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Minister of Sports & Culture, John King

In six short months, Minister John King has revealed a previously uncaring side that was not readily apparent during the last elections campaign, by displaying a callous lack of empathy for persons that have been retrenched from the public service.

According to the Sunday Sun of November 11, 2018, he stated that we were wasting a lot of time talking about layoffs. Well Mr. Minister layoffs hurt, especially if it is your only job and your only source of income and you have: children to support; bills to pay; and you are in danger of losing your home because you will soon have to default on your mortgage. Mind you, he held out a little hope for those affected, when he predicted a turnaround in two years. In the meantime, what are they expected to do – eat grass?

He forms part of the largest governing administration in the history of this country and I don’t see him volunteering to make the sacrifice for the common good. I well recall the current Prime Minister, when in opposition, suggesting that the Stuart cabinet should have no more than twelve members. Now she has twenty-six which, to my mind and her previously stated position, is more than this country needs.

Why can’t Minister King take a two-year layoff since he is so comfortable doing it to others, particularly the lowest paid public servants. To be fair to him, I don’t think he knows what he is talking about. He can’t be aware that his administration is retrenching permanent employees, and doing so contrary to the law which requires that their posts must first be abolished by parliament. To date no order has been laid in parliament, in accordance with section 13 of the Public Service Act.

Worst yet, I don’t know how the minister and any of his colleagues can sleep comfortably at night knowing that this category of worker is not entitled to unemployment benefits from National Insurance, and they are not given any form of severance payment. Instead, this caring administration is paying retrenched permanent and pensionable employees with their own money.

I don’t think that any voter in the last election expected this savagery.


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314 responses to “Senator Franklyn Speaks – Uncaring John King”


  1. I fuh one enjoying all this bacchanal
    The Unions so stupidfied and drunken with koolaid dont know hand front foot
    The employees now being laid off and being mocked by John King all this makes for a block buster movie from which the revenue can help to pay down debt
    What a bunch of fools


  2. When a Gov’t changes many of the new Parliamentarians are given crash courses on how to deal with the Press etc. and it would have been useful if Mia had contracted the “Charles Jong School of Communications” for more than videotaping.
    Imagine an answer like this:

    We are sorry for the impact of the layoffs on the lives of the employees who lost their jobs, they are our family, friends, neighbours and constituents. It has been a difficult decision which was not taken lightly but we believe it will be beneficial to the citizens of Barbados in the future. The Gov’t is doing its best to mitigate the job losses by establishing training programs to assist everyone in finding employment and I hope that I would see all of you here when the new jobs begin to materialize.

    If John King had answered similar to the above we would be on another topic but……..


  3. Well put Sargeant.


  4. really?
    after all dat sweet sounding bull shit the poor laid off folk dont have no wuk and THEIR INFERIOR SUPERIORS STILL WUKING ah lie

  5. NorthernObserver Avatar

    @Sarge
    I nominate you as the Dean of the Charles Jong School of Communications.

  6. NorthernObserver Avatar

    But…..JK couldn’t answer that way, for that is not how he feels….


  7. @Sargeant

    He is reading for sure.


  8. “It has been a difficult decision which was not taken lightly but we believe it will be beneficial to the citizens of Barbados in the future.”

    So all these people’s futures hinges on what a gang of shady ministers….BELIEVE….so what if it does not work out, what then…no one wants any sweet talk, it can’t buy bread.

    ..Mia needs to get rid of half her useless cabinet and Payne and Marshall while she is at it..

    Talk is cheap, whisky is expensive.


  9. Trying giving all that sweet talk to this lot now pending layoffs.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2018/11/12/more-court-workers-to-go/

    “However, an official close to the development, warned that operations in the already stretched court service could be even further retarded with any further down-sizing.

    Barbados TODAY understands that it was just before midday today that workers were informed that they must attend an “emergency meeting”, at Manor Lodge with Cooke-Alleyne, at 3 p.m.

    The Registrar is reported to have told the workers that the department was preparing to send home more staff over the next few days. One worker explained that Cooke-Alleyne did not confirm numbers at the meeting.

    When approached, Cooke-Alleyne, declined to provide any details on the meeting.

    Late last month, the first batch of Court Registry workers received their termination letters.

    The official noted “If they send home more workers, it is going to have a significant effect on the court system which is already struggling. Since October liquor licences got approved, but it is only last week that they received them and that is because there was nobody to write them up.

    “People were at the Court quarreling about not getting their liquor licence. Then down at the Magistrate Court is in a mess. There is hardly any staff down there,” the official said.

