DLP’s Double Standards

The Democratic Labour Party under David Thompson is behaving rather consistently however quite irrationally. The party continues to expose the proverbial skirt in public as it has always wanted to do. However, Thompson would always be oblivious to any such behaviour.

There is no doubt that Thompson and the Dems have perched themselves on the palings concerning Cricket World Cup in the hope that any failure would be fair game for them. With the completion of a successful World Cup, Thompson and his cohorts now rest their hopes on an audit to get themselves out of a serious predicament. They went on the offensive by instilling in their yardfowls that World Cup was a failure. The actions of the Dems went so far that they would inquire from persons how the attendances at the oval were and openly vented their feelings that they wanted World Cup to fail. Why then would Thompson and the hierarchy of the Dems seek to silence David Estwick?

In hosting an international event, it would have been hoped that there would be an outpouring of nationalistic favour by all Barbadians for success. But no; not from the Dems whose hoped for failure would be such as they would have been propelled into the political spotlight.

What is being bandied around by the Dems and Thompson is the question of an audit in the hope of making some political headway. But fortunately, they have not yet come to terms with the error of their ways and the lack of support by them of Cricket World Cup will yet come to haunt them.

What we have emerging is a DLP which has no conscience but this does not matter much as it is known that Thompson would do anything for political gain at the polls. Barbadians must understand that Thompson and the Dems have never said that they would not cut Civil Servants Salaries again although the Owen Arthur administration has amended the Constitution to prevent such an act. No doubt, Thompson and the Dems could easily further amend the constitution to achieve their objectives.

What Thompson and the Dems have to worry about is the proposal put up by Ronald Jones their parliamentary colleague. Jones is asking the Government to finance a football stadium to the tune of $50 million.

The Democratic Labour Party has no shame whatsoever. They did not whole heartedly support Cricket World Cup but they can now seek the present Government assistance in financing a football stadium.

What the Dems must first try to get is an agreement among themselves that the Country’s debt can be increased to support a football stadium. An agreement to increase the public debt would suggest that Dr. Estwick must make a complete about face or tell David Thompson and Ronald Jones that he cannot agree with them. If the matter for Dr. Estwick is one of conscience then Estwick will have to leave the Dems. That way he would not have to deal with Kellman and the Development of North Stars. What a predicament for Dr. Estwick!

Thompson needs an audit for Cricket World Cup and no doubt this is his right. But what he must also do is to ask Ronald Jones and the Football Association to present him with an audit for $200,000.00 granted to the Football Association for the overseas trip. Thompson must understand that both audits are required.

No double standards Mr. Thompson. You were so vociferous about state support for political parties yet the “Grey Jesus” of the DLP was the first to draw.

 

THOMPSON CAN NOT BE TRUSTED

If ever the electorate of Barbados needed clarification of the new political philosophy that now informs the politics of the DLP it was given at their political meeting at Brittons Hill, St. Michael on Sunday, May 20, 2007. Speaker after speaker served up what is now the adopted political philosophy of this intellectually weak gang of Thompsonites. The entire meeting was shrouded in the language of their now philosophy of “tit for tat butter for fat” – an expression that reflects the intellectual depth of the man who now leads the fragment of an institution that once bore the flag ship of our political development. The new DLP has become the shelter for notorious personalities and the home of political vagrants.

It is therefore of no surprise to hear of comments attributed to the speakers at the meeting. What else can one expect from a meeting of such personalities? The “tit for tat butter for fat” approach by the DLP is one that has determined that to attack is the best line of defence. It is a principle the Dems have adopted as a result of their inability to deal with the socio-economic realities in Barbados. And what are those realities?

The challenge to the DLP in this election is not how to reduce the level of unemployment from 24% as it was in 1993 but how to maintain the current employment level of about 92%. It would not be about rebuilding our foreign reserves from two weeks supply of import cover but about maintaining the current internationally accepted level of twelve months supply. It would certainly not be about looking for tax relief for private and corporate citizens but about retaining the current relief on property taxes for small property owners and small businesses.

The DLP would not be asked to develop a physical and technological infrastructure that would position the country to take full advantage of the benefits to be derived from the highly competitive global market. Instead it would be asked how it will maintain the current infrastructure. Indeed all across this country whether it be in health, housing, education or the environment, this country Barbados has advanced by leaps and bounds from where we were in the early 1990s when Thompson was Minister of Finance. It was a period that no Barbadian shall ever forget.

