Today’s Nation editorial makes for interesting reading. On another blog BU made the point that our Fourth Estate needs to demonstrate a duty of care when reporting news. If it does not it will have the inevitable effect of diminishing the integrity of the profession. The topic of the editorial is worthy but the content has fallen woefully short in our opinion.
Not to bore the BU family we have snipped extracts from the editorial to demonstrate our point:
Just this week, the acting general manager of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), Dr John Mwanza, advised Barbadians that if they didn’t stop wasting their precious water, they could face another rate increase.
One possible reason for the hike: the BWA might have to import water from neighbouring Dominica to keep local levels up. Well, what could be wrong with a neighbourly solution to one’s island problem? Nothing, really, short of a military invasion or intervention.
How many times have Barbadians been told not to waste water? This maybe true but how will such a call resonate with Barbadians when it is known 60% of the water escapes from our distribution system because of leaks? What about the fact burst water mains are sighted daily all over Barbados and Barbadians have to literally beg Barbados Water Authority personnel to repair the bursts? How will this state of affairs create a culture of water conservation in Barbados?
Instead the Fourth Estate would be better served by reporting on the negligence of successive governments to implement a sustainable water solution for Barbados, the Nation newspaper prefers to run with whining quote of General Manager Mwanza.
When our Bajan fishermen came up against the dearth in flying fish, where did they go? To Trinidad and Tobago – never mind our national dish was encroached upon by callaloo; never mind the politicians started putting limits on quantities and maritime distance. We await the much mooted Ambassador Denis Kellman Flying Fish Agreement.
The above quote takes the cake. Barbados took a decision to place Trinidad and Tobago before the Law of the Sea Tribunal to rule on our Economic Exclusive Zone yet our favourite newspaper expects the T&T government to rollover on a fishing agreement. The flying fish have moved into T&T waters and if Barbados wants the fish it should pay for them.
Seems our journalists bought into Opposition Leader David Thompson’s view at the time that the matter of the fishing dispute could be settled over a bowl of soup.
And when we didn’t have enough local sugar to sweeten our tea and golden apple juice, whom did we turn to? The Guatemalans first and then the much-maligned Guyanese.
The above statement is interesting. It was in January this year the Guyana government took the decision to import sugar from Guatemala. The Nation editor needs to do some research to determine why Barbados had to import sugar and what were the options. The more important point provoked by the above quote is the use of the adjective much-maligned to describe the Guyanese. What a disingenuous description! The Guyanese have held the brunt of criticism in Barbados because of the current practice of the Jagdeo government of exporting its people at a time when any sensible leader would want to encourage its brains to remain and to build the country. The fact that the migration of Guyanese has occurred at a time when our Auditor General and by extension our current government has exposed that we have a loose immigration system seems to be of little importance to the author of the editorial.
Barbadians have joined several countries in the region and outside to voice concern at the flood of migrants seeking economic refuge from Guyana. It seems the Nation editor would want Barbados to fiddle while Bridgetown is burning.
Now that we are short of policemen and policewomen, where are we looking? To the entire Caribbean: Jamaica, Trinidad, Antigua, St Lucia, anywhere!
The Commissioner of Police has suggested Barbados look to the region to supply the shortage of policemen. As far as BU is aware the government of Barbados has not sanctioned such an idea. For the editorial to run with this is dishonest and meant to provoke an emotional argument.
The gist of the editorial was to lament the lack of will being demonstrated by our politicians to achieve an economic union in the region. We gave the editorial 2 out of 10.
The blogmaster invites you to join and add value to the discussion.