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EIA (Town Halls) Not Required for HYATT Hotel Project –say the LAWYERS

Submitted by Anthony Davis “Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett wants to know why ‘town hall meetings are needed now for every project…Were there town hall meetings when they imploded the Hilton Hotel?” he asked in reference to the Opposition Barbados Labour Party…Blackett said: “What are they talking about, we are an action Government” while…

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Submitted by Anthony Davis

Hyatt model“Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett wants to know why ‘town hall meetings are needed now for every project…Were there town hall meetings when they imploded the Hilton Hotel?” he asked in reference to the Opposition Barbados Labour Party…Blackett said: “What are they talking about, we are an action Government” while blaming the Opposition for the poor state of the Empire Theatre, which has been out of use for the past 24 years” – page 6 of Barbados TODAY dated February 7, 2017

Pray tell me Mr. Minister, did you not say that your Government is a “people-centred” one?

If it is, that is what such a Government does – keep the populace informed, and that’s the best way of so doing.

If you are “an action Government” why haven’t you grabbed the bull by the horns -instead of just looking at pointing fingers at the Opposition – and repaired the theatre?

You are in power almost nine years now, and you had the time so to do.

Were the Chinese the only people you could turn to?

Seeing that you are “an action Government”, why not do something relevant and show us that you are really one and beside, a “people-centred” one?

How about rectifying the situation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), the Geriatric Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital where conditions are not conducive to the nurses working there – so much so that they are leaving for greener pastures?

Giving Hyatt permission to build a 12- or 15-storey twin-tower hotel on Browne’s beach is great action against the populace of this country!

Not knowing how high the building is to be should be reason enough to turn down the application!

78 responses to “EIA (Town Halls) Not Required for HYATT Hotel Project –say the LAWYERS”

  1. Jeff Cumberbatch Avatar
    Jeff Cumberbatch

    (1) Where in relation to a person who has died, a person publishes matter, the publication of which would, if the deceased had not been dead, have constituted defamation, any of the surviving relatives of the deceased shall, within a period of 3 years beginning with the date of death of the deceased be entitled to bring proceedings against the publisher for
    (a) a declaration that the said matter published was untrue;
    (b) an injunction against the defendant;
    (c) such an award of costs, if any, as the court thinks fit,
    but not for damages.

    (2) The relatives of the deceased referred to in this section are
    (a) the spouse;
    (b) parents;
    (c) brothers and sisters.

    (3) If more than one of the relatives referred to in subsection (2) bring proceedings as aforesaid, the proceedings shall be consolidated unless the court shall otherwise order.

    (4) Where proceedings brought under this section have been carried through to judgment, no further proceedings may, without leave of the court, be brought or continued under this section in respect of the said matter published.

  2. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ Jeff
    Are you saying because our libel law
    are less archaic than others in the region,
    that they are not archaic?
    If I have an old car and somebody else
    has an older one does mine cease to
    be old?

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    Understood!

    Like you stated the draft document is indicative of how the TPD is thinking. The fact the government would proceed based on a contrarian position exposes a level of dishonesty read lack of integrity.

    >

  4. Jeff Cumberbatch Avatar
    Jeff Cumberbatch

    @ William, the word “archaic” does not apply to our libel laws at all. Our libel laws afford far more protection than people think, but many especially the media prefer to censor themselves and not offend.

  5. George C. Brathwaite Avatar
    George C. Brathwaite

    Several interesting comments here which substantiate my point that no groundbreaking until the proper studies are done and the issues properly discussed with the stakeholders across Barbados.
    Barbados welcomes Hyatt and the potential for jobs and possible earnings, but not at all cost when we know that issues of climate change, watse management, Heritage designation, transportation, and many other factors require thouroughness before proceeding. To build inland of the coastline will NOT stop jobs. The arrogance and beligerence of this administration is truly stunning; but maybe we prefer it this way.

  6. George C. Brathwaite Avatar
    George C. Brathwaite

    PM Stuart, in the foreword of the Green Economy Scoping Study (GESS) contended that: “What is critical for Barbados and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is that the Green Economy debate recognizes our structural vulnerabilities, offers a model to assist us in further realising our sustainable development aspirations, and creates the institutional platform that would enable us to participate in innovative partnerships in the fight to save our planet, against mounting unsustainable consumption and production patterns”. Surely, as the leader of Government, and the person with whom planning permission for the Hyatt revolves, PM Stuart must believe what he is on record of advocating.

  7. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Simple Simon,

    In most advanced countries you cannot libel the dead, but then again Barbados is different. Lawyer/politicians have to protect their friends and co-conspirators even in to the grave.

