est. 2007

Barbados Underground

Bringing News and Opinions to the People

, ,

A PAC Affair @Transport Board

For anyone searching for comic relief during the stressful times we have to endure these days, especially with COVID 19 about, tune in to Public Account Committee (PAC) Hearings. Recordings are available online on Facebook, YouTube, Barbados Parliament websites- you have no excuse to not avail yourself of this stress buster. The PAC under the…

, ,

For anyone searching for comic relief during the stressful times we have to endure these days, especially with COVID 19 about, tune in to Public Account Committee (PAC) Hearings. Recordings are available online on Facebook, YouTube, Barbados Parliament websites- you have no excuse to not avail yourself of this stress buster.

The PAC under the chairmanship of Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley is currently probing what appears to onlookers to be GROSS mismanagement and malfeasance at the Transport Board covered in the Auditor General Special Audit Report for 2017-2018 period.

Public Accounts Committee Session – 7 September 2020

A couple questions after watching some of the hearing,

  1. Under what circumstances should former chairman of the Transport Board (TB) Anthony Wiltshire have been allowed to use his personal credit card to purchase bus parts? If the line of credit of the Board was cancelled, the ministry of finance should have intervened to implement a better arrangement.
  2. It is obvious the Board under Wiltshire reneged on its responsibility to hold the Board of Management accountable for several foul ups, bleeps and blunders revealed during the PAC sessions so far.
  3. The pace at which the PAC is scheduling meetings, it is unlikely a final report will be available in the near future. It leaves a suspicious mind to believe completion of PAC reports are timed to gain political advantage. In this case a general election has appeared in the rear view mirror. Former General Manager (GM) Sandra Forde indicated she was prepared to answer all questions at the last sitting, her offer was declined because the chairman was committed to a hard stop at 5.15PM.
  4. The CEO of the TB Fabian Wharton seems to be an improved version of former GM Sandra Forde but the blogmaster is always worried when a CEO cannot speak fluently about P&L matters.

All Barbadians should be concerned about the lack of professionalism practised at the TB exposed in the ongoing PAC meetings and Auditor General reprot. The TB is a statutory board responsible for soaking up millions in subsidies under BLP and DLP governments, borrowed NIS funds and padded the workforce with yardfowls at taxpayers expense. The blogmaster is hopeful financial controller Felicia Sue will not be the fall girl for what has transpired.

The comedy fest will continue in about two weeks.

98 responses to “A PAC Affair @Transport Board”

  1. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Reluctant u should be cause every since govt became mangers of Barbados u have shown your true colors M

  2. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    Hal AustinSeptember 10, 2020 7:01 AM

    Infrastructural rebuild, as you say, will provide significantly greater economic benefit than handouts to specific groups.

    As you would know, that was the go to in times of low economic activity, re jobs and jump starting an economy. I totally agree with you.

    The other benefits of infrastructure rebuild, re urban renewal, improved visuals for the tourism product, increased well being of the people involved in such relocation, improved transport etc are also enormous and will have lasting benefits.

    To borrow money for future revenues and benefit is of significantly greater utility, than to borrow money to hand out, especially to hand out where you have no accounting for its use.

    100%.

  3. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    To be clear, I am sympathetic to the government in attempting to guide the country through the worst crisis in history for one hundred years. Thus far, they have done a great job.

    However, that does not mean that strategies involved should be glossed over or taken to task. This time, more than any other, calls for prudent use of funds.

  4. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ Crusoe

    We all want to see Barbados improve. What we may sometimes dispute is how to get there. You are right about infrastructural development. It is Keynes 101.
    As to the privatising of the utilities. Google Tell Sid. Those of us who remember that campaign can easily recommend it to the government. It certainly did not turn out how many of us would like, but the model is there.

  5. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    I know you’re referring to me. However, I’ll admit to having Googled and read you were a former editor of “The Financial Adviser.” I’ll also admit during one of our ‘tit for tats,’ I purposely mentioned insurance salesmen in Barbados call themselves financial advisers and if you were a financial adviser, then you were essentially an insurance salesman. Yes, you explained the definition of a financial adviser as it relates to the UK and the legal implications if an individual falsely describes him/herself as such, which I accepted and moved on.

    To mention I “carried on until (I) gently stopped” is perhaps ‘manipulating the truth’ a bit.

    However, you could have opted to give a ‘much better, straightforward example,’ where another individual Googled and read you received an award as a result of being involved in a St. Lawrence Gap, tourism related project.

