Caswell Franklyn, Head of Unity Workers Union
On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 the Nation published a column captioned, “Not a pretty picture” by Dr. Frances Chandler. I generally agreed with much of what she had written. For the most part, she criticised many of the shortcomings of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), justifiably so in my opinion.
I was actually enjoying her contribution until three-quarters was through when she struck a discordant note that reflected popular belief, but did not accord with reality. She stated:
Another problem is that NIS staff are civil servants governed by Civil Service rules and even the positions are Civil Service positions rather than those that fit the Scheme’s requirements. A more appropriate structure is needed.
Apart from that statement being basically without merit, Dr. Chandler should explain what is wrong with Civil Service rules. Also, she should specify which of the Civil Service positions at NIS do not fit into the Scheme’s requirements. I am not nor have I constituted myself as defender of NIS staff. But I could not allow subtlety disparaging remarks about them in particular or the Public Service, generally, to go unanswered.
It is true that most of the posts assigned to NIS are general service posts, which mean that officers occupying those positions could be reassigned to any government department that has similar posts. It is also true that there are posts and job requirements that are uniquely NIS positions. Those functions are done nowhere else in the Public Service or in Barbados for that matter.
Persons appointed to those posts cannot be transferred without their consent. I refer specifically to the twenty-four insurance officers, of varying grades, and seventeen inspectors whose job is to ensure compliance with NIS regulations. And, as a matter of fact, one of the qualifications, specified in the 2016 Public Service (Qualifications) Order is the Executive Diploma in Social Security Management which was offered by the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. This clearly demonstrates that there were attempts to create specialists in National Insurance, albeit they being public officers.
Dr. Chandler’s assessment of the NIS staff and Civil Service rules would appear to come from someone who has been misled by anecdotes, rather than from a sound knowledge of the Public Service. Mind you, she is in good company with her mischaracterisation of the Public Service. Out of frustration with the Civil Service bureaucracy, no lesser person than the Rt. Excellent Errol Barrow, then Prime Minister, disparagingly called the service an army of occupation.
That term has since been used, by persons who did not know its meaning, to disparage the Public Service. Mr. Barrow was a military man so when he called the service an army of occupation, he did not mean that there were lots of people being employed. He used the term as a soldier would have understood it. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “army of occupation” as an army sent to control the territory of a conquered enemy. He meant that the Civil Service was in control, and he set about to break that control, however, with devastating consequences.
Prior to Independence, Barbados functioned well as a bureaucracy, where elected officials set policy and the Civil Service implemented the policy directives, in accordance with the established rules, which required too many checks and balances for Barrow’s liking. Rather than spend time to revise the rules to eliminate the excessive red tape, he devised a way to bring the service under the control of politicians.
In 1974 the Constitution was amended to give the Prime Minister the right to be consulted on the appointment of permanent secretaries, heads of department and their deputies. In practice, however, that consultation ended up meaning that the PM would make the decision and the service commissions and Governor-General would rubber stamp the appointment.
That single act has led to the politicisation and destruction of the professional Public Service, where senior public officers now owe their loyalty to the political party that oversaw their appointments. As a result, the senior public officers, who should be managing the Public Service and making professional decisions in the best interest of the Barbados, have been replaced by politicians without the necessary skills to manage the affairs of the country.
It is therefore unfair to blame public officers at NIS or any other department for the mess that the politicians have created.
Chandler is another one who always goes off key, they need to stop their disparaging remarks about the majority population in general and just focus on the problems at hand, which each and every country has…..it’s just some countries have these civil service issues.more so than others.
Politics, just like religion…has poisoned the minds of people and poisoned the earthly environment…
,…..put the blame where it belongs, politicians and ministers are weak tools, easily manipulated and used as weapons against the people by those parasites whom they revere.
Or not Cow would not so easily be able to access pensioners funds, nor neither would any of the others be able to so easily dip their hands into taxpayer contracts and money……but ministers and politicians interfere and pollute the process……so the civil service rules need to be tweaked to prevent such future occurrences.
BTW ….who owns Rayside Construction these days, is it still the former Clico, is it in limbo..which means taxpayer funded…..and can now be used as a vehicle by any government to really steal from the treasury.
If you want to know what is going on in the Barbados civil service, simply look what happened on Independence Day at the Barbados Supreme Court. When Caswell reported about the sports day there, we did not know that more embarrasing activities will follow. What a national disgrace, documented by Barbados Today.
Tron
Rather than close the courts at the drop of the hat for socialisation, the Registrar should instead use that downtime trying to find court files that have been deliberately hidden away so that the cases cannot continue.
My Union is involved in a matter, against Government, where the head of department told the worker that this would happen even before the case was filed.
They tell me that the Registrar is the daughter of the late Horatio Cooke, former treasurer of the DLP, so l suspect that her nonsense would be tolerated for that reason.
Caswell, greats points.
Again…politics is the poison that drives these cruel and evil acts by those being paid by taxpayers to take bribes to remove files from the registry to impede the court process…where are the cameras that should be trained on each and every one of them. ..in the supreme court work areas.
…., remove the politics from these taxpayer funded entities, because yardfowls and politically obsessed clowns have no moral core…
The ac and carson yardfowls confirm and compound this for us every single day, it took only 51 years to get those with the weakest mentalities to be degraded and demeaned to the lowest common denominator with politics as the weapon used.
Caswell please remind the blog what is the issue at the Registrar as it relates to missing files. Is there a logging in and out system. Are there designated clerical officers charged with puling/filing the files? Is there a performance metric so that those responsible can be held accountable? What is the union (NUPW?) doing to assist government to resole this issue.
If this was occurring in a private sector entity employees responsible would have been disciplined especially given the systemic nature of the problem.
David
I will write a complete post on the issue. I would only say that the vault attendant, who was adept at finding the files, had been on suspension for over two years on full pay.
His crime? One day the courts were closed for industrial cleaning. He was outside and a lawyer, who had no access to the building on that day, asked this vault attendant if he could hand an envelope to Justice Cornelius’s clerk. To cut a long story short, he passed the envelope containing the documents to the Registrar. The next day she suspended him on full pay and reported him to the Chief Personnel Officer for having a second job, serving documents.
When asked if he knew what was inside the envelope, he responded by saying that he would have been out of order to open the judge’s mail.
That man is on suspension on full pay for over two years and they can’t find files. I understand that during this time, they brought in one of Adriel Brathwaite’s relatives to substitute for him.
Sent from my iPad
It would be interesting to establish how many public service officers are on suspension with no pay, half, pay and full pay. Should this not be an issue the Auditor General details in an audit?
My problems with the NIS and its employees are:
(1) why does it take 3 or 4 months to calculate sickness, invalidity and maternity benefits? I know of situations where women were on maternity leave and received their benefits months after returning for work. The situation with invalidity benefits is worse.
