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The Caribbean Export Travesty or "Things Fall Apart – Caribbean Style" Part I

pamela-coke-hamiltonThe following originated from a BU source.

Some years ago, during my formative school years, I had to read a novel titled “Things fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. I must say that it is quite a fitting title for the travesty and abuse of international […]

development funding that I will outline here.

All across the Caribbean it appears that our peoples have lost focus on what is important – telling the truth, being professional and responsible.

In fact, the norm is now to tell “half truths” – where those “truths” facilitate securing development resources, being unprofessional – where such facilitates jobs paying one ½ million US Dollars per year (cash and perks) and, for the most part, neither delivering the ToRs of one’s engagement nor being accountable to anyone regarding your job description where such is allowed, or sometimes actively supported, by the lax oversight of National Authorizing Officers.

Special mention must be made of the systemic practices of mismanagement of National Indicative Resources at the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CE).

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128 responses to “The Caribbean Export Travesty or "Things Fall Apart – Caribbean Style" Part I”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Many from the region want to be posted in Barbados because like Bush Tea stated the currency conversions favorably and the environment here is more secure for those with families especially.

  2. Like Love to Hatred Turned Avatar
    Like Love to Hatred Turned

    to David/BU

    People you may want to reach out to, if you know them, are the National Authorizing Officer(s) or the former Chairman of the Caribbean Export.

    He is one “no-nonsense man” and will tell you exactly what is going on.

    ex-Wives, ex girlfriends, soon to be released girlfriends and the former chief executive secretary who was fired by the CE, are excellent sources of information

    If I say more a few of my best friends will be angry

  3. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    David….most bajans I believe don’t mind other islanders living, working and utilizing the exchange rate to help their families back home, most of us have worked in US and Canada and have done the same thing, unlike the islanders in Barbados, the bajan dollar has never been decimated by devaluations, so all we are asking the other islanders is that they do not abuse their stay or welcome, do not join with local doctors, lawyers, insurance companies, corrupt thieving ceo’s etc to destroy the lives of bajans, I think that is a fair and reasonable request.

    They need to remember that they are deported from North America and Europe for the slightest of infractions, even those committed in their own countries even if expunged and what they are doing to people in Barbados can cost them their lives in their own countries and other countries in the region.

  4. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @ Like love to Hatred Turned

    Sorry to tell you Sis / Bro there are no such as a best friend at CE, before the change over from CEDP to CE, we had an AA , a very nice lady who could be call a friend, she lasted a few months, I started in 1990 and by 2003 only one person plus me were from the start

  5. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    The woman that oversee the spending of CE in the ministry of finance, when I was there was also the Bajan woman of the man that was or maybe still in charge of CARIFORUM ,the corruption in CARICOM / CARIFORUM is sanction by the governments ,

  6. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    I repeat…..and these corrupt governments in these islands actually have the nerve to want to sue England for financial reparations for slavery experienced by their ancestors, while they are presently still so corrupt.

    As I have said repeatedly, I don’t believe the descendants of slaves should receive reparations in the form of money for this same very reason, and should instead receive reparations in the form of much needed education about their history, etc just this compounds my belief, just imagine Caribbean governments with 1/2 trillion £s or there abouts, since 28 million etc, got them so dizzy.

    They already act like crabs in a barrel and revel in disenfranchising their own people, I don’t even want to think what they would do if England ever makes that mistake.

  7. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Y’all crooked, corrupt beasts ain’t getting no goddamn money from England, ya already know how David Cameron feels. Sensible people, both in the Caribbean and Europe already know it is not the right thing to do, if only to protect the vulnerable in the Caribbean, so go scratch ya greedy asses…ha!!!.

