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Minister William Duguid should be demoted

William Duguod

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The following Auditor General’s report which probed 150 steel houses imported from China makes for the usual reading. It confirms an insensitivity to spending taxpayer’s funds.

You may recall the several hundred thousand dollars were frittered away on a tourism campaign which eventually binned by Prime Minister Mottley. Minister Lisa Cummins who was in charge of the tourism ministry at the time, strongly defended the Little Island, Big Island campaign was rewarded with a transfer to another ministry. In the case of the steel frames houses that were imported hot and sweated from China, Minister Duguid was transferred AND promoted. Some of us take exception to rewarding non performance and incompetence at taxpayer expense.


It was projected that the Project would have resulted in one
hundred and fifty (150) families/persons, affected by Hurricane
Elsa, receiving housing solutions as a result of the execution of
the Project by 31 s’ December 2021. Over the course of the Project,
the number of families/persons to receive housing units has
decreased, and at October 2023, only twenty-three (23) of these
housing units were slated to be assigned to those whose houses were destroyed…

Special Audit Report on the Acquisition and Construction of Steel-framed Housing Units by the Ministry of Housing and Lands
Auditor General's report
Auditor General’s report, special audit Chinese steel houses
Auditor General Report Steel HousesDownload

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70 responses to “Minister William Duguid should be demoted”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Check the last sentence in the report. It is that man again.

    Six Men’s concerns

    by CARLOS ATWELL

    carlosatwell@nationnews.com

    QUESTIONS ARE BEING RAISED about the ongoing development in Six Men’s, St Peter, with some people saying they are not being given enough information.

    Resident Alwyn Babb and community spokesperson Ian Griffith say many people in the area are feeling left out and left behind.

    “The problem is with the type of communication,” Babb said. “The people are seeing widespread development which is causing changes to how they will access their homes, but no one is saying anything to them. They are telling me, once the stage where the road is completed and the hotel (Pendry Hotel) starts to build, they are not sure what will happen to them.”

    Babb, a former Democratic Labour Party candidate for St Peter, said there was also concern about land ownership and relocation. He said there were people who had lived in the area for generations who were now worried if they would have to move while others, who were squatting, wanted to know if their positions could be made legal.

    “We saw the squatters near the airport have been given the land so the people here who are also squatting want the same treatment,” he said.

    Babb, a secondary school teacher and athletics coach, also raised issues concerning whether the beach would be reclaimed using breakwaters and if the fishing village would be refurbished.

    “Under successive governments, the people of Six Men’s have been treated unfairly, especially as it pertains to land ownership. We want to know what is really going to happen,” he said.

    Griffith’s contention was with road diversions, which included a temporary road recently built from the entrance of Six Men’s Village cul-de-sac, connecting to the development on Colleton Main Road. He said it had not been part of the discussion during the Barbados Labour Party’s St Peter Parish Speaks held in February.

    “They never said they were going to use this as a temporary access road and now I’m understanding the main road will be blocked off. At the last meeting at the St Peter Parish Church, they said the road would not be inaccessible to the people of Six Men’s.

    Make it permanent

    “My thing is, if they can build a temporary road straight through to Colleton, why not make it permanent? Six Men’s Village is a cul-desac and the temporary road begins halfway up the village, so now it’s actually easier for people to access their homes,” he said, adding he was worried the temporary road would eventually be allowed to go to ruin.

    However, some residents said they had been given correspondence as to the upcoming changes. One of those letters, compiled by Haigh Communications, which represents the developers of the proposed Pendry Hotel project, outlines the road rehabilitation and closures.

    It stated that the rehabilitation of tenantry roads in the area should have already been completed followed by the closure of the Six Men’s cul-de-sac from the highway junction.

    “This work is scheduled from April 2 to May 2, 2024. During this time, the contractor will be preparing the roadways in preparation for the new roundabout. During the closure, traffic will not be able to turn right from Highway 1B onto the Six Men’s cul-de-sac, but will be diverted along Highway 1B to enter through Colleton Gardens and access the Six Men’s cul-de-sac using the rehabilitated tenantry road.

    “This temporary road closure and detour may lead to increased traffic, dust and noise in the area. However, the contractor will endeavour to mitigate any inconvenience caused to the public.”

