The William McIntosh Vs Peter Odle (second defendant) – Foreign Investor Unable to Have Case Heard Against Hotelier Peter Odle – raises the question who should be considered fit and proper to carry out duties of state. Peter Odle is a veteran hotelier who was recently appointed to the post of Chairman of the Barbados Port Authority to replace Senator Lisa Cummins. In light of the court matter lodged against him the question taxpayers must ask – is it unreasonable to ask Peter Odle to stand down as Chairman of BPI until the matter is resolved?
The blogmaster is of the view if good governance is to be seen to be practised by the government and other actors in civil society the answer is a resounding YES.
The BU blogmaster has been around long enough to understand how influence is exerted on the system by the prominent and powerful in Barbados. There is the old Bajan saying who the cow likes he licks, who he does not, he kicks. A big part of the reason Barbados and other countries are witnessing significant citizen apathy in the double standards as it pertains to how the directorate is seen to do business in the country. A robust democracy requires its citizenry to be vigilant. It is not nebulous, it required discrete behaviour from citizens.
The first blog referenced above poked at what Barbadians know, the local court system is groaning under its own weight. This is a paraphrase view shared in public by the incumbent Attorney General Dale Marshall. The McIntosh Vs Peter Odle also exposes other actors complicit in a weak governance model being practised in Barbados. Based on the documents related to the contentious matter under review this blogmaster, it is important we discover ways to examined these matters that have traditionally been swept under the carpet.
A few questions for the BU intelligentsia to discuss for 100 marks.
- Was Dan Rossen appointed director in Sandy Bay Holdings (2014) Inc without his knowledge? How is this possible under the Companies Act of Barbados?
- Did the Attorney General (AG) of Barbados reply to an email from a concerned member of the public on the 10 February 2020 citing Mr. Peter Odle allegedly making claims that the AG was advising him personally on a incident that occurred at The Sands Hotel on Saturday 8th February 2020? The incident is reported to have occurred in the presence of police officers.
The concerns and questions posed suggest our governance model is compromised. It means not only our court officers and political class are engaged in supine behaviour, it extends to other state actors. It is time the citizenry awake and accept its role of holding elected AND paid officials accountable.
The democracy we practice is described as fragile, a key check and balance must come from the citizenry cognizant of its civic responsibilities. A well worn quote from Abraham Lincoln “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” was to recognized soldiers who sacrificed lives to give truth to the statement. In Barbados citizens are not required to fight wars to defend the cause of democracy – is it asking too much for Barbadians to adopt other forms of sacrifice for the greater good?
Food for thought.
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