    In your defense, I pointed out had the individual checked the information thoroughly, he would have realized the Hal Austin mentioned therein was not you, but the Hal Austin who was project coordinator of the St Lawrence Gap Revitalization Project.

  6. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    How about them buses.
    There needs to be an investigation
    The stories attached to these buses makes the odor surrounding these buses smell like rotten eggs

  7. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Next!

  8. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ Mariposa

    What exactly are your concerns about the new buses?

  9. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Start with the correct price
    An invoice showing the correct price needs to be shown
    How much were the College of Negotiators paid
    Who are these Negotiators
    Why was it necessary for govt to source outside professionals to give opinion on the purchase of the buses

  10. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    I understand the buses were purchased for approximately US$10M or BD$20. The over BD$40M quoted included constructing the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate the buses; upgrading existing facilities, for example, constructing charging stations at Weymouth Headquarters, Mangrove Depot and Speightstown Terminal; providing operational and maintenance training.

    The ‘College of Negotiators’ were NOT “outside professionals” as you’re suggesting, but was comprised of a group of Barbadian professionals (e.g. lawyers, accountants, electrical engineers, technicians etc), chosen by TB and the Ministry. They were responsible for reviewing and evaluating the bids, as well as ensuring the process of selecting the winning bid and acquiring the buses remained transparent.

    However, in the interest of ‘transparency and accountability,’ I agree with you that an invoice or some official documentation showing a breakdown of the original cost of the buses, which includes the acquisition cost and costs incurred to prepare them for their intended purpose……… as well as the individuals chosen as negotiators and the associated fees, should be available for the public’s perusal.

  11. Disgusting Lies & Propaganda TV Avatar
    Disgusting Lies & Propaganda TV

    The stories attached to these buses makes the odor surrounding these buses smell like rotten eggs

    Probably after 10 years of an administration not using the taxpayers money for what it ought to be put to like buying new buses you probably are not familiar with what a new bus should smell like!!!!!!. The rotten egg smell is probably from the PAC meetings when the former TB chairman talks out of his pooch!!!!!

  12. Lorenzo Avatar
    Lorenzo

    Artax thank you for clarifying for the hyprocrite Mariposa and her spot on partner in England.I too heard Ms Lynda Holder on Brasstacks answer all of these cost questions which the Dems callers were trying to make an issue of.Ms Holder spoke also of the training of drivers , ambulance workers , BDF personnel, mechanics etc.She also spoke of the mainly positive response of the commuters with the air conditioning in these buses.Therefore for Dems like Mariposa and Austin who probably do not catch buses to be critical of the said buses tells you all you need to know about them.The same dems party they support did not buy one bus for 10 years and they cared about poor people.Mr Thompson took up 10 million dollars not of his money but the taxpayers money and placed in clico.Up to now i do not know if this money was repaid.Added to that Mr Thompson allegdedly wrote off several million dollars for the Turf Club.Were these poor people Mariposa ?At that time not a word from you as AC as you were then.Now all of a sudden since 2018 you know about poor people.You are a damn hyprocrite as well as yoir spot on partner who thought Mr Thompson based on a conversation thought he would be a great PM.As Bush Tea used to say oh ma shirt, spot on really should be in comedy fest.

  13. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    Certain people are at the helm of spreading propaganda about the new buses. We’re now hearing about a need for investigations. Listen to the call-in-programs and you’ll hear the nonsense being spewed by people such as ‘Ms. Undecided.’ But, that’s their political agenda.

    Kudos must be given to TB for providing members of the emergency services, including BDF, Fire and Ambulance Services, with extensive training sessions.

    They have also engaged in discussions with the Blind Association and Council for the Disabled.

  14. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Too many unanswered questions about those buses
    We hear differing cost
    We hear about College Negotiators
    Who are these people
    Why was it necessary for govt to hire them
    Arent they professional engineers working at the Tb
    What so special about these buses that barbadians trained in the area of mechanics could not have investigate or give input on the buses
    How much were these Negotiators paid out of the public purses
    Everday there are nagging stories about the buses
    Truth be told the Invoices need to be placed in the public domain showing all related cost to those buses

  15. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ Lorenzo September 10, 2020 6:47 PM

    And what do you think should be done to those who raped, financially speaking, the TB under the previous government?

    Not one finger will be lifted, prosecution wise, against this glaring case of highway robbery of a beleaguered SOE.

    But as Donville admitted, what took place at the TB is par for the course when it comes to ministerial performance.

