Commonsense And A Firm But Measured Response By The Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson And His Minister Of Health Donvile Inniss…And Then The Knighted One

Submitted by Yardbroom

Sir Shridath Surendranath "Sonny" Ramphal, OE, OM, GCMG, ONZ, AC, QC, FRSA

An article in the Nation News by Wade Gibbons published 6-29-2009 attributed the following comments to Mr Inniss: “Minister of Health Donvile Inniss disclosed that public health facilities were under mounting pressure as a result of having to deal with the high number of undocumented immigrants. However, he told the Daily Nation that Government would not change its policy of not seeking to know people’s immigrant status before providing them with health care”. The Prime Minister David Thompson had previously made the Government’s position, direction and focus abundantly clear in an interview.

In the many articles now prevalent in the Guyanese Press and other areas, it is unlikely that this report will be given “top billing”. The reason being it does not demonise the Barbados Government enough, and has not got the illegal immigrant being preyed upon component, to wet the appetites of some who denigrate us from abroad. However, facts accurately presented will always reduce the lies and deceit now pedalled into convulsions.

I was pleased with the measured tone used by Minister Donvile Inniss; no “vitriolic exhibitionism” as recently used by a “supposed West Indian heavyweight”, but those words he – the supposed heavyweight – used…will come back to haunt him. A knight errant – in days past – often wandered and sought deeds of courage and chivalry to perform; now we have the “wandering” but alas nothing else with which to engage. The knighted one tried to obfuscate on the ground reality by introducing terminology synonymous with people been burned out of their homes; children being wrenched apart from their mothers and taken away in the night, leaving behind the smouldering embers of their dwellings, and fathers never seen again, having been taken to secluded places.

Was Queens College Favoured?

Submitted by GoWEB Blog

Queens College Secondary School

The recently concluded Junior Duelling Challenge is a matter on the lips of most these days. Queens College was a announced the winner in what is unanimously described as an unfair conclusion. Coming out of the semis, the two schools with the highest semifinal scores would go to the final. In the semi-finals, Queens lost so much time, and hence points, that it was impossible for them to make it to the finals. When the other competitor was finished all four of their plates, Queens had not even finished one plate and the time was up.

Actually, they had not even finished cooking when the time ran out, and their competitor handed in ALL four of their plates. Actually, Queens lost so much time, that the public did not even get to see the conclusion of Queens’ presentation. Actually, for the first time this year, we NEVER saw the final plate from Queens and no scores were given. However, it was obvious that Queens had lost too much points to make it to the finals.

Guyana Government Is The Biggest Violator Of Guyanese Human Rights, Not Barbados

Submitted by Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

President of Guyana Bharat Jagdeo

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Guyana’s President, Bharrat Jagdeo, in his address to the 30th Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government, which began in Guyana yesterday, appealed for the rights of Guyanese to respected by Barbadian Immigration authorities. But Jagdeo himself is not getting a pass from the New York based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID). The Institute is demanding that Jagdeo heeds his own words.

CGID President, Rickford Burke, said Friday that although he agrees in principle with the Guyanese leader, Jagdeo has no honor on the subject of human rights and must be heed his own counsel. Burke added that “Barbados is not the chief abuser of the human rights of Guyanese – the Jagdeo government is. The lack of respect the Guyana government demonstrates for its own citizens and its mediocre, despotic governance, invite the mistreatment of Guyanese in the region,” Burke observed.”

On May 5, 2009 Barbados Prime Minister, David Thompson, implemented a controversial new immigration policy of deporting undocumented Caricom nationals who entered Barbados after December 2005. Since then, immigration officials have conducted early morning raids on the homes of suspected undocumented Caricom nationals, and have “deported” or “removed” them from Barbados. Guyanese constitute the largest immigrant block in Barbados. Over eighty percent of the Barbados deportees have been Guyanese.

On The Road To Perdition: A Decade Of Distress And Discontent

Submitted by Looking Glass

Another deficit budget is hardly surprising. Given the economic structure and reliance on fickle tourism and construction more deficit budgets will likely continue. The net effect will be to expand the gap between happiness and misery. There is a correlation between public and private debt in a population whose mental set permits lavish consumption and government unrestrained borrowing and spending, moreso when personal saving is insufficient to finance government spending. The inability of governments to generate surplus will result in more debt, drag us deeper in the red and on to perdition.