(2) When ever people call to query payment of benefits, they are given different responses such as, “the cheque is in the mail;” “the benefit is awaiting signature;” “the benefit is awaiting calculation;” “the printer isn’t working;” or “the NIS Director changed the system, therefore, cheques cannot be printed.” Andthe responses come in any order, depending on who answers.
(3) Why do unemployed people have to register at NIS in Culloden Farm and then have to trek all the way to Warrens to register with the Unemployment Bureau?
@Artax
A couple weeks ago minister Steve Blackett called Brasstacks and was asked this question, he gave an airy fairy reason and was allowed to move on. Is this a question for a minister or should the civil servant be able to address what on the face appears to be a valid concern from the pubic.
Artax
The delay in processing the claims is not a staffing issue. They invested in a multimillion dollar computer system to make the process more efficient. Instead, it has slowed down the process, which has put staff under severe stress.
People now go to Warrens to register at the National
Employment Bureau, after registering for unemployment benefits. Once both registrations were done in the same room. I have however been informed that Minister Suckoo ordered the move to Warrens. The Permanent Secretary should have said no, since deploying staff is his duty. That is what this article is about – political interference in the Public Service.
Sent from my iPad
@Caswell
With respect, it cannot be about political interference if the PS did not say no. Can you update us us on the number of PSs acting in the system?
@Caswell Franklyn December 3, 2017 at 6:44 AM #
Right. The circumstances of her appointment are legendary and known in the whole legal fraternity of the Caribbean, from Guyana to Bermuda. I hope that every international investor in Barbados has a plan B for litigation, using arbitration clauses or something like this in order to circumvent the course of ordinary amateur justice.
The appointment of high officers in civil service is a key point for good governance. We will soon see if the next government follows the same rotten tradition.
The systemic issue cannot be about the appointment of Barbados Cooke-Alleyne, files were going missing from the Registrar of the Courts long before her appointment.
@ David
Add suspended policemen on that list.
This is a CLEAR case of idiots running a government – for the past 30 years.
Grenville’s ISO proposal is the SINGLE approach so far, that makes any kind of sense.
What ISO does is establish standard procedures and benchmarks based on international best practice and on targeted performance levels for local operations.
If internationally, 2 files tend to go missing each year, while in Barbados 200 do so, then either the file finder (or loser) is immediately dealt with; his supervisor is; or the supervisor’s supervisor is; within days….
AND THIS IS ALL BASED SOLELY ON PERFORMANCE – on merit.
This shiite about “not being able to fire” brass bowls; or even to reduce their pay ….is the most idiotic, anti-productive, asinine policy that can POSSIBLY be conceived…. even by jackasses.
Only a complete brass bowl would expect anything but DOWNGRADES in such an environment.
By the way Caswell, the damn woman is right.
The world has changed since your much vaunted days when ‘Barbados functioned well aa a bureaucracy”. This is the twenty FIRST century boss… with computers, global communications, high technology, and HIGH customer expectations.
Your much vaunted Civil Service organisation is shiite…. long outdated.
Just look around at REAL highly efficient, effective and customer-focused organisations and see the difference….
If you REALLY think that a 1080s organisational structure can cut it in 2020 – with real world customer expectations,…then you are seriously antique.
Reblogged this on Caswell Franklyn’s Weblog.
Bushie
Have you worked in an ISO environment? Stupse!!
Are you blind Enuff?
We ALL live in an ISO environment….
What the hell do you think explains the UNCOMPETITIVENESS of everything that we do?
Why does every little child practically have an iPhone(latest)?
Why does everyone shop online from Amazon and even China?
How do you think THEY have been able to take business AWAY from Cave Shepherd, etc?
Steupsss…
Next thing to happen will be a satellite cellPhone which Amazon will sell online for $50 and will bypass every shiite that Cable & Wireless does…. or a Solar Home Kit that will make Emera redundant…
You think that this world EASY?
You stand dey and rot away with your CSME shiite dream….
David December 3, 2017 at 7:37 AM #
The systemic issue cannot be about the appointment of Barbados Cooke-Alleyne, files were going missing from the Registrar of the Courts long before her appointment.
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Standard practice, ongoing it looks like.
… and to think her father was named after Horatio Nelson .. probably a family tradition!!
No wonder EWB warned Bajans to stay way from Court!!
The destruction of Barbados started with him, the Public Service is just one more casualty!!
I am calling for the removal of his statue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bushie
You with this ISO suite of bull shiiite again
It is highly inconsistent to, on the one hand, argue that the economy is much different, will be much different going forward, like we always agree.
And on the other insist on QMSs designed for that economy. This is a fool’s errand!
Caswell
Your political panties are always exposed when you seek to blame the DLP for the destruction of the civil service
As though that civil service was not explicitly created for the management of a colony
Should not some level of destruction be necessary even if an insufficient preconditions for any semblance of ‘independence’?
Pacha
QMS is NOT designed ‘for an economy’
It is designed to facilitate continuous quality improvements…. which happens to be a FUNDAMENTAL aspect of human development.
Obviously, if a particular country focuses on systematically improving quality, then that country will enjoy competitive advantages over other brass bowls who just amber along based on medieval rules and systems.
Just like in sports where any country (or team) that puts SYSTEMATIC training and development systems (QMS) in place – will be expected to dominate the podium at the end of the day…
The main point here (and the one that Caswell is also missing WRT the Public Service) is that CHANGE in ongoing, inevitable, unforgiving and accelerating…
You EITHER manage it (QMS) … or get downgraded… over and over….
Bushie
Please! QMS cannot operate in isolation. Even these systems say that.
Are quality improvements not to be related to fundamental factors beyond themselves.
What sense would it make to have higher levels of governmental accountabilities if there are no publics to buy it, demand it, accepts them as new social norms?
And is buying or demand not a basic function of economy and society?
That debate initiated by EWB brought JMGM to the limelight and guess what.He tore apart EWB’s decision but maintained the law when he had the opportunity to change or abolish it as it suited the purpose of the winner’s sweepstakes post ’74.
Bushie
All quality means is ‘fit for purpose’
It does not mean perceived ‘higher quality’ alone.
Indeed, the political system in Barbados is thusly. Fit for brassbowls
Cheap Chinese goods are too, using that same measure.
Caswell
Thanks for a well balanced article. Of course, the BLPDLP apologists will now twist it for their selfish ends.
@William
Why if some have a different perspective you always believe it is soaked in political codswallop?
@ Pacha
All quality means is ‘fit for purpose’
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Let us just agree to disagree…
This is not one of your areas of strength….
Do not understand why two intelligent men debating about the merits of total quality management. You can slice it how you want but it is about implementing a structure to ensure the end customer is optimally served. It is something all individuals and entities should strive for to add value to the bottomline whatever the stated. goals
Bushie
If this is not, nothing else is then
Our reasoning/information tends to more confirm your perennial arguments
Than the man-in-the-street conceptions argued here
Agreeing to disagree means nothing
Except allowing parties to stick to perceptions about QMS
And perceptions are at the heart of what quality means.
