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2019 Auditor General Report Provokes a Yawn

Prime Minister Mia Mottley shows off a Kensington Oval ready for T20 World Cup

Search BU Archives for ‘Auditor General Report‘ and page after page of results will be the result. Again in 2020 the blogmaster will do his bounden duty and post the 2019 Auditor General Report.

A scan of the 110 page report immediately caused the blogmaster to yawn. The yawn was not intended to be disrespectful of the Auditor General’s report, his is an office that appears to be diligent in carrying out its assignments.  The yawn was triggered by the sense of a same old same old feeling, here we go again. We have an office of the Crown continually exposing blatant flouting of government’s financial rules and government after government do nothing to right the wrongs. Whether Barbados Labour Party (BLP) or Democratic Labour Party (DLP) it continues.

Fact: Parliament and its several Working Committees do not function as intended in the governance system we practice. What are the people to do except to rebel at some stage? Our dysfunctional governance system brings into play what is unfolding in several USA cities. At some point Barbadians will be moved to do the same when we reach the tipping point. At this point the blogmaster opened his eyes from having a dream that promised so much.

 

AG
Click on image to view 2019 Auditor General Report

 

 

93 responses to “2019 Auditor General Report Provokes a Yawn”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Call for account at BWA

    Stories by Sanka Price

    sankaprice@nationnews.com

    Those responsible for contracts agreed to by the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) that breached its financial and procurement rules should be held accountable, says Auditor General Leigh Trotman.

    His recommendation comes after his office conducted an audit of the BWA’s procurement practices between 2010 and 2018. It found that of the $1.49 billion in goods and services which the Authority sought to acquire, about 90 per cent of these arrangements did not go out to public tender.

    Also, 70 per cent of the contracts entered into by the BWA for the multimillion-dollar Smart Meter Project were signed by the then chairman with no evidence in the minutes of the BWA’s board that the other members had given their approval.

    The chairman for much of the period under review was Dr Atlee Brathwaite.

    In short, there was an absence of the full involvement of the board in these significant projects, with the previous chairman taking on the responsibility of the board, stated Trotman in the 2019 Auditor General’s Report, which was laid in the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

    “Our review indicates that the Authority has entered into several contracts that have the potential to increase its operational costs beyond its capabilities. It is my understanding that some of these contracts are being renegotiated,” said Trotman.

    He added: “These projects raised a number of concerns about contracts and their management at the Authority. There seemed to be little or no adherence to the Authority’s procurement rules and a lack of sufficient financial and technical analysis of proposals prior to the selection of suppliers of goods and services.

    “The manner in which a number of thesecontracts were initiated and awarded lacked transparency. In the majority of instances, there was no tender process, and there was inadequate information for determining how the contracted amounts were arrived at, or how the procurement process was initiated.”

    The Auditor General substantiated this conclusion with several examples. For instance, he noted that without going to public tender, the BWA entered into twocontracts with a firm

    which made an unsolicited proposal for the extraction of water at Groves, St Philip. His office requested information on the origins of the submission and on how the contract prices were derived, but at the time of completing the report, the information was not provided. These contracts were:

    • to investigate, abstract and supply water to the Authority at a cost of $68 719 670.55 over 15 years at an estimated average cost of $4.58 million per year. This contract was signed on November 19, 2012.

    • to design, finance, engineer, supply, install, erect, construct and commission pipelines, pumps and tanks for chlorination facilities in order to facilitate the collection of water from the subject wells to receiving tanks, and deliver said water to the BWA’s receiving mains at a cost of $12 878 463.40 over an 84-month period. This contract was signed in 2015 (the day and month were missing from the contract).

    Board meeting

    “Based on the minutes of the board meeting held on the 12th January, 2012, the manager, engineering, noted that there was no indication as to how the cost in the proposal had been arrived at. It would have been expected that a thorough financial analysis of such large proposals would have been provided to the board prior to the award of thesecontracts. In the absence of this analysis and a lack of competing bids, the reasonableness of this project could not be determined,” wrote Trotman.

    The report also pointed out two instances where the BWA paid the contractor the full amount of the contract price, either before the goods were delivered or there being evidence that the service was performed. In both instances, the previous chairman, who had a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the BWA, authorised the payments.

    Of all the cases cited, it was the awarding of contracts under the Smart Meter Project which attracted much of the Auditor General’s attention. The audit found that, with few exceptions, the BWA did not comply with its procurement procedures or those it stated it had adopted from the Financial Management and Audit (Financial) Rules, 2011, in relation to the award of these contracts for this project.

