* Barbados Prime Minister, Chief Justice – Charged With Fraud In Canadian Court
Source: Chief Justice Simmons Hiding Witness, Deliberately Obstructing Court Case!
* Barbados Police Given Blank, Pre-Signed Search Warrants By Corrupt, Lazy Judiciary
Barbados Police Given Blank, Pre-Signed Search Warrants By Corrupt, Lazy Judiciary
* Barbados Government Reading Emails, Listening To Phone Calls Of Political Opposition
* Is Barbados Going Bankrupt?
Government employees and creditors not paid for months, general deterioration of infrastructure while borrow and spend sends national debt and deficit to new heights.
All articles listed at Is Barbados Going Bankrupt? Part 76 Of A Continuing Series… Attorney General Dale Marshall Comments From His Yacht
* Constitutional Amendment 2007 – A Crime In Progress
Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his government have a problem. The country is in far worse shape financially than they can ever admit – and that was even before the wild spending orgy called Cricket World Cup.
With an election fast approaching, the Prime Minister and his cabinet have to find some way to hide the bad news – if not forever, at least until after the election.
Their dishonest solution is happening this week in Parliament…
Secretly, before anyone can catch on, the government is amending the Constitution and changing the way the Country’s books have been done ever since Barbados became a country.
In this three part series Barbados Free Press sounds the alarm and exposes the government’s deceitful attack upon democracy in Barbados.
* Winner Announced: Prime Minister Owen Arthur Wins 2006 Barbados Piggies At The Trough Award
Read all the details and comments HERE
* Annual “Barbados Piggies At The Trough Awards” – US$1000 Cash Prize For Winning Nominator
Barbados Free Press is pleased to announce that the 1st Annual Barbados Piggies At The Trough Awards will take place on December 31, 2006. The “Piggy” as the award is affectionately known, is presented annually to the Barbados politician or civil servant who, in the opinion of the judges, best misuses position, political contacts or internal knowledge to benefit self, family or friends.
The person nominating this year’s winner will take home a cash prize of One Thousand US Dollars.
* BFP EXCLUSIVE – No Tenders Issued, No Contracts Vetted For One Hundred Million Dollar Government Office Building!
* Conflict Of Interest Scandal: Barbados Minister of Public Works Lives With “Special Lady Friend” On Government-Expropriated Land…
Barbados Government Minister Gline Clarke – House and Mercedes On Expropriated Land
Barbados Government BLP Blog – Week Of Silence As Land Expropriation Scandal Heats Up
Gline Clarke Scandal Story Shatters More Barbados Free Press Records!
* Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Calls For Limits To Citizens’ Free Speech
Mottley, Castro, Chavez All Agree – Citizen Free-Speech Must Be Stopped
Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Says Internet Blogs “Marginalize…Parliament…”
Attempted Libel Chill – Barbados Free Press Will Not Be Intimidated
74 Comments
September 14, 2006 at 2:42 pm
[...] FeaturesHot Issues Time To Get Out Those Hurricane Shutters In Barbados [...]
September 29, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I WANT TO LIVE HERE. I JUST GOT BACK TO MY HELL OF A CITY WHERE I LLIVE, WORK AND ATTEMPT TO SURF . IT’S COLD AND TOO STRESSFUL. I WANT TO CHARGE PULL INTO BARRELS AND EAT CUTTER SALT BREAD SANDWITCHES. I HATE THE U.S. AND THE RAT RACE THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT. IF THEIR ARE ANY BAJANS OUT THEIR THAT WANT TO TAKE IN OR MARRY A 22 YR OLD SURFER THAT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE COMPLETE. I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE PLEASE HELP.
TODD ELDER
October 14, 2006 at 4:59 am
[...] FeaturesHot Issues [...]
October 21, 2006 at 12:21 am
I wonder who is gonna ‘land’ this big award. Guess where I put my vote! *chuckles*
October 26, 2006 at 12:23 am
Pig at the Trough?
Hmmm…..ya really tink ya know who deserves.
Ha.
It really is disgusting as to the hijinks that go on.
October 27, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Lower Thornbury Hill
Christ Church
Sep. 22nd 2006
Town and Country Planning
Dear Sir/Madam
I would like to draw your attention to a building being erected at the junction of Church Road and Lower Thornbury Hill, Christ Church.
This building presents a danger, as it blocks the clear view of traffic at the busy intersection of Church Road and Lower Thornbury Hill.
It is clearly a hazard for children using the two bus stops, which serve the area schools such as Foundation and Christ Church.
This is a very busy road to the Airport and Oistins, with a history of many accidents. In addition, it has a hairpin turn into Church Road with not enough space for two vehicles. The result is that traffic backup on to Lower Thornbury Hill causing a nightmare for pedestrians.
Construction of this structure will further exacerbate what is already a danger to the community.
I would appreciate if you would review this problem before further building is done.
Sincerely
Anthony Eversley
October 27, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Sep. 22nd 2006
Town and Country Planning
Dear Sir/Madam
I would like to draw your attention to a building being erected at the junction of Church Road and Lower Thornbury Hill, Christ Church.
This building presents a danger, as it blocks the clear view of traffic at the busy intersection of Church Road and Lower Thornbury Hill.
It is clearly a hazard for children using the two bus stops, which serve the area schools such as Foundation and Christ Church.
This is a very busy road to the Airport and Oistins, with a history of many accidents. In addition, it has a hairpin turn into Church Road with not enough space for two vehicles. The result is that traffic backup on to Lower Thornbury Hill causing a nightmare for pedestrians.
Construction of this structure will further exacerbate what is already a danger to the community.
I would appreciate if you would review this problem before further building is done.
Sincerely
Anthony Eversley
December 9, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Religion, sex and politics
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, December 01, 2006
PEOPLE committed to the ideal of Caribbean unity have been heard to complain that our local media fail to give coverage to news of substance from the rest of the Caricom community. There can be all kinds of responses to this, ranging from excuses of limitations of space to disinterest.