Our predicament reminds me of Marlow’s Dr. Faustus, a man of learning who, longing to possess the treasures of Nature, sells his soul to Mephistopheles (the Devil) for 24 years. In the last couple decades we sold the country for not much more than a seat at the beggar’s table and the retention of power. Today we are at the bottom of the table, mega billions in debt and the lenders/givers are taking over. Hell has no limits.

The road to perdition (deficits, debt, corruption, unprincipled regimes etc.) didn’t happen overnight. As previously stated, it is not the direct result of the current world financial crisis. Nor is it the consequence of a natural business cycle. Past regimes forewent the exacting standards of fiscal discipline. They forgot that economic prosperity depends on the productivity with which national resources are employed, and indulged in non-income generating and short term employment generation projects. In the process they failed to keep programme spending to real per capita terms, i.e. increase spending by no more than inflation. The current world crisis merely exposed our ‘limitations’ and hasten our socio-economic decline.

Both parties are guilty of, among other things, an absence of smart thinking, moreso the BLP. But it is hypocritical to blame the current administration for the current condition, even though they are guilty of, shall we say, ‘errors in judgment’ and are savvy short.

The Fear Of The Growing Ethnic Factor, Real or Imagined?

Submitted by Yakubu

While we must be a tolerant society, Bajans must understand that Hindu immigrants, with their high fertility rates, and their dislike of miscegenation with the Negro, have already destroyed the social cohesion of two Caribbean territories–Guyana and Trinidad. Now they are invading Barbados.

We will have no-one but ourselves to blame if we are unable to defend our island from the upheavals that have occurred elsewhere–and not just in the Caribbean. In Fiji, society has been fractured by Indian immigration. In East Africa, there have been decades of turmoil, although Uganda chose to bite the bullet and deport much of its Indian population when they rejected the government’s efforts to integrate them into African society.

A single labour market for the Caribbean will, over a historical period, lead to the political, social and cultural subordination of the Negro in the entire eastern Caribbean. Our politicians, businessmen and academics must be persuaded to abandon this ruinous project.

Is There More To Unchecked Migration Than Meets The Eye?

Hartley Henry - DLP Political Strategist

Sorry, but once again I shall defer dealing with the now contentious issue of immigration and more importantly migration, as it relates to the enunciated policies of this Democratic Labour Party administration.

I suspect that when the dust has settled and all the facts have come to light, the person who will be credited for having broached the critical point worthy of focus in this entire debate, will be businessman, Ralph “Bizzy” Williams. He apparently saw through the shenanigans and alluded to the real issue about which Barbadians should be fearful.

I seem to believe that sooner, rather than later, the real sinister plot of those who contrived and facilitated mass, unchecked migration in Barbados will be uncovered. Timing is critical to everything and I somehow believe that there will be ample evidence, when the time comes, to prove the absence of naivety and the existence of a plot to “teach Bajan voters a lesson”.

I will say no more at this stage. What I will do, however, is share two recent experiences, in sister Caribbean states, upon which Barbadian voters should ponder.

Recently in the Cayman Islands, there was a change of government. An administration elected four years ago, with more than 65 per cent of the popular vote, went under to the party it defeated back then; losing critical support in its key voting district. Political scientists will attribute that loss to the impact of the current economic decline, disconnect of elected Members from their constituents, misplaced policy and project priorities and such like.

Rickford Burke President Of the Caribbean Guyana Institute For Democracy Clears The Air

Submitted by Rickford Burke, The Guyanese-American President of the New York based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

I shall be happy if my letter can receive due prominence on your blog. I have read some of the comments on your blog, in response to statements attributed to me in a press release issued yesterday by CGID’s Director of Communications, Jevon Suralie. First let me remind all that I respect and will advocate for the sovereignty of Barbados as well as its right to conceptualize and enact any domestic policy its elected government chooses.

I agree that the immigration and other laws of Barbados MUST be respected and that violators of the law should be brought to justice. However, I also believe that domestic laws, such as immigration regulations, in any Caricom country, must be congruent with the spirit and intent of Caricom, and must be enforced equitably and fairly, and that people’s human and other rights must be respected and NOT abridged. Individuals must be treated humanly and with human dignity, in keeping with internationally accepted norms and values.