  8. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    Before CE, CEDP funds uses to be oversee and control by CARICOM when CE came to be with the added countries of DR, Suriname and Haiti the make up the CARIFORUM , CE got a HQ Agreement from Barbados like the rest of the regional organizations that was the end of the funds control by CARICOM , the SG of CARICOM never forgive Baccus and Blades, in the restructuring of CARICOM out went Blades to Haiti and Baccus was fired later , Bajan were always treated bad at that regional organization, ask John P who was dismissed in 1990,Simmons who was fired by a phone call , and Williams who was fired, but came back years later as ED, who do you think do some of the legal work for CE? the late PM of Barbados David Thompson, he was given the work, because he and the man that was in charge of the project at the time, married two sisters, before 1994 Baccus wanted to give OSA some work but LES said no way, where you think parts of the remark, I am finding it hard to feed my family come about ,

  9. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    I always wondered what happened to Hayden. If still in Haiti, that’s a longtime to be with the Secretariat.

  10. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    The editors are truly distracted from the CFO ‘AB’ which most of the ……. Lies – I wonder why? Yah doubt me? do the digging.

  11. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    @ Retribution

    Like you and one other friend remarked, given the expansiveness of the document, and the editor’s knowledge of and reference to the 5 and 7 Pillars, it seems like a Bradshaw led document and given the forced resignation issue..well it does make sense.

    I am waiting for Part II cause that will shed some better light on this

  12. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @Retribution things that make me go hum

    Are you saying that retribution caught up with CFO Anthony Bradshaw and he telling lies about CE ?

  13. David Avatar
    David

    BU understands that Coke-Hamilton fired some of the brightest to have been employed at CE. Why did these employees believed to be unfairly dismissed not seek counsel AND why did the Board not take note of the turnover as a people’s risk issue .

  14. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Question now is….who is Coke-Hamilton’s handler that she is weilding such ‘power’ with such impunity. I do believe she has to at least observe the island’s labor laws, so why is she acting as though she is above that observance and why indeed, are Carib Export employees, until now that is, quietly taking that type of treatment. The EU has some work to do in this matter.

    David & Piece…..I attended a conference once, it was at Almond Resorts before it’s sale. It was discussed how many millions and millions of EU Grant money was disbursed over the decades to Caribbean governments to assist in specifically agricultural projects on the islands. There were quite a few complaints by farmers that they never received any money over the years, despite all the talk. The EU earmarks funds for these types of projects, but because the governments always finds something or everything else to do with the funds except for what it was earmaked, agencies like Caribbean Export were created to administer the correct disbursement. One would think it would work right? Wrong……they are all too corrupt, the EU will still have to staff the offices themselves and disburse the funds themselves, if they want it to work, since those so called caribbean ‘professionals’ can’t see pass their competitiveness to steal the most and corrupt everything.

    As I understand it, those funds must be disbursed to the islands, but in saying that, the EU also uses those funds in their carrot and the stick games, making the islands wait too many years on promises, impeding progress, by the time those funds are finally received, politicians are no longer interested in any projects. But, lately they have received many millions, as evidenced by what Coke-Hamilton and her gang are playing Dons with, as though it’s their money.

    A prime example should be made of these criminals. It’s not as if the grants are given freely to applicants, first you have apply to a bank for a loan for your project, then if your are approved and receive the loan, you are then reimbused the funds by carib export, but not before jumping through quite a few hoops. So what is the point, I had suggested back then and I do so again, after the process, let the applicants have the grants directly in their hands, cut out the middle man, who are and will always be thieves.

  15. flyonthewall Avatar
    flyonthewall

    The EU is a major source of funds disbursed by CE, but it is not the only one. The Caribbean Development Bank is also a source. Will we hear any outcry from that direction?

  16. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    As long as emails are sent to the right people, there will be feedback.

  17. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ Well Well & Consequences November 20, 2015 at 3:11 PM #
    “Y’all crooked, corrupt beasts ain’t getting no goddamn money from England, ya already know how David Cameron feels. Sensible people, both in the Caribbean and Europe already know it is not the right thing to do, if only to protect the vulnerable in the Caribbean, so go scratch ya greedy asses…ha!!!.”

    You got that one right! Not one red penny will be coming from the UK for any reparations settlement.

    Don’t you think the British already know where such money will be ending up? Right in the economy and banks of China and Korea only for a fraction to be returned by the loan sharks to the Caribbean as concessionary financing to the modern slaves.

    Reparations, yes! But not in the form of cash or funding of parasitic agencies like the one under discussion. The granting of educational and training opportunities to those of Afro-Caribbean background and specific infrastructural development projects are compensatory alternatives that should be considered.

