“I’m disappointed with the direction the discussion on the “Flyovers” project is taking. It seems as though everyone is focused on the increases in the scope of works resulting in significant cost increases. Everyone has taken the word of George Sidall that there has been a significant increase in the scope of works. I have pointed out on several occasions that the scope of works for the widening section of the contract has not increased significantly as shown on the April 2006 drawings. The increase in cost is as a result either of the increase in cost of the flyovers or an error in the original cost. A significant increase in cost for the flyovers will call into question the feasibility of constructing these structures. Can this stand up to a rigorous cost/benefit analysis. We should soon know the true cost of the flyovers.”
Posted by an Anonymous Commenter of BU
We have our friend, Anonymous, who by his/her writing has hinted that he or she knows a lot more than is being revealed for the moment. The point the commenter is making has to do with the scope of the work which should be reflected in the 3S April Drawings, and used in determining the cost of the Operations Free Flow project. The subsequent change to the cost of the project which has been fed into the government’s propaganda machinery must be evaluated against this background. Our anonymous friend seems to be unequivocally stating that the increase in cost of the project could have resulted from one of two factors or both:
- Flawed costing submitted by 3S on their original proposal to government or
- There has been a significant increase in the cost of the flyovers for whatever reason.
Barbados Underground has tried to get a copy of the April 2006, 3S Drawings but unsuccessful. We know from our sources that several people in Barbados, including civil servants and a few engineers are aware of the truth about the project. The obvious mismanagement of this project, whether we consider the lack of a tendering process, or the suspicion around the latest cost of the project, we know that engineers, like some of the other professionals, usually swear an oath to ensure that the public good is respected and protected. Those engineers in the know about this project have a responsibility to the country to disseminate all relevant information.
If what our friend Anonymous says is accurate, the inference that can be drawn is the Acting Minister of MTW, Mr. Clyde Mascoll, has been given the task to cloak relevant information from the public. Do you recall Mr. Mascoll had little to say about the project when he appeared on the Ellis Sunday programme? The very next day, he contacted a call-in programme to defend the same project, and spoke with Tony Marshall who refused to be intimidated by his argument.
Are we to believe that we have professionals and other Barbadians in the know about this project who would suppress their civic responsibility by allowing this fiasco to be recorded in our history unchallenged? If this happens, it would be an indictment of our educational system that we would for partisan or cowardly reasons remain in the shadows.
We have been told, “a management team headed by Deputy Chief Technical Officer (Operations), Philip Tudor, will monitor the work”. We look forward to hearing from a spokesman from this management team who should be able to speak with authority on the status of the Operations Free Flow project. Barbadians should not be insulted again by having to listen to significant announcements issued by George Sidall of 3S Barbados SRL.
The VOICES of the PEOPLE must be heard!
Barbados Underground 
Ther are other posibilities for the sudden costs increase…
1. The initial quote given to the public was deliberately reduced to avoid more serious questioning. (thus no public plans)
2. There was a deliberate plot with these numbers to deflect any serious competing bidders. (who would upset the apple cart)
3. Glyne did not at that time understand the difference between Bds$ and US$ (he probably does by now -knowing what US medical bills are like)
or..
4. Govt officials are so stupid that all of the above are true – but they did not realise…
Bush Tea you have crossed a divide which we implied in the two considerations which we listed.
BUSH TEA
“1. The initial quote given to the public was deliberately reduced to avoid more serious questioning. (thus no public plans)”
You have hit the nail right on the head. This is all a scam by this Govt. Almost all Govt. projects have initial reasonable costs, this is to lull the citizens to sleep then soon after there are these tremendous increases. The thinking in Govt. appears to be, that if the true costs are revealed up front then there will be an uproar and this is their way of avoiding it. The Govt. is fully aware of the true costs of all projects from the discussion stage onwards.
We must remember that when the costs for ABC highway was first announced years ago under the Tom Adams’ Cabinet. the opposition Democratic Labour Party made a meal out of it. Members of Tom Adams have said that the resulting public outcry over the costs forced them to reduce the scope of the project. They will not let that happen again. Hence the lies and deception which is surrounding the current project.