    Efforts to reach both Senior Minster in charge of infrastructural projects and Town Planning matters, Dr William Duguid, and Member of Parliament for St Peter Colin Jordan, were unsuccessful.

    Source: Nation

  2. David Avatar
    David

    A barely cursory read of the report confirms what we know, there was no serious thought behind the procurement of 150 steel houses from China. The time necessary to did the foundations, clear titles with town planning (since renamed) etc.

    What is the current situation with those who were made homeless by Elsa or their homes significantly damaged?

    NHC reply to the AG’s exceptions is that their technical officers cleared the transaction and all that complemented it.

    Houston, we have a rh problem.

  3. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    No accountability leads to no improvement! What was Duguid’s attitude to the initial questions about the purchase of the steel houses?

    Arrogance!

    Do I remember this man making noise for a senior minister post? On what was that based exactly? What made him think he deserved it? Surely not performance!

    So, now that the steel house solution has proven to be an utter failure, what says the arrogant, entitled senior minister?

    I gave up on this government from the time I returned to rushing out with my garbage on Surprise Garbage Pick Up Day.

    Wasn’t the fee I now pay supposed to solve that problem?

    It is past time to take out the trash!

  4. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    “Demoted”?
    Surely you mean “locked to %$^&# up”.

    What a bold faced highway robbery by a public figure
    AFTER being advised publicly in advance of the folly.

    How is this not MUCH WORSE than some little clerk who had to face the court for diverting $20,000 from some foreign bank to help their sick mother?

    What a place!!
    What a curse on our donkeys!

  5. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    Our Honourable Minister has done everything right. Inflation is to blame for the cost increase.

    Anyone who criticises the cost increase should rather focus on lower wages in the construction industry instead of meddling in the affairs of state and party.

    Tron, fair and balanced

  6. David Avatar
    David

    @Donna

    There is a story around Duguid’s appointment to Senior Minister, you may recall he was not named in the first cabinet announcement if memory serves.

  7. coxangela Avatar
    coxangela

    Along with govt runaway spending
    My thought process begs to ask what will be the final cost of milling and paving the roads
    Also what are the long term durability of these repaired roads
    Also would these roads be fully equipped to withstand the enormous pressure of traffic overload and nature’s input for a long periods
    Hope when all is said and done govt haven’t placed a high priority in the strategy of smoke and mirrors rather than placing priorities in repair that are cost effective and not having govt short term running back to the revenue well to fix damage control on the road

  8. David Avatar
    David

    @ac

    Good questions to which we know the answers. The bigger issue is being able to implement an efficient mass transport system to better regulate traffic on our roads. Our road network is dense which makes it impractical to maintain and repair our roads.

  9. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    David good points except that getting barbadians to give up their own transportation in favour of one run by govt that is unreliable and costly would be as hard as repairing the roads
    A solution better would be for govt to implement feasible time periods between heavy flow of traffic whereby local business working hours would not be competing with school hours for the roads
    Hence maybe local business starting later and closing later

  10. David Avatar
    David

    Independent Senator Andrew Mallalieu made the bold suggestion last week in the Senate that traveling on public transportation should be made free. Mallalieu’s point is understood in the context of the chaos which currently exist on our highways. We always allow crisis positions to occur which then require extreme intervention. We are in a bad spot which requires strong leadership.


    Call for free public transport

    PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION should be free for everyone in Barbados as one way of easing the congestion on the roads which is affecting productivity.

    The call was made yesterday by Independent Senator Andrew Mallalieu who said the bottlenecking will only get worse as Barbados’ economy improves and the tourism industry experiences growth.

    “My solution for transportation is to make it free. I think it should be free for everyone, no matter who. If you are in Barbados you can travel on the bus for free.

    “We need to find some way of getting people to change their culture of driving everywhere and we need to find a reliable, clean, safe, public transportation that we can all use,” he said in the Senate on Day 2 of debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2024.

    Mallalieu congratulated Government on its longoverdue roadworks but questioned who would want to be sitting for long periods on smooth roads.

    “We suffer with congestion and it will only get worse from what I can see . . . . The economy is doing well and it will continue to do well,” he said.

    Significant residential, tourism, commercial and infrastructural work will lead to “more and more congestion” which is a productivity problem, he said.