As I said in the CGID statement, “We agree that everyone must abide by the law and that anyone who commits crimes must be brought to justice. However, this must be within the framework of the rule of law and international norms of civil rights and fundamental fairness. We also agree that immigration policy throughout the region needs to be rationalized. In this context, unilateral, singular and uncoordinated action by one government is counterproductive to a harmonized regional policy approach that would be compatible with deeper integration, which we all seek.”

The Water Debate: Opposition Party Advises Government To “Hold Strain”

It is interesting to listen to the current debate triggered by the government’s decision to hike water rates by 60% effective July 1, 2009. In a previous blog we skimmed the subject of some of the challenges facing the BWA.

Barbados has been able to achieve and maintain a relatively high standard of living through what many agree can be attributed to astute planning and leadership. We have also enjoyed a stable social and political climate built on a universally respected education system, good infrastructure to support our tourism product and Barbadians. Those who may want to avoid partisan posturing on the issue would admit that there is a cost to maintaining the Barbados lifestyle. The challenge as we move forward as a country is to ensure the economic and social models underpinning the economy are managed expertly to ensure sustainability.

The failure of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) in 2009, we understand it is close to being insolvent just fourteen months after a change in government is instructive. Bear in mind that the previous government would have governed for the most part of its tenure in an economic boom period. It is noteworthy that as a country and as a people we must accept responsibility for the policies of the previous government, this is true for the third term government of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Could the BLP have better allocated resources to ensure Barbados’ water supply was better protected? Many may say yes given it was a boom period.

Pursuing The Immigration Matter

Submitted by Lindsay Holder

Lindsay Holder

The following articles were submitted to the local press for publication. To date, three of these articles have been published.  There are status statements at the end of those articles that have been published.

1. Professor Thomas and the Migrant Workers’ Convention
2. David Comissiong, Was That You?
3. Immigration Blues In CARICOM
4. Immigration Blues – Cherry Picking
5. Of Arrogance, Politics, and Use of Intemperate Language
6. Peter Wickham – Nonsense and More Nonsense

Dr.Robinson’s Presentation Concerning Credit Rating Agencies

Submitted by Dr.Justin Robinson

Click on the image to view the well received presentation delivered by Dr. Justin Robinson at the 5th anniversary of Caribbean Money Market operating in Barbados – Power Point application required.

Dr. Justin Robinson is Head of the Department of Management Studies at the UWI-Cave Hill campus. His research interests include corporate financial management, derivatives, investments, risk management and financial market efficiency, and he has published on these subjects in a number of international journals.

Responsibility, Fairness And The Media In Reporting The Guyanese Illegal Immigrants Issue In Barbados

Submitted by Yardbroom

Roxanne Gibbs - Executive Editor Nation Newspaper

Dr Aubrey Armstrong

Recent lurid details of a female illegal Guyanese immigrant being apprehended, was disseminated by a major Barbados news outlet.  The allegations if true are worthy of investigation by the relevant authorities.  However, the article was so lacking in person details, it was impossible to identify anyone because of the anonymity given.

It is necessary that anonymity is afforded in certain cases, to protect sources from retribution even ridicule, but the level of fairness we are justifiably eager to give illegal immigrants, must also be given to the relevant immigration authorities, the Barbados Government and the citizens of Barbados on whom such allegations can have a negative impact.

If the personnel involved in the allegation cannot be identified, how can appropriate action be taken by the relevant authorities?  Unless there is some dissemination of information the alleged unfairness cannot be properly challenged and rectified.

May The King Of Pop Rest In Peace

The Thriller Album has sold the most copies in history.

The death of Michael Jackson yesterday brought home the realization that one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever seen was no more. Even for those who would not have been enamoured by his genre of music, gerri curls hair style which transformed to straight hair over the years, his eccentric behaviour which featured accusations of sexually molesting boys, all the negatives were forgotten when Michael Jackson the performer entered onto the stage.

To explain his eccentric lifestyle away from the stage many will cite his lack of a normal childhood combined with an undesirable father. His pre-teen performances as the lead singer, afro and all of the talented Jacksons 5 have created timeless and priceless memories for many. Music lovers may feel correct in believing the world may never see another entertainer in the same mould as the multi-talented Michael Jackson. The regard held globally for Michael Jackson can be judged when at the announcement of his death yesterday afternoon media houses around the world stopped regular programming to broadcast US news feeds of his passing.

