ECONOMIST SIR FRANK ALLEYNE says one of the reasons why Barbados was in the current economic mess was the country’s failure to pay workers based on productivity. Sir Frank, one of the Freundel Stuart administration’s trusted advisers, said yesterday that had the various governments followed through on the productivity focus after the 1991 economic crisis, many of the problems the country faced might have been alleviated. […] Sir Frank said the centrepiece of the structural adjustment programme was productivity enhancement.
Prior to May 24, 2018 the constant national refrain was that the economic and social state of the country had deteriorated to an unacceptable level. This position was punished by the electorate in unprecedented manner with the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) being inflicted with a 30-0 defeat. The simple tranlation of the result, the people are not happy.
It should be of concern to sensible Barbadians everywhere the vitriolic and uninformed political debate which has emerged in recent years. It is a predictable debate and often sees a predictable response by incumbent governments. The politically aware have stated the primary job of a political party is to find a way to stoke popularity.
In a well meaning democracy the needs of the people should be the prime objective. There are listed as being able to promote unity and tranquillity in the domestic space, ensure justice for all, defense and safeguard the welfare and liberty of all the people – What is the purpose of government?. The opposite view is that no government is perfect in the vision or execution. How we govern is a man made construct and susceptible to the fallibility of man.
A couple weeks ago the blogmaster was motivated to write about the predictability to what has translated to a worrying crime situation. The same can be transposed to how we have and continue to govern ourselves. This blogmaster has been at the dashboard from 2007 and have been positioned to view the workings of political operatives having reason to interact with prime ministers, senators, ministers in government, surrogates, political talking heads et al. They operate with the same intent. They are driven by greed and an a destructive value system.
Barbados is a tiny island and if well managed with realistic objectives should satisfy the purpose of government. Instead we have allowed behaviours to be greatly influenced by popular culture. This has created the recurring dysfunction of government we have become mired. This week we learned about the many many PSV permits the outgoing government issued before demitting office -on the most profitable routes. A portfolio led by Michael Lashley. Prior, this blogmaster is aware of many PSV permits issued by Gline Clarke. We are aware there was financial benefit accrued to decision makers. This is one example of how greed and corruption as eventually led to an insolvent Transport Board taxpayers are left holdoing the bag.
Look in the mirror people!
Sensible Barbadians should have the capacity to view how systems of government are in decline across the globe. If we fail to show the courage to disrupt the current trajectory there is a predictable inevitability to how it will end for us.
In an situation where austerity measures have to be taken, one expects constituents being impacted to voice concern. One also expects the government charged with managaing the process to admoister it as humanely as practicable. As important is for civil society to be resonsible in voicing feedback.
It seems to this blogmaster we are in danger of being subsumed by a destructive rhetoric motivated by egocentric thinking.
Frank has never been frank. The productivity discourses were never intended to increase worker compensation. Instead they were about the extaction of larger amount by corporations. And they have succeeded, mightily.
Frank, frankly, must come to know the hard limitations of that which has defined his existence
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Pachamama
David
Your sometimes detractors will find no more truthful, level-headed, independent, nationalistic comment in any other space, we guarantee.
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Georgie Porgie
ECONOMIST SIR FRANK ALLEYNE
LOTS OF HEAT, BUT VERY LITTLE LIGHT!
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SirFuzzy (Former Sheep)
Based on what Sir Frank Alleyne is stating, we have failed to act. This failure to act was recognised from 1991. From 1991 we have had 3 changes of party and 4 new PMs. But it seems that it was business as usual. Maybe it will be different under MAM. But the themes so far in this sorry soap opera we call governance in Barbados has being what many here on BU have identified.
We talk nuff nuff and do very little. We conflate productivity with the actions of doing alot of nothing-ness. As the say “much to do about nothing”. Furthermore we can see this “nasty behaviour” on full display in the national character of the society. For example we have plenty laws governing the majority of “bad behaviours” but we often have little or no “fair enforcement”. The PSV subculture is a great example of letting or feeding the dragon that will eventually get so large that you better feed it or it will feed on you. Look at the number of court proceedings that are in limbo. Traffic offences that take years before seeing the light of day in a courtroom. The lack of maintenance on things that everybody knows will fail eventually. We have intelligent persons on the island. We know what we have to do, but we just prefer to fail in the execution of these tasks/duties. I just guess that 2 outta 3 is a passing grade (66%) . B minus?