  8. Exclaimer Avatar
    Exclaimer

    In response to William Skinner our resident legal beaver, Jeff Cumberbatch, commented that

    ” …..our libel law is not archaic at all, Mr Skinner. In fact it is the most advanced in the region. Our culture however, tells us to hide behind this shibboleth to avoid trouble…”

    and later stated

    “the word “archaic” does not apply to our libel laws at all. Our libel laws afford far more protection than people think, but many especially the media prefer to censor themselves and not offend.

    Discuss.

  9. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/93463/barbados-share-assets

    When will DPP Leacock go after the local well known money launderers in Barbados, instead of waiting for it to become a US operation, so he can take credit.

    https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/02/11/upp-accused-of-plagiarism/

    How stupid and petty, how does one plagarize a piece of cloth.

    A piece of cloth or cloth colors does not fall under the definition of plagarism, do all of these politicians, ministers and wannabe leaders have the IQs and intellect of the ACs….a bunch of goddamn badly educated dummies.

    For the politicians and ministers…this is the definition of plagarismm a piece of cloth or cloth colors are not intellectual work or ideas….idiots.

    “WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

    Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work or borrowing someone else’s original ideas. But terms like “copying” and “borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

    ACCORDING TO THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, TO “PLAGIARIZE” MEANS

    to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
    to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
    to commit literary theft
    to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
    In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.

    BUT CAN WORDS AND IDEAS REALLY BE STOLEN?

    According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).

    ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM:

    turning in someone else’s work as your own
    copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
    failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
    giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
    changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
    copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on “fair use” rules)
    Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly.”

  10. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ Jeff,
    Thanks for your response. We would now have to conclude that the journalists in our country and the media in general are yellow bellied or unaware of the laws regarding libel. The public therefore is being short changed. Perhaps we need to import some braver journalists from within the region whose libel laws are not up to par with ours.

  11. David Avatar
    David

    @William

    Let us be specific because the CBC as a government owned entity does not operate like the Beeb CBC in Canada. The concentration of media is in the hands of One Caribbean Media. Their balance sheet is healthy enough. Why not challenge some of these barefooted politicians and surrogates who milk the system for profit.

    >

  12. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ David
    Let us accept Jeff’s position that our journalists are simply hiding behind the myth that our libel laws are preventing them form doing a better job. I think he has a very good point. We have a “culture” of sweeping things under the carpet.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    Sorry William do not accept that position. A traditional journalist is a creature of the media house. The vacuum create has given birth to the Fifth Estate. To solve the problem requires an observation examination of the root causes.

  14. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    That is no excuse for government ministers to be cowardly and deceitful to those whose votes they need….the voting public….CBC is a state entity funded by taxpayers…government ministers are legislators paid by taxpayers…they can at anytime modify those libels laws, but it suits their purposes for bribery, corruption and criminal activities by themselves the business people and their friends. …so they will never remove it….the voters need to punish them severely for this crime against the people.

  15. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @William Skinner February 12, 2017 at 8:55 AM re ” We would now have to conclude that the journalists in our country and the media in general are yellow bellied or unaware of the laws regarding libel. The public therefore is being short changed. Perhaps we need to import some braver journalists from within the region whose libel laws are not up to par with ours.”

    Is this a fair and truly honest statement of the realities of life. Journalism is a job that has the same dangers of any other job. And in the confines of a small economy/country how realistic is it for a journalist to place his well-being at risk by aggressively reporting (beyond the bland) on a major political or corporate figure.

    We are being extremely false in our observation of this matter of journalistic exposes.

    And why can foreign input make a difference really. Don’t they have the same concerns but without all the pain!

    Remember the other day the Breibart journo who was terminated/left her job because her aggressive reporting/prosecution of the US Presidential team was not supported by her bosses. She landed firmly on her feet with a new job in short time.

    And then there is the well-regarded Dep Editor-in-Chief at the Wall St. Journal. Bruggadung She leaves her well ensconced job apparently for same type of ‘pressure’ and goes to the NY Times. Same city, same home to work dynamic, same salary level. Almost ZERO impact on her family life or professional career.

    Then there is the mega journalist star Ms Kelly from Fox News. She left her network ‘ostensibly and apparently’ because she did not hark to the slavish support to those in power. She went to another network for another big salary.

    When or how can any comparative situations happen in Barbados….From Advocate to Nation or vice-versa happens of course but not if you make yourself a pariah as an equal opportunity investigative news-hound.

    And if you are not yet convinced of the idealistic nature of the position taken, then reflect as:

    “Presidential attacks against journalism, of course, can go beyond words. Nixon’s anger against the media led his administration to wiretap reporters’ phones and ORDER the Internal Revenue Service to harass journalists he disliked. When the Obama Justice Department investigated leaks, it secretly seized records of more than 20 Associated Press phone lines.

