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Activities In The Farm On Election Day

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We will write this slowly and very carefully. We confirm that the pictures above were taken on January 15, 2008. What this tells us is that the activities captured on the images above took place on election day 2008 in Barbados. We are therefore forced to ask the following questions:

  1. In Picture #2 the vehicle M50 is clearly visible. Can the presence of the vehicle in the Farm on January 15, 2008 be explained?
  2. Picture #5 shows Peter Miller in the midst of the crowd. Mr. Miller can you tell us what you were doing? More importantly, what had just transpired in the huddle which made you so pensive?

Would it be expecting too much of our media houses, which have been touted as being full of journalistic standards, to join us by asking the hard questions about events in the Farm on Election Day 2008?

Oooops, we forgot, they need evidence!

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69 responses to “Activities In The Farm On Election Day”

  1. Wishing in Vain Avatar
    Wishing in Vain

    Should you be able to extract a word from any of the media houses, Peter Miller, Owing Arthur, Clyde ASSCOLL, Mark Smart Williams, Everton Cumberbatch, the blp or the police I would say well done to you for your effort.

    This nonsense must be stamped out when a a PRIME MINISTER and the idiot CLYDE ASSCOLL CAN BE SEEN WITH PLASTIC BAGS OF MONEY DISTRIBUTING on election day , is a disgraceful act and it must be addressed.

    I am working towards carrying a case to the police by somone who was paid by Arthur and ASSCOLL to vote on election day.

    People like Arthur, mootley and ASSCOLL need to respect our Democracy and not drag it and its meaning into the gutter with them.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Did we hear Tony Best and David Ellis make statements on the radio that on election day they witnessed some disturbing scenes?

    What were those scenes that you witnessed gentlemen? More pertinent, did you report what you witnessed to the Police? Let us ask this question in a different way.

    Is the Barbados Police Forces aware of the events which you witnessed on Election Day and about which you expressed concern?

    Come on, the PEOPLE want to know, you paragons of journalistic virtue.

  3. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Who’s vehicle is M50? and why does that number sound so familiar? Is that the number assigned to the Prime Minister’s car?

    That is our understanding Adrian

    David

  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Rubbish.

    Why don’t you and the idiot Adrian Hinds venture into the Farm and ask some of the very same people who live there as well as the person who took the photos, eh?

    Oops, we forgot, some cowards prefer to hide behind their keyboards.

    And in case you have forgotten, Deacons Farm is not off limits to anyone in Barbados, not even on election day, and that includes public officials.

    Dunce!

  5. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Anonymous // January 27, 2008 at 5:20 am

    Rubbish.

    Why don’t you and the idiot Adrian Hinds venture into the Farm and ask some of the very same people who live there as well as the person who took the photos, eh?

    Oops, we forgot, some cowards prefer to hide behind their keyboards.

    And in case you have forgotten, Deacons Farm is not off limits to anyone in Barbados, not even on election day, and that includes public officials.

    Dunce!
    ==============================

    Yuh know Doppelganger Anon that is a very good question. David yuh one step ahead, this anon pretty much confirm wuh de photo display, but with such a larg crowd as dipicted in the photo, it shouldn’t be very difficult to get an eyewitness opinion and probably the answer to why Owen Arthur and Peter Miller where there.

    But Anon you sending me tuh de Farm as if to say that i would be too scared to venture down there.

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Adrian we are sure that you would have read how we phrased our questions. We are very sure that there is someone who reads BU who might want to give David Ellis a call. The fact is we would prefer if someone knew Peter Miller to ask him the questions which we posed to him. Let us forget the media practicioners who are gagged and ask the private citizen instead.

  7. R. Hooke Avatar
    R. Hooke

    Dear David,

    I think we can all agree that there were things which happened on election day that were not good for our democracy. Good of you to raise this issue. I am particularly worried about votes being bought with cash and drugs.

    We need to gather the evidence and get the law involved.

    I do not think that this video represents evidence. People can be anywhere – especially on election day – what matters is what they are doing. We need more evidence.

