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Playing Politics at Every Turn – Are Barbadians Serious?

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Submitted by Hamilton Hill
Kerri Symmonds, Deputy Leader of the BLP was reappointed to the Senate after a widely publicized marital dispute. 

Kerri Symmonds, Deputy Leader of the BLP was reappointed to the Senate by Owen Arthur after a widely publicized marital dispute.

 

I have long held fast to the belief that hypocrisy like the broken trident is symbolic of things Bajan. As I listened to Brasstacks today [Oct 18, 2013] on the Voice Of Barbados, I was reminded why. Caller after caller demanded to hear an apology from the minister of finance Chris Sinckler. Not because every single strategy….short, medium or long term employed by the minister has failed miserably, not because he has been fitted with a cloak of ignominy as the first ‘economist’ to be stumped by a decimal point, but because of a play that if nothing else is certainly par for the course as it relates to what we have accepted as party politics in the country that we all claim to love so much. Are we serious here?

We are burdened with an administration that has clearly lost its way, or better put has not yet found its intended path. A government that through its indecisiveness cannot frequently address the nation, and here we are allowing the real issues to be over shadowed by a proffered opinion, one politician about another. Are we serious here?

To the feminist movement that now demand and rightly so the instant halt to disrespect of our women, I ask you this. Does the name Andrea Symmonds ring a bell?  It was right here in this very forum that this writer read that the source of her distress was pressured to demit office by none other than Mia Motley, only to be reinstated in a nanosecond by Mr. Arthur who had forced Miss Motley from her position. Where were you then? When the steps to Senator Sandiford-Garner’s office were coated in human faeces back in 2008 where were your melodious voices then? Remind me of the stance you took when the police forcefully took the cameras from the female journalists a few years ago.

We continue to play politics at every turn and that’s why nothing changes. A politician plays politics and here we are demanding an apology. Empirical evidence says that the stronger claim is grounded in the statement that a sorry excuse for a leader now heads our ministry of finance. Again I ask….are we serious here?

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128 responses to “Playing Politics at Every Turn – Are Barbadians Serious?”

  1. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Carson C. Cadogan | October 20, 2013 at 6:32 AM |
    colonel buggy
    You are a real humbug in truth. I thought you had sense. You are using Military Juntas and corrupt Governments of South America and Central America as examples for Barbados to follow?
    …………………………………………………………….
    We are not too far behind, we elect our dictators and Juntas every five years. Just proves that the Pen (cil) in the voting booth could be just as mighty as the sword.

  2. Back in Time Jack Avatar
    Back in Time Jack

    June Boy

    The people in the park yesterday were mainly BLP supporters who are still finding difficult to come to terms with the fact that DLP was re-elected. This is a good move by Mottley but unfortunately a lot of people (pawns) don’t understand what’s motivating it all. She needed a big crowd to make a big statement so she could build momentum but she didn’t get the numbers yesterday and the PM has put the Motion of No Confidence on the Order Paper for Tuesday. This time next week no one will be talk about this. In politics you are better off taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves than spend your energy trying to create them.

  3. Back in Time Jack Avatar
    Back in Time Jack

    I listened to Mia at the press conference last week when she announced the intention of the BLP to file a motion of no confidence against the minister of finance. During that press conference she call on the PM and the DLP to ensure the longstanding tradition continues whereby motions of no confidences are debated and voted on urgently. Now low and behold she is complaining that its to be debated and voted on tomorrow. There need be no better sign than this that this just a cheap political stunt which has NOT worked.

  4. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    As I said earlier all who will be signing that “petition” will be BLP people, the people I saw in the Park were the same people I saw at BLP political meetings in Feb. 2013.

    I must confess that the Rent-a-crowd factor was small, it would seem as though that they could not buy many people to attend this time around.

    Which brings me back to a point that that I have been making for some time now, the Barbados Labour Party is still in Feb. 2013 election mode and they seem not to have noticed that it is post General elctions Feb. 2013.

  5. Back in Time Jack Avatar
    Back in Time Jack

    Carson

    A few of my friends reported that at the peak they had about 600 people. Hardly a National movement.

