Submitted by Inkwell
Hartley Henry, the political advisor to the Democratic Labour Party in his article published April 15th 2010 under the heading “Irksome Realities” stated inter alia:
“Scores of road contracts were awarded companies that existed only in name and they were some individuals who received contracts to build roads and repair bridges that had not the slightest concept of how such should have been done. The result today is a plethora of unfinished projects in rural Barbados, for which monies have been paid in full but which will now have to be completed by this administration.”
In response, I wrote:
“Now here, surely, is an area where we can move from the realm of innuendo and allegation to the safety of evidence and fact. If you are a government and you sign a contract with Mr. X for the building of a bridge at Y place and pay the full amount of the contract, stupid though that may be, and Mr. X does not complete the bridge, he is in breach of the contract and you have recourse in law. Take Mr. X to court. You have the cancelled cheques. Recover the money paid to Mr. X. Use it to complete the bridge. That’s really simple, isn’t it? Why after two years has it not been done? And why are you still complaining?
And who awarded the contract? Was it done in accordance with the rules? And if the rules were broken, is anyone accountable? Or will it be just another item in the Auditor General’s report? more grist for the politicians’ mill?
I’d like some answers, not just more slurs on the previous administration. Would anyone else? In fact, in our supposed democracy, I am entitled to answers. Or does the author’s commitment not extend that far?”
Two additional months have elapsed and of course I have had no answers. I will go further to state that since the evidence to support the allegations would have to be available and since the Government has done nothing (of which we are aware) to prosecute such corruption, it stands guilty of complicity in that corruption, in addition to engaging in willful wastage of taxpayers’ money in expending further funds to complete the unfinished projects as Mr. Henry claims, when such monies ought to be recoverable or the contractors held legally liable.
If there is no evidence to support Mr. Henry’s allegations, then they fall squarely under the offenses of lies and libel and he should be called to account for it. There can be no equivocation. One of two things must be true:
Either Hartley Henry is a liar or the Government is complicit in corruption.
Which is it? It is time we demand answers. One way or another, this nonsense has to stop.
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