    I am also not convinced that misdemeanours were only on the losing side. In fact, in terms of what we know for sure, the only illegal activities have been the wearing of the DLP yellow T-shirts at the candidate registrations and the blanket putting up of billboards and electricity poles, started by the DLP, though with that precedent set, everyone began following suit. Although these things are relatively small we should show no tolerance for any transgressions, however, “traditional” people think they are.

  8. David Avatar
    David

    R.Hooke~did we say that we were presenting evidence? Did we say that indiscretions were in the preserve of one side? We asked a few questions and ask traditional media who is held up against the blogs as having the resources and journalistic standards to come join us.

    We have started the ball rolling. Who will take the baton?

  9. R. Hooke Avatar
    R. Hooke

    Daivd,

    And I am pleased that you have done so. Keep it up.

  10. Sapidillo Avatar
    Sapidillo

    Do you really think the COP and his cronies are going to investigate this concern. NO way, NO how. This incident would have to be handed down by the TOP BOYZS and GURLS for any action to be taken.

    Don’t expect your traditional media houses to get involve. They remind themselves daily to be selective in their reporting — that “life might be hard but it damn sweet!” 🙂

  11. R. Hooke Avatar
    R. Hooke

    David,

    Unless the new government starts recognizing Taiwan or voting for it at the UN we should assume that the Taiwan connection was false. It is looking that way.

    If WIV is correct about cash in brown envelopes being handed out no less by former a PM and well known Minister there should be a great many eye witnesses. So, if no one comes forward and no evidence produced to be scrutinised by a court, should we not also accept that these accusations were just made up and phony?

    If no case is taken up against Mr. Arthur on his cheque, what should we assume?

  12. Avatar
    Anonymous

    The cash distributions on election day represets one of the worst BLP legacies. We need to move aggressivey to stamp it out.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    R.Hooke~there is much logic in your statement and sadly we suspect that these concerns, indiscretions, suspicions, call them what you want will blow away like in similar situations of previous years.

    Relying on our proverbial optimism we have always tabled the view that it is most unusual that since Independence the affairs of State have been managed so well that public officers and politicians alike have escaped the opportunity of loitering in Station Hill and of late at Dodds.

    We have indeed been fortunate to have recruited politicians and civil servants who have been very honest in their dealing through the years. How fortunate we have been.

    Must thank the media houses through the years for keeping a vigilant eye.

  14. R. Hooke Avatar
    R. Hooke

    To annonymous,

    We need to stamp out all abuses. I heard of many in both sides, the only ones that I came closest to personally were a group of boys asking a BLP candidate to pay them $200 per vote because that is what they were offered by the DLP candidate.

    The BLP candidate refused and asked them whether they thought they were selling their soul cheaply. I was pleased to hear that.

    I cqannot believe the former PM Owen was handing cash out in an envelope. Whatever we may think of him, he is an intelligence person. But I am prepared to change my mind faced with hard evidence.

    We do not have a bad base as David has pointed out, but we must find evidence and prosecute so that it does not happen. It must be stamped out from whichever direction.

    What we must not do is prosecute by innuendo and rumour and be immune from actual evidence. This is too important to play party politics with.

  15. Wishing in Vain Avatar
    Wishing in Vain

    R. Hooke Your unswerving support of those who played a role in undermining the political electoral system is not to be admired in the least.

    There is no where where I stated that money was being given out from “brown envelopes being handed out” The money that Arthur and ASSCOLL brought out was in white plastic bags my friend, let also ask a sensible question how do you get someone to go to the police and start a case when they were the one receiving the same ill gotten cash?????

    Let us also ask what rolw MARK SMART WILLIAMS played with buying votes and having in his pocession a number of forged ID cards???

    Ask ASSCOLL what he was doing in the side road when he had his photos taken????

    Also to respond to your question as to if the Police were aware of these activities my response is YES they most certainly were aware, but would you address the Prime Minister and one of his Ministers as a lowly officer of the force with the likelyhood that this man could be in charge the next day and could oversee your removal from your job, give me a break, come on.