Graeme Hall Parkland Loss Map Released

Submitted by Graeme Hall Nature Sanctury

[Bridgetown, BARBADOS] A land use map depicting the planned loss of parkland at Graeme Hall has been released this week by the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. Titled “Parkland Loss Planned at Graeme Hall,” the new map illustrates the Government’s plan to allow residential and commercial development on government-owned Graeme Hall land.

Contrary to the original 1988 National Physical Development Plan (PDP), the new 2003 PDP recommends that parkland at Graeme Hall be limited to the flood-prone Graeme Hall Swamp, and that all dry land be developed. Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary officials are critical of the land use change, saying that urban development of Graeme Hall would be akin to developing Central Park in New York, and that wetland buffers and recreational opportunities would be permanently destroyed. Sanctuary officials also cited recommendations from the Urban Land Use Institute quality-of-life recommendation of 25.5 acres of parklands for every 1000 people.

Don’t Blame Swine Flu For Everything

Hartley Henry - DLP Political Strategist

Dear Mr. Swine Flu. I do not think I need to ask how you are doing, because, from all reports, you are wreaking havoc across the globe. Women, men, black, white, Jack Sprat and his wife; who is not so lean, have all fallen victims to you. You are clearly no respecter of persons.  You could not have appeared at a worse time for developing countries, as most are reeling under the effects of major economic declines, triggered by actions not of their doing.

Countries have been forced to reorder priorities and secure a strain of vaccine that to date you have not been able to conquer. It is costing hundreds of millions of dollars to stock medication and prepare facilities and an environment for your possible invasion. Some vital social services are suffering as a result of your threatened intensification and the consequent need to divert slender financial and other resources to prepare for and stave off your attack.

One good thing about your threat is that it has forced a return to cleanliness. My brethren are once again practicing the basics of washing hands, cleaning surroundings, using handkerchiefs while sneezing and coughing and the like. I am really happy for this as it had gotten out of hand, and some of the basic manners we learnt way back when had both literally and figuratively, been thrown through the window.

How Can It Help Barbados If Its Interests And Prosperity Are DEGRADED To Benefit Other CARICOM Countries?

Submitted by Yardbroom

I am not against CARICOM if it is possible to achieve its main purpose which I understand to be: …”promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to promote foreign policy”… I find it difficult to accept that with regard to illegal immigration, any benefits of integration are equitably shared.  There are no benefits in this area – certainly not for Barbados – but the burden is being shouldered by little Barbados, and for its efforts to cope with a difficult situation it is being vilified by a cohort, some not Barbadian but who reside in Barbados.

Many of personal choice have made Barbados their home, now they seek to criticise all things Barbadian…we are indeed a tolerant people.  I sometimes wonder if they hate the fact that they have had – regardless of the circumstances – to come to this little rock to reside in peace and relative tranquility, surely that is not the fault of Barbadians.

A vibrant few who earn a living by the pen and other media forms; buoyed up by kindred academics seem reluctant to proffer any advice to Prime Minister Barat Jagdeo of Guyana despite being natives of that country.  They are always “mute” in their diligent examination of Guyanese politics, but wax loquacious on Barbados talk programmes and the pen is always at hand to criticise our Government.

Corrupt Officials And Politicians

Submitted by BU family member ROK

Former Head of Antigua's Financial Services Regulatory Commission

I see in the news today a call by the USA for Leroy King, The CEO of Antigua and Barbuda’s Financial Services Regulatory Commission, to be held pending an extradition process. The first question that comes to mind is whether we now have to depend on the US to clean up our corruption acts in the Caribbean? Of course, the way I have seen corruption work, there is always a politician in the wings that is shielded when the shit hits the fan.

The best clue is when you see decisions being made that are bizarre. My biggest fear is all the talk about attracting foreign investment. Then we complain of the changing landscape and usually when we attract this kind of foreign investment there is always corruption; for example, to get decision through to facilitate the transfer of money. People in the know buy up properties and get windfall profits; Town Planning or some other department makes a decision to give permission or the OK for something which runs counter to expectation.

Then when these acts are done, we hear speeches in the media, for example, justifying foreign investment or information suddenly becomes available that was not available before but tweaked to justify some seeming irregularity. I think we have to learn to identify corruption, but it is not a question of finding a culprit to prosecute, although this would break the ice, but it is a question of people putting pressure to end arrangements when they run counter to all commonsense.