Between Monday and Tuesday this week, some headlines of happenings in other areas of the Caribbean held my interest and could hold yours too. One story was from Barbados. It reported Prime Minister Owen Arthur as telling his people that “the church and religion would be central to decisions which his administration makes, including how it deals with contentious issues such as same-sex unions and prostitution.”
Mr. Arthur is quoted as saying, “Our constitution speaks of a nation that recognises the supremacy of God, hence, there is an important role for the church to play in sustaining and supporting its constitutional role.” Nobody is reported as asking the prime minister what happens if and when the church were to disagree with the government, would they be dishonouring their “constitutional role”?
Mr. Arthur is further quoted as stating, “The church is at the centre of life for most Barbadians. It has a vital role to play in bringing the spiritual, moral and practical role to play in issues that affect us all.” One could be led to believe that Mr. Arthur was setting the stage for ecclesiastical backative in matters like the debate about the decriminalisation of homosexuality and prostitution, which are being seen by health authorities as part of the strategy to fight the discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
I’m as pro-church as Mr. Arthur but I sang no Alleluias on reading all the above. Once again, it seems to me, that a politician is co-opting the church for what else but political gain. I always get squeamish when I hear politicians setting the agenda for the church, in the name of God and morals and in keeping with whatever is the pressure point of the day. The church gets little notice when the political heat is not on. Fact is, right now, the homosexuality and prostitution issues are hot on political agendas as the Caribbean prepares to play host to World Cup Cricket.
The prostitution issue is particularly hot-hot, as somewhere along the way it is being implied that the region should be able to fulfill the fantasies of the thousands (to hear some talk, maybe millions), who are expected to flock to the blue Caribbean next year in search not only of cricket but sun, sand, sea and sex (the more the better).
If moral values are to be turned upside down, the Barbadian prime minister has already co-opted the church, imbuing it with constitutional responsibility as well as their moral remit. There was no word in the newspaper incidentally on the response of “church leaders, social commentators and civil society, gathered for a one-day national consultation on societal issues”.
IN REFERENCE to the forum at which Mr. Arthur spoke, remember when we had such national-sharing events? Remember the big one at the Conference Centre during Mr. Patterson’s four-term tenure? Remember how some in the wider society scoffed and jeered while others maintained that such consultations could make a difference? Where did all that hope go? What happened to the confidence which once motivated us to lead in ways that others now follow? But I digress.
Anyway, like I said, I get nervous when politicians lecture the church, telling it “what it ought to have done and what it has left undone”. I get even more nervous when the church falls for it and buys into what is being fed to them. Mr. Arthur is no fool. He knows full well that as the pressure builds on hot-button issues like homosexuality and prostitution, it is a wise government which has the church on its side.
Caribbean governments, scrambling for the tourist dollar, will continue to face some questions of morality, like it or not, as tourists make more demands for the ultimate escape from their humdrum home environment. All the tourist-wooing islands want to get the maximum return out of the industry, and governments are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place as they seek to balance the tourism agenda with the traditional sensitivities of their “natives”. Witness the debate going on now between the Jamaica Tourist Board and other authorities on what constitutes tourist entertainment.
OTHER POLITICIANS made the news this week interestingly in the “spiritual realm”. A report from Castries, St Lucia, says that Prime Minister Kenny Anthony has been accused of “turning his back on God and allowing Satan to prevail at meetings of his Cabinet”. Huh?
Fiery images in political rhetoric are nothing new, but how about this? “I saw Kenny Anthony take Jesus out and put Him outside the Cabinet door, and if you put God out, you invite Satan in.” The speaker was Mrs. Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, a former member of the Anthony Cabinet who broke ranks and joined the political party which forms the Opposition.
What is Mr. Anthony’s crime? He is accused of being against prayer at Cabinet meetings. Mr. Anthony vehemently denies it. Mrs. Flood-Beaubrun is a devout Roman Catholic. Mr. Anthony, an Anglican, refuted her allegations that when his colleagues started prayers, he intervened and put a stop to it. “My God,” he is quoted as saying, “that is simply not true.”
Reports out of St Lucia are that the matter of who prays when and where is likely to become a campaign issue in forthcoming elections. And to think that we boring Jamaicans only have the threat of bangarang.
TODAY IS WORLD AIDS DAY. It does not come devoid of controversy. Tuesday’s news from Grenada told of that island’s minister of health questioning a UNDP report which recommends the decriminalisation of homosexuality and prostitution as a tool in the fight against HIV-AIDS.
The minister countered the recommendation in the report by reiterating the religious and social mores of her country with reference to religion and social culture. She is quoted as letting the UNDP know that “every sovereign country has to take on board its own cultural situation, the faith and religious situation in the country”. AMEN.
December 12, 2006 at 4:10 am
Looks like Anthony and his SLP has gone through the eddoes.
Vaughn Lewis switched parties and was the first to bite the dust.
There must be a lesson somewhere here for our local boy Clyde…………
December 12, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Yes, Andrew there is a lesson on the horizon for Clyde “the great betrayer” Mascoll. How else can you describe a man who derisively chided the BLP on issues with a great deal of justification and evidence. The BLP in turn did nothing to amend the wrongs/ills that Mascoll pointed out – but through Political Negrocratism he accepts a Cabinet post from the pimp Owen Arthur and immediately get “locked Jaws” no more talk about the infelicities about GEMS, UDC, out -of- control national debt…..
But, the St. Lucia results will not only be lesson for the great betrayer but a lot more in this BLP administration for while they keep uttering their empty promises to the Barbadian people – the more incensed the population will become. Electoral defeat was the price that Anthony Government paid for taking the St. Lucian people for a ride. St. Lucians stood and said their country deserves a different path. Wake up Barbadians our turn is next!!!!!
