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Barbadians Still Believe Lalaland Is Good Place To Be

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NUPW President Walter Maloney-Nation Newspaper
NUPW President Walter Maloney-Nation Newspaper

In a recent newscast we were surprised to hear President of the NUPW Walter Maloney recount that his union has had to postpone the launch of its heralded buyers club. When the idea was originally announced we believed it to be an excellent initiative in self help. The catalyst for the idea was obviously triggered by the escalating cost of living which occurred against the backdrop of the global economic turbulence.

President Maloney explained that while that part of the union membership comprised of retired civil servants have made contributions to the $600,000 project, active civil servants appear to be reluctant to do the same.

Barbados has enjoyed a standard of living which has been the envy of many. We are also aware that the global landscape has created threats for small open economies like Barbados. Our exposure becomes even more acute given our dependence on tourism and offshore banking. As luck would have it these two industries are likely to be impacted  by the financial meltdown currently being experienced in the developed economies of the world.

We have also been bemused in recent weeks at the pitbull rhetoric that we have been hearing from the Opposition. As far as we know Canada and a couple countries in South America are the only economies to record growth in GDP. For some weeks now the financial pages have been highlighting the contraction in global economies, including the USA and Japan the number one and two. Yet we have to listen to the rabidly partisan positions coming from our opposition party at a time when a bi-partisan approach is what is required.

Barbadians have become fat with the good life. We would have thought that the recent global events along with the forbidding economic forecasts would have been sufficient to jerk Barbadians into a new thinking. The recent revelation by President Maloney should give Barbadians a better appreciation for the degree of difficulty which our friends over at Barbados Consumer Watch and BANGO have been experiencing trying to mobilize Barbadians.

To Mia Mottley and her team we caution her that now is not the time to score political points, what the country needs now is LEADERSHIP.

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24 responses to “Barbadians Still Believe Lalaland Is Good Place To Be”

  1. Tony Hall Avatar
    Tony Hall

    Judging from this article I am of the belief that some Barbadians are not taking this economic crisis seriously and must understand that this is the time to be extremely frugal, hence the buyer’s club would have been a good collective start.

  2. Asiba-The Buffalo Soldier-still 2 much FAT on the road Avatar
    Asiba-The Buffalo Soldier-still 2 much FAT on the road

    Barbadians have become fat with the good life

    Now here is a statement on a topic that tickles my fancy
    and I did not make the statement.

    Definitely “TOO MUCH FAT ON DE ROAD”

    That song should be played everyday
    I can do with the royalties
    Keep the royalties -LOCAL-

  3. General Lee Avatar
    General Lee

    Here was an oppourtunity to provide serious competition to importers and supermarkets.
    Thousands of public workers shopping for their family and friends, at a buyers club instead of supermarkets, would force the principals of these businesses to sit up and take notice and offer better prices for fear of losing their remaining customers.
    Instead we have people not wanting to invest in something that would benefit them while complaining about the high cost of living.

    I now see why the merchants are slow to lower prices, it is not because of their overseas suppliers but because they know that bajans are bare talk and no action.

    When will we ever see the bigger picture?

  4. David Avatar
    David

    @GL

    It will probably take a catastrophic even to shock Bajans into the reality of the situation. Like Mascoll wrote in his column today we have to pay for the ambiance which our high standard of living expect. Would many of our middle class fore go the ritzy surroundings of Supercentre, Pricesmart et al to buy in a less palatial surroundings?

  5. Bdos Consumer Watch Avatar
    Bdos Consumer Watch

    Guys:

    What the NUPW has come up against is what every fledging consumer organization has had to endure. Bajans are very satisfied for somebody else to fix their problems..i.e. the government, the church, the school, the consumer organization..anybody by them.

    I heard a moderator on the call in program yesterday shouting from the roof top, when advised to carry his investigations a bit further, that the further investigation was for something called ‘a consumer organization’.

    We at Bdos Consumer Watch are planning a meeting in early December to bring all these consumers who know that the prices are too high, and that the prices should come down, and that the business people are price gouging, together to see if they are able to identify a strategy forward for them as individuals which would cause some type of movement in prices and services in this country.

