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Constituency Councils Of Barbados Take Root

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CCTVAlmost like a thief in the night the much discussed and contentious Constituency Councils (CCs) will be given life today at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre at 4.30PM. Recently when asked by a local reporter what are some of his government’s immediate objectives and priorities, Prime Minister Thompson listed the implementation of the CCs high on that list. The governments unswerving commitment to rolling out the CCs has attracted criticism from the Opposition ranks mainly as it relates to structure and process. Renewed criticism has taken root of late based on the cost associated with the rollout of the CC’s in the prevailing economic climate where government resources are known to be  scarce.

This evening 6 CCs will be handed instruments:

  • St. Michael North
  • St. Michael North West
  • St. Philip South
  • St. George South
  • Christ Church South
  • St. James North

BU family members interested in some detail should visit the Constituency Councils of Barbados website.

BU’s position on the relevance of the CCs was highlighted earlier. Any entity which is designed to encourage a wider public participation in any democracy should be encouraged. The concern which the Opposition has voiced has merit i.e. the government to maintain popularity may use the CC’s to build a closer relationship with the electorate given the process of nomination and selection of CC members. We believe that the benefit to the people far outweigh the cons, successive governments have taken government away from the people, Thompson seems to be trying tom arrest this state of a affairs. The government appears to have an agenda which is more people-centric than its predecessor.

If we can offer advice to the Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley it is the need to be vigilant doing the PEOPLE’s business. If there are any cases which suggest malfeasance or treachery in the management of the CC’s, such cases should be copiously documented and exposed to the public, WE will decide with our X!

The first step to the public judging the transparency promised by the Minister responsible will be to see those selected to the 6 CCs today!

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76 responses to “Constituency Councils Of Barbados Take Root”

  1. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @PDC

    “This is surely the time for greater emphasis to be placed on high class strategic sophisticated politics in this country – a type of politics that deals with ensuring that the masses and middle classes are a lot more empowered and enfranchised in this country…”

    Skipper, I tell you that you need to study the politics. Nothing “sophisticated” don’t include the masses. Sophisticated is about the elite and a certain pattern of behaviour that looks down on the masses.

    Even your terms you can’t get correct and you trying to talk down to others and degrade people. You think that politics is about boldly calling names and degrading people? I leave you to yourself.

    You have your agenda, but rest assured you don’t have the last mouth or the last set of fingers and I surely ain’t going to stand silently and let you pull me down trying to get out of the crab barrel.

  2. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @PDC

    “So there you have it, Roosevelt, we in the PDC will NEVER EVER support these constituency councils…”

    Neither will the BLP… So how are you any different? We are not going to lie down and play dead because a particular party is in office or any party for that matter. We will work with whichever party forms the Government because capturing Government is not our thing. We dealing with people, especially the vulnerable. Our role is about working with the stakeholders to make it better for the vulnerable.

    We have our role. Government has their role. Private Sector has their role. You have yours. Your role is to criticise the CCs and our role is to work with them and if you were in Government whatever you came up with we would work with too…

    and the reason for working with Government is that Government is not and probably will never deliver everything, even yours and it is up to us to make the inputs, even if they are only inching along towards that ultimate goal of self-empowerment. To sit and do nothing would be to wait for disaster.

  3. Themis Avatar
    Themis

    Why are we on about a DLP member heading a constituency Council where a BLP ma ember is the incumbent? Did Rawle select him? And PDC, how can a whole constituency pass laws?

  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    The Senator was proposed and nominated by Rawle Eastmond one can only assume as an act to rub salt in the leader of the opposition’s open wounds.

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

    “Skipper, I tell you that you need to study the politics. Nothing “sophisticated” don’t include the masses. Sophisticated is about the elite and a certain pattern of behaviour that looks down on the masses.”, commenter, Mr. Roosevelt King, in an 11.06 pm, July 7, 2009, blog.