    The official who opted for anonymity for fear of victimisation also informed Barbados TODAY that the system is already short on court marshals and explained that if any additional marshals are sent home in this latest batch of workers identified, there would be a lot of vacant districts in the marshals department.”


  10. And stop paying useless Enuff 68..she should have learned from the DLP cockups that yardfowls are just as useless as government ministers and lawyers.


  11. So..if it’s true Flindt was not paying in his staff’s NIS but was operational and selling all those super expensive pastries..for all of 20 years,…ah ate enough of them in the last ? year? so I would know…… what took both governments so long to go after this thieving dude….stealing from his own employees.

    And will they also go after Cow who it is said hates to pay his employee’s NIS but loves to dip his hand in NIS and rob pensioners…if ya going after one, ya have to go after all of them, shut them down and allow fresh faces from the majority population use their skills to create jobs and drive the economy.


  12. And …if true …will the government allow Flindt to leave the island and don’t seize him and any money and properties he has lying around.


  13. WARU

    Please tell me how Mia paying me? I Keep telling you to read/listen more and write less.


  14. So how else am I supposed to get you to come out Enuff 68.


  15. Besides, even worse that you take nothing, which makes you a cheap hoe willing to be a yardfowl for free.


  16. But looka muh crosses doah

    Six Haitian young men attended yesterday’s morning service at the Providence Methodist Church.

    Only one can speak English. He said they are here for six months, looking for work and are interested in painting.

    Would you believe that a NIS employee said the Haitians came into that department last week seeking to be registered and requesting NIS cards?

    She said the NIS had no choice but to give them.

    This all has to do with Mia and her silly cousin, one Commissiong, attempting to let whosoever will come into Barbados under the so-called free movement of CARICOM nationals arrangement – the Revised Treaty of Chaguramas. Revised Treaty, my foot!

    I guess they will be soon bringing in their families

    IMAGINE, thousands of Bajans are getting laid off, unemployed and ‘catching their royal’, but this “caring” Barbados gov’t is bringing in people. What nonsense!
    I forgot: Mia Cares! Well, not for us; but, for others.

  17. NorthernObserver Avatar

    @ac
    methinks Trump is wearing off on you. Protect our borders, ban all, except tourisses. I thought you didn’t like Trump?


  18. Another comment being labeled as insensitive is Guy Mayers and the DLP prepping the party PUBLICLY to prepare to fight a by election for the Santia seat. Insensitive or acceptable politicking.


  19. NO observer like comparing apples and oranges
    Dont get it twisted uh hear
    Different as day is from night
    Barbados don’t got for its own
    So tell me how Barbados gonna have for others
    In the mean time Barbadians might end up like Hondurans heading for the border and nobody willing to let them in
    So where will they go after all and sundry tek over the little 166sq.miles


  20. KS it is persons like you that have this country in the mess it is in with your partisan behaviour. That nonsense destroyed both Jamaica and Guyana. We have to rise above party politics and think about what is best for this country. Don’t talk about blame because both parties are responsible for the mess that this country is in. And unfortunately this present regime is not doing anything to address the problem. As Caswell stated Ms Mottley is doing the same things that she had criticized when she was in opposition.

    You can’t tax your way out of a recession. She needs to collect the VAT which is almost four billion dollars in arrears. Caswell that Courts figure quoted was the amount owing before penalty and interest in 2000, So you know it has to be a lot more than that. In addition there is still the 87 million dollars which was written off during the merge between Barclays Bank and CIBC. It was never rectified by Parliament so it is still outstanding.

    Government did not need to layoff anyone instead it should manage the revenue collecting departments, In addition it should lead by example by paying their taxes and also ensure that their friends and family pay theirs too.

    Ks got to be sick the first thing this government did is abolished the tax clearance certificate so that the politicians and their friends can continue their foolishness. Plus the big ignorant cabinet with a bundle of old retirees drawing minister pay while young people are being put on the breadline is not helping the situation. Steupseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


  21. Wasn’t the promise made that with the establishment of BRA revenue collection would become more efficient?

    Wasn’t the promise made that with the implementation of VAT revenue collection would become equitably distributed and efficient?


  22. Have to laugh at how Waru conjures up Enuff
    Just rub that magic lamp and out jumps Enuff


  23. Sargeant looking to steal Enuff little pick… 🙂
    HAGN all….


  24. @ David
    Wasn’t the promise made that with the implementation of VAT revenue collection would become equitably distributed and efficient?
    ++++++++++++++
    A promise is a comfort to a brass bowl.
    As you know, …anybody can talk shiite….

    The problem is actually a VERY basic one….
    INCOMPETENCE.

