What About the Economy Stupid

Prime Minister Mia Mottley continued the recent trend of making controversial and contentious announcements. She revealed government’s recommendation to rename the University of the West Indies in recognition of the late prime minister Owen Arthur. To honour convention of parliament parliamentarians in the Lower House set aside yesterday to pay tributes to the late prime minister.

The blogmaster has no problem with recognizing Owen Arthur to recognize his contribution to Barbados and the region. The Vice Chancellor and her management team will decide if to accept the recommendation from the government of Barbados, who by the way is its biggest contributor to UWI’s finances.

There is a creeping feeling by the blogmaster Barbadians – as is our inclination – are being distracted by ‘political noise’ and the current dire state of the economy is being relegated. There are several national conversations on the go – recognition of same sex unions, push to be a republic next year, by-election in St. George North and the latest – proposed renaming of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. It does not help that the political opposition and media will be consumed by these events and there the masses.

Wait a minute – what about the economy stupid!

Owen Arthur: Footprints

Last week, Barbados lost one of its most illustrious sons, Owen Seymour Arthur, and all from his most ardent supporters to former political foes to academics to regional and international titans paid tribute to the indelible mark which he left upon this world. 

Among his achievements now memorialized in tribute are his status as our longest-serving Prime Minister and also a masterful political tactician who institutionalized his ‘politics of inclusion’, by which he ensured his party’s high political fortune for many years due to the sheer breadth of talent and competent expertise unlocked not only within his party but also through that visionary political strategy. It is perhaps a most fitting homage to Mr Arthur’s economic brilliance that under his premiership, this country enjoyed its longest period of sustained economic growth. He also led a nation which consistently ranked in the upper echelons of the Human Development Index making it for a long spell, the most developed of developing nations. 

One person recalled Shakespeare’s Cassius in saying that Mr Arthur bestrode this nation like a colossus.

But Mr Arthur was not tyrannical in the sense that Cassius conceived Caesar to be. Rather, his foremost philosophy aligned more closely with the rest of Cassius’ exhortation to Brutus – that the superiority of one over others is artificially contrived. Cassius asked Brutus on what basis was Caesar pedestalised above all men, when in truth he was like all other men. Mr Arthur often asked the people of Barbados and the wider Caribbean why should we say the names of larger nations more grandiosely than our own names, for on what basis are they inherently better than us?

Much has been made rightly of Arthur’s economic brilliance and political savvy, but in this writer’s view, one of his greatest contributions was his fervent belief in ourselves. In many ways therefore, Arthur’s life is bound up in ‘smallness’. A man of relatively ‘small’ stature, who came from the small, sleepy area of Rose Hill in rural St Peter, who rose to become Prime Minister of a small nation. But Mr Arthur’s mind was not small nor were the people he led. That is perhaps his greatest lesson to young people today. 

We, young people, therefore, must fundamentally believe in ourselves and our own abilities, cognizant of the constraints of life, but equally undergirded by the importance of whatever it is we set about to do. For Mr Arthur, that meant being neither a deluded ideologue nor an unprincipled pragmatist, but rather balancing both principles and pragmatism. There were times when circumstance merited that he be seemingly intractable and resolute such as the opposition his government led to certain aspects of the US Shiprider Agreement. At other times, he understood the value of compromise and strategic retreat, such as the unfortunately abortive union with the OECS or republicanism, recognizing that in both instances the other parties simply were not ready. 

Regardless of whichever point on the scale of pragmatism and principles Mr Arthur had to  fall depending on the circumstance he remained committed to the ideal of building the best Barbados and playing the long game. His stance on various issues and his strategy illustrate to young people that great achievement, whether personal or for a wider cause, is not obtained in twenty overs in T20 cricket, but most often requires four innings. 

Just as West Indians decades ago, delighted in the defeat of their former colonial master on the cricket field, Mr Arthur reminded his nation and the region of the feeling of standing up for oneself, when Windies cricket was waning and perhaps that feeling was also evanescing. With the aforementioned Shiprider Agreement, he won hard-fought for concessions from the Americans, an enviable feat for a relatively insignificant nation in the grand geopolitical scheme of life. To use religious allusion, he was the Rose Hill boy who stood up, slung his shot and won against the Goliath of the world. 

The footprint which he leaves behind, therefore, is impressive and his service will stand as an aide-memoire to generations, present and future, of what is possible when life’s opportunities are grasped tightly with both hands, regardless of the circumstances of birth. When we remember Mr Arthur and his incredible footprint, let us reflect on the footprint which we can leave. He is gone, but we will not soon forget!

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur is Dead

On behalf of the blogmaster and BU household our heartfelt sympathy is extended to the family and friends of the late former prime minister Owen Seymour Arthur.

Former Prime Minister of Barbados, The Right Honourable Owen Arthur, passed away earlier today at 12.26 a.m.
Starting today, Monday, July 27, due to the passing of the former Prime Minister, there will be a period of national mourning for three days. In addition, all flags will be flown at half mast.
Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan, will be the coordinating Minister for the funeral arrangements.
The Government of Barbados extends sincerest condolences to his wife, Julie, his daughters, Leah and Sabrina and his extended family.
Image may contain: 1 person, close-up

Owen Arthur Slammed for Comments on Guyana Elections Results

Submitted by Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

Owen_Arthur

Former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur, Chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Mission

On Thursday Mr. Clairmont Mingo, the Returning officer of Election District 4 – Demerara/Mahaica, declared the much anticipated election results for his District. The results established that incumbent APNU+AFC coalition won the March 2, 2020 general elections. Earlier in the day the opposition PPP released a document with purported results showing a PPP victory, bearing inflated votes for that party in  polling stations within Region/District 4. Upon closer examination, the document was dated February 29, 2020, an indication that it was generated in some form two days before the March 2, 2020 elections. When citizens began questioning the date of the document on social media, it was pulled and the date changed to March 5, 2020 and republished.  

Screenshot 2020-03-06 at 17.50.12

The declaration had been previously disrupted multiple times by a mob of PPP executives and other known street thugs who, armed with guns, under the cover of dark night stormed the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) District 4 office demanding access to GECOM’s computer equipment. Later in the day said individuals kicked down the door to the Chairman of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh. The presence of violated the Laws of Guyana Chapter 1:03 (91). CGID is appalled that the Guyana Police Force allowed this invasion of GECOM’s office to occur. Overseas observers have failed to condemn this hooliganism and lawlessness from the PPP. Some observers, including James Carter III from the Carter Center, appear to be coordinating with the PPP.    

In response to the District 4 declaration, Mr. Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister of Barbados, who is Chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Mission falsely stated that the “tabulation of the final election results has not yet been completed and verified according to the established procedures and relevant legal and statutory provisions.” Mr. Arthur is obviously uninformed of the laws of Guyana and the constitutional powers of GECOM. This statement is consistent with PPP talking point.  CGID questions Mr. Arthur’s objectivity. He is a longtime associate of Bharrat Jagdeo who should never have been accredited by the Commonwealth.

Mr. Arthur and his team cannot dictate to GECOM or interfere with its work. He and his team are departing from an observer mission to intruding and interfering in Guyana’s electoral process in favor of the PPP. Guyana’s elections laws mandate a specific procedure for challenging actions and declarations of GECOM. That process does not entail complaints to and coercive missives from observers. It requires the filing of an elections petition in the court.

CGID notes that in 1997 the PPP government used the exact process to declare the elections results. In that election, then PPP hacks at GECOM secretly declared and certified the PPP winner, and secretly swore in Mrs. Janet Jagan as President. When a marshal of the Supreme Court attempted to serve Mrs. Jagan with an injunction from then Chief Justice Desiree Bernard, Mrs. Jagan threw the court order to the ground and proceeded to be sworn in. PPP leaders, including Bharrat Jagdeo, argued then that the courts cannot interfere with GECOM and its processes.

CGID therefore asks, if GECOM in 1997 could have declared results in favor of the PPP without a specific public verification procedure, what prevents GECOM from doing so in 2020? If the courts had no power to interfere in GECOM processes in 1997, why the PPP is seeking the intervention of the court in GECOM’s processes in 2020.

LIAT Appoints New Board Of Directors

Submitted by Bimjim

January 9, 2020

LIAT announces the appointment of a new Board of Directors and the election of the Right Honourable Professor Owen S. Arthur as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Following the Company’s Annual General Meeting held in Antigua on Monday 16th December 2019, a new Board of Directors was elected, and the Right Honourable Professor Owen S. Arthur was nominated and elected as Chairman.

Professor Arthur currently serves as a Professor of Practice at the University of The West Indies. He has served the Caribbean as a learned Statesman including his work presiding over the Regional process to revise the Treaty of Chaguaramas to establish the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The new Board of Directors consists of:

Rt. Hon. Prof. Owen S. Arthur as chairman,
Mr. Michael Holder,
Mr. Mark Maloney,
Mr. Robert Riley,
Mrs. Juanita Thorington-Powlett,
Mr. Isaac Solomon,
Mrs. Carolyn Tonge,
Hon. Lennox Weston and
Hon. Sir Robin Yearwood.

The new Directors bring to the airline and regional transportation sector over 100 years of combined aviation experience. The Directors have demonstrated exceptional records of performance and service to the industry and to the region.

The new Chairman has been tasked by the new Board to undertake a special assignment to meet with regional Prime Ministers to discuss sustainability of the Airline. This assignment will be supported by other directors and the Management Team of the airline.

LIAT’s Shareholders, Management and Staff welcome our Directors to the LIAT and look forward to working together with the new Board to foster and strengthen regional transportation and integration.

Business as usual, folks, don’t go getting your hopes up.

“The new Directors bring to the airline and regional transportation sector over 100 years of combined aviation experience”. Derriere-lickers all, that just about sums up the shit-pot of garbage they are trying to fool us with again. 100 years of experience in their feckin DREAMS.

They had the opportunity to make a difference, and they just rolled on by. AGAIN.

