Submitted by John Farmer
Dr. Anthony ‘Gabby’ Carter popularized Jack – ‘‘dat cyan happen here in this country”
How many times have I heard those words spoken? Then the person who I have been speaking with goes on to qualify his/her statement. “Here in Barbados, we have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. We have the third oldest parliamentary system in the Commonwealth with a democratic governmental system almost four hundred years old. Also Barbados has a good education system plus a good Justice system. It is impossible for that to happen here!” Have you not heard these words spoken before?
I heard these same words uttered by Venezuelans just 15 years ago. At that time their democratic form of government was the longest surviving democracy in South America, a mere forty years of existence, but still the longest lasting democracy at that time in South America. Their primary and secondary education was good and they had many excellent Universities, with Simon Bolivar University rated one of the four top universities in the whole of South America. All education was free and on a scale of meritocracy the top students were selected by the top Universities, but they could apply to any university of their choice.
The Justice system was by written law rather than law decided by Jury. It is still so today. Fifteen years ago in Venezuela, after forty years of democracy there was still a very large economic gap separating the rich and the poor, but the middle class was starting to grow. There was a high unemployment rate, but much of this was made up of people who really did not care about working plus illegal immigrants from other South American countries. There certainly was no food shortage and the supermarket shelves and Bodegas (small shops) were full of items. Please remember in those days, only a short fifteen years ago, Venezuela produced 80% of its food consumption. Today it produces 20% – what a great Bolivarian revolutionary achievement! Fifteen years ago it produced 3.2 million barrels of oil per day – now it is producing 2.6 million barrels of oil per day or less. Another wondrous Chavez/Maduro revolutionary achievement. However, just fifteen years ago Venezuela had Freedom, including freedom of speech which no longer exists there. Freedom of the press and news media; these are now censored. Freedom of travel has become now very difficult. Freedom to purchase foreign currency for example dollars; almost impossible to do so now, except on the black market where the cost of one dollar is about 700% more than the fixed rate. Freedom to buy or sell your property, now government controlled.
However, let’s get back to, IT CAN”T HAPPEN HERE!
When people here in Barbados are making this statement they think only about losing their democracy and stability the country offers them. They don’t give the slightest thought to losing their freedom. Neither did I, until I learned how easily this most precious and important human right can be taken away from you by a manipulative government acting under the guise of democracy, but ruling authoritatively , its president having absolute power, because of a biased and carefully selected supreme court, plus a well greased armed force.
When a country finds itself in a crisis or a vulnerable economic situation, many forces and persons with a political or more sinister agenda are looking to enter through the back door if it is not securely fastened. Did this not happen in the 1930’s with the fascist dictator Hitler? How did he leave his country? Wasn’t it destroyed and in complete economic Chaos? How did Stalin leave Russia? What has progressed in Cuba under the Castros’? And you know something, when these dictators destroy the country, rape the economy and everything is in shambles, that is when other sinister elements enter through the back door with an offer of a solution , propping up the regimen’s addiction to money and the good life they have become accustomed to while the more unfortunate citizens are now not only subservient to the regime , but also to the other elements. This is what is happening in Venezuela right now. Venezuelans, living in a country with the largest estimated oil reserves in the world, but has just been ranked in the 130th position out of 132 countries on the rating index given by the non-profit group of social progress imperative.
Just ask yourself who really is controlling Venezuela? Think for a while and the answer will come to you. Don’t neglect what is happening in Venezuela for these problems are right at our backdoor.
@John Farmer “Fifteen years ago in Venezuela, after forty years of democracy there was still a very large economic gap separating the rich and the poor, but the middle class was starting to grow. There was a high unemployment rate, but much of this was made up of people who really did not care about working plus illegal immigrants from other South American countries.”
Ah yes, 492 years after colonized by the Spanish Venezuela is still not a democracy. But for nearly 500 years the rich mostly Spanish descended Venezuelans have liked it so. Plenty of everything for them including plenty of cheap labour to do everything from growing their food to washing their nasty underwear.
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And John Farmer blaming poor Venezuelans for their poverty is not going to gain you any friends in Barbados, so you really believe that poor unemployed Venezuelans did not really want to work? that they had chosen to be barefoot, illiterate and hungry, that they chose to have their unimmunized children die at age 5 from measles etc.
That poor people don’t care when their children die?