    The decision makers have NO idea of how to succeed.
    They have NO EXPERIENCE in success
    They have NO HISTORY of success

    One does not wake up from shiite one morning (after brass bowls voted) and suddenly become ‘successes’…

    Until we LEARN to assign COMPETENT, responsible, reliable persons (who have DEMONSTRATED their competence in various avenues PREVIOUSLY) our brass bowl donkeys will continue in the plimplers….

    Those who are faithful in SMALL things,
    Let us make THEM rulers over GREATER things…
    …not our shiite family, friends and bedmates…

    For example,
    If GP had succeeded with the Polyclinic Plan … then we could have considered him to sort out the QEH mess….

    But since he stepped on big corns …and got deported. … we will have to endure him ranting on BU instead.

    LOL
    ha ha ha


  25. Hmmmmmm……….

    TheOGazerts, after reading Bush Tea’s contribution and how he has “riled up” Georgie Porgie consistently for the past
    2 weeks………..

    ……… I’m forced to borrow your comment…….. and make a few adjustments re:

    “Have to laugh at how (Bush Tea) conjures up GP. Just rub that magic lamp and out jumps GP……”

    (You can either send me the bill or file a civil against me for plagiarism).

    LOL
    Hahahaha
    Oh shirt


  26. “This all has to do with Mia and her silly cousin, one Commissiong, attempting to let whosoever will come into Barbados under the so-called free movement of CARICOM nationals arrangement – the Revised Treaty of Chaguramas. Revised Treaty, my foot!”

    Hmmmmmm……….

    When I see “long hops” such as the above comments and “hit them for six,” the usual suspects hasten to describe me as a “pure bred jackass” and a “brilliant BLP fool.”

    Perhaps you purposely forgot about the 29th Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, which was held in Haiti from February 26-27, 2018.

    During his speech at the end of the summit, former PM Freundel Stuart said Barbados was CONCERNED that Haitian citizens have to OBTAIN VISAS in ORDER to TRAVEL to a number of CARICOM member states……

    ……… and “called for an end to the discrimination being shown to Haitian nationals by some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries as the French-speaking country announced that at the end of this month, nationals will be able to travel through the region much easier.”

    According to CMC and the March 2, 2018 edition of the Jamaican Observer, Stuart was reported to have said:

    “Barbados HAS ALWAYS THOUGHT that this was a little INEQUITABLE and DISCRIMINATORY. Therefore, we were able to provoke an energetic discussion among regional leaders and I think the way forward seems much clearer now.”

    “THE LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE is being COMMISSIONED to LOOK at all the ISSUES surrounding Haiti’s membership and to ADVISE the [Heads of Government] Conference for July (2018) as to whether there is any legal basis for DENYING Haitians rights, which ALL other CARICOM members ENJOY.”

    Stuart said that that this REQUIREMENT was an ANOMALY in CARICOM arrangements. He noted that Haiti had the largest population of all CARICOM members, yet its citizens were BEING FORCED TO OBTAIN VISAS to ENTER most REGIONAL COUNTRIES in circumstances……….

    “Where other CARICOM English-speaking members do not have to satisfy that requirement,” he said.

    Haiti is a member of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy that allows for the free movement of goods, skills, services, and labour across the community. As such, Haitians are entitled to the privileges and opportunities afforded by that arrangement.

    Based on the above information, surely you must agree “this all has to do with” Freundel Stuart……. and not “Mia and her silly cousin, one Commissiong…”


  27. Minister of Transport, William Duguid. is reported to have said “It makes more sense to have five contractors working simultaneously

    because they have five pieces of equipment, five sets of employees, so everybody working rather than waiting on one contractor to

    finish one road, then to move to another road, then a third road, It prolongs it.

    So I like the idea of all the contractors getting a chance, so that everybody is out there and putting Barbados back to work again,”

    Are there 5 road building contractors in Barbados with equipment to repair or rebuild roads ?


  28. Front page of BarbadosToday tells the story of three very busy government ministers.


  29. We also need three privately own bus companies instead of a single one to supplying the transportation for the people of Barbados… we so backwards and resistant to change it is a shame …


  30. Imagine, there is a Billion dollars out there in uncollected VAT taxes, it’s not the first time I’ve heard of COURTS owing the state 25 million dollars, maybe the Senator is off the mark; even so, it’s a lot of damn money that both administrations seem unwilling to go after. People are being laid off, medications can’t be had, buses and garbage trucks can’t be purchased, the South coast stinks… If indeed there is a billion dollars that these entities are withholding from us, it’s not theirs, but money collected and not paying into the system; tell me, how Hal Austin get to be such a big idiot and unpatriotic for voicing is observation? Could it be, that old saying, it takes one to know one is at play here. Anyway, we Barbadians can talk as much shit and write as much cute shit as we like, until we get off our ass and look to bring about change, very soon John King will own that plantation he has been desirous of since he was Johnny mah boy.


