I have been off the island for a few days, so it has taken a little while to catch-up on the news. It was with absolute incredulity I read a Nation headline dated Monday 17th September 2007 emblazoned ‘Gems Glow – Mascoll: Properties can now turn a profit’. The article went on ‘The huge investment Government placed in the controversial GEMS hotel project has paid off where some of the properties can now be sold at a profit’.
A ‘profit’ after what! After writing-off what could be hundreds of millions of dollars of debt?
I will accept that the land value of the properties may have increased, but certainly not the properties themselves. You only have to take a look at Blue Horizon Hotel to see evidence of that fact.
What about the 20-30 rooms that are still left derelict and untouched?
It is very difficult for serious tourism industry players to follow the varied and at times 360 degree opinions of Mr Mascoll, but these comments beg disbelief. To draw the conclusions he has arrived at in this article must mean that he has studied in detail the latest audited accounts of Hotels and Resorts Ltd., something sadly the hard pressed Barbadian taxpayer has not been fortunate to. Mr Mascoll also made no mention of exactly where the funds from the sale of Eastry House and Silver Rock Hotel have gone too either. A question that the Minister responsible for the GEMS project has skilfully managed to avoid for sometime!
To infer that the GEMS project is glowing is a gross insult to every Barbadian, whether he or she has even a basic understanding of the tourism industry.
Adrian Loveridge
27 September 2007
that man macol is a bullxxx traitor
Adrian L
Good to see you back. Must admit that I was a bit worried about your absence. Thought that the goon squad had won. We will look forward to more of your enlightening if not robust comments.
Mascoll has lost any credibility which he may have had. He cannot be so critical of the ruling party one day and then be rolling in the sack with the sworn enemy the very next day. Anyone who supports Mascoll at this time has to be a real yardfowl of the highest order.
Isn’t Mascoll afraid that the very ones whom he offended while a Dem that they would be looking over their shoulders whenever he is around?
I am sure that there must be discontent in the cabinet and the party in general.
Nothing he says is believable. He seems to be walking around with a halo over his head, but he is just as corrupt as the whole lot of them.
Is Mascoll willing to say what is his role in the company called Hard Wood Housing Solution Inc?
Roger Rabbitt , It is my belief that there is much more to Hardwood Holdings than meets the eye. Has the molester of the three women being charged from that location as yet?
What ever became of that office that they built for Mascoll’s wife has he paid anything towards the cost?
Who owns the the equipment at that location? the company has received a lot of taxpayers monies to buy equipment but my understanding is that the equipment is not owned by the company but by the director of the company so when the gov’t will be looking to sell the equipment is case of problems the owner will be found to be the one in ownership.
You also talk about discontent within the party, of course there is major upheavel from within, as recently as 6 months ago Mottley very nearly raised enough support to oust Arthur from the post of PM and leader of the party, no wonder Marshall’s comment that he supports Mottley for PM is timely, if a sitting member can be so unhappy within cabinet but still sits it out is also devoid of moral or substance, and backbone, but I give her credit for having the bal_s to rival the short man ,but it is obvious to me that her days are numbered as DPM or even more as a representative, the people have choices to make , do they want a violent lesbian who is woman beater, a spent politicial force or do they want a 100 % woman with the people in her thoughts, and one that is educated and smart, and eager to give the job her best effort?
The myth that Mottley is such a clever person is not borne out by actions in her private life, by beating her female contacts like TC whom she has put in hospital so to Jenny mean while she parades as a good person.
If she were as clever as she was made out to be she would working in her fathers law office, but I question her effectivness in her profession based on the handling of the the tender for the prison which from all accounts it was so poorly written that the companies quoting actually were forced to rewrite the tender document?
She was the one that authored the tender document very poor quality work, then again it was left like this to permit the scope of what has now become a $ 200 million scam.
WIV~ we wish to challenge this statement:
It is well known that the Attorney General’s office has a staff of lawyers responsible for drafting legal documents. The Attorney General would hardly ever get involved in the drafting of a document at the ground zero level.
The Attorney General is ultimately responsible for the content of the document
She cannot escape blame for the poor quality of work done on this document, she in her wisdom should have have made certain that this document was more precise and demanding in its authoring.
The Attorney General performs the role as legal caretaker of this islands affairs of law and order and writing the laws underwhich we live, if her attempt to create a tender document that she was overseeing was so poorly executed lord help us with the other laws that she may have attempted to pass into law are they too flawed and full of errors?
I seem to recall the traffic act having to go back to the drawing boards for revision and correction, another case of slack thoughtless work by Mottley.
Maybe if she were to stay off that stuff and get into the office at 9.00 am some mornings as opposed to 12.30- 1.00 pm as she does on most days she would have a clear head with which to operate and function!!!!
This was posted on the blp blog and it in response to their page where they are saying that the DLP are discussing changing period of service and putting a limit of a max of 10 years in office for any party, maybe they the blp are wishing this was the case now.
Knowing them the way I do I now doubt if the DLP is even aware of this discussion as they referred to.
I certainly would support such a move it maybe the only good thing about the American system, but what it would ensure is that politicians would not grow to arrogant and cocky during their time in office but it would also put an end to what we have commonly know and seen as third term madness where leaders and his followers start to realise that their time in office maybe coming to an end and we then see wholesale stealing and corruption setting ( I am not suggesting that this is what your party is about ) afterall you are way to honest to be part of those scams.
I have known a place where a Prison has been built with third term adminstrations in vogue and this project was three yes three times overbudget but no one said a word, or in another case a road works project moved from $ 120 millionm to $ 360 million and not a word in anger, now were that to happen in Barbados I am sure our politicians would be up front an honest and tell the taxpayers exactly how their money was being wasted.
However in these third world countries these things go unnoticed and uncontrolled , I sincerly hope that acts of total corruption never makes it to our shores, but I have every confidence that Mr Arthur with an eagle eye for scamps and corruption would identify these crooks within five seconds of meeting them and would do what was necessary to explaing the ground rules to the corrupt ones that come to these shores to ravish and rape our island of natural treasures, the sea, sand and sun.
adrian is a liar and also post things all the time when he doesnt know facts he should keep quite
All i have to say is that i hope the outside world realizes that bajans are down to earth nice people who have had their country and its economy raped and plundered by this drunken johnny and his crew,i ask sincerely that all parties that lent Barbados money over the years track down Arthur and the rest of the thieves and cease every cent in personal offshore accounts as repayment for debts owed throughout the years.
‘Many Barbadians are not aware that the audited financial statements of GEMS have been laid in the House for some time now’.
BLP column today (19th October 2007)
Absolutely right, so lets see them printed in the newspapers for EVERY taxpayer to see.