    The crowd responded better to OSA than MAM.

  6. checkit-out Avatar
    checkit-out

    Wunnah really think that Mia will be unable to debate that motion on Tuesday? Wunnah really know Mia? and what Mia can do in a matter like this? Chaw!!.

    I rather suspect that Stuart has misjudged the timing for the debate. If he had left it to cool down as any sensible leader would have, it would have been better, as it is, even though it might not pass, it will provide a forum for us to hear what our leaders are willing to say in public about Chris’ performance and use that information in a future battle when more info is on the table.

    Wunnah realize that the debate might come at the same time that the Gov of the Central Bank has his say on the economy? Depending on what he says it might look not to be good strategy on the PM’s part to have an in depth dissection of the GOVERNMENT’s performance re the economy at this time, but the usual superficial trickery.

    There’s still time though for the CB governor to postpone the delivery of the economic report to suit the political purposes, but even that will raise the concerns of discerning people when it finally is unearthed. Wonder if there were any open backed trucks in church village recently?

    I wasn’t there and I didn’t see the CBC report but I’ve heard that it was a reasonably large crowd under the circumstances and that the other aspect of the campaign, the signatures, seems to be gaining momentum from those not willing to be seen supporting the cause.

  7. ac Avatar
    ac

    So what the BLP misfits and malicious malcontents had their “pity party” their version of revisionary politics trying to undo a constituionally binding election by having what can be termed a spectacle of a show yesterday the best part was MIA allowed to show her political nakedness for all to see.. apparantly Chris was right.

  8. Crystal Ball Avatar
    Crystal Ball

    Check-it Out

    You are the one lacking in political wisdom, not the Prime Minister. She does not have the numbers (in Parliament or Queens Park) and therefore it won’t be so much a debate as a straight up vote which she will lose. Simple, not very complex. She looks assine (political juvenile) to be calling for an urgent debate/vote on the motion one week and a week later complaining about getting her wish. So she want to Parliamentarians to hurry up and wait for her to get momemtum where none exist?

    Mia (0) Owen (1)

  9. ac Avatar
    ac

    Ha! HA! for a woman who has been around the political block for a long time she should have been by now knowing and having the wisdim of not wanting to look foolish. the spectacle which she put on yesterday was akin to that of preaching to the choir with a predictable outcome and same response..”AMEN”

  10. checkit-out Avatar
    checkit-out

    Crystal Ball; I never claimed to have any political wisdom or even to have a crystal ball with visual access to the future.

    You may be right that it will be a straight up and down vote, but doesn’t that appear to negate the legitimate purposes of a vote of no confidence? Don’t the members have a perhaps unwritten right to speak on a topic such as this one instead of voting just yea or nea? In a parliament that has almost equal numbers of BLP and DLP members as this one, doesn’t it seem to be the height of playing politics to allow for a vote only and not for a debate? It is the optics here that I think are important for the future.

    Of course Freundel’s strategy may look like great one-upmanship to partisans but to the people who really matter in the long run it may not necessarily have that look. It might seem more like trickery and seeking to hide from the facts than sensible strategy. In fact, with the recent Sandals announcements, it would appear to be more in the interests of the government to have a debate than to have just an up and down vote.

    But perhaps only people with a crystal ball can see the total brilliance of the Freundel strategies.

    BTW, is the GoCB presentation still on track for tomorrow?

  11. ac Avatar
    ac

    HA! HUH! “freundel trickery” or may be the people might just peek through the microscopic lenses of MIA and see the full exposure iof a leader who lacks the will and forfitude and weight which leadership demands but rely on political gimmickry as a way forward to heal a nation . in addition to how and what she contributes through meaningless and senseless debate

  12. Peltdownman Avatar
    Peltdownman

    I have always been in favour of Sandals coming to Barbados, because of the marketing clout that they bring with them. However, if concessions granted come anywhere close to those granted in Grenada, then local businesses will most probably miss out completely. If all capital goods are allowed duty free and all consumer goods are allowed duty free, just how much of the Sandals dollars earned will stay in Barbados?