A Call to Former Prime Minister & Patriot Owen Arthur

Submitted by PUDRYR

I am hoping that this article could reach the older and wiser former Prime Minister Owen Arthur

The reason I am writing this blog Prime Prime Minister Arthur is because of a video my Brother Hants posted and which I repost below.

https://youtu.be/DXOA43ysP6I

PM Arthur I may be wrong but, based on the sentiments therein contained I am of the opinion that you might be disposed to support a Good Governance initiative for Barbados

Unlike many people in Barbados who have drunken “the coolaid” you are quite familiar with the actions being displayed and what such actions purport with regard to the country’s tenuous hold on democracy.

Since I never to “assume”  I will ask you directly, if you feel the same way about Mia Mottley today, as you felt when you made that video above outside the House of Parliament?

I’d like to share a few thoughts to support those remaining Barbadian patriots. 

Take a look at https://chatagentdemo.com/9xqHyaEUYZaG

This is an excerpt of the Arsenal of Tools that our “Gideon’s Army” has Prime Minister Owen Arthur. It is part of the extensive matrix of campaigning tools we as Enablers of the Third Party Movement, wield.

Maybe you are of a mind, like I am,  that these willy nilly constitutional changes, by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, presage the coming of things that are at variance with Good Governance and our island’s democratic principles.

If you are keen to engage might I suggest the following steps?

The first element is optional and is also a Symbolic Gesture.

Would you be so kind as to put a token Errol Barrow a US$25 on the www.gofundme.org/justiceforallbarbados campaign? It is not really the money that we are seeken kind sir, but the token of your solidarity and having the Father of Independence being submitted to the campaign by a son of the soil whom history will recall as the 2nd best Prime Minister after Barrow..

Am I asking too much of you under this chapeau of patriotism? I would go one step further and ask, if you do provide that token, could just add your name OR INITIALS to the donation?

That alone would be worth much more than a $1 million donation since it is a statement of courage in the face of the Despotism at our gates and what all our fellow bajans fear.

The second action deals with “Exposing Mottley!”

I think and you may agree, that it is imperative that the People of Barbados start to see the true nature of Mottley themselves. For the most part Bajans have bought into the Mottley lie and they need to see her as you depict her in the above video –  a usurper and back biter ( though others purport that she is also a biter of other things, but I know nothing of these rumors.)

Might I suggest that you take a screen shot of that message you sent to Mia Mia Mottley (the one where you indicated your stance on the Imminent persons committee and her blatant disregard of the instructions you gave her?  A screen shot of her response where she says “NOTED” 

A post like that on Imgur and on Tshirts would certainly expose the nature of the person that is now changing the Constitution as she feels. Once that item is posted (Name it “Mia Mottley Ignored Instructions” and we will get it. 

In the meantime, as I suggested earlier, take a gander at this link https://chatagentdemo.com/9xqHyaEUYZaG  

In brief the product you are looking at permits the Campaigner to  (a) craft their specific message, (b) send it anywhere one desires and (c) effect a number of interactions with various audiences and recipients.

It is my hope that I can convey to you the seriousness that my small team has afforded this battle for what you called the Soul of Barbados.

Finally, there is one more thing. I want to “speak with you”

I will presume that you are onboard (smiles): 

S1. Get a friend get you an anonymous SIM, by anonymous, i mean they buy it under a non related name  and you get it. It does not have to be a close friend. Distance yourself from the purchase of the SIM (even purchase one overseas and have it activated for the minimum time)

S2. Get a cheap iPhone 

S3. Put the SIM in the phone

S4. Download and install an annual VPN Virtual Private Network service

launch the VPN and place the city in America. It will bypass any country restrictions.

S5. Then Download and install Telegram

https://telegram.org/apps

S6. USE YOUR SIM CARD PHONE NUMBER WHEN ASKED DURING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS AND IT WILL Send a Code to your SIM CARD via SMS and auto install then activate your Telegram app

S7. Take out the SIM card and FO NOT EVER put it into that phone again. You will only use this phone for this app in your wifi. OR TETHERED WIFI

S8. Send me a sign of your interest. Here. I will have someone contact you thereafter.

S9. Remember where we first met? You will need that information. 

S10. Activate the VPN to run permanently on your iPhone

S11. Launch the Telegram.  When you see the questions on your Telegram answer them

I will continue to discuss this matter further in that protected medium.

Benedict Peters, Hugo Chavez, Mia Mottley, Owen Arthur, and Hartley Henry

Submitted by Mark Jones

Who are the common denominators in these matters of meetings set up to meet with Benedict Peters to secure campaign funding and so to the setting up of the meeting with Hugo Chavez to secure campaign funding that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur had the good patriotic sense to refuse to attend?

Well if you heard Owen Arthur’s press conference last week he confirmed that both Mottley and Hartley Henry were the persons who wanted him to visit Dominica to meet with Hugo Chavez to mortgage out our foreign policy for campaign funding which he bluntly refused to be part of and now this more recent confirmation by Benedict Peters lawyer Haynes that confirmed the meeting tòok place with Benedict Peters and Mottley, could campaign funding which most likely is common to both meetings, is this grab for campaign funding so vital that Mottley was prepared to sell out our island’s foreign policy for campaign funding ?

And we are still not sure what Benedict Peters was looking to secure in exchange for his Nigerian money but what ever it was he expected it came at a significant cost to him and nearly at a cost to we Barbadians.

We await a full explanation from Mottley on this and also on the Wire tapping and eavesdropping and a file named POLITICAL, as we await further information as to where she qualified as a Lawyer if she did indeed qualify as it is a known fact that she does not own a Legal Education Certificate therefore we need to know if she did the year of Pupiliage in the UK to become a Registered Barrister who qualified in the UK, we also await her response to the waiver of $ 87 mil tax giveaway to Barclays Bank and her half a million dollars waiver and tax give away to her father,  we also await her response to the matter of Four Seasons.

According to the EFCC, an investigation that began in 2016 showed that Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former petroleum minister; Bernard Otti; Aiteo Energy Ltd; Northern Belt Oil and Gas Company Ltd and others were involved in conspiracy, stealing and money laundering amounting to $300 million.

Mr. Peters is the chairman of both companies, according to the EFCC.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/08/15/n23bn-diezani-bribe-efcc-declares-billionaire-businessman-benedict-peters-wanted

This man Benedict Peters seems to have a mindset to try to affect political outcomes see an extract from a newspaper article.

Mr Benedict Peters is wanted by the agency for allegedly giving $60m to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, as a part of the $23bn bribe in the last polls.

LESLIE F. HAYNES, Q. C.

ATTORNEY-AT-LAW

“Ellangowan”, Strathclyde Drive,

Strathclyde, St. Michael

Tel: (246) 437-8924 Fax: (246) 426-2049

email: lhaynes@leslieslaw.net

13th May, 2018

The Honourable Mr. Chris Sinckler BY EMAIL AND HAND

mailto: sinks202@gmail.com

PRE-ACTION PROTOCOL LETTER

Dear Sir

Re: Benedict Peters

I act for Mr. Benedict Peters, a Nigerian international businessman of the highest

repute. My client is a Christian and a major financier of the Gospel of Christ. He has

nothing to do with Islamic radicalism and actively combats Islamic terrorism globally. My

client is the Executive Vice Chairman of Aieto Group and complains that, on Sunday, 6

May 2018, at the launch of the Democratic Labour Party’s election campaign at the Netball Stadium, you defamed him to the assembled audience and persons watching the event on the Internet. My client has seen and heard your speech on the Internet and he is outraged by your allegations, insinuations and innuendos.

In particular, you alleged that my client met with “the leadership of the Barbados Labour Party at the Hilton Hotel” and the said leadership was seeking to get money from my client. You further suggested that my client was “funneling money into the Barbados elections just like the Russians were putting money in the American elections”. You categorically stated that “Nigerian money is trying to influence the outcome of the election” clearly suggesting that my client is the source of such money.

Most egregiously, you made references to Boko Haram, a notoriously renowned

Islamic terrorist organisation, and so interspersed references to my client by name as to suggest that he is involved with that organisation.

In their natural, ordinary and innuendo meanings, your words mean and were understood to mean that –

(a) my client is seeking improperly to influence the outcome of the 2018

general elections;

(b) he is providing large sums of money to the Barbados Labour Party for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the said elections;

(c) he is associated with a terrorist organisation;

(d) he is a criminal or has criminal propensities and/or is associated with Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist organisation that kidnaps school girls;

(e) he is anti-democracy and is prepared to use his money for the improper purpose of influencing the outcome of elections.

The words used by you are completely false, baseless and malicious. They constitute a serious and grave defamation of my client personally and professionally.

They have caused my client great hurt, distress and international embarrassment. My client has never contributed or offered to contribute money to the Barbados Labour

Party, its leader Ms. Mia Mottley or any political or other organisation in Barbados.

He instructs me that he met with Ms. Mottley while on a family vacation in

Barbados and the two discussed global affairs and investment opportunities in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. Furthermore, that since that meeting, back in September of 2016, he has not met with or had any contact with Ms. Mottley or any member of the

Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Indeed, he does not today have a phone number, email address nor other direct contact information for Ms. Mottley or any member of the leadership of the BLP, and, has definitely not contributed, in cash or kind, to the campaign of the BLP, neither before nor since that meeting in September 2016.

I call upon you on or before 15 May 2018, to withdraw and retract the defamatory statements and their imputations made by you and apologise to my client in terms to be

approved by me, for your defamation of him.

If you do not comply with the demands in the preceding paragraph, please be advised that my client will forthwith take such action against you as he may be advised including commencing proceedings in the High Court of Barbados for damages, an injunction and legal costs. In the meantime, my client reserves all

his rights in this matter.

Yours faithfully

Leslie F. Haynes Q.C.

Wuh Mia Do Arthur Doah

There is the saying politics makes for strange bedfellows. There is another that Barbadians have short memories.

The political machinations being played out in the build up to general election day on 24 May 2018 has become all so predictable. The accusations and counters, the tit for tat bombshells being lobbed across the political divide is how the nature of local politics must be characterized. Regrettably occurring at a time all economic and social indicators point to a chronic state of decline.

It is all very déjà vu  isn’t it?

The political bombshell lobbed by the former Prime Minister Owen Arthur at Prime Minister in waiting Mia Mottley that she was complicit in a decision to waive fees on a transaction her father Elliot Mottley was party continues to choke the news channel. It is noteworthy Arthur was unable to confirm wrongdoing but went ahead James Comey style and released the information 9 days before the general election. Keen observers would not have been surprised that Arthur has emerged at this time after listening to Prime Minister Stuart et al leave the political gate open at the Carlisle Park meeting last weekend.