December 30, 2006 at 5:37 am
I wonder why Owen Arthur dug into poor old Rawle Eastmond and caused him to babble on the radio and then end up ina hospital bed. Owen is an animal. Barbados needs to get rid of Owen now!
January 10, 2007 at 11:55 pm
I am a former student of louis lynch. I think that de children get treat unfair and beaus of that we have sent to shools aross barbados that r lower and being treat unfair nuttin’ ain happen to de school de problem is de government dat can move a laundry beause dem affraid someting gun happen to dem. And dat is all i got ta say fah now!!!!!!!!!
January 11, 2007 at 12:18 am
I wish that our young Barbadians would try to write standard English and leave the dialect for speech (depending on the situation of course!).
It is discouraging and saddening that our young people have taken the humour of dialect writing and made it the norm. I understand the need to emphasize certain issues with the use of dialect but we need to educate our youth to the importance of standard english. Before the “haters” begin, I am a thirty-one year old male parent, and it pains me to think that the Barbados that I grew up in, and was proud to be associated with because of its high literacy rate, is slowly deteriorating and becoming a nation of illiterate and ill-mannered youth.
January 19, 2007 at 12:17 am
Here’s to you Concerned.
As a 40+ parent, who both loved and excelled in English at Foundation School, it is more than painful to hear the rot that we are supposed to accept as English. I think that what has happened further, is that when accented, bad grammar is put forth as “good” English. Dialect is cool in it’s special forum. NIFCA and a lime on a rum shop step.
Sometimes even I cannot decipher what is meant from bank tellers, cashiers, accountants etc… ppl with alleged higher education (eddikatshun). And please, let them all lose the finger … the pointer that comes up when you are being “asked” to wait a moment. It is rude and shows a lack of skill in communication when one could just as easily say, “just one minute please”, or “I will be right with you”….
Children today are having a hard time with the English language, not because they are not being taught the rudiments, but because they are not being made to practice it.
Peace out…
April 29, 2007 at 4:17 am
The American Association of Anger Management Providers appoints a number one rated Anderson and Anderson anger management provider–Carlos R. Todd, Barbados native as President.
Carlos R. Todd, LPC, NCC, CAMF, the energetic psychotherapist, named as the number one Anderson and Anderson anger management provider for the first quarter of 2007 has been appointed President of the American Association of Anger Management Providers–the organization representing anger management providers nationwide.
The American Association of Anger Management Providers was organized in 2001 to become the single voice to express the concerns of trained anger management providers nationwide. There are hundreds of certified anger management providers across the nation who everyday are at the front lines dealing with individual, familial and organizational anger. The AAAMP is the single voice representing this movement of trained providers.
While Anger Management as a specialized practice is in its infancy AAAMP continues to advocate for dialogue among practitioners and scholars in the field. This dialogue will be imperative to further engineer innovative solutions to inappropriate expressions of anger. Therefore, as president, Carlos Todd has four major objectives: 1) To increase the visibility of this AAAMP in every state among schools, organizations and individuals; 2) To provide members with technical support and assist them in providing relevant services; 3) To increase membership; 4) Ensure that AAAMP becomes the single most respected voice on anger management issues nationwide.
Carlos R. Todd is a psychotherapist in North Carolina , with close to a decade of experience in the mental health field. He is energetic, focused, and an avid writer on anger management issues. Through greater visibility in the print, television media and over the internet he will make the voice of the American Association of Anger Management Providers known nationwide. For more information on the American Association of Anger Management Providers visit http://www.aaamp.org. Visit his popular blogs at http://www.angerhurts.com or http://www.angeronmymind.com He can be reached at info@angerhurts.com.
George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF
Executive Director, AAAMP
——————————————————————————–
Announcement
Please note: the URL for the American Association of Anger Management Providers is http://www.aaamp.org. The previous URL, http://www.angermanagementproviders.com, is no longer associated with our organization.
April 29, 2007 at 5:57 am
[...] NERVE of these guys just busting in here and posting a press release on our website. And on the “Hot Issues” section as well. Like this announcement was a “hot [...]
May 25, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Todd Edler you need a better line. Where are you surfing old boy in NY City.
Just come down and bring money and you got it made.
May 28, 2007 at 1:59 am
Mia’s back. Saw her at a thing tonight. I am most impressed with her tireless work, her ease with all of her constituencies and the way she handles herself and her parliamentarians. The lady is good, very good! Madame Deputy Prime Minister welcome home, come and take your rightful place!
May 28, 2007 at 2:16 am
Anonymous
Back from where? Was this before or after smoking some POT??
What do you think about the way she handles other women….her abusive ways? Do you admire those characteristics as well?
Welcome home from where??
May 28, 2007 at 2:32 am
Oh, Anonymous, you are soooo satirical! You would do well in a British comedy. I’m here cracking up!
May 28, 2007 at 2:36 am
EDITED BY BFP
Jerome… what exactly don’t you understand about the English language?
We have asked you to stop with your sexual innuendo, but you didn’t stop. Then we told you that we would ban you if you did it again.
What are we supposed to do now? Not keep our word?
You are banned for one month. Take it or leave it.
george
May 28, 2007 at 3:26 am
Jerome Hinds is banned ? This means we will have to wait until July to read his comments.
Unless he goes to an internet cafe and use a different name.
June 23, 2007 at 1:40 pm
BFP I would like to make a constructive comment to you and with respect relating to submissions you want to “moderate” before you decide that they are acceptable for print.
Not only are you perfectly correct in screening submissions it gives the blog credibility that you will not tolerate vulgarity unreasonably way out assaults on people and subjects under discussion all of which are acceptable gidelines. But here is what I have a problem with and it seems that I am not alone given other comments on the subject that have been submitted to you by others commentators.
The “moderation” process takes too long, hours sometimes and this breaks the continuity cycle to comments on the subject under discussion. I realize that most of the time you spend on running this blog is voluntary but I think my point is one you might well wish to give some thought to in trying to improve the time frame.