Marching To The Beat Of The Drum

Prime Minister David Thompson

A comment by an anonymous commenter to BU yesterday resonated for most of the day. The relevant excerpt: to date the land use policies of the Thompson administration and the Arthur administration are indistinguishable. I would dare say the immigration policies are also similar but for the amnesty period now in place. The feeble implementation of a physical development plan by the authorities in the last twenty years has seen a haphazard approach to land development in Barbados and sad to say remains a concern two years into the Thompson government. The fact of the matter is there is truth to the comment if interpreted in a dispassionate way.

The land policy of the former administration which has seen the West Coast of Barbados assaulted with all but a few windows to the sea remaining is well documented. The current government during the last election campaign made some noises about adopting a different approach to land development but so far can anyone say there has been a shift?

On the weekend at the official opening of the Sugar Cane Club Minister Richard Sealy was quoted in the nation newspaper as follows, Government has identified the north-west corridor of the island, as an area for greater tourism development. Sealy is confident tourism projects planned for the island’s north coast will increase the economic and tourism activity in that “northern corridor.” Emphasis on the North West corridor is instructive for two reasons 1) the South and West Coast corridors have already been bulldozed in the name of economic development by former governments and 2) Prime Minister David Thompson is on record that the Eastern Seaboard of Barbados is off-limits.

Mothers And Fathers Working Together

USA First Family, The Obamas

Barbados First Family, The Thompsons

Mothers Day went in May with its usual fanfare. Fathers Day followed yesterday with more fanfare than has been in the past. It seems there is a concerted effort to highlight Fathers Day more than ever. Could it be that the objective is to rival the enormous buzz which is now synonymous with celebrating Mothers Day?

The BU household is fortunate to have its matriarch still firmly entrenched in the role, and for that the BU household is stronger because of it. The emerging position which seems to be enveloping modern societies appears to have created a contest between the roles of Mother and Father. In our view the motive is noble but the outcome will contribute to a further polarization of what we believe is the most important societal organ, the family.

The 2009 International One Metre World Championship Regatta In Barbados

Click on the image to follow the event live at the Boat Yard!

How many Barbadians are aware that the Barbados Tourism Authority has been able to attract the 2009 International One Metre World Champion Regatta to Barbados?  If you want to follow or know more about this event you can read from the Sailing Anarchy website which is located on the official website setup for the IOMICA event.

The Accra Beach Mystery

Accra Beach

Barbadians over the years would have heard references in the news to people being drowned or encountering difficulty with unusual and unexpected currents at the Accra Beach in Christ Church. Our recollection is the unfortunate victims have been mainly visitors to the island. There is no empirical information source that we are aware of which can be accessed to clarify the growing concern, Accra Beach maybe taking too many lifes.  There is rising anecdotal evidence to suggest that the authorities should start to investigate the matter.

Recently in the local press we have read of more mishaps at Accra Beach which has prompted BU family member Carson Cadogan to ask: Can Barbadians get statistics for the number of people who drowned at Accra Beach over the last two years or so? I believe that Accra Beach is the most dangerous beach in Barbados judging from the number of drownings that I can remember at that stretch of beach.

One observation which may give some meat to the concern is the fact that Accra is a beach more popular with visitors. A rule of thumb used by the BU household  when frequenting local beaches over the years has been to visit those beaches where locals are inclined to go  e.g. Folkstone, Pebbles, Enterprise etc. BU joins with Brother Carson and others who are concerned about the perceived Accra Beach mystery. Is this concern being investigated, and if it is not being investigated, why not?

It Is Not ALWAYS Wise For The Opposition Party To Oppose

Submitted by Yardbroom

The opposition party should naturally take a principled position on some issues, when they are part of their core beliefs or what makes them the Party they are. Consideration should also be given to tactics, pragmatism, strategy and most importantly what is in the country’s best interest…in the short and long term.  In recent months have the aforementioned positions been adopted by The Barbados Labour Party? I am not sure they have.  This submission is not a “critique” it is a personal observation and I am sure others will have a different perception of events.  However, since I have raised the subject, the onus is on me to justify my position.

