Things will only change when there is a genuine belief that change in necessary; not because of opportunities thus afforded, but becasuse of a “principled stand” that that is the way things should be done for us to move forward as a nation.

Please explain why the government is now borrowing funds for the ABC highway work when alot of it was completed some time ago. Were the contractors not paid before? Could someone explain why the government is paying 8.5% interest on the funds being borrowed.

You can always judge the integrity and honesty of a nation by the way it treats its sick and elderly. All this money to dress up and look pretty to impress outsiders while on the inside you’re sick to the core.

Why spend so much money on a highway when the hospital is in such a sick,deplorable condition?

Is it because the polietickians can afford to pay or travel abroad if they need ‘health care’ while those poor people whose sweat blood and tears built up the same highways and byways can’t afford the same, therefore it is not a priority?

Why put so much money into a highway when you don’t have the capacities to take care of those who are often damaged in vehicular bust-ups on the same highways?

One truly has to question the sanity of those in charge or is this strategy all a part of the bajan big-fashion mentality which wants to drink champagne on a sweet-water budget?

Can soeone enlighten me as to how the highway is being financed? Last year i thought it was by the raising of road taxes and now we are borrowing money to pay for it.
And what is the final cost and final completion date? Everytime the minister speak we hear something different.

Thanks for the correction!

We find it interesting how intelligent/educated Barbadians continue to react in such a political partisan manner on this issue even in the face of very questionable procedural issues.

While I think the BLP’s actions in this warranted a special investigator, I think it has been remarkable the lack of information on what’s happened since the election.

If there was no contract why are we paying 3S? Are we paying them for loss of profit on the flyovers that we don’t have?

How was the consultant for the project picked?

What was the cost of “finishing” the highway?

When will the legal work be done on the 3rd lane of roundabouts and the Wildey raceway so that people involved in accidents there can get insurance payouts smoothly.

The highway may have been the BLP’s waterloo, but so far the current administration isn’t handling it terribly well either.

By all means let’s have a commission of inquiry and if necessary criminal charges against those responsible for the highway, but the current administration is just exploiting the same weaknesses in the system that the BLP did.

What is the BOLT formula? It is simple, the financier will ‘build’, it will ‘operate’, it will lease it to the Gov’t and then ‘transfer’ everything to the Government after receiving full payment. The irony of such undertaking is the financier would have been responsible for the upkeep of the project during its lease, thus removing any maintenance from the Government. Yes, the “BOLT” repayment might look high, but road maintenance can be much costlier.

Hopi asks: “Why spend so much money on a highway when the hospital is in such a sick, deplorable condition?”

That’s very probably the best question I have ever seen posed on this blog.

Can anyone make a start at answering it?

What we need is to go to the beginning:

What was the scope of the project i.e. road widening and flyovers

How were the designs and contract work tendered for i.e. the tendering procedure

What is the BOLT formula? It is simple, the financier will ‘build’, it will ‘operate’, it will lease it to the Gov’t and then ‘transfer’ everything to the Government after receiving full payment. The irony of such undertaking is the financier would have been responsible for the upkeep of the project during its lease, thus removing any maintenance from the Government. Yes, the “BOLT” repayment might look high, but road maintenance can be much costlier.
************

Rubbish! The lease cost would include maintenance. Nothing comes for free. Think about it.

There are many questions asked on BU, I will just make one observation: I cannot understand why someone on this blog has a fixed position on grammar, thus scattering insults with relish.

An individual of some “eminence” “learning” and “academic position” – whom I am more inclined to take note of – had this to say reference grammar and its teaching in “England” of all places.

” I am dismayed to note the absurdly disproportionate emphasis on grammar in recent discussions of English teaching. Standard English in not to be defined simply as “grammatically correct English” since this totally ignores the vocabulary, a far more significant component.”

“The vocabulary of Standard English ( as our world-class dictionaries show ) is uniquely rich and finely shaded. this is where teachers can focus attention to greatest effect, learning new words and meanings is the key to enriched experience as well as to clear logical thinking.”

Sir Randolph Quirk MA, Phd D.Lit
Fellow, University College London

The above quoted person might not be “big in trash” in Barbados, but his credentials cannot be questioned; he therefore speaks with some academic authority.

PS: Sorry to be so blunt but this “nonsense” has to be called what it is, that is my last word on the subject.

I’m just guessing here, but I suspect that my most recent post on this blog might have been misinterpreted by some people.