  18. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Exactly Miller….a more feasible and sensible approach to demanding reparations for educational purposes to benefit generations going forward would be acceptable and speedily processed, but no, these DNA tainted thieves are instead sitting and dilating their eyes with dollar signs, refusing to use commonsense in anything to do with their people’s prgress.

  19. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    @millertheanunnaki November 21, 2015 at 10:03 AM #

    I have been asking for some time and Sir James Mitchel has recently asked the same question on reparations………he stated”I have a white grandfather and a black grandfather who will pay who”?………..Somebody has to take time and explain how this reparation thing will work as we are all one tribal mix…..some willing and some unwilling we are still a pelau.

    I note that Garvey’s son in todays nation pg22…..wants to see us repairing ourselves,wants to see the just&moral society and the institutions we have built to achieve this……this is a tall order for the Caribbean.

  20. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Vincent….that also makes a very sound argument for not paying reparations in cash, too many variables.

  21. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    The good thing about this exposure is some people saying, no biggie, they will just shoot some emails over to the relevant people in the EU, so this link can be passed around, it must reach the head decision makers by next week.

  22. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    @ Well Well, it also needs to reach the Ministers responsible for this organization. The Board needs to be held accountable and so as all who are involve in this immoral behavior. PCH has done too many wrongs to people and she should be on her way back to Jamaica.

  23. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @ Retribution

    who is the Minister in Barbados responsible for CE? how do you hold the Board accountable ? I have attended board meetings and know that at times you see persons in the seat of a member country that was not at the last meeting, and when the deputy chairman takes the chair at a meeting, the stage is set , look out , anything that needed to be done is push back, most times, never to come forward again, you should understand that CE is one of the children of CARICOM , members states contribution to CE are suppose to be paid per capita, why you think the DR wanted the HQ ? Jamaicans at CE were always dishonest, especially the ones politically connected,

  24. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    The CET and ASYCUDA programs for CARICOM was done by C E , many computers the EU paid for ended up in homes of top people like chairman, board members and persons that say I have to work from home sometimes, 3 Barbadian that were more that qualified had the post of Marketing Manager that did not last 2 years , yet a ( woman ) Joy Hall an unqualified Jamaican held the post for years and help backstab the then ED of CE

  25. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Retribution….the ministers of governments in the Caribbean sadly never take responsibility for anything, Barbados is particularly bad. The fact that Coke-Hamilton was initiated with one of UWIs pretentious degrees while being a corrupt and dishonest heifer, tells us that in that very short time period she has managed to weasel her way to the near top of the corrupt pile.

    I agree she and quite a few other Jamaicans on the island should be removed, they have become part of the problems on the island and are compounding the corruption. If the government continues to tolerate that, we will know that they want to continue to degrade the island with corruption until one day the people say….enough.

    With emails and this information travelling through EU channels, someone I am sure will decide something must be done, I don’t believe they meant for the funds to be used to fund corruption in the Caribbean, they too have domestic problems and could keep the money to fix their own problems.

    Too many people who should be leaders continue to shoot themselves in the foot and make things bad for everyone with their uncontrollable greed, what I gathered the agency was created to do was stop the misuse and abuse of those funds, instead it has increased. Someone should who have the right connections to the top, as a public service contact the relevant persons at CDB with the information and proof, they will not know, if not told, this cannot be allowed to continue, it is counterproductive to people who depend on those funds to grow their businesses, it’s really unfair..

  26. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    @ Well Well, so true! What’s more unfair is to lay off staff due to not enough funding, then to turn around and advertise for the same positions. Heads have to roll!

