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The remarks by David Thompson at the Annual Conference of the Demorcratic Labour Party concerning the workings of the Social Partnership demand the attention of all Barbadians. He said inter alia that “what the social partnership has done in Barbados is that it has stifled the voices of the workers and it has denied the workers the right to demand and fight for increases in income to keep abreast with the rising cost of living in Barbados.” (Advocate, Monday, August 27, 2007.)
The remark should draw the ire of all the trade union leaders in Barbados for the major inference which can be drawn from the statement is that all of our trade union leaders have failed the workers of this country. The conclusion would be that Sir Roy Trotman, Bobby Morris Gabby Scott, Levere Richards all of the Barbados Workers Union and Joseph Goddard and Dennis Clarke of the National Union of Public Workers have all failed in their duty in representing the workers of Barbados. Are our workers to infer that the above union bosses are in collusion with others to short – change the workers of this country?
It must not be forgotten that the Social Partnership was established under the last DLP administration and any suggestion of conspiracy amongst the Social Partnership or any flaws in the way it was set up would have to fall squarely on the shoulders of Thompson and Sandiford. But was the social Partnership set up to satisfy the demands of the International Monetary Fund? We recall the very bold declaration by Thompson that he knows what the IMF wants and the IMF knows what he wants. If the horror stories emanating from countries where the IMF has been involved is to be measured then clearly the IMF knew what it wanted from Barbados.
The question is did Thompson know what he wanted from the IMF? We all know what the IMF’s views are on government sponsored social programmes and the failure rate of their economic remedies in many countries. It is against this background that Barbadians will better appreciate why Prime Minister Arthur had to ask the IMF official stationed in the Ministry of Finance to leave the compound. So how has the Unions failed us Thompson? They failed us when they allowed the DLP government to carry out an 8% salary cut; they failed us when they “acquiesced” to send home over 3,000 public sector workers; they failed us when they refused to report on the high level of fore-closures on workers’ homes by the mortgagors; they failed us when they allowed unemployment rate to climb to 26.2% under Thompson.
Today our Unions are winning. They are winning when in salary negotiations from 1995 to 2007 they accepted substantial percentage increases; they are winning because they were able negotiate a $10 million bonus payment for workers; they won when they negotiated a 2% payment at the end of the agreement covering 2003-2005. They are winning in maintaining the jobs in our industries by enhancing our competitive position; they are winning by helping our workers to improve their standard of living, purchase homes and other consumer goods e.g. motor cars; they have won when they agreed to zero rate food items on which Thompson and the Dems had imposed the 15% VAT. The accomplishment of the Unions in Barbados is immeasurable.
Only Thompson would want to sully their impressive record. His problem is that he can no longer play political blood sport with the workers’ lives as they have shown no interest in the sharing of the fatted calf.
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Adrian Loveridge comment on Deception Lies Propaganda DLP
” With 12 seats won with a majority of less than 150 votes in the last general election, how many more people can you alienate?”
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These are the facts.
Below is a Table showing the election resuts from the last election and the majority for each.
Clearly there were only four seats won by the BLP by a majority under 150 and these are Christ Church South, St Joseph, St Micheal South and St Michael Central.
If Loveridge has other results to back up his claim as stated above he should produce them now.
Instead he has proven the depths to which the DLP operatives are prepared to go to. As they try to bring lies and deception and propaganda into the national debate. His comment proves this post to be completely true and accurate.
Do not bring your lies here Adrian. We have again proven you are nothing more than a DLP LIAR.
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For the third time in two months our beloved Nation has been plunged into a state of national mourning. No sooner had we begun to grapple with the tragic lost of lives at Joes River, St. Joseph and Mullins, St. Peter, our Nation has been thrown further into shocked. To have been awakened on the morning of Sunday, August 26 to the horrifying news that a section of an apartment block at Arch Cot, Brittons X Road, St. Michael had crumbled beneath the ground was most dreadful. But to have discovered that a family of five had gone down with rubble is a fate for which no human being would have ever imagined.
Once again the National Disaster Team responded with alacrity and within forty five minutes mobilization had begun within the various agencies involved in search and rescue. No previous experience or depth of training could have prepared them for what laid ahead at what can now be described as “ground zero”. Arch Cot resembled a scene from a movie though reality revealed a more frightening fact — the earth had opened and swallowed up an apartment block, two cars and most sadly a family of five and the rescue team had resolved to reclaim them alive but unfortunately that was not to be.