  13. Adrian Loveridge Avatar
    Adrian Loveridge

    Peltdownman, very good questions and I hope the taxpayers will be fully informed.

  14. lighthouse Avatar
    lighthouse

    Talk about comments, I remember when MAM said that “Men Must learn to tek a horn”. That is the most unethical and immoral statement coming from any want to be leader in this country. I seriously thought that she should have chided persons to be faithful to their husbands and wives. But then a person can only speak what is in their makeup. I have never forgotten that statement and it has turned me away from her as a leader. The women of the BLP should have chastised her for such immoral position. I remember she also suggested we put condoms in prison and the country went into an uproar. OSA then begged us to “cease and settle”. A comment about stripping cannot offend her. She is too coarse. I begging the Father to keep us from her clutches. I am not into this political thing but I opine that all leaders of countries must have sound moral and ethical moorings. The statement above troubles me muchly.

  15. Yagga Rowe Avatar
    Yagga Rowe

    ighthouse | October 21, 2013 at 2:46 PM |
    Talk about comments, I remember when MAM said that “Men Must learn to tek a horn”. That is the most unethical and immoral statement coming from any want to be leader in this country. I seriously thought that she should have chided persons to be faithful to their husbands and wiv

    Stop trying to justifying nonsense,
    The problem is that the voting age should be raised to 25
    and you should be able to x amount income + x amount of savings to vote
    Only persons with adequate amounts of wealth should contest
    elections
    ——————————
    Yaaaaaaaaassgga strikkes agen !–

  16. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Adrian
    What of the furore when the concessions were given to Cost-U-Less.The furore has died down and bajans appear to have forgotten it.
    Chances are they will do the same when they hear of the concessions Butch might have wrung from the Dems.
    For all their religious fervour,bajans know not what is called ‘Righteous Indignation’ and the politicians know this only too well.

  17. Pompasettin Pearlie Avatar
    Pompasettin Pearlie

    David, how you dear-heart? Yuh en see I hey keepin de peace. Yuh must be wondering how comes I en onpick my teet bout dis noconfidence motion, neh? I mek sure I keep far from de Park yessiduh, cause I tell myself when tings get hot down dey somebody bounds tuh tek off all duh clothes naked naked naked and I aint want see nutten like dah fuh gimme nuh heart attack boh! Murdaaaa!

    Look, I only come tuh axe yuh a lil question doh. When is de BLP annual conference again? Pick sense from nonsense. Ah gone!

  18. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Lighthouse

    Re: Your comment at 2:46

    I could not have said it better. The BLP is offering the country a she wolf in sheep’s clothing. As bad as the DLP Government appears to be, they can’t be worse than a Government led by Mia. I know of what I speak: I worked with her.

    >

  19. Adrian Loveridge Avatar
    Adrian Loveridge

    Gabriel, my thoughts were that Barbados is already perceived from a tourism point of view as showing a poor return on investment (with a few exceptions) and if potential investors see one entity getting preferential concessions, not available to them, then they will chose other opportunities other than Barbados. Even if Sandals/Beaches eventually reach a total of 800 rooms, that still only represents a little less that 13.5 per cent of the total hotel room stock.
    A little example with our hotel. GEMS added 40 rooms to Silver Rock Hotel at a taxpayer cost of $40 million which then re-opened at rates 20 per cent lower than ours. When the GEMS experiment failed dismally, they then sold it to the current owners and the PM (at that time) waived the Property Transfer Tax. This is what we, in the private sector are expected to compete with.
    I can promise you, our larger accommodation providers are watching the Sandals scenario VERY carefully and the outcome will dictate what more (if anything) they invest in Barbados. I really hope the Government has thought this all through.

  20. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    A September 30, 2012 article in Travel Weekly, “Sandals resort struggling to stay open” at http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Sandals-resort-on-Grand-Exuma-struggling-to-stay-open/ could be a cautionary tale.