    Please, first of all, Mr. King, do NOT refer to us as skipper. We are the People’s Democratic Congress – a party of many, many people that are committed to the fullest development possible of the affairs of the masses and middle classes. Plain and simple.

    With regard to the matter of our use of the term sophisticated, you are really fooling yourself that any thing of sophistication does NOT include the masses; that sophistication is about the elite; and that it is about looking down on the masses. Pure unadulterated waffling piffling nonsense.

    A simple check with Dictionary.com would give some definitions of “sophisticated”, a term used by us in the above statement-

    1. (of a person, ideas, tastes, manners, etc.) altered by education, experience, etc., so as to be worldly-wise; not naive: a sophisticated young socialite; the sophisticated eye of a journalist.
    2. pleasing or satisfactory to the tastes of sophisticates: sophisticated music.
    3. deceptive; misleading.
    4. complex or intricate, as a system, process, piece of machinery, or the like: a sophisticated electronic control system.
    5. of, for, or reflecting educated taste, knowledgeable use, etc.: Many Americans are drinking more sophisticated wines now.

    For your information, we used the term sophisticated in the sense of 1), 4) and 5).

    And the term low class has been used to mean banal, crude or unrefined in a political sense.

    Surely, these terms and their definitions are NOT being used herein in the very erroneous way that you are naively but insensitively projecting them to be used – according to your own beliefs. Moreover, you are deliberately making a crude and childish error in believing that these terms are herein being used in a sociological sense, when in truth and in fact they are merely being used – in a strictly political academic sense – to indicate the marked differences in the essence – as well as the forms and relatives – of two specific but contrasting types of politics practiced in Barbados. Thus, these two types of politics have little or nothing to do class and its inherent relatives. For, many social elites do very much study and practice low class crude politics, whereas some other elites do study and practice high class politics. And, whereas many of the masses and middle classes do study and practice high class politics, many others do study low class politics. So, go and do some proper analysis of what we have put forward.

    “For your information, I don’t peddle project proposals and neither does BANGO.7, 2009.”

    You seem guilty of some thing. No one here made mention of you, Mr. King, or BANGO!! But, do NOT think that if we had the evidence that you or BANGO were involved in such banal politics we would NOT name you or BANGO.

    “You dare to condemn a man for using his own initiative to use the system.”

    Indeed, it is NOT that very wronged presumption of yours that we are really concerned with. So, some others might know what it is: that there are some councillors who will be – to some extent – using these constituency councils to promote the type of banal politics ( low class politics) we talked above even though it is being officially said that these councils will be used for entirely different purposes. That is what we are referring to: the deception, falsity and recklessness of those councillors who will go outside of the mandate of the councils and do such things that will be consistent with the whatever misuse there will be of these councils. Therefore, it is entirely foolhardy and contemptible to describe such behaviour “as a man using his initiative to use the system”. But what system are you talking about anyway? We are talking about the constituency councils!! Could you possibly be so early – well before these councils could properly get off the ground – condoning or defending such likely deliberate inappropriate misuse of these councils? One wonders what will become of BANGO then in such a sense?

    But, what is clearly reprehensible and downright obtuse of you is that you have wrongly accused us of trying to pull you down. This is an absolute indication that you might not know your brain from your head, which, regrettably would be a form of abnormal pathological sickness. How could you in your right mind accuse us of trying to pull you down, when in truth and in fact we stayed clear of any imputation that you are part of this low class politics being practiced by many NGOs. Truth is, you may need to be retaught basic reasoning, comprehension, and evaluation skills.

    “We are not going to lie down and play dead because a particular party is in office or any party for that matter. We will work with whichever party forms the Government because capturing Government is not our thing. We dealing with people, especially the vulnerable. Our role is about working with the stakeholders to make it better for the vulnerable.”

    You say “we” three times in the immediately above quote. But the PDC does NOT know who you are referring to. Who are you referring to? Certainly, our focus in the above statement is on the incongruity, irrelevance and impotence of the constituency councils, NOT the NGOs and that type of politics that we mentioned. And, you are true to some extent in regard of the latter observation – that our ROLE is to criticize these councils.