What a set of internal contradictions.
I really ask myself why are we paying many thousands BBD per year in taxes, if all we get is a highly dysfunctional Supreme Court where the person in charge is not the Chief Justice but the daughter of a DLP supporter.
The post-colonial judiciary in Barbados is nothing else than an army of occupation, like the rest of the civil service. To earn respect it needs more than some silly badges, medals and crosses, but sincerity, honesty, integrity and hard work. We do not need to bow down before false gods. Every year we see more knighthoods and at the same time more crime, poverty and decline. What are all these Sirs and Ladies doing for the common good beyond claiming privileges vested in colonial times?
David
Bushie and us agree maybe 99.99999% of the times.
We just happen to know a little more about QMS
BTW, TQM is just one of the QMS
Underlying that discussion is the wider offer by the SB of the suite of the ISO9000’s as curative to the many ails of Barbados.
Whereas Bushie seems guided that these can be helpful, nationally
We beg to differ
That’s all.
Our is a respectful disagreement, nothing more.
@Pacha
Thanks for pointing up the slip but the underlying point stands, structure and processes in QSM all point to creating/improving the customer experience.
Bushtea
Stupse!! Sophistry graaarnmurrrh. Through one side of your mout we need ISO; the other side we live in one…lmao.
Wait…speaking of ISO….Did any BUer attend Greville’s ISO workshop….to get a handle on the best practices concept.
I am still awaiting a review of the “bring an idea and pencil” workshop promoted by said Grenville.
” The statues that remain are not being “put in their historical context”, as is often claimed. Take Nelson’s column.
Yes, it does include the figure of a black sailor, cast in bronze in the bas-relief. He was probably one of the thousands of slaves promised freedom if they fought for the British military, only to be later left destitute, begging and homeless, on London’s streets when the war was over. “
Ya would think the newspapers would have covered Grenville’s ISO workshop.
@Tron December 3, 2017 at 12:13 PM #
“I really ask myself why are we paying many thousands BBD per year in taxes, if all we get is a highly dysfunctional Supreme Court where the person in charge is not the Chief Justice but the daughter of a DLP supporter”.
……………………………………………..
Dont be too hard on the daughter of a dlp supporter………….after all, somebody has to run the place.
The man who should be running it is incompetent and clearly out of his depth. All he does is mix and mingle on the cocktail circuit. I attended a function recently and when I got there he was there, I left and he was still there!
This is the man the dead Amused told me to shut up about and that he was highly qualified for the position and was going to revitalise and clean up the whole judicial system!
@ Enuff
Through one side of your mout we need ISO; the other side we live in one…lmao.
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Sorry boss…… this HAS to be REAL complex and confusing to a fellow who still thinks that CSME was worth even talking about…
BUT….
Why do you thing we are experiencing out 20th (shortly to 21st) DOWNGRADE?
…because we are living in a world where most NORMAL people are STRIVING systematically to IMPROVE their systems on an ONGOING basis….by continuous improvement….
Have you noticed the GALACTIC improvements in Apple’s iPhone technology …coming almost with each model?
…meanwhile, we are begging the Chinese for sports stadia, talking shiite about Public Sector ‘reform’ from 1995; and you looking to restart a 1950s failed Federation….
We ARE living in a QMS world Skippa … only, we are among the brass bowls being pissed on by everyone else…Chinese, Canadians, Trinidadians, Indians, ….even Mara the Lucian….
If you CANNOT figure out why we NEED at least a similar system ….JUST TO STAY CURRENT, then perhaps you should continue trying with CSME…
BTW…
Take a wild guess as to why Bushie can be “rich as shiite” in a highly competitive world, while living in a brass bowl place with ongoing downgrades and surrounded by losers….?
Caswell
Your December 3, 2017 at 7:46 AM contribution addressed 2 of my concerns and if correct, I understand NIS employees are not at fault.
However, surely you must agree that my SECOND concern re: “(2) When ever people call to query payment of benefits, they are given different responses such as, “the cheque is in the mail;” “the benefit is awaiting signature;” “the benefit is awaiting calculation;” “the printer isn’t working;” or “the NIS Director changed the system, therefore, cheques cannot be printed.” And the responses come in any order, depending on who answers,”……………
…………… is an employee ISSUE and they “being under pressure” does not give them the right to lie to those individuals who are depending on benefits.
Another concern I have about NIS policy is how benefits are paid.
A friend of mine was informed by NIS officers that since she retired from work medically unfit and applied for invalidity benefits (IB), the survivor’s benefit (SB) she was receiving would be discontinued.
Unfortunately, when someone retires medically unfit, their former employer is not obligated to pay severance, and her employer took that option.
This lady was without income for almost one year before receiving her first IB cheque………. and after being repeatedly told the excuses I listed above.
I believe under these circumstances, this is heartless, because the NIS could have continued issuing the SB until she received the IB…….. deducting any excess paid from the SB.
But there isn’t any haste by the NIS employees to solve problems because 25th day of each month they receive their stipends or salaries to pay their bills, while NIS dependents have to wait months before receiving benefits. The NIS board of management, director, managers and other employees must realize people DEPEND on benefits to pay their “living expenses.”
Additionally, using the implementation of a “malfunctioning” new system for delays in calculating benefits is a poor excuse. I remember during the mid to late 1980s when the NIS did not have “fancy” computer systems and employee NIS contributions had to be written on small cards, while cheques were “hand written,”………….benefits were PROMPTLY calculated.
Therefore, rather than IMPROVE efficiency, it seems as though these new computer systems DECREASED it.
Look Caswell…the cadh desoerate government is trying to give away the Hilton hitel for 100 million dollars less than it’s worth…NIS could lose its investment. …talk about a pack of idiots…the house negros of parliament to the destruction.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/107034/unease-sale
“The sale of the Barbados Hilton is creating some panic at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) over the possible loss of the $10 million it has invested in the entity. But more significant than that, Government is seeking to sell the profitable hotel for nearly $100 million less than it is worth without going through the recommended procedures..”
The cash desperate government. …..
No show
Statutory heads fail to attend Solutions Barbados event
https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/12/04/no-show-7/
@Caswell
Do you agree with the no show by the men from the Statutory Corporations?
David
The terms and conditions of employment for the Public Service and statutory boards are in dire need of reform but I don’t think that Grenville is sufficiently grounded to do that job. In any event, why would managers from statutory boards attend a meeting to listen to Grenville threaten their jobs, especially since he has little to no chance of forming the next administration.
Sent from my iPad
Yes but if they (Statutory Board managers) agree in theory that a better system needs to be implemented should it matter who is the messenger?