    You can bet your bottom dollar that soon everything would be part of the ‘dark’ distant past; just like the evidence the long-dead David Thompson had against the ‘now’ dead OSA administration.

    What’s next on the toothless PAC’s agenda?

    The grand theft of the financial resources at the BWA involving the very close ‘lawyer friends’ of Fumble?

    We shall see what is left in MAM’s red bag of tricks since the Maloney volte face.

  16. Lorenzo Avatar
    Lorenzo

    Artax you surely mean Ms Decided Dem.She talks as much ignorance as Mariposa puts on these blogs.Perhaps they are the same person.No two people could talk so much shite everyday.

  17. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Yuh see how talk of them buses brings out the govt security guard one aka Lorenzo
    Uh tell uh more in the mortar than.pestal
    Them buses got to be tied to corruption
    College Negotiators my big toe
    The same shit happened when Mia declared that no one im barbados could wheel and deal on barbados behalf then the tax payers ended up with a whopping wage bill for White Oaks
    These buses cost fuh wuh de spoke person said
    I would believe that story only if it snow in hell

  18. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    Come off it, my friend. You’re being purposely disingenuous.

    I answered all those questions, so too did former acting TB general manager, Lynda Holder. Yet you returned to the forum asking the same questions, ‘saying’ “there are too many unanswered questions about those buses.”

    Perhaps you may want to share those “nagging stories about the buses” with the forum, unless they are figments of your imagination.

  19. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    Mariposa

    Let us see how it looks in USD

    Mariposa September 9, 2020 12:55 PM

    NEWS
    President announces $119.51 USD for each household in COVID relief

    President Irfaan Ali speaking today.

    By Staff Editor September 7, 2020

    President Irfaan Ali this afternoon announced a series of COVID-19 relief measures including $119.51 USD for each household.

    He announced the removal of VAT from medical supplies and building and construction materials where VAT was imposed after 2014.

    The ban on used tyres and importation of vehicles over eight years has now been reversed.

    A $71.74 USD cash grant for school children from January 2020 was announced along with a doubling of the uniform school voucher allowance to nineteen, and twelve cents per child.

    Two weeks of a tax-free bonus has been announced for the Joint Services and for health workers. $717,157 USD has also been set aside for front line health workers
    The pension is to be raised to $119.51USD per month from January 2020. The current figure is $95.60.

    Government will set aside some $23,906,486 million for the struggling sugar industry which will go directly to GuySuCo to reopen the closed sugar estates, create jobs and economically rejuvenate the suffering communities.

    Starbroek network news

  20. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Taken from a mia Fan fb page

    When I think about our PM, I am so disappointed, from a youth minister, every body like this woman, we knew she would be PM, one day, and we all thought she would be a phenomenal woman, how wrong we were, we heard rumors and I put it down to jealousy, we admire the MOTTLEY clan, I personally like ❤ Elombe, very funny man, great personality, I also liked Mia, I thought she was charming, an humble, a go Getter, / would make a great leader, cawblemma, I don’t know what 😂happened, the real Mia like she get abducted, because this one is a mess, I don’t know if to cry or 😄, first she was going to build a pipeline to Trinidad, then she was going to build a bridge to St Lucia, next she was going to drill for oil, off b’dos, bare fantasy, Mia has done nothing as PM, anything extraordinary with the image she projected, still trying to figure out why her billionaire friends would not invest in b’ dos, now she want 80, 000 ppl, another pie in the sky fantasy, first thing, Mia cheap as hell, she don’t believe in giving to get, just take take take, so that int happening, one has to sweeten the pot, get them here first, how about lowering hotel rates, room levy is bare shite, all that should be included in the package up front, b’ dos is pricing it’s self out of the market, we have nothing to offer, , but sun,/ sand, no night life, same boring tours, no sports, no festival, zilch that would make money, no family entertainment for day cruises, Nada,

  21. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Cuhdear Bajan why not convert to Bajan dollars ?

  22. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Still waiting to see PM Mottley proposal
    People cant even get their back taxes and NIS
    Govt planned to extend unemployment by one week
    Meanwhile households budgets are down tp zero
    Again i ask where is Barbados proposals to help bajan households

  23. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ Lorenzo

    By now you should realize the lady has a specific political agenda on BU. Today it’s spreading propaganda about the buses.

    So, despite whatever explanations are given and questions answered, she will purposely ignore them and ‘stick to the script.’