    The audit found there was no public tendering for the purchase of 16 400 smart meters totalling $4.90 million from one company, while the tender for the supply of 98 800 other smart meters was

    awarded to one company for nearly $23.5 million. It was subsequently assigned to another firm for around $25.4 million. However, no benefits were given for this additional price adjustment. In addition, 100 000 meter boxes were also brought in for $4.40 million, but to this date never installed.

    These meters were to be part of the BWA’s plan to automate the meter reading process and improve its accuracy. However, this has not been realised because a critical component of this process is the acquisition of encryption codes for the meters to facilitate reading of the information.

    Presently, the supplier of the meters and the BWA are in dispute in respect of the codes.

    The BWA is indicating the codes were part of the original contract and should be provided by the supplier without any further payment, while the supplier contends the contract was only for the supply of the meters, so the encryption codes must be paid for separately.

    Source Nation newspaper

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Page 17 of the report makes for light entertainment.

    Selection of Attorneys
    3.6 The review revealed that some attorneys/firms engaged by the SOEs were selected by Cabinet, others by the Board of Management and/or the Minister responsible for the SOE. However, the Auditors were not provided with a clear basis for the selection of the legal counsel by these agencies/authorities. The engagement of the attorneys/firms was stated to be due to the absence of legal counsel on staff at some agencies; and the complexity and volume of legal matters to be dealt with, for others.
    Basis for Fees
    3.7 The total amount of fees reported as paid by the entities who submitted information was over $7 million, with the amount of fees paid to individual attorneys/firms, ranging from $500 to $4 million for work done over the review period. Generally, there was an absence of evidence to indicate that the basis or rates/fees paid to the attorneys were agreed on prior to services being provided.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    Another attorney was engaged as the legal counsel for the SSA in June 2009 after being selected by the Minister of the Environment. This attorney was paid the sum of $1.04 million with respect to the drafting and perusing contracts and other legal matters, during the period he was retained by the SSA. No evidence was presented to indicate that the rates/fees were negotiated before the services of the attorney were engaged. Furthermore, no documentation was provided by the SSA to support the terms and conditions of his particular engagements.

    The attorney was also paid $1.13 million, inclusive of VAT, for “legal fees with respect to service provided to the Sanitation Service Authority relating to a contract for the Design, Build, Operate, Finance and Transfer of a Leachate and Liquid Waste Treatment Plant”. This payment was made directly by the Ministry of Environment and Drainage, during the financial year 2015/2016, from the funds approved by Parliament for the SSA. The legal fees submitted were calculated as three percent (3%) of the contract amount of $32 million. No evidence was presented to verify that there was consultation with the attorney with respect to the legal services and fees before he was engaged. Furthermore, no evidence was provided to indicate what service was provided by the attorney.

  4. David Avatar
    David

    This comment refers to the Barbados Water Authority. Sound familiar?

    Tender Process
    4.4 Of the BDS $1.49 billion in goods and services which the Authority sought to acquire, it was observed that approximately ninety percent (90%) of these arrangements did not go out to public tender. This was in breach of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) procurement rules and the Financial Management and Audit (Financial) Rules, 2011, which have been adopted by the Authority. These require a tender process for the acquisition of goods and services costing more than BDS$200,000. There was no certainty about the origins of a number of these bids as no evidence was provided to indicate that they were requested by the Authority.

  5. David Avatar
    David

    Protective Meter Boxes
    4.8

    BWA entered into a contract with a Company on the 5th December 2014 for the supply of one hundred thousand (100,000) water meter boxes at a cost of US$2.20 million. The payments to this Company were initiated by the previous Chairman writing to one of the Authority’s banks, instructing that the funds be paid into the Company’s bank account. This was an unusual occurrence as payment for goods was normally carried out by members of the Accounts Department after certification that the goods were received.

    4.9 The Director of Engineering and the Technical Advisor to the Board indicated that to install this particular type of boxes would require the meters being disconnected and reinstalled, a time consuming and costly process. This would indicate that the acquisition of these boxes was not carefully thought through. For the last four (4) years these boxes have been stored in an open area at the Belle Pumping Station. This large expenditure has so far not resulted in any apparent benefit to the Authority.