  16. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Wishing in Vain // January 27, 2008 at 10:58 am,

    You and your foolish lies again?

    Have you stopped to look around and realise that no-one believes your crap?

    The problem with you is, you spew so much rubbish on this blog that nothing you say can be credible.

    I heard a witness at Deacons Farm talk about what happened there on election day, so I know for a fact that you are a liar.

  17. frankology Avatar
    frankology

    The elections has been won, what is the problem with a political leader within a constituency. Thompson and Sinckler were in the area checking on constituents, that’s what you call electioneering, providing none of them had placards, party colours or within the the controlled area for voting purposes.

    So do tell me, what is the problem with M50, Thompson, Mascoll, or Sinckler within the constituency.

    By the way, I see WIV re-appear. Once it is propaganda, he is ready to throw gasoline in the fire.

    Let’s move on to give advice and show support to this new administration regarding if you are a Dee or Bee. Remember, this is our country and if David fail, we as a people will fail and our Caricom buddies will be happy with our demise.

  18. frankology Avatar
    frankology

    We are suppose to be highly intelligent people, Let’s take WIV statement that money was in brown envelopes and were given to young people in groups. Come on, would a politician give out money in the open stupidly without taking in consideration who in the group might be affiliated to the DLP?

    We have to separate partisan support from basic common sense. Please, my brothers and sisters, think first before leaping.

  19. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Wishing in Vain is an asshole.

  20. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Get off wishing in vain back.

    This nasty BLP party has brought our politics to an all time low.

    One caller to the radio last week spoke about marijuana being given to the rastafarian community in exchange for their vote,and the woman was very disturbed by it – perhaps the journalist can get hold of mia mottley and ask her if she has heard or knows anything about that.

    Blp candidates routinely pay these poor, young black men and women hundreds of dollars for their votes,as well as paying older persons light bill,telephone bills, etc.

    David ellis confirmed that there were disturbing things going on in the farm,as well as the trinidadian journalist Andy Johnson in the express newspaper.

    The hours of 4:00 – 6:00 are known as the hours when the BLP turn up with the money,and perhaps this is why the electoral office had to ban the use of cell phone in the polling booth – becuse blp candidates it is alleged wanted to see the people’s X on the ballot.

    Imagine a prime minister (Owen) having to be escorted out of the farm by the police.Mark williams was held by the police and released and on and on.

    Since the election BLP losing candidates having been talking about how much they gave to the people and the people still didnot go and vote for them.

    This is why a Mia Mottley leadership of the BLP is not a break from the past,but a continuation of the worst kind of politics in Barbados and people must reject her next time at the polls.

    We don’t want her kind any more as part of our democratic system.

  21. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Anonymous // January 27, 2008 at 4:34 pm,

    Bare lies.

    Looks like you forgot to enter your name… Wishing in Vain.

  22. reality check Avatar
    reality check

    well well

    the dirty little well known secret is out in the open. The systemic rot started with the top and wound its way down. There is enough to start the investigative process but it won’t happen with the police being part of the orchestration and turning a blind eye.

    You see thats how thing are done in Barbados and have been for some time.

    It will be interesting to see if the new transparency, accountability and disclosure laws will make it a serious crime to buy or bribe for votes.

    In most countries these politicians would be locked up rather quickly.

    Where to start?

  23. David Avatar
    David

    reality check it must be the media that buss this thing wide open, win, loose or draw. The PEOPLE need to know what is happening. The vast majority of Barbadians are going about their business and they are clueless about the darkness which looms behind our fair democracy. The pressure must come from the PEOPLE.

  24. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    We seem to be going back to people making extreme assertions, that if they were true, would be easily verified. Almost everyone in Bim has a mobile phone these days and if the PM of this country was handing out cash from his identifiable car, out of a bag, we would have pictures of it or hundreds of eye witness accounts. As we dont, why do we accept this? Making this a party political thing is going to reduce the pressure to change it.