What is playing out was orchestrated between Arthur and the DLP.

It has become patently obvious Owen Arthur and members of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) have colluded to attack Mottley at a time when the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and its leader are at the most vulnerable. It has not escaped the blogmaster that Arthur’s press conference was facilitated by Barbados Today (BT) headed by Kaymar Jordan.

Here is the BT facilitated Owen Arthur press conference for those who missed it.

 

The BU family et al is invited to watch the following Owen Arthur presentation in parliament dated August 2011 to appreciate how strange bed fellows are formed. To suggest Arthur took a shellacking by those accepting his every word in 2018 speaks for itself.

 

 

 

 

A Response to Owen Arthur

Submitted by David Comissiong, Citizen of Barbados
Towards the end of November 2012 the Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam visited Barbados, and during the course of that visit Minister Farrakhan and his entourage had a meeting with then Opposition Leader, Owen Arthur, at the Opposition Leader’s office situate at Parliament building in Bridgetown. I, David Comissiong, attended that meeting as a guest of Minister Farrakhan.
During the course of that meeting Owen Arthur expressed the opinion that United States President Barack Obama had totally neglected the Caribbean region — had, in fact,done less for the Caribbean than even George Bush — and that it was Hugo Chavez and Venezuela that were making meaningful contributions to the Caribbean.
Owen Arthur also informed us that he had come to the conclusion that he had made a mistake by not having Barbados sign on to Venezuela’s Petro Caribe Energy Cooperation Agreement when he was Prime Minister of Barbados.
He went on to inform us that if his Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won the General Elections that were due in 2013 (and he became Prime Minister again) that he –Owen Seymour Arthur — would be taking Barbados into Petro Caribe.
In light of the foregoing, it is truly remarkable and bemusing to hear the same Owen Arthur now talking about signing on to Petro Caribe as being tantamount to “selling the foreign policy of Barbados”.
Furthermore, the Caribbean countries that signed on to the Petro Caribe Energy Cooperation Agreement were not doing Venezuela a favour. Rather, they were taking advantage of a very generous Venezuelan offer of deferment of payments on the purchase of energy supplies, as well as access to grants, concessionary loans, and social and economic development projects. Indeed countries such as Dominica, St Vincent and Haiti benefitted from literally dozens of developmental projects in the fields of agriculture, education, and the provision of energy-based infrastructure and facilities.
It should be noted that hardly a day passes in Venezuela without the right wing critics of Chavez lambasting Chavez for — in their words– “giving away” Venezuela’s precious resources to the Caribbean nations through the Petro Caribe Energy Cooperation Agreement !
Owen Arthur is therefore playing games with this issue — tawdry partisan political games — and should be ashamed of himself.
The fact is that as late as the end of November 2012 he was raring to sign on to Petro Caribe as a programme that was in the national interest of Barbados and did not need any further persuading on the matter !
Fortunately, there must have been a good twenty or so people in that meeting room in November 2012 — all of whom can verify the truth of what I say here.

Serious Wiretapping Questions for Owen Arthur

Submitted by David Comissiong, Citizen of Barbados

In the Sunday Sun front page newspaper article of 11th February 2018 titled Not On My Watch, former Commissioner of Police, Darwin Dottin, publicly confirmed :-

(1) that there are “extra-regional third parties” who provide the Royal Barbados Police Force with the “capability” to tap the telephones of persons in Barbados; that these “extra-regional third parties” are given “authorisation” to work with the Royal Barbados Police Force; and that the tapping of the telephones of persons in Barbados with the assistance of these “extra-regional third parties” has been ongoing since the year 1991– a period of some 27 years;

(2) that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister David Thompson (deceased), and current Prime Minister Freundel Stuart all knew about this practice of the Royal Barbados Police Force collaborating with “extra-regional third parties” to tap the telephones of Barbadians;

(3) that “it was common practice for all Prime Ministers……. to give authorisation” for the Royal Barbados Police Force to collaborate with these “extra-regional third parties” in the tapping of telephones in Barbados; and

(4) that “all Opposition Leaders over the years had been informed” about the Royal Barbados Police Force’s use of wiretapping technology to tap the phones of Barbadians.

And so, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur could bluster and obfuscate as much as he likes about the Governor General being formally responsible for the efficient administration of the Police Force — sensible and conscious Barbadians are not buying his contention that he and other Barbadian Prime Ministers are not relevant to the issue of foreign entities collaborating with the Royal Barbados Police Force in tapping the telephones of Barbadians.

We are also not buying his pathetic effort to turn himself into a victim by claiming that “it has been represented in the public domain that my phones had been tapped also”.Nor are we interested in his irrelevant sob-story about Darwin Dottin being his best friend at primary school !

Perceptive Barbadians will have noted that in spite of all of his effusions and feverish protestations on the matter, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur is yet to deny that foreign entities have been collaborating with the Royal Barbados Police Force in tapping telephones in Barbados.

As a citizen of Barbados I find it to be totally unacceptable that our Government and national Police Force could be joining together with foreign entities to tap the telephones of Barbadians without having established any legal authorisation in the Laws of Barbados for this practice; without establishing any protocols of oversight and accountability in relation to the carrying out of this activity; without in any way informing us–the Barbadian people — about any of this happening; and without providing us with even basic information about the identity of the mysterious foreign entities that are being permitted to invade the privacy of Barbadians.

Who — former Prime Minister Arthur and current Prime Minister Stuart — are these “extra-regional third parties” that are permitted to collaborate with the Royal Barbados Police Force in tapping telephones in our country ?

What are the protocols and regulations under which this practice has been taking place over the past 27 years ? Aren’t we — the citizens of Barbados — entitled to know the criteria by which a decision is made to tap the telephone of a Barbadian citizen? And who makes that decision?

Furthermore, what mechanism of oversight and accountability has been attached to this practice ?Indeed, is there ANY mechanism of oversight and accountability ?

When all is said and done,the reality is that you–Mr Owen Arthur– held the office of Prime Minister of this country for 14 of the 27 years during which this practice of telephone tapping was taking place. And you– Mr Stuart– have held the post of Prime Minister for some 8 of those 27 years.

Do not insult our intelligence with idle and evasive talk about the Governor General or insinuations about current Opposition  Leader Mia Mottley! We need answers to the serious questions that surround this 27 year old practice of engaging with foreign entities to tap the telephones of Barbadians.

 

 

 

‘Home Drum Beat First’ -The Sale of Barbados National Bank by Owen Arthur

For many one of the enduring memories from the Owen Arthur Barbados Labour Party (BLP) tenure is the sale of the Barbados National Bank (BNB) to the Trinidad based Republic Bank Limited. Arthur continues to defend his decision by offering that the BNB was a loss making entity hamstrung by a high level of government bureaucracy and non performing loans. Further, he explains that local credit unions and locals spurned the opportunity to buy shares when offered.

Many will debate the pros and cons of Arthur’s decision to shed majority interest in the BNB till thy kingdom come. We live in a world where almost if not all decisions are greatly influenced by economic consideration. Such an approach does not allow the space for a people to craft a vision and identity based on symbols, traditions that include even the spiritual and other non economic factors. Through the eyes of the BU household the BNB was a symbol of the progress Barbados had made from transitioning the economy from agrarian. It represented how majority Black Barbadians were in control of a significant financial intuition on Broad Street. If one wants to be political with the argument, it exposed the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) philosophy of reordering the economic fundamentals of the economy to make Barbados competitive in a competitive global world.  The ease with which Black politicians- Owen Arthur as lead  -disposed of what BNB should give cause for Barbadians to pause. The decision by Arthur is analogous to the Stuart DLP government dismantling its philosophy to provide ‘free’ education as a pathway for future development and empower a small Black nation.

It was interesting to listen to former Prime Minister of St. Kitts Denzel Douglas explain a few of the strategies he presided over that have  led to the transformation of the St. Kitts economy. He stated that the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank was important to the strategy of restructuring the debt because the government was able to intervene in the domestic financial market to align with the national interest. Given the current economic state of Barbados the government does not have the recourse of a local bank to borrow from an important best practice that was reportedly implemented successfully in St. Kitts and Nevis.

BU supports the view that a national bank is important to any nation to shore-up the sovereignty argument. One cannot be truly liberated as a people if the gateways to important arteries in the society are controlled by foreign interest. In the case of Barbados the banking sector is 100% controlled by foreign ownership. The food sector is 90 plus percent controlled by non Barbadian interest. The supply of electricity is controlled by foreign interest. In the three examples –the financial, food importation and distribution and power, a so called independent people have no control. We acknowledge that the Fair Trading Commission and government agencies were established to regulate the market in the interest of all stakeholders including the consumer .

The lengthy preamble is meant to introduce a recent development in Canada where the banks- locally owned -have agreed to pool resources in the interest of the country.

Canada’s biggest banks and insurance companies have launched a private-sector fund of up to $1 billion to provide long-term financing to burgeoning high-growth businesses, the firms announced Thursday. The Canadian Business Growth Fund will look to invest the full amount over 10 years, with an expected initial commitment of more than $500-million.

Canada’s banks and lifecos launch fund of up to $1 billion to help businesses grow

There is no need to be prolix to emphasize the point that home drums beat first. For non Barbadian owners of business enterprises in Barbados –where is home?

Political Birds of a Feather Flock Together!

Submitted by David Comissiong, President, Clement Payne Movement

It does not surprise me that Owen Arthur has chosen to join forces with the Freundel Stuart Administration. The sad truth is that Owen Arthur, Freundel Stuart, Chris Sinckler, Ronald Jones, Donville Inniss and all the other members of this dismal DLP Administration really do belong together.

The vast majority of Barbadians are convinced– and rightly so– that the current DLP Governmental Administration is easily the worst political administration that Barbados has had since the attainment of universal adult suffrage in 1951. But we must remember that our national woes did not start with the coming to power of the DLP in 2008!

The truth is that in Owen Arthur’s last 5 year term in government he plunged this country into a crisis of economic, social and cultural decline — a crisis that led the Barbadian people to massively reject him and his Administration in the 2008 General Elections.