    Hope to see all you guys there

  6. Negroman Avatar
    Negroman

    General Lee
    We will never see the big picture.The status quo has us so stupid that we are a lost cause.The Buyer’s Club that the NUPW proposed is an excellent idea that the members of that organisation should endorse.Those members as you rightfully point out would prefer to shop at JB’s,Big B,Trimart & Supercentre and continue to make white people rich.
    We black people have it within us in this island the power to make it right for us,instead we are operating to the contrary.
    We Blacks are in the majority and yet we are crying out about oppression.This is the only country on earth where the minority ethnics groups are oppressing the majority and many of us blacks walking around bragging and boasting that we have an education,intelligence & are important,but yet cannot look at a white man,Indian or Chinese and let them know that them are dealing with real men.Very few if any of us with the exception of Negroman & few others will eyeball white men and tell them as it is.Not many of us have that confidence.
    We love to patronise other ethnic groups businesses because we believe it to be correct thing to do.However,those ethnic gropus hardly support any Black owned business and usually spend their money within their groupings and we blacks see nothing wrong with that.We will consider those ethnic groups looking after themselves but if we operate that way we will have blacks opposing & criticising and labelling such moves as racist.
    We as a race of people will never learn.

  7. Avatar
    Anonymous

    David the buyers club is not primarily for those who can afford to shop at Supercentre, but for members who were crying for relief from the high cost of living.
    6 000 x $100 = $600 000.
    If the other NUPW members can not come up with the money, the union should consider opening subscription to the general public who might be interested.
    I wonder how many union members are paid up members of Pricesmart and ShopSmart.

  8. General Lee Avatar
    General Lee

    The above is me

  9. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    Maybe it is just as well.
    Bajan civil servants know full well that they cannot manage a gate at a free fair, (unless of course, there are taxpayers backing the event to the tune of millions of dollars.)

    Anyone REALLY think that these people would put a cent of THEIR OWN money into any business run by civil servants…. they may be civil servants, but they is not idiots!!!

    What buyers club What!?!?

    When I first heard that floated I rolled all over my floor laughing..they would not even know where to start….

    Which brings me to my point about high prices in Barbados. We deserve to be charged high prices.

    …imagine we have millions upon millions of dollars collectively saved in Credit Unions, Banks, Insurance Companies etc. We have thousands of highly qualified graduates, Large Unions, Credit Unions, Churches… you name it – and we are here depending on a few conglomerates to run our retail sector…. and have the gall to run around complaining about high prices.

    Stupssss

    We get what we deserve.

  10. Fair Play Avatar
    Fair Play

    Can credit unions open a supermarket?They have the assets to do it.Instead of letting members withdraw money every day to go to rip off supermarkets,the same money would circulate within the credit union which is own by the members.The problem would be how to get pass the same monopolistic importers who also own supermarkets.

  11. bushtea Avatar
    bushtea

    So how did that become a problem fair Play????

    The same way that the Credit Union leaders can always find reasons to fly overseas to attend ‘conferences’ ( read that as paid vacations) you don’t think that they can also create their own import arrangements?

    Every Tom Dick and Harry con go on line, pull out a credit card number and have practically ANYTHING delivered in Barbados in two weeks.

    What importers what!?!

    The Credit Unions just like the Civil Servants…. Just good at spending other peoples’ monies and not able to bring anything new or creative to the table…..
    …Billion dollars in assets and don’t even own a bank???? stupsssss

    Where there is no leadership (vision) the sheeple will perish…

  12. General Lee Avatar
    General Lee

    In this case (NUPW), the sheeple are running all over the fields and are being devoured by the wolves as they refuse to follow the shepherd.
    As for the credit unions, it is the sheeple who will have to push the shepherds to the edge of the cliff.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    Didn’t we hear this matter discussed before and was told it was not straight forward? Something to do with core purpose and regulatory issues.

  14. bushtea Avatar
    bushtea

    So now you see David.

    The only real talent needed to be a ‘leader’ bout here- is the ability for come up with creative excuses why they could not do the things that we all agree should be done….

    ‘core purpose and regulatory issues’ sound sweet as shirt – you must admit.

    I listening tonight to hear the maximum leader’s excuses for not locking up Clyde for hardwood, Owen for CSME monies wasted , Mia for burning down the prison and giving she friends millions for the new one etc.
    … He could talk sweet as shirt, so I done know that It will be good….

