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Think Before You Speak Says Prime Minister David Thompson To Mia Mottley

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Statement Issued By Prime Minister David Thompson (10 March 2010)

Prime Minister David Thompson

Think before you speak – that’s the advice Prime Minister David Thompson is giving to Mia Mottley in response to the Leader of the Opposition’s criticism of adjustments in Cabinet portfolios. Thompson said there was no greater indication of political combustion than in the situation where of the 10 talents given Mottley in January, 2008 “one has left the party, another has effectively left the country, a third has technically left the Parliament and the others are split down the centre in respect of their loyalty to her and her predecessor’.

“Prudent leadership in the 21st century demands continuous review and assessment.  A confident and competent leader must not be afraid or unwilling to effect change. Certainly, I would not condone a situation where every Sunday afternoon, half my parliamentary team is going north with me and the other half south with somebody else”. The Prime Minister continued: “Furthermore, in these challenging times when all hands are needed on deck, I would not condone a situation where one member has a foot inside Barbados and the other afar, and where my most experienced member absolutely refuses to sit with the Parliamentary team, even to discuss fiscal and economic theory.

“Imagine a Leader of the Opposition having to sit in a classroom at Cave Hill to discover where her foremost spokesman on economic matters stands on the issues of the day. Even worse was her having to prevent him from speaking, on one occasion, for fear of what he might say. I am not sure that persons living in such glass houses should attempt to throw stones in any direction,”

Thompson chided Mottley for her comments in relation to changes in the Senate, pointing out that the two outgoing Senators had left the Upper Chamber in good standing and perfectly positioned for higher office. “I am not sure the same can be said in relation to the change that was made in the senate a few months ago by the Leader of the Opposition”.

In respect of the seeming marriage of Mottley and Ex-DLP Senator, Peter Millington, Thompson said he would hold his analysis of that development for a later date, but quipped: “If you are asking about the presence of Rev. Dr. David Durant vis-a-vis the absence of Peter Millington, I think you should let other church leaders in Barbados give a perspective on that”.

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87 responses to “Think Before You Speak Says Prime Minister David Thompson To Mia Mottley”

  1. Fair & Balance Avatar
    Fair & Balance

    Annuity products have been part of an insurance company suite of products for quite some time now. Once a company has approval to sell a product it does not have to go back to the supervisor’s office to launch it product so to answer your question David it is who ever was in power when clico was granted a license to sell annuities.

    As to your second question I will check my copy of the insurance act and let you know tomorrow.

    @ Adrian
    It was not Mia or the BLP that said that Clico was sound and stable.
    It was not Mia or the BLP that channel 10mil to prop up the Clico Mortgage finance.
    It was not Mia or the BLP than said that Clico was still attractive to potential buyers like PWCU and CGI.
    It was not Mia or the BLP that said the company was well managed.
    It was not Mia or the BLP that had Clico finance their election.
    So any undermining of confidence in Clico and by extension Insurance in Barbados came from Clico executives and Thompson himself.
    Rather than placing Clico under Judicial review like most of the other Caribbean countries to safe guard the policyholders he sought to confuse the real issues. Now he has to take the very steps that he claim was not necessary a year later when the company is worst off.
    So the question remains why was he against the judicial review?
    Would it have shown up his association with the company and how he and Parris used the company funds as their personal playground?
    What about a forensic audit?
    I hope you are seeing how the BLP can score political points from the Clico mess

  2. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    @ Adrian Hinds

    My questions are points!! But then again you are a satellite expert who is so immersed in admiring your own brilliance, that my questions would be nothing more than 0.

  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I am no financial expert but it seems to me that CLICO collected money and should have invested in assets with a rate of return high enough to allow it to pay its operating expenses including very big salaries and to be able to pay back its investors.
    If the money poorly invested, then those responsible for the supervision of the companies should be called to account- both the politicians and the bureaucrats. Seems to me that they might have been incompetent or willing to turn a blind eye to the inadequacies of the companies.