  24. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ Hal Austin September 10, 2020 7:01 AM
    (Quote):
    Send the bulldozers in to the slums of the City and rebuild; send the bulldozers in to Weymouth and the Transport Board on Roebuck Street and rebuild.
    Such a programme would provide the same economic benefits as quantitative easing, and the nation would benefit for generations from it. The debt could be repaid also over generations. (Unquote).
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    There is great merit to the above proposal to ‘undergird’ the much needed regeneration of a clearly dying Bridgetown.

    You have been prosecuting this ‘great’ proposal on BU for a long time.

    Maybe the consultants will now ‘hoist’ it from BU as they did PLT’s ‘nomad digital workers’ proposal.

    What’s the sense of calling a place a ‘city’ if people are not prepared to live and work there in a state of relative comfort and safety?

    If the old NIS building, the Fire station and the Ram’s rat pen could be demolished why not the dilapidated, unhealthy and unsafe housing slums which make Bridgetown looks worse than the favelas in Rio?

    Wouldn’t the act of building so-called 4 star skyscraper hotels in Bridgetown to look down on the Barbadoes version of favelas be a mere act of putting lipstick on a sick pig to make it look better?

    The construction of housing projects in socially uplifting ways would not only be a boom to the Bajan economy but also help in the fight against crime and urban decay.

    It will be Foreign Exchange well spent.

    Do that project, then the government can talk about bringing people to live and work in Bim to revitalize its ‘greying’ population.

    The only ‘downside’ to your proposal is where would the ‘existing’ residents be housed during this period of rural regeneration.
    In some of the now empty hotels dotting the south coast?

  25. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Cuhdear does a fine job in converting the numbers to BDS or US. What appears to be ridiculously generous numbers are seen to be small amounts of money.
    Does the government has the money required to finance these projects?

    I like the big ideas and the fancy phrases, but my question is a simple one.. Does government has the money?

    Any monies derived from tourism has been greatly reduced. There has been no substitute for this shortfall. It must be fun writing a check for the GOB to cash.

    Let me display my foolery… I am wondering if quantitative easing means the same thing for us as it does for a developed country. We like to pepper our discourses with phrases borrowed from elsewhere.

    Two men dreaming of driving a Ferrari. For the poor man it is just a dream; the rich man picks up his car keys ….

  26. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    I too believe that Greater Bridgetown needs the hovels pushed down and rebuilt. I have to shut my eyes whenever I step off Broad Street.

  27. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Where does govt find money to bail out the Tourism industry
    Today Persaud says that govt has set aside million 2million to bail out the industry
    Where is that money coming from
    Meanwhile those unemployed have to make a decision whether to take the severance and lose their jobs or just put the severance on hold and return to work
    In meanwhile these big belly hogs who ate out of govt troff for years have no shame in seeking govt welfare

  28. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    On this, the 19th anniversary of 9/11, I actually listened to the entire video, plus a few related others I found.
    What a complete embarrassment. I believe a bunch of first formers could produce a more enlightened exchange. And elsewhere, some are wondering aloud, how come politics isn’t attracting a higher caliber of person.
    Imagine we have a former chair of the TB, telling fellow citizens, that in 2016/17 the reason he had to travel so much and incur such related expenses, is because the TB did NOT HAVE a CREDIT CARD. All a bad joke.

  29. David Avatar
    David

    @Northern Observer

    Exactly, and was he the best person to be procuring parts?

    A bad joke. No doubt a member of the St. Philip cabal.

  30. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ NorthernObserver

    What I found very interesting is former chairman Wiltshire saying it was much cheaper to source equipment from ‘overseas’ than purchasing them locally. He made reference to a piece of equipment costing $300 as opposed to it being sold here for $2,800. So, Mr. Wiltshire travelled to Miami to purchase equipment and subsequently submitted an invoice to be reimbursed for per diem, airfare, car rental and hotel accommodation.

    I’m also amazed TB’s management was making decisions in the absence of several years financial statements. Perhaps they were using bank reconciliations to determine the bank balance. I suspect those outstanding financial statement may be a bit difficult to prepare.

    I noticed Wiltshire was shifting blame from the board and general manager, to the financial controller.

  31. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    So….. the minutes are missing. Why not ask some of the other board members to fill in the gaps? The minutes are missing for a reason. Are we serious or what?

    Did the ayes have it or was it a one man show?

    I could answer that for them but legally it would be hearsay. Not from any grapevine though.

  32. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    David,

    Just to keep you on the right path – every Philipian doth not a cabal member make.

  33. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I just want to know the financing is in place for these developments. It may be a little more difficult than putting it on a credit card.