June 23, 2007 at 2:34 pm
I second that, Plover. Someone, I don’t remember who it was, recently degraded this site with a few curse words and then made a remark about men getting an erection over becoming a freemason. I had to wonder if that person was sick. BFP is right to keep smut off here, but sometimes some slips through, like when they keep refering to peoples gender and different lifestyle.
June 23, 2007 at 2:41 pm
When dealing with some politicians of uncertain gender why would it be unreasonable to question their lifestyle after all as a public officer you should be under the microscope.
June 23, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Plover said…
The “moderation” process takes too long, hours sometimes and this breaks the continuity cycle to comments on the subject under discussion. I realize that most of the time you spend on running this blog is voluntary but I think my point is one you might well wish to give some thought to in trying to improve the time frame.
***************
BFP replies
Hi folks.
I wish there was a better way, but we’ve tried not having moderation twice and it was a disaster.
Last time we turned off moderation and just let people post what they want we received something like 800 foul comments in a few hours as some people want to destroy this blog. The best way of doing that is to post all manner of foulness to drive away readers.
You don’t realise it, but we still have to wade through almost 1000 spam comments per day. That takes time and sometimes there is no one to moderate for five or eight hours. Mostly we get to the moderation list every few hours.
Its the best we can do folks.
June 23, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Amen! Point taken
July 5, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Successes of the BLP
THE DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) has been boasting about the crowds attending their public meetings and has publicly stated that the support is an indication of the likely results of the upcoming election. By this logic, the poor attendance at their meeting at Oistins last Sunday night, is also an indication of the election results.
The party that will lead this country following the next election is the party that best articulates and can maintain our social, economic and political stability and can provide imaginative development proposals for this country’s advancement. The DLP lacks that level of maturity and intellectual grasp of the issues. When the current platform of personality attacks and the old talk about who is expired and tired are over, Thompson and the DLP would still have to tell Barbadians how they intend to maintain and surpass their current standard of living – a task which they have so far failed miserably to do.
The DLP’s strategy for the coming election will be to attack the success achieved in the economy and attempt to convince Barbadians that nothing was achieved under this Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration. However, Barbadians know that much has been accomplished and even more is expected for Barbados from a continuing expanding economy.
Since the BLP assumed office in 1994, the level of unemployment for the fourth quarter of 2006 has fallen to 7.6% as compared to 26.2% for the first quarter of 1993 under the DLP. The exceedingly high level of unemployment under Thompson and the Dems was a result of their disastrous economic policies that left thousands of Barbadians without jobs, homes and any hope for a real future.
Under this BLP administration, the tourism sector, in spite of the 9/11 disaster, has expanded to provide the necessary foreign exchange that has been instrumental in Barbadians being able to afford to import the large number of motor vehicles and consumer durables to make lives meaningful. The increase in the imports of construction materials and capital goods has resulted in the expansion of the construction sector and greater industrial plant capacity hence creating substantial job opportunities.
A major point of significance of the success of the tourism sector is the fact that at no point in the life of this BLP administration have our largest hotels – Sandy Lane, Hilton, Paradise Beach and Sam Lord’s – been all functioning at the same time. With no more than two of these hotels operating at the same time, the sector expanded. The projected loss of income to the tourism sector through the closure of any of these hotels could be of the order of $120 million and this would seriously impact on the employment opportunities of many Barbadians.
Considerable expansion in the housing stock has been achieved as Barbadians continue to purchase homes and the commercial banks continue to show mortgage lending at an all time high. Higher incomes and improved employment opportunities have worked to produce the strong demand for goods and services.
The manufacturing sector has rebounded as seen by the high level of exports of locally produced goods due mainly to the many incentives extended to the industry. Domestic exports (other than sugar and molasses) have expanded from $208 million in 1994 to over $480 million in 2006 – an increase of $272 million. In comparison, between 1986 and 1994 under the DLP, the domestic exports (other than sugar and molasses) fell from $364 million to $207 million – a fall of $157 million.
These are some of the successes of this BLP administration.
July 5, 2007 at 9:14 pm
2,000 tourism jobs lost between 2002 and 2004, or 8% of the total (one in every 14 across the sector).
Source: Barbados Statistical Service.
25 hotels closed or been converted into condominiums over the last 12 years.
While overall tourism revenue may have risen, when you have inflation at 7 or 8%, it is pretty meaningless until growth is above those figures.
And after 6 long years the only national marketing plan to stimulate long stay visitor arrivals is to sell the product below cost (Best of Barbados programme).
If this is success, please describe failure to me!
July 5, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Well said Adrian, once inflation is factored in, our Tourism Board, and the Ministry overseeing it, have little or no progress to show in our No.1 industry.
Why spend millions on promotion with so little return?
Thousands of Brits arrive here, with no incentive offered, and what do they leave with as their last impression of our island, a punitive escape tax.
What do they tell me?
“Barbados , been there, done that, rip off.
If I’m flying 4000 miles for two weeks in paradise, I’ll choose a destination with value for money high class hotels.
Cuba, Dominican Republic for me next year”.
High end marketing may be beneficial for government ministers,but it isn’t working for our hotel workers.
July 6, 2007 at 12:50 am
How can you expect politicians to have the savvy necessary to understand the fickle international tourist trade?
Once the word goes around the tourist network that Barbados is no longer the premium destination it used to be, that it is a rip-off with indifferent service and poor value for money, we could easily wake up to find that we are scrunting for tourists, high end or backpacker.
All it would take is a decision by Sir Richard Branson to divert Virgin from Barbados to a more attractive alternative for us to be in deep trouble.
The politicians are smugly complacent that just because the sun rises every morning, tourists will continue to arrive at Grantley Adams airport. Nothing could be further from the truth.
July 6, 2007 at 12:54 am
It did! Sorry.
***************
BFP says
No problem naive. george on the job 2night fix it 4 U!
July 6, 2007 at 1:15 am
naive, you are not naive at all.
