Tag Archives: Bajan News

Numbers Don’t Lie. People do!

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We apologize to Walter Blackman for picking up his submission several days late – David

Walter Blackman

Walter Blackman

His silver hairs will purchase us a good opinion, and buy men’s voices to commend our deeds.

William Shakespeare: Julius Caesar

I make reference to a Nation News article dated November 4, 2013, entitled “Numbers don’t lie” and written by Sanka Price. In that article, Mr. Erskine Griffith is highlighted as a top‐level civil servant who served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance under six Ministers of Finance and five Prime Ministers, dating back from his appointment to the post under Tom Adams to Owen Arthur, under whom he retired as the Director of Finance and Head of the Civil Service in 2000.

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Donville Inniss Says UWI Tuition Fees Must Stay

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Submitted by Anthony Davis
Donville Inniss - Minister of Commerce, and International Business

Donville Inniss – Minister of Commerce, and International Business

“The Freundel Stuart administration says it is sticking to its guns to make Barbadian students at the University of the West Indies start pulling their pockets for tuition fees from next year even though welcoming a new private sector fund to bail out those who cannot afford to pay…The firm position was taken today by Minister of Commerce, and International Business, Donville Inniss, while launching a new charity known as Global Education Scholastic Trust…Inniss said the Government had done the right thing in the circumstances of the economic climate, and would carry through with it…It is not easy for me as a politician that would have taken in recent debates to reduce fees at UWI with effect from 2014, but it is one of those things we felt we had to do, and we stand by that decision.”

What else can one expect from an uncaring Government, whose scions – and probably their scions’ scions – have had a free education at the UWI Cave Hill Campus? The motto of this Government is now “after me the deluge”! Is this the same Government that Minister Blackett called people-centred? I guess he means centred around the 16 DLP Government MPs, but night runs till day catches it!

Minister Inniss can spare us his crocodile tears!

You do not have money for our students at UWI Cave Hill, nor for the QEH, but you have millions of dollars in waivers – including one for food and beverage which no hotel has had before – to throw at a multi-millionaire named “Butch” Stewart, although he took over a hotel here and promised to develop and refurbish it so that Barbadians could get work, but absconded leaving it to moulder and the iron in it to rust! This left those who had hopes of getting a job there up the creek without a paddle! “Is that “the right thing in the circumstances of the economic climate”, Minister Inniss?

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Government MUST be Transparent About the Waste to Energy Plant

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Minister of the Environment, Denis Lowe,

Minister of the Environment, Denis Lowe,

Where is the transparency? Two letters to the Minister of Environment Denis Lowe and a full page in September have not even garnered a response from the government. Is this government serious about open government?

Thus can you post the above article from Dr David Suzuki who the Future Centre Trust is hoping along with Nature Conservancy and Greenpeace to  ask for support? Thanks in advance on behalf of the other Environmental NGO’s

Kammie Holder, Advocacy Director, Future Centre Trust

Many urban areas have built or are considering building waste-incineration facilities to generate energy. At first glance, it seems like a win-win. You get rid of “garbage” and acquire a new energy source with fuel that’s almost free. But it’s a problematic solution, and a complicated issue.

Metro Vancouver has a facility in Burnaby and is planning to build another, and Toronto is also looking at the technology, which has been used elsewhere in the region, with a plant in Brampton and another under construction in Clarington. The practice is especially popular in the European Union, where countries including Sweden and Germany now have to import waste to fuel their generators.

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Response to JAMAICA GLEANER: EDITORIAL – Barbadian Press Blunder

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Submitted by Fair Play
The Gleaner said to have "fraternal relations" with the Nation newspaper.

The Gleaner said to have “fraternal relations” with the Nation newspaper.

Yesterday, The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper rushed to the defence and support of the Nation newspaper, with which, by its own admission, it has “fraternal relations”. However, right thinking Barbadians, as well as those knowledgeable Jamaicans living here, should point out to the Gleaner that, unlike some other countries – that will remain nameless – the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Barbados is a strictly independent one. So, to raise the bogeyman of political interference is total poppycock, and does not befit a reputable newspaper as The Gleaner. Wrong is wrong, regardless of who does it. Enough said on that score.

Now, the same Gleaner newspaper ought to remember that, just a few decades ago, one of its outstanding editors, the late J C Proute, warned its readers against such lecherous and off-colour reporting.  In one of his weekly columns, and subsequently during a guest lecture at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) in 1980, JC termed such acts “journalistic gaucherie”.

The Gleaner’s spurious argument that “the faces of the minors engaged in the sexual act (were) blurred and unrecognisable”, hence it was ok to publish the picture, is nonsensical. The salient point is that photo was accompanied by (juxtaposed against) the most graphic, detailed and explicit account of the sex act. Nothing was left to the imagination. PLAIN PORNOGRAPHY!

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Please Teacher Darling

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Caswell Franklyn, Head of Unity Workers Union

Caswell Franklyn, Head of Unity Workers Union

Barbadians have proven once again that we live in a society where the vast majority of us prefer to bury our heads in the sand. The furore, created by the publication of a story about two school children having sex at school, has given me the impression that too many people preferred not to find out about this in a public forum. That would have allowed them to continue to delude themselves that all is well in our schools.

I must admit that the Nation could have been a bit more restrained in its delivery of the story. But I believe that it is high time that the decadence that is being nurtured, in our schools, is exposed. When children go to school, they ought not to be exposed to illicit sexual behaviour, either as a participant or spectator. Unfortunately, when instances of serious bad behaviour are discovered, the authorities go into cover up mode ostensibly to protect the good name of the school. It would appear that little thought is given to the welfare of the affected children or the law when they investigate and deal with school-based child sexual abuse and other crimes.

Over the years, there have been many reports of little school girls being introduced to sex far too early by their teachers. The method of dealing with these matters vary, but in most cases, the perpetrators get away with a slap on the wrist, and are allowed to continue their activity until they are caught again or retired.

