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Some Ministers of Government Not Earning Pay

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In May 2018 the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) achieved the unprecedented in a general election by winning all 30 seats. Although Bishop Joseph Atherley seized the opportunity to defect and by default forced the Governor General to appoint him Leader of the Opposition, it does not detract from the shellacking of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) at the 2018 polls.

Immediately on winning the government Prime Minister Mottley continued with the unprecedented by establishing the largest Cabinet in the history of Barbados AND the world. Her rationale- ‘many hands make light work’. In an interview soon after her momentous win Mottley explained to retired journalist David Ellis that Barbadians should judge her government over time on its performance to justify the large selection – An Interview with Prime Minister Mottley.

Students of politics are aware the appointment of a large front bench is designed to blunt the back bench. Unfortunately it is the political gamesmanship and chicanery our adversarial politics encourages.

As the countdown to the next general election 2023 starts the question included in the poll must be fairly considered.

Related Link: An Invisible Mottley Cabinet

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176 responses to “Some Ministers of Government Not Earning Pay”

  1. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    The claim that Barbados has the largest cabinet of ministers in the world is totally false! Typical fake news. I quote from Wikipedia on Kenja: “On April 17, 2008, Raila Odinga was sworn in as Prime Minister, along with a power-sharing Cabinet, with 42 ministers and 50 assistant ministers, Kenya’s largest ever.” So at one point in Kenja, there were 92 ministers.

    I conclude that large ministerial cabinets are good African custom to accommodate all the ministers´s tribes. So anyone who complains about the many ministers in Barbados is a racist. To strengthen Pan-Africanism in Barbados and to support BLM, I propose to increase the number of parliamentarians and senators to 60 each and the number of ministers to 60 as well.

  2. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    The time has come to scrap naming MPs as ministers in charge of a ministry and replace the minister with a board made up of multiple MPs and senators.

    MPs were elected to take care of their constituency. That is where their focus should be and not running ministries when most of them are not even qualified to apply for a senior post in said ministry. Running the ministry should be left to the Permanent Secretary with the board charting the course based on government policy.

  3. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Parasites sucking on taxpayers and whatever else they can get…it’s been long established that many ministers are lazy, are YES men and women without independent thought, DON’T DO THEIR JOBS, don’t work on behalf of or DEFEND the Black population…constituents CAN’T FIND THEM after they’re installed in the haunted parliament…but slither around begging votes each election…and they NEVER forget to collect their salaries with perks….useless as usual.

  4. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Atherley becoming leader of the opposition is better described as a consolidation of the duopoly, blp-dlp, not as any genuine defection or reduction in the 30- love victory of 2018. Better seen as the fascist instincts of duopoly politics.

    It is difficult for an observer to, carte Blanche, arrive at a position about what is essentially a human resource management question without scientific information..

    And yes, the popular perception about a top heavy government may indeed be right. However, such things are easily measurable.

  5. David Avatar
    David

    Kenya has a population of 54 million. When one uses the reference, largest cabinet ever, it applied to per 1000 of population.

  6. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    Critical AnalyzerFebruary 28, 2021 2:52 AM

    One of the best suggestions that I have ever seen on social media or news journals. I agree that the existing arrangement is outdated.

    There needs to be one amendment, that is having an elected Senate instead of the current method that makes it a rubber stamp, as it has been for fifty years.

  7. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    The Senate should be either elected or comprised of specific job positions (Head of Bar Association, Representative of Headteachers Head of Private Sector Association etc).

  8. Observing Avatar
    Observing

    @David
    Your post speaks first to accountability and then to the status quo of a (former) duopoly.

    It also strikes at the heart of MAM’s practice of using smoke and mirrors when making unpopular or nonsensical decision vs. the reality of the day and on the ground.

    The Cabinet has always been too large. If we use her reasoning that many hands make light work and it ws justified because the country was in a crisis then we should expect a doubling in its size post-Covid.

    I mean, cuddear….we have a Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance as well ass a Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources as well ass a Minister of Energy and Water Resources as well ass a Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance.