Our motto. is “Pride and Industry”. We still have some of both; and perhaps too much of the former. I am suggesting we revise the national motto. I suggest. “Pride ; Industry and Procrastination”. Cause we know what we have to do; we know how to do it(industry). We are not ashamed of letting other know this(Pride). But in the end we prefer if someone else will do it for us?(Procrastination)
On another note; if we continue this duopoly as it; we are destined to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over only by different actors. That is why i call Barbados a “soap opera” a low budget performance & production on the world stage of things. Where our themes and plots basically remain the same(we are into recycling and reusing) but with new actors(MPs & PMs) and characters doing the character portrayals. Our “soap opera” is now in its 53rd years of continuous release. Mind you the internet is just another way of watching the same episodes. So dont think the mere application of internet technology will save our sorry asses; or wrapping what we do in a technology blanket will be the magic elixir.
Another example to add to the sorry state of our transportation industry is waste disposal. We assign greater priority to building a state of the art building for BWA and SSA (unoccupied) and are unable to buy one garbage truck or fix 100 year old rusty mains. We justify land tax because it is a scarce resource however we do not see the urgency to move away from landfills as the waste disposal method. If the items mentioned ate all described as public goods why have we not exercised the acumen and best management practice to ensure best management? Is it fair to conclude that the ROI on the education investment post 1966 is below the accepted benchmark? We preach a lie then about literacy level?
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Georgie Porgie
AS FAR BACK AS MID 80’S ON A WALK FROM VAUCLUSE, COLIN HUDSON TOLD THE STOP AND STARE GROUP ABOUT A BAJAN IN THE UK WHO WAS AN EXPERT IN DEALING WITH GARBAGE, WHO HAD A PROPOSAL TO INCINERATE THE GARBAGE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY CONVERT THE HEAT ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY FOR TRANSFER TO THE NATIONAL ELECTRICITY RESOURCES.
IT WAS SCOFFED AT BY THE OMNISCIENT BLP………..NOW NON-SCIENT
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Mariposa
Reason why this govt will fail
Is because of not having a growth plan
Having Big Mout cuntsultants eating out the Treasury
Following unrealistic austerity measures on models only which large countries can bear
Govt efforts to reverse this economy is all but a forgone conclusion of bitter instead of BEtter with the Better meantfor the haves and the bitter for the have nots
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Mariposa
Big Mout consultants
BIG MOUT FETES
Big Mout tax waivers
Big Mout plans about We Gathering
All does not add up to a Growth Plan for the economy
Barbados asked for Better and was handed Bitter
Come on govt promises made makes for good policy when kept
Enough of govt BIG Mout knee jerk solutions
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TheOGazerts
@Sir Fuzzy
“On another note; if we continue this duopoly as it; we are destined to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over only by different actors. That is why i call Barbados a “soap opera” a low budget performance & production on the world stage of things. Where our themes and plots basically remain the same(we are into recycling and reusing) but with new actors(MPs & PMs) and characters doing the character portrayals. Our “soap opera” is now in its 53rd years of continuous release. Mind you the internet is just another way of watching the same episodes. So dont think the mere application of internet technology will save our sorry asses; or wrapping what we do in a technology blanket will be the magic elixir.”
The history and future of Barbados in a single paragraph.
We can now all walk away from BU
*—————————————-AA—————————————-
“Barbados is a tiny island and if well managed with realistic objectives should satisfy the purpose of government.”
One would have to be a fool not to realize that a well managed Barbados would be a sweet place to live. However, we seem to attract the bottom feeders as leaders, and we continue to drop in our weight-class.
*—————————————-AA—————————————-
” If we fail to show the courage to disrupt the current trajectory there is a predictable inevitability to how it will end for us. In an situation where austerity measures have to be taken, one expects constituents being impacted to voice concern. ”
I merged the two thoughts together.
Slowly but surely, the idea that citizens must share some of the responsibility for the fix that we find ourselves in. Barbadians need to be honest with themselves.
Is the sewage crisis over or is there no more political mileage in this issue? Cahill was a bad plan for the DLP, is it still bad plan or will it be rescued and proclaimed as a masterstroke?