    Would be interesting to see the fees/taxes/what else can move an item from 300 to 2800.

    Would be interesting to see if there was a saving after the expenses mentioned.

    Fuzzy accounting.

  34. David Avatar
    David

    @Donna

    A general comment.

    @Artax

    You heard former GM Sandra Forde made mention of the length of time it usually took for Chairman Wiltshire to submit an expense claim. Things to make you go hmmm.

    >

  35. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Miller September 11, 2020 8:19 AM

    It will not be enough just to bomb out some slums. We must demolish ALL of Bridgetown except the Parliament building. The city is crumbling and totally rotten. Everywhere dirty buildings and beggars. For foreigners it looks like an African or Asian city of third rank in the province. Of course our natives don’t notice it because they always live on the island and are therefore used to garbage and decay.

    Our leader Mia Mottley should finally make use of her unlimited powers and implement the following plan: Evacuation of the locals from Bridgetown to the hinterland, demolition of all buildings except Parliament, establishment of 5 gated communities for expats, diplomats and businessmen named after the Honourable Maloney, Lord Kyfinn, Sir COW, Ph.D. h.c. Bizzy and Sir Harris. Relocation of the capital to Warrens.

    Bridgetown is a shattered landscape of postcolonialism from old Barrow’s Pandora’s box. Therefore it is only logical to destroy this legacy of Barrow as well.

  36. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Cuhdear Bajan September 10, 2020 9:27 PM

    Large Guyana can easily afford such gifts to the population thanks to the new oil wealth. The economic growth in El Dorado is expected to be 51% this year.

    And what is Barbados doing? We have had ZERO growth since 2008. We now have more civil servants, welfare recipients, unemployed and other lazzybones than workers and business people in the private sector. A toxic mix. If there is no vaccine next year, we are heading for a civil war.

    That is why we need a pre-emptive strike. Time for our great leader to act and declare war on the civil service, the unions and the welfare state. She has unlimited power to enforce all emergency measures to protect the people and the nation.

  37. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    @Artax
    Rather odd you think?
    I recall the term used by others is ‘circle jerk’.

  38. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    “Some people would be better off not using Google because then they would at least be honest about their ignorance.”

    I had a good friend, Harvard educated, who would call people idiots. His victims ran the full range of the education spectrum. He was my friend, so I never told him that (to me) there was not an appreciable difference between him and his victims.

    Something I always tell my son “People are not as foolish as you think they are. You are not as smart as you think you are”.

    So far, I have not seen evidence to separate you two from the herd. You try to BS your way to an elevated status, but the evidence does not support it.

    Occasionally, there is an excellent post, but then you falter and rejoins the pack.
    _———xx———-

  39. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Was wondering if Gov’t entities e.g. Transport Board paid Customs duties etc. and even if it did couldn’t the TB order the $300.00 part from the source and have it shipped to Bim? I’m sure that the costs wouldn’t amount to what it paid for the Chair to fly to Miami, hotel stay, per diem and associated costs.

    Tony Wiltshire is not looking good on these trips, today COVID19 has curtailed a lot of unnecessary travel by Gov’t Ministers and other bureaucrats, look for the floodgates to reopen once it has been controlled.

  40. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @Tron September 11, 2020 8:50 PM “Of course our natives don’t notice it because they always live on the island and are therefore used to garbage and decay…establishment of 5 gated communities for expats, diplomats and businessmen.”

    But isn’t it the “lazy bone native civil servants” and “lazybone natives” in general who do ALL of the cleaning around here?

    Who is going to do the cleaning if the “lazybone natives” are expelled to the “hinterland”

    I don’t recall ever seeing ANY expats, diplomats, and businessmen do any cleaning, EVEN OF THEIR HOMES, which would be complete rat’s nests if the “lazy bone natives” did not show up.. Maybe if expats, diplomats and businessmen cleaned up after themselves our beautiful historic city would not be so dirty?

    i saw some cleaning being done at bus stops yesterday, no doubt in preparation of OUR CHILDREN returning to school. All of the people doing the cleaning were YOUNG BLACK MEN. Not a single expat, diplomat or businessman showed up for this national duty.

    NOT A SINGLE ONE.

  41. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Sargeant September 12, 2020 12:48 PM

    He could have smuggled the parts through the Barbadian customs. But this is only a guess.

    In any case, you shouldn’t be surprised that he used his own credit card. The local banks are not allowed to issue cards to bankrupt companies.