Once on the ground, the rescue team moved swiftly to secure the area, established a perimeter fence, a command centre from where a well organized and managed rescue effort was affected to bring closure to this horrible incident. Closure of this incident as understood by members of the families of the deceased, the rescue team and all Barbados was the recovery of Donavere and Cassandra Codrington and their three children. So far two bodies have been recovered and we have no doubt that the others would be recovered. We salute the men and women who have put their own lives at risk in this rescue mission. From the pictures in the press and from the information gathered at the briefings, it is clear that the vulnerability of the area was a major challenge.
Barbadians would have seen bold men and women being lowered into a 50 ft. cave with danger hanging all around and beneath them in hope of finding and recovering five of our loved ones. We owe them a debt of gratitude. We are proud at the level of ingenuity and determination that was exhibited by our local rescue team considering our limited resources and experience in this kind of rescue operation. That we can begin to recover bodies by day four of this operation is commendable especially when one takes into account that neither the skills of mining nor the special equipment for such a task were available as required by the challenge posed by this tragic collapse.
It is the commendation of the top Miami Rescue Expert, Allan Perry, which makes us feel proud to be Barbadians. Mr. Perry is reported in the Nation Newspaper of Tuesday August 28, 2007 to have said that “they did a fine job; we would not have done it any way else”. To fully appreciate the work of our local team, one only has to reflect on the fact that weeks after the collapse of a coal mine in Utah, USA none of the bodies of the six miners trapped in that mine has been recovered.
On behalf of the entire family of the Barbados Labour Party we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Codrington family and to salute our rescue team for their bravery and boldness of courage.
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It is with deep regret and tremendous sympathy that we write this and extend our sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of the Arch Cot Disaster.
This disaster will be remembered for years to come as it seems to be the first of its kind in modern history. Let us now hope and pray that the recovery will be uneventful as those brave men and women who contimue to venture into this unsafe environment will be safe as they carry out the difficult task of recovering the bodies of those victims of this tragedy.
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Just when we thought that there was unity within the DLP, lo and behold, the opposite continues to be the reality in George Street. If the words of the Former General Secretary, George Pilgrim, a man of no significant merit or achievement are to believed, that he was asked to step aside for Sinckler then clearly the political blood sport, Thompson’s pastime, is well at work.
Pilgrim told Barbadians that he was spoken to by Party Leader David Thompson and went on to speak revelations of the true state of affairs within the DLP. He said “I feel that in an election year, the party must appear to be fully united”. Therein lies the deception. Pilgrim has confirmed what we have been saying for years now that the party’s readiness for the next election is being planned on the false pretence that they are unified.
On the last occasion that the DLP was elected on the pretence that they were a unified group the result was the political fiasco that led to the no-confidence motion of 1994. That debate revealed the damning disunity that has always and continues to be at the core of that party. Barbados can ill-afford to be led by a party that only wants to “appear” to be unified but for which the evidence clearly shows is split down the middle.
Barbadians have paid the price for electing a fractured Government 1991 and Pilgrim must not now be allowed to think that his cheap political maneuver will in any way sway public opinion about the distrust that they now hold for the DLP. Thompson’s desire to have Sinckler as General Secretary of the DLP at this time is not based on any sound reasoning to project the best image of the Party or improve its competence level but solely for the purpose of raising Sinckler’s dismal political profile in St. Michael North West. One would have been thought that rather than engaging in musical chairs Sinckler would have used all of his energy in North-West given the Herculean task he has with the incumbent Clyde Mascoll.
No amount of filibustering or back-of-the-hand dealing will rid the party of its many fractions that are contributing to the disunity in the Party. Barbadians can be assured that there will continue to be stormy sessions at George Street and it will not be a place for the faint hearted. By now all Barbadians would have accepted that contrary to the perceived notion of unity within the DLP a gaping hole remains visible among their parliamentarians, candidates, stalwarts and general membership.
Thompson and Freundel will never drink together. Estwick and Thompson will never be friends. Sinckler and Lashley will never share a kind word and Jones and Sealy will never be pals. Kellman will never support anyone other than himself as he believes that he is the de facto leader of the DLP, a position out of which he feels he was shamelessly cheated. Such is the surly depth of disunity within the DLP. In the meantime, the BLP is moving ahead providing a better life for all Barbadians.