  4. Albert Avatar
    Albert

    Where are you living man? the ground swell of sentiment in Barbados is that Thompson don’t have a clue about running a government or the economy and this is also comming from DLP supporters as well. The next election is only hard to call at this stage because of the leadership of the BLP and the in fighting.
    _________

    The above statement from Fair and Balance is stunningly silly. Adrian, you are very crafty in your analysis and, more than that, factual historically and in terms of your contemporary analysis.

    David Thompson was the Minister of Finance who in 1991 managed the structural adjustment. How can F&B argue that he doesn’t have the balls to do it now? Any PM who instituted the BWA rates and the removal of petroleum subsidies is a tough fella in the context of Barbados.

    These guys in the BLP honestly believe they are entitled to rule. And Mia’s lack of humility really shows now she is in opposition.

    Apart from lack of ideas, Owen’s beating, depending now on the Adams family crutch, When is the last time I have seen Mia in a softer, compassionate role – other than her weekly rounds on Friday night to Karaokes?

    Now, you might like it or not like it, but David Thompson is crafting a superb political image. And the “first lady” and family aren’t sitting on their pouches either. They are enjoying wide public acceptance in our country as people get to know them more.

    This is definitely a new era.

  5. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Unfairly unbalance:
    It is obvious that in your partisan mind, Clico’s troubles started on Jan 15 2008. Therefore Rawdon Adams and the facts of troubling signs with Clico appearing in 2007 are lies. Lies and dam statistics.

    When did Clico troubles become evident? 2007
    Who was in power then? BLP

    Soundbites are difficult thingS to overcome.

    @Enuff
    Brilliance? who me? what brilliance what. I truly call it like I see it. I am a nobody.
    Uncoofed, unprofessional and uncivilize at times, can’t spell or construct a proper sentence after all English is a second language for me, Bajan is my first. I simply know not my place. lol!

  6. Fair and Balance Avatar
    Fair and Balance

    @ Adrian
    Clearly you do not have an idea how statutory reports are filed with the supervisor of insurance. Maybe you should take a look at the insurance act section 25 statutory Fund. Part 6 states ” assets required to be placed in trust pursuant to subsections (4) and (5) shall be placed not more than 4 months after the end of the financial year to which the balance sheet and revenue account, as the case may be, of the company relates.”

    Any issues related to Clico difficulties that you said became evident in 2007 would not have been know to the Supervisor’s office until sometime after April 2008 when the statutory requirements would have to be filed and the BLP would have been out of office. This highlights some of the weaknesses of the supervisor’s office which hopefully will be rectified by the Financial Services Commission (hope I have the name of that body correct).
    Rawdon Adams is speaking from hindsight when all the information has come to light and now shows that Clico was in financial trouble from as far back as 2007.
    But I raise some additional questions. As Clico Lawyer did Thompson know that Clico was in trouble in 2007? Why, if it was so properly manage did it pump so many millions in the DLP election machinery knowing that it was in trouble?
    The Judicial Management that Thompson avoided may provide some answers lol.

    As to my partisan mind, I have never been and will never be a member of any political party. I am a student of politics who enjoys debating. I have voted 5 times in my lifetime 2 times for the DLP and 2 times for the BLP and once for the NDP. I admire politicians from both sides namely Cammie Tudor, Barrow, Tom, Sandi and now Owen. If I had to vote today I would have headaches deciding who to vote for.

    @ Albert
    Sandi that true Barbadian was the architect and face of the austerity measures and the minister of Finance at the time of the structural adjustment in 1991. Thompson came in later as minister of Finance in a reshuffle. Check your history.

  7. Kitty Avatar
    Kitty

    I had worked in the PMU for some years under many Ministers and many Permanent Secretaries and Directors. Fair and Balance is not correct.

