Citizen advocate Afra Raymond has legitimate concerns about how large scale development is undertaken in our relatively small countries. He refers to a few large projects which have been implemented with little or no regard for citizens’ input or review. There is similar concern in Barbados and several of our little islands where Environment Impact Study documents are prepared to satisfy the law, hardly to reflect public concerns. If it is troubling for Afra in T&T, a 5,128 square kilometres, what can we say about tiny Barbados. The latest project in Barbados is the Cahill Waste to Energy that is the cause of concerns about its impact on our scarce land resources.
People Say
Citizen advocate Afra Raymond has legitimate concerns about how large scale development is undertaken in our relatively small countries. He refers to a few large projects which have been implemented with little or no regard for citizens’ input or review. There is similar concern in Barbados and several of our little islands where Environment Impact…
23 responses to “People Say”
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Afra Raymond ?
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Citizen advocate Afra Raymond has legitimate concerns about how large scale development is undertaken in our relatively small countries. He refers to a few large projects which have been implemented with little or no regard for citizens’ input or review. There is similar concern in Barbados and several of our little islands where Environment Impact Study documents are prepared to satisfy the law, hardly to reflect public concerns. If it is troubling for Afra in T&T, a 5,128 square kilometres, what can we say about tiny Barbados. The latest project in Barbados is the Cahill Waste to Energy that is the cause of concerns about its impact on our scarce land resources
David, This troubling issue has been a concern of mine for some time now. I ponder how and when this issue should or should not be highlighted.
This phenomenon came about came about (1), as a means by politicians of a way of becoming rich at the expense of the public they purported to serve. (2) There is no legislation of accountability, so one can use to delve further into how those projects are allowed.
I noted a conversation being discussed in earshot from me, not long ago, where a gentleman identified a number of projects in the past and present; the Caghill was the latest..One has to look at the near completion of the Port Ferdinand project; how that assessment was carried out and obvious details were either omitted or not being mentioned to nullify objectors if such were mentioned in the beginning.
In that same conversation, I heard mentioned the Lamberts Wind Farm, how certain details were omitted or if mentioned, were glossed over or understated to minimise the impact such large objects in the middle of a community may cause. I was determine to contact those who objected to the said wind farm, but left it for another day. Appears to me as if those living near that area has substantial and legitimate reasons for not wanting such in their vicinity.
Few other projects have come to mind, such as the Pier Head Project,Almond beach, Four season.I have stated on this blog earlier and many other concerned citizens the urgent need for legislation to be implemented so citizens in B’dos and the Caribbean are informed how its money is spent; where malpractices have been made, those responsible must/should be prosecuted.
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@Paradox
This is not a sexy subject but one that will leap to bite the posterior at a point in the future. instead we become consumed with the political catfights.
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@ David,
Indeed! -
Unfortunately there are toomany dwarf minds in existence to understand the politics of this shell game..however i will await the review and further legalities about this issue as The BE A. seeks truthful resolution in determining why Rachael was fired…. Now that i have gotten this issue off my chest.i give way to the continuous poop of dispensation by MB and cohorts.
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AC…….looks like you got the wrong thread…….lol
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T&T Massey to open another supermarket in Barbados. Will we see the benefit in price to consumer given bulk buying from Port of Spain?
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What does the average bajan have to show for the last 48 years of independence? Was corruption and rumors of graft so widespread?https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpv=10152651309999524&set=vb.667464523&type=2&theater
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Enough has been reported on the $800M worth of pumps being supplied by the Indian company Surendra to warrant a thorough investigation of the deal by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. It would have been even better if the Ministry of Agriculture could have provided clear and concise answers to the questions which have befuddled the public but it appears unwilling or incapable of doing this.
The Surendra deal is a prime example of why neither this nor any other government should be functioning without a Public Procurement Commission and enhanced transparency rules under the Public Procurement Act. Financing for these pumps came from India and as a result, as is also the case with Chinese funding, there is a built-in clause that the supplier must be sourced from the funding country. Former Auditor General Mr Anand Goolsarran has since pointed out that this stipulation which has been imposed upon the government is ultra vires of the Public Procurement Act which naturally enshrines a non-discrimination principle. This transgression cannot be easily glossed over and the government must in the future make it clear to donor countries that there cannot be impositions of that type.