That poor people don’t care that they can’t send their children to school
That poor people don’t care when they can’t get clean water
That poor people don’t care when they have to love surrounded by their garbage because their garbage isn’t picked up?
That poor people don’t care when their roofs are leaking
that poor people don’t care when their locks are broken?
that poor people don’t care when their windows are broken?
And you expect sympathy from us?
Poor unemployed people do care.
Poor unemployed people are fully human.
@John Farmer “What has progressed in Cuba under the Castros’? ”
Simple Simon’s response: The care which Cuba provides to its youngest citizens. Cuban children younger than 5 are the healthiest in the Caribbean. That is a good thing.
Look here for the UNDP’s Human Development Index review the data for Cuba. Specifically the under 5 mortality rate for Cuba is 13 for Barbados it is 18. Barbados still has a long way to go in caring for the very youngest, most vulnerable Bajans, that is those younger than age 5.
But maybe the UNDP is a Communist front organization.which has massaged the data to make Cuba look good.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is 100% correct John Farmer.
Freedom, liberty and our democratic way of life are a precious commodity in the world we live in today. And these little things we take for granted can be whisked away so easily by those in power with “strange ideas”. It can happen anywhere by people not standing up for what is right. You are right in Venezuela it took less than 15 years of bad management.
Barbados has a couple of these types around the place but so far the electorate has not paid them any attention (Commisiong and his crew).
The DLP rode to power with promises of everything FREE for the people – a belief these types have that they think can work – but look at all the countries that have tried it and got no where. At least we have international structures in place to not let these politicians go overboard – unless they really want to ruin the country – but at least right now they are taking some advise from outside – the thing is time will tell if it is too little too late. Barbados still has fundamental problems with a civil service and government that just does not get it.
Sadly on the other hand we have the BLP waiting in the wings with a leader that does not seem to have a different plan. All we hear them talking about is bringing back free education for UWI students!!! Maybe she should spend more time talking about how she will raise the money to do that first. Oh and not by taking some loans from more international agencies to stimulate the economy. That definitely is not working at this point.
We need better government / a smaller civil service and the ability to fire the non productive people working there – and of course promoting the ones who are working hard – they are there too. The unions of this country are holding the companies and people back at this stage. Unfortunately we have a government right now who is not string enough to stand up to them.
Barbados needs a new direction and a new leader who can offer us that. Who will come forward?
@Good Point “The unions of this country are holding the companies and people back at this stage. Unfortunately we have a government right now who is not string enough to stand up to them.Barbados needs a new direction and a new leader who can offer us that. Who will come forward?”
You do understand that the unions are democratic organizations which act according to the will of the people, the demos?
Barbados does NOT need a maximum leader.
The lust for maximum leaders have brought many, many countries to ruin.
It can be argued that “the companies” are holding Barbados back. That “:the companies” are inefficient, corporate welfare bums, dinosaurs which feast on the tax payers money.
MY MONEY.
Who are the people of Barbados that want an apology from the BAMC according to Sir Roy Trotman? Come again Trottie the majority of Barbadians caught in the worst recession in history want the Union to cool its ego and come to an amicable agreement with the BAMC and get on with the crop. Where is the money coming from to pay enhanced packages why not work a deal and move on a blind man can see money is scarce. Why cause the island to lose hundreds of thousands a day on iffy trade union tactics at a time like this. Trottie when you make correct decisions we the people support you and the BWU and you have done great work in the past against unscrupulous employers.. This fight over transparent retrenchment however is tantamount to frittering away foreign exchange and wages for workers the country can ill afford.
unionist | April 14, 2014 at 12:52 AM | Sir Roy Trotman @got caught playing both sides, now he looking to clean up the fraud he help played on the union members.
BAMC, had full intent to what they did, many talks went on behind closed doors to get rid of the workers.
The Barbados Sugar is near white now. Where is the Brown in Brown Sugar? Sold off to America and the rest of the world.That is a move of the DLP and its Ministers , no quality control of sugar, No quality over government long thinking in ways to de fraud the public for they personal gains.
The DLP and BLP set up business that they know they will put government into. Set up business , ahead of time to suck up the money. The business is for the people so they can work and hire the public , Government is in to many business for them self ,family and the Ministers and lawyers.
Crooks , Liars and Scumbags , put the Ministers Pictures on the WALL and post what each connection are in Business government related. Watch the lawyers they have and the ones they hire are some of the best crooks crooking ,
Sir Roy should bear in mind many of the workers have been drawing pay for no work for months. He should remember the sugar industry and government are broke. He should remember the public remembers his failed attempts to represent workers in other high profile cases in the last years. He should remember there is little public sympathy for the BWU and unions in general. The country is in a bad spot.