    Facts: Sandi was the architect of the “stabilisation” measures in 1991. He brought David Thompson into the Ministry of Finance as MOS in 1992 to design, manage and drive the “structural adjustment” process and then promoted him in 1993 to MF.

    Now it is debatable which process was more important but stabilisation and adjustment are two different things. Stabilisation is more quantitative in nature.

    Structural adjustment required major reforms of the tax system, sugar industry, offshore sector, manufacturing, privatisation and so on. In the main, Thompson was a good Minister and achieved quite a bit. No money was received from the IFIs to suppot the process. In the circumstances, Barbados did very, very well.

    Remember: Barbados recorded a fiscal surplus in 1994 and a 4-5% rate of growth.

    I suppose, for political purposes, these things seldom get said.

  8. Kitty Avatar
    Kitty

    Fair and Balance,

    One quick point: the deficiency in the Statutory Fund was noticed by the Insurance Supervision Agency by examination of the 2005 financials. It was brought to the Minister’s attention in March 2007.

    I am sure that Mr. Arthur was the relevant Minister then. Are you suggesting that the deficiency occurred from 2007 and was only reported in 2008? If so, you are very wrong and Adrian is quite correct.

  9. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    @ Kitty,

    As regards your last post – you also made that point in the House yesterday.

    In response, former PM Arthur rose on a point of order and made it clear that no such information came to him in 2007.

    As I understand it, that report from the Supervisor of Insurance was received in April 2008 – four months after the DLP’s rule commenced.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    It was our understanding that the annuity product which CLICO aggressively peddled was a fairly recent innovation.

  11. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    @ Unfair and Unbalance.
    Rawdon Adams not only said since 2007 CLICO was a cause for concern, he actaully said since August of 2007 . I deliberately said “since 2007″ to see if you would jump at the chance to correct me, and you did. Yes 2007 fund filing was done 2008 during Thompson’s watch. Case close or is it?

    CLICO had fallen short – by several million dollars – in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in its commitment to the government’s Statutory Fund – a protective arrangement under the Insurance Act. Would you calledd call continued negligence, from 2004 right up to 2007.”

    The Statutory Fund requirement climbed every year, but the pledged assets did not increase as much, thus causing the heavy deficit. Is this a scenario of what one could call continued negligence, from 2004 right up to 2007?”

  12. Fair & Balance Avatar
    Fair & Balance

    @ Kitty
    Excuse my ignorance of economics and not knowing the difference between Stabilization and structural adjustment but my point still stands that Thompson was not the minister of finance in 1991 he came in after the stabilizations was achieved. From your own statement about stabilization versus structural adjustment Sandiford did all the “dirty work” he was the one with the balls to do the unpopular things to stabilize the country and he unfairly paid a high price for it. So Albert is incorrect to suggest it was Thompson.

    @ Adrian
    I am enjoying the exchange!!
    The negligence continued 2008 – 2010 at a time it was known that Clico was in serious trouble. At a time when its parent company had collapse. If Alex Fergusson is to be believed then Clico Problem was know to Thompson in 2008 months before the news of collapse of its parent company broke. What did he do? He pronounce that Clico was ok (sound) yet prop it up with 10 million. He said it was well manage and we know that is not true. I think it borders on stupidity when you have the information and don’t act on it.
    It also show up the short coming of the supervisor office if the statutory fund was not adequate for 3 years 2005, 2006 and 2007 and it only reaches the minister of finance in 2008. Does the supervisor office have teeth? As I understand the Insurance act the supervisor can take control of an insurance company if it operating in a manner detrimental to the policyholders.

  13. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    The fund deficit was publicized in 2008 and in so doing it was politicized, no futher years need to be added to it. The manner in which Mia Mottley went about bringing attention to this issue demonstrated naked political ambition and was in concert with her approach of bringing down the GoB, after wrestling the BLP leadership away from Owen Arthur.