    “Barbados, at the end of the day, is a small city and we need a reliable public transportation system. Today we don’t have that,” he said.

    Mallalieu said he naturally considered the effect of having free public transportation on the taxi and rental car sectors.

    Congestion

    “I know it will have an impact. I just want us to rethink transportation, recognising the problem we have with congestion, unless it is our intention to spend millions and millions of dollars in road infrastructure in what is effectively a very small city with a lot of competing land usage. Perhaps a colloquium on that subject would be useful,” he said.

    The experienced realtor was also concerned about Government’s record with building maintenance, pointing out that every September there are schools not ready for the start of the academic year, usually because of upgrading or constructing problems.

    He said such problems of delayed opening at private schools did not occur.

    “We’ve all heard this over and over again, this is governance, this is years of this. We have a problem – we are not good at construction and building management,” the senator said.

    “What worries me is that some things we do in Government we are not suited to do . . . . We are better off suited to having the business community doing them for us.” ( AC)

    Source: Nation

  11. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The party that promises FREE transportation could win the next election.

    Political parties can pick and choose which promises they will keep after they are elected.

    buh doan mine me. I still trying to understand why the steel houses need Chinese specialist to train Bajans to use screws and bolts instead of nails.

  12. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Show us one example where these levels of incompetence were not central features of every administration the country has had?

    Just one.

    These are the same old canards by people who blatantly refuse to relinquish the surface and go deeper into the culture of politics.

    Those willing to feel good about a socalled democratic system.

    The truth will be that all governments have left “fiscal space” for a certain level of teefing.

    And that culture is necessary, as an instrument, for the elected dictator to control the needs, expectations, egos and augmented pension plans of those on their side.

    We dare say that this system cannot exist without these levels of graft. And they should be expected by now.

    On the other hand, its also irrational to expect either government to do any better than the other.

    Want change? Tear everything down and reimagine a country renewed!

  13. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    Meanwhile in “uncivilised” Kenya this type of housing is called “affordable”. Their government is making great strides in improving the housing stock for the masses. Surely, it should not take too much effort to build 150 houses in a dysfunctional governed country such as Barbados.

    https://www.bomayangu.go.ke/

  14. The OG Avatar
    The OG

    These administrations are not about doing anything good for anybody. It is amusing that they cannot get anything right unless it is a scam/con.

    If you believe that they are fools then they have fooled you. Brilliant scamps, scoundrels and con men.

    I admire them.

  15. The OG Avatar
    The OG

    Fool me once, shame on me.
    Fool me repeatedly for about 60 years … Congratulations

  16. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    @ The OG,

    Our Prime Ministers over the years are comparable to the notorious boxing promoter -Don King. We all know what rocked his boat. No project or deal is whole unless it’s a scam in Barbados. It’s whom we are.

    This affordable housing project offers very compact apartments with limited interior spaces. However, look at the location, it is in the heart of Mombassa!

    By the way, the maximum price for a 3 bedroom apartment is 93.000 Barbados dollars

  17. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    By the way, the maximum price for a 3 bedroom apartment is 93.000 Barbados dollars

    xxxxx

    THEY HAVE SAME HERE IN DAR ES SALAAM IN TANZANIA ABOUT THE SAME PRICE. SOME A SHORT WALK FROM MY HOUSE IN SAME COMMUNITY WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE BEACH.

  18. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    A new CEO.

  19. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    The Report is so damning, I won’t even comment.
    However, lest we forget, the GoB acquired +/- 10 acres near Harrison’s Point to add to some 70+ acres (? memory only) owned by the same body who sold the land to Savvy, for a Dental College (did Duguid the Dentist have a role?) to be operated by a Canadian group who previously specialized in an International HS.
    The grand plan also called for a hotel et al. Exactly why this vast amount of land was needed was never explained.
    By the way, the Radical case was to begin today in the USA.

  20. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Interesting.

    https://karmod.ca/products/modular-home-specifications

  21. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    Hants April 2, 2024 at 5:10 pm

    “A new CEO.”
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    One is left to wonder what that soothsayer, the great Bush Tea, has to say about this ‘feminine’ tag team (including the MoT).

    Is it the beginning of the end of tourism in Bim?

    Or is it the just the hand(s) of god embracing the devil?