If statutory board managers agree in principle about the need for change, I would be the most surprised man. Many, if not most, of them were recruited based on political affiliation and do not have the skills to do their jobs. Before we can implement any of Grenville’s ISOs, the method of recruitment must change.
Sent from my iPad
We have got to deconstruct the Barrow myth.
@ David
No need for Grenville to be disheartened. I was once invited to a BLP constituency meeting by a close friend, who was a real BLP supporter and member. Tom Adams spoke to less than twenty five people. Less than a year after that he was Prime Minister !!
A no show does not mean that they will not accept a new management system, it just means the workshops should have been advertised within the last year, gradually, to build up interest in attending AND long before Grenville ran off his mouth to the press and then disowned his own words.
What a fraud!!!!
Many, if not most, of them were recruited based on political affiliation and do not have the skills to do their jobs.....and therein would lie the biggest 51 year old disability….the political yardfowls grown and fed by politicians and ministers, at taxpayer`s expense.
@ David,
Statutory board managers have computers that are connected to the internet.
They can google ISO 90001 . It is not freakin rocket science.
https://www.iso.org/iso-9001-quality-management.html
It makes for a decent campaign message maybe? The point is that we rely on the politicians to lead us. Just like Napolean on the farm.
unless they can`t read…lol
any government can implement the standards, everyone has access to most of the information, can google it themselves, or contact the relevant agencies whose contact information is available with a few keystrokes., they are always happy to help, but lazy people love to be spoonfed.
Sector-specific applications of ISO 9001
ISO has a range of standards for quality management systems that are based on ISO 9001 and adapted to specific sectors and industries. These include:
ISO/TS 29001 – Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries
ISO 13485 – Medical devices
ISO/IEC 90003 – Software engineering
ISO 17582 – Electoral organizations at all levels of government
ISO 18091 – Local government
Hants December 5, 2017 at 4:54 PM #
“@ David, Statutory board managers have computers that are connected to the internet. They can google ISO 90001. It is not freakin rocket science.”
Hants
No one has mentioned that ISO 9001 CANNOT be implemented in Barbados………it’s erroneous and disingenuous for you and others to SUGGEST that such is being done.
Additionally, directing people to read the ISO website or if someone claimed they have experience working within an ISO environment or implemented the system, is beside the point.
You need to accept an organizational culture that is opposed to change exists in the civil service for over 50 years. And before any new system is implemented, there must be a methodical and systematic approach to changing that culture.
What does reading the ISO website have to do with that?
ARTAX
THE PROBLEM IS THAT FOLK DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE WAY TO DO WORK IS……..TO JUST DO IT.
I HAD OPPORTUNITY IN VACATION JOBS AS A YOUTH , TO DO THE SIMPLE BORING TASKS THAT MOST CIVILSERVANTS MUST DO…….LIKE SELLING STAMPS OR SORTING MAIL IN A POST OFFICE, OR DOING BASIC LAB TESTS IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAB.
LATER I WENT ON TO SEEING SEVERAL PATIENTS IN THE POLYCLINICS DAILY.
LAST TIME I WAS HOME, WHILE WAITING AT SUCH A CLINIC FOR A RIDE HOME, I NOTICED THAT AT 11:30 THE DR HAD NOT EVEN ARRIVED.
ONCE I GOT AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND WHO OVERHEARD A NURSE IN A CLINIC AT WHICH I ONCE SERVED SAY, “IF DR GP WAS HERE, THIS PLACE WOULD HAVE BEEN CLEAN EVERY SINCE.
THE WAY TO DO WORK IS……..TO JUST DO IT.
@ Hants
Just give it up and go back to the music videos boss…
There are some people that only see the light when the train actually hits them in the tunnel at full speed…
The vibrations on the track, the ever brighter light bearing down on them, …the increasing noise … even the screams of onlookers …mean nothing to them …. as they plod on towards the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’….
Looks like it will take another 50 years to bring managers, or is it civil servants into the 22nd century, because that is exactly what will happen if as we are being told people who claim to be so educated, are really that dumb and so no need for change, by the time they realize, the 22nd century will also be over…
How could those who came out of a post slavery environment get hooked on being mere political yardfowls in 51 short years, despite having an education system….
……that is a real phenomenon…and a real topic for discussion.
David December 4, 2017 at 6:17 AM #
“Thanks for pointing up the slip but the underlying point stands, structure and processes in QSM all point to creating/improving the customer experience.”
@ David
I worked in the private and public sectors……………. and was trained in total quality management systems in the private sector here and in Antigua.
We talk about poor customer service in the public and private sectors and how long it takes to facilitate or process certain transactions in the civil service.
How is it if an individual knows someone in the relevant government department……………
…………..you can apply and receive your passport, police certificate of character, birth certificate or in one day;
…………..income tax refund or NIS benefit processed and paid to you in much less time than it takes to process these payments;
…………get your goods through the port or receive your driver’s license without any difficulties….
If these are possible, why should we complain about customer service?
Georgie Porgie December 5, 2017 at 6:09 PM #
“THE PROBLEM IS THAT FOLK DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE WAY TO DO WORK IS……..TO JUST DO IT.”
Georgie Porgie
That’s exactly the point.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am aware of instances where people that knew immigration officers, applied and received their passport in one day……… or under circumstances where the civil service introduced a new system called Smart Stream, temporary officers have to wait 5 or 6 months before being paid………….. but if you know someone, you will be paid on time.
It’s just a matter of doing your job.
@Artax
The problem, part of it, is that some public workers cannot complete tasks efficiently because of poorakey systems and equipment.
David
When the NIS claims were processed manually claims were settled in a much shorter period. This is one of the few areas where computerisation made matters worse.
The politicians and their minions on the NIS board managed the process and invited people from Germany to develop the system. They in turn, subcontracted Spanish-speaking people from Columbia to actually do the work. The cost moved from an estimated $9 million to over $60 million before the system was abandoned.
Even the second new system ran out of space in a few months. These things impact on the service delivered by public officers, but no one blames those responsible. The frontline workers are the ones that suffer abuse, through no fault of their own.
Sent from my iPad
@Caswell
Point taken, all the players in the system must be held accountable by ensuring the performance measures are implemented. Because of ignorance or political reasons we always focus on the worker only. Heads should roll for overspending on the IT something that is widely known in Barbados.
Let us look at the Licensing Authority as one example. You have an ID system that is computerized but you don’t procure robust equipment and adequate supplies therefore the system always brekkin down.
Let us look at BRA, a department with oversight to collected taxes across all agencies but the computer systems are not integrated.
Looks like it will take another 50 years to bring managers, or is it civil servants into the 22nd century..
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It would actually take much longer.
If you had been carefully following the EDUCATION being dispensed here on BU, you SHOULD have worked out exactly what is wrong with Black Bajans…. and why Bushie uses the term ‘brass bowls’ so extensively.