  6. David Avatar
    David

    BWA Conclusion comment:

    Conclusion
    4.15 BWA is operating in an environment of water scarcity and aging infrastructure that needs replacing. It is also operating with limited financial resources and, as a result, must use its funds prudently. Our review indicates that the Authority has entered into several contracts that have the potential to increase its operational costs beyond its capabilities. It is my understanding that some of these contracts are being renegotiated.
    4.16 These Projects raised a number of concerns about contracts and their management at the Authority. There seemed to be little or no adherence to the Authority’s procurement rules and a lack of sufficient financial and technical analysis of proposals prior to the selection of suppliers of goods and services. The manner in which a number of these contracts were initiated and awarded lacked transparency. In the majority of instances there was no tender process, and there was inadequate information for determining how the contracted amounts were arrived at, or how the procurement process was initiated.
    4.17 The rationale for payment to the Firm for consultancy services has not been explained and there was no evidence of any service being provided. Appropriate legal action should be taken on those responsible for this transaction.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    https://barbadosunderground.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/bwa-contract-cost.png

  8. David Avatar
    David

    Do not forget to connect the dots, Barbadian taxpayers are paying. This is the blogmaster using his best language.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    This is BWA’s response to the AG, tissues anyone?

    Barbados Water Authority’s Response
    While the findings of the Barbados Audit Office have highlighted short-comings and weaknesses in the business process of the Barbados Water Authority for the contracts and period under review, they noticeably reflect the failings of proper corporate governance.
    In all instances where the Auditor General has expressed concern, there is a clear path as to the level of decisions made or directives issued where management has had to comply in relation to contract implementation that have all been executed beyond that of the Senior Management Team – sometimes without due regard to the procurement and tendering process. Having said that, some decisions made in context were proffered on the basis of significant urgency and limited funding.
    We believe that this assessment is geared toward establishing and maintaining an operating and governance framework that provides reasonable assurance that:
     The Authority’s assets are adequately and appropriately safeguarded.
     Current and future transactions are conducted in an
    environment of transparency that reinforces responsibility and accountability, and aligns with established policies.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    There is evidence of some effort to bring Audits of SOEs and other government departments up to date BUT…

    #NIS

  11. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    (Unquote):
    The rationale for payment to the Firm for consultancy services has not been explained and there was no evidence of any service being provided. Appropriate legal action should be taken on those responsible for this transaction. (Unquote).

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    And who is going to initiate legal action? Who is going to be the “complainant”?

    Why shouldn’t the current administration seek to recover any monies or ensure the appropriate tax treatments (both VAT and income tax) have been applied?

    Is this the same administration which had to ask ordinary people -including the users of the BWA and SSA services- to make additional contributions to pay for these downright cases of deliberate raping of the coffers of these SOEs in collusion with the political class?

    Is this going to be swept under the political class of friends and family carpet -just like the previous “financial infelicities”- by those who have a lot of talk and backchat for the EU blacklisting and see nothing wrong in defaulting and with continuing the begging for more financial cocaine from the IMF?

  12. groslyn Avatar
    groslyn

    Maintaining professionalism in state owned enterprises (SOEs) is challenging. Barbados Today Online of June 4, 2020 reports on the Auditor General’s Annual Report for financial year ending March 31, 2019. The paper highlights his findings on legal fees paid by SOEs over an 11 year period with focus on whether 37 SOEs implemented systems to facilitate the procuring of legal services from attorneys or firms in a cost effective manner. Significant deficiencies were found in the the 8 SOEs subjected to further review with $10.9 million paid to 34 attorneys/firms deemed to be done under questionable circumstances.

    Even when the right procedures are followed, matters can be influenced by subtlety and unstated understandings. Parameters were established for the hiring of attorneys. A bill for hundred of thousand of dollars was submitted by an attorney who had previously justified payment for a similar amount. That claim was rejected by the Committee. The new claim was justified by him changing the terms of his contract. An internal audit recorded minimal action on the trustee accounts held by the attorney. The entity refused to pay. The attorney sued me and the Committee and continued to refuse arbitration. Eventually a settlement in the $10,000 was paid.

    The Committee determined I was out of order when I sought information and advise about the section relevant to tenders in the Financial.Management and Audit Act and from the Audit Office.

    While blacks in America fight white entitlement and prejudice, in Barbados we fight societal entitlement and prejudices. You can break through the artificial wall but must conform or else.

    Nothing will change because there’s no buy in for change.

  13. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David

    I will only make one comment on this to avoid warming over old milk.

    I have seen no current audited financials presented to the public in any form of media for any of these institutions since government has changed. I can only draw the conclusion that it will be business as usual.

  14. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    …

  15. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    @ Blogmaster
    Is the Dullard being moderated?