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More Action at a Secondary School

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Hon Ronald Jones, Minister of Education

Hon Ronald Jones, Minister of Education

Coming in the wake of the classroom sex video BU is looking into another matter at Princess Margaret School. It appears a teacher was beaten by a school boy and fainted from the experience. What is alarming is that other teachers who were present were scared shitless to offer assistance to a fallen comrade.

It is not surprising we are told that the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has been slow to take action and the BSTU as is the norm is being ignored. Can we expect the Ministry of Education to take action? What about the embattled Minister of Education?

Beware of Streets Lined with Gold

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Submitted by Old Onions Bag
Paradise Development rumoured to being sold for a parayer.

Paradise Development in limbo

When people don’t make use of their history, they are bound to repeat mistakes. Recall the Battle of Waterloo, think for one moment how Napoleon would fall for a similar Wellington’s ploy of deception, and engage a third of his French infantry on a pedestrian bridge that led to nowhere? Obviously not, once bitten twice shy. We should always learn from our mistakes or we doomed to repeat them. The great Napoleon would.

Recall another famous general Hannibal,… think he would ever consider marching his army of ten million elephants and men, into the Alps in the near winter months regardless how lucrative the potential outcome? Doubtful indeed. We have  the Greeks and the Trojan Horse, yet another to proffer. History is loaded with great men falling to mistakes while reaching for superior possibilities. Less we forget “All that glitters is not gold, often is the weary traveller told.”

We all  at sometime make mistakes (to err is human), but we should at all cost avoid repeating them regardless of circumstance, no matter the potential outcomes. Beware of bearers of fine gifts, remember the dog and the bone. A bird in hand is worth three in the bush. The people of Black Rock and its echelons would surely sanctify that, as for them while streets promised were to be paved with gold… Paradise Lost was never re-found, all left was a debauched Four Seasons. A real bad omen that, when a leprechaun smell can be sniffed back to one man.

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Albert ‘Tank’ Williams the Legend

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Albert “Tank” Williams   Photo Credit: Bajan Reporter

Albert “Tank” Williams   Photo Credit: Bajan Reporter

The funeral of Albert “Tank” Williams was today. “Tank” as he was known as, was formerly headmaster of Harrison College for many years, after having been a teacher there for many more years. Tank was also the brother of former chief justice Sir Denys Williams and of former justice of appeal Colin Williams and of former Barbados High Commissioner Monty Williams.

The Williams family, one of the greatest legal families in the Caribbean, was also inextricably linked to the equally legally and scholastically illustrious Marshall family, of which Sir Roy Marshall is a member, along with his sister, Monty Williams’ widow, Dorothy Williams, who Bajans of all walks of life know with deep affection as “Aunt Doro”, a leading lawyer and privy councillor. Also, there was classics scholar and teacher Winston Marshall, who was also a teaching colleague of Tank at Harrison College.

With the passing of Tank, so too an era has passed and BU remembers him with affection through amusing anecdotes. After all, Tank was a man of humour, including about himself. So, it is fitting that through humour we remember him.

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The CHALLENGE of Building a Home When You are POOR

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Submitted by Ras Jahaziel
A home modest or otherwise is a man's castle - credit: Nation newspaper

A home modest or otherwise is a man’s castle – photo credit: Nation newspaper

Think about what it takes to build or fix a home when you are a low income family? and then against this background think about the severity of THE CRIME when you deliberately tear down and destroy a poor man’s house, and the chances of his ever being able to build one again.

See ARTICLE in Nation newspaper

Police Service Commission Should Have Passed Darwin Dottin’s File to the Director of Public Prosecutions to Seek His Arrest

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Former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin

Former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin

The top story of the week stoked by the local media is that a newspaper snagged a video which was circulating on Facebook for over a month and posted a blurred image of two teens having sex in a classroom full in the knowledge they were being video recorded. BU has no doubt the public outcry provoked by this incident like all the others before will pass with nothing material done to address the factors at the root of juvenile and parental delinquency in our society. It must be said that the newspaper at the centre of the incident must have experienced a spike in sales.

This is one week  since the Police Service Commission Report to Retire Commissioner Darwin Dottin was released by BU and ignored by traditional media. How can anyone take the local media and the bevy of talk show hosts seriously when in one breath they pontificate about the moral issue emanating from the sex video, and rightly so, but ignore an issue which attacks a key plank in our governance system.  What separates Barbados from the rest has been our ability to maintain law and order on our little island. Despite all of our challenges Barbadians have always prided themselves in being a peaceful and law abiding nation.

While Barbados was consumed this week by the sex video saga the global media reacted to news that the USA (Big Brother) hacked the phones of prominent persons across the globe. All part of adhering to national security. And in Britain there was the news that the long awaited trial of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson is set to begin, a case where two journalists are alleged to have hacked the phone records of members of parliament, members of the royal family and others – Phone hacking: Court told of tabloids’ ‘decade of deceit.

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Nation Newspaper Exploits Children in Need of Help

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Submitted by The Mahogany Coconut Think Tank/Watchdog Group
Vivian Anne Gittens: Publisher of the Nation Newspaper

Vivian Anne Gittens: Publisher of the Nation Newspaper

The publishing by the Nation Newspaper of Barbados, of two minors engaging in sexual activity, is a violent violation of the Convention of Rights of Children (CRC) as outlined by UNICEF of which the country of Barbados is a signatory. It is clearly pointed out within the CRC, that children have rights and privileges of adults. They are not the property of their parents or their schools but are equal to adults.

The photo carried on the back page of the Sunday Sun, was a very voracious grab at sensationalism and the public is correct in its outrage. Whether we condone under aged children having sex is irrelevant and the nation must know that in a small country such as Barbados, the children’s identities cannot be hidden.

The Mahogany Coconut Group calls on the greedy predators at the Nation Newspaper to desist from exploiting our Caribbean children with immediate effect .

