A good indicator to test if the silly season has arrived is to observe the accusations lobbed by BLP and DLP acolytes at BU. A characteristic of the political partisan is the inability to accept reasonable positions. The only position is a party position. It does not take any high degree of political acumen to discern who fit the description politically partisan on BU.
In 2010 BU posted three blogs which highlighted our concern about Minister Lowe’s known close association with philanthropist and owner of Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary Peter Allard. BU is surprised at the little traction the story got knowing that politicos from both sides visit BU. Bear in mind both parties have been preaching the need for good governance i.e. transparency in public office.
The three blogs posted 1) What Is Your Connection To Peter Allard Minister Lowe? 2) Need For Freedom Of Information And Protection Of Privacy Legislation In Barbados. Need For Greater Security At Our Local And Overseas Missions. Need For Integrity Legislation. The Follow Up On Minister Denis Lowe – The Secretive World Of Peter Andrew Allard Part VI 3) Minister Denis Lowe, Why Come To The Table With Unclean Hands? – The Secretive World Of Peter Andrew Allard Part VII asked questions of Minister Lowe. So far he and others have ignored our queries but we have not forgotten. Time is longer than twine!
Improving transparency in the way government does business was a key platform issue in the last general general election promised by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). Can Barbadians honestly say that the government has delivered?
Those who attended the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) political meeting on the weekend would have been shocked to learn about Cabinet minutes in the possession of Kerri Symmonds. It makes ordinary Bajans wonder if we cannot have confidence in the integrity of the system at that level of office, what is left? Perhaps a commission of inquiry is warranted into the many Cabinet leaks of late. Some may say the government has made itself vulnerable by the actions of ministers of government who have disregarded the principle of collective responsibility; a tenet of the Westminster system. This betrayal of the system merits investigation.
The purpose of the leaked Cabinet minutes was to expose an unusual transaction which Minister Lowe and his government entered with the Bynoe brothers. It appears government has agreed to swap 19+ acres at Bagatelle for 9+ acres of land at River Bay owned by Proppa Pork Bynoe. The result, younger brother Bynoe will resite his metal recycling operation from Cane Garden to Bagatelle. Senator Symmonds who has been stridently prosecuting the matter on behalf of the opposition has raised several concerns:
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No environmental study was town
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No T&P approval was sought
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No proppa communication with residents in the area
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No communication from government on details of the deal
Leader of the Opposition Arthur added to the intrigue of the transaction by suggesting the land at Bagatelle was an addition to the original deal which featured Fort Denmark in St. Peter. The fact that the Bagatelle land maybe worth millions because years of scrap metal to be found on the site perhaps explains it all.
At this stage what is required is for Barbadians to hear the government’s view of this transaction. It boggles the mind that with a general election on the horizon the government does not see the need to practice Communications 101. Why give the opposition so much fodder to feed on?
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.