  16. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ John A

    To be fair, how do you expect to see current audited financial statements when this administration inherited a situation where, and as indicated by previous Auditor General reports, financial statements for some central and quasi government departments for previous financial years remain outstanding because they have either not been prepared and/or presented to the Auditors?

    The NIS and Transport Board immediately comes to mind.

    I also remember you ‘discussing’ on another blog, the difficulties you perceived government entities may encounter in preparing outstanding financials and suggested they should use current financial data and ‘start from day one.’

  17. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    The BWA FS for FY2010 to FY2014 were laid in the Parliament on October 22, 2019 and are on the parliament website. So Artax’s view seems to make sense.

  18. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    I don’t know why you’re getting so upset.

    Barbados entered a period of chaos and decline with independence. Just like almost all the other former colonies. We cannot seriously expect a society that until the 1960s consisted almost entirely of plantation workers to mature into human civilisation within a few years.

    We should give the Barbadians at least 500 years to mature from the current state of wild tribalism to human civilisation.

  19. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    The remote read meters used to be recorded on the bill every month. Within recent times they are read every other month. My consumption, due to daily outages, is down to minimum or basic and I am paying more for water not consumed.

    At least we should be receiving better service and more accurate billing. Where are they?

    When will the AG’s concerns be addressed? What kind of response is that that you uploaded, David? Is that a management response to the infelicities highlighted?

  20. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    From a customer service perspective you are correct. However the old problem is recurring- how can we take the findings of the AG to the next level . There is obvious mismanagement and corruption at play here. WE the taxpayers continue to pay for it while a few get rich.

  21. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ Artax

    It wasn’t me that said the financials would be brought up to date on these entities ” as a matter of urgency.”

    So far 2 years later we haven’t heard of one being brought up to date. At some point someone will have to make a decision if to continue to fight with the back years, or go in and do an opening audit. I find to be here 2 years later unacceptable in that it doesn’t seem any decision even has been on the way forward.

  22. groslyn Avatar
    groslyn

    I experienced continued pressure to complete audited financial statements. Despite on going organizational changes by 2016 financial auditors completed 13 audited financial statements while other auditors completed 4 internal (procedural) audits. large asset based entities will require a team to prepare accounting schedules For the auditors but it’s doable.

    I have a masters and a post masters qualification. These limit my expertise to particular fields. In reality, qualified people have limitations and in some instances some are quite dumb. Common sense, exposure and experience with a qualification is the best mix for those who have and can move Barbados forward. One should also not discount the contribution made by field workers, technicians, tradesmen and salesmen, etc. Wage workers gave yeoman service to Barbados after independence. Tron the industry in our motto built Barbados and workers pride in a job well done and not themselves contributed to its advancement.

    The verdict is still out re how well the degree people ran their leg of the economic growth relay.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Under the last government Chairman resisted the suggestion the NIS should take the hit by taking a note on the financials by skipping the problem years.

    What say you?

  24. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David BU at 11:06 AM
    Both exercises ( Unfinished past audits and current year audits) can be done simultaneously by two different teams. The monthly financial reports/ accounts should have left a good paper trail. Accounts can be reconstructed. Were both the engineering and financial departments asleep on the job? Just asking? Things like um really brown. We cannot blame exogenous shocks for failure; the internal shocks are worse.

  25. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    Sensible reasoning supports your view, it begs the question why are we unable to fix the problem!!!

  26. FearPlay Avatar
    FearPlay

    David @BU. …..why are we unable to fix the problem!!! Maybe for a similar reason, there was a resistance to the installation of security cameras at the airport and seaport in certain restricted areas. I wonder why there are no named attorneys in these matters? If all is above board and can be justified, by all means, name those benefiting from the public largess.

  27. David Avatar
    David

    @FearPlay

    We have discussed this at length through the years, exhaustively.

    It takes two hands to clap.

    The public sector cannot engaged in corrupt behaviour by itself. We are all complicit.

    >

  28. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ David June 5, 2020 11:52 AM

    We would like to put it to you that a major factor contributing to the ‘inability’ of those ‘culpable’ SOEs to produce audited financial statements is the extent of fraud which could have taken place.

    How else can the lack of audited financials for the NIS operations (a money handling entity) can exist for such a long period and whose rectification was promised by the numerous chairpersons with vast experience and certification in the field(s) of management and finance?

    Clearly, it cannot be a direct result of the lack of the relevant technical expertise either in-house or in the ‘professional’ market!

    The situation with the BWA is just a red eye-opener of what lies right across the SOE’s field of financial mismanagement and infelicities.