    “Some of Nixon’s team had even more violent ideas. The reelection campaign’s general counsel, G. Gordon Liddy, and White House aide E. Howard Hunt hatched a plot to assassinate muckraking columnist Jack Anderson after he infuriated Nixon by publishing embarrassing leaks. After much talk, the plot was never carried out; Hunt and Liddy moved on to planning the Watergate break-in.”

    Obviously this is the egregious nature of political vindictiveness but assassination attempts on journalist (it happens often, however) the suppression of journalists is pervasive.

    Do we think BU is an ‘anonymous’ blog because the Blogmaster simply does not have an ego to be seen and heard!

    Let’s hold Bajan journalists to real-life metrics, please. They know their libel laws and they report the news as best they can but they also have to eat and send their kids to school…like all of us!

  16. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    de pedantic Dribbler,
    Jeff’s position is that the journalists are saying the libel laws are the culprit when in fact it is a “culture” of not rocking he boat. I have accepted Jeff’s position because he is known for accuracy and objectivity when discussing legal matters.
    Unfortunately, I do not look to the USA for guidance on every matter. However it was journalists who brought down Nixon.
    In terms of people having to eat and protect themselves from economic harm, I shudder to think, what would been the plight of Afro Americans if Martin Luther King Junior, had decided to put personal safety before what was right and just.

  17. Anonymouse -TheGazer Avatar
    Anonymouse -TheGazer

    Struggling to understand what DpD is saying…
    Because journalists have to eat, they should hand out piss and call it kool-aid?

  18. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Speaking of beautification and environmental issues.

    Condolences to the family of Fielding Babb who was a brilliant artist whose work has graced many Bajan homes and institutions.

    May he RIP

  19. Anonymouse -TheGazer Avatar
    Anonymouse -TheGazer

    We want the job title, but we do not want to perform the function. We want to be lawyers but we do not want to kick against the power structure; we call for boycotts but we do not give the names of those who should be boycotted; we want to be journalists, but we have to eat and so we do not call names.

    It is amusing that the only place in Barbados where there is a constant call for identification of persons is in the corridors of BU.

    Wunnah 2 wicked.

  20. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right - INRI Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right – INRI

    No what De Ingrunt Word is saying is that we live in Barbados and the same reason that we hide as anonymice under the cloak of anonymity and say everything that we like concomitantly the journalists who work in the real world of vindictiveness that is Barbados, have to tread carefully.

    The way that they “kill” you in Barbados for using your mouth to expose them is by destroying your reputation and your ability to eat and your ability to provide food for your children.

    Though sometimes “poisoning one’s black donkey” while at an official function is not beyond them as that fellow at the Royal Barbados Police Force, the one who was combatting the wiretapping issues with upper management, ultimately was subjected to.

  21. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @Skinner, how is Dr. King an equitable example to a journalist? He stepped forward and challenged the wrongs of society at the dire expense of life and liberty…that essentially became HIS vocation and life’s mission.

    I can’t see how the two can be really conflated.

    Lots of journalists’ careers have caused them their lives as did Dr. King’s in their search for civilans’ rights but the two are still vastly different. And certainly a Bajan analogy is tenuous I suggest.

    @Gazer, you are too intelligent to read the entire post and make such a statement. So let me recast your remark.

    “Because journalists have to eat, they should” report the news and not put themselves on the guillotine edge when the rest of us sit back and enjoy our lives and amazingly elect the same nefarious nabobs despite the egregious shenanigans about which the journalists write.

    To criticize journalists so profoundly when we as citizens do such abject stupidity after they present the news is the epitome of hypocrisy.

    Does that make the point for you?

    I only know about the Pele case from journalists’ reports or about Mark Stokes. About the Edu-Tech corruption. Has that really changed anything ?

    I recall Al Gilkes and later Tim Slinger, and much later still fellows like Wade Gibbons and other young tyros going hell for leather on some hot stories of the day. Was all that just piss and kool-aid?

    Are we still not so far back where @Pieces can rightly label Mottley as offering warmed over soup.

    Did any of that journalist endeavor make a difference?

    Can one blame journalists for moving on to more lucrative, less abusive careers where fellows like you, Skinner and me excoriate them as pissy and cowardly while we enjoy our careers that take us around the world without such impractical criticism.

    Come on…that’s deserving of a good Bajan suck teeth, fah real.

    And @Skinnier. Let me ask you this. How many books on business practice, software operations, psychology, law and even cricket did you read as a boy and young man or adult that were authored by Bajans….

    I paused to digest your answer. LOLL.