    I have heard that DLP candidates were handing out cash and weed, but I didnt see it first hand so I am not going to assert that it happened. The only thing we have all seen with our own eyes were DLP T-shirts (“I wid dem” on yellow) at the time of candidate registration which is illegal and bill boards put up without Town & Country permission which is illegal.

    But the point here, a point I think David was trying to make, is that our democracy is too precious to let this stuff go. Let us gather evidence and take it to court and not make up stories for which we have no evidence for.

  25. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Useless fools.

    Doesn’t Barbados have a new Attorney-General?

    Ignorant clowns.

  26. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    On the front page of the Sunday Sun, January 27, 2008, the red caption: OWEN GETS BLAME, and the article beneath, indeed point to two BLP stalwarts’ assessments of the defeat of the BLP at the the just concluded elections in Barbados.

    Therefore, Mr. Clyde Griffith and Mr. Aaron Truss, in being very candid in their respective comments about the adverse and negative contributions of both the former BLP leader, Mr. Owen Arthur, and the former BLP Government, to the BLP’s massive electoral defeat at the polls, are seen to be apportioning blame to Mr. Arthur and to the ousted BLP Government for this defeat. According to the Sunday Sun, Mr. Griffith blames Arthur, et al, for being “prone to error”, being “insecure”, and for probably “overstaying his time” as political leader. As for the party, Mr. Griffith is reported in this said news story as saying, et al, that some BLP candidates had lost touch with their constituents, and had avoided them like the plague. He reportedly said that a poorly run campaign and lack of an effective public relations effort nailed the BLP’s defeat.

    As for Mr. Truss, he is cited in the news story as mainly blaming Mr. Arthur’s (brand of) politics of inclusion for the defeat. He argues that it excluded BLP people and eroded party support in the election. Also, Mr. Truss is cited as saying, among other things, that no one single factor constituted the orchestrated demand for political change, and that there was dissatisfaction with the BLP, and that of a groundswell of opposition towards it. Although he takes away from his argument by appearing to say that it did not necessarily mean support for the other traditional party ( a very clear but unnecessary bias against that party).

    Nevertheless, whereas both these former BLP Cabinet Ministers, Mr. Griffith, to a greater extent, and Mr. Truss, to a lesser extent, seem to base their arguments and reasons for the BLP’s humiliating electoral loss on Mr. Owen Arthur’s and the BLP’s Government’s respective though intertwining managerial incompetencies and deficiencies in relationship to the government of the affairs of the country and in relationship to the BLP’s electoral campaign, it must be, today, recognized by many Barbadians that these particular incompetencies and deficiencies were only a modest part of the entire reasons why the BLP was removed from executive government.

    For, we in the PDC would have known that soon after the 2003 election there was this momentum that was fast building, and that was bound to last up to the recently concluded election, that properly indicated that the vast majority of Barbadian voters were intent on changing the BLP government or wanted a change in the BLP government, inspite of the abundance of specific national problems and issues that were gathering since 1994, many of which were created by the then BLP government, and which, admittingly speaking, impacted to a moderate extent on the reelection chances of the BLP.

    Well, of course, both these gentlemen speak as BLP members!! Talk about the BLP being divided against itself and washing dirty linen in public in this post-election time!! Is more of such things to come and soon?

    PDC

  27. Farm Boy Avatar
    Farm Boy

    What de ramgate. I thought I was going to see a man handing out money. All I see is a bunch a men standing up and de one called Peter Miller looking in from de outside. Wuh he aint even got nuttin in he hand den. De PM car aint even in de same picture. Dis look like circumstances evidence dread. Right through.

    Why wunna doan ask de Red Sea men how much money dem get to vote fuh Chris.

    Wunna mekkin bare sport.

  28. Brutus Avatar
    Brutus

    Robert Hooke, your argument is that if the PM were handing out cash, we would have photos or hundreds of eye witness accounts. Since we do not have either, then the PM was not handing out cash.

    Your logic is very flawed, sir. However I agree with you that it seems unlikely that the PM would have done the job personally. The truth of the matter is that both the BLP and DLP most likely had operatives handing out the cash, and I would be surprised if the candidates did so personally.