    So, finally, we wish to reiterate that these foolish constituency councils are going to be a total and absolute waste of the time and energy of the people of this country. Instead, what the broad masses and middle classes of people of Barbados should do is to support the PDC’s policy that whenever a future PDC Government comes about in this country constituents shall be given the constitutional legal right to debate and pass the laws of this country. Thank You.

    So long.

    PDC

  6. Save Mullins Bay Avatar
    Save Mullins Bay

    Gee, I have an idea Peter Gilkes and the St. James North CC can cut their teeth on – the removal of the groynes at St. Peter’s Bay Villas – http://shar.es/6NTL – .

  7. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @PDC

    Well skipper, I suppose that all o wanna sit down and write in unison and that everybody has the same thoughts and write the same sentences the same time.

    I realise that it is a waste of time dealing with you when you don’t understand the jargon and use of terms. What does the term comrade means. Check the dictionary. When used politically what does it conjure up?

    You just ain’t ready.

  8. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    ROK is this PDC the same one that struggled to save their election money in each constituency they contested a seat in ?
    Further they could not get even their own family to vote for them??

    What dream world does this clown live in when he writes this pure and utter crap -:

    The People’s Democratic Congress – a party of many, many people,

    What people ???
    Who People??
    Where People???

  9. Themis Avatar
    Themis

    My thoughts exactly, WIV. A party of many many people? If so, they certainly are not loyal to their party. Did PDC get as many as 50 votes in all the elections which they have contested?

  10. 199 Avatar
    199

    ROK, I ‘m aware that Barbadians can be ecentric at times, but why did n’t you was the soap-lather from off your face before u took that photograph?!! I’m British an so caan quite onstan it!!

  11. 199 Avatar
    199

    Sorry, that should have been ‘wash the soap-lather from your face….’

    See, I AM, human, afterall!!

  12. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @ 199
    hahahahahahahahahaha. I never thought that I would ever see such quality fun coming from you; LOL!

  13. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @WIV & Themis

    Why you two driving so much nails in the man coffin? Ease up. The boards got in too much nails and getting weak. We don’t want the body to fall out before he get to bottom. LOL!

  14. David Avatar
    David

    That was a good one ROK!

  15. 199 Avatar
    199

    ROK // July 8, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    @ 199
    hahahahahahahahahaha. I never thought that I would ever see such quality fun coming from you; LOL!

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

    ROK!! u know me!!

    Laaaaaadddddddddddddddd!!!!

  16. David Avatar
    David

    We scraped this blog from Speaking Up which is operated by BU family member ROK! Interesting perspective from the NGO practitioner.

    PM On Strange Note

    It was interesting to note that last night’s CBC broadcast devoted some time to the launching of the Constituency Councils. While it all went well and was good viewing it on TV, I am sure the PM said that with 30 constituency councils, government information can now reach the length and breadth of Barbados and it will help cut out duplication which happens with groups.

    What was strange about that is this is one of the planks upon which the establishment of the Barbados NGO Forum rest. Further, while it may be only a single aspect, the manner in which the PM came across seems to be suggesting that the Councils can replace NGOs in this manner.

    No! No! No! Mr. PM, they can’t replace NGOs in the same way that the NGOs cannot replace the Councils. There are two different functions and roles. The Councils will need NGOs in the same way that the NGOs need the councils. The Councils are about structuring the communities while the NGOs are about the different aspects of the individual person.

    Here it is that the Councils when set up, provides a gateway to the community. NGOs are not all about organising communities and even the CBOs that focus a lot on organising communities will be well serve with a partnership between themselves and the Council.

    As a matter of fact, the councils should be encouraging the formation of groups in the constituency. Any Council that has CBOs in their community will be stronger than those that don’t. The fact is that NGOs and CBOs represent skills, experience and expertise. This is what NGOs bring to the table.