It Can’t Happen In Barbados, No Sir, I Tell You That Can’t Happen Here@
What a heading , by the time you can post a heading like that , it Will tell you it has already happen and happening ,
In the start of PLANTATION DEED POSTINGS. legal eagles wrote it cant happen here , not Barbados , that We to have the best records keeping system in the World it seems,
We also have the best crook government to remove and hide documents to rewrite the past of over 100 years to suit and match the fraud papers they produce today.The best crooks in the high court to support the crook papers, The best crook Ex CJ Simmons, The Best crook Ex COP Dottin, The best crook DPP, The best crook NEWSPAPERS, The Best Crook Water Company Heads in Office , The Best Crook Land Registry who re write the Books, The Best Inland Revenue Head, The Best Crook head of Land and Survey, The Best Crook at the head of the National Trust.The best crooks at the Barbados Library , The best web masters to post crap that dont match what each part put out on the World Wide Web.
The best Crooks now wanting to shut down BU for they know the truth is here.No Free Smart of the Press but to control Free-dumb of the press.
Barbados 360 tells the World what other nations and people are doing , but they dont tell what Barbados is doing. Nation Paper and Advocate , Who prints the closet truth is Barbados Today , but under the pressure of being drag into court like The Nation heads Roy Morris.
Societies, especially 3rd world, need a good mix of socialist and capitalist policies. As a student of History when you do research on such countries as Cuba, which was a somewhat capitalist state pre-Castro they was that huge gap between the rich and the poor. Then there was the hue and cry to get equal social mobility and then the revolution occurred and then we know the rest. But the same thing that happened to Haiti, happened to Cuba. She was abandoned by the West, embargos of nearly every kind was imposed on Cuba. And with the fall of the Soviet Union who was their main trading partner, things became worst. So every country has a history as to what it has become today. Puerto Rico could have been another Cuba in the making; widening gap between rich and poor, tensions rising, but the US seeing what occurred in Cuba took her under their wing, supported them and eventually made them a state.
I am not that versed on the affairs of Venezuela but I believe Chavez wanted to narrow the gap between the rich and the working class in his country. But it seems that his mistake (as with others before him) he went to far the ‘Left’ and alienated many investors and the business class in his country. So it seems in many cases when leaders/countries try to appease/help the working class in their country they may have their hearts in the right place, but they go too far ‘Left’ and the middle and upper class don’t take kindly to that.
Correction to above PR isnt a US state but rather part of the US Commonwealth.
As we all know the gap between the obscenely wealthy and poor in Venezuela has been two wide for too long, the difference between Barbados and Venezuela is, the black majority are more educated and will not allow themselves to sink into that level of extreme poverty nor will they allow these two parties to drag them to that level without a fight, although they accept alot of shit from governments and are way too complacent when it comes to the minorities, they have managed to maintain a level of sustainability that I believe poor Venezuelans are incapable of because of extremely high levels of illiteracy, again, the arrogant governments are to be blamed….it’s unconscionable that those who seek to support the Venezuelan government totally pretend they are blind to the levels of poverty in that country and ignore the oil wealth that can fix that problem..
“Barbados does NOT need a maximum leader”
If you mean by power of the gun, then no; but once selected as the one who commands the support of his/her Parliamentary colleagues as enshrined in the Constitution, the Prime Minister becomes primus inter partes. Only he/she can determine the election date and this, among other residual power suggests to me that the person holding the office of Prime Minister can be described as a maximum leader.
“Sir Roy should bear in mind many of the workers have been drawing pay for no work for months.”
Cannot deny the fact but should we pursue this red herring and ignore the fact that it was bad decision making at the highest levels which was responsible for the workers earning pay without working. So don’t let us get carried away.
@balance
What red herring what!?!
Labour is complicit in the bad decisions making as well because its leadership was aware there was an unresolved problem at the factory, all of Barbados knew about it and the hypocrisy was allowed to infect the management of the problem.
“As a student of History when you do research on such countries as Cuba, which was a somewhat capitalist state pre-Castro they was that huge gap between the rich and the poor”
It may be surprising for you to learn that that gap has widened considerably under the Castro regime with a minority elite enjoying the best of what life has to offer and the majority awaiting the crumbs to fall from the tables of the elite. Last time I checked, the USA was Cuba’s fourth largest trading partner.
