workers Association of Dominica should not look to issues in the region to be relevant. It should look at issues in Dominica which are not getting adequate coverage by the media. No wonder the administration is doing as it pleases because all the journalists seem to be in favor with the administration.
Well Barbados trying to say its better than you people. So why won’t we treat them the same. Noo trade noo flights treat them like russsia
You mean like the same thing jamaicans like you did in the federation.
Manhaut* 
Barbados depends on Canadian, American, and British trade nd dollars . Bajans 
so sharp they forced Trinidad to invest in the country at A cost to Trinidad high taxes and other monies they pay to the bajans. the same thing the US, Eng, n Can: those to other countries . Yet you hear foolish Trinidad say they own Barbados.Not having A clue that dem bajans” have dem taking the meat out the rice all over again 
. And this Woman want us to following A country which currency is $115.00to $1US. worthless 
You see the problem? if we had followed Jamaica’s lead we would have stayed with the JCPC in London instead of joining the CCJ, so there must be a good reason for them not to join the CCJ. I believe Jamaica is big and smart enough to know what they are doing.
The CCJ was supposed to be a final court of appeal for the Caricom but since 2001 only four members have joined, Barbados, Belize, Guyana and now also Dominica and all that time CCJ racking up expense in Trinidad, which is not even a member itself. Even something important like that we can not agree on! Even between OECS and Caricom there is no freedom of movement of goods because some merchandise has heavy duty when you try and import it into Dominica from Caricom, simple things like fizzy drinks. But in the mean time we go ahead with making Martinique into the OECS without sorting out things at home first.We don’t always use our head , do we?
What dose a cavity search imply in this case?
When we speak of a cavity, it could mean something simply as a tooth cavity, or something more complex. A cavity could be an unfilled space within a mass, or a hollowed-out space, or an area of decay in a tooth.
From a medical and scientifc point of view; cavity implies a hollow, or space, or a potential space, within the body or one of its organs. In dentistry it is the lesion produced by dental caries. “Caries means decay, as of bone or teeth. So this lady should try and to better educate, in a way that people could understand. I suspect she is implying that either the persons anus, and rectum was searched, or perhaps her vagina. If this lady was suspect of transporting drugs, the search was in order; as long as it was conducted by a female police or custom officer. People need to make themselves clear when make statments.
If you don’t understand what Ms Small means by ‘cavity’, next time you are someplace like the airport and you are told by security that you will be subjected to a cavity search, just step forward and open your mouth as wide as you can! It wont take you long to figure out that teeth have nothing to do with it!
Read my comments a second time, perhaps by then you will understand what I conveyed. People like you are limited, and cannot get the concept of anything one conveyed unless it is developed in your very own shallow mind.!
Shut you mouth, because if you were not an idiot, at the conclusion you would have read where I stated “if the woman was a suspect in carrying drugs, the search would be appropriate as long as it was conducted by an female custom, or police officer: scum like you are quick to prove to yourself that you are smart, but in the process you only exposed your ignorance. I could use the word “foramen” in so many different ways, to describe the same thing, however, if said they search her anus, rectum, or vagina, only a fool would not be able to understand unless they lack English comprehension.