  22. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ Miller
    “One is left to wonder what that soothsayer, the great Bush Tea, has to say about this ‘feminine’ tag team”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    You just looking to make the local BU Jezebel catch another fit….!!

    Bushie is nothing but a MESSENGER.
    The bushman DID NOT write Isaiah, NOR indeed any of the other Bible admonitions about the WISDOM (or lack thereof) of having emotional and impulsive women in positions of leadership.
    Of course when the alternative is to have brass bowl shiite men, then we have a rock and a hard place….

    BTW..
    ‘Tourism’ died YEARS ago.
    It was ALWAYS just a case of prostitution on a national scale.
    Now the ‘Johns’ own all the brothels, and are taking payments overseas for the ‘services’ available from the local BB actors- while remitting just enough to avoid bankruptcy and to keep us begging and borrowing…

    Finally, the ‘hand of God’ has been withdrawn from us for some time now…. since then, Froon was moved to build the shiite monument to our new ‘Handler’ on the Garrison. Now we have a ‘parro society’, in growing debt, and unable to even eat without external largess…

    Good luck to the feminine tag teams when the big shit hits the big fan…

  23. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    The Steel Houses saga is a blues song that has been sung over and over, but there is a problem repeating the same single message as it has no new information to teach anyone and there is no progression for opposition.

    It is a given that Government’s worldwide spend and waste public funds on unpopular projects such as wars and defense shortchanging public services.

  24. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Capital Cities introduced congestion charges for cars entering designated zones which is a lucrative source of income for local Government and is sold under the guise of being a greener initiative for less pollution and cleaner air.

    The problem is mission creep where designated zones for charging keep expanding as local Government become fixated on more taxes for income and providing less services to public. Eventually use of cars will only be allowed for the wealthiest and privileged.

  25. The OG Avatar
    The OG

    I do not often do this but I will try to help Bushie fit in
    A wig
    Some heels
    Declare yourself trans
    And send in your application to Min of Ed

    I stopped taking things seriously a long time ago.

  26. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Listening to Down to Brasstacks.

    First topic. Steel houses and HOPE projects.

  27. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Some here are sick yuh! If it ain’t a local man appointed it is an issue. The women hateration.

  28. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    But @Enuff
    Don’t you think that the REALLY sick ones here, are those who offer themselves for public SERVICE; make solemn promises of honesty and transparency;
    …and then turn around to ‘thief like green monkeys’ and jump into bed with the albino-centric demons who did as they please with GENERATIONS of our black ancestors…?
    ALL FOR Materialism And Money (MaM)??

    …or are you incapable of non-partisan analysis?

  29. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    Shit by another colour?

  30. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Bushie

    Who tiefin?

  31. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Jezebel here! Just reminding you and the old ass Miller (who, incidentally, does not believe in your Bible bullshit) of your soothsaying failures of January 1st, 2023 and January 1st, 2024.

    I arrived on the scene after the BU Old Boys’ Club was established and you were already declared the resident sage.

    I know all about clique behaviour. It is why I gave up on most organisations and group activities in Barbados. I am no respecter of persons. I do not join cliques. Therefore, I am always the outsider. Nobody listens to the outsider. It’s all about the status quo.

    As I have said many times before, I love studying human behaviour, and BU is a great place to do that.

    Very instructive (and hilarious) is that NOT ONE OLD BOY cared (or dared) to acknowledge that your predictions of total collapse by January 1st, 2023 have NOT come to pass.

    Neither do they care to acknowledge that our country was run almost into the ground while MEN were dominating the scene, from 1966 to 2018! Indeed, that is precisely why we voted out Freundel, who is, to my knowledge, a man and Chris, also to my knowledge, a man.

    And if you think I have forgotten that YOU, Bushite, admitted that you too voted BLP in 2018, you have underestimated this elephant BIGLY! It was only once, and a passing comment, BUT I SAW IT!

    Of course, in deference to “The Sage”, not one rh old man will admit to having seen it.

    But Bushite, I know. You know. And I know you know I know.

    You see, I may not have the two saggy sacks that you seem to think are necessary to stand up to intimidation, but your admittedly superior eloquence could never faze me, even in person.

    You are the bringer of bullshit, the messenger of old men’s tales!

    Foul wind wrapped up in amusing turns of phrase.