    You can attempt to add 2009 and 2010 for negative perceptual affect toward Thompson, and I will continue to look at 2004 to 2007 with regards to the same fund deficit. The same act that proves the fund deficit to be illegal in 2007-2008 is the very same act that proves the same in 2004 – 2007. To argue against Thompson and not the Owen Arthur government on Clico’s fund deficit is to be but partisan.

    I maintain that those annuities that are due to mature in 2012 to the tune of 300 million and that exposes the Barbadian economy as a result, is no different than a Mia Mottley coerced run on Clico in 2008, had it occurred.

    I prefer to look at Thompson actions then in light of our economy and the potential for significant fallout due to a run on the company.

  14. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Mia Mottley pretends to be concern about 25 million dollars budgeted to run Barbados consulates in the UK,US,Canada,Venezuela, Geneva, and the UN. but was willing disrupt the Barbados economy and the lives of 40,000 policyholders by politicizing Clico’s fund deficit of 93 million. The only constant is the perception of personal benefit to her.

  15. micky Avatar
    micky

    Fair and Balance has a problem with the past tense. It is a similar and familiar problem that Henderson Bovell, Alex Fergusson etc all had. Don’t get tie up, Adrian. You are dealing with a total idiot: Henderson Bovell who Owen Arthur said at his lecture has one qualification – Head Boy of Alleyne School.

  16. David Avatar
    David

    The following comments were posted under the comments section and should worry Barbadians given the importance of the National Insurance Service to Barbados.

    What is happening to the management of National Insurance Funds // March 17, 2010 at 10:27 AM (edit)

    “Prudent leadership in the 21st century demands continuous review and assessment”. and “A confident and competent leader must not be afraid or unwilling to effect change”. Certainly, I would like to see the backs of the Director and Assistant Director – HR at the National Insurance Office who are running that department like their Kitchen Garden, deciding who work at NIS and who don’t. Filling posts that are not advertised and telling the staff that they have no control over the staffing. On the other hand the Director is apologising to the new employees for being the “envy of his staff” while they continue to waste money on consultants who are fishing to see how the industrial climate is at NIS

    DICTATORSHIP – is what is being practiced by the management of National Insurance Funds // March 17, 2010 at 10:46 AM (edit)

    Every month someone new is arriving at NIS, the last was a Database Administrator who lasted one week when she found out that Brenda Evelyn is a liar and relayed a story from Public Adminstration Department that no one at PAD had a conversation with Brenda. When the young lady told her that PAD wanted her to call them she back peddled and started scratching like a fowl. Ha Ha Ha you are messing with the wrong University Graduants. By the way, is this Brenda Evelyn the same one from PRT and RBTT who was fired from both institutions?

  17. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    It will be difficult for me to find favour with government workers. I remain at a lost as to why we need public sector employee unions in a Social democracy. Maybe we are not a social democracy. lol!

    If this Uni “Graduate” or “Graduand” whose comments I liken unto those found in the Parable of the Pharasee and Publican is so much better, why don’t they enter the private sector and put their new found knowledge to work earning much needed foreign exchange for the themselves and the country? schupse

  18. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    Nomination at St. Michael West This Sunday

    The St. Michael West Branch of the Barbados Labour Party meets this Sunday, March 21st 2010 – at the St. Leonard’s Secondary School, Richmond Gap, St. Michael – to nominate a candidate to represent that constituency at the next general election.

    The Speakers at that meeting will be:

    Ian Gooding-Edghill

    Reverend Joseph Atherley

    Former Prime Minister – The Rt. Hon. Owen S. Arthur, M.P.,

    Leader of the Opposition of Barbados – The Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P.,

    The Meeting begins at 5:00 p.m.

  19. David Avatar
    David

    @Fair and Balance

    You quote the law but what the CLICO situation has exposed is how the financial landscape of Barbados can be held to ransom by the office of one man. Not acceptable. We need to fix it!