Then there is the not small matter of tendering. If the new cost of the project was revealed from the beginning with no transparency and tendering , I do not think that this Govt. would survive and they are all fully aware of this.
By the way, with all this corruption being uncovered, where is the Opposition Party? Or do we still have an opposition Party? Or don’t they care, because as soon as they are in power it will be business as usual? Or maybe they can’t wait to get their hands in the cookie jar as well?
Will they repeal the current libel laws or will they do as the BLP did critised the libel laws while in opposition, promise to change them but when in power do absolutely nothing them? With nary a word of protest from the so-called journalists in Barbados.
Because with different and more progressive libel laws Govt. will have to be more accountable to their employers, the people
Anonymous~we have written an earlier article which explain why we think Thompson is waiting. Have a read.
He is waiting for the knock-out punch!
He better be careful he doesn’t get knock out.
Barbados Free Press Going Offline For 24 Hours Or Less
Hello Folks
Before 11pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Barbados Free Press will be going offline for an estimated 24 hours – or less. At times the blog will entirely disappear – while at other times we will be online but none of the moderators will be on duty.
Whether we are down for the entire day or a few hours all depends on how quickly we can make some things happen.
The reason for this will be clear upon our return.
My friends…
We are not living in the Barbados of our parents – where no matter what hardships we faced, our elected representatives, police and judicial officials at least knew right from wrong and the importance of the Rule of Law. No, people didn’t always live up to the standards as they should have: but at least they knew enough to know when they were doing wrong.
David, I can tell you very honestly as I questioned their inaction myself and from what I have learnt from them they have a larger plan coming together it will be multi faceted and potent, but timing the delivery is critical, I think that the party planners are much better equiped to make this judgement call so I am prepared to wait for them but they are more than fully alert and aware about proceedings and have more facts than we have here.
WIV we understand what you are saying and we again understand that it would be stupid if the DLP did not make fodder of all the issues which are in the public domain for which there is a need for public debate and discussion. Although we recognize that timing is important we also feel that the Opposition by doing nothing NOW stands the possibility of negating any FUTURE benefits to be derived from a public who might feel betrayed.
I don’t demand to see anything.
BU should just SHUT to hell up.
David,
Logically thinking, this is a very sensitive matter. While the instinct is for the DLP to come out with guns blazing we need to consider what that objective would be.
This is OUR Barbados. Who will be served if we mash it up?
To be honest with you, I have gained significant respect for David Thompson for the manner in which he has been behaving – knowing the kind of information that he must have.
It is bad enough that our present Government is behaving as it has been, do we need a civil war now? Do we need to divide this country into two camps at a time WHEN WE CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT CREATE BITTERNESS AND STRIFE?
The time for that is when ELECTIONS ARE CALLED and the silly season begins.
If you have conflict in your family do you come out with guns blazing?
I do NOT belong to ANY party, church or LODGE, but I must tell you that it appears that Thompson HAS matured immensely and that the DLP has benefited greatly by the defection of the toothed idiot ‘Mallet’
You and BFF have been EDUCATING the country and holding persons al all levels to account and that is GREAT.
I hope that sensible persons will desist from calling on Thompson and the DLP from declaring WAR in this small place….
Read up on the history of Jamaica.
Dear Bush Tea
With respect sir, I think that you will find that the DLPs silence is being interptreted by many as disinterest.
I disagree with your analysis.
There is SO much ammunition here it would be a sin not to start to use it before the ‘sell by date’ is passed.
“If you have conflict in your family do you come out with guns blazing?”
This analagy is slightly flawed. Of course you do not come out with all guns blazing! You gradually address the issues as they arise, such that a big ‘blow out’ does not ensue.
IMHO is better for the DLP to go into ‘silly season’ 10% ahead rather than 2%, as no party gains much once the claws come out.
After all, the Barbados public can only absorb so much info. at the one time. So why leave all the issues to ‘silly season’ when so many emotive arguments are flying around the place and citizens become jaded !