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Sandals Almond Chronology II

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Submitted by Due Diligence
Lee Issa, Chairman of the House of Issa

Lee Issa, Chairman of the House of Issa

In July 2012 ARI/N&M sold Almond Beach Club, to Fairweather Holding Co., which operates Elite Island Resorts  for $33 million, the proceeds of which was used to pay down bank debt that had been incurred to keep ARI afloat.

It is not clear who owns/controls Fairweather/Elite, January 4, 2013, the Jamaica Gleaner reports that Couples is finalizing negotiations to purchase Casuarina.

“Couples Resorts is finalising a deal to acquire a hotel in Barbados, making it the first Jamaican resort group to venture into that market. It’s also Couples’ first venture outside of its home market. Couples chief executive officer, Glenn Lawrence, confirmed plans on Wednesday to purchase the 280-room Almond Casuarina Beach (ACB) Club in the eastern Caribbean island. “We are involved in firm negotiations,” said Lawrence, adding that the deal was expected to conclude on or before January 31, at which time more details would be forthcoming.”

For undisclosed reasons, Couples did not purchase the property; but January 29, 2013, announced it had agreed to manage Casuarina (it turns out) under a lease.

In an article in the Trinidad Guardian about N&M dated May 22, 2013, included “The group continues to unwind its hotel properties. The Jamaican-based Couples Hotels have leased Almond Casuarina Beach; the lessee has an option either to acquire the hotel by September 30, 2013, or enter into a long-term lease arrangement.

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Transport Board Needs to Get its Act Together

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Submitted by Nopolean Bonaparte
Michael Lashley, Minister of Transport

Michael Lashley, Minister of Transport

Have you tried catching a Transport Board bus lately? It is bare horrors. Should you be so unlucky as to have to rely on one of these buses as a means of getting to and fro, you would understand what commuters are experiencing daily. These buses are never on time whether you are in the terminal or en route there. Punctuality was lacking before to say the least, but nowadays it has reached a new low. We are talking about an hour or more in some rural communities like Sugar Hill, half an hour and beyond for the suburban.

What makes matters worse, is to see drivers engaged in games of dominoes at times with as many as six buses lying there just parked. It is alleged that the Minister had once made a surprise visit on hearing of these reports and saw for himself the goings on. We hearing that there are not enough buses as many are down and in need of repairs, however, one becomes more perplexed seeing buses traveling empty at peak hours and knowing that some communities cannot get one.

Could it be a scheduling problem then, whereas a time study is needed encompassing peak hours of traffic and the re-engaging of the ‘spy’ inspector, who used to be the Board’s man on the ground?  Most definitely it would be a better use of monies than paying chauffeurs to be driving up and down empty buses. The obvious fallout of all this, commuters have no choice but to travel unsafely on uninsured minibuses. Could this be an intentional ploy, as it is alleged some bus drivers have interest in minibuses?  More than the mortar in the pestle and definitely worthy of an investigation, after all, it is we the taxpayers monies being duped.

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Sheer PORNOGRAPHY In SUN On SATURDAY!

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Submitted by Keep It Real   (and clean)
Roy Morris - Editor in Chief Nation Newspaper

Roy Morris – Editor in Chief, Nation Newspaper

I am waiting with bated breath to Emoji see a page-one comment from either the Publisher or the Editor in Chief of the Nation newspaper denouncing, in the strongest possible terms, its own journalistic faux-pas     (I am being kind) committed in today’s Sun on Saturday.

None of us, not even the most perverted person, would have expected that that tabloid would have sunk further into the depths of depravity and lewdness, especially after the recent appointment of  “people of impeccable character”.

Perhaps, such erotic journalism  can be easily explained-away since many in society, including some people in our most noble professions, have had to wrestle with their own amoral feelings, as they try to overcome an obsessive propensity for pornography and predatory exploits, while simultaneously fighting the said sexual appetite and their rapaciously  philandering demons.

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BARBADOS MEDIA IGNORES RELEASE OF POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION REPORT: PSC Report Recommended the Retirement of Commissioner Darwin Dottin

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psc

Read the Recommendation of the Police Service Commission to retire former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin – Read it and weep!

 

 

Sandals Almond Chronology

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Hotel mogul Butch Stewart

Hotel mogul Butch Stewart

The Barbados government recently announced that it has signed an MOU with Butch Stewart’s Sandals to manage the former Almond Beach Village property.  BU family member Due Diligence has submitted the following research to inform debate.

Neal and Massey buys control of BS&T in 2008, and by 2012 has acquired all the shares of BS&T; and in May 2012 had the shares BS&T delisted.

“Neal and Massy Holdings Ltd’s (N&M) request to have its Barbados Shipping & Trading Company Ltd (BS&T) delisted from the T&T Stock Exchange (TTSE) was made as a result of the T&T-based conglomerate acquiring all 100 per cent of its shares. So said Gervase Warner, chief executive officer, N&M Group. “Last September we made an offer to the BS&T shareholders for the rest of the outstanding shares, and now that BS&T is 100 per cent owned by Neal and Massy, it becomes a subsidiary of Neal and Massy. “Now that we acquired all of the outstanding shares of BS&T…there was no opportunity for anyone to trade shares anymore.” BS&T’s delisting means change, Warner said. “What you can expect is that Neal and Massy would be a little more prominent in Barbados than it has been in the past. We will continue to respect the fact that BS&T has a long history and heritage in Barbados. “It is 100 per cent-owned by Neal and Massy, the parent company, there are no organisational changes above and beyond what we have already done.”

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Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler Reacts to Criticism on the Eve of No Confidence Motion

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Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler

Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler

Yesterday [21/10/2013] David Ellis of Voice of Barbados shared audio of Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler [MoF] and Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley. BU finds the audio interesting because of the comments which the MoF directed at David Ellis, Dennis Johnson, Corey Layne and Netafari Caddle in their role as talk show hosts. Listen and be the judge, justified you think?

Although the focus today [22/10/2013] is expected to be on a motion of No Confidence brought by the Opposition against the MoF the broadside by the MoF on the media should be of concern. At a time when the country should be fixated on finding ways to surmount the economic challenges this is where we find ourselves. Is it not interesting both political parties eventually become confrontational with the media?