  20. Avatar
    Anonymous

    We don’t want to hear no shit from the BLP tiefs.

    Meeting what,steupes.

  21. Albert Avatar
    Albert

    What I told you about Alex Fergusson?

  22. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Alex why did you not invite us to the one that was held in St.James south? It seems they did not even invite Mia Mottley. Tells us what Kerrie Simmonds said nuh?

  23. Fair and Balance Avatar
    Fair and Balance

    @ David
    “but what the CLICO situation has exposed is how the financial landscape of Barbados can be held to ransom by the office of one man. Not acceptable. We need to fix it”

    I totally agree with you. I think it has been changing and the supervisor’s office is a lot more stringent in their approach to insurance companies. Not only here in Barbados but throughout the Caribbean. This is the only good thing that has come out of the Clico fiasco.

  24. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    Referring to the new Prison at Dodds recently, Prime Minister Thompson described it as a $700 million debt for which Barbadians will be paying for the next twenty five years.

    The question is – could ZR and Mini-Bus Operators be a bigger threat to national security or a bigger threat to a stable and well ordered society, than 1200 angry prisoners on the loose?

    The truth is, this country now has a modern prison and will not have to build another for the next two to three hundred years.

    ++++++++++++++++++++

    This issue is extremely important, especially since it is a national security threat, which shows that faced with the same circumstance – David Thompson and the DLP would not have built a new prison, but would have keep those 1200 in a holding area – perhaps on the Garrison – similar to how the Americans held prisons in Cuba.

    The DLP now talks about a society. Then think about what our society would be like now – were those 1200 prisoners allowed to run wild.

    Adrian, let’s talk!!!!

  25. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    It is obvious that you are not serious. I am beginning to wonder if you are in Mottley’s camp or Owen’s. lol!

    The issue of the prison began long before there was a holding area at Harrison point in St. Lucy. The issue began when he allowed a prison built for 400 or 500 to house a 1000 people.

    National security:
    Who was the Minister responsible for the prisons when Rev. Matthews brought the disgusting inhumane conditions at Glendairy to the public Attention?

    The core reason for the violence that precipitated the burning of the Prison was the rampaging of homosexual inmates bent on having their way with fellow inmates.

    We all should remember the “Homosexual debate” and who or what was central to it? Owen Arthur called on the nation to cease and settle, and apparently that message did not get to those girlie men in prison. Either that or they felt empowered by someone else.

    Yes national security.

    Owen Arthur place this “burden” on the shoulders of Barbadians and he must remove it.

  26. mash up & buy back Avatar
    mash up & buy back

    Adrian

    Way to go buddy.

    The points you refer to above re Mia being the A.G. during the prison riot is instructive.

    The BLP need to know that we don’t have short term memories.

  27. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    As I recall, the then Her Majesty’s Prisons, Glendairy, was built in 1855 to house some 250 prisoners but actually housed in excess of 800 inmates.

    That unacceptable situation of overcrowding also posed serious implication for safety, security and rehabilitation of inmates.

    As I recall, the new prison at Dodds was built within budget and as scheduled for some US$144,301,325.00.

    Explain the $700 million.

  28. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Why didn’ t Mia call him a liar to Barbadian’s face after all she could have gotten up and cried foul!!!!!

    Wannah want lockin up!

  29. Alex Fergusson Avatar
    Alex Fergusson

    According to the Ministerial Statement read by the then Attorney General, Mr. Dale Marshall, Q.C., M.P., – the new prison at Dodds was built within budget and as scheduled for US$144,301,325.00.

    I am asking again! Where did prime minister david thompson get his figure of $700 million from?

    Let’s see:

    IMF Secret deal;
    Clico is sound and well managed,
    No employees from Clico will lose their jobs.

    More of the same perhaps?