The word is already out and has been for some time now.
There is a very different “industry” which is keeping Barbados afloat. I guess you could call it the “offshore industry” but it is far more sinister.
July 6, 2007 at 2:48 pm
BFP we look forward to your take on the BS&T saga
July 10, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Dealing with the Economic Realities
By
George C. Brathwaite
BSc., MPhil. (UWI)
23 June 2007
There is no doubt that globalisation and the broadest notion of laissez faire produces both winners and losers, and distributive inequalities. The contemporary world is being defined more and more by increasing levels of competitiveness, and by the maximisation of gains from economic processes and macroeconomic efficiencies, which ultimately determine the scalar location of a country’s integration into the global political economy.
I must confess that I am an avid reader of Professor Michael Howard’s contributions to academia and to the print media. There is a provoking sense of subtlety that seems to fluctuate somewhere between economic banter and utopian mischief whenever he takes to the public. I am convinced that Professor Howard in straddling the fence between his liberal theories of development and his structuralist orientation is guilty of what Robert Gilpin refers to as the tendency “to neglect the political framework within which economic development takes place.” Perhaps it is my keen observation which draws on recent contributions from the professor that I can advise him to bear in mind that “the process of economic development cannot be divorced from political factors.”
Over the last two years, Professor Howard has shown some type of revival with columns or letters appearing in the Nation Newspaper publications. To be sure he has issued challenge to one or more persons to “deal with the economic realities of our small densely populated country,” and hence I have decided to act upon his dare. I can only guess that his emphasis on a demographic matrix is to buttress his economic arguments that appear to be surgically removed from all the other variables and extenuating factors impacting on economic growth in a small economy. Nevertheless, I will not focus on the matter of population in contradistinction to economic growth unless Professor Howard is willing to release the empirical data that shows the optimum population for Barbados.
What are we missing therefore Professor that you are obviously seeing? Is it that although you are on record of supporting the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), in fact you are reticent about support for free market principles? Surely you must understand that in the absence of any practical alternatives being promoted by you, there is every chance that when the very market principles that you are critical of are adapted to the peculiar circumstances facing the Caribbean region, these may yet bear fruit that promote ‘equitable development’?
I find that you throw around certain clichés peculiar to the jargon of your discipline without bringing a rationally constructed argument to bear on the future passage of economic policy. Should the directorate listen to your admonition when you state that you “agree that the removal of exchange controls on some regional capital account transactions to support the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) is highly desirable?” Or should they put paid to your cautions because what you are saying amounts exactly to the “market failure approach to economics” being under taken by the directorate? Did you not say that, “I support the removal of some exchange controls to facilitate the operation of the CSME … Barbados should not completely liberalise its capital account, even under a phased approach?” March 2007 was not that long ago, yet you had more to say in June. Professor Howard, you cannot speak about a ‘preoccupation’ by the directorate with the CSME as a reasonable exit for you to speed from your earlier positions of support for both the CSME and the removal of some capital controls. Your ambiguity is misleading.
I am not surprised that you would state your amazement “at the almost uncritical acceptance of the free market doctrine by the directorate.” However, if this statement was meant to suggest that the current directorate is failing the country due to its headlong rush to follow and implement all the neo-liberal policies that it is exposed to, then again I have to say that you have run afoul of your own benchmark for critique. When did you realise that “the dominance of transnational capitalism, especially seen in the profit-maximising behaviour of commercial banks,” has been negatively effecting the consumer and by extension the Barbadian economy? If the ‘excessive profitability’ that continues to occur over an extended period of years in the domestic banking system is anything to go by, then it means that the pressures brought to bear by the directorate via the Central Bank of Barbados were merely nominal ascriptions that did not bring about any reform whatsoever. Now I see the value of this directorate’s policies for encouraging increased cross-border economic activities within CARICOM!
It is very easy for all of us to sit back in our armchairs and spit words of disdain towards Guyanese and others who come to these shores and then pronounce to the world that this is not a xenophobic society. Most Caribbean brothers and sisters that come here to work will no doubt contribute to the economy of Barbados. I do agree with you Professor Howard that “uncontrolled migration will have a significant negative impact on real wages, social services and the level of crime.” However, my departure stems from the crucial point of factor mobility in the attempt to create a single market and economic space among the Caribbean Community.
Who will we exclude from the administrative dragnet; will it be your good PhD supervisor, intellectuals, artistes, sports and media personnel? Will the subalterns that the Right Excellent Errol Barrow spoke of in 1986 be the victims of a carousel that sees only the elite as being able to fashion the infrastructure for increased economic activity in the Caribbean? Tell me Professor, what are the ‘real wages’ for each category of worker in the various industries across the Caribbean? My intelligence perhaps is so moribund that I am willing to suggest that the Barbadians who earn capital in other Caribbean jurisdictions are all part of the elite that you yourself wish to restrict if they are willing to take their entrepreneurial spirit across the imaginary boundaries that have historically divided and fragmented us.
Lest I fall victim to the same scourge that has taken over your mental faculties, let me declare that I am for resistance to the overpowering dominance of US-led capitalism and I am against unregulated capital flows. In Coxian fashion, I am not one to embrace every chapter and verse of the neo-liberal discipline, nor do I feel obliged to accept deterministic outpourings from global power centres. Barbados and the region must always seek alternatives or adaptations that take into account the social, political, economic, and cultural realities that exist within society.
When Barbados takes on the challenges of not wholly conforming to the IMF’s recommendations; not leaning towards Standard & Poors’ advice; or not worshiping the dictates of US and EU macroeconomic policies, that is resistance. Resistance does not mean total rebellion or opposition to an aspect of material life. It is a dialectical and transformative mode that gains its expression through such acts as simple protest, not always ‘toeing the line’, and most of all, resistance appears in the language of self-discernment. Ashcroft puts it brilliantly when he contends that resistance “manifests itself as a refusal to be absorbed … taking the array of influences exerted by the dominating power, and altering them into tools for expressing a deeply held sense of identity and cultural being.” Certainly this must amount to one strong reason why we need the Guyanese and the peoples of the Caribbean in our midst. It is why we need a single market and a single economic space although it is not only about economics; it is also about a socio-cultural resistance that gives us the reserve to face the struggles ahead.