The DLP Government introduced free travel for school children.  In the present economic climate it is difficult to see how such a policy could be disadvantageous to those for whom it was intended.  A spin off from this initiative was the “perceived” influence travelling on ZR’s was having on young minds and the behaviour that ensued.  There are those who will argue this supposed ZR culture is part of today’s society and school children not travelling on ZR’s will have no or a negligible impact on their behaviour…I will not contest that view now.

The opposition’s position…as I understood it was that the money could be better spent in other areas, and was a waste of the Government’s resources.  Money can always be otherwise disposed of, you have to identify a specific area and then balance the benefits from that disposal against the free travel for school children, to make a reasonable case to the electorate.  If you fail to do that or cannot because of the evident benefits of the initiative…it is best not to oppose.

Opposition Opportunism Part II

Hartley Henry - DLP Political Strategist

I made mention last week of the several new faces the Barbados Labour party is introducing as candidates, less than 18 months into the life of the new government. Little is known of the individuals, but the danger and indeed folly of that will become apparent in the months and years ahead.

Suffice to say, it is reckless of any political party, to endorse and inflict on an innocent and unsuspecting public, individuals whose ethic, character and capacity it does not know and of which the voters know even less. The fact that some of these ‘political wannabees’ have not met five per cent of the voters in their chosen constituencies, but yet have been fully endorsed as candidates, speaks volumes to the issue of agendas and motivation of the powers that be, within that organization.

Of course, the honkers on that side will fall into the trap and say ‘we know these individuals’. ‘They have paid their dues to party and country’. ‘In each of them can be found an Albert Einstein, a Mahatma Gandhi or a Mother Theresa’. Note carefully none will be likened to Sir Grantley or Tom Adams. The Arthur era put paid to that.

These new candidates will be packaged and marketed over the next few months as breaths of fresh air; new sources of ideas and inspiration; a new breed of politician, etc. etc. We will be told that these personalities constitute ‘an excellent find’. That they are people centred, people oriented and driven by the desire to serve and contribute to the development of our island. All this and more we will be told, and the innocent and unsuspecting will be called upon to imbibe it all.

The Reference Interconnection Offer Oral Presentations Get On The Way

Tomorrow a very important consultation will take place. If we were to judge its importance by the lack of coverage provided by the local media,  the  Reference Interconnection Offer Oral Presentation may just be considered one of many routine events which will occur tomorrow in Barbados. For those Barbadians who are interested you should go to the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre tomorrow Friday, June 19th 2009 between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m to support those Intervenors who will be presenting oral presentations. We are pleased to note that once again BU family members Chris Halsall and Roosevelt King (ROK) et al will perform in the role of Intervenor operating in the interest of the PEOPLE.

If we understand the objective of the hearing correctly the outcome of the process should eventually lead to an operationalization of a RIO policy to ensure  local competitive long distance providers – Sunbeach, Blue Communications, and TeleBarabdos who have been trying to purchase the required interconnecting circuits from the Cable & Wireless without success, even through they are clearly defined within the Policy is achieved.

BU would have addressed in an earlier blog some of the issues affecting its non-implementation of key aspects of the RIO as it relates to a standard offer for services which LIME must make available to any and all requesting competitive telephony carriers. Unfortunately, the previous versions lacked a definition for “Outgoing International Call Termination”. This meant that while a carrier could bring calls into Barbados, they were not allowed to take them out.

Barbados Water Authority: A Failed State Enterprise

Prime Minister David Thompson announced in his recent Financial Statement 2009 that water rates will be increased to Barbadians, possibly as soon as next month. Although the Prime Minister has given the assurance that any increase will be negligible, the  impact must be judged by government on how the increase will affect Barbadians who are below the poverty line and businesses that use water as a significant input to production, we would urge the government to thread with care on this matter.

The revelation by the Prime Minister has triggered a side-debate about  the BWA not falling under the oversight of the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), an institution which remains pregnant with promise to consumers well passed its gestation period.  It is our understanding that the current legislation prohibits the FTC from hearing complaints from government enterprises. Our source confirms that there is a move afoot to change the legislation.

BU understands the thinking and motive of the previous to shielding the BWA and by extension the people of Barbados from a privately run BWA. BU can also understand that oversight of the BWA by the political directorate would more readily feel the pressure to keep water rates down. The experience so far of the FTC and LIME, formerly Cable & Wireless has not been a rewarding one for Barbadian consumers. One shudders to think if the BWA were privatized where would the water rate settle.