The sad truth is that the DLP Administrations of David Thompson and Freundel Stuart have really been a continuation of that last disastrous Owen Arthur Administration !

Where, for example, Owen Arthur started the process of privatizing our country’s one and only indigenous and state owned bank— the Barbados National Bank (BNB)– the DLP Administration completed the process of selling off our bank to Trinidadian capitalists.

In addition, where Owen Arthur presided over an economically and socially cancerous process of conferring outrageously privileged governmental contracts on a small group of elite businessmen— such as the ridiculous contract that was granted to Mr Bizzy Williams’ Ionics Freshwater Ltd— the Stuart Administration has exacerbated this  economic and social cancer with the outrageously privileged contracts that they have conferred on companies associated with Mark Maloney and his cohorts.

So Owen Arthur, Freundel Stuart and Chris Sinckler really belong together. They all share in common the belief that our Barbadian state-owned assets must be sold off to elite private sector capitalists; that our free education must be dismantled; that our people must be made to pay for public health services; and that the foreign investor rather than native Barbadians must constitute the lynch-pin of our national economic development strategy.

But as much as Owen Arthur is determined to hurt Ms Mia Mottley and his former political party, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Mr Arthur has actually done Ms Mottley and the BLP an enormous favour by his linking of arms with the current DLP Administration!

You see, with Mr Arthur throwing in his lot with the DLP, it would now become extremely clear to every single BLP member that there is no “going back to Owen”! Thus whatever lingering divisions or doubts there might have existed in the BLP over the “Owen Arthur issue” should now be completely put to rest.

The political history of Barbados tells us that the BLP have always been at their best when they organized themselves around the concept of a “Great Combination” of leaders and statesmen rather than when they opted for the opposite ploy of adopting a “Going with Owen” maximum leader dominating the party, its image and its policy. The BLP therefore now has a golden opportunity to get back to the best of its tradition!

The fundamental reality however is that an extremely interesting and ideologically meaningful political battle is shaping up in Barbados.

We have now had a consolidation of the right wing, anti-social democracy, pro-privatization, pro- local  and foreign elite forces in the form of the Owen Arthur, Freundel Stuart, Chris Sinckler, Ronald Jones, Donville Inniss political axis.

And I am confident that there will be — on the other side — a similar consolidation of the patriotic, people centred, mixed economy, social democratic forces, in order to take on these advocates of political, economic and social backwardness..

It looks like we are now in for some real politics  that will provide Barbadians with real and meaningful choices on the preferred way ahead!

Owen, the DLP and Political Expedience

Submitted by Debra Ifill

Leader of the BLP Mia Mottley (l) Former Leader of the BLP Owen Arthur (r)

Leader of the BLP Mia Mottley (l) Former Leader of the BLP Owen Arthur (r)

If the DLP government has proven that it is good at anything, it has to be that it is good at playing political games, doing almost exclusively what is politically expedient, and that without a doubt, for them it will always be party first.  The DLP is without a doubt the worst government of recent time, in terms of managing the economic and social affairs of the state and its people.  Principally because its members seem to spend most of their time concentrating on ways in which to hold on to power, even though is is glaringly obvious, for the sake of power itself.

I have always had major respect for the economic prowess of former prime minister Owen Arthur. It is because of his abilities that I want to believe that the step he now takes is without  the obvious malice that he holds for the leader of the opposition, and simply out of love for country.  God and all the angels know that the DLP need the help, since they have proven for eight long and arduous years that they cannot get the job done.  To be honest I really want to continue to see the former prime minister as a statesman and patriot of our fine nation.

But I will say this, the DLP is shameless, or as someone recently described them to me, desperate power parros, willing to do whatever to get a hit or in this case; to keep the last, dying end of the hit.  In 2015 the Mia, who on seeing the economic and accompanying social devastation of the country; suggested that a Council of Eminent persons be convened.  The idea seemed of course, that this bipartisan team would pool ideas designed to bring about much needed economic change.

Instead Mr Stuart in his usual, egotistical manner dismissed Owen as having no special insights and having no magic portion.  AND Owen in fact declined Mia’s suggestion, a suggestion that on the eve of election in Barbados, when the bottom has all but fallen out the proverbial boat, when the task of turning around the country has become much more difficult, Owen has risen.  I struggle with his decision because of the obvious politics at play, and because of my inherent love of country, which indeed compels me to want whatever is best for Barbados.

However to my mind, even if Owen is able to help the DLP to turn around the country, it has never been clearer that he nor the DLP is no longer what is best for the country.  We have a situation where he, instead heeding Mia’s call to assist as a part of a task force, when it best could have helped the country, waited until it was politically expedient for him to join the DLP’s ranks.  This once great man has fallen more than a few notches in my eyes.  And … well there is no explanation needed to further convince that the DLP is dangerous for Barbados’ social, political, and economic landscape, they have at least done a good job of that on their own.

Arthur Returns to the Big Stage

Submitted by William Skinner

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur

Those who would seek to write off former Prime Minister Owen Arthur are making a potentially grievous political mistake. Apparently, it is now customary in our society, to declare anyone above the age of 60 as a has been. This means that all those teachers, police, nurses and others including those in the private sector, are supposed to go home at 55 or 60 and grow lettuce or roses. I respectfully beg to differ. The truth is that, as far as I know, Arthur has no impediment that will affect his ability to be a very productive citizen for many years to come.

This author, 9/1/14

I do not sing in the choir of former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur and I remain convinced that the current Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler, is in the middle of the ocean, in a moses with a hole. However, I support Arthur, who is displaying an act of statesmanship, by accepting the chairmanship of the Economic Advisory Council. This is a genuine example of the politics of inclusion because Arthur has not been asked to surrender his independent status and he has not joined the ruling Democratic Labour Party.

Arthur is as guilty for the current adversarial component of our politics as any other politician because in his prime as Prime Minister with a popularity that was about to surpass Errol Barrow’s, he squandered the opportunity by becoming very abrasive toward journalists and other citizens, and eventually suffered two successive electoral defeats thereby guaranteeing a plunge in his popularity. However, he remains popular especially among those who believe that he was a good manager of the economy. In my opinion, he should have done more with the expenditure he had at his disposal but others maintain that his management of the economy was stellar. Apart from his contribution as chair of the Advisory Council, if he could at the very least keep both BLP and DLP diehards a bit quiet, he would have contributed to a decrease in the polarization that now blunts every effort of progressive and enlightened public discourse about the state of our country.

He reminds me of a batsman, who “gives away his hand” and then sits in the pavilion and tells all the other batsmen how they should bat. I believe that that for a considerable period, of his time in office, he was afflicted by managerial cataracts but since leaving Llaro Court, his vision seems to have improved. We now expect this improved or corrected vision to benefit the administration and hopefully redound to a clearer vision for Sinckler and the country. Therefore no nationalistic citizen should oppose what is essentially a meeting of minds. We can only hope that Sinckler is not so blind that nobody can make him see. The last man who attempted to correct Sinckler’s vision, the previous Governor of The Central Bank, Dr. Delisle Worrell , got fired !

There are many astute political commentators, who are seeing Arthur’s acceptance of the offer as a blow to the current leader of the Opposition, Mia Motley. It is Mottley’s fault that Arthur’s shadow still hangs over her political ambition to be Prime Minister. She allowed Arthur to undermine her on two occasions and took a considerable amount of political body blows. Quite frankly, I am very impressed that she did not leave her party as Dr. Clyde Mascoll did when he believed that some powers had conspired to remove him from leadership of the DLP and return it to the late David Thompson. I believe that Mottley has gone through the hottest fire and is now of the finest political steel. If Arthur is still a thorn in her political side, I would have to conclude that my belief that she is the finest steel would have been wrong or premature.

In terms of the DLP , it is at best a psychological victory but I don’t think that this development will automatically rescue it from what many believe is certain defeat at the polls, at the next general election. The obvious winner here is Owen Arthur, because even as his parliamentary career comes to an end and having lost his last two elections, his relevance to our country remains intact. It proves that if he had been more aware of the pinnacle on which he once stood and had not allowed the trappings of power to blind him to what he could have achieved, the Democratic Labour Party would have still been in Opposition.

Owen Arthur Agrees to Serve as Chief Economic Advisor

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur

In a surprise decision by former prime minister Owen Arthur to accept the position as Chief Economic Advisor if offered by government, many are asking if the move is designed to undermine the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) with a general election looming. Clearly the government continues to struggle with the management of the economy and BU suspects the Arthur/Government collaboration is a Machiavellian attempt to achieve a win win position.

Owen Arthur and Freundel Stuart – Purveyors of Folly and Backwardness!

Submitted by David Comissiong, President, Peoples Empowerment Party

On Tuesday 31st May 2016, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur addressed the monthly meeting of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and made a call for the privatization of some of the state owned entities of Barbados; the abandonment by Government of some of its “welfare support programmes”; and the implementing of new so-called “private-public sector partnerships” that– in Arthur’s words — “would allow the private sector to expand into activity historically deemed to be the preserve of the state.”

Needless-to-say, the capitalistic, profit-seeking, private sector businessmen and women who attended the BCCI meeting gave Owen Arthur a standing ovation!

Similarly, on or about the 25th of October 2015, current Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart, addressed a monthly meeting of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School and informed his audience that the DLP Government intends to take away a number of the “entitlements” that the Barbadian people currently possess, thereby– in Stuart’s words– “leaving the State only to look after the most vulnerable people in the society.”

And although the national newspaper that reported on this meeting did not describe the reaction of Mr. Stuart’s audience to this disclosure, one would not be surprised if Stuart’s compliant, partisan audience also gave him a standing ovation!

What makes these two “Prime Ministerial” speeches truly remarkable is the fact that almost exactly three years ago – in the General Election campaign of 2013– both Arthur and Stuart were running all over Barbados desperately trying to convince the Barbadian people that they were totally opposed to any suggestion that state enterprises be privatized, or that social entitlements should be taken away from the Barbadian people!

Now, if I had been in the audience at either of these two events, my first reaction would have been to wonder aloud how hypocritical, untrustworthy, and backward mainstream Barbadian politicians can be!