  30. ru4real Avatar
    ru4real

    ‘Stop playing politics and run the blasted country. ‘

    I agree It would be best for all concerned if Thompson would stop denigrating the BLP and shut his mouth seeing he only opens it to put his foot in and spouting rubbish.

  31. littleboy Avatar
    littleboy

    Alex
    It is simple. VECO built the prison at a cost of BDS$280 million, but it is a BOLT arrangement, which means that Government still has to pay the “owners” to operate the prison.A lease has to be satisfied, sir. Eventually Government will “own” the building.
    The same obtains with the Halls of Justice.

  32. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    ECP:
    EPC stands for Engineering, Procurement and Construction.

    It is a common form of contracting arrangement within the construction industry. Under an EPC contract, the contractor will design the installation, procure the necessary materials and construct it, either through own labour or by subcontracting part of the work. The contractor carries the project risk for schedule as well as budget in return for a fixed price, called Lump sum or LSTK depending on the agreed scope of work.

    BOOT:
    Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) is a form of project financing, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct, and operate a facility stated in the concession contract. This enables the project proponent to recover its investment, operating and maintenance expenses in the project.

    Due to the long-term nature of the arrangement, the fees are usually raised during the concession period. The rate of increase is often tied to a combination of internal and external variables, allowing the proponent to reach a satisfactory internal rate of return for its investment.

    BLT OR BOLT:
    build, lease, transfer (BLT) Hide links within definitionsShow links within definitions DefinitionFinancing arrangement in which a developer (1) designs and builds a complete project or facility (such as an airport, power plant, seaport), (2) sells it to the government or a joint venture partner, (3) simultaneously leases it back (usually for 10 to 30 years) to operate it as a business and, after the expiry of the lease, (4) transfers it to the government or partner at a previously agreed upon or market price. See also build, own, operate, transfer.

  33. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Now someone said that Dodds was a ECP project. Yet on VECO’s website the following was once posted.

    Barbados Prison Update

    Commonwealth (a VECO company) is pleased to provide an update on the Prison Project in Barbados. The construction of the Prison complex is now in excess of 80% complete and on schedule for completion later this year. The site has enjoyed an excellent safety record with no Loss Time Incidences after more than 500 days of work involving crews up to 500 workers. We are currently projecting the project will be completed on budget.

    Commonwealth has a contract to design, construct and own the prison for a period of 25 years after which ownership will transfer to the Government. Under the terms of the contract, Commonwealth will have no involvement in the operation of the Prison. The Government of Barbados will continue to have sole responsibility for the Prison operation, including staffing.

  34. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    @Alex

    Now I see consistentcy between the Definition of BLT/BOLT, What the PM said regarding the size and LENGHT of payments, and what VECO had posted on their site.

    So it would seem to me that the BLP bought someting on HIRE PURCHASE and not from Courts furniture limited.

    We all know that yuh can end up paying $1,000 for piece uh furniture from Courts that would otherwise cost $150.00. lol!

  35. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Alex Fergusson

    According to the Ministerial Statement read by the then Attorney General, Mr. Dale Marshall, Q.C., M.P., – the new prison at Dodds was built within budget and as scheduled for US$144,301,325.00
    ************************************************************************************

    At last!! The official BLP spokesperson on the blog talking about VECO, now I am getting old so the memory ain’t too good but I seem to remember the Honourable Minister quoting a figure in Barbados funds and then when questioned about the cost overrun stating that he meant US funds.

    Now while we are on the subject of VECO. Could you explain how the Barbados Gov’t entered into a contract with VECO – an Alaskan Pipeline company to build a prison in Barbados? A company whose principals were subsequently convicted for bribing politicians?

    Don’t keep us waiting too long now I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for plebs like us

  36. Toppin Avatar
    Toppin

    Sargeant, You don’t really expect an answer surely you should expect a lie if a reply at all.
    There is no defence for their corruption and dishonesty.

  37. David Avatar
    David

    @Toppin

    Please desist from using prominent names in society as a pen name.

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