However, the critical first question which should be investigated and pronounced upon is whether Surendra should have been chosen in the first place. It would be remembered that the PPP/C government had been accused of favouring this company for some unknown reason. Surendra had built the Enmore Packaging Plant which itself later encountered problems with a boiler that resulted in the death of a worker. Surendra’s name was then uttered in August 2011 in relation to the possible management of the troubled Skeldon and Enmore factories. This invocation had flummoxed many observers as they were not even aware that there had been some consideration by GuySuCo for management contracts for the estates particularly since the government had dispensed with the management services of Booker Tate which had produced good results for a large part of its tenure here. By September 2012, Surendra was involved in another major area, this time controversially winning the project to build the specialty hospital, a task it did not have previous experience with.
In the case of the supply of the pumps there had been other contenders who were known to be experienced providers of pumps with all of the components. The issue of the supply of the pumps is of grave importance considering the questions that have arisen. None of the answers provided by the Ministry of Agriculture has any coherence or consistency about them. Such was the disarray that the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Luncheon had to publicly differ with the Minister of Agriculture on the question of whether all of the pumps were in the country. The situation couldn’t have been more farcical than last month when it was revealed that a $265m pump station at Patentia was actually not one of the Surendra pump stations as had first been indicated but that the pump had been bought by the same company that supplied the Surendra pumps.
It all sounds amateurish and unprofessional. It is within these gaping accountability chasms that all types of shenanigans can occur. Like the contractor not performing according to requirements and not being held responsible. The prime example of this was the contractor for the Skeldon factory, CNTIC which managed to bequeath a poorly performing factory without having faced any penalties.
This must not happen in relation to the Surendra contract and it is time for straightforward answers from the Ministry of Agriculture and the responsible officials.
The contract was first mentioned in 2011, took effect from March 2012 and was to last a year. A one-month extension was given to April 2013. However, more than 15 months later no one can say that the contractor has signed off on the project and that all of the pumps and ancillary equipment are here. This is completely unacceptable given that there was an inscribed deadline for the supply and that in a country so vulnerable to flooding, time lost can be very costly.
It is to be hoped that the OAG, the PAC and those MPs in Parliament shadowing this sector will be able to elicit the answers to the following questions.
- When will the Surendra contract be tabled in Parliament for scrutiny?
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Eight fixed pumps were to be supplied. Are they here with all of their components and installed or ready to be installed? Which locations are these? What is the cost for each of these?
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Six mobile pumps were to be supplied. Are they all here and in use? Where are they located? What is the cost for each of these
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Have any of the pumps malfunctioned and is there a defects liability period?
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Were the pumps supplied in time and were liquidated damages applied at any stage?
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Under the contract, were all the pumps and components to be supplied by Surendra? Have some of the components been provided by other companies and was this catered for in the contract?
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What arrangements are in place to ensure that these pumps are adequately maintained? Have spare parts been catered for under the contract?
It is disturbing that a simple supply contract has engendered such skepticism and suspicion. However, it has become the standard for this government in many respects and is magnified by the subterfuge and evasiveness of the officials in question. This is no doubt one of the reasons why Guyana has consistently scored so poorly on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Contract by contract, this government must mend its ways.
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/opinion/editorial/08/04/surendra-pumps/
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Taken from Facebook
Are most Bajans Ignorant of Life? Look what the Chinese are doing to Guyana. The same thing they are doing all over Africa. Expect that they will also train our military on how to quell dissent as part of their market colonization plan.
Norway expresses concerns over Chinese timber firm operations in Guyana http://t.co/fFrUgzoHFw
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David | August 13, 2014 at 7:06 PM |
“T&T Massy to open another supermarket in Barbados. Will we see the benefit in price to consumer given bulk buying from Port of Spain?”
David, whereas your concern is about Massy Supermarkets bulk buying from Port of Spain, my concerns about Massy in general go much deeper than that.
I don’t know if I’m over reacting, but I find it rather disturbing that this Trinidadian conglomerate has a real estate agency in Barbados, selling Barbadian properties.