    We have Rowe and Springer literally parked out as Park Secs; 4 Senators were dragged in to fill the skill void among elected MPs and of course in the area of the finance/economy there is Mottley, Straughan, Caddle along with Persaud, Mascoll, Ram, Greenidge and White Oak when needed.

    30-0 comes with consequences for both the victor and the vanquished. Let’s see how long the charade can last.

    Just observing

  9. David Avatar
    David

    @Observing

    Yes, the state of affairs is most embarrassing and taking sensible Bajans for fools.

  10. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    David
    How do you know that some ministers are doing nothing.

    Are we not use to having junior ministers in a guvment.

    Are you convinced that a PM will allow such a status of doing nothing continue this long?

  11. David Avatar
    David

    @Pacha

    It is for the ministers and government holding the respective portfolios to promote initiatives/strategies being undertaken. It is up to Mottley and her Cabinet to convince the electorate they are sufficiently engaged. Mottley is PM and leader of the party and as previously stated political considerations will also influence decisions taken. The blogmaster keeps his ears to the ground more than most and is to be convinced we do not have ministers loitering in Cabinet,

  12. David Avatar
    David

    In addition: are we only discussing a large number in cabinet or incompetence as well.

  13. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    David
    That is a sad commentary and our instincts have been to side with you, but for other reasons as well.

    One, the government has drastically tapered its manifesto

    Two, with Covid there certainly has to be much less work happening in most areas.

    Our reluctance is about measurement not guesswork or naked politics. We cant understand why such an issue should defy scientific measurement as a basis of “right-sizing”

    This is 2021!

  14. David Avatar
    David

    @Pacha

    Barbadians do not hold politicians/government accountable. This is our culture. Guess what, the politicians are aware of this slapdash state of mind.

  15. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    She inherited a bad economy from a DLP that went rogue. She was given the benefit of the doubt to show what she and a new vitalise BLP could or would do. What did she do? Appoint her Father, write off debts, send home hundreds and tell Barbadians she want many hands to make the task ahead lighter because at the end jobs will be there again for all those laid off. From the evidence of all of that and to be fair, Barbados turned the corner looking far better under a restructuring programme that meant getting help from the IMF. Mottley had no choice because the idiot Stuart and his band of nuffanarian crooks took the country to the brink and left it there. So is Mottley’s large cabinet from the onset justify in dealing with the many issues Barbados had to face and is still facing? Nahhh. You did not need a large cabinet to do what is being done now. You certainly did not have to split departments to get the job done because finances was the issue that left some of these departments and ministries in shambles and finances remain the number one problem even now. Splitting them and finding places for your large cabinet have not improve the set of difficulties each face. All it did and is showing today, is that you had to find places for your support base and so the plot thickened. But, the sewage problem got some rectification but in spite of all of that, the issue of financing these ministries so they function without the financial juggling each have to undertake still remains: They all needed money to improve what they were dealing with. Then come the pandemic and lick every thing for six. Hard decisions had to made in light of the fact that Barbados had not come out of its recessionary period and suffering fiscally with growth projected in the minus. How does a new leader deal with the crisis? Well, she kept her large cabinet, and in the current crisis, there is not one darn thing to show that they certainly are the many hands that made the work lighter. Mottley’s little experiment is a colossal failure and she would do well to rethink her leadership strategy as she faces the biggest crisis at the moment and that is: how to properly navigate Barbados in a pandemic that threatens to destroy small developing island states.

  16. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Side note
    Tron: Brilliant. Some amazing footwork even though you missed the target (completely). I like excellent BS.

  17. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    David
    Agreed, but we were promised better by this government.

    Then there is the pesky issue of evaluation of the enlarged cabinet to see what actual results were verses expenditures.

    Based on the government’s mouthings we assumed that the days of giving people a pick to keep them on-side were a thing of the past.

  18. David Avatar
    David

    @Pacha

    The challenge in the so-called democracy practiced is that those eligible to vote make decisions based on frivolous considerations.

  19. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    @Crusoe February 28, 2021 5:54 AM

    The senate should never be elected and generally remain as is since its purpose is get contributions at the parliamentary privilege level from various technocrats, special interest groups and party supporters unable to weather the campaign process to become an MP. The current rubber-stamping senate is a waste of taxpayers money and is simply a means of political patronage.