  15. 199 Avatar
    199

    His head remind me of a football!! Is it now too, hot for hair, in Bim!!

    Laaaaaddddddddddddddddd!!!!

  16. 199 Avatar
    199

    Dave, I would request you did n’t publish any pictures of men with no hair, who were n’t naturally, bald or with too, much hair, i.e. rastafarians!!

    They’re both unnatural to our race!!

  17. Chuckles Avatar
    Chuckles

    Do you know the locations of Popular Discount ,Spooner’s Hill and PriceSmart,
    Warren? They are 5 minutes drive apart. You do not have to pay a single cent for membership at Popular whereas there is an annual fee for PriceSmart membership. Those same civil servants would prefer buy the following items at the same price or more expensively from PriceSmart than at Popular:-
    Corn flakes, milk, cheese, peanut butter, sugar,sausages, bacon,cheese, tuna, tea, chocolate drink, fruit,coffee, sardines, eggs (breakfast items) ….. rice, peas,fish, pork, beef, salted fish, salmon, cheese , cooking oil, chicken, macaroni , vegetables ( lunch/dinner items) ……detergents(liquid and solid)
    …….toiletries (too many to mention) and pet food. Do you expect them to line up at the NUPW outlet to shop?

  18. bushtea Avatar
    bushtea

    @Chuckles,
    believe me, when the crunch comes, they will line up in much worse places for handouts…

    We can continue to pretend that all will be well and we can keep our heads in the sand. But by this time next year many will be singing a completely new tune….

    When we could live to see Ford, GM and Chrysler going cap in hand begging – and talking about imminent bankruptcy, we should be wary….

    If we were wise, we would now be using these few months window to prepare… our food production capabilities, our health capabilities etc

    but what do I know?

  19. Asiba-The Buffalo Soldier-still 2 much FAT on the road Avatar
    Asiba-The Buffalo Soldier-still 2 much FAT on the road

    We are not going to get anywhere as a people until we know our history:
    where we came from; how we got here; why we came here; who brought us here.

    We should campaign for our history to be taught in schools -adult education classes etc. Every university student should have to do history courses at every level to move on and graduate.

    If we do not address the problem of us not knowing our history, we will continue to flutter around like chickens without heads.

  20. 199 Avatar
    199

    We are not going to get anywhere as a people until we know our history:
    where we came from; how we got here; why we came here; who brought us here.

    ******************

    Looka dis idiot talking shite, again!! For ur information, Sir, I’m pretty certain dat not even most but, ALL, Barbadians know precisely, where we come from originally, and how we come to be here and all the other shite u referred to!! And what difference is knowing dat going to make to anybody or anything!!

    I tink I know what u got in ur brain and, suffice to say it begins with ‘s’ and ends with ‘e’ and is 5 letters long!! Guess wha it is!!

    Lord!! Way duh does get dese people from I doan know!!

  21. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    199

    I didn’t know dat a cu*t could talk til I hear you.

    Wha’ wrong wid Walter Maloney head? He look cute to we women, ya foolish bitch. Is not how de head look but wha in de head and unlike yours dat like it full a shite, he is a smarty. Go and sleep.

    Ya likes ma?

  22. 199 Avatar
    199

    Bonny, as a woman ur obviously, an authority on *unts, boa, so I defer to u pun dis one!! However, I still tink e look like a *unt, with a bald-head for such a young man!!

    Anyhow, women r strange creatures, so it doan entirely, surprise me dat u like e!!

    Laaaaaaaaddddddddddddddd!!!!

  23. Bonny Peppa Avatar
    Bonny Peppa

    199,

    Ma likes you too tweethart.

  24. Global Kin Avatar
    Global Kin

    Dear Underground,

    Can you please tell me the name of the local graphic artist who designed the cartoon mascot OZZY OZONE which was commissioned by the Government of Barbados in 1997?
    Also could you please tell me the names of the person/s who conceived the original creation/idea from within the staff of the Ministry of Environment/National Ozone Unit Barbados in 1997?

    I cannot get an answer to these simple questions directly from the source, for some reason?

    Kind Regards,

    Global Kin

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