Response To Lindsay Holder’s Immigration Exposition

Submitted by George Brathwaite, PhD Candidate (International Politics)/On The Map

I do not intend to be lengthy in this critique to Mr. Lindsay Holder’s contribution in the Advocate newspaper of 14-15 June 2009 . I am well aware that each of us brings our biases to any project. I also believe that one ought to be sufficiently reflexive and admit to pertinent antecedents that may have an impact on the ways in which arguments are framed, analysed, and disseminated. My position is that of a Caribbean researcher who has been widely influenced by the shapers of postcolonial discourses and by the architects of Caribbean regional integration. Moreover, I have been exposed to a way of life and a thinking that suggests I should love my neighbour as I love myself.

A meandering diatribe that was published in the Sunday Advocate of 14 June 2009, and continued in the Monday edition of the Advocate and which is authored by Lindsay Holder served little in clearing away misunderstandings on ‘immigration policies and the status of immigrants’, if to do so was his primary intent. In this lengthy polemic, Mr. Holder appears more to be attempting to resolve his personal sentiments and advance his patriotic stance in favour of Barbados, than examine the “current issues that provoke discussion,” or provide a basis for managed migration. With all of the many complexities that surround the issue of immigration and more particularly, Barbados’ response to ‘unacceptably high’ numbers of undocumented CARICOM immigrants, Mr. Holder proceeded to exhibit a forlorn dismissal of facts and empirical data.

Surely any well-reasoned analysis would at least make an attempt to provide relevant statistical data that can substantiate arguments being advanced. Mr. Holder prefers to follow the position of the Government of Barbados by relying on “casual observation” on which to determine that “the level of undocumented immigration is unacceptably high.” The sentiments in that statement alone appear to be sullied by bigotry: even if one could make a distinction based on race or ethnicity, how does one come to the conclusion that persons observed at any one point in time and place are undocumented CARICOM immigrants? Isn’t there an ‘Indo-population’ in Barbados originating from Trinidad and Tobago and also from the Asian continent?

It’s Time To Make Agriculture Sexy

Submitted by Ready-Done

Aquaponics is the new way to farm, still in its infancy on the international scene, in Barbados there is at least one individual who recognizes its potential to feed Barbadians and at the same time could be the ideal model for food security. In the last 5 years the concept has been studied and adapted to the Barbadian climate with much success by the writer.

What is aquaponics? Simply put it is raising two food crops in unity, fish and plants. The concept behind aquaponics is not new and can be found abundantly in nature. The documented ‘nitrogen cycle’ is manipulated to the advantage of the farmer.

By design aquaponics is natural, its three integrated life forms of fish, plants, and bacteria depend on each others optimal performance for continuity. The fish produce waste which the bacterium converts to a fertilizer for plants. What links the three is water. The water is cycled between the three and provided the oxygen level in the water is sufficient the three thrive to the benefit of the farmer.

The natural processes involved makes aquaponics easy to operate, nature tends to be in a constant state of equilibrium or reaching equilibrium and the mini ecosystem created is no different. The inputs (fish feed) is the defining factor in the amount of food finally produced for human consumption.

Is Barbados Being Sold Down The River By The Media and Opposition Party On The Immigration Issue?

Leader of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party Mia Mottley

Harold Hoyte Editor Emeritus of The Nation Publishing Company

Lindsay Holder is a former Chairman of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company Limited

Over the last couple years BU has articulated, we hope dispassionately, on the issue of the open immigration policy which was practiced by the previous government. At no time have we supported xenophobic behaviour or bigotry in the ensuing discourse. We have simply held a position that while Barbados should be committed to its obligations under the Treaty of Chaguaramus, it does not mean that our borders should be assaulted by all and sundry seeking the proverbial streets lined with gold at the expense of the vision which Barbadians have held-up for itself through the years. BU readers can do a search using the keyword ‘immigration’ to access the many blogs posted on this subject.

The conspiracy which has emerged across the region to spin a false position in response to Prime Minister David Thompson’s Ministerial Statement after he announced an amnesty for CARICOM nationals, has been blatant and symptomatic of a political and social immaturity.