Consider a situation where – for four hundred years, GENERATIONS of back people in a small community are held totally captive by a set of brutal white devils, who systematically control their thinking, their eating, their breeding, their knowledge, their very IMAGE of themselves.
At the end of this period, what would you EXPECT the typical black bajan child to be like?
Can you imagine the KIND of traits that would have been killed off…? brutally and vindictively?
Can you imagine the kind of ‘good slaves’ that would have been allowed to thrive and to multiply … and to be embraced by massa?
Can you imagine what would be the fate of a beautiful BLACK girl?
What would be the chances of a marriage between a MANLY black man and REAL black woman … that could produce confident, bright, assertive children…?
Shiite man!!!
Considering the odds, we are doing damn well!!
ANY OTHER SET OF SHIITE PEOPLE in the same situation would have gone the way of the dodo birds …or of the MANY other indigenous peoples who were exterminated in the same way.
So Bajans ARE brass bowls …. who have major challenges in seeing themselves as equal to (far less than of SUPERIOR STOCK to) others, whose equivalent 400-year-experiences have been diametrically OPPOSITE….. people who were socialised to think of themselves as SUPERIOR, who enjoyed the BEST OF EVERYTHING, and whose children wanted for NOTHING….
BUT….
ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL… what MANNER of people does it take – merely 50 years out of independence, and a century out of emancipation (that is , of ABJECT MISERY AND NOTHINGNESS) to produce individuals who can think and self-actualise, at levels that we have come to see here on BU…?
Just to have produced a Jeff Cumberbatch; a Caswell; a Dipper back in 1960; a Winter Crawford…. and many of the ENLIGHTENED that we encounter on this blog…
Shiite man … This IS NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS….
When all things are considered, black Bajans SHOULD have been all extinct by 1920 – given the history of the place – including the IGNOMINY of the dreaded ‘Barbados Slave Code’….
Bushie is therefore in the process of RE-EVALUATING his theory of brass bowlery….
Civil servant s are in need of good training – from induction to permanent secretaries and everything in between, where they are taught the values and role of the public sector..
Hal
Induction training is a thing of the past in the Public Service. When I joined the service in 1980, I heard of the days when there was induction training. Permanent secretaries are not trained all that is required is to find favour with the PM.
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Georgie Porgie
St. Vincent & the Grenadines new Argyle International Airport’s CEO is a Barbadian named Hadley Bourne.
His story is very interesting, especially when one considers his qualifications and government did not take advantage of his skills.
In the 1990s he attempted to get funding to pursue aeronautical engineering studies, but was told there was no scope for aviation in the region.
He subsequently got a job as an air traffic controller and in 2003 after being awarded a National Development scholarship, he travelled to the UK to study aviation and earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with first class honours.
Bourne returned to Barbados to resume his role as an air traffic controller at Grantley Adams International Airport.
Fortunately, Bourne received a second National Development Scholarship enabling him to pursue a MSC in management with specialisation in human resource management at UWI, Cave Hill Campus.
He received a third National Development Scholarship and went to Australia’s Griffith University and completed another master’s in aviation management, this time specialising in aircraft accident investigation, safety management assistance, aviation quality assurance and management system.
After each success, Bourne returned home to his job in the Control Tower as an air traffic controller. So, after being denied the appropriate promotions. Bourne decided to leave Barbados and seek “greener pastures.”
What does this say about the system here………. and why qualified people leave this island?
It says that Bourne must have had very influential friends to get three National Development Scholarships. These scholarships are usually gifts from the Minister of Education.
Sent from my iPad
Caswell Franklyn December 5, 2017 at 6:53 PM #
Brings me back to my original claim – more incompetence than corruption.
Bajans like it slow & nuff unnecessary paperwork/procedures..
It would take a seismic change in the culture for anything to improve from the antiquated way of conducting business on this island, whether private sector or Govt.
Combined with a culture of “casual indifference” this place ain’t changing in our lifetimes.
ARTAX
I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING
IT HAPPENED TO ME IN BARBADOS
YOU TALK ABOUT ANTIGUA
I WORKED THERE FOR A FEW MONTHS BEFORE BEING DISMISSED BY AN IDIOT, AFTER HE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD GOT ALL HE COULD EXTRACT FROM ME INTERM OF IDEAS AND VISION AND DIRECTION FOR HIS MED SCHOOL
A MAN WHOM HE HAD ALSO MISTREATED CAME FOR ME, AND IN NO TIME, I WAS SITTING IN FRONT OF LESTER BIRD.
LESTER LISTENED TO MY STORY, AND SAID ” WE CAN NOT LET A MAN LIKE THIS LEAVE ANTIGUA,” AND HE HAD HIS ASSISTANT CALL THE CHIEF OF IMMIGRATION AND ASKED THAT I BE GIVEN A WORK PERMIT, FORTHWITH.
It says that Bourne must have had very influential friends to get three National Development Scholarships.
This is the low-level corruption that is part of Bajan culture, doing a friend a favour.
.
@ Caswell
The point is that there WAS a need for computerisation
However, it needed to be executed professionally.
There will also be ongoing needs for upgrades, training for staff and technical people, training for management etc.
If the people making the decisions about procurement, training, promotions etc are political hacks like we have- THERE IS NO HOPE.
BUT EVEN If the decision makers are not political appointees, the options from which they must decide are STILL complex and delicate.
What ISO does, is to provide INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICE guidelines, monitoring and reporting – which are aimed at ensuring that what worked BEST GLOBALLY is adopted in making these complex decisions…. and the assessments tell us exactly HOW well we are doing in terms of achieving best practice.
So while you are correct in your assessment of our BASIC problem, we actually need to go FAR beyond just removing the politics from our current mismanagement.
RE The problem, part of it, is that some public workers cannot complete tasks efficiently because of poorake systems and equipment.
ACTUALLY IT IS BECAUSE OF LAZY POORAKE PEOPLE WITH SHALLOW MINDS.
WHY IS IT THAT WE CANT COLLECT THE GARBAGE TODAY……….WHEN IT USED TO BE COLLECTED EFFICIENTLY IN THE 50’S AND 60’S BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
WHY IS IT THAT THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IS POOR TODAY WHEN IT WORKED WELL BEFORE INDEPENDENCE. ONE REMEMBERS WITH PLEASURE WHEN BIRCH BOUGHT HIS TWO NEW “BIRDS” M 5198 AND M5206. THE QUARTER TO AND QUARTER PAST BUS TURNED RIGHT AT THE TOP OF GOLF CLUB RD AND WENT DOW TO HIGHWAY 7 AND TURNED AROUND
THE HALF HOUR AND HOUR BUS TURNED LEFT AND WENT INTO RENDEZVOUS GARDENS.
YOU COULD DEPEND ON M365 AND M404 ON THE GALL HILL ROUTE AND M813 AND M4205 TO ST PATRICKS
THINGS AND THE RELATIVELY “POOR” SYSTEMS WE HAD WORKED THEN…BECAUSE PEOPLE WORKED!