I am ( and others are) not asking for Thompson to start an undignified war.
Just to start acting like the OPPOSITION!
YUM YUM to add to what you have said Thompson must understand that he is operating from a position of weakness i.e. the public perception of him has been dented as a result of a losing track record to date and his disagreement with Mascoll which all too public.
Thompson must understand that he is operating from a position of weakness i.e. the public perception of him has been dented
David a simple look at the results of your very poll 103 in favour to 38 aganist, it maywell indicate other than what you are trying to say, Thompson was the undisputed leader of the party even when Mascoll was around I remember only too well the last political campaign meeting in the lower green car park last election the size and excitement that Mr Thompson drew was ten times more exciting that what the luke warm reception that Mascoll attacted, which said a lot to me that the masses still perceived Mr Thompson as the real leader.
WIV
I am sure you are not exprapolating a PU poll to refect the opinions of the general populace.
You are not that naive or blinkered!?
What is MUCH more interesting to a neutral observer from this poll is that 12 people who read a POLITICAL blog said they ‘dont care’ if DT can lead the DLP to victory!
This ambivalence must reflect a growing concern amongst ‘thinkers’ that no party is better than the other.
That is worrying!
Is the Government bankrupt?
It might not be so odd that I haven’t received my tax refund yet – anybody out there still waiting?
If you have received your refund, when did you file? I filed right on time.
With all the talk about prison officers and teachers not being paid on time I am a little concerned that I will not get my refund any time soon.
Kevin~a government cannot be termed bankrupt because it has recourse to taxing its people to raise revenue :-). As far we are aware refund cheques in the Inland Revenue are usually prepared reasonably promptly but usually they have to wait for intructions from the Ministry of Finance to release batches of cheques. We understand it is all about managing CASH FLOW!
Thanks Dave – I was being a bit facetious on the bankruptcy. For completeness they also have the ability to turn on the printing presses and print more money, although this would have potentially worse consequences to increasing taxes.
I am just trying to figure out if this time to pay refunds is normal and if there is anyone out there that has received a refund yet.
If the DLP is waiting for the calling of the elections to launch their attack, then I can tell them that they have already lost the elections. The people of Barbados can absorb only so much information at any one time. With the calling of elections the people will be bombarded with info from all sides. They will not be able to take all of it in at such a short space of time. Take a leaf out of Bruce Goldings book he took the fight to the Portia Simpson Govt. on a weekly basis until her Govt. collapsed at election time. Had he waited until elections were called he would still be sitting on the opposition bench like David Thompson.
David, YUM YUM,
I respect your positions, however as I said, I see it as a delicate situation.
It may be useful to consider that we do NOT elect an Opposition group in parliament. What we do is to REJECT an alternative Government.
Expecting these persons to automatically play a role of OPPOSING the successful incumbants may be a bit of wishful thinking on our part.
If I apply to you for a job and you REJECT me, how does it become my RESPONSIBILITY to protect you from the ones that you employed?
It just is not a simple matter.
I fully accept your arguments YUM YUM, but I just warn that what we may be encouraging is a situation where you are promoting a battle that we can ill afford.
The responsibility for holding the ’employed ones’ to account, firing them and any other actions needed IS THAT OF THOSE WHO HIRED THEM. THE PUBLIC OF BARBADOS.
….and may I say that we have been doing a first class job so far under the able leadership of BU, BFP and WIV.
And by the way, the reason I would hate to have to depend on the DLP to deal with this ‘problem’ for us is this….
Who then will protect us from the DLP after elections..?!?
I am voting for BU, BFP, WIV and the PUBLIC of BARBADOS (and the extended homeland) to do that both NOW and THEN…
Sorry Bush Tea, but you seem to have backed yourself into a corner (using yet another analogy).
I accept that the primary aim of an opposition party during the pre-election year is to get themselves elected.
FINE AGREED
I have a BIG problem though, with your definition of the responsibilities of the opposition .