They know the road ahead is full of all challenges but we are a unified team with an outstanding leader, ready to tackle whatever lies ahead. To allow this country to fall into the hands of desperate men who are only too ready to hack up the fatted calf for their friends and cronies is not the way for Barbados. This country deserves better.
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Like a recurring decimal, the issue of minimum wage legislation enters the political equation and when ever it does the rhetoric generated seem only to serve the purpose of boosting the political calculus of the parties and organizations advancing its cause at that occasion. The issue of minimum wage legislation is not unknown to this BLP government. In fact, it was this party that first mooted the idea of minimum wage legislation in its manifesto of 1971. On that occasion neither the Unions nor the Opposition DLP gave the idea any support.
The failure of other organizations to support the BLP’s call for minimum wage legislation then and their constant hollow cries now for its introduction is testimony of the BLP’s long term vision for Barbados which has become the decisive difference between the two parties. There can be no doubt that the DLP’s practice of vulgar political pragmatism has in the past stunted the growth of this country. It has always been the task of the BLP to undertake the bold initiatives needed to propel this country into the next phase of its development.
If this country’s development was left entirely to the DLP we would not have had the International Airport we now have. We would not have had the ABC Highway which is now the axis of commercial growth and development, the expansion of the UWI to allow greater entry of students who are desirous of attaining tertiary education and the implementation of a host of social and economic programmes that now places Barbados on the threshold of a “First World” status. In short under a DLP regime Barbados’ potential to grow is stunted by the politics of indecision and a lack of political vision. A call for minimum wage legislation from any quarter in Barbados is thirty six years late of our initial attempt to introduce this piece of legislation.
The introduction of minimum wage legislation into Barbados at this time must be made within the context of our new economy and vast changes that have taken place within the labour market. Certainly such legislation must take into consideration the fact that the circumstances between 1971 and now are vastly different. Today the unemployment rate is low and whereas this government is committed to ensuring that every worker is allowed a decent wage by which he/she can pull themselves up the socio-economic ladder, we are also fully cognizant that a rash approach to minimum wage legislation may have the adverse effect on our current positive employment climate.
So far the debate on minimum wage legislation seems to suggest that its introduction is for the sole purpose of combating poverty. If this is indeed true then a careful analysis of government’s tax reform policies and other social programmes on the alleviation of poverty must be taken into account. The fact that this BLP government has been relentless in its job creation programme is in keeping with its philosophy that it is to the long term benefit of a man and his family that he is given the apparatus to fish rather than be given a fish. That we have drastically reduced unemployment has not negated our obligation to those who still fall below the acceptable wage levels and to this end government has introduced a reverse tax credit to bolster their wages.
Limited space allotted for this column does not permit for a fuller examination of the alternative methods of poverty alleviation or indeed the wider impact of minimum wage legislation on employment and unemployment. Suffice it to say, this BLP government will continue do what is in the best interest of workers.
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As Barbados prepares to launch a virtually new industry every effort is being made to ensure that its economic contribution to Barbadians is maximized and the skills needed to drive this “new” industry are provided locally. In this regard, two recent announcements by the Minister of Energy, The Hon. Elizabeth Thompson are instructive. During the Barbados Offshore Licensing Round 2007 at the Hilton Hotel last week Minister Thompson clarified a number of issues on the development of the impending offshore drilling project. The Minister stated that a draft of the new legislation – the Offshore Petroleum Act and the Offshore Petroleum Tax Act – will be debated in the House of Assembly on Friday, August, 2007.
Fully cognizant of the challenges this new industry would have our social capital, the Minister indicated that Government would be making an investment in the training and education of Barbadians to ensure that they are in a position to supply the skills, goods and services to this sector. When one considers the importance of the oil industry to overall production and the massive well-paying job opportunities available within the industry one can understand why this Government took the bold decision in 2004 when it sought clarity before the International Tribunal of its boundary delimitation with Trinidad and Tobago. Three years later the birth of a “new” industry is set to take its place upon the social and economic landscape of Barbados.