Listen to the MoF’s comment followed by the Leader of the Opposition

Barbados Labour Party to File Motion of No Confidence in Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler

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Mia Mottley, Leader of the Opposition to file motion of no confidence against Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler - CLICK on image to listen to press conference

Mia Mottley, Leader of the Opposition to file motion of No Confidence against Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler – CLICK on image to listen to press conference

International Monetary Fund Gives Barbados Bleak 2014 Forecast

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The opinion of IMF is as an influential player cannot be ignored in austere times.

The opinion of IMF as an influential player cannot be ignored in austere times.

We use to hear the objective was to build a society. However it has become all about the economy in recent months. Click on the image above to read the latest International Monetary Fund projection for the Latin America and Caribbean region.

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EMERA's Barbados Light & Power Company To Apply for a Hike in Rate Soon

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EMERA Caribbean President Sarah MacDonald

EMERA Caribbean President Sarah MacDonald

EMERA Caribbean President Sarah MacDonald has signalled that the company will be applying to the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) for a rate increase in the near future. The Canadian owner of Barbados’ sole electricity generation and distribution company intends to build a 60 megawatt power generation plant.  We have been told that the current plant is old and inefficient. The bad news is that consumers are likely see their base rate move up BUT with anticipated improvement in operating efficiency the fuel adjustment should move down giving users a net benefit.

And in related news.

The FTC has completed its review of the best method the Barbados Light & Power must calculate the Fuel Adjustment Clause (FAC). The recommendation from the consultant and accepted by the FTC is that the BL&P will have to use its historical cost of fuel and NOT projected cost when administering the FCA.

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Notes From a Native Son: Desperate Youths are Resorting to Shoot-outs as they Battle to Survive

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Hal Austin

Hal Austin

Introduction:
Barbados is becoming like a war zone, with reports of shootings almost everyday by reckless and underemployed young men (they are almost always men). It is now taking on the characteristics of West Kingston in the mid-1970s when a surplus of arms fuelled the resentment of gangsters affiliated to the two dominant political parties. This aspect of Caribbean shootings has not yet raised its ugly head in Barbados, nor has the savagery of the murderous gangsters in Trinidad, although the choke and rob muggers of Guyana has been adopted by some Barbadian youths. In all this, the apparatus of law and order seems helpless, apart from a demand to better arm the policy and the unopposed willingness to put the Defence force on the streets and parading some of the West Coast beaches. It is a development that will eventually end in tears.

Causation:
Crime and punishment is one of those subjects that have been raising people’s blood pressure since Adam and Eve. From the church to every man and woman at the street corner, we all have explanations for the break down in law and order. Those opposed to the drift in to a more repressive society (see: Stuart Hall: Drifting in to a Law and Order Society) are frequently forced to ask: whose law, what order. However, crime causation is the issue that pre-occupies most criminologists and criminal justice workers.

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Political Messiah Needed to Infuse Confidence

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Fisher, managing director of Institutional Emerging Markets Sales at Oppenheimer & Company

Fisher, managing director of Institutional Emerging Markets Sales at Oppenheimer & Company

“The likes of Aruba, The Bahamas, Bermuda and Trinidad are the most attractive issuers from the Caribbean, he said, while Panama and El Salvador are popular markets in Central America. Barbados, at one time, was among the list of most attractive issuers, but its economy has faltered since the 2008 world financial crisis.”

Read the full article in the  The Gleaner

The quote is attributed to Gregory Fisher, Managing Director of Institutional Emerging Markets Sales at Oppenheimer & Company. Oppenheimer for those who want to be assured of their credentials, is one of the leading investment banks in the world and has been around for 125 years.

And why have we focused on the Fisher comment?

Less than a week after the Caribbean Court of Justice delivered the Shanique Myrie decision which went against Barbados, we have a leading player in the global investment market making a comment which has made another big withdrawal from Barbados’ reputational capital. The fact the comment followed the withdrawal of a Tender Offer by the Barbados government less than two weeks ago because it was undersubscribed gives heavy credence to Fisher’s assessment.

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Victim of ATM Bank Fraud Ask Banks to be More Supportive

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BU has updated the following submission at the request of a BU family member who wishes to remain anonymous.

Horace Cobham, head of bankers association

Horace Cobham, head of bankers association

Why have none of the banks who had their ATM’s compromised over the weekend notified their customers in an official capacity  – whether it be a statement via media or using our contact details (phone or e-mail) – and give them some indication of when they will be getting their stolen monies back?

People are going to the bank themselves to report the matter, and we are given forms (a standard dispute form more or less) to fill out by a bank rep, and then we are being told to go to the police station to report the matter (which we did). The police are only able to take your complaint and tell you that the matter is being investigated.

Due to the number of people affected by this crime, a special customer service desk should be set up promptly at all the banks with one or more staff members (probably someone more senior than junior) to deal specifically and ONLY with this matter. It is almost like business as normal at the bank, you go in to report that your money was stolen and you more or less have to wait like everyone else. You have to deal with an overwhelmed customer services rep who is being bombarded with numerous complaints and doing the best he/she can to assist, but is obviously overwhelmed by the nature and capacity of it all (not their fault). Some people had virtually everything stolen and only have $20 left on their accounts.

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Tales from the Courts – Mars(ton) and Pluto Were Inside the Closet Part XVIII

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Justice Saunders opined that it was because Barbados judges were not scheduling their time properly.

Justice Saunders of the CCJ opined recently that  Barbados judges were not scheduling their time properly.

For some years now BU has been highlighting the issue of the almost terminal state of our justice system. We have been highlighting, among other things, the backlog of cases both before the High Court and the Court of Appeal, the complete inefficiency of the Registry with its loss of files and procrastination, the mess that is the Bar Association and the clear conflict between Bar Association enforced membership and the Constitution; but most importantly, we have been highlighting the quality of our judges, both at High Court and Appeal levels.