TODAY WE COMPLAIN MORE AND DO LESS
I REMEMBER WHEN I STARTED TO WORK AND THE OLD GLASS SYRINGES WOULD SLOW YOU DOWN BECAUSE THEY LACKED SUCTION, AND BEFORE WE HAD DISPOSABLE SYRINGES AND BEFORE THE CONTEMPORARY VACUUM TYPE SYRINGES, I TOOK LOADS OF BLOOD WITH A NEEDLE ALONE!
WE GREW KNOWING THAT WHERE THERE IS A WILL……THERE IS A WAY!
PLEASE DAVID!!!
Don’t let us look at the BRA…. it is TOO depressing…
What a load of jobby.
EVERYTHING has deteriorated since it came into being,
Just like every shiite else the the DLP has touched.
@ GP
While you are correct about work ATTITUDES, you have to admit that TIMES have also changed.
There is a LOT more garbage to be collected – from MANY more housing developments than back in the 60’s. Back then, it was just at the plantation house, the tenantries and then the big pile in the village by the corner.
Back then, the bus service did not have the current demands to every nook and cranny of the country.
But the laziness, apathy, and RESENTMENT of genius and hard workers is a major problem in Barbados BECAUSE we refuse to formally institute a MERITOCRACY…. where pay, promotions, awards, and keeping one’s job DEPENDS ON PERFORMANCE.
Lotta political shiite about helping ‘poor’ people ….who are mostly ‘poor in spirit’…..as brass bowls tend to be.
RE While you are correct about work ATTITUDES, you have to admit that TIMES have also changed.
SEEING THAT IM NOT AN ASS, CERTAINLY I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR PETTY POINT
BUT JUST AS WE HAVE ACQUIRED THE CELL PHONES AND I PADS ETC, THERE IS NO REASON WHY SYSTEMS THAT ONCE WORKED COULD NOT HAVE SIMILARLY BEEN UPGRADED IN PROPORTION TO DEMAND
I MISS COLONEL BUGGY AND HIS STORIES ABOUT EFFICIENCY IN THE PAST.
IF IT COULD BE DONE THEN…WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE AND BETTER NOW
THAT IS THE SIMPLE POINT I WAS MAKING
RE Back then, the bus service did not have the current demands to every nook and cranny of the country. BUT IT WORKED! TODAY IT DOES NOT APPARENTLY EVEN EFFECTIVELY SERVE THE AREAS IT ONCE DID
WHO IS SURPRISED? HAVE YOU EVER MET THE STUPID SANDRA FORDE WOMAN THAT IS THE CURRENT MANAGER?
TRANSPORT BOARD ONCE HAD A MANAGER CALLED HILL WHO ONCE MARCHED IN MY OFFICE AT THE POLYCLINIC TO TELL ME THAT HE HAD TAKEN A SICK LEAVE NOTE I HAD WRITTEN FROM A BUS DRIVER, AND FOLLOWED HIM DOWN TO LAKES ST ANDREW WHERE HE WENT TO TEND HIS SHEEP
But the laziness, apathy, and RESENTMENT of genius and hard workers is a major problem in Barbados
I HAD A SO CALLED SMOH WHO ACCURATELY SAID OF ME DR GP IS A WORKER NOT A SHIRKER. HE STILL DID HIS BEST TO GET RID OF ME BECAUSE I WOULD NOT LICK HIS TAIL OR BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM.
I WAS REPLACED BY A WOMAN KNOWN TO HAVE MENTAL ISSUES
@ GP
SEEING THAT IM NOT AN ASS, CERTAINLY I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR PETTY POINT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
…and we see that how exactly…?
Boss, you were (in YOUR own words) replaced by a mad ass woman….
Bushie can therefore only speculate on your boss’s assessment of your status…
BTW… you seem to have been FIRED on a regular basis…. was it annually? 🙂
Shiite GP, you must be a REAL pain in the butt…!!!
LOL
ha ha ha
Muh belly!!!
@ Bush Tea who wrote ” Just give it up and go back to the music videos ”
I am taking your advice.
I will continue to hide in the Diaspora corner. lol
Boss, you were (in YOUR own words) replaced by a mad ass woman….
Bushie can therefore only speculate on your boss’s assessment of your status…
ONLY A JACKASS WOULD SPECULATE ON WHY MY SO CALLED BOSS WHO HAD NO IDEAS OF HIS OWN, AND WHO TOOK MY IDEAS HIGHER WOULD REPLACE ME BY A MAD ASS WOMAN
RE BTW… you seem to have been FIRED on a regular basis….
AND EACH TIME I WENT HIGHER AND FURTHER UP !
RE Shiite GP, you must be a REAL pain in the butt…!!!
YES IM A PAIN TO ALL THOSE WHO HATES SOME ONE THAT KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, ONE WHO WORKS HARD AND ONE WHO IS A THREAT TO INFERIOR “SUPERIORS” WHOSE ASS I WOULD NOT LICK
GP
Bushie pelt a solid lash in yo’ tail.Got a belly laff off that one ’bout getting fire with such regularity.Btw M813 was a Stewart National bus on highway 1 route.
ONLY AN ASS CANT SEE THAT YOU DONT REPLACE THE MAN WHO CREATED THE SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN COPIED ELSEWHERE BY A MAD ASS WOMAN
GABRIEL
M 813 WAS A BLUE MERCEDES THAT WAS USED AS THE SCHOOL BUS FOR BOYS FOUNDATION WHEN I ATTENDED THAT SCHOOL
YOU ARE CORRECT ABOUT M813
PERHAPS IT WAS M 605 THAT I MEAN
THERE WAS A THIRD BLUE MERCEDES BUS
BUSHIE IS AN ASS
WHY WOULD A BOSS CALL YOU A WORKER AND NOT A SHIRKER AND THEN SEEK TO GET YOU FIRED BY A MAD WOMAN IF HE WAS NOT LOOKING FOR INFERIOR FOLK TO LEAD
I AM GONE AND THE SERVICE HAS DECLINED AS THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY ONE IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE WHO HAVE BROUGHT ANY NEW FRESH IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE.
@Caswell
Grenville says that the major trade unions support his suggestion to implement ISO, should they have encouraged it membership to attend the seminar?
It is called hedging your bets by individual executive members. Mind you, I am sure that none of the councils of those unions have even met to consider Grenville’s ISO proposals.
Sent from my iPad
The Sealy, Estwick John Boyce lies that returned to bite…one year later…lol, hahaha. The tourists should sue them….useless frauds and liars.
https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/12/05/tourists-raise-a-stink-over-sewage-problem/
Tourists raise a stink over sewage problem
Added by Barbados Today on December 5, 2017.