Can we survive the metamorphosis of Sandals from a beautiful butterfly to a greedy caterpillar?
Is ‘up’ still ‘up’ or is it ‘down”.
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Pachamama
AC
Your comment would have also been apt had it appeared between 2008 -2018.
We wonder why the lengthy delay.
None of the variables are significantly different! Austerity is austerity.
And the OSA edit about ‘growth’ cannot continue for ever in these circumstances. It’s a fool’s errand! For there is only one Barbados to sell-out and RE demand patterns have radically changed. No more easy credit!
You’re not a fool, are you?
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Mariposa
Not only has OSA made mention of growth plan but commonsense dictates that govt cannot expect to continue to borrow absent of how those finances would be repaid which should come from a substantial and significant source aptly applied true growth
It is an economical fact which many households will adhere to pay debt brought about by proper economic planning to which jobs are crtical
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Mariposa
Here we have Mascoll talking about ” money in peoples hand” without a recognition that the value of that money daily decreases with the everday increases in food and taxes
And Mottley relying on the diaspora spend for The Gathering
So then tell how far and wide would these smoke and mirror plans take barbados further away from Austerity without the need of having a reliable and ready source of income that is not attached to Outside sources for financing
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Hal Austin
@ Mariposa,
Whatever happened tot he biennial Diaspora conference government used to have?
Another example is transparency legislation. Tom Adams promised to deliver and it was blocked by the DLP in the 70s, the bill died in committee. In 2007 David Thompson promised it in 200, died and Stuart stated existing was sufficient.
Last week we had Dale Marshall promising anti corruption legislation in 3 months.
The political class laughing at we.
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WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog
From a joker who refused to lift a finger to properly regulate the corrupt insurance industry despite repeatedly getting info.
Just another useless talking head with a useless title..what is an economist anyway, why does the island have so many of them and how come none of them have any working solutions for the economy.0…steupps..
A not so gentle reminder to the government we need to hear about the plan for the NIS fund. We know it is in a bad state. The public deserves an honest conversation. Successive governments have acted irresponsibly taking decisions with the NIS. The last government can only be blamed for taking it to a next level because of the economic situation and lazy management thing.
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Donna
No TheO, we cannot now all walk away from BU. We have to keep repeating it until others get a clue. If necessary we must copy and save the comment for future pasting.
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Vincent Codrington
@ David Bu
Piece , which David is he?
Except for the first paragraph, this is David Bu’s ( whoever he is ) essay. It does not connect with anything attributed to Sir Frank Alleyne in the opening paragraph.
It is a catalogue of the perceived sins of the two parties that formed the GoB since 1986.
Austerity may be rhetoric to most commentators, but it is reality for the lower and middle classes of this society.
The truth is that former administrations managed as best they could with the intellectual and financial resources they had.
This administration will have to do the same. One does not step into the same river twice. Each situation is different.
I think the current administration underestimated the magnitude of the problem and were caught by surprise. They were overwhelmed and may have overreacted. Time will tell. From this forum I warned about the potential underestimation of the issues/ problems. These were underplayed and winning the election appeared to have been the urgent objective.
The election has been won and reality has stepped in. There is only one rational direction to go;that is upward.
There is no room for smoke screens and mirrors. We have had enough of them. Let us move ahead despite the challenges. That is what life is about. Why are many of us squandering this opportunity to punch above our weight and to leave a national and social legacy?
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Vincent Codrington
WARU
Where are your credible solutions?
We cannot Google and paste ourselves out of this one. Cut and paste is a mirror that you have to put down …face down. You only disorienting the political class. LOL!!!!
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Pachamama
David
Despite your good intentions, it may well be time for you to finally accept what we have long determined.
One, that the social services, including the NIS are going to be dismantled. And every government in Barbados has known this to be the case.
Two, there will NEVER be a government of Barbados which would enact, even as mild as it would be, serious integrity legislation. We have long told you that the country needs more than that. It needs a constitutional right to recall. But yuh won’t hear!
Both of these are part of a general tendency to impoverish the masses, again, and make a few people very wealthy. It’s a global trend.
All of these social insurance systems are being deliberately made to fail. Not only in Barbados, everywhere else as well.