A very short while ago, attorneys-at-law from Barbados raised the issue of delays in both getting matters heard and in receiving the judgements on those matters with CCJ Justice Saunders at one open forum. Justice Saunders opined that it was because Barbados judges were not scheduling their time properly. Meanwhile, in another forum, CCJ President Sir Denis Byron advised that appeals to the CCJ from Barbados had risen by 350%.

Having read some of the CCJ decisions in right of Barbados, we have to say that Justice Saunders was being diplomatic, for these judgements do not censure delay alone, but the lack of quality of the judgements themselves, judgements that in any other jurisdiction would lead either to the judge being asked to resign or to his/her dismissal.

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Offshore Exposed (Looking at Loopholes in Barbados Canada Treaty)

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Submitted by Due Diligence
Giles Gosselin operates SG Global Consultants

Giles Gosselin operates SG Global Consultants

I often post on Barbados Underground about our [Barbados] lack off exposure in the Toronto media. Today I want to point out 17 minutes of media exposure Barbados got (October 2) on the Canadian National news program on CBC TV. The National is probably the most widely watched news program in Canada

The segment, named OFFSHORE EXPOSED, features a Canadian Lawyer, Giles Gosselin, who was formerly a lawyer at Canada Revenue Agency and now lives in Barbados and operates SG Global Consultants  and DGM Bank and Trust, whose directors include Canadian Phillip Armstrong, Senator Geoffrey Cave, C. Anthony Audain, Roger Cave and John Williams .  The segment can be seen (after brief commercials) on this WEBSITE or Google “Offshore Exposed”.

This is from  Ex-Revenue Canada lawyer advice how to hide money offshore on the WEBSITE.

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Minister Richard Sealy Must be Fired

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Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy

Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy

Let us have a look at the 10-point plan which the Minister of Tourism introduced to Barbadians in July 2013. BU invite feedback on those items which have been implemented as at 02 October 2013. We have been told that if government is to manage its programs to achieve a 400 million dollar reduction in the deficit, it must manage implementation of projects and enact necessary legislation with precision. Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart pushed his hand up to assure Barbadians that he will ensure timelines are met. Frankly, if two out of the 10-point Plan have been implemented we will be surprised.

We cannot continue to breed a culture where implementation deficit is a norm in Barbados. Of concern is that this culture has taken deep root at the ministry of tourism, our number one sector. BU will not bother to embarrass Minister Richard Sealy and his team by listing the many promises which he has reneged. Does anyone recall the Governor of the Central Bank suggesting that the final quarter of 2012 was make or break for Barbados if tourist receipts continue to decline?  We know how that story has ended. We have had 12 consecutive months of decline in tourist arrival,  it makes it a slam dunk for BU to ask for the resignation of Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy. However the overpowering reason why he must resign is that his ministry cannot implement.

Tourism And Hospitality Sector Ten Point Plan

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Minister Richard Sealy Promised Barbadians the Tourism Master Plan Will be Delivered by Midnight Tonight

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Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism

Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism

The compilation and research for this submission was done by BU family member Due Diligence with minor edits by BU.

The long-awaited Tourism Master Plan for Barbados is expected to be ready by September this year [2013] Saying he recognized the plan had been promised for a long time now, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy revealed to the annual general meeting – Barbados Today

The author joins with Barbadians who want to see a growing, profitable and sustainable tourism industry; I do not want to be negative; but I have to be blunt. As I see it, there is no way to sugar coat the current state of tourism in Barbados. Some time in 2010, the Government of Barbados (Ministry of Tourism) issued an Invitation for Expressions of Interest for the Development of a  Tourism Master Plan for Barbados for the Period 2012-2021. The Expressions of Interest were to be delivered not later than 4:30 pm on June 30, 2010.  Full details of the Invitation can be read here on the Barbados Tourism website. Also here is a Press Release which notified Barbadians and others about what to expect from the Tourism Master Plan.It is September 18, ( 3+ years after Expressions were to be tendered and 3 months after the Plan was to be completed). Unless I have missed it there is still no Barbados Tourism Master Plan which Minister Sealy announced in April would be completed by June (2013).

The Plan may, in fact, have been completed; but if so why has this open, transparent and full disclosure Government not released the completed Plan, if only to invite public discussion.  The Minister is reported to be in London [last month], doing what? at the taxpayers’ expense, while Rome burns. Even by Barbados government standards this is shocking.  If the Plan is not released and deemed to be viable, the IMF will supply a plan.

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Has the BWA Short-changed Barbadians After Benefiting from a 60% Rate Hike in 2009?

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The Late Hon. Prime Minister David Thompson

The Late Hon. Prime Minister David Thompson

Barbados Water Authority (BWA) acting senior engineer Stephen Lindo was in the news recently reminding Barbadians, yet again, that the BWA needs to source one billion dollars to fund the replacement of old infrastructure. Another point he made which should be of interest to Barbadians is that the government “would be approaching the IDB for money to buy a number of power generators, which are critical when there is an outage at the Barbados Light & Power Company.”  It is no secret that the BWA is 100% reliant on the Barbados Light & Power (BL&P) for power supply at a time when the Barbados government has articulated that building out alternative energy supply is a national priority. In fact the BWA is reported to use 3.6 million units of electricity each month which equates to approximately 4% of the total output of BL&P.

The press conference by Lindo reminded BU of the address which the late prime minister David Thompson delivered to all employees of the BWA in 2009 over four years ago. His address was made on the eve of the decision by his government to implement a rate hike of 60%. Although the hike became a hot political issue most Barbadians were resigned to the fact the BWA needed funds to improve its plant and customer service. However by now the same Barbadians  would have expected that since Thompson’s speech many deliverables promised would have been deep in the implementation stage.