I believe it is the DLPs (or whatever opposition party) responsibility to maintain a constant vigilance throughout their whole term in opposition. They should alert the public CONSTANTLY about areas of government policy etc.. which concern them, such that the electorate may stay informed of their views and future intentions.
Remember that the opposition are FAR better placed to give opinions on policy than the public, who often would not understand the jargon etc.
.
The opposition is one of the ONLY official channels of accountability in Barbados after all!
This ‘all or nothing’ proposition just does not fit the profile of a patriotic party whose aim is to govern fairly, always with the citizens’ best interests at heart.
It more befits a sulky child who throws a temper and cries “I’m not playing” just because he didn’t win!
Hope not!
BT:
You seem to accept that Bim is a 5 year elected dictatorship, and to many of us that is what appears to be allowed to operate.
What about the DLP MPs elected to represent the alternative view by their constituencies.
Are they entitled to draw their salary, but expected to remain mute because of their minority status?
If so, we should not employ them after their party’s failure at the poll, just let them stew for another 5 years.
Which come to think of it is Thompy’s parliamentary plan.
However his stomping the country with bright new candidates, whilst his old guard is being held under tight rein in the Assembly is counter-productive, besides looking suspiciously incompetent.
Keep your new manifesto powder dry by all means, but recognise and rise to the people’s crying need to forcefully challenge these blatant abuses at every opportunity.
Three cheers for the Idealist
“Idealist’? More like ‘realist’.
Well folks,
I am quite happy to see the faith that you are willing to place in a group of politicians who happen to be currently associated with one party or the other. I ceased being so idealistic many, many years ago- indeed I had no such faith even in the general PUBLIC before David came along with BU and the BFP people came into being.
Indeed, it is ONLY because of the cloak of anonymity of the BLOGS that even this level of public discussion is possible now.
You want me to trust in D’s to protect us against B’s, and vice versa? Wunna serious?
YUM YUM says..
“The opposition is one of the ONLY official channels of accountability in Barbados after all!”
I say..
..So is the DPP…so what is your point again?
Well folks,
I am quite happy to see the faith that you are willing to place in a group of politicians who happen to be currently associated with one party or the other. I ceased being so idealistic many, many years ago- indeed I had no such faith even in the general PUBLIC before David came along with BU and the BFP people came into being.
Indeed, it is ONLY because of the cloak of anonymity of the BLOGS that even this level of public discussion is possible now.
You want me to trust in D’s to protect us against B’s, and vice versa? Wunna serious?
YUM YUM says..
“The opposition is one of the ONLY official channels of accountability in Barbados after all!”
I say..
..So is the DPP…
Bush Tea
Didn’t say I trust them!
Just saying wish they’d (opposition) start taking THEIR obligations seriously.
That’s all!
NB In the UK, for instance, the opposition PARTIES are always bleating on about something – it’s almost annoying!
OK BT:
I totally accept this current representation system isn’t working.
I don’t even know if the powers that be have already got the electoral system of our fledgling democracy tied up, and beyond recovery for the electorate, maybe they have already, and all these desperate posts are just p***ing in the wind.
Both parties may be working in tandem to maintain the status quo to their mutual benefit.
One could easily look at today’s news and say “Yeah that looks about right”………….
But it doesn’t, it looks, smells, sounds, feels WRONG.
This isn’t the fresh start envisaged 41 years ago.
This is a new invidious , homegrown, dare I say Mugabe style of negrocrat superciliousness.
Ministers of the Crown themselves consider they don’t need to explain anything, their very being there should be enough for you..so take it.
Not good enough anymore!
There is so much more I feel, that must wait until Barbados hopefully realises, and proudly takes her rightful place as a shining example of independence and freedom to the former colonies of the world.
Just seems to us that Thompson and the DLP have way to much respect for the master of spin.
David,
Respect is a good thing.
One has to be careful that actions taken are designed to achieve the ultimate objective..
