If only our politicians confessed this easily…

Guilty!

“And you… you let it happen. I hope you’re happy too.”

Cruise ship crisis in Barbados?

Another one gone: Fred Olsen’s Braemar pulls out

What a terrible week for Barbados tourism. First it was Royal Caribbean announcing the removal of all its ships from the southern Caribbean during summer of 2012, then we heard that the Sea Princess won’t be here next winter. It’s being transferred to Australia under the P & O Australia brand.

Today we just got news that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is leaving Barbados. The Braemar is a regular in Bridgetown and unloads 1000 passengers every time it pulls in, but it’s outta here after next winter.

Unfortunately the cruise lines are citing fuel costs to get to Barbados because we’re at the end of the line compared other islands that are a little closer to Miami and to Europe too. So that’s not something under our control.

What we can do though, is to make sure that every tourist that sets foot in Barbados has a positive experience, and especially so when they meet Bajans in the tourism industry and while out and about. A little smile and a friendly comment can go a long way to create a positive impression for all of us.

Four time Guinness World Record holder Garry Sowerby writes about a trip to Barbados in today’s Las-Vegas Review-Journal and says that he and his wife came away from our island with “a head full of warm memories that will make us smile for a long time” thanks in part to an unknown Barbados Police Constable. I wish we knew that officer’s name because he deserves thanks from every one of us.

Folks, we’re all in the tourist business on this rock and each one of us has to do their part. Remember that next time you see some lost soul trying to decipher a map or a road sign.

Breaking: Brother of former Turks and Caicos Finance Minister arrested for Crown lands fraud, money laundering

TCIpost Reports…

Earl Hall, the brother of former Turks and Caicos Minister of Finance Floyd Hall (photo above) has just been released on bail by the UK anti-corruption investigators.

The TCIpost is breaking the story and reporting that Earl Hall will face numerous charges including defrauding the government on the sale of Crown land and money laundering.

Someone actually charged with corruption offenses? How unusual!

Of course Earl Hall is presumed innocent until proven guilty and he will have his day in court – but that is a different story than in Barbados where we don’t have trials for corruption. In Barbados when elected or appointed public officials or their family members are found to be engaged in corrupt activities, the politicians will trade some insults in the press or in Parliament but no one is charged. Ever.

That’s the rules here. No charges. Ever. We’ve seen all kinds of incidents where Barbados government assets mysteriously end up in private hands, where politicians place “campaign donations” into their personal bank accounts and where the United States FBI complains to the Prime Minister about money laundering by government officials and that file somehow went missing. Never any charges though.

Here at Barbados Free Press we’ve even posted photos of a Minister of Government building a home with his mistress on land that his government expropriated and never paid for. How did that work out? The government and the opposition ignored it, as did the Barbados news media.

Nobody wanted to throw rocks while living in a glass house and all that.

So as we watch the events unfold in the Turks and Caicos, we are reminded that Barbados government officials shouldn’t be too smug. If we hadn’t become an independent country, the UK anti-corruption investigators would be on our doorstep too. But it’s our country so our corrupt politicians don’t have to worry about that.

Sleep tight boys and girls in Barbados Parliament. You have nothing to worry about because the rules still apply: No charges. Ever.