July 12, 2007 at 4:39 pm
The government has finally and sneakily put the nail in the Used Car business
Under the Enviirnmental Levy Order 2007, dated 22, June 2007, the Environmental Levy has been increased on new cars by 100%, from $2000.00 to $4000.00.
This is the continued orchestrated effort by the Arthur Administration to destroy the Used car business in favour of the Traditional bigger sellers.
At first it was the limitation of the importation of cars to 4 years old; then, the Environmental Levy was increased to $2000.00 (While the same tax was only $150.00 on new cars)
In 2006 the Used Cars were “seized” for about 9 months.
Now the latest development is the increase in Levy to $4000.00 (The same for new cars is $300.00)
Clearly this is a cleverly devised plan to destroy this sector of the market.
My question is “why?” Why would an elected govenment want to destroy this small business sector which contributes heavily to government revenue in the form of taxes and significantly employs thousands of persons accross the island?
Clearly this is a case of outright descrimination.
This government has continued to show its contempt for small business and small people as a whole.
July 12, 2007 at 5:18 pm
We installed them and it will be left to us to remove them when the bell tolls.
July 12, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Good point Alert !
Further evidence reveals that the Public Officers Vehicle Loan facility is being considered for revision and soon to be discussed in Parliament.
It currently allows some Public Officers who qualify ( must be on the Travel Schedule ), to borrow $ 35,000.00 interest free to purchase a vehicle of their choice.
It is proposed that this loan is to be increased to
$ 50,000.00.
No doubt the expressed intention of the Democratic Labour Party to revise this loan facility to $ 60,000.00 is being AMBUSHED by Owen Arthur & his gang !
Here is the rub !
Currently a RECONDITION car under the current system can be purchased for a monthly repayment of $ 583.00 for 60 months.
Under the proposed increase a RECONDITION will carry a monthly repayment of $ 833.00 for 60 months !
A whopping $ 250.00 more !
Currently a NEW CAR under the current system can be purchased for a monthly repayment of
$ 416.00 for 84 months.
Under the proposed increase a NEW CAR will carry a monthly repayment of $ 595.00 for 84 months !
A meagrely $ 179.00 !
Therefore, current owners of RECONDITION cars under this system may now be forced to buy a NEW CAR because the proposed new payment is a MERE $ 12.00 more than what they now pay……!
The brillance of a CROOK like Owen “tiefing” Arthur !
July 25, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Why has this government over the years done all it could to destroy the Used Car Industry?
Why doesn’t it touch the New Car dealers?
July 25, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Come on guys let us be rational on this used car issue, do you believe that these used car dealers have the resources to put money in Owing’s back pocket like the Kyffin Simpson’s or the BS and T group headed by that bastard Allan Fields ?
He has been sat down and they have set the agenda for him and he has to deliver the goods to them because he has been paid for his services.
July 25, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I think I have to agree with you (Wishing in Vain).
For why has the Govt. over the years been so zealous in its quest to penalize this sector of the industry?
The situation is now to the point where the dealers have been DELIBERATELY TAXED OUT OF THE MARKET.
July 25, 2007 at 4:29 pm
This was seen to be to damaging to the wellfare of the new car dealers and these same ones are the ones with the money clout to dictate the conditions under which Owing will operate once he accepted their money he is under their command.
July 25, 2007 at 9:27 pm
The increase in the Evironmental Levy was no mistake. It was well planned and executed to obtain its objective!
July 25, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Wishing in Vain-
I would stop short of using your colorful language to describe Sir Alan Fields, but there is no denying he has far too much of Barbados on his plate to handle properly.
Right now he is trying to fight off AnsaMcAl from taking over BS&T, and sure has his hands full with that alone.
That must be why we are hearing nothing after many months of him being the New Broom to sweep CBC clean.
What ever happened to the big promise that resulted in Dr Allyson Leacock leaving in a hurry, along with some board cohorts?
She seems far from “persona non grata” in official circles, having landed a fat commission out of CWC, and appearing, dressed to the nines, on gala occasions, with her cat-that-swallowed-the-canary smile.
For Fields to take on the chairmanship to clear up the CBC mess was ridiculous, and goes to show how our esteemed Prime Minister mamaguys us with pappyshow measures that mean nothing.
With BS&T’s future hanging in the balance, Fields should have resigned from CBC longtime!
July 29, 2007 at 2:50 pm
This government has intentionally killed the reconditioned car market to appease their masters!
August 22, 2007 at 4:34 am
This BLP government needs to go.
August 26, 2007 at 11:32 am
It has been decided that there are too many cars on the roads for the flyovers and extra lanes on the ABC highway to make a difference.
The government along with the insurance companies will ensure that persons who can barely afford a car at the moment, will not be able to do so in the future and those who cannot now afford one, will have to abandon all thoughts of ever doing so.
August 26, 2007 at 11:47 am
Is this official Just Waiting, or your interpretation.
I saw yesterday that 3S are to consult us shortly about the flyovers.
Yes, I had to read that twice too.
Methinks the GoB has serious money troubles, and is desperate foe economies.
August 26, 2007 at 12:25 pm
So, firstly condolences to anyone who has been injured in the ‘unofficially’ reported building collapse in Brittons Hill.
I cannot get official word on this as none of our local ‘media’ (what a joke) are reporting this as a real-time event.
Neverthless, hopefully there are no dead and any injured are rescued quickly. Reports of the building falling 100 feet into a cave are feasible, as Barbados is full of caves (as per Warrens and NHC building).
Further to this, we are now building flyovers on soft limestone rock, of which the substructure is uncertain.
