The following was posted to his Facebook page by former Attorney General and member of parliament for St. Joseph Dale Marshall
The Ministry (read Minister) of Public Works is demanding that the Road Safety Association remove the fluorescent flags which that association has installed to give warning of potholes. The Ministry (Minister) asserts that it is contrary to law.
No matter how laudable their effort, no matter how good the cause, if the installation of the flags is contrary to law, the association must move them, or face the penalty stipulated in the statute. Plain and simple.
But the chickens do sometimes come home to roost.
In the General Election of 2008, the DLP unlawfully erected a large number of billboards, displaying campaign messages. The Chief Town Planner went public and demanded that the DLP remove the billboards, since their erection was contrary to the Laws of Barbados.
Michael Lashley was smirking as the DLP’s then leader, David Thompson, announced that they would be doing no such thing! He went further to say that by the time anything could be done about it, the DLP would have won the Government!!
In 2008, Michael Lashley was fully in support of a flagrant violation of the laws of Barbados, since at that time it suited him. Now, he wants to cry foul.
Mr. Lashley, what about the other flagrant violations of the laws of Barbados at Coverley? Do they also suit your purposes?
Did the Chief Town Planner not issue an enforcement notice for the structure in the road outside Coverley, which your Ministry, responsible for roads and road safety, has conveniently chosen not to demolish, as per the Chief Town Planner’s directions? What about your part in that violation of our laws?
All people must obey all the laws. That is the rule of law.
If installing the warning flags is contrary to law, then they must be removed.
But as a user of the road, if a flag placed alongside the road could warn me of the presence of a pothole, I would consider that to be helping to preserve life and limb.
I salute the Association for its efforts to save lives. And those efforts might well see justice being tempered with mercy if any charges are brought against these fine individuals.
St. Augustine said “An unjust law is no law at all.”
I say that Mr. Lashley and his government are now feeling the backlash of their flouting the laws only 8 years ago. But this time, in a far more noble cause.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.