Saved under Local News
1
Government could be forced into a catch-22 situation with the recurring sewage problem on the south coast.
Even as the authorities attempt to quell any possible panic, tourist are beginning to demand that signs be planted in affected areas warning unsuspecting pedestrians of the effluent flowing onto the streets.
United Kingdom visitor Steven Greene was among those today who complained that he had no clue that the water flowing near Lantern Mall in Hastings, Christ Church contained raw sewage.
The visibly upset Greene, who has been here for nine days, told Barbados TODAY tourists should have prior knowledge about the problem.
Steven Greene
“We should get alerted . . . because I did not know that. But then I would not stand in it, I would try not to. That lady just crossed the road and it was that deep,” he said.”
/////////////////////////////////////////////
Serious mess
Sewage problem proving to be too much for local experts to resolve
Added by Emmanuel Joseph on December 5, 2017.
Saved under Local News
1
A year ago Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy and Minister of Health John Boyce were seen diving right into the waters at Worthings Beach, in full view of the media, in a move designed to reassure Barbadians and tourists alike that at no time was the beach threatened by sewage.
However, today, there were no such PR stunts, only solemn assurances from the two Cabinet ministers as they joined with Minister of Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick in acknowledging the enormity of the sewage problem that is currently before the Freundel Stuart administration.
https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/12/05/its-slander/
Dear Jackass Fruendel:
You said yourself, Barbados is only one of 4 CCJ members, so therefore they can only speak of and address the delays they recognize and are faced with when reviewing cases from Barbados and from their member nations, the plight of delays in other islands is irrelevant to Barbados, look in your own mirror, the island is world renowned for having a horrible judicuary filled with corruption and delays, in my travels I have met people of every stripe lamenting the horrors and DELAYS they exoerienced in your judicuary, not in other islands.
…I have SEEN first hand the nasty tactics your 4th rate slimy, unethical lawyers use to unnecessarily prolong cases for years that could be completed in months or weeks, the wicked things they do in evil and spite to prolong and drag cases out should be crimes with long prison sentences and huge fines, the lies these jokes for lawyers tell judges to tie their hands so they cannot render decisions in an adequate time is a huge part of the problem and a glaring reminder of the decades old misuse and abuse of the judiciary by lawyers, politicians ministers and insurance companies, doubt me, ask the judges and the Chief Justice about the nasty tactics of the 4th rate disgusting lawyers who work for CGI Insurance and others. .and how they abuse the court system.
80% of your lawyers on the island are useless, unethical, dishonest, criminal and should be disbarred and imprisoned forthwith for a variety of crimes against the people and the judiciary, if you want to start fixing the judiciary, start doing something about your criminals with LLBs posing as lawyers.
You have no grounds for slander against CCJ for telling the truth and cannot use it as a political red herring because you too are pretty useless and the electorate is well aware..
Regards,
Reality
Caswell Franklyn December 6, 2017 at 12:56 AM #
“It is called hedging your bets by individual executive members. Mind you, I am sure that none of the councils of those unions have even met to consider Grenville’s ISO proposals.”
Caswell Franklyn
Judging from Grenville Phillips II’s response re: “nextparty246 November 30, 2017 at 2:15 AM #: We have DISCUSSED the ISO 9001 system with both CTUSAB and the NUPW who AGREE with it. The problem is with the CEOs and boards who refuse to grant the longsuffering employees and public relief.”
…………………..it seems as though there were discussions between the hierarchy of CTUSAB, NUPW and Solutions Barbados.
However, apparently Solutions Barbados did not INCLUDE, in these discussions, BWU and Unity Workers’ Union, which also represents public sector employees.
@ GP
….YOU DONT REPLACE THE MAN WHO CREATED THE SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN COPIED ELSEWHERE BY A MAD ASS WOMAN
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yes you do!!
If the original person was a miserable, complaining, self-righteous, ‘know-it-all’ shiitehound… who made everyone else’s lives miserable as shiite as a matter of course…
ANY boss would FIRE his donkey…. regularly.
Of course that does not apply in YOUR case – the sweet, gregarious, christian gentleman that you are, ….but scamps like Caswell and stinking Bushie…. They experience it ALL THE TIME…
LOL
ha ha ha
@Bush tea
History is replete with examples of individuals who were academically brillant but lack the soft skills to win hearts and minds.
@ ‘Its Slander’
…80% of your lawyers on the island are useless, unethical, dishonest, criminal and should be disbarred and imprisoned forthwith for a variety of crimes against the people and the judiciary
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
More like 99.12643597%
Name five(5) that are otherwise.
It is the nature of the beast.
I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME OBSERVING DUMMIES WITH the soft skills to win hearts and minds AKA ASS LICKERS–DO LOTS OF SHITE.
I HAVE ALSO NOTICED MANY THAT ARE academically brillant BRING PROGRESSIVE AND USEFULL IDEAS TO THE TABLE REPEATEDLY I
I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT THOSE WITH the soft skills to win hearts and minds AKA ASS LICKERS HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO OFFER ah lie?
i have learned that it is best to stay in your corner and do nothing and say as little a possible…..so that you can survive
who really needs the bull shit that comes back at you when you can sit back quietly and watch those with the soft skills to win hearts and minds fail, and do mirably
@ David
The REALLY dangerous people on this earth are the academically brilliant…. especially those that ALSO have the skills to win hearts and minds….
What the world REALLY needs is a VERY simple attribute that any brass bowl can perfect….
It is called …LOVE.
Every shiite would be different.
Agree with you Bush Tea, there is a fancy term for it, emotional intelligence.
@ GP
i have learned that it is best to stay in your corner and do nothing and say as little a possible…..so that you can survive
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What a defeatist attitude from a mind of outstanding potential like GP.
You need to recognise where your outstanding talents are, and to focus on those – RATHER than envy the shiite attributes of others.
If you had been schooled at ‘another place’ you would have developed an altogether DIFFERENT approach….
There is NO NEED to prove your academic genius in every possible area…
There is NO NEED to be always the big star….
You bring a level of up-front, no-nonsense, merit-based expectations that is as absent in Barbados as is Caswell’s uncanny commitment to fairness, justice and proper procedure.
