Prime Minister Owen Arthur On Cricket World Cup – ‘The Only Thing We Will Get…’

‘The Only Thing We Will Get’

This remarkable statement was made by the Right Hon Owen Arthur at a political meeting last night and carried on the StarCom Network News at 7.30am this morning.

He was referring to the Kensington Oval gate receipts from the recently hosted CWC matches on Barbados.

But what about Governments share (taxes and VAT) from spending by the ’97,000’ cruise ship passengers ‘that set foot on Barbados shores’ in April?

The $12 million to $15 million spent with the local vendors and merchants that Vancourt Rouse referred to?

And the ‘record breaking April’ for our hotels and tourism partners that the Minister of Tourism, Noel Lynch bragged about at the recently media conference at Sherbourne Conference Centre?

To quote his words ‘This April is also turning out to be as if we have done 13,000 more than we do in an average April for the last five years’.

And let’s not forget the much vaunted legacy benefit?

So they got it all wrong, and the Barbadian Taxpayer can only hope the Governments share of the ticket sales will be enough to cover the massive hosting costs!

Adrian Loveridge
7 May 2007

Barbados Tourism Minister Noel Lynch To Share His Expertise At Caribbean Shipping Association Forum

Noel Lynch’s Speech To Be “Highlight Of The Conference”

From the Jamaica Gleaner…

Michael Bernard, president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), will lead a high-powered delegation from Jamaica to the sixth Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) that meets in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on May 14, 15 and 16.

(snip)

A highlight of the conference will be an address by Noel Lynch, Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, on the topic ‘The Impact of Cruise Vacation on Land-based Tourism’, on the third day of the conference which will be dedicated to the Caribbean cruise industry. Minister Lynch will be one of several important speakers on the third day of the conference, including representatives of major cruise lines and cruise ship organisations in the Caribbean.

(snip)

Tourism is one of the economic sub-sectors on which Caribbean nations depend for survival. The debate about the effects of the cruise industry on the hotel industry andland-based tourism generally has raged ever since the Caribbean became the cruise capital of the world.

The cruise industry brings millions of tourists to the Caribbean, but passengers stay ashore only for a few hours. Whereas they collectively leave behind millions of dollars each year in spending on goods and services in the many destinations, individually they do not spend as much as hotel guests. Given this fact and the substantial capital investment in hotel plants and facilities around the Caribbean, the debate has continued.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Gleaner (link here)

How Many From Barbados Government Are Attending United Nations Anti-Corruption Seminar?

Quick! Call Your Local MP And Ask Why They Are Not At This Seminar At Grand Barbados Resort

Noel Lynch.

Owen Arthur.

Members of Cabinet.

Members of Government

David Thompson

Members of Opposition

Each of the above should be doing nothing else except attending the “Reinventing Government” seminar currently being held at the Grand Barbados Resort.

Minister of Labour Rawle Eastmond opened the seminar and spoke all around the subject of integrity legislation, but cleverly avoided saying the actual words. He and the government are obviously only going through the motions and have no intention of changing anything. Otherwise, Eastmond would have said “We are introducing integrity and conflict of interest legislation tomorrow.”

The Barbados Advocate lapdog newspaper proudly announced “Government To Become More Transparent“ like a good government publicity machine should.

Pathetic journalism by Janelle Riley who left her brain at home that morning.

Here’s a teaser from an article in today’s Nation…

THE MOST URGENT and daunting challenge facing governments and public administrations around the world is how to strengthen citizens’ trust in public authority.

That’s according to Guido Bertucci, director of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

He was speaking yesterday at the opening of a two-day regional forum on reinventing government in the Caribbean sponsored by Government and UNDESA in partnership with the UNDP and CARICAD and held at the Grand Barbados Resort. Problem for all

Bertucci, a 25-year UN veteran in human resources, financial management and administration, noted that in both developed and developing countries, in emerging economies, and in democracies, both young and old, “we are experiencing a troubling phenomenon: the growing perception of mistrust of governments by their citizens”.

“The emerging political economy in societies is contributing to the elite capture of political power and, consequently, distancing of the citizens – especially the poor and disadvantaged – from the decision-making processes of the state,” he said.