    So far, only Artax has had “the balls” to tell you that. But he thinks with his brain and is not an old man. So…..

  32. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ Enuff
    Boss, ‘tiefin’ is probably the least offensive conclusion that any sane blogger could draw from this, and the many similar examples of gross idiocy that currently exemplifies the politics of Brassbados.

    The alternative possible conclusions are:
    1- Gross and persistent incompetence – even with simple issues of assembling jigsaw houses and accepting bribes from contractors.
    2- Collusion with the Monied and Materialistic (MAM) Demons among us to defraud Bajan taxpayers with Covid Vaccines and false HOPE..
    3- Unashamed brass bowlery of epic proportions, in areas such as eddykashun, housing, energy, ….everything.

    Bushie would suggest that tiefin represents the least offensive of them all…

    If NOT tiefin – then YOU tell us the correct alternative Enuff…

  33. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    @BT
    I pick #1.
    Incredible incompetence and total disregard for taxpayer money.
    Whomever did the costing should be fired.
    Ditto for those in planning.

    And what is this new trend of much being “unnamed” and redactions. Wasn’t a name East-West mentioned from the getgo? Or was that changed?
    The new CEO at the Horspittle names all his past employers on his LinkIn page, yet the announcement doesn’t name much. Check out that and report on any anomalies you find.

  34. David Avatar
    David

    One day coming soon.

  35. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    NOT DISAPPOINTED
    MORE LOCALS GET SKILLS, BETTER HOUSES TO BE AVAILABLE DESPITE TROUBLES IN HOUSING PROJECT
    By Shanna Moore
    Despite huge cost overruns and lengthy setbacks in the building of steel housing units for residents displaced by Hurricane Elsa in 2021, Minister of Housing Dwight Sutherland on Friday defended the project.
    “Indeed, there were some errors. We are not perfect,” he told journalists in Haggatt Hall, St Michael at one of several sites expected to house 150 steel-frame units as part of a relocation exercise.
    In a Special Audit Report of the project for the Acquisition and Assembly of Steel Housing Units, executed by a company called East West Building Solutions (Barbados) Inc. under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing, The 54-page report, laid in Parliament on March 28, revealed that as at February 2024, the timeline for completion of the construction of 150 steel-framed houses, brought from China, was significantly exceeded. It said based on the information provided by the Ministry of Housing on October 26, 2023, only 22 houses were completed, and anticipated that on completion, the project “would have incurred major cost overruns with the estimated budget increasing by $23.64 to approximately $52.72 million”.
    But Sutherland told reporters today that even as the project’s budget ballooned, the initiative provided invaluable training opportunities for the Barbadian workforce.
    “Our main goal was to get displaced Barbadians back in their homes, resilient homes, as soon as humanly possible.
    In hindsight, we can accept that some of these [setbacks] should’ve been factored in… [but] I am not disappointed in this project. The reality is we have trained our local people,” he said, pointing to project securing only 15 Chinese workers as a hurdle.
    The housing minister revealed that between 80 and 90 Barbadians have been equipped with the steel-frame building skills to erect 61 of the 150 steel-framed houses with the remaining 89 units to be completed within this financial year that began on April 1.
    Of the remaining houses, 36 are to be located at Bullens, St James, 16 at Sargeants Village, Christ Church, 14 at RiverCrescent, St Philip and 23 at Todds, St George.
    “These artisans have been retained by East West, together with a number of small sub-contractors whose workers now also have the skills to install this type of housing solution.
    This also means that these funds are being paid to Barbadians working on the project,” he added.
    Addressing the delays and budget escalation, the minister blamed those on an adjustment in the scope of work and unplanned labour costs.
    “Initially, infrastructural development such as roads and the installation of electricity was not included in the original cost of the project as it was expected that this work would have been executed by the National Housing Corporation from the Corporation’s budget. However, to accelerate the project by developing six sites for 113 of the houses, a change in the scope of the project saw the ministry taking over this process at an estimated cost of $5 068 051. This was not part of the original project,” he said.
    Sutherland added that the original budget omitted infrastructural costs under the assumption that 74 of the 150 houses to be built by East West, would be located on existing, fully serviced and developed house spots that would replace the houses damaged by Hurricane Elsa.
    “This meant that no infrastructural development would have been required. The remaining units were to be made up of 36 quad and 40 duplex units and were to be placed on lands under the control of the NHC,” he said.
    But, according to him, unforeseen legal complications necessitated new locations, leading to unanticipated expenses totalling another $4 369 586 due to increased construction material costs and additional requirements for security and sanitation.
    The housing minister shared that due to the urgency of the project, labour costs also became a major impacting factor.
    “Initially the decision was made to utilise Chinese labour.
    Firstly, Chinese costs were four times lower but, significantly, the Chinese also possessed the expertise to erect this new housing solution to the island. The ministry’s idea and intention was that during the building phase, Barbadians would train and work with the Chinese to become familiar with the building systems and techniques being used, resulting in a transfer of knowledge to Bajans,” he said revealing that this plan failed due to the inability to secure transit visas for the workers to get to Barbados.
    The government, according to Sutherland, was then forced to utilise local labour, resulting in another significantly higher cost of approximately $9 732 570. shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb

  36. David Avatar
    David

    The point he (Sutherland, Duguid and government) is missing, the current state of affairs was as predictable as night coming. Anyone with common sense knew that clearing title to land is a tedious process even for government to start which would have compromised the aggressive delivery dates for the steel houses. To name one factor.

  37. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    The good news is the GoB is neither ducking nor questioning the Aud Gen report.
    The spin….nuff small local artisans got work and training.

    Still confused why hurricane resilient structures don’t have underground wires.

  38. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    The other point, is the omissions or miscalculations which led to the cost overruns aren’t finished. Every additional structure will incur these, whether it be foundations, infrastructure, materials or labour.

  39. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David

    “Anyone with common sense knew that clearing title to land is a tedious process even for government to start which would have compromised the aggressive delivery dates for the steel houses. To name one factor.”

    Are you saying they should have abandoned these lots and included the cost of new sites and services from the outset? Or at least mentioned it as the contingency plan?

  40. The OG Avatar
    The OG

    @enuff
    It is a bit late to be seeking advice. Why didn’t you ask before you began?

    When a man steps to a podium and list about 20 points of weakness, then you know no real planning was done.

    Common sense tells me that there is no way an administration can make so many mistakes. The only thing they are successful at are giving and receiving checks.

  41. David Avatar
    David

    @Enuff

    A better plan was to use those emergency powers the government exercised and collaborate with BAPE and other local players to rollout hurricane shelters for victims.

  42. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David
    So build hurricane shelters…..ok. Here I was thinking that the short-term issue of temporary housing was addressed by government through private rental.

  43. David Avatar
    David

    @Enuff

    Hurricane shelters i.e. houses, a modern day version of what was done post Janet. Don’t get picky.

  44. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    You shouldn’t take your eyes off what the issue is, your government has tried to get ahead by requesting a special audit. Stay focused!

  45. David Avatar
    David

    Call to remove Minister of Housing

    THE DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) is calling for the removal of Minister of Housing Dwight Sutherland, following his recent explanations for the millions in cost overruns in constructing Chinese steel houses.

    DLP shadow minister of housing Bertnul Ricardo Harrison said Sutherland’s suggestion that the $23.64 million flagged by the Auditor General was not a mismanagement of public funds, was enough grounds for Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to relieve him of duty.

    He told the DAILY NATION the explanations of the inability to secure transit visas for Chinese workers, as well as increased costs due to global procurement issues, were nothing more than “lame duck excuses”.

    “I think that the entire Mottley Government should be held accountable for the nonsense spoken by the Minister of Housing. How can you say that an excessive cost overrun of $23.64 million was worthwhile? This is unheard of in Barbados politics and the Minister of Housing should be asked to resign immediately. This is the most unconscionable . . . statement coming from that minister thus far,” Harrison said.

    Speaking at a press conference at Haggatt Hall, St Michael last Friday at the site where some of the houses were constructed, Sutherland said that despite the challenges, the Chinese steel houses were still the best option.

    “We wanted to give Barbadians options at the time. We said that this was the most economical option. In every disappointment is a blessing. I am not disappointed in this project, some are. The reality is, we have trained our local people, at least 90 of them trained in installing these houses. We only had 15 Chinese here as a result of the challenges with getting those transit visas. Barbadians were able to erect and install those 61 houses,” he said then.

