It is now more than twenty hours since Barbados Underground and Barbados Free Press broke the story concerning the questionable position of Jonathon Danos, President of 3S and the company he represents. It’s the company responsible for building the flyovers in Barbados. We are disappointed that the local media houses did not pick up this important story. Our sadness weighs very heavy. An examine of previous BU articles confirms our initial thought. We have defended David Ellis in his stormy interview with Minister Barney Lynch; we defended Timothy Slinger and the CBC photographer when they clashed with the police on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital complex. Despite the pro media position of BFP, and BU in our short existence, the media has elected to maintain a wall of silence regarding our existence. It is interesting to note that it was a blogger who first released the news about United States Senator Larry Craig, who was recently forced to resign last week because of misconduct in a sting operation in a public bathroom in the USA. What will happen when our story is picked-up by the regional and international press? Of course, our lackey media houses will then be forced to carry the story.
Many of our commenters have correctly posted to BU that it was an easy story to compile because all we have done is to report based on facts. For example, the case brought against Danos is registered in a United Kingdom court and the summary is available for the world to see. We uncovered the lie which has been told to Barbadians by the government of Barbados that 3S built the flyovers in Panama; a simple call to Mabey’s head office, or an email confirmation (see a copy of Adrian Loveridge email below) can confirm the truth.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: “Robert Capurro” <R.Capurro@mabey.co.uk>
To: <re-discover@caribsurf.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 16:50:37 +0100
Subject: Steel Flyovers in Panama
Dear Sir,Thank you for your enquiry.
Mabey & Johnson has supplied a number of steel flyovers to Panama since 1997.
As far as we are aware no other company has supplied and completed such steel flyovers in that country.Kind regards,
Robert Capurro
Director of Sales Latin America & Caribbean
Mabey & Johnson Ltd.
Tel: (44) 0118 940 3921
Fax: (44) 0118 940 3941
Mob: 07747 535 772
e-mail: r.capurro@mabey.co.uk
As each hour passes, the failure of our media houses to break this story confirms what many individuals already know about them. They are dogs who must be fed by their masters. Where are the strident voiced of Dennis Johnson, Tony Marshall and David Ellis? What about the voices of outspoken and leading talk show hosts Maxine McClean and Peter Wickham? It is inconceivable that they would be ignorant of this story.
Who are their masters you ask?
- In the case of Voice of Barbados, (VOB) Williams Industries, a company owned by Bizzy Williams is a heavy sponsor of many of their prime time periods.
- Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a government owned station.
- Let us not forget the Advocate which is privately owned by the Black Jesus and Barbados Labour Party lackey, Anthony Bryan.
- The Nation would no doubt be influenced by the government connected and politically correct Vivian-Anne Gittens, Publisher.
We have bad news for Barbadians, our press is happy to lap from the trough!
At this point, we will not mention the role the Democratic Labour Party through its leader David Thomson should be playing. We are prepared to give them a few more hours to come-up with a strategy. We expect that by tomorrow David Thompson should be prepared to move forward on this issue. We read a comment by one of our contributors and will be concern if the Democratic Labour Party elects to waffle on this issue:
It is interesting that my call for the opposition to take this matter public doesn’t get any support from the DLP contributors here. Do they fear the rising demand for integrity and freedom of information legislation?
Source: Inkwell comments on BU
If another day passes and there is no report in the traditional media, we intend to take the cause internationally. We will write to the international media and international press watchdog agencies. Even if we have to take off our gloves to write about the clandestine activities by some of our media personnel we will do so. It would surprise many Barbadians what we know about some of our prominent personnel in the media who use the media to portray what they are not. The time for “kiddy gloves” is done. Our tax dollars have paid to educate many of those who claim the title media practitioners; yet they continue to fail our society by compromising their integrity by being lackey dogs. This is just another example.
The public has been supportive of the media in its recent skirmishes with the Police, they don’t deserve this neglect from our media.
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Barbados Underground 
It’s about time someone take those gloves off and bring the media houses kicking and sceaming in the arena of truth and integrity and TRUE JOURNALISM.
That’s why I don’t buy their newspapers and turn off the radio when I get frustrated with the crap.
They are all (especially in the broadcasting circles) people who want name recognition without doing the requisite work or having the reqisite skill.
They rely on the Press releases from GIS,or someone calling in to tell them of an ole lady house that needs fixing,or on the radio stations and TV (e.g. Mornin Barbados) – it’s a lot of semi -literate,can’t read,can’t speak properly jokers who are filling up the airwaves.