  42. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    For Hants

    Let us see how it looks in BDS

    President announces $239. BDS for each household in COVID relief

    A $143. cash grant for school children from January 2020 was announced along with a doubling of the uniform school voucher allowance to $38. BDS per child.

    Two weeks of a tax-free bonus has been announced for the Joint Services and for health workers. $1,434,314. BDS has also been set aside for front line health workers. The pension is to be raised to $239. per month from January 2020. The current figure is $191.BDS.

    Government will set aside some $47,812,972 million for the struggling sugar industry which will go directly to GuySuCo to reopen the closed sugar estates, create jobs and economically rejuvenate the suffering communities.

  43. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @Artax September 10, 2020 7:09 PM “Certain people are at the helm of spreading propaganda about the new buses.”

    Since Covid I don’t “mix-up” much anymore, but I had a couple of errands to run on Thursday and Friday, and I took the new buses both days. Nice, nice, nice. As soon as I boarded a young black Bajan gentleman offered me his seat. Still a lot of them round. Of course having grey hair really helps a lot with things like these. I loved the AC since the temperature these days is about 32C. Every single single person on board was wearing their masks properly. Lovely ride, excellent driver, well behaved respectful passengers. Nice clean air conditioned bus. What’s not to love?

  44. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ David BU

    Yes, heard her ‘testimony.’ Did you watch the video of Mr. Wiltshire’s first ‘testimony?’

    It is interesting to note Wiltshire did a lot of traveling, as chairman, on behalf of TB. He mentioned having traveled to Brazil in 2017, with the Trini consultant Bartholomew and manager of stores, Challenor, to source bus parts and transmissions. He also traveled to Trinidad in 2014, with TB’s quality assurance manager.

    Why would the chairman of TB travel overseas to source bus parts, transmissions, engines and even furniture, when there are people employed by TB that could have undertaken those tasks?

    Another interesting development was when Wiltshire said he disagreed with the Auditor’s General Special Audit Report and challenged the auditors on the figures therein. An auditor present at the ‘hearing,’ said they used invoices and other information from TB to arrive at the figures quoted.

    Wiltshire said TB imported transmissions at a cost of $7,800, including CIF. At a board meeting, Financial Controller Sue told them the transmissions cost $23,000. She never provided any documents to substantiate her claim, but said she ‘was sticking to her figures.’ Wiltshire also accused Sue of giving the Nation Newspaper, false details pertaining to the Trini consultant’s salary, which was quoted as $23,000 per month. According to Wiltshire, the salary was $13,000. When asked by Sandra Husbands how he knew it was Sue who leaked the information, especially when there wasn’t anything in the article to suggest it was her, Wiltshire said it had to be Sue, because she admitted to him she leaked information to the press on previous occasions.

    As NorthernObserver mentioned, ‘it’s rather odd.”

    David BU, perhaps you could add the YouTube video of Ms. Sue’s ‘testimony’ to this “A PAC Affair” article. I’m sure would be interesting.

  45. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Artax September 12, 2020 10:59 PM

    No normal person operates the buses as long as Barbados. In Europe, the average usage time of a bus is 10 to 15 years at most. I assume that the diesel buses still in use in Barbados are much older. The models are so old, I guess Barrow bought them used in Tanzania in the 1970s.

    It is clear that spare parts for such old buses are very expensive and difficult to obtain. Normally, spare parts for such old buses as in Barbados are only available from the museum

  46. David Avatar
    David

    @Artax

    It seems Wiltshire was operating under the direct instruction of then minister Michael Lashley. It is timely to remind readers there was a relationship that existed between Denis Lowe and Michael Lashley – both were leasing luxury vehicles from Trans-Tec a supplier of services to the Transport Board. The current CEO indicated to the PAC this relationship was discontinued.

    https://youtu.be/BLElxwOJEUI

  47. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    I am urgently in need of some help. I am trying to get my head around the idea that a man who is chairman of a statutory body, realising that parts were needed for some of the body’s vehicles, got an a plane, flew to Miami and bought the parts with his personal credit card, and on his return put in for expenses.
    Can someone tell me this is not true? When I say our national problem is incompetence (not paper qualifications), some people think I am being rude to the country of my birth. What further proof do we need?

  48. ArthurAbeva Avatar
    ArthurAbeva

    Guys just made a website for me, look at the link: https://stelagicom.onepage.website/ Tell me your guidances. Thank you.

Older Comments
1 2

Leave a Reply to DonnaCancel reply

Trending

Discover more from Barbados Underground

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading