The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley has called on Ghanaians to mark 7th September as Africa-Caricom Day.
Joyonline.com
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley was invited to participate in Ghana’s 65th Independence anniversary. To be expected she delivered a speech that has provoked discussion.
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The people’s business called the Annual.Budget would be presented in Parliament absent of an opposition
In a democracy the rule of law is founded and called functional under a two party system
How then would it be possible for a Budget to be debated
How would it be possible for a record of accuracy be placed within Parliament record books showing that the democractic process was fullly constituted when the Budget was presented
The rubber has hit the road and the tire are burning
Time to hit the brakes
A PM lost in a world of opportunism and confusion
Today’s Nation Editorial
Share SOEs’ financials
EVERY TAXPAYER in Barbados should be interested in the performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) given their potential to drain the public purse.
It is also imperative that Government gives a comprehensive report on the performance of each of these enterprises during the ensuing 2022-2023 Estimates Debate in the House of Assembly.
The first step is for the Government to outline all of the state enterprises and clearly state what purpose they are serving, whether a for-profit operation or undertaking specific public policy roles. The number of people each employs whether permanently, on fixed-term contracts or in temporary arrangements should also be disclosed.
There must be a clear indication that the long history of political attachment of some members to which many state businesses have been subjected has ended. These entities must adhere to strict corporate governance rules.
The public should be told what each public enterprise is worth, whether at book value of equity, using an income approach or market value. This is necessary to help determine whether these SOEs should be put up for public sale through the Barbados Stock Exchange, be leased or re-organised as joint ventures.
Too many state enterprises are perpetually late with their annual reports, which is a bad sign of ineffective leadership.
This problem must be addressed even as the public hears about the state of digitalisation, cyber security and financial risk management issues at all Government-owned businesses.
There needs to be a specific emphasis on the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), given how they touch lives and livelihoods daily in so many ways. The Barbados National Oil Company should be added to this mix.
A roadmap covering the next five years should be outlined so Barbadians can know the level of
financing and human resources required to deal with these critical services.
The BWA needs an enormous amount of financing to undertake its capital works programmes for both replacements of pipe mains and to fix the sewage management on the South Coast and build one on the West Coast.
The taxpayers will therefore need to know if a price hike for water, despite the sewage and garbage levies, is coming in the new financial year.
The efficient operation of the NIS is of the utmost importance to almost every citizen, which is why there should be public disclosure of the level of spending over the last 22 years on to improve its computer technology and whether the results justify the investments.
There is a long history of mistrust and lack of accountability at the NHC related to the allocation of houses, house lots, rental units and the award of contracts. The NHC needs to be more transparent to gain the public’s confidence going forward.
Our public enterprises must exhibit certain defining qualities including a commitment to integrity, be constantly evaluated and deliver the expected services. An accurate account of their performance is a necessity.
A pity the people voted 30 seats to the BLP.
Brigadier Jerry – On The Road
Opposition are an irrelevance and may add to a debate but have a minority vote in matters.
The news media like to pretend their voice is more significant than long time hiding in the shadow.
What good is having a presentation of the Annual Budget when there is no opposition to counter and question the initiatives proposed
This is madness at its worst
A PM worth any semblance if integrity girded to accountability would have taken the matter to the President and seek a resolution on the people’s behalf
One resolution that fits within a democratic process
One which would be stapled to fairness whereby a new election would be called
The madness taking place on Monday reflects a PM stapled to self interest and bold faced opportunity
Nothing else
The Opposition is the largest non-government party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly. The Opposition’s main role is to question the government of the day and hold them accountable
What Opposition what? Mia said that they will provided their own Opposition
“The Opposition is the largest non-government party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly. The Opposition’s main role is to question the government of the day and hold them accountable”
But where are they?
There is nobody nobody
Have they disappeared up your bum?
The Opposition is the largest non-government party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly. The Opposition’s main role is to question the government of the day and hold them accountable”
But where are they?
There is nobody nobody
Have they disappeared up your bum?
Xxx
That question lays within the President hand to resolve
Not mine
Foolburt
All the window dressing on Monday would not remove the stench of a democratic process gone wrong
Do Women Have Genitals
· Raise Positive Vibrations
Meditation Healing Therapy Tantric Frequencies
Genital Chakra Vibrations 432Hz
Not going to ask about the progress/disposition of the court case as some will tell me how complicated this case is; how the judge must study every nuance, be deliberate and render the judgment of a Solomon.
If there is no resolution by April 1, I will ask.
” Placed on the tier 2 watchlist, Barbados has been identified as a source and destination point for “severe forms of trafficking”.
Economy | National
Ghana’s public debt might have exceeded 80% of GDP; be transparent with the people – World Bank Country Director
Source: Joy Business
8 March 2022 2:14pm
The World Bank says Ghana’s public debt stock as of now has exceeded the 80% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) mark, putting the country in a tighter corner with respect to financing and interest payments.
The Bank of Ghana, in its January 2022 Monetary Policy Report, said the stock of public debt was equivalent to 78.4% of GDP at the end of 2021, compared with 76.1% of GDP at the end of 2020.
The country’s total public debt stock stood at about ¢344.5 billion as of November 2021.
But the Country Director of the World Bank, Pierre Laporte, speaking at the One Ghana Movement lecture, said the situation might have changed now as Ghana keeps borrowing.
“The data as we know is close to 80% of GDP. Probably, now as we speak, it might have exceeded.”
“The fiscal deficit [9.7% in December 2021], unfortunately, with COVID-19 needs to be urgently brought down. Inflation must also be brought down. This is an interesting discussion, and we must acknowledge the situation on the ground”, Mr Laporte said
He further said the country is in a very challenging situation “as some of the panel have acknowledged that. We call it a crisis. We can describe it in many ways”.
“It’s a really serious situation, and at the World Bank, we’ve not hidden the fact. When we discussed with the Minister [Ken Ofori-Ata] and with all the people in finance and the Head of State [President Akufo-Addo]. The situation is very difficult right now; Ghana faces a very tough road ahead to restore macro sustainability”, Mr Laporte added.
Economic challenges persisted before COVID-19
The World Bank Country Director emphasised that macroeconomic challenges persisted even with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yes, COVID-19 has not helped, but even before COVID-19, there were signs that the situation was getting a little bit challenging”.
“So, the key thing is to be transparent with the people”, he suggested.
“Yes, the figures speak for themselves, but not everybody is as educated as we are. Not everyone understands what the numbers mean, so it is important to talk about it like we are doing”, he noted.
“More important is for us to find solutions for the problem,” he added.
IMF is not needed now
There had been suggestions for the country to seek economic and financial support from the International Monetary Fund.
But Mr Larporte said, “my basic principle, at a starting point your country should not go to the IMF, really truly speaking. Many countries in the world are not with the IMF but are performing well”.
“But the reality is different countries are with the IMF…that is why they were established”, he added.
The above article gives a close up view as to why it is necessary for Ghana to off load its employees like nurses to Barbados
Unless one digs closely and unravel the underpinnings of these kind of transactions one would be left to belive that humanitarian reasons are the bedrock of govt transactions between Ghana and Barbados
A govt that promised transparency and accountability has yet to remove the window shades that avoids public from seeing the naked truth
@Hants
Though some has touched on this topic and have been frowned upon, one paragraph just jumps out..
“Research shared on Wednesday suggested that Barbadians are largely unaware about the extent of the country’s human trafficking situation.’
Not jus sex
Broadening the discussion
“Victims of human trafficking in the Caribbean region were found to be men, women, boys and girls from the Caribbean as well as from countries outside the region. These victims were found in multiple forms of exploitation including sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude.”
@ TheOGazerts,
There could be some very powerful people involved.
Who’s unaware? Sex trafficking is everywhere. Barbados has its share.
See the comment from your AG in 2020.
Human trafficking (including sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude) must be a recent thing.
There is some measure of sex trafficking of young women here. That I know Don’t know about children but I do know about young women thinking that they were coming for other jobs and being forced into strip clubs.
The Prime Minister’s call for a joint CARICOM African Day is s progressive move. I have always believed that it’s the message and not the messenger , that should be our focus.
There is really no lasting future for Afro Caribbean people until we accept Africa as the Motherland.
There is no real future for the Motherland until she unconditionally welcomed. those who were disenfranchised from their culture and civilization.
It will be very hard for any progressive thinker to not support the PM’s efforts in trying to bring Africa and the Caribbean close together. It’s a long overdue progressive step.
Why can’t we just accept that because of it’s geographical position and almost totally open accessibility by boats, that the Caribbean has always been a vital point in most criminal activity.
Can’t we ever get past the mundane and deal with the substantive points.
Why do we think so much drugs enter Bim; it’s because of access and the simple fact that we cannot afford to effectively or comprehensively patrol
our coasts.
There is a reason that people are being turned off from engaging public discourse. Even the talk in shows seem to be losing popularity because every single point is met by some mundane inconsequential rebuttal by the moderators.
Prostitution is a well established profession in Bim both high end and that practiced up by the Garrison and else where. We have to get real and start to monitor it more closely to ensure our precious children are not lured into the industry. So if the AG wants us to do more to halt any early signs of trafficking, all citizens should be on guard and look out to assist the authorities
Let’s just focus on Bim for once , after all it’s our children we are talking about.
Agree with you William.
Less is more.
@William SkinnerMarch 10, 2022 6:16 PM
The biggest prostitute ist called tourism.
@Tron
“The biggest prostitute is called tourism.”
I have the same idea but a different perspective. You hear about sexual tourism and pedophile tourism in Asia. One would be a fool to believe it doesn’t happen in the Caribbean.,
FYI
The silence is deafening …
https://nypost.com/2018/10/23/the-sordid-state-of-underage-sex-tourism-in-the-caribbean/
Who exactly was focused elsewhere?
My son’s Social Studies SBA was on that very topic. HE chose it. So not even he was focused elsewhere!
“Nobody directs my posts.”
Last post. This is long, but it is a great read.
https://www.e-ir.info/2020/02/04/globalization-human-trafficking-and-tourism-in-the-caribbean/
Enjoy your night.
“My aim is not to argue that tourism is a bad industry but that it is not the most successful way to generate wealth for the Caribbean population because it creates more dependency between the Global North and South with detrimental effects in the form of sex tourism.’
Top four places for sex tourism in the Caribbean.
DR, CUBA, JAMAICA and Barbados
https://www.newsamericasnow.com/popular-caribbean-sex-tourism-destinations/
We were discussing sex trafficking into Barbados. I know of no minors being trafficked into Barbados.
Local children being pimped out? Definitely!
My likes:
Rabbit posts,
Sex tourism,
Corruption,
Injustice,
Ripping off the Diaspora and
The poetry of AC
If adults wish to sell their bodies, that is their concern, not mine.
It is always good to see you Donna.
I do not know if this translates well
https://youtu.be/q2XbkDfyzQs
TheO,
Frankly I been thinking these days that “less is more”.
Much, much less!
I gone again.
RE There is a reason that people are being turned off from engaging public discourse. Even the talk in shows seem to be losing popularity because every single point is met by some mundane inconsequential rebuttal by the moderators.
THE SAME VERY TING DOES HAPPEN PUN BU
SOLID SINCERE SENSIBLE POSTS DOES GET TEK DUNG …..UH LIE?
AND BULL SHITTERS DOES “”CHALLENGE” THINGS THAT THEY KNOW NUTTIN BOUT
HILARIOUS
@ Tron
I think we should bite the bullet and invite two major casinos to set up.Once we are going to continue with the “ prostitute “ tourism , we could as well go for the full hog .
Casinos will generate jobs and bring in the high flyers. We need to just grow up and stop pretending that we can talk our way out of the dangersous waters we are now swimming in.
The old Barbados ain’t coming back. We have cultural industries that can employ thousands. Casinos will drive entertainment to another level.
We also need to think about abolitioning income taxes.
It is obvious that we need a seismic shift to prepare the country for the next fifty plus years. It’s time we learn to walk and chew gum. The old fashioned economics just ain’t working.
The masses need employment and better wages and they will not get them under the current economic policy.
@William
You are opening a hornets nest. We are a religious country!
Two years of huge losses
Govt to address critical issues
By Colville Mounsey collvillemounsey@nationnews.com
With the Budget slated to be laid in Parliament on Monday, the private sector is calling for wider stimulus beyond the tourism sector to recoup the two years of losses suffered under the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s office yesterday indicated that at 3 p.m. on Monday Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley will deliver her 2022 Financial and Economic Statement in the House of Assembly.
“The Prime Minister’s address to the nation follows two years of substantial losses in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which crippled the island’s number one money-earning sector, tourism, and in the face of what is expected to be steep increases in commodity prices as a result of the war in Ukraine,” the release stated.
It further stated that Barbadians could expect to hear Government’s plans to spur economic growth, create jobs and rejuvenate critical traditional sectors while “incentivising emerging industries in such areas as renewable energy and the blue economy”, while protecting the most vulnerable in society.
Yesterday, chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA), Trisha Tannis, said her organisation has completed consultations with its members and have submitted their proposals to Government ahead of the Budget. Tannis said the hundreds of millions in revenue losses on account of the pandemic, on which the Central Bank had reported, also represented the same scale of pain suffered by the business community. She also said relief from the rising cost of living should be addressed with a great degree of urgency.
She argued that while much focus has been on the stimulation of the bread-and-butter tourism sector as well as construction, the Mia Amor Mottley administration would need to equally facilitate other key sectors if the country is to return to real growth.
“What is being put forward is a sectoral-bysectoral review for some degree of stimulus. We do know and understand that the tourism sector is the sector that generates the highest level of foreign exchange. We understand that it is a sector that has to be naturally incubated and nurtured and therefore we have to throw our resources behind it so that it can be revitalised very quickly. However, you must also understand and appreciate that the other sectors have also had an unfair go at it in the last two years,” said Tannis.