Journalism and broadcasting have gone to the dogs.
3S (Barbados), SRL was registered as #495 with the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office on 2005-11-4.
The SRL stands for Society with Restricted Liability which in itself creates cause for concern.
How restricted are the liabilities?
What for instance, if a road or flyover collapses and who would be responsible under a BOLT arrangement?
Which date did Jonatham DANOS become President of a Director of 3S (Barbados), SRL?
When did Mr Danos leave his previous employers, Mabey and Johnson Ltd who are now suing him?
Who are the other directors, where is their registered office and what is their share capital?
What was Mr Danos doing in Panama being photographed with Government officials (La Prensa) when according to Mabey and Johnson Ltd, they built all the flyovers in that country?
In other countries these details would be a matter of public record.
Sadly the CAIPO has not updated their database since 13 April 2007, so other information may soon become available.
If it wasn’t was Barbados Underground and Barbados Free Press, we may never get to here about these issues.
From US$60 million up to US$180 million and Government really feels it does not owe us an explanation?
First Government appoints a company (VECO)that has absolutely NO experience in bulding prisons and the cost escalates from $100 million to over $292 million and then another company,
3S (Barbados), SRL, with no apparent expertise in building flyovers is contracted (memorandum of understanding) and the cost goes from US$60 million to US$180 million.
And yet the opposition is deadly silent!
Well said David! It’s time to wake these media zombies out of their trance. It’s time they get off their asses and do what they have been put there to do. Dump the PR and the fluff and get down to real journalism.
Politicians careers are made and broken by the public image crafted in the media. The media hold all of the keys to controlling that image, keeping politicians in check. We have lost those checks and balances.
Where in the English speaking world is the mainstream media not held captive by either private enterprise or government? Do you think that the equivalent medias in the Es Western world are completely free to publish whatever they please? They all pay a piper David, though of course some more than others.
Perhaps, instead of (or as well as seeking attention for this story regionally and internationally), it is time to do what countless journalists, artists, intellectuals and other concerned citizens have done the world over: banded together to create an independent media funded by public support or not-for-profits.
It is hard work, and perhaps extremely risky in a place like Barbados, but might be worth shooting for rather than knocking endlessly on doors that will never really open. Perhaps, the time has come to create an alternative space that Barbadians who don’t use the Internet can access.
Clearly a well-informed citizenry is needed for mass mobilization behind the kind of concerns that you have voiced in this blog. Without this the kind of STRUCTURAL change that is needed will not occur whether or not the countries change parties. All changing parties does is change rhetoric slightly.
I don’t think the solution for Barbados is a switch from B to D or D to B. Two party systems are horribly flawed systems of government that cannot deliver true democracy … but that is a whole other can of worms.
Btw. this is a wonderful blog. The reports that I have read here so far are well thought out, reasonable and soundly delivered. How fortunate Barbadians are to have you.
Don’t worry folks,the “johnnies” at both the nation and advocate will suffer along with the rest of us bajans and our children once they keep their traps shut,seems like they think that everything this government does to the people only affects just them “the people” little do they know that “they” are the people affected to in the long run,while Owen,Nicholls,Bannister and Wilkinson,their families and friends live like kings while the average bajan suffers in silence..according to the jamaicans, “a barrel ah gunshots” for these criminals but bajans too passive they only kill one another over bare shite,the ones that deserve to be shot they won’t touch them,SMH.
We understand that all media houses will have an influence whether it is because of their ownership make-up or the influences from within the society etc. However, we still think there is an acceptable minimum as far as reporting the news, which as citizens we must expect. Like The View From Here wrote, there is a vacuum for an alternative view and maybe, just maybe, this is the process to get that point.
If any BU readers have information about mis-management or double standards in the media in Barbados send us those emails. We intend to expose the media in Barbados a little bit.
The answer is not to buy these newspapers, instead give the vendor 50c NOT to have it – after all it’s not their fault!
BOYCOTT THESE PAPERS TILL THEY START PRINTING SOMETHING DECENT
I think, as Adrian said it is less of a shock that the press is silent, however it is the DLP that I am surprised by.
I have posted the following on the DLP blog:
______________________________
DLP
Where is your story about 3S?
Since BU and BFP broke this story nearly two days ago, I would expect AT LEAST a mention of it to put pressure on the BLP. There is NOTHING factually contentious about these stories with ALL of the info being available in the public domain.