    However, Harrison argued that the minister’s explanations were not good enough.

    “Government controls all entry and exit to Barbados. Government can get visas for 67 people to Dubai, yet you are telling me that Government could not get a few visas to bring Chinese here to build houses for poor workingclass Barbadians?

    “Those are all lame duck excuses. Those steel houses have been around since the days of Senior Minister William Duguid. Therefore, all the intangibles and necessary paperwork should have been done since that time. So, in my mind, those are silly excuses coming from a minister and they should be of no comfort to Barbadians,” he added.

    Sutherland also explained that the overruns flagged by the Auditor General were due to several external factors beyond the control of his ministry. However, he acknowledged that some mistakes were made as it related to due diligence on the project.

    He said that initially it was anticipated 74 of the houses would be built on lands with fully developed and serviced house spots. This meant that no infrastructural development would have been required.

    However, he pointed out that legal and other issues resulted in the relocation from the original Hurricane Elsa- impacted sites, to new sites which required earthworks and other infrastructural costs. He also revealed that the cost of labour went up fourfold due to the unavailability of the Chinese expertise. (CLM)

    Source: Nation

  46. David Avatar
    David

    No wishing away housing furore

    WHEN MINISTERS OF GOVERNMENT in Barbados are in full control of matters under their portfolios, it is best exemplified by the pride displayed particularly during parliamentary debates with chest-thumping.

    However, if things go wrong, that fundamental principle of ministerial responsibility under the parliamentary system we follow is seldom adhered to in its strictest interpretation.

    Undeniably, we accept that individual ministerial accountability is based on precedent and convention, but not set out in law.

    Still, neither an individual minister nor administration should ignore the voice of the people when raised in relation to controversial issues. Glossing over their dissatisfaction and pointing instead to previous transgressions is not an appropriate answer.

    There is a raging debate in Barbados today relating to the controversial Chinese steel house project which the Minister of Housing and Lands Dwight Sutherland cannot wish away. Both the cost overrun and the missed deadlines for this project should be a major embarrassment to the minister and the Mia Amor Mottley administration.

    To lay blame on ineffective due diligence of the project further exposes other deficiencies, including whether there was a project manager for the overall venture. It is not too late for the minister to say if timely reports were prepared and presented and if not, why.

    There will be little comfort in the minister’s affirmation that there was no mismanagement of public funds in this project because there were still costly errors.

    Sutherland and the Government should reflect on the public outcry against the Chinese steel house project even before it started. While there was an urgency to get housing for people affected by Hurricane Elsa in July 2021, there was always opposition to a project which many Barbadians felt could have been undertaken by local workers and contractors, who have had the proven, tested and trusted experience.

    The public will judge the exercise and come to its own conclusions.

    Given all that has transpired, Sutherland should have followed his Barbados Labour Party’s 2018 manifesto which, under its Covenant of Hope, speaks of its stand on good and transparent governance. He should have fulfilled this promise by giving regular updates rather than having to respond to the Auditor General’s scathing report which was first highlighted in the SUNDAY SUN of last week.

    The housing minister’s performance is going to be critically examined by a discerning public given the spotlight already on the very controversial HOPE housing project, into which the Prime Minister said there will be an investigation.

    While she has not indicated when and by whom such an investigation will be undertaken, we recommend that it be a forensic audit which would generally satisfy the public.

    It is also important that newly appointed Leader of the Opposition, Ralph Thorne, consider raising oral questions on these matters at the next sitting of the House of Assembly.

    Both the Chinese steel houses and the HOPE projects are major issues. They can potentially damage the administration’s reputation and sap public confidence. There must be no deflection of attention from these serious matters.

    There will be little comfort in the minister’s affirmation that there was no mismanagement of public funds in this project because there were still costly errors.

    Source: Nation

  47. David Avatar
    David

    ‘Not disappointed’?