In addition,I would also have been inclined to ask some very concrete, practical and commonsensical questions!

For example, I would have been inclined to ask Mr. Owen Arthur if he could identify exactly which state entities he would sell off to the so-called “Private Sector”. Is he proposing to sell off our Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Polyclinics, Barbados Water Authority, television station, Sanitation Service Authority, Grantley Adams International Airport, Bridgetown Port, Barbados Community College, or our Transport Board??

What exactly are you proposing to sell off Mr. Arthur? And when you say that you propose to sell our state entities to the “Private Sector”, who exactly do you have in mind?

I would also pose similar questions to Mr. Arthur about his proposal to discontinue some of Government’s welfare programmes!

Precisely which programmes or services would you abandon Mr. Arthur? Would you, for example, get rid of our Welfare Department, National Assistance Board, National Disabilities Unit, Barbados Council for the Disabled, Child Care Board, Geriatric Hospital, Children’s Development Centre, or the District Hospitals?

Oh, please tell us, Mr. Arthur, which welfare programmes or services you would get rid of, and let us see if, like the BCCI audience, we too can give you a standing ovation!

And perhaps while we are at it we could ask Mr. Stuart what precisely are these “entitlements” that we Barbadian people possess, and that he is planning to take away from us.

I am aware, Mr. Stuart, that our Barbadian children are entitled to essentially free education in our public primary and secondary schools. Is this the entitlement that you intend to take away? Or is it our right to seek out medical attention at our Government owned polyclinics and Queen Elizabeth Hospital the entitlement that you propose to get rid of?

Might it be, Mr. Stuart, our old age pensioners’ entitlement to be transported for free on the buses of the Transport Board? Surely you would remember that entitlement: it was the one that your Democratic Labour Party featured in a number of high profile television advertisements during the last Election and pledged to defend against the machinations of the wicked Barbados Labour Party!

So please tell us which counter-productive “entitlements” you have targeted for elimination Mr. Stuart, and let us see if we can applaud you as well?

And finally, to Mr. Arthur’s much cherished “private-public sector partnerships!”.

Of course, Mr. Arthur knows a lot about “private-public sector partnerships”. Why, when he was Prime Minister his BLP administration entered into a contractual arrangement with Mr. Bizzy Wiiliams’ Ionics Freshwater Ltd., by virtue of which Mr. Williams’ company was mandated to construct a desalination facility and to provide the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) with 27,000 cubic metres of desalinated water every day over a 15 year period.

When, however, several years later, the Auditor General’s department carried out a special investigation into the workings of this outrageously preferential contract, they discovered that:-

  1. The BWA had – to the ultimate detriment of the taxpayers of Barbados – agreed to pay a price for the desalinated water that was substantially higher than was merited.
  2. The BWA had contracted to secure more water per day than it had the capacity to receive, and therefore the BWA and the taxpayers of Barbados had to pay the company – on an ongoing basis – for work that the company did not have to do; and
  3. The BWA had entered into a contract that virtually guaranteed the company a massive 18 per cent return on its investment !

So why – Mr. Arthur – would you want to saddle us with more of these types of outrageous contractual arrangements with the Bizzy Williamses, Mark Maloneys, Bjorn Bjerkhams and Martin Da Silvas of Barbados?

Fellow Barbadians, the sad reality is that the vast majority of the traditional political leaders of Barbados have totally lost their way! And if we – the people of Barbados – are not careful, they will end up destroying all that our forefathers struggled and fought for, and will deliver us right back into the hands of a local and foreign minority elite class!

It is sheer folly for any political leader to propose the abandonment of welfare services; the jettisoning of the very few precious social entitlements of our people; the dismantling of our country’s “mixed economy” model; or  the delivery up of critical areas of our national system to a traditional elite business class intent on enjoying tax-payer guaranteed, risk-free, business enterprises!

Furthermore, we Barbadians must insist on Barbados being a “civilized” society. And in a civilized society, when economic conditions become difficult, welfare services are not cut; the poor and destitute are not abandoned; and the core social entitlements of the people are not dismantled!

In fact, it is precisely in such difficult times that Government must show its true worth as the principal defender of the “General Welfare” of the people!

Some enlightened and patriotic citizen who is close to Owen Arthur and Freundel Stuart needs to pull them aside and explain to them that they are putting themselves on the wrong side of history : that they are in danger of going down in the history of Barbados as black leaders who turned back the hands of the clock , and who played a perfidious role in taking our people back unto the old plantation!

One Party State

Submitted by William Skinner

Those who are not blinded by party loyalty to either the Democratic Labour Party or the Barbados Labour Party would have noticed some rather fancy political foot work, […] Continue reading

Take Heed, Mia

Submitted by Douglas

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (l) Owen Arthur MP (r)

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (r) Owen Arthur MP (l)

DEAR Mia,

It has been over a year since we parted company as party colleagues. I thought it provided us with an opportune time to reflect on the progress we have made on our separate political journeys. I must say M, I feel refreshed and invigorated since […] Continue reading

The Michael Carrington Watch–Governance Crisis

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur has weighed in with his opinion how the Michael Carrington matter must be resolved. He has suggested the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Association apply its Code of Ethics to censure the Speaker of the House. Also he opined that the political stock of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) government will be dented by the saga and the Prime Minister should also intervene. He does NOT agree with the position taken by the Opposition to boycott parliament, no surprise there. As far as he is concerned Carrington has broken no rules of the House therefore the Committee of Privileges will have no choice to return a ‘not guilty’ decision.

There is a lot to untangle from the Carrington matter which is moral, political and legal in makeup. What we know is that the Speaker of the House has been ordered by the High Court of Barbados to pay $200,000 plus to a wheelchair bound client; money he has withheld for years. All sane persons agree this is wrong morally, it is wrong legally based on the court order and the noise of public opinion ensures that it will have legal implications for a weak DLP government.

Continue reading

Remembering What Politicians Do

What about the law suits?

What about the law suits?

Are we not a little ticked off at the lack of respect elected politicians and others have for us, the electorate? Why do many of us allow political partisanship to influence good reason and in the process give politicians especially a free pass.

BU recalls when the Eager 11 story broke a few government members of parliament claim the article damaged their reputation and promised to sue the Nation newspaper. To quote Minister David Estwick, “this is innuendo and is defamatory in law. Pleased be advised that I have given my lawyers the instruction to see that my integrity in public and private advocation remains untarnished and unsullied”. Dr. Estwick went on to indicate there are one or two other members who have been implied to be part of that 11 who will take similar action.

What happened Dr. David Estwick?

In the build up to the last general election there was the hot issue of the Democratic Labour Party accusing the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) of  retrenching “10,000’’ public servants if they were voted to office. In response Opposition Leader at the time threatened to sue Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler.

What happened Owen Arthur?

Continue reading

Call for Immediate Forensic Audit into the Operations of GEMS

rodney_wilkinson

Rodney Wilkinson in handcuffs

The news that the bagman has been arrested on 67 counts of fraud is big news in Barbados. In BU’s opinion it ranks in the top three memorable moments since our Independence because of his high profile status given his connection to high profile politicians. Time will tell if our competent legal system will work to make at least 25% of the charges ‘stick’.

Those who wonder if the bagman would have had to suffer the same public ridicule as the former Prime Minister’s brother Richard Arthur had a different administration been in office, probably not. The scenario playing out gives hope to the optimists that the wheels of justice may yet turn on one of its own.

Rodney Wilkinson was the CEO of GEMS/HRL project that included at the time Savannah Hotel, Blue Horizon, Time Out, Eastry House and Silver Rock properties. The W in JAWS is for Wilkinson?

BU will be labelled as being foolishly optimistic by some to expect the justice system to wheel into motion to work like it is suppose to in the matter of Wilkinson versus Globe Finance and NASSCO.  The Auditor General has been unflattering in several reports regarding the management of Hotel Resorts Limited aka GEMS. In light of recent events BU is calling for a forensic audit into the operations of Hotel Resorts Limited in the period when Wilkinson was CEO.

Continue reading

Arthur’s King Move

Submitted by William Skinner

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, M.P.

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, M.P.

Those who would seek to write off former Prime Minister Owen Arthur are making a potentially grievous political mistake. Apparently, it is now customary in our society, to declare anyone above the age of 60 as a has been. This means that all those teachers, police, nurses and others including those in the private sector, are supposed to go home at 55 or 60 and grow lettuce or roses. I respectfully beg to differ. The truth is that, as far as I know, Arthur has no impediment that will affect his ability to be a very productive citizen for many years to come.

This desire to declare people old prematurely has led to the destruction of West Indies cricket when we deliberately hastened the exit of players such as Desmond Haynes and more recently Brian Lara, out of the game before they were, in my opinion ready. When we determine that people who are that young are of no more national use, we are technically wasting all the money we have spent giving them free education!

In Arthur’s case he took about eight or years or so to master Bajan politics. While I do not “sing in his choir”, I have to really ask why the callers to the call in programs, who support Mia Mottley and the BLP are so harsh on the only political talent of any magnitude that the BLP had in its ranks. To blame Arthur for Mottley’s inability to emerge as a viable leader is a poor escape from the fact that Mottley herself is perhaps her greatest enemy. It is beyond belief that Arthur who gave her all the tools to evolve as a creditable leader is now being told he was her “problem”, according to political scientist, Peter Wickham. Wickham has gone so far as to imply that if Mottley had led the BLP in the last election, she would have been victorious. He is yet to bring any substantial argument to support such a far out conclusion.

Continue reading

Was the BLP About to Expel Former PM Arthur?

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (l) Owen Arthur MP (r)

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (r) Owen Arthur M.P (l)

BU has been advised the reason former Prime Minister Owen Arthur resigned from the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is because the executive was about to expel him from the party. Before the matter could be heard he quit. To be frank if this is true, and BU is doublechecking, Arthur took the right decision. The embarrassment of a former prime minister of fourteen years standing effectively being fired from the party would have been a big blow to the party for a man who has represented himself as a ‘red’ for forty years. It is unfathomable Mia Mottley had any influence in the politics of removing Arthur, if she had, some may describe it as bold politics, others incredibly stupid.

What does the future holds?