  31. Does it make sense that someone in authority from the ministry or minister responsible should accept the responsibility to answer the serious charges leveled about private sectors agencies owing the taxpayers of Barbados distasteful amounts of money?


  32. Did you see a better response from Minister John King as well?


  33. David BU

    Did you persuade John King 👑 to make that – retraction statement. ?

    If you did – well it was a really – piss poor – one ☝️


  34. “even so, it’s a lot of damn money that both administrations seem unwilling to go after. ”

    They can’t go after Courtsor the other tax frauds and evaders when they have all taken bribes to write off the money like if it is theirs…one more reason to sever BLP from the parliament just like the electorate severed DLP.


  35. How do you as a boss pick someone to a position of high responsibility and not pay attention to that person’s track record:

    Have you worked in any other Companies ? If yes – name the places you worked before?

    Why did you leave ?

    Were you fired for wrong doing ?

    Have you ever been fired for tiefing company’s property

    How many times were you fired from your old work places ?

    Is there a very close relationship between you and the head of the organization ?

    What significant assets or skill sets would you say you are bringing to the table ?

    These are some of the pertinent questions that any responsible boss doing his/her due diligence would ask before any significant hiring – not so ?

    The more things change, the more they remain the same.

  36. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    When de ole man said 30-love the results were to guarantee, rather, support the absolute eradication of the Democratic Labour Party.

    And it came to pass..

    However such results DID NOT CONCOMITANTLY INDICATE OR GUARANTEE any competencies in the incoming clowns

    De ole man has been telling wunna dat dere is 21 chvunts in the Lower House

    You mean I going have to go through the list and say

    “…John King is a Chvunt

    Duguid is a chvunt and name all 21? …”

  37. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    Now when de ole man was commenting bout Rawdone Adam’s and his QuickSandpit people were of the opinion that this was an anti Mugabe campaign

    But let me show how all that I’ve been saying FORCES ITSELF TO THE FORE so even the greatest class dunce here, will understand the absolute danger that MiaMoney present

    In an earlier submission Hal Austin says and I quote…

    “…How can any competent government be owed Bds$1bn in VAT?

    VAT is paid by the consumer at the point of purchase; it is a low cost tax in that the business sector does the collection on behalf of the government.

    All government has to do is arrange for the steady transfer of that money from the private sector to the exchequer…”

    Mia Mugabe is positioning Rawdone’s MyMoney as the sole provider to handle the VAT collections at every single Point of Sale vendor in Barbados

    At that point, I want anyone to tell me how you are going to tell me if Court’s $35 million is in Mia’s pocket or in Rawdone’s or off island earning interest on CDs in New York

    And the answer is “baaaaaa…”

  38. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ the Honourable Blogmaster your assistance please with an item here thank you


  39. @Bushtea

    “One does not wake up from shiite one morning (after brass bowls voted) and suddenly become ‘successes’…”
    +++++++++++++++
    Facts boss!

    It eludes me how Bajans could be so foolish. Here we have people who have been absolute failures in practically all areas of their lives. Then suddenly we expect them to be run away success because they are given ‘a big job’.

    The same buffoon than can’t manage his household budget can never be able to manage the finances of a department, a company, a country.

    But if a simple Dullard can see these things like the proverbial breadfruit how come the big brain highly qualified Bajan intelligentsia can’t see them too?


  40. @ Hants
    Front page of BarbadosToday tells the story of three very busy government ministers.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    An excellent snapshot of what is WRONG with Barbados.

    Three clowns who could not between them build a doghouse, …discussing how to spend $200M “fixing roads’ (whatever the Hell THAT means)
    …and have the gall to be arguing that a particular road deserves attention because one of them is from that area…

    As we speak, large numbers of well paved roads PAINFULLY exists in a particular constituency where traffic is few and far between….. while many critical roads remain a mess.

    These jokers sound EXACTLY like the inarticulate Lashley of DLP incompetence did just recently ….as HE too wasted millions doing shiite that quickly turned into pot holes again…

    Steupsss
    Brass bowls and their money are EASILY parted…


  41. @ A Dullard
    Sorry boss … missed your post before ranting…
    Would have counted to 20 instead if the bushman had seen yours first….


  42. Can we as a nation imagine what Bds$200m would do as contribution to house-building sector, clearing out the slums? All infrastructural investments, but some infrastructural projects are more positive then others.