Today, this same Thompson criticizes everything this Government does and professes that he can do better. Can he be trusted? The answer to this question can be found in the manner in which he led the DLP. He has presided over the largest ever exodus of that party’s membership, due largely to his lack of conviction and trust in black working class Barbadians. It can be found in the manner in which he manages the affairs of the PAC. There must be a fundamental flaw in the management style and personality of someone who sees everything and everyone around him as corrupt but when given the powers to correct the corruption does absolutely nothing.

Of what single political act can we attribute to Thompson that best demonstrates his conviction and love for politics and his interest in people? For other than his self-serving interest we have found none. From Sir Grantley to the Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur the distinction to serve people and country, long before becoming Prime Ministers, was established. Where is Thompson’s badge of honour?

Ladies and gentlemen let us look before we leap remembering always that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 

 

 

 

 

Condolences to the Arthurs

Our deepest sympathy and condolences are extended to our Prime Minster, his wife and family on the passing of his daughter Danielle. We pray that God’s perfect peace will dwell with them at this difficult time.  

Barbados Labour Party Family  

Transparency International

Of the 142 countries surveyed by transparency International on their corruption Index Barbados has been ranked 24^th just behind Chile, the USA and Spain and certainly the highest ranked for the least corruption in the whole Caribbean region. Barbados is also the highest ranked developing country of all the 142 countries surveyed.

The Sin of Ingratitude

The next general election in Barbados is constitutionally due in 2008 however, it clear that the DLP has launched their campaign. It is a campaign that has been promised by Thompson to be the “mother of all battles”. For those persons who do not quite understand this political term of reference then they should carefully examine the words and political actions of Thompson since his return from the political wilderness.

The first point of reference has to be the manner in which Thompson paid gratitude to the man who led the party during the time he Thompson opted not to serve in an effort to save, at that time, his own political demise. Say what you like about Glyde Mascoll, it can only be boldness of character and commitment to serve Barbados that would have led him to take the burdens of the DLP upon his back and restored it to some political respectability. What Mr. Mascoll did for the DLP is what every child in this country should be taught in school – character building and commitment to serve country. In the opinion of Barbadians, he served well while a few class snobs thought otherwise.

What ever your opinion of Mr. Mascoll’s style of leadership of the DLP, his treatment by Thompson is most reprehensible and uncouth. Thompson, aided and abetted by Sleepy Smith, Phillip Greaves, Peter Wickham and others, has demonstrated that he has no respect for the worth of others whom he considers to be lesser mortals than himself. It is here therefore that we would like to make the critical link between what Thompson now professes he wants to do for working class Barbadians who do not share his class origin and his actions. The old Barbadian saying that “actions speak louder than words” is more than instructive here.

Can Thompson change how he feels about working class Barbadians? Can a leopard really change his spots? Barbadians will be asked in the upcoming election to vote for some one to lead this country who not only can manage our economy well but also has capacity to be sensitive to the needs of the vulnerable groups in our society and who genuinely respects and values their contribution. Was Mascoll’s contribution to the DLP genuinely respected and valued? Is Thompson’s treatment of Mascoll the new culture we would want our children to adopt?

There is a frightening feature that is creeping into our society where our elderly is being abandoned by their children and other relatives whom they had raised. The sin of ingratitude must be arrested now and anyone or organization that seeks to perpetrate this social scourge must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We cannot build a first world nation or indeed a just society in an atmosphere where ingratitude abounds.

For over forty years, we have built a society for which can be proud. Our successes are due to the fact that all our leaders have invested in social capital that has allowed all our people, great and small, white and black and of all classes to fully expressed themselves and to share in the many accomplishments of our country. They were allowed to make their contributions to society and country and be rewarded for it. Do not let us turn back the clock. We must never allow the financially powerful or politically hungry to define who we are or what we can achieve as ordinary people. We must stay proud.

Barbados Free Press NOT FREE

A letter we received from a reader.

BFP’s pratice of one-sided politics and anti gov’ t diatribe

 The DLP’s candidates and supporters are allowed to post defamatory comments about the BLP’s candidates and its supporters on Barbados Free Press (BFP). The adminstrators of BFP wait like snakes in the grass, waiting to moderate/delete comments posted by the BLP’s supporters, who seek to bring balance to the skewed comments posted by those destructive people in George Street. The is no democracy on Barbados Free Press, which is clearly administrated by the DLP. I want Barbadians to realise that the DLP continues to prove that they are a dictorship party, which does not even allow freedom of speech on Barbados Free Press.