The Arthur faction is still embedded in the BLP parliamentary group, Symmonds, Payne, Marshall and there is Mascoll on the inside. This may be the first of other resignation to follow. The possibilities are endless what may result from the dysfunctional politics being played out in Barbados in both political parties. The next hurdle for Mia Mottley will be how the legal matter between two MPs on her side plays out. What the implosion of the BLP spells is that it gives wriggle room for the Stuart led government to meander on their merry way seemingly unaware of how to resolve the mounting challenges facing the country.

Political Class of Prostitutes

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, M.P.

Former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, M.P., Independent

The unusual decision by a fourteen year prime minister to resign his forty three year membership in the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and to sit as an Independent continues to create ripples across the political landscape of Barbados. Further, the decision for him to sit on the government side – and on the frontbench no less – has only added oomph to the political debate.  Not too long ago DLP talking heads were making political capital of Arthur’s reluctance to debate in a parliament he described as porakey. Predictably we have another politician who has exposed chameleon behaviour probably motivated by an undeclared political objective. Arthur’s inability to serve his party in the twilight of his career must be recorded as a failure of leadership on his part. What message does it send to the society when a political leader of longstanding is unable to reconcile issues to the benefit of the party. Unlike many BU believes Arthur has done his legacy irretrievable harm.

The posturing by prime minister Freundel Stuart on the day Arthur resigned from the BLP has provided insight to the Machiavellian machinations by the actors involved – there is more in the mortar than the pestle as far as this matter is concerned. Even the garrulous minister of finance  was  halting in his comment when asked if consideration will be given to accommodate Arthur in an advisory role.  He said yes.

Less than two years ago Owen Seymour Arthur was the man the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) loved to hate. A former DLP political strategist admitted the strategy in the last election was to shine a light on all of Arthur’s skeletons secreted in many closets, and it worked.  Who can forget the attack advertisements and vicious lampooning  of Arthur on social media.  In the last two weeks we have witnessed how members of the political class on the government side have comfortably shifted political rhetoric in the name of political expediency.

Continue reading

The Arthur Objective

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (l) Owen Arthur MP (r)

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (l) Owen Arthur MP (r)

The public statement by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler that he is willing to endorse former Prime Minister Owen Arthur serving on an advisory committee of government has come as a surprise to BU. His statement comes a couple days after Prime Minister Freundel Stuart made a similar statement. It is clear there is some public relations being done to smoothed or welcome Arthur’s entry into the DLP’s universe, a naked grab for a man who is widely regarded as one of the best economists in the region. The vast experience Arthur has accumulated leading Barbados for 14 years has positioned him as a priceless resource for an under resourced DLP Cabinet struggling to manage a contracting economy.

Until recently Arthur was the focal point of relentless attacks from the government that bordered on tactless and tasteless in the Lower House. Arthur may have contributed to the venomous attacks by his repeated references to a porakey parliament.  BU believes the angst the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) side holds (held) for Arthur is derived from him having been the face of a successful Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for close to fifteen years. His extended tenure gave the DLP a long time in the wilderness to all but self-destruct. If Arthur had not allowed the Mascoll factor to muddy the issue for the electorate in 2007  many believe Arthur would have served another term. He was mercilessly lampooned in all areas of the media which a generous general election budget supported. An attack on Arthur that resonated with the public effectively decapitated the the BLP figurehead and shorten his coat tail.  The DLP flawlessly executed the strategy to demonize Arthur in the last general election and Stuart was the beneficiary. Unfortunately the economic challenge that faced Barbados was a secondary message.

Continue reading

Owen Arthur’s Revelation

Submitted by Joan Worrell

The following was submitted before former Prime Minister submitted his resignation earlier today.

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur

David, I am surprised that 12 hours after an interview between Owen Arthur and Kaymar Jordan captioned ‘Arthur Fed Up’ in yesterday’s edition of Barbados Today, you have not made reference to it.  Prove to me and other readers of Barbados Underground that you are different from the mainstream press as you often boast. However I would be the first person to apologize to you if you are too busy to read the E-Paper. Let me give you an extract of what he said in the interview in case you were in fact too busy.

Continue reading

BLP Squabbling

Leader of the BLP Mia Mottley (l) Former Leader of the BLP Owen Arthur (r)

Leader of the BLP Mia Mottley (l) Former Leader of the BLP Owen Arthur (r)

At a time Barbadians are crying out for leadership the official Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has pursued a strategy to retreat into political obscurity.  In the same way many believe the government is responsible for rolling out policies that are heavily influenced by the dictates of international lending and credit rating agencies so too the behaviour of the BLP is being dictated by a high level of factionalism.

In is not uncommon for political parties while in opposition to engage in internal squabbling. Unfortunately this is an aged old process which serves as a crucible for the best of the best to emerge. Our democracy was tested in the Thompson versus Mascoll years and history seems destine to be repeated with the Mottley versus Arthur saga now playing out.

Mia Mottley has had to suffer the ignominy of being rejected by parliamentary colleagues. We all remember the so named Gang of 5 who anticipated an easy win at the polls with Thompson’s death imminent and in the Prior Park Accord recalled Arthur to keep out Mottley. What cursory study reveals is that there is an influential element in the BLP who come hell or high water will fight against Mottley becoming prime minister of Barbados.  What makes a mockery of our party system is the political gimmicks which an unsuspecting electorate must endure as narrow and selfish interest play out within political parties. The irony is that Arthur has suffered two devastating defeats and yet the message is still not clear to the Arthur faction.

Continue reading

Will the Real Trevor Please Stand Up

Submitted by Political Commentator

Trevor Prescod - BLP M.P.

Trevor Prescod – BLP M.P.

It seems as if Trevor Precod is hell bent on reducing further – if that is really possible – his already less than impressive political career.  At a time when Prescod as the oldest Member of Parliament both on the BLP and DLP benches should be focusing on creating some kind of achievements record, no matter how thin in content, he has caused the public to give another and harder look at how he has been operating.

First of all, it is now patently clear that Trevor “Bum Best” Prescod has an in-built sense of inferiority that compels him to adopt servile positions to persons he considers his intellectual and or social superior. We well remember how he has hero-worshipped Don Blackman to the point where he has imitated Blackman’s style and subject of speaking to the point where Prescod unnecessarily uses big words and long and confusing sentences, full of abandoned socialist jargon, when pontificating on obscure and out-dated topics of little concern to the public. All in an effort to sound like Don Blackman reincarnated, even though Prescod’s alter ego has long ago become a discredited political maverick.

People are now sure that untrustworthy as Don Blackman has become, he would nevertheless find revolting the fact that Prescod has now switched the object of his lap dog tendencies from one who paraded himself as a champion of the “masses” from Licorish Village and the Ivy and elsewhere, to the descendant of the “classes” from Sandy Lane and other areas of residence for Barbados’ social elite.

Continue reading

BLP and DLP Political ‘Germfare’

Submitted by William Skinner

 “Mia Motley is being politically slaughtered by Owen Arthur because he is teaching her the age old truth”

“Mia Motley is being politically slaughtered by Owen Arthur because he is teaching her the age old truth”

As we continue to grapple with the floundering of the Democratic Labour Party and the blundering of the Barbados Labour Party, the collision of hypocrisy with reality stares us in the face. The inescapable truths are now haunting the apologists and desperate assortment of political henchmen and women, who never put Barbados before George or Roebuck Streets.

Mia Motley is being politically slaughtered by Owen Arthur because he is teaching her the age old truth: you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hound. Arthur is bitter because he is confronting the harsh reality that his so-called economic management has in reality left the country no better off than he found it. He did not transform the society; he merely managed it competently and that is no great legacy to leave. Transformation is what both Grantley Adams and Errol Barrow achieved. Arthur will never and can never be seriously elevated to such heights. To put it mildly: Arthur became a ruthless self centered politician and conned the unsuspecting into believing that there was something called inclusion when in fact we all know it was nothing more than seduction and the opportunistic machinations of a frustrated group of young DLP politicians , who just did not want David Thompson to become Prime Minister of Barbados. He also easily seduced most of the rising talent that had emerged from within the ranks of the National Democratic Party.

Having squandered the chance to reclaim the government in 2013, Arthur on the night of the election made it known that he honestly believed that his chance for a second bite at the pie of power was sabotaged from within the ranks of his own party.

Continue reading

Notes From a Native Son: Ask Not for Whom the Bell Tolls, it Tolls for Thee

Hal Austin

Hal Austin

Introduction:
Barbados is going through one of the messiest political maelstroms in living memory, if not in our post-war experience. It is now on an economic life-support machine. The DLP government is running around like a headless chicken, with its leader Freundel Stuart, arguably the worst premier/prime minister in our history struck dumb and unable to address the nation and incapable of sacking Chris Sinckler, the equally bad minister of finance. And at a time when the BLP Opposition, under its new leader, Mia Mottley, should be mercilessly hammering the government, the party is imploding in one of the most vicious and bitter internecine wars any political party in Barbados has ever seen.

In terms of damage, it is worse than the walk-out by Errol Barrow and his Young Turks to form the DLP, or of Richie Haynes and his supporters from the DLP to form the National Democratic Party. But I believe all these are symptoms of historic change. As most people will understand, history is not linear; it ebbs and flows, is volatile and calm, it can erupt like a volcano and be as reassuring as a moonlit night. The problem with adversarial politics is that it brings out the nasty side of people, the premium is to show the opponent is incapable, rather than to show that one on the contrary is more than capable. It is a feature of our hostile discursive culture, rubbishing opposing ideas, asking the adversary to justify his/her views, rather than putting forward positive alternatives and justifying one’s own recommendations. It is not unknown for opponents to resort to foul-mouthed, vulgar abuse as part of the process.

Continue reading

Owen Arthur ‘Hits’ Mia Mottley, Again – Clyde Mascoll, Clear Heir Apparent, With Kerrie Symmonds as Placeholder

Submitted by Pachamama

Will Clyde Mascoll take the spoils?

Will Clyde Mascoll take the spoils?

The Nation Newspaper today carries the essential components of an internal party memorandum from Owen Seymour Arthur (OSA) to Kerrie Symmonds. A memo which is reported to have expressed a ‘lack of confidence’ in Mia Amor Mottley (MAM) as leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the official  opposition, in the Parliament of Barbados. This comes after last fortnight’s revelations that the same OSA had called a significant policy initiative by MAM as a ‘gimmick’.  Indeed, these are amongst the most sever blows that have ever been delivered to any political leader in the history of Barbadian politics. Maybe in the history of Christendom.