We speak of an industry with the economic potential to completely wipe out this country’s current national debt in the shortest possible time and make unemployment a thing of the past. With the success that Barbados is already recording from its current limited resources, this new industry will make the Singapore model look like child’s play. We are happy to report that already fifty miles off Tobago a well was sunk in which gas was discovered. However, further exploration will be carried out in this area. Licenses and Bidding Blocks consisting of specific areas for exploration have been set aside for local participation. In other words Barbadians are not excluded. In addition in the event that petroleum is discovered Barbados stands to earn substantial revenue by way of royalties and taxes. To this end a development fund will be established to facilitate future physical and other social projects for Barbados. But how did the prospects of such economic fortune befall us? We must give thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon. Mia Mottley.
It took political forthrightness to first convince her cabinet colleagues of her intention to engage the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The magnitude of the legal preparation to enforce dispute settlement procedures under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was absolutely magnanimous. Her victory at the tribunal will long live in memory. Barbadians will recall that in the heat of the debate between Barbados and Trinidad David Thompson was heard to have said that the issue could have been resolved over a bowl of cou cou and flying fish. In the recent past he has sought to give the impression the Minister Mottley does little for her salary.
We ask Barbadians what victories have Thompson ever won for us? What does he do now for the large salary he receives as leader of the misguided DLP? It is a pity that after more than twenty years of political failure to constituency and country Thompson still sees politics as a blood-sport.
Barbadians are asked to follow the debate today live from the House of Assembly.
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The next general election in Barbados, constitutionally due in 2008 will focus on two very critical issues. The twin issues of leadership and the management of the economy will once again engage the attention of the electorate primarily because of the rapid progress Barbados has made towards becoming a world-class destination and a first world Nation. Barbadians are pleased with the management of the local economy and the repositioning of the country within the regional and international arena. Barbados no longer has a government that travels abroad begging alms as it did under the last DLP administration, when bullet loans and debt rescheduling were the order of the day. To the contrary, Barbadians now live in a proud Nation that pays it way in a growing economically hostile and highly competitive world. We have proven repeatedly that we have the ability to take firm positions on matters with regional and international nature and still enjoy the respect of all. Whether it is the issue of our territorial boundaries with Trinidad or the Harmful Taxation Treaty with the OECD countries, we have demonstrated that size is not factor in the recognition of territorial sovereignty and the pursuit economic justice.
Barbados has pursued an economic and political policy that has been bedrock of its local politics and foreign policy. It is a policy that recognizes and accepts that our greatest asset is our people and that if we are to take our rightful place among the developed countries of this world, we must continue to prepare our people for the challenges of globalization. We must become greater exporters of skills, goods and services if we are to continue to enhance the standard of living of Barbadians. Barbados will therefore have to compete within the Global economy and must embrace the technological mindset which is pervasive in many countries. Since 1994, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Arthur, Barbados pursued an economic policy that has seen the transformation of the Barbados economy from a Sugar economy to a provider of services. It is this diversification of our economy that positions us to take full advantage of the enormous opportunities arising out of CSME and other major economies around the world with whom we have trade partnership agreements.
It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that Prime Minister Arthur has a very clear vision and understanding of the trends in the global economy and has carefully mapped out Barbados’ economic course so as to maximize our benefits from the growth in the world economy.The July update of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) recently reported that for the first half of 2007 the global economy expanded and noted that developing countries were leading this expansion. There has been strong growth in the financial markets and Barbados stands to benefit from this growth. Its own efforts at tightening its laws and other control mechanisms will only further bolster its position as a safe and secure financial domicile.
The evolution of the Barbados economy is now set to be a major player in the global market for services, productive factors and financial assets. The continuing development of our indigenous companies into Trans National Companies must be an attainable goal. No effort must be spared in crossing this economic Rubicon. In a globalised economy narrow nationalistic rhetoric has no place. Since leadership and economic management are the two factors influencing the outcome of the next election then clearly Prime Minister Arthur has obviously set the bar.
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The Dems are a desperate lot indeed and it is showing. They are extremely disappointed that their recent efforts at gaining public trust and acceptance have fallen flat. They thought that elections were near and set about to heat up the country in their quest to get an early start. Their meetings started on a low note and got progressively worse. Such was the fall-out that they have now abandoned them, citing Crop Over as a convenient excuse. This was a massive let down after all the hype that surrounded their efforts and the news coverage from all sources. The plain truth is that they have precious little to tell the electorate and their meetings have degenerated into pure mudslinging and character assassination. The political social and economic content was shallow and the meetings only served as comic relief. Such was the let-down that people not known to be hostile to the Dems were openly questioning their planning.For the past two weeks they have bombarded the air waves with empty rhetoric in regards to the Prime Minister calling those running the affairs of the DLP as “wild boys”. All sorts of tears were shed. Their false protestations only show that they are totally without a clue as to their role in the public affairs of this country. The plea is very much “fair comment” as the actions of Thompson and his advisers has demonstrated.