Barbados has NO HOPE without these kind of TALENTS and assets being deployed in the national interests…
Why you persists in wasting your time competing with these shiitehound medical scam artists …and why Caswell persists with his little ‘Unity’ distraction …. when you BOTH have vital and CRITICAL roles to play in ANY hope of this shiite place making a turn around ….is perplexing to a bushman…
GP, YOU are the ‘drill sergeant’ that Barbados NEEDS to polish the lotta brass bowls.
it takes a lot of emotional intelligence and restraint to watch dummies with the skills to win hearts and minds…. do barE shite
THAT IS THE CAUSE OF BARBADOS TODAY
THE PREVALENCE OF INFERIOR SUPERIORS…..I.E DUMMIES IN HIGH OFFICE …..THEIR ONLY BECAUSE THY AR ASS LICKERS OR SOME BECAUSE THEY LAID DOWN SO THAT THY CAN GET UP
GP HAS NEVER BEEN A DRILL SERGEANT
GP USUALLY SITS QUIETLY AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM UNTIL ALL THE TWITS HAVE SPOKEN AND THEN DECIDES IF SHE WASTE HIS TIME AND BREATH TO SPEAK OR CAST HI PEARLS BEFORE THE SWINE
And it EQUALLY perplexing to me why a man, with a mind of SIMILAR outstanding potential like Bush Tea, who, as PROVEN by his PROFOUND contributions to many issues, (not the ones written in jest), also “brings a level of up-front, no-nonsense, merit-based expectations that is as absent in Barbados”…………
……… who should LIKEWISE realize that, with his talents and assets, he should assist Caswell, Jeff and GP in the national interests, because he ALSO has a “vital and CRITICAL role to play in ANY hope of this shiite place making a turnaround”…………
………….. rather than persisting in wasting his time cussing “brass bowls” like Artax.
Like him or not, the Bushman MUST be given credit and respect when he DESERVES it. His “December 6, 2017 at 9:27 AM #” contribution is off the “top shelf” and is REMINISCENT of vintage Bush Tea, as opposed to the Bush Tea that writes shiite in jest.
(Perhaps they are as MANY Bush Teas as they are ACs, and depending on which one gets to the computer first………..)
Hahahahahahaha……
Wuh loss!!!!
We all no Mara is lying..
“MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT for St John, Mara Thompson, has refuted a report carried in the NATION on November 15 related to her stepping away from contesting the constituency again in the next general election.
It was on Tuesday, November 14, minutes after the bell had rung signalling the start of the day’s sitting of the House of Assembly, that our reporter Gercine Carter was standing in Parliament Yard when Thompson arrived.
As she alighted from her vehicle and made her way towards the entrance, Carter approached her and said: “Good morning, Mrs Thompson. Can I ask you a question?”
She responded: “You want to know if I am running for St John? No, I am not running for St John.”
Our reporter had not even asked the question before Thompson responded with the terse reply and hurriedly proceeded into the Parliament building.
“I was therefore surprised to see Mrs Thompson’s reaction to my report, as carried in Barbados Today on December 4, describing my report as ‘nonsense’,” Carter said.
Thompson was also quoted as saying: “What was put in the paper was definitely wrong.”
Carter, however, noted that “in more than30 years as a journalist, I have always sought to be meticulous and accurate in my reporting”.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Gercine Carter is a seasoned journalist and one who is very cautious about what she writes. Having questioned her on her return to the office about the facts surrounding Mrs Thompson’s comments, I had no doubt about the factual nature of her report.
Furthermore, it comes across as more than unusual that there was no denial, no request for a correction and no rejection of what Carter wrote, the day after the article appeared or indeed up to the time of writing this response.
We stand by her report.
– ERIC SMITH,
Editor-in-Chief
We all KNOW Mara is lying..
@ Artax
Boss, tek it easy… Bushie is an old man.
Wukking the whacker is hard work … you think it easy? Why don’t you try it for a week or so…
…especially wukking with hard grass like nutgrass (Hal)
and with marigold (stinking missy – ac).
Yuh mean after a hard day wukking on specimens like these,
you want Bushie to do more…?
…when GP up there in Miami watching cricket on TV and mekking mock sport on BU?
…and when Caswell only got bout 12 workers registered?
..and writing shaving cream in the trini paper every Sunday?
You know that Bushie on a contract with BBE…?
You want de bushman to serve God AND mammon…?
Besides, Bushie aint no damn scholar.
Let de old man enjoy heself on BU nuh!!!
In 1965 Lee Kuan Yew the political leader of Singapore consulted his former LSE colleague Errol Barrow before declaring independence. Mr. Barrow advised him that the “army of occupation” would be a hindrance to development which had to be corrected. Lee Kuan Yew subsequently made the performance of the public sector in Singapore the foundation of the Singapore economic model. Incentives – rewards in the form of high salaries and bonuses for good performance and sanctions for poor performance!
How did Mr. Barrow fix the problem he identified? That is a part of his legacy! Mr. Barrow tried to create organisations outside of the Bureaucracy which were supposed to function like the private sector. i.e. State owned Enterprises like the BADC and the BMC of which they are now 40! Unfortunately the mistake made was to make them report to a Minister through the Permanent Secretary. The result was that they are still within the bureaucracy and functioning or non performing like all the rest of the civil service and unaccountable to boot!
For thirty years our Public Sector Reform Unit has tried introducing new systems and procedures with no success. What is needed is what Lee Kuan Yew did. Provide incentives in the form of better pay and bonuses for good performance supported by sanctions for poor performance. If this is implemented our civil servants will be incentivised to transform their performance!
Barrow could not fix the Public Service in the same way as Lee Kuan Yew because he needed an army of mendicants relying on his Democratic Labour Party to keep him in power.
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The pubic service is responsible for a significant slice of the government’s budget, it stands to simple reason a performance based system should be mandatory to ensure bang for buck. The casual approach to managing productivity in the country continues to be a hindrance to sustaining competitiveness- under both political parties.
Caswell is right again.
The flaw is in the SYSTEM. Politicians NEED to cater to the wishes of the people and can therefore only ‘lead’ by doing polls to find out what the people ‘want’ and then catering to that need…. That is not leadership, it is prostitution.
‘REAL REAL’ leaders are therefore not welcome in such a system…. shiite hounds are…
Good leaders – even when they produce good results – are soon discarded when they fail to cater to the mendicancy of the brass bowls
Wunna know how many Bajans take the attitude of ‘ I ain’t vex wid Stinkliar, i would do the SAME thing in his place…’???
Unless we change the SYSTEM…… we are doomed to continued downgrades…to rock bottom.
The change that is really needed is the institution of “transparent MERITOCRACY” as the national approach to all decision-making. But the brass bowls who would have to make such a decision would be defining themselves out of existence…. so forget THAT!!
@ David
The pubic service is responsible for a significant slice of the government’s budget, it stands to simple reason a performance based system should be mandatory to ensure bang for buck.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Unlike his disdain for Bushie, Enuff has loads of respect for you…so..
See if you can get him to at LEAST read your above statement….
Then explain to him that this is what ISO is…..
#Enuffistoomuch
“What is needed is what Lee Kuan Yew did. Provide incentives in the form of better pay and bonuses for good performance supported by sanctions for poor performance. If this is implemented our civil servants will be incentivised to transform their performance!”
Mr Barrow did the opposite. Rather than provide incentives for good work based on merit ; he increased pay based on qualifications and this in turn reduced productivity for all during working hours throughout every department there was a proliferation of public officers some with books under the desk using Government time to study in the hope of meeting this requirement.