    The Councils could not hope to undertake the various missions of all the NGOs. Let’s take for example, the the Diabetic Association which offers expertise information (and resources) about the treatment and management of diabetes. Another example is MESA which has studied and continues to study families, law, etc., as it relates to men. Since every NGO and CBO represents expertise, how could the Council replicate all of these thirty times without great expense?

    The second matter is this business about duplication. We really have to ask ourselves whether it is really unnecessary duplication or if it is about providing the required resources in each community? Let’s take a football group in Carrington’s Village. Could that football group incorporate Ivy? Does it have the resources to entertain two communities? If it did entertain another community, would the resources not have to be doubled if you have at least one team from each of the two communities?

    Of course the other alternative is that Carrington’s Village may subsume Ivy and have only one team because of lack of resources; hence depriving a similar number of members of the opportunity to play competitive football or even discover their skills. Is that what we are taking about? I suspect No! Each community needs their activities. It is out of this that we discover diversity. The interests of residents need to be localised. Imjagine a resident from the Ivy has to go to Carrington’s Village to play football every time.

    Even for an association like the diabetes association, they really need chapters in every community because it is one organisation. It is organisations like these that can now come in a structured community and find a ready made audience of diabetics and family members that have to contend with diabetes among their own; if the Councils are working efficiently and effectively.

    So, not only will the Councils serve to disseminate information from Government, but also from NGOs and any developmental agencies, national, regional or international that would be of benefit to the communities. This is the essential role of the Councils. For the Councils to decide to cover the full gamut of NGO activity, that may well be “the duplication”.

    Therefore, by working and partnering with the NGOs to provide these services, the Councils can then focus on the bigger picture, for example, facilities, and the coordination of community efforts.

    From inception, BANGO has encouraged NGOs and CBOs to get on board the government’s effort at Constituency Councils because we see clear benefits through working partnerships and networking; to be the best way to more effectively reach the communities to encourage vibrant participation. We also clearly see two different roles; one for the Councils and one for the NGOs.

    Having Constituency Councils may be like the difference between riding and driving but they do not replace the rider nor the driver, but Government must be commended for having the foresight to do something for the people.

    Finally, some are saying that the money to support 30 Constituency Councils is going to be too much, but we would like to state and reiterate that no amount of money spent on the people can be too much if the people are providing it through taxes. Furthermore, spending through the Councils could well mean that you are diverting budgeted funds rather than allocating new funds, as the existence of the Councils may mean not having to allocate as much funding to departments like Community Development or other departments which may require resources to go into the community, that the Councils will now have.

  17. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    It appears that Mottley has gone DUMB and MUTE on this subject in the public’s eyes, I wish I were a fly on the wall when she found out that Rawle Eastmond nominated a DLP instead of a BLP person to Chairman of his Constituency Council in St.James North, it must have been a slap in her face and the faces of Pain, Husbands and Marshall as well as a slap in the face of their party in turmoil the BLP.

  18. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    Mottley what say you ???

    You lack of a voice is amazing to say the least !!!!!!

  19. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    Promises which we made

    7/10/2009

    The Democratic Labour Party is strong on keeping promises which we made.

    On Sunday, July 5, 2009 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, we saw the roll out of the first six Constituency Councils. The fulfilling of this manifesto promise is yet another testimony of the commitment to building a better Barbados.

    We have canvassed the views of thousands of Barbadians over last 14 years who felt alienated by the inept policies of the Arthur administration. These views informed us of the need to reconnect the Government to the people and we intend to do such. The importance of bringing Government closer to people is not a political gimmick, as we seek out alternative ways of securing a new model of good governance that is relevant and people centred.

    We all had ringside seats and witnessed the destruction of our social fabric while the Barbados Labour Party designed a system to uplift the
    political cronies of the Barbados Labour Party. A future Barbados will witness a renewed effort at involving more participation by people in the
    management of their own communities. We acknowledge the importance of this approach as a key ingredient in fashioning an agenda that moves the process forward.