    My good blogger, we should never ” look to the USA” or any one source “for guidance on every matter” but when the US or other offer very clear and excellent examples of the problem then we are being badly self-injurious to disregard…. particularly when we do not have the extensive ‘published’ body of work ourselves.

    But we getting there … certainly with the corruption dossiers!

  22. David Avatar
    David

    @William

    Your position is naive. What Jeff has stated is not what we are saying. The journalist will dance to the tune of the media house that pay the salary. It is the media house that create the mindset in the editorial room. How often do we have to hear Denis Johnson and David Ellis refer to the station losing its license?

  23. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    correction: “Can one blame journalists for moving on to more lucrative, less abusive careers WHEN (not where) fellows like you, Skinner and me …”

    @Pieces thank you sir. Succinct and clear @12:01. If I had refreshed first I would have deleted mine.

    I think @Gazer got it too actually but he was being naughty. Besides you stated here that you went Waterford and he celebrates HC as his alma mater…just a different way of thinking based on all I know of you boys from those places. (My Sunday morn laff !)

    I gone.

  24. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ de pedantic Dribbler
    “And @Skinnier. Let me ask you this. How many books on business practice, software operations, psychology, law and even cricket did you read as a boy and young man or adult that were authored by Bajans….”
    Please suggest some . Thanks
    @ David
    ” How often do we hear Denis Johnson and David Ellis refer to the station losing its license?”
    According to Jeff, they may be more concerned with losing advertising revenue because Jeff has posited that our libel laws are not that archaic. He said that journalists simply hide behind that falsehood as an excuse. In a nutshell, it may not be the libel laws that scare them but speaking out against those who buy the advertisements.
    In all fairness to Denis Johnson, he is quite informative and does speak rather fearlessly on matters.

  25. David Avatar
    David

    @William

    We put it to you that Ellis, Johnson are simply following the dictate/directive of senior management. In other words the road leads back to the media house and not the field worker.

  26. ndtewarie Avatar
    ndtewarie

    Mighty Jane Doe

    No man can match her
    To her man is just a cur
    Take her place for a day
    You bound to say nay

    Woman has a tower
    Of sheer brute power
    Man to her is feeble
    He is just a weevil

    Man has not the gall
    To out his eyebrow all
    He can’t go the test
    To alter his breast

    Woman is no knave
    She has the will to shave
    Her body as it smarts
    Even her body parts

    She can remove all
    Her ovaries so vital
    She can do things to us
    And to her critical uterus

    Without a mere flinch
    She colours in a cinch
    With red colouring
    And go shopping

    She hates her feet
    She tries to defeat
    With 3-inch heels
    The way she feels

    She saturate her pores
    She thinks its the cures
    With sweet smells
    But it surely tells

    A jeptic in the morning
    About any complaining
    Like bad food in mud
    Or even when it’s good

    Nagging is her middle-name
    Later she is not the same
    She sags as she jogs
    Maybe she’s on grogs

    Mighty Jane Doe
    Always on the go
    In the house and kitchen
    With the kids and men

    Doing the laundry
    And all so sundry
    Hubby by the TV
    Watching hockey

    She is strong
    Her hours are long
    After all is asleep
    She snores deep

    Some say this creature
    Is a freak of nature
    That she’s not human
    She’s above any man

    But behind every Jane Doe
    A John Doe will follow
    If we leave we have a problem
    For we can’t live without them

  27. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @ William Skinner at 12:53 PM re ““And @Skinnier. Let me ask you this. How many books on business practice, software operations, psychology, law and even cricket did you read as a boy and young man or adult that were authored by Bajans….”

    Please suggest some. Thanks”.————–

    If you are asking for my recommendations then surely you missed the point or are being equally sarcastic. I presume the latter so good retort!!

    But I didn’t read any either during most of that period…but there are some available now I presume (excluding general literature, of course).

    @David, re “We put it to you that Ellis, Johnson are simply following the dictate/directive of senior management. In other words the road leads back to the media house and not the field worker”.

    Are there any very successful media houses anywhere where the road leads back to the ‘field worker’…other than for infectious ads and salacious stories? Of course not.

    William is piqued about lack of an apparent journalistic investigative nous by Bajan media and wants them to be brave and aggressive in all cases regardless of realities.

  28. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    Anthony Davis;
    you ask: “Were the Chinese the only people you could turn to?”
    What’s wrong with the Chinese? How much money does the U.S. owe China? They built the Gymnasium (a gift to us) and are repairing it now. They finished the Erskine Sanford Conference Centre, when the BLP refused to do so. They are planning to assist with the National Stadium rebuilding. If they are willing to assist us with financing what is wrong with that. Didn’t your mother teach you that “you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? Grow up!!

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