  27. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @Well well & consequences

    The governmental Agreement of CE has a difference, while CARICOM required all signatures, CE do not , and maybe that the reason why any corrupted chairman/Board and ED can do as they like, but the difference was given to facilitate a smoother way of getting it work done, some governments of CARICOM from the start of CE programs one country or the other cause confusion in some form that cost Thousand of Dollars to be wasted, a simple thing like attending a Board Meeting some countries officials could not get right ,CE send Board papers in advance, the official turned up without papers , meaning printing papers again (time and money) wasted , you may ask why send papers, the sending of the papers determine who come to the meeting , a classic case of counterproductive by a country, the map of Guyana was printed in hundred of books and delivered to CE , on receiving a copy, the President at the time on seeing the map in the book, formed and concluded , that the map shading showed Venezuela in Guyana and the book cannot go on sale that way, the books went to the then SSA pulverization plant in St. George, thousand of dollars wasted, many cases of wastage of money that the EU in Barbados knew about , and do not refund , somehow when CE is low in funds due to the member countries not paying on time or not at all a letter of comfort from the Barbados Government will suffice

  28. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    when you hear that the EU give funding it is not a lump sum one time , when I was at CE it was refunds for invoices , so when a dishonest Jamaican had thousand of US$ for a trade show overseas came back without invoices, got a loan from Barclays to buy a DF car , credited tickets from Bits travel for family and back to Jamaica with Honda car, Bits tickets Barclays money , followed by a sister Jamaican with new land rover and Barclays money , you think this ED did not hear how things is done in Barbados

  29. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @Retribution

    The laying off and replacing /rehiring is the mo of CEDP/CEDA /CE ( the same ) from the 1990

  30. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Watchman & Retribution….a real convoluted scam, how did they ever expect it to last more than 5 years, the EU was probably giving them enough rope to hang themselvves just waiting for this day to arrive. As we all know, corruption is condoned in small island societies, the Jamaicans and others involved would be in their element in such an environment.. Of course the directos would know all of this, how could they not.

  31. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @ WW&C

    The EU refunds for invoices, from the allocated sum, if CE wanted to take 5 years to do a 3 year program that a matter for CE , Mr. Blades told me in the 1990- that the programs the EU is paying for in CARIFORUM were needed 10 years ago, this is now the end of 2015 , do the math and see how far behind we in the Caribbean are , the EU don’t care

  32. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    As I said in an earlier post Watchman, the EU uses the carrot and stick approach when dealing with the Caribbean, why would they care if programs and projects are implemented in time, Hayden would know. I am aware that it’s an invoice refunded program.

    Despite EUs attitude, however, they will care that their money is being used by the unscrupulous to fund corruption in the Caribbean. It does also show them up as taking too long to fund the projects, by the time they get finally get around to it, a new generation of thieves would have graduated universities and put in place across the Caribbean to continue the cycle of corruption, so yes, what is happening now, does not exactly make the EU look like angels either.

  33. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    WW@C
    Check out the Rum Program , it was to be a 2-3 years , running in CE, but was taken out ,the man that led the down fall of Baccus got to be the ED of CE for a some months and then moved as head of the Rum Program for over 12 years now,

  34. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Keeping the cycle of corruption going is the objective…..Watchman. it has now become institutional. Africa was much worse and that is now being systematically dismantled. The people have to want to bad enough to get rid of these blights on the islands, who not only condone, but practice corruption there are enough people on the islands of Jamaica and Barbados in positions and are also capable enough to make this happen…….if they want.

  35. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    Going into the office there this morning should be REAL fun….

    What Bushie would like to understand is how is it possible – EXCEPT IN A COUNTRY OF ALL DISHONEST THIEVES- for AUTHORITIES to continue to formally ignore such high level, illegal, immoral, disgusting activities when it is common knowledge to everyone with a little bit of common sense and at least one working eye…

    Shiite Man…
    Take even the area of football, and now doping …indeed all international sport, where It has now been established that at the VERY HIGHEST international level, sport administrators have been doping, stealing, bribing, misappropriating… doing all kinda shiite….
    What steps have WE taken to at least ensure that there is some level of transparency in OUR sports? who checks the accounts? …or don’t we want to know…?

    Same in every damn area of life….. even when issues like CLICO and CAHILL arise, those AUTHORITIES who are PAID to oversee these things are strangely quiet and missing in action…
    ….and the so-called ‘press’ remains focused on a catfight between two shiite women who, between them, ain’t worth what Paddy shot at….