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UWI GUILD Meeting Ends in TURMOIL

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Submitted by Guild Watchdog
(L-R) Guild President; Damani Parris, Law Rep; Daniel Davies, Guild Treasurer; Ital Spencer reviewing a student petition against paying tuition fees

(L-R) Guild President; Damani Parris, Law Rep; Daniel Davies, Guild Treasurer; Ital Spencer reviewing a student petition against paying tuition fees

While some University Students are worrying about the Governments new policy forcing them to pay tuition fees at The University of the West Indies. It was chaos and turmoil at The Roy Marshall Teaching Complex at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus on Thursday night; for the convening of a Guild Council Meeting when once-removed Treasurer of the Guild, Ital Spencer was the centre of contention and disruptive behaviour forcing University Security to end the meeting prematurely.

Mr. Spencer, who was also the Guild Treasurer on the previous Guild Council was accused of manipulating his authority to obtain absolute power and threatening other council officers. These accusations, which offend the Constitution of the Guild and the University’s Code of Ethics warranted him a trial of ‘No Confidence for Recall’ at the hands of the student population resulting in his removal last November.

Sources close to the Cave Hill Guild Council have stated Mr. Spencer dod not submit financial reports, has been accused and proven of using the students’ Guild funds for personal benefit, for example, a first class flight to Jamaica last UWI Games among other aggravated offenses. To this end, the President of the Guild, Mr. Damani Parris, has suspended Mr. Spencer pending another Special  Meeting of the Student Body to affect the removal of Mr. Spencer.

On Wednesday, 25th September, 2013 the majority membership of the student executive voted ‘No Confidence’ in Mr. Ital Spencer and have therefore recommended to the student population that he be removed.

Barbados Urgently Needs a Return to Economic Growth

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George C. Brathwaite, founder and interim president of BAJE

George C. Brathwaite, founder and interim president of BAJE

Chris Sinckler began his ‘2013 Budget’ [BU] presentation by relying upon what he called a ‘biblical injunction’ which was rummaged from the book of Ecclesiastes at chapter 3. To be quite honest, the entirety of Sinckler’s snatching away verses from the good book was unnecessary although coming from him, the brazen act was sufficiently provocative. I refuse to be prosecutor, judge and jury all at the same time. In this submission, the attempt is to lay bare the facts, substantiate claims made, and leave the verdict to those who have been whelmed by blows delivered by Sinckler, Sealy, Stuart, Boyce, Jones, and company.

Realistically, the pronouncements and policy measures that were articulated in and followed the 2013 budget gave the general public the ensuing sense and feelings of grave uncertainty. There has been a continuous and unrelenting slew of widespread confusion thrown to many different publics. Constantly is the cry that the Cabinet is inconsistent in its policy positions; and that it may largely be due to several Ministers being more in tune with spin and disguise that with forthrightness and Barrow’s traditions.

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Economist Ryan Straughn Sees the Need for More Barbadians to Understand How the Macroeconomy Works

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Economist Ryan Straughn

Economist Ryan Straughn

Arising from the blog  The Slide of the Barbados Economy: Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Numbers which utilized several graphs created by Economist Ryan Straughn, BU reached out to him via Facebook to get feedback on the several comments posted. Although he is not a fan of BU, to his credit, he offered the following perspective which provides food for thought.

I just spent the last 20 minutes wading through the post you sent. From what I gather from the contributions there seems to be a notion that either the data is corrupt or worse that I am corrupt. I can appreciate that a significant number of persons in Barbados genuinely don’t understand how the macroeconomy works in total and particularly how the public finances are affected or how it affects the system.

I must confess that I seldom read your blog because in my view it’s not a place for person truly seeking information and better understanding. I’m just a messenger but the message is in those charts for those who wishes to pay attention.

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Visitors to Barbados Get 'free' Spending Money

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Andrew Nehaul

Andrew Nehaul

The Telegraph Newspaper in the UK has an article called “Barbados visitors get ‘free’ spending money”.

Basically it states that the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) is giving vouchers for USD$150 – $ 200 person for stays up to Dec 21 to try to break the downward trend in arrivals to the island from this very important market. The idea is good as the money is spent in Barbados and thus does not affect the foreign reserves but there are two areas that should be considered.

1)The period is too short. The UK is traditionally not a short booking market. However, this will work if consumer advertising is put behind it to
entice those who can no longer go to Egypt and other Middle East areas due to the political problems. These vouchers should be available to all
local services – restaurants, car hire, tourism ancillary services etc.

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LIME Introduces Caribsurf Emailers to Googlemail

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Submitted by St.George’s Dragon

LIMELime appears to have made a botch of the transfer of their email system over to Googlemail. All users were mean to be transferred over to Googlemail as of 16th September (today) but everyone I talk to says their email is down.

Can anyone enlighten us as to what is happening and the extent of the problem?

The Slide of the Barbados Economy Part II: Astonishing Revelation in Central Bank Report

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Submitted by Inkwell

In my recent submission The Slide of the Barbados Economy: Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Numbers  highlighting the excessive spending of the government over the last five years, one of the questions I asked was “Where was the money spent and was it spent wisely? Further research produced the following chart which can be found at page 12 of the Central Bank June 2012 Press Release.

CLICK IMAGE

 

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UWI Fees Standing On Current Enrolled Barbadians Students

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Submitted by Politically Correct (to alert the President of the Guild of this vital information)
President of the Student's Guild, Damani Parris

President of the Student’s Guild, Damani Parris – photo credit:Nation newspaper

This letter is not to slander persons in the Ministry but merely to assist the Guild in fighting the sudden increase in fees for Barbadian students. I will explain how to address this legally below from paragraph 2. The Ministry of Education, Science Technology and Innovation is a puppet Ministry which is suffering at the hands of the International community because of Globalisation. This is a typical encroachment on our sovereignty as a Nation. Changing a name does not mean that you are in alignment with countries that truly have science, technology and innovation based research saving the country money, creating new jobs etc. Minister Ronald Jones is quoted in the advocate as saying “The State does not have money and that citizens must stop being selfish and depending on Government for the State has no money (ADVOCATE 13/9/2013)

Every country listed here in Canada, South Africa, Denmark, Finland and more. I draw to your attention the UWI HANDBOOK and REGULATIONS for each FACULTY, as the first set of evidence and the quality assurance agency in Barbados which promotes quality assurance in higher education for you to use in your arguments. We will now see the power of politics and the role it plays.