Arthur’s animus towards Mottley is now clearly too deep for this party to present any semblance of a united front against a weakened Democratic Labour Party (DLP), far less play a larger role in helping the country to navigate the presently deep and widening economic circumstances. These public disclosures are indeed the tip of the iceberg of the deeply negative personal relationship between Arthur and Mottley that have built up over several years. Arthur has also expressed disappointment about the circumstances which led to Mottley’s most recent elevation to the leadership of the BLP, as happened after the elections.

Continue reading

Lessons to Guide Another Dichotomous DLP Cabinet: Save Barbados Now!

George C. Brathwaite

George C. Brathwaite

At the 2007 Annual Delegate’s Conference of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), the then Leader of the Opposition, David Thompson, began his featured speech by invoking a few disclaimers. It was revealed that there were groups within civil society actively speaking out against several perceived ills. Freedom of expression prevailed in Barbados under the political sacrosanct of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) that was being led by the economically acclaimed and intellectually gifted Owen Arthur, in spite of mounting and troublesome criticisms against the government.

David Thompson, in his address, said then that the situation in Barbados had reached a stage wherein there were pronounced “signs of frustration and despair.” Thompson goaded the public into thinking that it was inconceivable why the BLP had become “so indifferent and disconnected from the people it was elected to serve.” Thompson’s utterances were glazed in flowery language and buttered with a mischief to exploit weaknesses which appeared in the seemingly invincible Arthur-led team. The DLP, through its leader, promised to “imbue new hope and optimism” into Barbadians because Barbados was on a “slippery slope of division,” and it had become infested by “stagnation and malfeasance in public administration.” One wonders how necessary was this charade at the end of 2007 when now compared with those things have been evidenced this year at the end of 2013?

Read full article

Political Yardfowlism Bajan Gangum Style

Submitted by Pachamama

errolbarrowtomeadamsDipper: Tom boy dem Bajans, specially the party loyalists, still treating we like gods, Tommy boy
Tom: You know dey had some people who woulda kill for me
Dipper: you aint got to tell me
Tom: up to now a few a dem aint think we dead, or that the Dems kill me, or that the Dems kill you, or that we progeny would be like we. Yeah, the yardies awaiting a second coming of the Tom and/or the Dipper – a savior
Dipper:  some of Dem yardies still tink I dead in mysterious circumstances. Something to do wid the political machinations of Cammie or a cabinet reshuffle
Tom: Dipper yuh know we were edicated over in away bout politics, gouvement and law but yuh never expect this type of yardie worshipfulness. It was surprising to see how easily it was to mass indoctrinate so much people
Dipper: Goebells was right that was easy as Sunday morning. We still so puwful up dey that there can be nobody like we, even now.

Continue reading

For Love of Country… a Coalition Government

Submitted by Napolean Bonaparte

Heads of Government :  Stuart, Arthur, Mottley, Sinckler
Minister of Finance : C. Mascoll
Attorney General : K. Symmonds
Minister of Tourism :  D. Inniss
Minister International Business: D. Marshall
Minister of Transport: M. Lashley
Minister of Culture: T. Prescod
Minister of Education: G. Payne
Minister of Labour :David Estwick
Minister of Health : R. Jones
Minister Housing Land: R. Sealy
Minister Agriculture: R. Toppin

Ministries to reduced eleven. Salaries of Ministers reduced by 25 %. Permanent Secretaries salaries reduced by 15%.

Time to Usher in an Era of Political Maturity

Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Think Tank and Watchdog Group

Owen Arthur, Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley MP, Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

Owen Arthur, Former Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley Leader of the Opposition, Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

Good Evening,

Fellow Barbadians, let me say how pleased I am, that our recently held general election was incident free and fair. Let me congratulate all the candidates for maintaining the democratic process and thanks to all those hard working citizens, who ensured that the highest standards of conduct prevailed.

Let me specially congratulate our main opposition, the Barbados Labour Party, on its success although the party of which I currently have the honor of leading, the Democratic Labour Party was victorious on this occasion. As you know, the result was very close and while the Democratic Labour Party was returned to office, the voters clearly showed that they are looking to both parties to solve our problems. In other words, while we are buoyed by the victory, we realize that these are challenging times and both parties have put the health of our economy, as their main priority.

Continue reading

A Ring a Ring o’ Roses: BLP DLP Same Party

Mia Mottley, Opposition Leader

Mia Mottley, Opposition Leader

Less than one year after the last general election and the sense in the BU household is that the country continues to be gripped in election mode. This is despite the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) having won the general election albeit by a narrow margin of two seats. The inability of the Stuart led government to bring Barbadians together and get on with improving the lot of the country has been a bane to many. To some the narrow result confirmed the disgust which the electorate has with the two main political parties.

Here is the flipside. BU is not convinced by  the alternative proposals which were championed by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) during the last general election campaign. There was the privatization argument which backfired, however, the thrust of the BLP’s offering is centred on maintaining a service economy read tourism and international business. Not to forget the promise of a more aggressive offshore oil exploration program. The BLP faithful appear not to accept that the world has changed post-2008. Barbados ‘leveraged’ a global economic boom where there was easy money to be borrowed from capital markets. A significant percentage of the billions left in foreign reserves by the BLP represented borrowings which will have to be repaid. The adage that one has to earn your way in the world means that a borrowing strategy was not sustainable.

The BU gang has been harping for years that the Barbados downward spiral can be tracked to a lack of leadership. In case the BLP hacks have forgotten, the economic indicators started to flag during Owen Arthur’s third term. There is evidence that Arthur and the BLP struggled with the economic conditions which had become harsher.

Continue reading

A Cricket Match from Down Under

Submitted by Pachamama

Tom: hurry up and let we spin the toss, man!
Dipper: alright, but since we recruited Thomo you set a world record down hey for the number of declarations in one-dayers
Tom: you mean I got the record up dey and down hey too!
Dipper: yuh aint win one since, you is the only man whoever declare in a one day match because yuh frighten fuh fast bowling
Tom: but uh win every election though
Dipper: next time we gine have Burhnum on our side
Tom: Dipper that would be against the rules and yuh just recruit Richie to open the batting
Dipper: Yuh know he always liked to dress up like Snow White but can’t play too much cricket
Tom: we thinking about calling up Owen
Dipper: he can’t win anymore up top so yuh might as well
Tom: but we playing yuh to a draw on top
Dipper: No, a win is a win
Tom: if a win is a win, let we play another cricket-election match and see wuh Mia gine do to Fruendel

Continue reading

Mia’s War With Her Demons Versus Arthur’s Stealth And Precision Of Attack

Submitted by Douglas

Mia Mottley's swearing in as leader of the Opposition at Government House with Arthur and Payne in February 2013

Mia Mottley’s swearing in as leader of the Opposition at Government House with Arthur and Payne in February 2013

In recent times, the government of the day has come under the lens of the Mia led faction of the Opposition Party. However, her efforts at stamping her leadership has been undermined from the word get go .Mia’s gusto and zeal has ignited only a part of her team.  The George Payne and Arthur faction have remained faithful to the No support Mia policy.

Word reaching this side of the fence, after rubbing shoulders with those in Opposition is that Arthur has renewed his vows to ensure that the Mia’s reign is shorter than it was on the last occasion. Arthur is so worked up about Mia’s leadership that he has decided to keep busy by making public statements and appearances. While not speaking to the issue of leadership in public he makes no bones about in conversation to those who will listen. He actual uses the ‘H word’ to describe her.

Continue reading

George Payne v Edmund Hinkson: Barbados Labour Party Battling Demons

 

Barbados Underground (BU) welcomes the Barbados Today report about the George Payne v Edmund Hinkson: Storm Clouds Hovering Over MAM court matter even though it has come several days after we posted. The fact that Roy Morris (Chief Editor) and shareholders in the Barbados Today have chosen to expose one side; that of the plaintiff, and not the defendant is evidence of the stain which the traditional media continues to blot the media landscape of Barbados. BU is aware how matters before the Courts must be treated in the public domain. Given its public profile a media house can easily be joined by either side to a matter like this one. What it does not mean however is that ALL the facts should not be reported. In this case why not ensure that the Statement of Defence (SOD) is included in the report?

BU continues to find this matter intriguing but not for the reasons  political yardfowls on either side will show glee. There are the political ramifications of the court action by Payne for the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Also, it gives BU the opportunity to explore a related issue associated with libel and slander which are now interchangeably referred to as defamation under the Act.

Continue reading

Does Mia Mottley Have What it Takes?

Mia Mottley, Leader of the Opposition

Mia Mottley, Leader of the Opposition

Now that Minister of Agriculture David Estwick has been sworn in the political pundits will wait for The Estimates Debate to continue with the speculation. Unfortunately for the Stuart led government the slim 2-seat majority will continue to exert the weight of public scrutiny. Not sure if the public will ever achieve a comfort level in the current circumstances. This is a new political path for Barbados.

During all the post-general election debate the leadership transition from Arthur to Mottley – the heir apparent in the eyes of many – has avoided deeper discussion. This is the second bite of the cherry for Mottley since her removal by Payne, Marshall, Toppin, Clarke and Duguid – the so-called Gang of 5 – which paved the way for the return of Owen Arthur. The result of the 21 February 2012 is now history, it saw the defeat of Arthur and the BLP.

BU had hoped in the wake of all that has happened the disaffected members of the ‘Gang of 5” would have rallied behind Mottley, and in the process send a message to the world that old wounds were in an advanced state of healing. Unfortunately for Mottley the report of an 8 to 5 vote exposes a deep division within the BLP parliamentary group. And yes members of the group are entitled to vote conscience even though in the highest chamber of the land the idea of doing similarly is dispensed with.

Continue reading

It’s Mia Mottley Again!