    Mr Sutherland, surely you can’t be serious?
    I read this article about the steel frame homes project and became very disheartened. My initial response is one word; “Wow”! Forgive me for being blunt, but to almost double the cost of this project in this manner is astonishingly bad management. Some years ago, I spent some time in construction project management as a client-side project manager building schools. Certified to PRINCE2 Practitioner standard, I learnt that there is usually a project board – the owner/controller of the project, if you will. Then you may have a project director and certainly a project manager. These two actors are in close communication with each other and the project board, along with stakeholders from the supply side. I have found there can be one single point of failure in any construction project: a project director who does not understand the requirements of a project.It ought to be well understood by anybody operating in the built environment that any project should go through the basic steps, summarised as planning & development, design, preconstruction, procurement and construction. The project must be fully costed on a stage-by-stage basis, based on properly conceived objectives and well-designed project plans which achieve those objectives.In that planning stage, due diligence is carried out, risks are considered and weighed, timelines are set. Before execution, you know your costs and include an amount for contingencies (risk management). Once that process is underway, the project will reach a level of cost certainty. Then you arrive at a go/no-go decision point. In essence, you have to get the basics right before you commit. Why do you do this? To avoid costly mistakes!
    No project should be executed until these basic steps have been completed. That’s the Ministry of Housing’s job, as the project owner. When the project is underway, regular project board meetings should be convened to ensure that all the project risks (the known unknowns, so to speak) have been understood and managed and the project timeline is still valid and on budget. If I have understood this article correctly, in summary, [Minister of Housing Dwight] Sutherland fully admits what in project management terms are costly mistakes; i.e. (notwithstanding this country’s partnership with China) not properly planning for labour acquisition, labour costs, labour skills and requirements (quite a significant factor in any construction project, one would think). Additionally, not contemplating the need for roads and electricity being required because they didn’t talk to their stakeholders and comrades in the NHC, plus not even properly planning where 74 houses were going to be built. And they failed to understand the full legal implications of the project.So, I can’t help but direct my remarks to the minister. Three years into a four-month project and the displaced persons are still displaced. I suggest that is because execution was done on a wing and a prayer. Prayer can be good but hope is not a strategy.Notwithstanding that, Mr Sutherland’s astounding admission is, he is “not disappointed”, and quite remarkably feels able to justify that to the nation. That a self-imposed tribute is uttered in the same breath as justifying the 95 per cent overspend of taxpayers’ money and leaving displaced persons, well, displaced, three years later, is very disheartening (to put it very mildly). I imagine the displaced persons would take a stronger view. Lack of foresight, bad planning, poor communication and assumptions result in failure. That is the common denominator here. What politicians can so easily forget is the people that often suffer in these situations are not the well-paid ministers and other staff; it’s usually the citizens of this country. A phrase often used since 2002 – much loved by politicians and earning the respect of society for the man who said it – is that Barbados “punches far above its weight” (in the global community). Mr Sutherland, in 2024, can I respectfully ask, is this how it’s done? In my opinion, we must do considerably better. Perhaps a good start would be to make a bad situation slightly better by learning to say “I’m sorry”? An attempt to justify the unjustifiable only makes matters worse. It’s not about whether or not you are “perfect” or imperfect, as you infer. No matter how well intentioned, it’s about doing right! Contrary to your own assertion, “the reality is” twice as much taxpayers’ money is being spent on a poorly conceived and – much worse – executed project; and, more importantly, the homes are nowhere near completed! If, as politicians and ministers, you wear our flag in your hearts then live by it; have some pride and, for that matter, humility. It’s the people that suffer when politicians get it wrong. I believe better will come. Just an opinion.

    Steve Prescott, Employment Legal Consultant & Trained Project Manager

    Source: BT

  48. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    First thing is that Southerland should really just keep his damn mouth shut. He probably does indeed know very little about the project, and has OBVIOUSLY been just put there to be made a fool of …in his ignorance.
    After all it was the dentist who conceptualized and executed this scam, and who defied professional, industry and social admonitions about the obvious idiocy of the plan, and pushed ahead with it.

    How is it that HE gets to ‘DoShiite’ so often, and then we see other stooges making fools of themselves – while trying to clean up HIS mess?
    The Licensing Authority also comes to mind….

    What a place!!!
    what a mess!!

  49. David Avatar
    David

    @ Bush Tea

    The same thought coursed through the blogmaster’s mind. Imagine his government felt so embarrassed that it ordered a special audit and these idiots taking us as stupid by defending the indefensible. They are always so cavalier spending taxpayers money. Tired already.

  50. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    There will be another Cabinet shuffle. The PM does not fire ministers.

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