If you do not want to exercise your brain ‘muscle’ dont blame the blogmaster. The theses of the blog is that the economic Czar appointed by a DLP government identified problems then that we are still battling. The issues transcend political lines. No need to be anchored in linear thinking.
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Georgie Porgie
PLEASE DO NOT SAY brain ‘muscle’ …….PLEASE PLEASE
IT IS ANATOMICALLY AND PHYSIOLOGICALLY INCORRECT
THERE IS NO SUCH THING
The predicament of the fund is vivid with the blogmaster because it is another example of an inevitable predictability. instead we have actors like Justin Robinson, Toney Marshall, Jepter Ince eta al who have presided over the fund going about their business reputations intact. Instead we have self proclaimed advocates of justice on this blog see value in attacking the blogmaster instead of focussing on the message and issues at large. We like it so?
Thanks for the correction. It was used in brackets for the reason you know well!
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Mariposa
Hal good quedtion
Guess when govt change things are done differently
I guess present govt plan is to expedite a growth plan from which begging the Diaspora to chip in is enough
Continuing the critique. A few weeks ago the ailing minister of education promised the country a revamp of the education system. She admitted for all to watch and listen her predecessors denied that that the current system is inadequate and redundant to our needs. We await the update.
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Pachamama
David
There is nothing incorrect with saying ‘brain muscle’ within a linguistic context.
The tradition of poetic license gives you and everybody else the right to say such and the whole world knows its meaning, except one.
There are a lot of things/people, like a unicorn or jesus which never existed but when evoked in language we have a general sense of what is meant.
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WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog
“You only disorienting the political class. LOL!!!!”🎁🎁
lol..now if i had claimed to be an economist…i would get results..by actually fixing the economy….
if i had claimed to be a Prime Minister…i would get results WITHOUT BURDENING THE TAXPAYERS BY HIRING million dollar CONSULTANTS..
if i had claimed to be an attorney general…i would get results without all the bullshit talk and lack of vision..
but i only blog…so i can only get results from blogging…
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Enuff
And wunna expect me to waste my time? A jackass here believes that saving $23M would stop “burdening the taxpayers” when the TB alone requires $40M annually and the public sector wage bill is $800M+ per year. Look I gone.🖐🏾
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Mariposa
David first lets start by asking govt if the loans which were accesed to entities via the NI S were paid back
And what happened to the balance of payments by those entities which were not paid back to govt
These kind of questions are applicable for all to stay the course
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WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog
“burdening the taxpayers” when the TB alone requires $40M annually and the public sector wage bill is $800M+ per year. Look I gone”
It’s quite possible..if yall bring back the 120,000 offshore accounts….problem solved…ah sure there are a couple billions lying around offshore..public sector wage bill…PAID..
..get rid of the parasite Peter Harris and CGI off the taxpayers…wrap up that fraudulent BLP contract…over 20 years is TOO LONG…
see…things are looking better already…
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TheOGazerts
Tongue in cheek..
The problems are known, solutions are known, so we can all go home.
All of us know that tough times and tough battles are ahead
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ThgeOGazerts
I just love my leader. He runs in. throws a few random words in the air, calls a few people names, put up a hashtag or mentions Greece……
Look I gone.🖐🏾
(silly me. here sitting and trying to get the message.)
#WeMugabitersNeedOneMessage
#NotGettingTheMemos
#NotOnTHeSamePage
#LookIGone.🖐🏾
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Donna
Well then, will the 23 million soon have the effect of lifting the burden off the taxpayers? Shall we receive value for money? 23 million x 5 = 115 million . Think what we could do with that over the course of five years!
Can we debate the issues for a change and leave the ad hominems at the door?
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Donna
By the way, it is the opinion of many historians that Jesus did exist. The real question is – is he who he said he is.
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WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog
No visionaries = the people perish
visionaries will come forward when we get rid of the current blind parasites…we cannot make them see, but we can remove them.
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Tron
Frank Alleyne is part of the problem, not its solution. I remember that he advised the insane and intellectually less gifted Big Sinck. Alleyne has kept his mouth shut for ten years under the terror rule of his DLP. Now, after the BLP has won a grandiose election victory, he comes out of the hole like all the other DLP cronies and stabs the government in the back during the BERT program.
