Are There Barbadians On The C&W Board?

We have followed with keen interest the recent resignations of senior executives at C&W Jamaica, rebranded LIME. Yesterday the Jamaica Gleaner published the most recent resignation of Eduardo Ryan, the CFO of LIME Jamaica which was preceded by Phil Green who was President for just under a year. The usual mundane explanations have been given to explain the resignation but we are sure the BU family agrees that there is more to the two resignations than meets the eye.

Jamaica is the telecommunications market where we have seen Cable and Wireless aka LIME and Digicel duke it out to the full benefit of the consumer post-deregulation. Again we note with interest that a recent request for a 21% increase for landline calls to Digicel mobile phones which was matched by LIME has commanded the immediate attention of Minister of Communications Derrick Smith. The Jamaican press has reported that he has  scheduled a meeting with the two companies to address his concern at the rate hike.

Can the Jamaican telecommunication companies increase rates when they feel like it?

CGID Blasts Steve Merai’s Appointment To Guyana Police Top Brass – Cites Connection To Criminal Enterprise

Submitted by Jevon Suralie (CGID-Director of Communications and International Affairs)

Assistant Commissioner of Police - Steve Merai

The New York based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) is blasting the Guyana Police Force for promoting embattled Senior Superintendent Steve Merai to the position of Assistant Commissioner of Police. “We are astonished at Merai’s promotion in light of the torrent of allegations of criminal wrongdoings that have been made against him,” the Institute said in a statement Monday.

“There are credible allegations that Merai has been involved in Guyana’s underworld. He is currently entangled in a web of criminal allegations, including allegedly operating as an enforcer for drug barons; allegedly kidnapping for the purpose of extortion and of numerous extra-judicial killings,” CGID said. The Institute said that “These are very serious allegations that are in the public domain, which the government can ill afford to ignore.

Merai was head of the notorious “Tactical Squad,” known as the “Black-clothes Police.” “Under Merai, the “Black-clothes Police” developed a bloody history.  People’s basic human rights were trampled upon. Lives were snuffed out via extra-judicial killings which became a norm. Drug dealers were protected, including Roger Khan, now in US custody. Eventually, the squad’s corrupt and illegal practices led to its disbandment,” asserted the New York think-tank.

The Black-clothe Police became notoriously know for the Mandela Avenue massacre, where three young men, including the son of former Guyanese diplomat, Lawrence Houston, were publicly executed when their car was pulled over.

Palestinians Continue To Pay A Penalty For The World’s Misdeeds

Submitted by Yardbroom

As the bombs rain down on the heads of women and children in Gaza…over 460 Palestinians have been killed, to be fair as well as Hamas fighters.  One is tempted to ask when will it all end, but before that question is answered we should ask ourselves when did it begin…I will not venture into Biblical history.  I am also aware of the Hamas rockets fired on the Israeli cities including Sderot and Ashkelon.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the situation –human beings are being killed – what cannot be denied is that after the Second World War the world disgusted with themselves for the treatment  the Jews suffered, sometimes with the acquiesce of some world powers and silence from others.  Sought to redress the wrongs suffered by the Jews, in so doing it was the Palestinians who had to pay… and they did with their land.  When the Israelis are asked how come you are entitled to these lands, they retort – God gave it to us, it is written in the Bible.  They are not many people today who can show title to land they hold by reference to the Bible in a court of Law…but that is bye the bye.

That Israeli is entitled to live in peace is so obvious that is is not worth stating but so are the Palestinians.

Is Our Healthcare System On The Skid?

Minister of Health Donville Inniss

Last week we listened to VOB92.9 radio referring to sources that the government plans to reopen the St. Joseph Hospital. We don’t have to remind the BU family about the political football which was played by the previous government concerning this issue. The end result was that a multi-million dollar facility was left to go to ruin and the reputation of Senator Branford Taitt was impaled.

BU’s resident medical Guru Dr. Georgie Porgie has been calling for the expansion of the Polyclinic services to disperse the concentration of demand from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Porgie’s recommendation would have been given the thumbs down recently by the new Minister of Health Donville Inniss. BU agrees in principle with Dr. Porgie’s hub and spoke solution for healthcare in Barbados, our issue is that we can’t see how the government can allocate the required resources to make it work i.e. financial and staff.

One of the burning issues in healthcare in Barbados has been the efficient staffing of our health system by our nurses. Over the years Barbados has developed a good reputation by its healthcare professionals, especially our nurses. The former government instituted a major policy change at the hospital by shifting to a Board of Directors. The process required that the tenure of nurses be transferred to a new arrangement. In the process we understand many of our precious nurses were lost for one reason or the other.

WTC North Tower Collapse, New Discover(?)

Video of WTC North Tower Collapse

BU family member Green Monkey has been a persistent voice propagating the conspiracy theory surrounding the collapse of the World Trade Centre. It was in October 2008 when another BU family member Micro Mock Engineer (MME) and friends decided to make a stand and duke it out with the monkey.

To this point the BU household, by a simple majority believes that MME et al has done enough to debunk Green Monkey’s theories. Despite the onslaught from those oppose in the BU family GG has rebounded by exhibiting the trait of a worthy adversary-persistence!

GG has produced a 5 minute video (only) with commentary and analysis by a member of Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth to resurrect his conspiracy argument. We have not seen MME around recently maybe this latest discovery by GG will prod MME out of hibernation.

A Society Can Be Measured By How It Cares For The Aged And The Most Vulnerable

Submitted by Yardbroom

As expected from the recent budget NIS pensions will be increased in Barbados by 4.87% in 2009 (effective from Jan 5th).  An initiative like this has not got the edge for some to sharpen their barbs on but that does not mean it is not good news, as it goes towards the caring society we wish for, it surely makes a good start for 2009.  There is of course the usual retort what about this group or that sector which is under funded and seems neglected?  I say a start has been made it should be welcomed and others no doubt will follow.

This initiative comes on the back of free travel for school children in uniform.  One commenter was churlish enough to mention the cost he/she disregarded the fact that expenditure is involved in supply.

Perhaps we could make 2009 the year when we took heed of and looked after the aged, there was a time when they were young…as there will be a time when the young will be old.  Some of the aged have fortuitously got themselves in a financial position where they do not need or seek financial assistance from others or the state but all are not so fortunate.