What red herring what!?!
Labour is complicit in the bad decisions making as well because its leadership was aware there was an unresolved problem at the factory, all of Barbados knew about it and the hypocrisy was allowed to infect the management of the problem”.
No sense picking a fight with you when you seem to be supporting my contention that it was bad decision making by the decision makers which has led Sir Roy to arise from his slumber though at an inopportune time to take long overdue corrective action to the assault on Union membership.
And if you agree that it is an inopportune time for the union to be playing the ass what is the issue? Are you not saying that the union needs to shoulder some of the bad decision making here as well? So who is splitting hairs?
“So who is splitting hairs?”
Cool it , esteemed gentleman, no need to invoke fire and brimstone. I am just trying to stimulate discussion on Sir Roy’s volte-face in that he repudiated ‘strike action’ for love and sake of country when numerous workers were brutally terminated but has now decided to selectively initiate ‘ strike action’ for 57 workers.’ Are one set of workers more important than the others?. Unions do not run the country, so in my view the only bad decision made by the Unions was the decision by Union to provide the administration carte-blanche check to do as they like by telling the enemy up front not to worry about industrial action.
Unions (labour) is a key stakeholder in civil society functioning to act as watchdog and gatekeeper of equitable positions. It is not about running the country, we ALL have a role – some greater than others – participating in a democracy. Some of you are so myopic.
“Unions (labour) is a key stakeholder in civil society functioning to act as watchdog and gatekeeper of equitable positions. It is not about running the country, we ALL have a role – some greater than others – participating in a democracy. Some of you are so myopic.”
Sir I try as hard as possible not to engage you because I admire and respect your contribution to social commentary in the country through Barbados Underground. Having said that, let me add that I try as hard as possible to engage you because I recognize that you do not have an analytical mind. If you consider the nonsense you have written above to be visionary, then I prefer to be labelled as ‘myopic’ any day.
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@ balance
You know part of the problem is some of you have been part of the very corrupt system for years and believe you have ALL the answers to solve now. How do you think any system can be made better or maintained if there is not strident advocacy from all players in civil society? Do you think only 30 indivuals have that power over us? Don’ t you know only significant change is achieved via people power? What is the definition of LABOUR? What do you think about NUPW who can bearly mobilize 1000 members to vote? What about the BWU who has not been able to groom a successor? What do you tbink will happen when the labour movement is seen and perceived to be weak generally? Carry on believing yours is the only view and trying to foist on commenters the BLP is less shity than the DLP therefore a better option.
what corrupt system are you talking about and indeed if there is corruption it is in the interest of the country for those like you with the information(e.g lowe/ Allard) to keep stoking the fire and allow the instances of corruption posted by you on the blog to burn unceasingly and not allow comment on the instances of corruption (your word) to die a natural death like the comments in the Auditor General’s report on which we feast for nine days and like everything else die a natural death thereafter. How can you not know that the country is polarised politically from top to bottom due to the institutionalisation of politics and that this reality demand the electorate who are mostly LABOUR to generally vote party and not individuals. I have been pushing for a new system of governance which will restore power to the people through Parliament and not subject to the whims and fancies of political organizations. I never forget the words of a caretaker watchman in the course of my work many years ago- ‘Skippa, I prefer the country to sink with the DLP rather than swim with the BLP’ , In my view that statement captures the essence of what is wrong in the system of governance in the country.
“What do you think about NUPW who can bearly mobilize 1000 members to vote?”
That is no revelation for it has been happening for as long as I can remember and it is not only synonymous with the NUPW; check around and see that most organizations do encounter this problem. The reality is that persons have found themselves in a comfort zone and prefer to spend their time elsewhere except when in the case of the NUPW, meetings are called to discuss the progress of salary negotiations. The role of the Unions is to represent the interest of those workers who pay for representation. The role of Government is to introduce and ensure the implementation of policies/ programs purportedly in the interest of the country.
We sit on the sidelines watching elected leaders take Barbados apart brick by brick. We are down to the foundations and are seeing where the rot has set in. The BWU is on an agenda to finish the job unless the Emperor gets his apology. Hmmn how will that pan out?
Balance,
‘As a student of history, when you do research on such countries as Cuba, which was somewhat capitalist state,pre-Castro, there was the huge gap between the rich and the poor.’