(Begging pardon from those like YUM YUM who don’t like me to quote the Bible)
“There is a way that SEEMS right to man -but the END thereof is the way of death and destruction”
I recall that when Bush came up with his ‘WAR ON TERROR” the outrage from 9/11 made it seem so necessary and reasonable… I urged similar caution at that time too… but Bush had over 90% poll support for this ‘necessary action’. It SEEMED right then….
The ONLY real forces in this world are LOVE, RESPECT and TRUTH- these always win out in the end and ALWAYS achieve the results that we really want -especially in families (even if your brother is a hopeless mess)
With respect to TRUTH; this explains why I have so much respect for what you do, David.
You have provided a mechanism for the exposition of truth and openness. You obviously do not realize how powerful this is, and what a REVOLUTION you have helped to establish. (otherwise you would not be wasting time calling for Thompson to employ ‘Bush style’ tactics when you already have the BIG TIME weapons of TRUTH and RESPECT)
Trust me, when the history of Barbados is finally written there will be another David and Goliath story to tell…
…all about how little David slew the mighty king Arthur with a BLOG…
Bush Tea, thanks for your support but we want to clarify a point which you made concerning your David and Golaith analogy. Our goal is to comment on social and political issues from our perspective. We also expect to learn and widen our perspective when we interact with those BU visitors who feel disposed to do so.
Bush Tea
“Begging pardon from those like YUM YUM who don’t like me to quote the Bible”
I’ll give you the benifit of the doubt on this statement. Lesser men would have thought that this a sly and dismissive remark to marginalise or discredit the YUM YUM. But not I!
I am more than happy for you to quote the ‘Good Book’. In fact, if you look back amongst my various warblings you will see that I have done so several times MYSELF. (Its a great wee book!)
Just putting the record straight!
I like your writing BT, but I do get the feeling that you sometimes just argue for arguments sake.
Keep entertaining us
YYILI
YUM YUM, David
We all need to learn to laugh -especially at ourselves… and I know, that you know that this reference was a joke intended to make you smile and respond (worked too..)
David, you are so humble and selfless that it seems unreal… BFP would do well to study your attitude
Finally YUM YUM – you are so right. There is NOTHING I like more than arguing with intelligent people like you and some others here.
Forgive me if I overdo it with you all, for some reason I do not get to argue that much otherwise…
Ironically the parliamentary system demands that there be an Opposition, one of the many checks and balances found in the constitution. If Thompson didn’t want the job then he wouldn’t have taken the oath, since he took the oath he should be aware of the seriousness of the job. Its not a whiners corner, it is there to ensure that the people of barbados get the best out the government by taking it to task when it goes out of line. For too long these jokers treat the job like a see-saw, and whine when one side is in the air too long.
Does Mr Mascoll have a thorough understanding of the flyovers project or is he just being set up as a fall guy? I advise him to do his research on the project from it’s inception and have a complete perusal of all the documents including drawings from the project’s inception. Maybe then he will not make the inaccurate pronoucenments he makes.
He will make many other inaccurate pronoucenments once he continues to try to defend the indefendesible, If he were to try to recapture his ego and his pride and realise that the blp are using him for what he is worth and that basically he is fodder for them, he is dispensible as is Mottley, Marshall, Edghill, Duguid, Liz Thompson, Payne and others.
Owing must be smiling and saying what an idiot Mascoll must be to have fallen hook line and sinker for his bait and now that he has him that he is a spent force he is only now setting the hook in him to put him in the market for sale.
Anyone heard the rumor that there is a plan afoot by Owing to unseat Mottley apparently he is not happy with a group from within his party that has been assembled by Mottley to oust him from office and he has vowed to have her removed from her seat, sounds like Peanuts and Bree when Adams was power hungry and Bree was the most fitting for the post of PM Adams paid people to campaign against Bree, Adams had Peanuts elected at the expense of his friend Bree, that is politics for you and this time around it will be no different.
My word of advice to Mottley is that she should have kept her mouth shut and it would not get her in as much TROUBLE as it has done recently, I hope these comments BITE at her and she thinks about what she does more carefully.
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