    To modify, slightly, a phrase coined by Hal A out of the UK: Barbados is clearly at the ripening stage of becoming a failed state of a banana republic.

  29. David Avatar
    David

    @Miller

    This is the public service. Some BU commenters do not like criticism to be directed at this sector. What does it say if we cannot manage a system to hold Permanent Secretaries et al accountable? We may not be as educated as we like to hype ourselves.

    >

  30. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David Bu at 1 :52 PM

    The AG complains about his department being understaffed. But he needs to do more follow visits and send more written reminders to the Accounting Officers and Head of the Civil Service. He needs to use more swasion’

  31. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    We should pay ministers and senior civil servants exclusively with government papers. If they fail and the island goes bankrupt again, they’ll go into financial ruin. Believe me, it’ll give these people a run for their money!

    All kidding aside. Isn’t that what the Chinese from the IMF criticized a few days ago: the lack of cost management in the SOE sector?

  32. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    You are saying the AG needs to do more to create greater awareness to the shortcomings preventing his reports from being actioned?

    You are serious?

    >

  33. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David BU

    I believe that the Auditor General has a large measure of protection from political interference under the Constitution.

  34. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    This could explain why his department is being squeezed of resources through the years.

  35. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ John A

    I agree with you the situation is “unacceptable in that it doesn’t seem any decision even has been on the way forward.”

    However, how do you believe ‘government’ would go about ‘motivating’ managers/accountants of the SOEs, who neglected to prepare the financials ‘in the first place,’ to prepare statements for previous financial years and update the accounts?

    Preparing monthly and annual financial statements is ‘standard operating procedure.’ As such, I don’t believe Ministers, whether they’re BLP, DLP, SB or PdP, should have to micro-manage government entities under their respective portfolios, into preparing them.

    It seems as though the Accountants get a ‘free pass’ from the Director for neglecting to prepare financials, who in turn gets a ‘free pass’ from the Chairman and Board of Directors, all of whom gets a ‘free passes’ from the Permanent Secretary.

    What is ridiculous is the fact that after repeated warning in AG’s reports for the past several years, under both BLP and DLP administrations, there hasn’t been any PM or Finance Minister that were brave enough to ‘force’ SOEs to comply with government’s financial regulations.

  36. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    Every year the NIS goes on unaudited the less relevant the old years get. To me I would do an opening audit based on its assets at market value and not booked value, clean up their receivables and go forward from there.

    It is useless saying you have $4B in booked assets when you may only have $2.5B at market value. Plus all the useless paper from Sinkyuh also needs to be revalued based on the restructuring as well.

    My concern especially now is that we have a NIS many claim is sound, but when you asked them sound based on what, there is no response.
    Do an open audit, book the assets at true value and take you licks and be done.

  37. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    Correction. Suasion not swasion. These coders need to come to school in Barbados. I am tired correcting spelling and and verbs.

  38. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    Yes. David BU.

    Even in the Private Sector where external Auditors can be removed by BOD on recommendation of management, Auditors can exercise a lot of power if wisely used.

  39. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ John A at 1 : 50 PM

    I agree with you. The past cannot be undone. We ought to deal with the present and stop the rot. Going forward we should apply the rules of proper financial management rigorously. There is little to gain by trying to undo the past. The costs exceed the benefits. That is the economist perspective.
    Politicians,Lawyers and Accountants may have different perspectives. I would not disagree with them.

  40. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    It is the political gamesmanship that makes it so difficult to solve problems.

    >

  41. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ Vincent.

    The correct thing to do from the accounting side would be to bring every year up to date. The problem is we are so far behind that this to me from a practical side, would be a waste of time and money. An open Audit will look at the NIS as a new venture and book it’s assets and liabilities at mArket value. Now this type of audit will be more expensive to do than an annual audit, but it will be cheaper than doing 15 annual audits for the last 15 years I can assure you.

  42. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    Our government wanted to implement modern financial accounting for the SOEs (I am thinking of Oracle or SAP). So that our prime minister could get a cost statement “at the push of a button”.

    Obviously, our government advisors here have promised too much. Once again. Our Most Honourable Prime Minister should urgently look for new consultants.