  43. @Piece,

    How much are we paying mMoney to collect VAT? Is it a percentage of taxes collected, or a flat fee? Who owns mMoney? When will this money be handed over to government? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Annually?What about the civil servants whose job it is to collect this taxation? Are they going to be made redundant? In whose bank accounts will the money be held and will it be an interest-paying account? Who gets the interest, if any?
    It is all going to end in tears. Barbados is a failed state.


  44. I keep trying my best to alert wunna about the dangerous propaganda role AND AGENDA OF – David Ellis and ALL HIS MODERATORS.

    Repeatedly Peter Wickham has been saying to callers when they ask what are the salaries of the consultants – Wickham says – didn’t you hear – MIA SAYS THEY ARE BEING PAID IN THE S 4 SCALE.

    No one has heard that and everyone seems surprised by that revelation.Yet Wickham is not saying when was this pronouncement made, which journalists MIA spoke to, what is the salary in S4 – or are there any additional perks.

    When questioned as to how often is this payment made – whether per advice,per month,per project – Wickham can offer no information.

    So this is why I express my deep sadness for the people who in their innonence,gullibilty or naiveity drank the KOOLAID LIES AND PROPOGANDA that was offered by the BLP – and are now awakening from their stupor – and are seeking answers from a media that they think is fair and objective but it is sooooooooo compromised.

    Imagine lies ,half truths,fake news and all the rest – being pushed by the companies of One Caribbean Media – that is The Nation newspaper and VOB.

    This is what is the most frightening and the most dangerous.Thinking people will understand what I am alluding to.

    There is no strong independent voice on VOB talk shows to provide a balance or a counter to the BLP Talking Points. There should be at least 2 – (and please not a political opportunist like Guy Hewitt ) other persons who bring another view point.

    There should be a strong independent columnist in every daily edition of the Nation to balance all the BLP spin in that fish wrap.

    I well recall what Roy Morris said about the shenanigans that they were perpetuating against the last government – in that Fontabelle Nation hell hole.

    WHY WITH THE PRESENCE OF CBC,GIS – WHICH ARE THE GOVERNMENT OWNED COMMUNICATION ARM – THAT MIA MOTTLEY WHO EVERY ONE CLAIMS IS BEING SO TRANSPARENT AND OPEN WITH THE MEDIA – YET ONLY DOES INTERVIEWS WITH DAVID ELLIS?

    WHY DOESN’T HAVE OTHER JOURNALISTS SO THAT THEY CAN POSE QUESTIONS TO HER ? HUH – WHY ,WHY WHY – I ASK YOU .IS THIS WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING AS SO FABULOUS AND FRESH AND OPEN ? A BLP UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE MASQUERADING AS A JOURNALIST ?

    INTEGRITY LEGISLATION SHOULD NOT BE RESTRICTED TO ONLY POLITICIANS AND SENIOR PUBLIC SERVANTS – BUT ALSO TO JOURNALISTS LIKE ELLIS AS WELL.

    Is it pay back time for being used as the BLP hit man – using the microphone as his Shotgun. ?

    HOW MUCH DID YOU SELL YOUR SOUL FOR SIR ? 30 PIECES OF SILVER LIKE JUDAS?

    THINKING PERSONS ARE NOT EASILY FOOLED BY YOU ARRANGING THE QUESTIONS WITH HER – AND JUST ASKING THESE QUESTIONS WITH NO FOLLOW- UP OR PUSH BACK WHILE MIA RAMBLES ALLOVER HER FACE TALKING NONSENSICAL JOBBY.

    Mene,Mene,Tekel, Parsin – wunna have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.

    SHAME – ESPECIALLY AT THIS CRUCIAL TIME.


  45. Fixing Roads

    How abiut fixing our educational system so that the graduates would know how to build roads and in the process help build an economy


  46. At least one political party Solution Barbados has openly spoken out and written about what is taking place in the media.

    Other patriotic bajans need to follow suit.


  47. The newsmedia in Barbados reminds of the news state run news by the Kremlin
    Dont listen to nothing they say but one thing for sure as things get worse the news media would find their own words to return and bite them in the a sss

  48. Caswell Franklyn Avatar

    T.Inniss

    You asked a series of interview questions ar 8:34 a.m.

    I would like to suggest that your list is not complete and that you should have also asked:

    Have you ever been accused of embezzling money from a credit union?

    Did Caswell Franklyn, Secretary to the Supervisory Committee give instructions to call the Police?

    How was the matter settled?

    T.Inniss be more enquiring next time.


  49. That is the question I asked just this morning. What makes this person “Right for the Job?”


  50. @Caswell

    If Carol was accused of embezzlement why did she not face the court?

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