    We will not be side-tracked by the efforts of the Opposition to bastardise every attempt by the Thompson-led Government to bring transparency and accountability to the table. The fear of this twin approach to good governance is what scares the Opposition.

    Our Councils reflect Barbadians from all walks of life who understand the importance of voluntarism. There is no fear of victimisation on the parts of people who sit on the Council as they proudly accepted their scrolls of appointment to serve.

    There can be no doubt as we continue to focus on delivery that we have placed people at the centre of our development agenda. To this end, we have equally witnessed the overwhelming show of support for our National Camp effort. We have seen over 9 000 young people reporting for the Ministry of Youth’s Summer Camp programme. This activity spans the entire island from St. Lucy to Christ Church. The Camp programme, as announced last year by the Prime Minister, is yet another promise that we have fulfilled. The Government has allocated six million dollars to ensure that the nation’s children are nurtured and cared for. We have placed a high value on our future by investing in our young people.

    These elements in our policy agenda essentially separate us from the model of governance adopted by the last administration. We have added a face to our policy agenda, as we understand that growth should not take place without development. We acknowledge the development of our human resource capital as crucial to repositioning a future Barbados. A future Barbados can be assured of policies that are inclusive of the people’s participation. We can no longer fashion a development agenda on the economic paradigm that the Barbados Labour Party subscribed to.

    The Democratic Labour Party will design a Government that works for the people through their input. The error that the Barbados Labour Party made was to follow the prescription blindly of “market fundamentalism”, which has set us back as people. We will determine the level of Government intervention and when we allow the dictates of the market to rule. However, we will not throw caution to the wind and hope that output is positive; we intend to have a design that ensures a positive outcome. Together, we can build a better Barbados.

  20. cat eyes Avatar
    cat eyes

    ROK take it from me. Do not waste your intellectual energy on PDC unless you need non productive stimulation. What does he peddle? you asked. He peddles socks on Bolton Lane. PDC comprises of one frustrated elite school drop out who makes himself a daily nuisance.He had neither to confidence nor intelligence to do as you have done. His self fulfillment is in taking pot shots at progressive people, cursing God and waiting to die.

  21. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    The Constituency Councils are one step closer to a reality after the launch, then a seminar on all matteres pertaining to the management and running of these councils held yesterday.

    Great show of faith in the ordinary people to help other ordinary everyday people along the way.

    Well done Mr Chris Sinckler, Mr David Thompson and well done to the DLP for having the visions and the strength to press ahead with this very, very worthwhile venture to enpower our citizens.

    May they serve the people of Barbados well.

  22. ezzyfair Avatar
    ezzyfair

    Though it can be argued,the establishment of CC is a good concept, it can also be said that it is merely a political front. All of the constitutions that have been chosen are seats known to fluctuate to either party. So i ask, is the CC aimed at bettering communities or scoring political points.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    Is it possible that it could be both?

    Aren’t these guys politicians?

  24. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @ezzyfair,

    You have to make up your mind. It is either a good concept or merely a political front. It certainly can’t be both at the same time, or can it?

  25. Wishing In Vain Avatar
    Wishing In Vain

    But David I was waiting for you to let the Barbadian public know of the latest development going on within the BLP camp????

    I have not seen you publish anywhere the very recent development from the BLP camp, as recently as yesterday the former leader was in recruitment mode and has openly stated his intention and desire to regain the leadership of HIS party, the first step to doing so will be his assault on the post of Chairman of the party and this will take place during their conference in September sometime, he has opening stated this to be his intention as in his view Mottley killing the party.

    He has also made personal calls and visits to those persons trying to get them to sign onto to his program to regain his standing.

  26. ricky Avatar
    ricky

    This is a utter and total waste of time….I am a dlp supporter but this is not the route out country should take at all. Remember it is about everyone.!! CC are rubish!!

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