I would like to clarify. When I said that Hopi’s question was probably the best question I had ever seen posted on this blog, I meant in all sincerity that Hopi’s question is probably the best question I have ever seen posted on this blog. It is.

It is, without question or irony and in all sincerity, a truly excellent question. I don’t have the answer to it. I was wondering if anyone else could start to answer it.

To reiterate: Hopi’s question is an excellent question.

I’m familiar with Quirk, thanks, but I was simply making a sincere observation.

Thank you.

Jack Bowman // August 4, 2009 at 11:08 am

Hopi asks: “Why spend so much money on a highway when the hospital is in such a sick, deplorable condition?”

That’s very probably the best question I have ever seen posed on this blog.

Can anyone make a start at answering it?
……………………………………………..

The answer to that question is that you can tell lies and find reasonable justification for additonal millions because of the magnitude and scope of the highway project (which the blasted crooks are now living large on). After all there is no accountability or transparency. Just lie lie lies.

The QEH is basically pocket change money and so to have committed to complete refurbishment of such a small project would only cost a few millions and that would only add up to a few thousands when divided. But the highway expansion and improvement project, now there goes the big money.

Gaw Blimah I gine tell ya now, my day would be made if justice, once in this corrupt country, could prevail against these crooks and vagabonds. It irks me to the core when I see them with all their wealth, big houses and big cars pompersetting like if they work ever so hard for their luxuries. Bunch of lying, thiefing wolves in sheep clothing who seek to hurt innocent people for speaking out against their biggotry injustices.

Who introduced 3S (Janos) to the Barbados government?

Was 3S singularly invited to tender?

Johnny Postle,
‘Gaw Blimah”,
Ya got ma cryin wid dah phrase. Soun’ too sweet man. Gaw Blimah.

Can someone, anyone please tell me who can Gov/t workers go to when they are not paid after working 3 and 4 months straight.

GAW BLIMAH, dis is very frustrating.

Johnny Postle wrote “you can tell lies and find reasonable justification for additonal millions because of the magnitude and scope of the highway project (which the blasted crooks are now living large on).”

The only good thing that will come out of this is that the living large crooks will all be dead before the age of 70

The stolen money will be used to buy food, way, way, way too much food, alcohol, way, way, way too much alcohol, to buy big cars so that the thieves do not even have to walk down their driveways, so they will get no exercise.

The only good thing I can say is that the bitches will all be dead long before the age of 70.

Dead from lickerishness, greed, laziness and rum.

God (or Mother Nature) is good and ensures that we all reap the rewards of our actions.

David, there were never any tenders! Offers of interest (based on the 3S proposal made to the MTW) were solicited from 8 firms. Six said it was too short notice. One tendered for part and was rejected. Three S had the advantage all the way! It was tailor made for Three S and David Thompson predicted three years before the 2008 would be the fly-over election. He proved to be right.

Verito

Thank you for enlightening me. But I am flabbergasted by the estimated sum (500 million) for just refurbishment. That sounds like MASH UP AND BUILD BACK money. Jesus H Christ, I floored by that figure. So ya left me wondering why the crooks did not go after the 500 million QEH rather than the highway. Gaw Blimah, the answer to me is simple. They could get money for the highway but a half billion would have pose a difficulty in finding the correct wording to justify a mere refurbishment of the QEH. So again the crooks went were they knew they could reach their hats. Smart fellas.

Why spend so much money on a highway when the hospital is in such a sick,deplorable condition?
———————————————
There is no point in comparing one with the other. The hospital is one problem the traffic congestion on the highway was another. Solutions were sought and 3S came forward with the best answer .
Initially this was for the construction of the flyovers and a small amount of road widening before the flyover to allow access .
This was costed accordingly .
However the scope of works was increased dramatically by the MPT who wanted the entire highway widened despite the fact that they were advised by traffic experts that this would not solve the buildup as it was and still is the roundabouts that are the problem ,not the width of the road.
The increase in the scope of work as requested by the MPT is the cause of the increased cost of the highway .

Offers of interest (based on the 3S proposal made to the MTW) were solicited from 8 firms. Six said it was too short notice. One tendered for part and was rejected.
David Thompson predicted three years before the 2008 would be the fly-over election. He proved to be right.
—————————————
So for that reason he had to sack 3S simply to make a political statement However everyone knew that the flyovers were the correct solution and the DLP brought in new foreign consultants who recommended ………. flyovers.

Wasn’t there a MOU for this?

Don’t know, do you?