You are so right in your observation and comment.
Exactly the same thing is happening now in Venezuela. Remember, Fidel Castro was Chavez’s mentor. The very rich in Venezuela are now the Chavistas and the gap between very rich and poor is growing larger every day.. The middle class has been wiped out during the Chavez regime period. The poor remain poor. Today, the control and all the riches are in the hands of the Boliburgeses (the very, very rich Chavistas) These are the rich Venezuelans who David Comissiong is supporting. The only thing that Chavez/Maduro regimes have done is to replace the one(1) percent very rich population in Venezuela with their own one (1) percent very, very rich Boliburgeses.
JEF
IG246….Sometimes one has to destroy in order to rebuild and the destruction may come by chance…..trouble is,who will be the knew builder,what plan will they be using,are they going to shift the foundation,what type of materials,who will mix the concrete etc,etc
How come getting an apology is the biggest thing in Leroy’s (forgot his last name, the union guy) life? I thought the sugar harvest being completed in a timely fashion would take precedence, he can get the damn apology any old time before he dies. Goes to show he is of no importance and merely part of the problem and not the solution, besides, anytime i cannot remember his whole name, he is definitely of no great significance.
However nobody wants to feel the pain ..hoping a slight of hand would make years of problems disappear. Looking to vodoo resolutions like the estwickUAE plan for an easy way out.yes yes the country needs to rebuild brick by brick leaving no stone unturned
“Looking to vodoo resolutions like the estwickUAE plan for an easy way out.yes yes the country needs to rebuild brick by brick leaving no stone unturned”
Voodoo resolutions to you but not to Mr Sinckler who surreptitiously imposed in the Estimates debate Mr Estwick’s proposal to tax bank assets and increase the price of fuel.
More taxes will never work ,for the same crooks will spend it before we even see the money , In building on land they dont own not paid for,
Yes , rebuild the History records brick by brick , and put back what was taken , Burning down old plantation houses to hide them off the deeds and the books well covered up by the National Trust ,
TAXES AND LAND MADE CLEAR WILL FIX , THE PROBLEM IS THE COVER UP OF THE DBLP GOVERNMENT ,
BOTH HAVE TO GO TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY ,
BARBADOS , and Bajans come before tourist or tourism ,and hotel rooms ,
We all lived well before VAT in 1997 and UDC in 1997.
We need to look inward and not outward for help.
Ministers pay went up
road tax went up
water went up
light went up
fuel and fuel tax went up
vat went up
airport taxes went up
milk went up
sweet bread went up,
salt bread went up
fish went up
NOW THEY WANT TO TAX THE TAX ALL OVER AGAIN,
But taxes went down for hotel
taxes not paid by companies,
duty free and tax free for lawyers, sirs, judges, ministers, their girl friends and family,senators, crook businessmen ,Inland rev .
taxes feeds the crook , ;lets starve them out
The bear and the gorilla are on course …
“Simple Simon’s response: The care which Cuba provides to its youngest citizens. Cuban children younger than 5 are the healthiest in the Caribbean. That is a good thing.”
The above is indeed correct but modern western medicine has been practiced in Cuba by formally trained doctors since at least the beginning of the 19th century with the first surgical clinic established in1823. Cuba has had many world class doctors, including Carlos Finlay, whose mosquito-based theory of yellow fever transmission was given its final proof under the direction of Walter Reed, James Carroll and Aristides Agramonte. During the period of the U.S presence (1898-1902) yellow fever was essentially eliminated due to the efforts of Clara Maass and Surgeon Jese Lazear. By the 1950’s , the island had some of the most positive health indices in the Americas, not far behind the United States and Canada and third behind Uruguay and Argentina. Cuba was one of the leaders in terms of life expectancy ,and the number of doctors per thousand ranked above Britain, France and Holland.
So good health care in Cuba did not begin with the Castros; following the revolution Dr Che Guevara outlined his aims for the future of Cuban healthcare which included expanding public health services for the greatest possible number of persons which ensured that health care was provided not nly to the urban and prosperous cities but rural areas as well.
i saw in the Official Gazette dated March 27, 2014 that the MINISTER OF FINANCE HAS ELECTED MR BJORN BJERKHAM AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF THE CENTRAL BANK, FROM MARCH 20, 2014 – MARCH 19, 2017.
how could anyone with a modicum of decency and commonsense put that child killer to be a director on the Board? no wonder barbados is suffering like this…puke