“In many countries, citizens are losing faith in democracy. Time may have come to take a fresh look at democracies and think of ways to make both its processes as well as its outcomes more inclusive and equitable.” Reasons Speaking on the topic: Building Trust In Government – Improving Public Management Through Civic Engagement, Bertucci said that in order to rebuild trust, the causes of the phenomenon needed to be understood and addressed.

He said while there were many causes generating the mistrust, there were four basic weaknesses of governance: (1) lack of transparency in handling public affairs; (2) lack of capacity on the part of governments to deliver services efficiently and effectively; (3) poor ethical standards and corrupt practices; and (4) non-existent or weak mechanisms for citizens’ participation…

… read the entire article at The Nation News (link here)

Now Mr. Prime Minister Owen Arthur…

We know that you have declared that Barbados doesn’t need integrity legislation because all our politicians are honest…

BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT $750,000 “Campaign Donation” cheque that was deposited into your personal account?

British Fertility Clinic Licensed To Kill Cosmetically Imperfect Embryos And Babies In The Womb

Clinic To Weed Out Embryos With A Squint

Embryos are to be screened for a cosmetic defect for the first time in a British clinic.

Doctors have been given permission to create a baby free from a genetic disorder which would have caused the child to have a severe squint.

The Bridge Centre family clinic, in London, has been licensed to treat a businessman and his wife to create the baby. Both the businessman and his father suffer from the condition, which causes the eyes only to look downwards or sideways.
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Critics have said that the permission is another step on the road to creating only perfect-looking babies in the laboratory.

The licence was granted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to Prof Gedis Grudzinskas, who believes the landmark ruling marks a shift away from granting licences only for life-threatening conditions.

He said: “We will increasingly see the use of embryo screening for severe cosmetic conditions.”

He added that he would seek to screen for any genetic factor at all that would cause a family severe distress.

When asked if he would screen embryos for factors like hair colour, he said: “If there is a cosmetic aspect to an individual case I would assess it on its merits.

… continue reading this article at The Telegraph (link here)

Chris de Caires Says Finances Of Cricket World Cup Barbados Are None Of Your Damn Business

LOC: CWC Figures Within 3 Months

THE TRUE FINANCIAL PICTURE of World Cup Barbados should be known within the next three months.

Whether it will become known to the public, however, is not certain. At a Press conference held by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) yesterday at Kensington Oval, chairman Chris de Caires stated:

“I expect we will be in a position over the next three months to have most of the financial information available and finalised, and at the end of that time, we would then have to settle up all arrangements with the shareholders.”

However, when asked if this information would be made public, de Caires said he was “not sure”.

The question was also raised about whether the LOC had any concerns about hiring one of its own board members as an employee.

Board member Allyson Leacock was hired as an executive consultant to produce the entertainment package for the closing ceremony. de Caires said that it was not a matter the LOC was concerned about

… from The Nation News (link here)

And Nevermind About That Conflict Of Interest Either!

Of course De Caires is not concerned about Conflicts of Interest. He’s just following the Prime Minister’s lead in giving preferential treatment to his current wife when she was a government employee.

After a while, these birds can’t even distinguish what is ethical and what is not.

Barbados Opposition Leader Asks – $150 Million Tax Dollars Later… Who Owns Kensington Oval?

“Interesting also, (Minister of State Clyde Mascoll) must tell us who actually owns the redeveloped Kensington Oval. I do not want to believe what I am hearing about Kensington, $150 million later, not belonging to all Barbadian taxpayers.”

…Opposition DLP Leader David Thompson in a May 6, 2007 media release about Cricket World Cup

We Don’t Own The Highway Flyovers, We Don’t Own The New Prison… But We Sure Pay For Everything!

Opposition Leader David Thompson asks some excellent questions in his recent press release about Cricket World Cup – questions that will be met with silence from the government.

But I didn’t know about Kensington Oval. How can we spend $150 million tax dollars and NOT still own it?

Oh yeah, I forgot… Owen Arthur’s strategy for filling his own pockets involves selling off our children’s futures.

Well, Mr. Prime Minister?

Do we still own Kensington Oval or not?

The Nation News: Above Our Heads