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Barbados Sports In Crisis

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Submitted by Wayne Cadogan (unedited)
Ryan Brathwaite
Obadele Thompson

Five years ago, I wanted to write this article giving an in depth analysis of the various sports programs on the island and my opinion on why I thought that we were being stagnated and not going forward, and this goes for most things in Barbados. Barbados sports has been going through a metamorphosis for more than thirty years now and there is clearly no evidence of it not been stymied.

I left the island in the late sixties and Barbados had a very strong sports program where they did well at the international level. I do not have to speak about the cricket, because that speaks for its self. A Barbados football team of the 50’s and 60’s was a power house against the likes of Trinidad, Jamaica, Air France team and visiting teams from England. None of the other islands in the Caribbean were capable of beating Barbados in any sport, whether it was Netball, Athletics, Football, Cricket or even pitching marbles. I returned to live in Barbados in the early 80’s and the very week of my arrival, I ventured to the what is called the National Stadium (I always refer to it as a cow pen, because I have seen high school stadiums far superior, furthermore Universities and International Stadiums, it is disgraceful.) to watch Barbados and St. Lucia play a football match. Barbados lost to St. Lucia 1-0 and tears came to my eyes, as a result of that defeat I have never watched any form of football on the island since then. I could not believe that some twenty years later that the standard of Barbados football had deteriorated so badly that St. Lucia could have beaten them. Since then, I hear or read in the press of some of the smaller islands defeating them from time to time. We were once a football power house against the likes of Trinidad and Jamaica, but now no more. Further into the article, I will state my thoughts and the reasons why Barbados is at cross roads in all sports.

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Fortress Caribbean Property Fund: Do We See Rats Jumping Ship?

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Geoffrey Cave, Chairman of Fortress Fund

Geoffrey Cave, Chairman of Fortress Fund

There is the old saying that one should always follow the money. In the case of Barbados one can say that when the money-class in Barbados begins certain machinations others less positioned should sit up and take careful note.

A report which appears in the Barbados Today makes for interesting reading – Fortress Fund initiates major move to safeguard investors as property market sags. While the newspaper has done a good job of reportage, it is unfortunate the dearth of financial analysis by the Barbados media. Another indicator one can use to measure the quality of our education system and media fraternity, another blog perhaps.

Barbadians have always been spoiled by the idea that property value and rental income will never decline. The fact that the report by Barbados Today acknowledges that principals at Fortress Fund are warning about negative impact on the real estate market is interesting for many reasons.

PROPERTY FUND PROPOSAL

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The Other Side from Alma Parris

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Submitted by Bood Sam (unedited)
Pedro Shepherd, Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT)

Pedro Shepherd, Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT)

Pedro is part of the indiscipline at Alma. He and he left hand men went to de school one day and keep the teachers near half hour after the lunch time. Dah is how the children get unruly without supervision. Shame on you Pedro.

De trained teacher wid de degree in English who ain’t want to teach English should give back the money  because she is paid for qualification. This is wastage MOF or she in competemnt?

The woman in de board office advertise wha she want although the principal gi she the right ting. Now dah ganging upon de principal because he take a position on principle. Ask de Ministry if dah true?

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Cash Strapped Caribbean Governments Selling Citizenships

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Submitted by Mahogany Coconut Think Tank and Watchdog Group
Citizenship a commodity

Citizenship a commodity

As the economic crisis lengthens, Caribbean governments strapped for foreign exchange and foreign investments have decided to sell citizenship in order to plug holes within their economies. We have already stated that we are being drawn into a whirlpool of global proportions that may very well, forever, change the image and direction of our island states.

There are those who will argue and quite correctly that bigger and more economically powerful countries, including the United States of America, are already involved in such activity. Once again we are forced to ask: Why are we following others?

Many of our people, who live in the Diaspora, have given up on returning home because of what they consider to be the high cost of living. While we do not support such positions, we are fully aware that those who have planted roots in other countries have many factors to consider when contemplating a return to our island states.

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Our Readers Should Compare These Two Stories

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Submitted by Ras Jahaziel
The interest of wealthy foreigners in buying properties in Barbados  is on the rise, reportedly as a result of Government’s new residency rules that give high net-worth individuals the opportunity to go and come as they please – read report

The interest of wealthy foreigners in buying properties in Barbados  is on the rise, reportedly as a result of Government’s new residency rules that give high net-worth individuals the opportunity to go and come as they please – read report

AS ANTOINETTE PILGRIM tried to salvage some of the pieces of her home at Eversley Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, she vowed never to vote for her parliamentary representative Freundel Stuart ever again. – read report

AS ANTOINETTE PILGRIM tried to salvage some of the pieces of her home at Eversley Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, she vowed never to vote for her parliamentary representative Freundel Stuart ever again. – read report

CBC News Staff Worried About Michelle Arthur Becoming Director of News

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Submitted by CBC Staffer
Does Michelle Arthur have the inside track to take over as Director of News ?

Does Michelle Arthur have the inside track to take over as Director of News ?

There could be a strike or some kind of protest at CBC soon. Staff of the news and current affairs department are waiting to see who the board is going to appoint to head the department. Arnon Dyal has  been acting as director of news since Reudon Eversley resigned this year but he is supposed to go on retirement at the end of this month.

Michelle Arthur has been walking about telling people the prime minister promised her the job and the staff are awaiting to see if this will happen. Michelle Arthur is trouble. Few people at CBC like her. She has caused a lot of confusion and problems. The last time she was appointed to act in the position when Reudon Eversley was on study leave, she lasted two days. The staff walked out on her and CBC changed its mind. She walked about telling people it hurt because she was president of the BWU division and fight for staff and the staff did not stand up for her.

