Many Barbadians have been following the shouting match between Anderson Cherry who is the managing director of Jose Y Jose Liquid and Solid Waste Management Inc and Ralph ‘Bizzy’ Williams the head of Williams Industries and the other half of the Williams dynamic duo.
The upside to the public disagreement between the two is the public awareness it brings to the issue of waste management in Barbados. It is obvious the government of Barbados continues to struggle with building and executing a waste management strategy. The Cahill Scam provides confirmation for the doubting thomases. By the way, when will the government of Barbados show respect to the electorate of Barbados by sharing an update about Cahill?
Anderson Cherry will have to await the decision of Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock to see if the challenge by the Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins has merit. Cherry has been accused of creating an illegal dump in an abandoned quarry as part of a business initiative to recycle waste. It is interesting to note that Cherry consulted with former Chief Town Planner Lennie St. Hill – now a town planning consultant – who has given the green light to the project. How a former Town Planner and the incumbent Town Planner are able to disagree on the interpretation of the applicable town planning law must be a worry to those who promote the high literacy of Barbadians.
BU will not become immersed in the legality of whether Anderson Cherry’s Project Recycle Limited is a legal operation. Whatever the outcome of the legal matter brewing BU offers hearty congratulations to Cherry for attempting to implement an approach to waste management that involves behavioural change at the ‘retail’ level. Obviously Cherry’s approach threatens Bizzy given his interest in Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre (SBRC). It appears the government entered a sweetheart arrangement with SBRC to sell waste to them at taxpayers expense. The imposition of the controversial tipping fee was meant to raise revenue to pay down arrears owed to SBRC by government. What is up with successive governments of Barbados entering agreements with private contractors and reluctant to be transparent about it? BU recalls the SSA contracting heavy equipment from Sir Cow, at great expense, to operate at the landfill while unable to repair government vehicles procured to do the job. Another transaction done in the dark.
It is also interesting to note the effort of another Black Barbadian who has been a pioneer in the recycle business in Barbados. Why is it Paul Bynoe and Anderson Cherry are being frustrated in the effort to implement projects that will help Barbados with its waste management problem and in the process generate foreign exchange? Why is it Bizzy Williams appear to be able to win projects from government with signed guarantees from government? The comments by the Auditor General about the Ionics project also comes to mind. Some thing smells rotten about the whole affair.
It is unfathomable Minister Denis Lowe has been allowed to preside over a ministry which has been afflicted with a level of ineptness hitherto unknown to Barbadians. It is unacceptable the issue of B’s Recycling predates this government. It is unbelievable Bizzy is on record admitting to pledging financial support to BOTH political parties – why does anyone think he does it? In our 50th year of Independence a Black government of Barbados cannot continue to give most of the ‘cake’ to a few. The high colour Bizzys, COWs, Maloneys, Bjerkhams always appear to win the deals from government while the darker Cherrys, Bynoes struggle with bank overdrafts. BU understands that Bynoe purchased a piece of equipment to enhance B’s Recycling operation and it has been unused for several years. If Barbados continues down the current path there will come a time when Mugabe type decisions will be the only course of action i.e. the call for the redistribution of wealth.
A word to the ignorant and the greedy should be sufficient.
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