    This is what Errol Barrow said on the same subject, back in 1986:

    “Now what has bothered me in this society is that every time after elections, people expect certain things to take place. And although the law says that he that giveth is as much guilty of bribery and corruption under the Corrupt Practices Act as he that receiveth, we know that even on polling day, people were given envelopes with $100 bills in them.

    Philip Greaves and Asquith Phillips and I sat down trying to get people to bring affidavits, so that we could lock up some of them. Our own people, registered Democratic Labour Party people, said they were not prepared to go into court and swear.

    So what kind of mirror image would you have of yourself? If there are corrupt ministers in Barbados tonight, you have made them corrupt.”

  29. eureka Avatar
    eureka

    Apparently I am not living in Barbados; I didn’t know that Peter Miller had jumped ship; sorry, I meant included.

  30. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    But Brutus, don’t shift the goal posts. The allegation on these pages is that the former PM and Mascoll were doing just that, handing out cash themselves “out of a plastic bag”. Read above. My reply was in response to that.

    I have maintained that this is a bit ridiculous unless we have more evidence and that I have heard stories about abuses on both sides and would like us to be less partisan in stopping all abuses and finding evidence to take matters further.

    Let me add something to the debate to bring further balance. I have seen nothing on these pages about Rommel’s old seat – I forget the name of the person who won it. The vote difference was less than 40 and the returning officer denied a recount. Why? In other seats, where the vote count was not as narrow as in his constituency, recounts happened and the tallies moved a little. What’s the story here? This I see is going to court.

  31. Wishing in Vain Avatar
    Wishing in Vain

    Can anyone comment on exactly why it is taking the opposition leader as long as it is to name its people to the Senate?

    The GG is awaiting her announcement before declaring his people,why then is she stalling?
    Is it possible that she is finding it difficult to get her approvals in place as this is a story that has been passed onto me.

    Tell me more on this matter it needs to be aired.

  32. anonnoyed Avatar
    anonnoyed

    Yesterday, the Dale Marshall cavalcade came through our village, one of the BLP men said to my husband, ‘Man, you let us down’, we took that to mean he knew which way which way he voted…………

  33. Jinx Avatar
    Jinx

    anonnyed,

    what annoyed me was hearing a blaring voice coming from the calvacade loudspeaker, stating “Dale Marshall IN POWER for another 5 years!

  34. Mary Warnock Avatar
    Mary Warnock

    WIV,

    Sigh. You just make stuff up.

    The GG is not waiting on the Leader of the Opposition. He has yet to have the 12 senators selected by the PM. Though I am sure it will all happen soon enough.

    Mary

  35. Wishing in Vain Avatar
    Wishing in Vain

    This was done and the GG is awaiting the selection of the Opposition members not hear say but it is a FACT of life.

  36. Mary Warnock Avatar
    Mary Warnock

    So who are the Government’s 12 then? This is clearly the most interesting list as they will be in positions of government. The opposition has just 2 senators.

  37. Mary Warnock Avatar
    Mary Warnock

    We do know the senators who will be ministers but we do not know the others yet, unless you do WIV. Let us know.

  38. Brutus Avatar
    Brutus

    Robert Hooke, we can agree that there are unsupported allegations on these pages and that this should be discouraged.

    I have a slightly different concern about the recounting. My recollection is that after one of the recounts in the last election, the actual vote tally for one of the candidates changed by around 30 or 40 votes. (Could have been St. Joseph.)

    This concerns me because a few of the consituencies were decided by very small margins. How could the initial count have been so wrong in one constituency, and is it possible that other constituencies had errors of the same magnitude?

    I am not sure what the law says are the conditions under which a candidate may request a recount, and what discretion is given to the returning officer, but it seems to have been a reasonable request by Mr. Marshall.

  39. frankology Avatar
    frankology

    This was done and the GG is awaiting the selection of the Opposition members not hear say but it is a FACT of life.
    ……………………………………………………………………
    How come you know things DLP and the real officials do not have a clue, Are you the spokesperson? Now tell us the composition.

