Father and son Butch and Adam Stewart
The same concerns many Barbadians have voiced at the lack of transparency by government with the Sandals Butch Stewart deal is also playing out in Trinidad & Tobago. Unlike Barbados, Freedom of Information legislation is on the statute books of Trinidad and therefore affords citizens like Afra Raymond the avenue to request information deem to be in the public interest.
It is no secret Sandals Butch Stewart deals have been ‘questioned’ across the Caribbean and of recent Prime Minister Gaston Browne has expressed public outrage at the dictatorial attitude being expressed by Sandals Stewart in Antigua towards his government. We are not in a position to establish if Sandals and Butch Stewart have been involved in nefarious behaviour when dealing with governments across the Caribbean. What we know is that citizens have a right to demand transparency in government especially as it relates to how said decisions effect the public purse.
We recommend the reading below which details the journey by citizen advocate Afra Raymond in T&T as it relates to exposing the MOU with Sandals.
-David, BU blogmaster
The Tobago Sandals mega-project has returned to the headlines with recent interviews of Sandals Resorts’ CEO, Adam Stewart, in Barbados and Stuart Young, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Stewart’s statements were widely reported in the local press (see Addendum 1 below) with an emphasis on the lack of secrecy in the entire arrangement and the fact that discussions were still at a preliminary stage. Minister Young’s CNC3 interview on Wednesday 28 February 2018 (below) was also notable for his insistence that there was no secrecy or any reluctance to engage with the public on this mega-project.
- Read full Afra Raymond blog – Property Matter – Sandals MOU
Since Butch Stewart is getting concessions that are unfair to the people, he should not involve himself or his nasty mouth in any of the peoples affairs re welfare or anything else, just do his business and stay out of the peoples business, no one needs to hear his opinions, he should keep those opinions restricted to Jamaica.
i dont think Gaston Browne is crazy when he accused Stewart of collecting taxes on behalf of the government and refusing to pay in the money, sounds just like something he would do because he thinks he is entitled due to all the freeness he gets…he needs putting in his place.
Stewart should never had been allowed back into Barbados, but again, a stupid government, hopefully those concessions get rolled back with a new government who knows how to negotiate to benefit the people and not solely the crooks with whom they negotiate..
Most Bajans miss the point, Barbadian politicians can Now BRAG to those fools who’ll listen that WE HAVE A SANDALS RESORT, na, na to those who do not. Now the 64 dollar question, at what COST.
Jamaica’s Bartlett named Tourism Minister of the Year Worldwide