The Dems strongly believe that they can win the elections on the fact that the present administration is now deep into an unprecedented third term. This is a highly sophisticated and vulnerable economy and it takes economic skill and political commitment to run it. The past thirteen years have shown what we can achieve as a nation and compares sharply with what happened when the Dems were last in power. It also demonstrates the dangers in having a fractured ruling party and the attendant risks involved. We have to be careful to whom we can entrust this nation.
It is therefore no accident that the BLP is surging ahead of the DLP and that the spirit of contentment is very much alive in the island. The people know that this BLP administration is doing all in its power to steer us into greater prosperity. Barbadians understand the difficulties of the international economy and would have read of the high marks given by all of the international agencies who roundly applaud our efforts for the sound economic and social policies pursued.
The people of Barbados are wary of the Dems and their unworkable policies. In this economic climate, with extremely high oil prices, any talk of massive giveaways is just not on, it would be economic madness and will send us back into the dark days of the 1990’s under an unrepentant David Thompson as Minister of Finance. To give public servant duty free cars and subsidise land prices would wreck the treasury and send us well into the hands of the IMF. Barbadians are not fools, neither have they forgotten the past.
Barbadians would be well advised to guard themselves against the stupid political tactics of the Dems. Those few in charge of the Dems have their own agenda and have forgotten that of their party.
What Barbadians now have is a very credible party to govern their affairs. The Barbados Labour Party will not leave them to those who have demonstrated that they are nothing more than “Wild Boys”.
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Hartley, politics BLP style is about fair play. Our decision not to take you up on your asset declaration issue was not without reason. You must not feel that you can engage us in the issues that only you deem appropriate. In April this year one of our prolific writers had to apply for a loan to settle the bets he waged when he accepted wagers from the public under the assumption that you would have responded to his letter in the press entitled “Answer the charge Hartley” in which he tried to engage you in public discourse on the charges leveled against you by Ms. Jennifer Lazlo. Her charges against you were of a serious ethical and moral nature that required your strongest repudiation but after months and thousands of dollars paid out the deafening silence prevails.
It is strange that a man who could not answer the moral charges leveled against him, would now seek to lead the same for an entire party for whom he has but passing relationship. This highly suspected act poses some serious doubts in the minds of all Barbadians.
This BLP Government will not be sidetracked by Hartley or anyone in the DLP. We have the lives of 265,000 people to plan and build a future for and we will not pause in this quest to assist desperate Dems in the construction of straw men. The premise upon which the call for asset declaration is based is in itself weak and does not explain how such a law would prevent Parliamentarians from transferring those assets or from anyone else holding those assets while the owner enjoys the luxury. How far down the family line and how wide across the friendship circle will this law be permitted to investigate/audit? In a world where asset accumulation and management are now carried out by individuals and companies far removed from or unknown by the owners of those assets is an indication of the complexity of the issue.
It should not be a surprise to Barbadians that to date the DLP has not brought one shred of evidence to justify their call for asset disclosure. They are contented to spout from their platforms the empty rhetoric of corruption while deliberately ignoring the avenue available to them that would uncover the facts. The DLP has failed to attend the meetings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where they have been given full authority to investigate and report on any irregularity in the use of state funds.
That Hartley Henry now leads the public debate on morality for the DLP is testimony to the depth to which Thompson’s DLP has slipped down the canal of political desperation. We understand that in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king and since Hartley is King of George Street he can answer some questions for us.
What happened to the property that was owned by the former maid at George Street, now deceased? During the 2003 election campaign a very wealthy Lawyer and supporter of the DLP gave a highly placed member of the party some funds. He instructed that each candidate should receive a sum of $5,000.00. None of the candidates received or even heard about the donation. Can you shed any light on the whereabouts of those funds? This last question should help you to understand why you are unable to locate the assets of DLP members. The teenage daughter of a well placed DLP member now has a sizable property vested in her name. How did she acquire it?
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