Any interested observer of regional affairs would conclude that the issue of immigration is a topical one. Since the announcement by Thompson of the amnesty the issue has become accentuated. In the Advocate Newspaper of 14 June 2009 a Mr. Lindsay Holder was as clear as anyone can be in elucidating on the immigration issue which Barbados and the region is currently battling, he did so without the use of jargon, fuzzy logic, ideological or jingoistic biases. We highly commend the Advocate Newspaper for giving voice to this important issue which is being manipulated by politicians, academics, Fourth Estate and prominent and other influential persons in Barbados and across the region.

Political Symbolism

Submitted by George Brathwaite, PhD Candidate (International Politics)/On The Map

There are several questions being raised in the current climate as it relates to the future of CARICOM and the future of Caribbean regional integration. In some quarters it is felt that the momentum for regionalism is being swept aside. This is due to embedded insularities and the repeated failures by governments to implement agreed policies, and for regional agencies and institutions to demonstrate the requisite convergences. Prejudices and ignorance are assuming pivotal positions once held by a bond of resilience to oppression and exploitation

Moreover, it appears as though the legacies of colonialism remain riveted in the psyche of Caribbean people together with several fears and a pronounced lack of confidence in each other. These are the saddest and currently exhibited aspects that frustrate our post-colonial development. How do we as Caribbean peoples weave together the various pieces of the Caribbean fabric that traditionally have been kept separate and fragmented? In this article, I contend that political symbols are sufficient to reengage the imagination of Caribbean people so that the consequence of such an engagement culminates in the re-building of a spirit of CARICOM unity and solidarity.

Political symbols are emblems of group life. The potency of symbols rests not simply in their ability to represent, but in their ability to instigate action (Rebecca E. Klatch 1988). The Caribbean, and in particular CARICOM as an institution, needs symbols because these are collective representations of group life. Symbols can represent the common aspects of our social and political membership as a community of sovereign states. Symbols also evoke strong feelings of identification and belonging. Therefore, symbols may act as forces of integration, creating solidarity by binding individuals together into a unified whole for which we understand to be the upkeep of CARICOM.

CARICOM Under Threat

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (left) and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Hon. Patrick Manning leaving the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

It is ironic that it is the Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding who has been reported to say ‘there are a number of things that are happening now that are destabilising and threatening the existence of Caricom,” Golding said at Monday evening’s launch of Export Week at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. The political integration that is being pursued by Trinidad and a number of countries in the Eastern Caribbean may very well be commendable, but I believe that it is at the detriment to the deepening and strengthening of Caricom’ how very ironic indeed.

It is just over 47 years that Jamaica along with Trinidad and Tobago would have been at the centre of the controversy which gave rise to the subtraction, 1 from 10 leave 0. Prime Minister Golding promised Jamaicans that he will be pushing to have a definitive position enunciated by CARICOM at the next Heads of Government meeting to be held in Guyana to paint a more vivid picture of the status of the regional movement.

What has become singularly evident in recent months has been the dearth of leadership on display within the CARICOM union. The antics of several CARICOM members on issues of immigration and trade especially  demonstrates the concern many have for the future of the movement. Thirty five years later the vision for Caribbean integration movement needs to be reinvigorated, some say dismantled!

Opposition Opportunism!!!

Hartley Henry - DLP Political Strategist

For fourteen long years Democratic Labour Party Parliamentarians “stewed” in Opposition, never once flinching in their commitment and determination to advance the interest of Barbadians.Even in its darkest period, when the seat count went to two out of 29, the voice of the DLP remained strong and forceful. David Thompson and Dennis Kellman must be commended for remaining focused and staying the course during very difficult and challenging times.

Even then, it must be remembered, that personal and professional relations between the two were not at their strongest, but yet, they never reneged on the promises and commitments they made, first to their party and constituents and second, to the people of Barbados. Individuals like Freundel Stuart, Dr. Dennis Lowe, Christopher Sinckler, John Boyce, Patrick Todd, Steve Blackett and George Hutson took a hammering at the hands of the electorate and were roundly rejected, in most instances twice, before finally being elected. Yet, they never flinched, because their motivation was to serve and their cause was honourable.

Knowing some of those individuals, had they even lost in their attempt to win a seat or had the DLP not been successful in its fourth attempt to wrestle the government from the Barbados Labour Party in the last elections, those personalities would still be out there today sloughing away, because, for them, politics is about people and it is about service to one’s country. I guess that’s part of the imbedded culture of the DLP, handed down by its late revered leader, the Rt. Excellent Errol Walton Barrow.