    A country ALWAYS gets exactly what it deserves……

  36. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Lol…The Bushman & Watchman……I have on a flash drive these EU agreements, it’s so much to wade through and not appetizing reading, but I am pretty sure that there were and are always stipulations that the EU funds ARE NOT to be used to fund corruption in any form, in the Caribbean, despite it being a reimbursement program.

    The pacific rim also gets that funding and from what I heard couple years ago, they are doing fine, why would the Caribbean thieves always have to inject corruption into every aspect of their daily lives. Some bright university student needs to write a dissertation on that subject.

    The Bushman, oh to be a fly on multiple walls this morning…..lol just imagine what kind of reading material it will be for the EU dudes and gals.

  37. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    Bushman and Well Well, it will be the same – business as usual – Lol! ” Caribbean people love to fabricate stories”. Only if the fly on the wall can tell the big wigs at EU (even though am quite sure that they are already in the know) that these statements are more than half truths.

  38. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    All the EU bigwigs have to do is run an audit and start some investigations, it’s not hard to figure out, what is being said is extremely worrisome and cannot be ignored. No one wants to hear their funding or name is being associated with institutional corruption. It’s then up to them what they do with the information as it’s their funding involved.

  39. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    @Retribution

    What you really need to be done at CE , AND TO WHO ?

  40. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    If nothing else an audit and investigation will remind Coke-Hamilton and her gang of Jamaicans that it is not their money.

  41. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    WW&C

    What is Going on at CE now is not new, as to Coke-Hamilton, CE HQ agreement with the Barbados government give CE and the ED/ her the privileges and immunities for the execution and effective workings of CE , so if she feel x y z of her staff is not fit for the job she can fired them, but fairly , the P&I is not for her to brake the laws of Barbados

  42. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Exactly Watchman, don’t care how many immunities one have, the laws of the host country must always be observed. Let’s hope all the figures add up or immunity will not help.

  43. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    WW@C

    If an audit / investigation is needed, start by asking the EU / CARIFORUM / CE to explain where the money apportion for Haiti from the grant fund, knowing that CE could not get anything done in Haiti for years,

  44. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Wow…..I do believe they may want to start with the present Barbados/Jamaica problem and expand from there….wow

  45. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    info@carib-export.com

    So Watchman…..how effective is all the above.

  46. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    WW&C

    The EU will do nothing about the staff problems at CE because the same M O is done by all the organization that the EU funded, I can tell you, firing and replacing is a tool used, look ,( A ) working for the last 4-5 years reach a salary of $2000 a month, he/she is fired,( B ) replaced and agreed for $1500 a month, you know how many years with an increase of 5% pa it will take( B) to get ( A ) $2000, as for Barbados /Jamaica problem a Barbadian was ED of CE and it was the same, the finance manager is Bajan working there for years if the problem is financial

  47. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    I don’t think Watchman, they will interfere with staff firing problems, but now that it appears that the funding is being used for corruption, if they do nothing, it will look like they are funding corruption in the Caribbean and not funding business people. It is all about what is happening with the money.

  48. watchman Avatar
    watchman

    WW@C

    The EU grant funded program was going on IN CARICOM for years, who doing the corruption the POWERFUL PEOPLE ,

  49. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    You got that right…..Watchman……that’s the only way it could continue.

  50. likelovetohatredturned Avatar
    likelovetohatredturned

    @ Watchman

    So CE Management, or Dr. PCH and McNair have licence to continue to fool the EU, AND the respective governments, continue purges like the recent staff reorganisation/restructuring undertaken in December 2014, and you are intimating that this non-transparent process may not get an investigation?

    How can this so-called restructuring/reorganisation process, which not only demonstrates (i) the deliberate disregard for employees rights, (ii) disregards Caribbean Export ‘s organisation’s staff hand book, (iii) the employment laws of Barbados (iv) is additionally unjust insofar as the employees being denied severance benefits be just permitted?

    Even if you ignore all of this rough shod behavior by a “management team” of persons seemingly knowledgeable in legal matters, human resource management and operational procedures, you mean that we can just pass off the immediate rehiring of the same compliment of staff, given management’s rationale that “there was no money to keep all staff members, as an accounting strategy of getting 10 flying fish instead of 5 for $5?”

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