Where are the opposition voices?
True that the BLP are doing a good job of hanging themselves, but STILL no excuse for this silence.
Are the DLP truly a party fit to govern, if they can’t even make the public aware of this scandal?
(After all the lapdog press are remaining silent!!)
We want answers OR action.
________________________________
Lets see if this gets through their moderator!
I am expecting that the DLP will soon come out and say something about this sorry mess that we are in at the moment. No word can come from any journalist as each one is vying for position with one gov’t entity or another.
A check with any gov’t dept will show that many a reporter is now the “communications specialist” within the bossom of this gov’t. What would anyone expect?
And we wonder if these folk sleep comfortably at night.
Adrian Loveridge can you use your relationship with the media houses to confirm if the news editors at the respective companies are aware? Especially people like David Ellis, Cox at CBC and Gibbs at the Nation?
Can a member of the public visit corporate affairs and ask for the record of 3S Structual. If the file is missing, the department can request duplicate records from the lawyer of the client who would have duplicate records. Failing this, someone should file a law suit against the government.
Who will do it?
The names mentioned above I know for sure at least one of them is fully aware of this development and is looking to address the matter.
What would the charge brought by a civilian against the gov’t be?
Corruption in public office is an in depth one!!!
Anyone noticed how when the gov’t refuses to respond to the press as was done with the Paradise project how seven days later the subject dies a natural death?
It is my belief that they will wait this one out to and hope that it goes cold on the public and people forget about the fraud that was bestowed on us.
David…
I am not sure I have any influence with the media.
I do however understand the story will be breaking regionally very shortly and it might now to a good time for the Government to issue a statement.
Certainly David Ellis (personally) and the News Desk has all the relevant information regarding Mr Danos and the pending legal action.
The last time I actually tried to get information from the CAIPO was about Hotels and Resorts Ltd and was told that I could not view that particular file of what would normally be available to the public.
Thanks Adrian.
On the subject of the response you received from CAIPO that in itself is a story which you should pursue because in law the public of Barbados at the cost of a fee of $5.00 MUST be able to search for any information on any company incorporated in Barbados.
David you are correct on this however what you miss here is the influence and power of the PM.
I am not certain that too many lowly paid gov’t workers would break any rules he set out.
Folks,
Remember GLOBALIZATION which our government has been pushing and supporting through CSME? well that also applies to the PRESS.
Why do we keep on talking about the Advocate and Nation and CBC when most bajans watch CNN and BBC, and read NY Times on line.
If the ‘local’ press is uninterested there is always CNN_IREPORT… and BBC.
..this is a new world- it is just an electronic village.
And please let us STOP depending on the DLP. (just recently Mascoll was the big man there -what does that tell you?)
We can only hope that David better understand the realities of the new technologies, but I doubt that we will see much of a more enlightened approach to governance there…
I have more faith in the other David – at BU.
We all need whatever help we can get to free us from this lot.
Is this not an amazing situation, the second day after this story broke on BU, we have just had the 12.30pm news on VOB and a call in show from 11.30 am thru to 1.15pm and not a whimper from the media on this subject, and something as high impact as this one is only goes to show how feared and how well paid the media houses are that they choose to neglect reporting the facts to the nation for fear of offending the PM.
‘There is no start time for the construction of the proposed overpasses in the Operation Free Flow Project. Manager for the project, George Siddall of 3S Solutions, stated that he could not give a date for the flyovers (as they have come to be called) completion because we are unsure of the start date of the flyovers’.
This was part of an article that appeared in the Barbados Adovate and was posted on their website 27th August 2007.
Yesterday, I had a call from someone identifying himself as a contractor working on the project. He stated categorically that the flyovers WILL NOT BE BUILT.
Has any other informed person heard anything?
It is amusing but it appears that someone did a public service on the blp blog they have posted the entire court document on the blog and have asked for an explanation.
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Mr Loveridge
you state
‘Yesterday, I had a call from someone identifying himself as a contractor working on the project. He stated categorically that the flyovers WILL NOT BE BUILT.’
How very unusual that ‘a contractor’ would ring you such information.He didnt give his name just says im a contractor. is he also privy to government decisions?
On what evidence do you base your assumption that ‘a contractor’ really was the person he says he was?
Can you offer any proof that this is indeed the case and it is not just malicious gossip?
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