Alleyne is the typical product of local education. All his life he has never worked hard physically and has always lived at the expense of the taxpayer. A typical Barbadian bureaucrat.
The problem is not the slight social cuts in the IMF program, but the fact that most academic natives on the island (including this Alleyne) are far too arrogant to realize that they have driven the island into the abyss with their delusion and belief in Barrow´s rotten welfare state.
Alleyne should discard his knighthood and apologize to the people for the economic crimes he supported under Big Sinck. The man is a disgrace to the nation. But we all know that he has no morals and is far too arrogant to apologize to the people.
The quote by Alleyne is dated. Read with understanding.
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Pachamama
Many historian also believed that the earth was flat too. Where is the independently varifiable evidence that this jesus ever live?
And how could it be possible that such a man lived and there are no markings anywhere?
This writer is currently investigating africans living in brazil more than 100,000 years ago and all kinds of historiographies are being unearthed and you could tell us that such a monumental character could have existed in the shadows of the Great Kemetic civilization and there are no symbols, no archeological sources of evidence, joke!
And we could go on.
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Vincent Codrington
@ WARU at 2:28 PM
“remove them”, and replace them with what? More” blind parasites”? That was your solution last time. Surely you can do better than this? Are you sure that is/was the correct diagnosis? WARU you need to dig deeper.
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Hal Austin
@ Tron,
Spot on. Most of these people did their studies n the 1960s and 70s, then they started teaching using the same old notes they used as students. What has Alleyne ever contributed to economic knowledge? A big fish in a small pond.
In the meantime the world has moved on, but they are trapped in a sub-intellectual world. It is rotating mediocrity – or learning/teaching by rote.
All this is underpinned by an intellectually lazy press lacking in curiosity that constantly runs to the same people to comment on the same old developments and they say the same old things.
(Sometime ago a senior journalist on one of the publications in Barbados asked for help/guidance. I replied that I was willing to help, but must be paid. S/he has not been in touch since. Had I been a lawyer no doubt they would have gladly paid).
Culture is important, and the way we conduct our public debates is central to how we development as a nation. Just look at BERT, lots of waffle and no substance. Where are the academics?
Just look at BU and you will see the chairman/moderator talks more than the contributors and I am not convinced he knows anything about policy, finance or economics. That tells you a lot. This is the level of Bajan debate. The rum shop.
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Donna
There were many persons who came claiming to be the Messiah. He was considered unimportant by most. The few ultimately became the many.
You may believe what you wish. I shall return to the subject of the Rhetoric of Austerity.
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Donna
The elephant in Tron’s room is the corruption of the political class. What role did corruption play in the demise of Barbados. Was it the “welfare state” or the corruption of those who administered it that did us in?
Successive governments have reveled in the success of Oba and Ryan. They experienced the recognition world class athletes can heap on an under resourced country. They observe how Jamaica and the Bahamas have weaved sports into the development of the young people and country. Then there is the parallel sub programs which capture young people benefiting from scholarships overseas etc. The former minister of sports promised a national youth policy. He promised a national track and field stadium. The people wait meekly for the promises of politicians to be fulfilled.
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Donna
Bottoms up! Cheers! What are you having?
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WARU, Crazy & Unstable, Hogging the Blog
“Surely you can do better than this? Are you sure that is/was the correct diagnosis? WARU you need to dig deeper.”
This is how reality works…you will have a REAL LEADER…who either
has not been born yet..
is still growing…
but until then..ya have to make do…ya got rid of the blighted parasitic DLP…one down
just to get rid of the blighted BLP….
….send a message so the wannabes will see that it will not be going down like before….the message must be even louder and clearer…..than May 24-25th.
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Pachamama
It’s not us dealing in ‘belief’
We seek evidence for what to claim to ‘know’
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Vincent Codrington
@ Hal Austin at 3:07 PM
I think you are misleading BU household.Academics do not stop reading,researching and publishing. I am sure they do not in your country of adoption nor do they in the UWI. It is mandatory for lecturers to do research and publish in order to get promoted to the next level. Sir Frank Alleyne reached the level of Professor. He met the requirements for preferment to such. I would appreciate your not trying to pass judgement on fellow Barbadians about whom you know nothing or little. I know that you know better.
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Donna
You know, one man’s evidence is another man’s lies.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.