Looking for trouble or rocket science?
August 26, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Straight Talk -
That is just my take on the whole used car issue.
Operation is going to cost more than was estimated, so it is possible they might alter some plans to cut cost.
http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/12298/10/
August 26, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Rumplestilskin -
It is official, an apartment building has collaspsed into a cave about 4:45 am
(bds time).
A family of four is reported missing.
We can only hope they survive as the rescue attempt has not commenced as yet.
Uncertainty surrounds the size, depth and stability of the cave and its ability to support heavy duty rescue equipment.
August 26, 2007 at 1:56 pm
This is ibeed a sad development.
This is an advance warning to Pemberton and Patterson in their use of inferior quality steel and Chinese workers and their standards in their Paradise project.
They to are building on caves as well and they are prepared to cheapen the building cost to the extent that they will risk life and limb.
August 26, 2007 at 2:09 pm
This news is sad. Hope the family turns up safe. There may be something to WIV comment about the Four Seasons comment. There is a newly built condo on the west coast (opposite Ssasasfras) that cannot be occupied because the roof of the cave over which it stands, is in danger of collapsing. Millions of dollars are now being spent to reinforce the foundation and to save the building.
August 26, 2007 at 2:10 pm
sorry should be “the Four Seasons project”.
August 27, 2007 at 10:59 am
I am quite serious about my comment above, I say this because of the likelyhood of these two developers wanting to build this project as cheaply as is possible.
Also bearing in mind that the partner Patterson is the main player in the Coconut Creek project and he is a major player in the Paradise project do you see any connection
to building cheaply as yet ?
August 27, 2007 at 12:49 pm
If you think that this gang would not be so evil to break the building codes (limited anyway) to save money and by extension improve their bank accounts you are living in a dream world.
August 29, 2007 at 4:32 pm
i would like my comments stay as it is, of barbadian born,rise,and bread i am deeply sadded by all the things happening there, i know after cow williams and the other big boys that own barbados finish with it ,it would not be home again, who can afford it,also did the prime mister and others tell the barbados public that warren buffets,and others investors who do not care about, barbados own it their only goals is to made money and not reinvest it back into the island and their would not live there, to hot and would get hotter
August 29, 2007 at 4:45 pm
i remember as a little girl living in st james life was beauiful my grandfather working the land from sun up to sun set,after i turn 19 years old i moved to the states, only to made money to build my own house,.now cow william and othersmade not make my dream come true, apes hill is gone to the rich and super rich, but i know as a little and a big girl when hurricaneseason and rainy season come plenty water comedown apes hill then we shall see, who would feel it then god is not sleeping
August 29, 2007 at 7:38 pm
If the BLP assumes goverment for a fourth term all hope will be lost for Barbadians especially with all the construction going on. The high number of persons entering into university both regionally and internationaly. The high volume of travel from the country, and the amount of loans being given to locals.
September 15, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Hey Folks, what other stories would you like to see on the Hot Issues page?.
October 2, 2007 at 11:25 am
The funeral ofthe late
Donavere Alberto Codrington
&
Yashiro Iori Codrington
Will take place on
Wednesday October 03rd, 2007
Coral Ridge Memorial Chapel at 3:45p.m.
There will then be a procession to the Cassia Lawns at Coral Ridge for Burial.
October 4, 2007 at 6:09 pm
It seems to me that some of the moderators at VOB have a problem with persons calling to discuss christian issues, that is persons apart from a particular anti-Christian / moslim caller. He spends so much time bashing christianity and gloating in what he has read. At the end of his stint, can anyone say that he was a breath of fresh air and they have connected to the Almighty as a result of him?
Finding the truth is so simple. You just have to connect to the person who said he is the truth, the life and the way. All the knowledge this caller shows off to have does not matter. All he talks anyway is what he has read that someone else wrote. It seems to me that you only read books that have a view of Christianity which are in sync with your own views. It always fascinates me that people cannot accept what is written in the Holy Bible. They argue about the writers, if what is written should be taken literally or not, if the stories are just that – stories. Yet they would read books, do research on the internet and come to a conclusion. They don’t question the writers of those books or the internet article writers but the Holy Bible must be questioned as to its authenticity. If you want to find God, you don’t have to do a worldwide search. You can read all the books on the subject, read the Holy Bible six times and still not be any wiser. Grant you, you may come to a conclusion. But as Adrian Agard said on Brass Tacks, the Bible says “there is a way which seemeth right to a man but the end thereof is destruction”. You connect to God through his son Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just a prophet. The amount of people who can testify of things that happened to them as a result of using the name of Jesus, not Selassie or Mohammed is enough to convince anyone of the divinity of Jesus Christ. When you shake off the arrogance and all the knowledge and go to God as a young child and ask for guidance and seek answers, God will direct you. Instead of arguing whether Paul preached at Bridgetown or Bathsheba, which is irrelevant, study the life of Jesus. When you stand before God, he is not going to judge you on your knowledge of biblical history. I pray that as you study Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will minister to you and your eyes will be opened to see the truth. God is spirit and you can only know him through spirit not the many books you have read. Books can assist you if you are reading from the right perspective. Don’t always read the anti-christian views. Read also the pro-christian.
October 16, 2007 at 3:01 am
I went to Emerald City supermarket earlier to purchase a 9” cake. It’s cost is $14.99. However, I took it up and looked at the price – a whopping $18.99. Wait a minute! Isn’t the price of flour supponsed to go up next week? Andrew Bynoe’s flour went up today!
This is the same man who in an interview on the radio a few month’s ago said: “supermarkets do not practice price gouging”. Well Mr. Bynoe, what are you doing here?
People, we need help! Who will save us from these monetary vampires? As if I didn’t have the answer – Mr. Malcolm Taitt!
December 4, 2007 at 11:05 pm
So who should be responsible for your tears regarding SUV’s ?