She added: “What we have done is put grass-root considerations to the Government that cut across most sectors. We appreciate that within an atmosphere of growth, we do need to nurture growth before we can actually see it and we would therefore hope to see some facilitation in sectors of more strategic interest to the Government. We need to see some stimulus being allocated to the other sectors so that we have more of a broad-based growth strategy. This would be in addition to the tourism and the construction sectors that we have been nursing for the last two years.”
Cost of living
Going into more detail, Tannis said the private sector proposals included plans to address the cost of living while ramping up production in the agriculture and manufacturing sector, especially in light of the fallout from the Ukraine
crisis. The business community is calling for the return of some of the tax allowances that were removed by the last administration, this would be in an effort to put more disposable income in the hands of Barbadians.
However, she said the BPSA was cognisant of the fiscal constraints associated with meeting the targets of the International Monetary Fund and therefore they did not hold the expectation that all of their proposals would be adopted in this Budget.
“Under the umbrella of addressing the cost of living, there is some relief being asked in terms of reducing the cost of inputs so that you can have a lower cost of production and this will hopefully redound to increased volume. This would allow the corporate sector to conduct business in a more aggressive manner than they have before.”
“We have to get the cost of business down within the context of rising prices as a result of the Ukraine crisis. We have a couple of proposals that could put more disposable income into the hands of the average Barbadian. This would include several tax allowances that would have fallen off before this Government came to office,” she said.
Source: Nation
Opening up.what hornets nest
Present Govt doesn’t care what religious group input states
If Private sector make such a demand for Casinos on the island it would occur
Mia tends to.listen to Privste Sector
But those who follow the cruise Industry knows that these ships are well equipped and advance in entertainment of all kinds and govt would not want to step.on their toes
Barbadians should not expect any financial release coming out of the PM mouths
The private sector is indicating what they needs are along with sending signals of job looses if govt tinker too close in not allowing then to have things there way
Unfortunately there is no opposition to counteract or hold govt feet to the fire
The Barbadian household would also feel the effects of not having an opposition to speak on their behalf
Noted that private sector list is very long unlike the Bajan household who would weather the storm in silence
Private sector has been calling for casinos in Barbados for years- what is your point?
The price of oil will mean inflation read increase in cost of living. Not just in Barbados. We are already seeing in where you live. We import everything and commodities are manufactured for the most part with oil as an input. Successive governments have been braying about reducing the cost of living. A political poppycock.
Slip Sliding Away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away
Countries like BBD are mourning losses of projected profits that they use to and still expect to earn
instead of celebrating what they actually did earn in reality
Maybe the solution is to go down more
and then rebuild from the bottom up
People who have little or no money don’t spend large but still live
without phone contracts all the latest gadgets
consumerism, retail therapy, fast fashions etc
Home Grown C₂₁H₃₀O₂ for personal use will be coming
after “they” decriminalise and put in their wack laws
righteous dreads will protest and fight for their rights
@ David
This suggestion has been around for decades. Our tourism product needs a mammoth overhaul .
It’s time to change the game and casinos will be a massive injection in the economy. We are already spending millions on lotto and illegal gambling is no secret in Bim.
We have a lot of land that grows nothing but bush. Two casinos , a permanent amusement park and other entertainment products will be welcomed by the tourists and locals.
Thirty years ago, I would have been reluctant to suggest these innovations but along came COVID ………..,..
DavidMarch 11, 2022 6:13 AM
Private sector has been calling for casinos in Barbados for years- what is your point?
Xxxxx
Yes
Seems that their noise is not as loud as when begging for govt assistance
Be that as it may
Makes for wonder what agreements might be written between the cruise Industry and govts on the subject of Casinos
David Nothing new about what you are saying about the cost of living else where
However try not using the same economic model
International countries can withstand those brutal gust winds
The question u should asked can the bajan household withstand the same
Gas 16$ Barbados is no joke
Meanwhile in USA 4dollars and prices increase but not on the same level or magnitude as those in Barbados
Govt should by now have measures in place measures that resist businesses temptation to price gouging
Can’t agree with you more. There was great hope when former minister of tourism presided over the removal of the BTA and split responsibilities read produce and marketing. We focus more on marketing than enhancing or refreshing the product. Marketing is thought to be more sexy and usually attract sweet talkers who are able to cost justify large budgets. We must learn from the past to improve.
We will have to suck it up like others. We are addicted to consumption, we disengage from the governance process. We get the governments we deserve.
@David
You are opening a hornets nest. We are a religious country
+++++++++
Are you sure about that? There may be numerous churches but religious? Nah! There are pockets of conservatism, and they may be the loudest voices on call in shows but there is a generational divided between those of the older generation (referred to as old fogeys) and the younger one who are influenced by travel, social media and changing mores and are more accepting of changes that were formerly rejected in the past.
If you say, “Dean Crichlow” many would ask “Dean who’?
Cruise ships casinos only operate in international waters
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