Staff have many issues with Michelle Arthur. She is behaving like she is the news director already. Every day now she parks in the yard in the spot for the Director of News and Current Affairs like she is sending a message. Michelle Arthur has created a lot of confusion and strife at CBC. Staff are worried that if she is appointed she will terrorise people because she terrorising people already as assignments editor. If she likes you, you can do what you like like her child father Sean Farrell who came into CBC one day and threatened to lick her up. If she does not like you, she walks over you and tries to make you look small in front of everybody. Shane Sealy can tell you. She has been trying real hard to get him out of CBC. The administrative assistant can tell you about Michelle Arthur and her childish behaviour.

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Some Barbados Postal Services Maybe an Option for Privatization

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BPS services an option for privatization

BPS services an option for privatization

The news breaking today that 40 temporary workers will be sent home from the Barbados Post Office as a result of the recent budget cuts is beginning to paint a reality which BU family members have espoused for a few years.  It is unfortunate that there has to be uncertainty around how decisions are being made to reduce public service numbers.

During the last general election campaign the Barbados Labour Party (government in waiting) proposed a strategy of privatization as a partial solution to the economic quagmire Barbados now finds itself wallowing. There is an inevitability to the fact that  government will eventually have to put agencies/services owned and delivered by the Crown on the auction block, read privatize.  BU is on record that government funding day to day expenditure from NIS funds is an unsustainable arrangement.

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Barbados Government Begged Facebook to REVEAL Three Users

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Submitted by St.George’s Dragon
Facebook is the largest social network site.

Facebook is the largest social networking site.

According to an article in the Jamaica Observer, the Barbados Government is the only one in the Caribbean to have asked Facebook for information on its Bajan users. Apparently the Government has made three requests for information in the last six months. It’s not a high number of requests but why are we the only ones to be making them?

The original of the article can be found here: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Barbados-govt-asks-Facebook-for-info-on-users–data and the Facebook report is here https://www.facebook.com/about/government_requests. Interestingly, Facebook denied information in all 3 cases.

UWI, Tertiary Education Cost and the Budget

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Submitted by Fair Play
Sir Frank Alleyne

Sir Frank Alleyne

Sir Frank Alleyne’s interview on the People’s Business last night was spot-on. As usual, he was cogent, rational, reasonable and, of course, very ‘frank’, no pun intended. All the while, trying not to be overly critical of the administration at Cave Hill, but tacitly showing up its unreasonableness and excessive spending, nonetheless. He walked the proverbial tightrope (having taught there for decades, so he was somewhat circumspect), but he did it well.

It was very interesting television! Lots of good points were made; but  a couple salient ones stand out:

  • current physical development at the Cave Hill campus is not sustainable;
  • maintenance and personnel to staff the new structures will be difficult to maintain;
  • salary levels are very high;
  • UWI’s operating cost (to central government) has risen exponentially from about $53 million in 2005 to over $126 million in 2012-2013;

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What Will Be the Price of Encroaching On Mother Nature?

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Submitted by Charles Knighton
Harrison's Cave

Harrison’s Cave

This being Barbados, where legitimate forewarnings are ignored until the warned of disaster is upon us, e.g. the recent budget proposals, emulating Cassandra is a fool’s errand but perhaps, just perhaps, Priam will pay attention.

In their attempt to earn more money by attracting more visitors, those who have dominion over the fragile ecosystem which is Harrison’s Cave stand a good chance of destroying it. While I always had reservations about the increasing amount of carbon dioxide more visitors would produce, those reservations pale when considering the amount of damage the “Eco-Adventure Tour” (pages 20-21, Aug. 24 Saturday Sun) is likely to create.

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The Road to Sustainable Growth

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Submitted by Due Diligence

We hear from the Minister o Finance (and others) that the road to recovery and

Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada

sustainable growth is constructed on such things as:

  • Increased Competitiveness
  • Increased Productivity
  • Increased Efficiency
  • Accountability

Sounds great; but the key is  in the execution. The same principles, of course, apply to both the public and private sector.

The article on Page 3 of Barbados Today illustrates an example of execution of those principles in the private sector.

According to the article, RBC is clamping down on those employees (mainly those  employees absorbed in the merger with the former RBTT) whose performance has been substandard – those who have performance gaps in meeting targets, deadlines etc.  Making them accountable for their lack of productivity.

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Roy Morris ME

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Roy Morris

Roy Morris

BU understands from a reliable source that former Associate Editor Roy Morris will be returning to the Nation newspaper in mid-September to take up the BIG job. The murky circumstances which led to his departure from Barbados’ leading newspaper appear to have dissipated with time.

Our source has confirmed that the coming of Morris was announced at a staff meeting yesterday by the Editor Emeritus. If the management and staff are welcoming of the man who developed a reputation of an expositor of the minibus sector, then BU joins them to welcome the return of Roy.

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Majority Supporting Government's Tertiary Education Plan

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Submitted by Fair Play
Minister of Education appeared on CBC's The People's Business to explain government's decision to ask UWI students to pay part of the cost of their degree.

Minister of Education appeared on CBC’s The People’s Business to explain government’s decision to make UWI students pay part of the cost of their degree.

I believe our plan to ask students to contribute a small part of the cost of their tertiary education at UWI has more public support than we think. Talking to people from all walks of life, and ironically, particularly among low income earners, there is much support.  Their comments run the gamut from: it makes sense; the country cannot afford 100% funding at this time; other countries that are better off than us don’t do it; and, it should have been implemented long ago; to, they have an attitude after graduation – forgetting who paid for their education; and they do not give back to society, especially the doctors and lawyers who charge the same benefactors (the taxpayers) very exorbitant fees.

Barbadians aren’t stupid.

However, over and above those sentiments, generally, most persons I spoke to agree with the percentage the students will have to pay. Even some, like Dr. Leonard Shorey, (a perennial BLP apologist) believe it should have been higher and was long in coming. And, the Sunday Sun poll surprisingly gave majority support to the Gov’t.

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