One would have thought SUV’s would have become a hot issue long ago. We are told that Our Lizzie was parading about them on one of the call in programs, couple days ago. If this is true, SUV’s are not the fault of the public.
The guardians of our island, should have soused these huge monsters out, long ago. The distributors never once displayed in their adds, just how much such monsters consumed, just like today, they continue not to display anything on average distance you can expect to cover with any vehicle.
Instead, you hear all about airbags, and power windows, power steering and brakes, all the this and that,…. that increases yet again,….. the amount of fuel you will have to pay for at the
pump. There is no free lunch on anything that is run electrically, or hydraulically in your car, like some people seem to think. Your battery is recharged by the alternator, and you should know where the energy to drive the alternator comes from. Hydraulic energy also, is a product of engine power.
So who should be resposible for your tears at not being able to sell, or afford,…. your SUV ?
December 18, 2007 at 1:22 am
Barbados is going down the wrong road
December 22, 2007 at 12:51 pm
finally. the election bell has been rung. the bajan public should give the skipper a good birthday present. sweep them out and put them back where they belong as the opposition. the dems did it once at 24-3. save us from a tired jaded blp govt that would rather dissolve parliament than face a no-confidence motion; that would rather keep mascoll in its bosom than throw him to the wolves; that would see open discontent between the pm and his deputy. the signs have been there for a long time. wake up people this all the more reason to vote for an alternative government.
mother justice
February 9, 2008 at 12:20 am
Can the DLP supporters remind the Prime Minister that all politicians and high ranking government officials should declare their assets under his government. Eggs are cheap so I expect some polarize yardfowl to throw some eggs.
A quote for persons who are easily impressed is ” Change Brings Renewal Of Purpose and destroys complacency.
****************
BFP says…
We’re working up a story. Already the DLP have failed to keep election promises that they said would be implemented from day one.
While we’re still merely uncomfortable rather than in attack mode, the promises at the center of our concerns are non-negotiable.
The world turns…
June 6, 2008 at 1:53 am
To: The P.M and Minister of Transport.
What is this nonsense about allowing school children to follow free on the buses? Far from this suggestion, it is time for these children and their parents to take a bigger direct stake in their education.
Largesse is NOT the answer. Whatever comes too free is never appreciated as it should. The first set of parents whose children were afforded free education appreciated the gesture because they had a reference point to a time when they suffered to educate their offspring. But today these modern parents have no such reference point so everything is taken for granted. Please do not complicate this even further by adding free transportation to the list of unappreciated benefits. What is needed is commitment and sensible budgeting by parents.
August 26, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I would like the party in power to take a look at Blackman’s Road My Lord’s Hill …or at least the gully..where people can no longer past…you see I grew up in that neighborhood and think that something needs to be done…the past member of parliment came through the ‘gap’ saying he will do this and do the third…still the bush grows on…he will get a road cut through the back….”still the bush grows on…from Licrosh Village to the beginning of the terrace….People might get raped: killed: murdered…No one seems to care anymore.
I remember the cows grazing, sheep, goats…men riding on bicycles…tourist walking through just admiring the scenery. O those were the days my friend….Now a days you have people going down in that bush with buckets of water…like they are watering something…they are no animals in the gully…help us…build something on this land…just beautify it…coming around My Lord’s Hill … it looks atrocious.
April 29, 2009 at 3:15 am
I could’nt believe what I was seeing last sunday night on C.B.C. Mr.Wickham hosting The People Business talking about Animal Welfare in Barbados. Mr.Wickham why is it that we bajans like to sell our own short? Why was Mr.Norville the R.S.P.C.A. not on that programme.Mr. Norville is the recipient of the R.S.P.C.A’S Humanity Award, presented to him in 1980,by the R.SP.C.A in England, the only Barbadian to have that award. He has represented Barbados at two World Conferences in Boston in 1992 and 1994. He was made an Honorary member of The Boxer Club in 1994. He worked as a relief worker in St.Vincent in 1979 during the the eruption of the Soufrier Volcano.He was voted as one of twenty-five outstanding Barbadians by the Rotary Club of Barbados in 1987. Awarded for his cummunity work during the 30th Anniversary of Independence. He was made a Justice of The Peace in 1997. He also received Barbados Service Star in 1997. He has the experience of close to 40 years in his field. There’s also that fact he has risk his life occasions to many times to recall. During your show did you hear anything that you did’nt hear Mr.Norville spoke about over the past 40 years. Mr.Wickham don’t you think it would fear to allow Mr. Norville the same amount of television time to tell us about his experiences and where he would like to see animal welfare go from here? The people who devote their lives to the developement of this country are usually side step and over look because of skin colour and what they believe in. Common courtesy Mr.Wickham.
May 22, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
May 29, 2009 at 7:55 pm
BARBADOS
May.29.2009
NOTICE TO QUIT
SURRENDER-BY DEEDS ALONE
By the Hon:Alex-Mitchell:EL Power of Attorney for the Estate of Violet Beckles. By the Will and Plantation Deeds of BEATRICE HENRY also know as SUGAR.
NOTICE TO QUIT is hereby given to you Sir Charles Williams also know as COW and agents for the removal of self and of all Plantations Lands, houses,property, of the Estate whatsoever and wheresovever situate. All real and personal property by 30th of June 2009 or sooner
That this FRAUD upon the Heirs of SUGAR and Barbados of this True Estate by COW, your lawyers, buyers,bankers, family and all others is over.
This commingling of funds and land for your personal gains has come to an END.
June 3, 2009 at 10:02 pm
The time to regain our life and our land is now.
The colonial and corrupt era is come to an end.
We are taking what is rightfully ours….We shall win the fight..
July 8, 2009 at 2:39 pm
i am seeing all sorts of things here except what should be really talked about this swine flu pandemic and that the fact the we bajans are allowing people from the uk to come into barbados when the people over there are dying from it and there are over 6ooo cases already so mr prime minister you talk about guyanese what about the british that bring swine flu with them study that