    To that end, I would remove the senate’s ability to block legislation passed by MPs since they are not elected but I would expand their numbers with fixed seats for representatives of various key private sector associations such as BAR, CTUSAB, BPSA, BMA, BAS, etc. and also allow them to write and approve their own legislation and proposals to send to the House for review, refinement and a final vote by MPs.

  20. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ David @ Pacha
    David thanks for being forthright.
    Pacha , just park the nonsense. Who are you trying to convince that you would have expected anything else from the BLP or DLP ? You have spent at least three decades castigating the Duopoly and bright and early this Sunday morning , you choose this embarrassing path.
    Gimme a break.

  21. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Forgive me if I am unable to treat this topic with the level of seriousness and thoughtfulness that some think it deserves. Indeed when one can criticize the number of ministers at one minute and then create even more ministers at the next, we have entered the land of ridiculous discussions.

    “I mean, cuddear….we have a Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance as well ass a Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources as well ass a Minister of Energy and Water Resources as well ass a Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance.

    We have Rowe and Springer literally parked out as Park Secs; 4 Senators were dragged in to fill the skill void among elected MPs and of course in the area of the finance/economy there is Mottley, Straughan, Caddle along with Persaud, Mascoll, Ram, Greenidge and White Oak when needed.”

    This is consistent that ‘many hands make light work’ and with a belief that ‘two heads are better than one’. In fact, it appears that Mia has often gone with three heads or more (as needed).

    Indeed there is room for one more ministers. Tron, minister of defense and propaganda.

  22. GP Avatar
    GP

    I HAVE OFTEN SAID THAT THE BRAIN CELLS OF MANY BU BRIMBLERS HAVE UNDERGONE METAPLASIA TO RECTAL MUCOSA

    HOWEVER, IT IS CLEAR THAT IN THE CASE OF TRON HE STARTED OUT WITH RECTAL MUCOSA WHERE HIS BETZ CELLS OUGHT TO BE.

    THIS IS THUS VERY EVIDENT IN HIS CONTRIBUTIONS, WHICH CONSISTENTLY MIRROR THOSE THAT ARE EFFLUXED FROM SHELVES OF HOUSTON.

  23. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    A bit much for somehow whose acili is based an the mental illnesses spawned by an eponymy

  24. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    On

  25. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    GP,

    Tron calls himself the court jester. I know you know what that means.

    He is actually quite brilliant.

  26. David Avatar
    David

    It is obvious to many on the blog Tron used satirical language to make points.

  27. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    “Based on the government’s mouthings we assumed that the days of giving people a pick to keep them on-side were a thing of the past.”

    ya forget, that’s all they know, developing yardfowls, hangerson and the perrenial parasites..

    ..on other platforms it has been well researched and better understood.

  28. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    It is interesting to note that the Mottley administration is being chided ( in the main ) by some on this thread as being inefficient.

    What more did we reasonably expect ?

    While in opposition , Mia Mottley , condemn ed every policy initiative by the Dems.

    Two poignant points of reference :

    The Dems Cabinet of 17 ministers is too LARGE – screams Mia Mottley.!

    How did she ‘ resolve ‘ that matter post May 2018 ?

    Mia Mottley appointed a Cabinet of 26 ministers !

    The Dems Solid Waste Tax killing Bajans – screamed Mia Mottley !

    How did Mia Mottley ‘ resolve ‘ that matter post May 2018 ?

    Mia Mottley introduced a Garbage & Waste Tax….hitting some individuals 2 & 3 times – based on their homes and if they own businesses , as well

    After such ‘ CARE ‘ shown by Mia Mottley …..why are some persons complaining now ?

  29. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    and around and around in circles we go….a merry-go-round without end…

  30. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ et al
    A very good comedian can be an idiot. But there is no real idiot that can be a comedian.
    Foolishness is not comedy !

  31. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE A bit much for somehow whose acili is based an the mental illnesses spawned by an eponymy
    WORD SALAD

    RE It is obvious to many on the blog Tron used satirical language to make points.
    And to many bajans he talks shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..te.
    as the “provacateur” used to say WHAT SATIRE WHAT?