Take a look at the biasness that takes place .

• Maria
  May 13th, 2007 at 4:47 am

COMMENT DELETED BY BFP MODERATOR.Maria… you and your IP are banned.We will not put up with you BLP agents again attempting to highjack this blog through foulness – all for the purpose of driving away readers. 

• Stealth Bomber
  May 13th, 2007 at 4:49 am

COMMENT DELETED BY BFP MODERATOR.Stealth Bomber.. you and your IP are banned.We will not put up with you BLP agents again attempting to highjack this blog through foulness – all for the purpose of driving away readers. 

NB:

Maria and Stealth Bomber  pro BLP have been banned from Barbados Free Press…where is the freedom on Free Press?

And yet every day almost very negative comments about our politicians and other BLP members may be found throughout the BFP site.  

 

Happy Mother’s Day

To all Mothers on this wonderful day. Indeed the picture says it all.

The care and attention. The love and devotion. Just for being a wonderful mother.

Have a happy Mother’s Day.

BENEFITS TO ALL OF US

 

David Thompson and his cronies are out of step with the rest of Barbados with regards to Cricket World Cup. The overwhelming majority of persons, including overseas observers, have heaped tremendous praise on this country for its excellent performance. Many knowledgeable local observers with no political axes to grind have testified that we are truly the benefactors of CWC 2007. This country has gained priceless exposure and those who read the overseas press will readily agree that Barbados has come out well from staging the extravaganza.

Thompson and the Dems are now saying that the cost of staging the event was too high. They have been using the figure of $500 million, a ludicrous exaggeration which is most self-serving and untrue. Perhaps they should tell us how they arrived at that figure, do they have information that is unknown to the rest of us? No, they are just flying a kite, but we are prepared to cut the cord. Do they figures include money spent of the roads and will the roads cease to exist after CWC? Do they include improvements to the health infrastructure which in any case will serve us well after the event?

Of course, all of the success would have choked the Dems who were looking for the event to be less than successful so that they could heap blame on the Government. It is therefore to be expected that Thompson would behave as he is now doing. After all elections are one year away and Thompson knows that his very political existence is at stake. Thus as a drowning man, he will clutch at any straw.

We recall the President of the local Hotel Association on many previous occasions expressing some reticence about the expected success of the event from a hotel’s point of view. Now that the event has concluded he is singing the praises of the event, noting the fact that occupancy levels in the hotels are well above that for the previous years. Many small hotels on the South Coast have been the beneficiaries of the wise decision to host CWC. That would give the lie to those Dems, who are expressing a different view, obviously based on their own warped wishes.

Many taxi operators have done very well during the World Cup period and they have been prepared to express that view. We are told of the vastly improved numbers visiting places like St. Lawrence and Oistins and this meant that a lot of ordinary Barbadians have benefited from the large numbers present on the island. The fisherfolk in the temporary Bay Gardens have been delighted at the increase in business over the period. Those persons who have borrowed funds to renovate their homes are now in a better position to become involved in the growing bed and breakfast activity, an important part of our tourism offering. Contrary to what the Dems are saying, ordinary folk have benefited from our staging CWC.

The legacy benefits are there for all to see and indeed to take advantage of Kensington Oval has been transformed from a run down exhausted stadium to one of the best in the world. It has become the place befitting some of the best cricketers the world has ever seen. We all can be extremely proud of it and what it represents in the psyche of all Barbadians.

The Dems will continue on its nit-picking path, they have nothing else to offer. The public is satisfied that the country has done well out of CWC and will continue to bask in the success of the event.

CUP BONUS

From the Nation

CRICKET WORLD CUP (CWC) 2007’s first report card came back yesterday.

And according to Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Clyde Mascoll, there were mostly “A” grades associated with Barbados, which hosted a major part of the world’s third largest sporting event.

At a Press conference attended by more than 40 of the stakeholders in the just concluded World Cup, Lynch said Barbados had accounted for 117 000 fans in the stands (for six Super 8 matches and the grand final), almost one-third of total tournament attendance of 400 000.

Soared

In addition, he said, visitor arrivals for last month had soared by 10.6 per cent compared to April 2006, which culminated with an average of 13 000 more people coming to these shores for every April since 2002.