Mia Mottley,Leader of the Opposition

Mia Mottley, Leader of the Opposition casting her vote in the 2013 General Election – Photo credit: Nation Newspaper

Mia Mottley’s elevation to the position of Opposition Leader  was a predictable one for many. The fact that the decision to replace Arthur was made quickly is positive for the Barbados Labour party (BLP). Mottley will have five years to grow with her team in the eyes of the public. it is accepted that a robust contribution from the opposition bench is necessary to maintain the people’s business. An Opposition bench with an increased majority and a few new and young faces should make life interesting in the new parliament.

Many Barbadians believed the BLP made a mistake when it brought back Arthur to lead the party. BU is sure there was a good reason why a majority of the BLP parliamentary group sided with the decision. Whatever the reason BU hopes that Mia Mottley and the BLP have grown from the experience and set it behind them.

On behalf of the BU household we wish she and her team all the best.

Prime Minister Stuart’s Second Term and Expecting Real Change From the Political Parties

Submitted by Hamilton A. Hill

Will Arthur stay on?

Will Arthur stay on?

The tsunami of emotions that was campaign 2013 is now behind us and except for a battered ego here and there Barbados will settle down to a state of normalcy and life goes on. So too does business, though we hope not as usual.One can choose almost any angle from which to begin the advocacy for change, but the area of public influence and its manipulation is where this writer’s soap box is mounted.

There can be no denial of the biased stance taken by some in the media against this Prime Minister and his government. From the flat out ridiculous to those that bordered on disrespect, certain comments became a part of life in Barbados. That having been said, the governmental tic for tac that has been the staple of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation since inception must be ended. As we recognize the ruling party as the government of Barbados those in the minority form the official opposition of Barbados, must be respected as such.The respect due would surely resonate across the country with the assurance of unfettered access to air time. Selective dissemination of news stories must be seen as unacceptable for as a people discernment is our strongest attribute. The souffle` that now coats the face of Peter the Pollster lends confirmation to such. It behoves this administration to extend the olive branch where the CBC is concerned as a step towards maturity at a parliamentary level.

Continue reading

Elections People Lose

Submitted by William Skinner

Clyde Mascoll, BLP spokesman of economic matters deemed a liability

Clyde Mascoll, BLP spokesman on economic matters deemed a liability

Many years ago, during the turbulent years of political rivalry between Edward Saga and Michael Manley, in Jamaica, there was a very violent election and at the end it was dubbed: ”elections that people lose”. Sometimes, the only victors are the politicians and their lackeys. The victory of the Democratic Labour Party is a victory for Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. The jury will be out for sometime as to whether it was a victory for the people.

This election clearly demonstrated that the fed-up level, with both the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour party is rising; the electorate, caught between a rock and a hard place, decided that the money offered “to be put back in their pockets’ by the Barbados Labour Party, was not enough to convince them that they should bring the Bees back into office. They worried about the transport being privatized and pensioners having to pay bus fares; they worried about the Sanitation Services being privatized and having to pay for garbage removal. A people under the heavy yoke of a recession, that is not going away, are very circumspect. So, Stuart went out there and reminded them about schools that the Democratic Labour Party built and told the voters that while money in their pockets is good, their character and understanding the value of a vote is more important. A less colourful but more effective message in the end.

Continue reading

16 to 14 Result in Barbados General Election

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

Tonight is shaping up to be a victory for the people and for Barbados. I am pleasantly surprised and quietly proud. We have defied all polls, expectations and political/election stereotypes. BU has been a great conduit for it to begin. Let us move ever closer towards that much needed tipping point and let’s hope that those who lead us wake up and realise that this is a wake call to do better for all of us

– Observing(…)

A result which the most ardent of DLP and BLP supporter did not predict. Barbadians have witnessed a 16:14 result in favour of the Democratic Labour Party. The result also blew the Wickham CADRES model to smithereens, made all the more interesting that Wickham performed two polls leading up to the general election. BUs one regret is that even as the country faces unprecedented challenges – posed by the global economic landscape – we have a parliament which will struggle to do business given the result.

Continue reading

Beast of Ephesus rises again….

Submitted by Old Onions Bag

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart known for his figurative language

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart known for his figurative language

Goodness gracious me. It’s happening all over again. DEMS’s worse nightmare as the beasts of Ephesus have once more risen to torment and torture the presumptuous. Wickham’s  latest ‘second poll’ we mean. With it, many DLP hacks’ hopes stampeded and diminished after yesterday’s rekindle of sparks.  PM Stuart’s nemesis too, as his popularity has once more plummeted back to behind that of Opposition Leader Owen Arthur’s. What does this mean? Ask  BU’s Hammy, who yesterday had most ceremoniously went to the pulpit and said a prayer to his Gods, after hearing the now premature good news. On thy breast plate, Freundel, once more unsheaf thy sword … whether the mother of all battles or the slaughter at Little Bow, definitely a wash pan a licks promised and wounds of a gushing kind galore.

But Wickham dear Wickham why the hair raising turn? You certainly caused many Bees to sit up from their honey making churns. Have you not heard that such thrift is not good for the feint and weak hearted turks? Or is this some new kind of  preamble to reactivate the indifferent to arise and lurk? Which ever way is up, it certainly has worked, for never in another General Election in Barbados has there been this much ephemeral. Could this be a permanent fixture of how things will be done from here on? Polling with a difference, a last minute thrill.

Continue reading

Owen Arthur Drops CLICO Bomb at West Terrace

Exposed by the Deloitte’s CLICO Forensic Report is the fact a 3.3 million dollar invoice was generated by CLICO and eventually made its way into the account of Leroy Parris. BU finds it is ironic the leader of the opposition Owen Arthur was able to produce, at a political meeting last night, the 3.3 million dollar CLICO cheque and supporting invoice. Can anyone guess why? Here is a hint.

Unfortunately BU was unable to monitor the meeting until the finish which proceeded late into the night but here is a summary from Tony Hoyos’ Facebook page.

So an invoice for $3.3million was issued by Thompson & Assoc to Clico in Dec 2008 (while D Thompson was PM of Bds). Maurice King who was named on the invoice as providing some of the legal services billed on that invoice says he didn’t do any such work. The partners of the firm say it wasn’t their invoice. But Leroy Parris, head of Clico back then, authorised payment to T&A and the Clico cheque for $3.3m was deposited in a bank acc’t that the law partners say was not the firm’s. Then the same amount of $3.3m was paid from that acc’t back to L Parris as a part of his “gratuity”. And a few weeks later the public learned that Clico was broke. And nobody has been prosecuted yet for this? What am I missing?

Polls Apart: Arthur Now LEADS Stuart in New CADRES Poll

Peter Wickham, Head of CADRES

Peter Wickham, Head of CADRES

The most recent CADRES poll which surprised many that DLP leader Fruendel Stuart had eased pass Arthur has been reversed. Under pressure to explain the weekend poll which bucked a trend, Head of CADRES Peter Wickham took the sensible decision to redo the poll. The euphoria displayed by the DLPites has been short lived because the new poll has Arthur leading Stuart 37% to 32% with a 7% swing in play.

A DEM View Of the Recent CADRES Poll

Submitted by Stephen Williams

Prime Minister Stuart eases pass Arthur in recent CADRES Poll

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart eases pass Opposition Owen Arthur in recent poll – photo credit: Nation newspaper

According to the latest Cadres Poll, Freundel is out front. Wow!!! With that said, the DEMS must, therefore, press home the advantage as a result of our favourable showing.

However, I am somewhat sceptical about Wickham’s findings, that despite the fact that Freundel is ahead of Arthur, the DLP is still marginally trailing the Bees. I wonder if it is a case of who pays the piper, calls the tune! We all know the obvious bias of the Nation Group of companies. But, however you analyse the poll, it’s a body-blow for the Bees.

I am no political scientist, but I believe I have more than a modicum of common sense. It stands to reason, and rightly so, that if Freundel has surged ahead (in my humble opinion, he was ahead for some time) he would consequently bring along the DLP.

So, it must have been heart-wrenching for the Nation and the know-it-all Wickham, the avowed nemeses of the Prime Minister, to admit that Freundel Stuart is ahead of ‘Owing Arthur’ in their latest poll. Only last month, they were arguing it will be a landslide for their side. This must be a bitter pill for them to swallow.

Continue reading

Stuart Winning the Leadership Race as E-Day Looms

Fruendel Stuart leads Arthur in latest CADRES Poll!

Click image to read Nation newspaper report – photo credit: Nation Newspaper

Based on the most recent CADRES poll Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart is winning the leadership race. What must be of concern is that the Wickham poll was conducted before Minister of Agriculture David Estwick delivered one of the most powerful presentations of the campaign so far at the NCF on Friday night.

How will this translate in the individual constituencies with a 3.4% swing in play makes it a very interesting general election.

Manifesto WARNING!

2013 BLP Manifesto

2013 BLP Manifesto

The manifestos of the DLP and BLP have been released about ONE week before the E-Day of February 21, 2013. Generally people pay very little attention to manifestos in most countries. A manifesto may be described as a political tool to get political parties elected. Although we know they are usually littered with pie in the sky promises, BU had hoped this one time around, given the unprecedented challenges which confront service-oriented economies like Barbados, the electorate would have been wooed and teased by a vision articulated by both political parties (espoused in the manifestos).  How do they plan to navigate the economic and social milestones currently strewn in our path? Why is it this one time our people could not have been convinced to turn-down the political rhetoric, and instead, engage in a level of collaboration hitherto never experienced in democratic Barbados? As a highly regarded small predominantly Black country here was an opportunity created by the prevailing economic challenge for us to lead; a role which is not unfamiliar in the post-Independence period.

Kudos  to the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for being ‘first’ out of the blocks with their Manifesto launch – a sarcastic comment you ask?. Although a trivial point, it has not escaped the notice of BU that apart from the first page which features an aggressive air-brushed image of Owen Arthur reflected on The Team for A Better Tomorrow, Mia Mottley’s photo appears in the most prominent position. To those with an ‘eye’ for these things it is called subliminal advertising and it is designed to draw the eye and create an impression in the minds of the electorate.

During the stewardship of the DLP government (2008-2013) a few issues have always occupied the attention of the BU family. Heading the list is GOVERNACE! On Thursday an increasingly cynical electorate will have to decide which party leads (by a nose) on the issue of Freedom of Information (FOI) and Integrity Legislation (IL) among others.

Related Link: Manifesto WATCH

Continue reading