    RE Tron calls himself the court jester.
    SURELY THERE IS NO ROOM FOR JESTERS IN BARBADOS AT THIS TIME
    THERE IS A NEED TO JUST SIMPLY REPORT THE TRUTH PLAINLY AND SIMPLY

  32. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    The court jester is reported to have told the king some truths that nobody else could tell and keep his head.

    There is plenty of room for jesters who take the argument to its idiotic conclusion to highlight its absurdity.

    Many a person has had a lightbulb moment in the midst of political satire.

    Comedy often breaks through where dry lectures do not.

    And in the meantime we stop crying for just a minute and laugh!

    Comic RELIEF promotes rationality and maintains sanity. God made laughter for a reason.

    LONG LIVE THE COURT JESTER!

    P.S. Tron probably meant the opposite of what he just posted.

  33. David Avatar
    David

    @Donna

    Not everyone can appreciate the ability of others to manipulate language. It is fair to say it is a subjective thing anyway. No need to debate the point with those with the inability to appreciate the nuance. We are different people, not everyone has that ability to value difference.

  34. GP Avatar
    GP

    DONNA
    WHEREAS THERE IS MUCH MERIT IN WHAT YOU SAY, I PREFER FOLK WHO JUST SAY WHAT THEY MEAN WITH GREAT CLARITY……AND MEAN WHAT THEY SAY

  35. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Donna
    Correct. When you find people who understand only a single linguistic style represents a level of ignorance best left alone.

  36. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    GP,

    Different strokes REACH different folks! The object is to reach as many as possible.

    David,

    I thought it necessary for some (not necessarily GP) to look a little more closely. Tron often holds a mirror for us (Barbadians) to see ourselves.

    In the beginning I missed it. Wouldn’t want others to miss it too.

    When he spoke of returning to the plantations to work for Richard Drax that was funny but it was a warning. When he speaks about cutting the civil service in half, he is warning us that civil service jobs are not that safe anymore. We need money to pay salaries after all. And it is also a push towards entrepreneurship and of ownership, and independence. A reform of our economy and a reordering of our society.

    When he speaks of the white man’s shithole countries he is telling us to stop swallowing their narratives and think for ourselves. To measure success by our own standards and to stop trying to be mock white men. We need to be our own best selves.

    He paints splendid word pictures. Like a word comic strip.

    I love excellence and always feel the need to promote it.

    I’m done now.

  37. GP Avatar
    GP

    When you find people who understand only a single linguistic style represents a level of ignorance best left alone.

    THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE BETZPAENIC DUMMY
    QUID SCRIPSI DIXIQUE, SCRIPSI DIXIQUE

  38. John A Avatar
    John A

    I have always heard the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So I can’t help but ask,with such a massive team of financial ministers and consultants in the MOF, why haven’t we been presented with an economic diversification plan that moves away from tourism dependancy? I mean it has only been a year since Covid has threatened our economy which I know in goverment time is only around 6 weeks, but surely these big brain people should be able to have presented a plan to us by now.

    Also I noticed in the comment by the above blogger of the list of economic gurus in the MOF, he chose to omit the name of the most accomplished past minister of finance a fellow called Chris Sinkyuh. Was he not in fact chairman of some committe on economic recovery as well? Lord I deading here at just the thought. LOL

    I could hear Sinkyuh recommendation now ” Mia this easy to solve let we buy a new Xerox and starting printing nuff money.”

  39. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Oh dear! What was the topic again?

    SOME GOVERNMENT MINISTERS MIA

    (paraphrased)

  40. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE Not everyone can appreciate the ability of others to manipulate language. It is fair to say it is a subjective thing anyway. No need to debate the point with those with the inability to appreciate the nuance. We are different people, not everyone has that ability to value difference.