  40. Floyd Avatar
    Floyd

    I notice that in the post election analysis while owen has been blamed for his politics he is complimented for his economics. let me remind you that he has left a sizeable current account deficit behind. In fact current account deficits became chronic over the last ten years.

    The comments by members of the electorate also raise questions about the low unemployment rate, or at least about the quality of the jobs created.

    Ecept for the unemplyment figures Owen is leaving a worse wicket than he inherited.

  41. Jerome Hinds Avatar
    Jerome Hinds

    frankology // January 28, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    This was done and the GG is awaiting the selection of the Opposition members not hear say but it is a FACT of life.
    ……………………………………………………………………
    How come you know things DLP and the real officials do not have a clue, Are you the spokesperson? Now tell us the composition.

    **************************************
    FRANKOLOGY,

    You ain’t get the call yet ?

    The main DLP SENATOR according to SENIORITY :

    + FRANKOLOGY !

  42. Donald Duck, Esq Avatar
    Donald Duck, Esq

    I hear the President of the Senate is a surprise that will make everyone want to forget about the St.Joseph hospital

  43. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    Dear Brutus,

    We need more of you on this blog. I am sure we disagree about many things, but it is a pleasure to discuss these with some one more focused on what is right for Barbados than looking to make a party political point.

    Lets hope that the disquiet of today reduces misdemeanours tomorrow. We have much to be proud of in our democracy, but much is now at stake if we let party politics make us complacent to maintaining the highest standards.

    In terms of cash-for-votes, I am not entirely sure how such a transaction could be enforced given that you cannot take a picture of your vote. Why would people not take the cash and vote for however they were going to vote – indeed they would be incentivised to vote for the more honest politician that had not tried to bribe them.

    People are suspicious about there being ID numbers on the back of voting slips, and I would be interested to hear what the electoral commission argues is the reason for that – is it to stop people voting twice or claiming to be someone else? Are there ways of doing that which does not make people think big brother knows how they voted?

    If there is a mechanism by which the government knows who voted for what, presumably the new government would be best placed to uncover such a conspiracy?

    It seems to me one good reason to change governments every now and then is that unless you do so, people begin to believe the most amazing conspiracy theories.

  44. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Robert Hooke

    You are the one who is talking about evidence…

    What evidence do you have of the returning officer refusing to recount the votes in St Michael West Central??

  45. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    Er. Because there was no recount of the votes.

  46. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    Rommel asked, as you would if you were a candidate and the gap was less than 40 and whatever the returning officer did/say, there was no recount.

  47. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Robert Hooke

    How do u know Rommel asked??

    Were u there??

    Where is the evidence??

  48. Robert Hooke Avatar
    Robert Hooke

    Er. How stupid can you be??

    Why on earth would he NOT ask? Why would his agents not ask? He is about to lose his seat and job by a handful of votes – what would you do? We know two things for certain.

    (1) He lost his seat by a small margin
    (2) There was no recount, even though there was a recount on the basis of a similar margin in St Joseph and if I recall, there was one other.

    What do you think happened? They just forgot to ask for a recount? Professional politicians, who we are told were so desperate for power that they would do anything for it, people who are so focused on power that they would lie and cheat for it, just forgot to ask? Yea Right. What are you hiding form?

    Come on. Your partisanship has blinded you to simple reason or you are trying to hide something.

    What we do not know is why the returning officer did not allow a recount. I would be interested to hear, he must have a reason. I see you cannot be persuaded by reason but I am prepared to be persuaded by his reason, but I do not know it and I find it odd and would like to understand it.

  49. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Robert Hooke

    All I am saying is that if YOU want evidence of what happened in the Farm where ‘FREE’ money was alleged being passed out …

    Why can’t I ask for evidence about what allegdedly went on at L T Gay school on the 15th.

    I was told by people in the Farm that money was passed…

    What were you told about what happened at L T Gay????

    Nothing to do with partisanship .. just goose is good for the gander what’s good for the

  50. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Notheing to do with partisanship – just what’s good for the goose is good for the gander

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