For example, presently, Massy Realty has a total of 135 property advertisement listings on Carib List.com, including house and apartment rentals, as well as land and houses for sale. They are currently advertising a property for sale located at The Reef, Prospect, and St. James, valued at $3.6M, and the former Caribee Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church, for sale at $22M.What is more disturbing is the fact that commission or net profit generated from the sale of Barbadian real estate will be repatriated to Trinidad.
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@Artax
Repatriated to Trinidad or Canada, what is the difference?
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David | August 14, 2014 at 6:03 AM |
“Repatriated to Trinidad or Canada, what is the difference”
I believe you misunderstood my point…. no problem.
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@Artax
Explain the misunderstanding then. You expressed concern about Massy Realty selling property in Barbados and repatriating profits to T&T. How is this different to whqt currently obtains with the British and Canadians.
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Had to be reminded Barbados has a practicing Ombudsman after seeing his picture in the press today. Another useless position in our setup.
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As far as I know Central Bank approval is required to “repatriate” money so it doesn’t matter whether it is Trini,Brit or Canadian.
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“Explain the misunderstanding then. You expressed concern about Massy Realty selling property in Barbados and repatriating profits to T&T. How is this different to whqt currently obtains with the British and Canadians.”
“As far as I know Central Bank approval is required to “repatriate” money so it doesn’t matter whether it is Trini,Brit or Canadian.”
My issue here is with foreign owed companies, whether it be Trinidadian, Canadian or British, selling Barbadian land and profiting from it.
You are the same people who accused the Owen Arthur administration of selling land to foreigners.Personally, I have a problem with foreign owned companies selling Barbadian properties. That’s MY belief, you can agree with it or not.
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@Artax
We have to be clear about what we want. CSME led by Arthur is the reason why we find ourselves where we are today. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
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Artaxerxes | August 14, 2014 at 11:08 AM |
“Explain the misunderstanding then. You expressed concern about Massy Realty selling property in Barbados and repatriating profits to T&T. How is this different to whqt currently obtains with the British and Canadians.@@@
Please get the Picture , there is nothing for sale in Barbados , Yes T&T is all up in this mess dealing with land, The TT lawyers were here doing the dog also, Now looking to get out of Barbados with some one else holding the FRAUD bag of fake deeds ,
Better check for clear titles to the land and the deeds , We know about 90% can not be cleared , But Plantation Deeds can clear them ,
For they are not the owners and the crooks looking to jump ship with the cash, leaving the mess to the people, banks , and the courts that are full of crook lawyer that was moved up to judge,All the problems are in the land , So if you think you can do business in Barbados and not worry you are DEAD ASS WRONG, better do you home work and a clear title is 70years before 1985 that is LAW, and not the rule made up by Sir Henry Forde crook liar and scumbag QC,
Hold on to all FUNDS until you can get a clean and truthful lawyer in Barbados to tell you the truth ,Look out for anyone named Richard Byer , Ralph Thorne Fake ass QC and his Wife,Bigger the name , bigger the title , bigger the Crook, When your greed get you, and all you money gone, Please come back on BU and tell us what you still do not own ,
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Art…….i do understand your sentiments, but again, Bajans are not doing enough to develop their own country by their own hands, this will now morph into a debate about the politicians again selling out and not allowing black bajans free rein to develop Barbados but the politicians would much prefer to see business people, preferably white or indian from other islands/countries being successful and wealthy from conducting business on the island…….it’s a double edged sword, if Bajans are willing to sit back and allow politicians to ride rough-shod over them because they are more party/politically oriented than business oriented, you/we/they cannot blame the Trinis, Canadians or any other business persons from utilizing the wasted (by Bajans) opportunities that should be made available to everyone.
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PLANTATION DEEDS August 14, 2014 at 12:19 PM |
I have to agree with you on this, and, on hind-sight, I also have to agree with your protests. This land issue is a very serious matter indeed.
David | August 14, 2014 at 11:24 AM |
“We have to be clear about what we want. CSME led by Arthur is the reason why we find ourselves where we are today. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
I agree with the CSME concept within the context of Caribbean nationals being given the opportunity to ply their trade or expertise in other islands, not only for their personal development, but for the development of the Caribbean as a whole.
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@Artax
CSME is about mobility of labour AND capital. T&T has deep pockets and will be the main beneficiary in the current system.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.