    WHAT RUBBISH I HAVE BEEN MANIPULATING LANGUAGE ON BU FOR YEARS
    DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO APPRECIATE MY NUANCES?
    SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU WOULD KEEP QUIET
    YOU SEEM TO THINK YOU HAVE AN INTELLECT THAT IS SUPERIOR
    AND AC AND HAL AUSTIN RUNS RINGS AROUND YOU DAILY
    HILARIOUS
    THE RUM SHOP IS BARE MOCK SPORT FOR THE RETIRED AND BORED
    SO EASY TO RAISE THE IRE OF THOSE WHO THINK THEY KNOW

  41. GP Avatar
    GP

    DonnaFebruary 28, 2021 11:22 AM
    YOURS IS AN INTERESTING INTERPRETATION……..BUT IS IT THE ONLY ONE? LOL
    I JUST HAVING SOME FUN STIRRING UP THE POT LOL

  42. David Avatar
    David

    Thanks Donna, excellent.

    One clarification, physical slavery has morphed to economic slavery. We are not there yet.

  43. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    David,

    I did not dare tackle his “Dear Leader’ narrative. I will leave that one for him to unmask himself.

    I love the “To the television!” lines.

    Hilarious but…..

  44. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ John A

    Thanks for bringing back the discussion to reality. An army of economists, a single university with even more academics, a near monopoly media, blogs and rumshops, and still we have not moved on over the last year or two about the kind of economic development we will like to see as a society.
    The president now talks about fiscal space, a term she got from Greenidge, but what does she mean by it? What does he mean by it?
    I have said before you cannot have a debate unless you know the terms, and government is not saying what its policy proposals are.
    Under different circumstances those with an interest in national development would put forward an a shadow economic plan.
    Maybe we are drinking too much rum.

  45. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE I did not dare tackle his “Dear Leader’ narrative
    I CAN
    IT IS DOWNRIGHT BLASPHEMY AND CONCENTRATED BOVINE EXCREMENT
    THAT WAS WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO
    WHAT “Dear Leader’ WHAT AS THE “PROVACATEUR” USED TO SAY
    Hilarious

  46. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ Hal

    To say I am disappointed with how the discussion on diversification or lack thereof, has been encouraged by the goverment is an understatement.

    By now even the most ardent supporter must realise that it can not be business as usual going forward. Yes tourism can still play a part in the diversification plan but depending on it would be a gross error in judgement. Tell us about the plan to save FX by expanding considerably our alternatice energy platform. Tell us about the large scale greenhouse project that will be rolled out on the productive arable land in the goverment land bank. For God sake tell us something that confirms I did not feed all these committees to be told ” em going be business as usual and we going use the tax dollars to prop up tourism till it return.”

  47. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ John A

    The only distraction is not the government. The broader distraction may help the government, but there is nothing to stop all of us from making a positive contribution to a serious discussion on medium and long-term economic development..
    If we have nothing positive to say about the economy, then walk away. As long as it is not party political rubbish.
    By the way, let us get pass the stuff about foreign reserves and making jokes of Chris Sinclair. He was not so much a disaster as someone out of his league.
    Keeping him on as finance minister was Stuart’s historic mistake. He should have been sacked aft er Stuart won his own mandate and given a non-economic ministry.
    If he threatened to go on the back benches and cause trouble, then Stuart should have sent him packing. But let us be clear Mottley is no better as a finance minister, she is a bit more confident and has the chutzpah to draft in people who can think. That is her ‘pedigree’.

  48. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    We keep looking to the wrong people to drive diversification. Governments and large private entities are the wrong people as they are not usually the ones willing to take the huge risks and sacrifices required to succeed in new ventures and much prefer the lower risk of known business models.

    True diversification can only be lead by entrepreneurs and they must be able to freely pursue opportunities wherever they may lead without unnecessary red tape and onerous regulatory requirements that make no sense. Government’s only solution is to start listening to what the entrepeneurs are calling for in terms of regulations, laws and policies and look to address those needs.

  49. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ Critical

    Schumpeter’s creative disruption. Big firms have too much to lose if they back creative innovation. What they do is wait until the innovative firms develop then take them over. Look at Facebook and Amazon.
    It is like an economics professor who wrote his thesis on Keynesian then to back theories that completely dismiss Keynes.

  50. David Avatar
    David

    @CA

    The public and private sectors- there must be a nexus/symbiosis. One tend to argue these points like if there is mutual exclusivity.

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