“We are beginning to claw our way back,” said Lynch, who also said that because of a prosperous marketing drive, total arrivals for January to April 2007 would only be down 1.8 per cent when compared

to 2006, which the minister said had been a very good year as well.

Lynch also said last month was a watershed for the cruise line industry, since 93 000 visitors got off at the Bridgetown Port. In addition, 66 000 entered Barbados through Grantley Adams International Airport.

He said successes from hosting the World Cup far outweighed the negatives, and Barbadians especially, should be proud of their achievements.

“We can describe this as our finest hour,” Lynch said during the Press conference at the Sherbourne Conference Centre.

“What this Cricket World Cup did show, is that nine or ten countries can work together and succeed. This was a huge organisational success.”

Mascoll said that through the successful staging of its facet of the Cricket World Cup, Barbados’ economy is now appropriately placed to satisfy a transition to a full service economy.

“What is most important at this stage, is that the foreign reserves of Barbados have grown by almost $100 million in April alone, which demonstrates the World Cup would have delivered in terms of its earning capacity,” Mascoll said in turn.

The economist said that because of such growth, Barbados’ foreign reserves at the end of April would be $230 million more than last year at the same time.

Mascoll also lashed out at the critics of Government’s decision to spend over $100 million in redeveloping Kensington Oval, noting there were few ventures anywhere in the world that could earn back almost 30 per cent of the amount in less than a year, and the famous venue had done that in hosting the six Super 8 matches and the Final.

“Contrary to what is being said, hosting this event has provided us with an opportunity for transformation of West Indies cricket,” Mascoll added.

“I am looking to a very bright future for West Indies cricket.”

He said that Government’s success with its staging of Barbados’ segment of the World Cup clearly indicated why the Barbados Labour Party Administration should remain the one of choice for Barbadians.

Mascoll said the successful hosting of Barbados’ leg was a clear indication that the country was at the forefront of the race to move from a developing country to a First World country.

Then, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth Affairs, Anthony Wood said Prime Minister Owen Arthur would on Tuesday, chair a special meeting to decide the future of Kensington, where suggestions for further finance opportunities for the famous venue would be discussed.

A Job Well Done FOR CWC

Cricket World Cup 2007 is now over and Barbados can take full praise for a job well done. This small nation has once again performed more than creditably and shows that we are well on the way towards achieving developed nation status by the year 2025.

But that should not take anyone by surprise, this BLP administration has time and time again shown that it knows how to govern and how to get things done effectively and efficiently. The successful staging of CWC is a dream come true. Prime Minister Arthur himself became involved when progress was a bit slower than required and his statement about moving heaven and earth set the right tone. It told all concerned that we were taking our obligations very seriously and will not let anything get in the way of a successful event.

The Prime Minister also made two strategic moves which paid off in the long run. Firstly, he put one of his best public servants in charge of getting the whole country ready. That was very important since the exercise required that all departments of Government work hand in hand to get the job done. From all reports that was a master move by the administration.

Secondly, Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley was put in charge to getting the whole region ready as far as the all important area of security was concerned. This was invaluable work and anyone attempting to use the event for unwise activity would have had second thoughts given the impressive work of that committee. Furthermore it showed that the Barbados Government saw the importance of the event and did what was needed for its success.

This region has produced some of the most outstanding cricketers since we started playing test cricket almost 80 years ago. It is only fitting that we were given the chance to host the event and to show the world that just as we performed on the field in the early years of our dominance so to we could perform at the administrative and planning levels.

Hosting the event was costly but informed observers all agreed that it was money well spent and that it will reap the anticipated benefits in due course. Only a foolish person would have expected the cost to be recovered by the end of the tournament. The Oval is a fixed asset and it is confidently expected that it will pay for itself in time. No one would seriously expect that a capital outlay of this magnitude would have been recouped in one single event.

There will be many legacies left to the region as a result of hosting the games. First of all, it shows that when needed we can work together. This event took a combined effort and it required that we learn to pool our resources for the common good. The fact that the transport area was singled out for special praise is noteworthy — the airlines flew on time and there were no reports of lost or missing baggage. The Caricom passport worked well and many persons have expressed the view that it must continue as permanent feature of regional life.

The people of Barbados responded well to the event and deserve the highest commendation for their effort. Comments about the hospitality of Barbadians were shared all around the world and added to the charm and appeal of this country. CWC has reinforced the widely held view that Barbados is truly a paradise.

A commendable effort by all.