  43. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David BU at 2 :33 PM

    I agree 100% with you.
    But where there is demand there is supply. Some of our commenters delight in the gamesmanship. I do not . What is fun for them retards the citizens from reaching their full potential. We at this stage of our development and with our head start should not have a high debt overhang. We should only have a small Budget deficit of under 2% in the bad years. Now these are part of our management profile. There was a time when the Surplus on Current Account financed the GoB Capital Works Program.
    But that was spawned by a 1970s narrative that is no longer relevant. Time for fresh guard i.e ,a new narrative. David, I do not want to hear about any Meritocracy. That translated to the Entitlement Syndrome of the last 12 years.

  44. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Is this the same hypocrite Carson Cadogan that cussed us on BU just about 3 years ago for those crooked indians. What a difference a 30-0 makes. He is trying to pull a Mia and Maloney. Fraud.

    “Carson Cadogan

    The BLACK PEOPLE of Barbados are being slowly returned to SLAVERY.

    Between the Barbados Labour Party Govt. with its high level of Taxation, Duties, Layoffs and creatives ways of fooling the people while cutting their Salaries and telling them its good for them. The Barbados Private Sector with its sky high prices for everything making Barbados prices some the highest in the World. Black people are being paid very poorly .

    But slowly their wages are being taken away taken away. Soon they will have none. They will be working simply for the sake of doing so. In order to make the WHITE PEOPLE AND INDIANS of Barbados CONTINUE TO BE rich. Just like SLAVE days gone by.

    The only Black people that prosper will be the BARBADOS LABOUR PARTY GOVT..”

  45. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    I am not surprised at all. The daughter and husband of one of these wufless people wouldn’t pay my brother his rent money at all, at all, at all. After a month or two bro got sick and tired of not receiving his rent money and threw their rass in the road.

    My bro’ isn’t as stupid as the government.

    Imagine not paying a poor black man his rent money.

  46. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @Tron June 5, 2020 9:27 AM “I don’t know why you’re getting so upset. Barbados entered a period of chaos and decline with independence. Just like almost all the other former colonies. We cannot seriously expect a society that until the 1960s consisted almost entirely of plantation workers to mature into human civilisation within a few years. We should give the Barbadians at least 500 years to mature from the current state of wild tribalism to human civilisation.”

    Barbados was born in the inequity of slavery. The wickedness did not start in 1966. It was imposed on the people of Barbados by the British slave masters, who for hundreds of years maintained the wickedness because it was profitable for them. Unlike tron I don’t see the British then or now as benevolent I don’t see them as civilized. Civilized people don’t enslave others, they don’t beat others, they don’t kidnap others, they don’t separate people from their families, their language, their culture, their religion.

    I remember once i was having a heart to heart with a white Bajan woman, our children were at HC together. We were talking about irresponsible fathers, irresponsible black fathers and irresponsible white fathers. She remarked to me about irresponsible black fathers “don’t you know that they learned their bad behaviour from the white men?”

    That said I am sorry that my BWA bill last month was $104. If it had been $70 instead I would now have enough to invite whitehill for a snack box and maybe some ice cream for dessert.

    But the political/business class don’t feel that poor black people should be able to enjoy a little fun from time to time.

  47. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    June 2020 and another Auditor General REPORT 2019,
    SAME OLD SAME OLD.
    It’s becoming more the obvious that Barbados is a FAILED STATE, well past the FAILING STATE STATUS.
    Thankfully the Auditor General is responsible to the Govenor General and ultimately Her Majesty the Queen, at least there a a few individuals involved with the Barbados Constitution that still have integrity and honesty.

  48. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Cuhdear Bajan June 5, 2020 7:51 PM

    You are the grand master of deliberate misunderstanding. Where did I praise the British?

    Regardless of the moral qualities of the former colonial masters, it is a fact that the infrastructure has rotted under many governments since 1966. Just remember the tragedy of the shit on the south coast. For years the DLP cavemen and their voters have been sexually aroused by the stench. In contrast, the BLP has managed to eliminate the problem within weeks, after the hard-working and righteous majority of the population made the cross in the right place at the election.

    So there is no contrast between progressive white colonialists and backward blacks, but between the diabolical DLP and the merciful BLP.

  49. Jonny B Good Avatar
    Jonny B Good

    Kleptocracy on steroids.
    “Tax & tief” or How to bankrupt a country 101.
    Carry on smartly

  50. groslyn Avatar
    groslyn

    Not sure it’s wise for the NIS to opt out of producing old audited financial statements and instead move to an open audit to book its revalued assets and liabilities. There’s a need for management to account for performance over the years via the management report attached to the financial statements. The historical lessons from audited financial reports provides a benchmark to guide future decision making as well measure foolhardy decisions. Revaluation will become apparent with each audit report.

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