    From that article

    “Sandals founder Butch Stewart said that the Sandals Emerald Bay on Great Exuma is in a dire situation because of high operating costs and insufficient airlift, but that the company is working to keep the Bahamas resort open.

    Sandals’ effort involves looking to the Bahamas government for solutions.

    “What we have done is put the situation squarely to the government, and asked them to investigate ways in which they can work with us to bring some respite to the impossible economic environment we are facing in the Family Islands,” Stewart said””

    From what I have read, it sounds like Stewart has put the funding of the Beaches Barbados “investment” squarely on the shoulders of Stuart – and Sinkler – and Sealy

  21. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    See BLP Press Release at http://blp.org.bb/news/press-release-sandals-and-couples-agreement-miss-santia-bradshaw-mp

  22. balance Avatar
    balance

    ‘Churchill once looked a lady in the eye and called her ugly …… after she had branded him as ugly.’

    for the record- the lady called Churchill a drunkard- Churchill’s reply was tat he was indeed a drunkard but would be sober in the morning whereas she was ugly and would always be ugly

  23. balance Avatar
    balance

    “How will these promised disclosures help with infusing confidence in Barbadians? How will these disclosures help to improve the economy?”

    It is not Ms Motltey’s job to provide answers to improve a sinking economy- that is the job of the government who were elected and are handsomely paid to do that- the opposition is paid to highlight the government’s shortcomings as the DLP spearheaded by Mr David Estwick did so successfully when they were in opposition

  24. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Due Diligence
    That has and continues to be Butch Stewart’s modus operandi.The taxpayers are made to pay the man’s lifestyle.He couldn’t get past the OSA government with his ‘whitemail’,and so this DLP government needs to show the people of Barbados that they have something to show for what looks like 10 years at the ‘hellum’,they are selling the family silver and Butch will do what he has done to Air Jamaica and the government of Jamaica.It must be a stepdown for many bajans to see how inexperience in dealing with con men has become a reality in what is now revealing itself to all and sundry.As Adrian says,other hoteliers and investors are watching the fine print when it is made known.

  25. ac Avatar
    ac

    So Santia Bradshaw decides she is going to carve cut up and slice the butch stewart /barbados govt agrrement and serve it to the BLP yardfowls a la carte,,, What “insanity bradshaw” seem not to realise that bajans are not simpletons to eat bitter pie, even though it looks like pie, here she comes along to insult bajan intelligence which the BLP yardfowls and members seem to relish but trying to expalin when the job process through sale and agreement of almod would take place, take note how out of touch these people are with most bajans who pride themselves at being educated, trying to explain such a measure is as arrogant and ignorant and borders on stupidity,
    anothe of her explainables is the purchase of the almond by govt,it has been over five months or maybe longer that the govt forward such information verbally to the media as well as the public. fuh goodnees sake how can the govt even hid demolishing a monstraity and rebuilding it without any one knowing, contracts have to drawn up witth signatures attached unlike the OSA era when everything was done under the table,,,,, lady give it a rest ….somewhat insane,,,

  26. Well Well. Avatar
    Well Well.

    ac…………..explain this before someone makes you look foolish

    http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/hotel-rage/

  27. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    This is from the Nation Hotel Rage article.

    The DAILY NATION learnt that the all-inclusive hotel chain is to be refunded $6 million it spent refurbishing the Dover, Christ Church property it has managed for just four months, and from which it will be forced to leave early next month.

    Who is refunding the $6 million to Couples; Sandals, Almond/Neal and Massy or Government of Barbados to make Couples go away and make way for their new best friend Butch to set up shop?

  28. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    @Due diligence,
    Until the sale is finalised the property (Almond) is still owned by Neal and Massey. The government hass offered to buy it but the sale has not been finalised. Right now it is just an offer to purchase. If you offer to buy a house you cannot move in or do anything to it until the closing date and money has been paid. People are getting on as if the government owns Almond. It does not and has never owned Alomond. It once owned Harewoods which was sold to BS&T, changed to Almond and then bought by Neal and Massey as part of the purchase of BS&T. You work out who owns what and who is responsible for what and then get back to BU.

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