Members of the BU household attended the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) meeting last night at Heroes Square. BU will provide a more detailed comment later. What can be stated is when all the huff and puff was done it must be said Mia Mottley did a good job prosecuting Minister Michael Lashley. Many questions were asked of Minister Lashley last night regarding the contract with JADA covering Coverley. The Leader of the Opposition distributed copies of National Housing Corporation minutes (the same minutes quoted from by Lashley in the House) which supports a good case the Minister Lashley lied while standing on the floor of the House of Assembly at its last sitting. He has also been asked to produce the construction contract referred to by sacked NHC Chairman Marilyn Rice-Bowen.
The other issues worth mentioning is the revelation by former Minister of Health Jerome Walcott that a decision was made by government last Tuesday to refurbish the QEH and jettison plans to build a new hospital. Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur remarked on how the OECS countries have placed CLICO under judicial management and have taken steps to prosecute parties to recover CLICO assets and also to protect CLICO property. He lamented the fact that Barbados has done nothing to date to protect CLICO policyholders.
Hopefully others who attended will fill the gaps.
National Housing Corporation Minutes at the centre of the debate – Pages: 1,2,3 and 4
110 responses to “Leader Of The Opposition Calls For The Resignation Of Minister of Housing Michael Lashley”
@ HH, WIV, and CCC.
I invite you please to ensure that Minister Michael Lashley reads this. After all he is a reasonably friendly demeanour.
There are many lessons to learn. I was only willing to bring awareness to BU but I found it necessary to help you Mr. Minister to help Barbadians to see that your silence is born out of fear rather than malice aforethought.
There are lessons that come from our neighbours in the northern Caribbean. For instance, President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Milton Samuda, recently said to the Gleaner newspaper that he was not surprised by the latest revelations about emails outlining the [Jamaica] Government’s involvement with Manatt. More pointed for us here in Barbados and for you Minister Lashley are these words: “I think, publicly, I have warned in the past that failure to deal decisively with full disclosure in relation to this [or any major allegation against government] was going to result in facts leaking out over a period of time and causing greater damage to all concerned.” I am sure that the more you Minister Lashley appear to either cover or deflect, the more damage is being done to the DLP and to the reputation of my beloved Barbados.
I knew you Mr. Lashley before you were an MP, before you became a Minister, and I would hope for your sake that you face the music and save face. Sometimes, our intentions could be quite noble; but when we err in judgement we must face the matter or problem and fix it. Certainly this was the course of action by the BLP team under former Prime Minister Owen Arthur.
I would suggest to you Mr. Lashley that at the end of the day you need to fix your image in the eyes of the public. No spinning by HH the great political strategist and special adviser to the Prime Minister (not to minimise the impact of HH’s inputs to other governments in the Caribbean), would be more disadvantageous for you to find comfort.
It is you Mr. Lashley that will come under the microscope with the electorate listening and watching every move; it does not matter how many houses you deliver, if in the perceptions of the people you have pulled one fast one too many on them, or seem to deceive them in any way.
Stop and take stock Michael! It is not easy for me to say this to you, but Mia will make mince meat of you should you decide not to be fully open with the public. I am sure that Dale will not let up either. What makes matters worse is that in a short while you will presumably have to face the person who put their reputation on the line promising accountability and transparency; do you remember late 2007 and the first couple of weeks in 2008? History can be a great teacher Mr. Lashley.
Mind you, the same person who insisted that Marilyn would Chair the NHC represents the voice who asked the people to trust him and he would deliver good governance that is fully accountable to the people.
How do you think he would feel knowing that his words carry no weight for the people of Barbados, not because of his directives or your actions, but because of your reluctance to meet the people with timely responses to allegations of infelicities and/or error in judgement.
Believe me, I understand the enthusiasm and the need to make a name for yourself; but it cannot be at any cost. Good governance suggests that time is on the BLP’s side and it is not on your side. At maximum you have 2 more annual conferences and I doubt those who seek to say they saw the contract would be speaking in the same capacities or with the same conviction.
Redeem yourself Mr. Lashley, redeem BU, redeem your supporters, redeem the propagandist CCC, redeem the bedeviling of HH, redeem the BLP who challenged you and to date it has been a successful challenge. Anything less than this, Mia will eat you if the real Prime Minister does not. A word to the wise is sufficient.
What a load of poppycock. Of scandals and deception emanating from within the confines of the political class, Lashley doings is likely no more than “passing gas” as compared to the stinkers of yore.
Well, Well I still waiting to hear de true story bout de land that Gline Clarke build he house pun !! Any how Minister Lashely you are working and a thorn in the side of the opposition !!!! Let Noel Lynch explain how he could afford a plantation on that salary he was making!!!!
This is just another storm in a teacup over what most of these politicians do and encourage (lack of accountability, little integrity, play with the people’s minds, grasp for power and money). Mia comes over has looking for anything and any excuse to tear down the government, even if it means tearing down a piece of Barbados and Barbadians with it. Sad to say the BLP’s 14 year moral, integrity and ethical record doesn’t engender much trust in them now with her as leader. Lashley is doing what all other politicians and many leaders do (but at least he’s provided some solutions and results). We’ll be back to normal in a few weeks and the people who’re the most disillusioned with the ill effects of this ridiculous partisanship and yard fowlism will continue to hate and eventually rebel against the system. So much for Team Barbados. Say a prayer for our younger generation.
Were this clan of crooks not so dishonest and liar one maybe inclined to give them a hearing but knowing their history and their track record does not lead anyone to want to consider them as a fit source of advice.
Are these the same people that ran us into over $ 750,000,000.00 in cost overruns ?
If so what gives them the right to tell anyone how to do or how not to do anything, It was good enough for me to hear from one of their most loyal supporters who was heard on VOB before elections ranting and raving in their support and today on VOB he was very much in support and confirmed his thoughts that this was above board so much so not even your head in the air aloof Gail Marshall had no come back to no lesser a person than your own Hal Gollop.
I take my hat off to Mr Gollop to refuse to tow a dishonest line and stand for what he knows to right and honest, Mr Gollop rose today in my estimation of him 10 fold.
Just a simple reminder. Hal Gallop is an Attorney at Law honestly making a dollar Politics are not in this equation my friend. Just the mighty dollar.
Source: Nation News
ABC ‘SHAME’
Published on: 1/10/08
by Chris Gollop
‘He said he intended to tell the crowd assembled to hear promised bombshells for the Campaign Eye-Opener One rally that on the instruction of the Cabinet of Barbados, the project was started and millions of dollars were disbursed, and up to December 2007, no formal contract had been signed between Government and the main contractor.’
He being the then Opposition leader now PM Thompson.
Funny how the most corrupt gov’t foisted on this Nation is now trying to pretend that they are knights in shining armour what a load of bull.
Ask people why they charged a West Coast owner $ 100,000.00 to set up a meeting with the former Prime Minister.
Or why they arranged a meeting at The Bush Bar with a Mr Chris Salt the owner of Portico in St James next door to The Escape and charged the gentleman $ 1,000,000.00 to obtain a Town and Country Planning Permission.
Hi guys these people have not changed their ways they are just worried about what more the DLP will uncover about their time in office that is unpleasant to their souls if they have any such thing as souls.
I want to know one thing: Is Minister Lashley on the take?
Please continue to comment on the blog above.