Monkey See, Monkey Do

Submitted by Looking Glass

Stimulus is the word all over the place. Even the opposition calling for a stimulus package to get us out of the crisis. According to the PM, the current crisis–whatever that means–does not require fancy language just a careful explanation.

Okay. A system that favours selling profitable assets and reliant on borrowing cannot be dynamic. You are in crisis when you incessantly over-borrow, misused much of it (not you the PM) and forgot to service the debt. Without earnings from trade the best you can do is borrow new money to service old loans. As previously indicated we were in crisis long before the current USA triggered the global financial crisis. The debt like the high tide keeps on rising. Socially the rustication of scholars is a sign of crisis.

Yes the current world financial crisis originated in the USA and will impact us, primarily because we are import dependent and have next to nothing to export. As such job loss cannot be the direct result of the global financial crisis. In this context the call on Bajans to spend more (of what they don’t have) smacks of incongruity. The bail-out stimulus packages in the USA and Europe are reserved for the banks and financial institutions, the car and associated industries such as car parts makers, suppliers and dealerships. The bailout stimulus package is focused on value added production.

Guyana Government’s Refusal To Pay Former First Lady Joyce Hoyte Husband’s Pension A National Disgrace

Submitted by Rickford Burke (Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy)

Rickford Burke, President of CGID

The arrogance of the Bharrat Jagdeo administration in Guyana is unprecedented. President Bharrat Jagdeo and the ruling PPP cabal continue to make the fatal assumption which they accused the PNC government of making – i.e. the arrogant presumption that the resources of the State of Guyana belong to them. But if only the PPP’s policies and governance could match their barren arrogance, Guyana would be an advanced State. One cannot therefore help but observe that their governance by arrogance will be their main cause of demise.

I have on numerous occasions called on the PPP government to pay Former First Lady Joyce Hoyte her husband’s pension. President Desmond Hoyte has never received his hard earned pension since he demitted the Presidency of Guyana on October 5, 1992. He died on December 22, 2002 without receiving his pension. The PPP government owes his wife, Mrs. Joyce Hoyte, his pension from then to now.

The PPP administration has been picking and choosing which citizens should be paid their pensions. This is unlawful, and the judiciary has been derelict on this important aspect of social justice and the rule of law. A pension is not a privilege, it is a right. It constitutes monies withheld from one’s earnings over their career. What nation messes around with the pension of their former President as if it is a political foot ball?

Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary Accuses Royal Barbados Police Force Of NOT Responding

Submitted by Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Tilapia fish allegedly stolen from the wetland of GHNS/wikimedia.org

[Bridgetown, BARBADOS] Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary officials reported that a group of eight (8) men were caught stealing wildlife inside the RAMSAR wetland site on Sanctuary lands. Police were called when the trespass was discovered last Wednesday, but there was no response. The men continued to stay through the afternoon, while Sanctuary employees tried to calm the situation.

One employee reported that one of the men made personally threatening gestures as if he had a gun, and within the hour gunshots were heard coming from the Amity Lodge side of the wetland where the men were last seen.

The area is recognized by the international Convention on Wetlands as an area of significant biological importance. Both the Government of Barbados and the Sanctuary own the lands within the RAMSAR site.

National Association Of Barbados Organizations (NABO) Accused Of Financial Impropriety

According to a BU source members of the National Association of Barbados Organizations (NABO) based in the USA have been voicing displeasure at the way the Executives of NABO have been managing its business. “Specifically, they failed to provide proper financial statements and reports; they refused to respond to numerous requests for information and explanation for the record; they refused to allow for proper inspection of the records by members; they were in violation of the Constitution and Bylaws in numerous areas; and they were not complying with tax laws of the United States of America.”

The current controversy centres around how money was spent to host a conference held in Barbados in 2008; surprise surprise.

“NABO’s main activity since its existence has been to sponsor an annual convention of Barbadians and Barbadian organizations, usually on the American Independence Celebration weekend. The convention is essentially a forum of Barbadians, people of Barbadian heritage and others interested in Barbados, to discuss the issues which affect them in their communities in the USA, and those which affect their families in Barbados…” (extracted from NABO’s website)

Tourism In Peril: The Fat Lady Has Moved On

Submitted by Looking Glass

A Few years ago an article in the Advocate 18/11/06 stating that Caribbean Airlines would continue to fly BWIA’s routs captured my attention. Why? Reliable sources had already informed me that the direct air routes from Trinidad to Barbados would be eliminated and that the new schedule would include Guyana. BWIA had been using our air routes since 1969 when it was nominated by the late Errol Barrow to be our national carrier. All this and the need for our own airline was communicated elsewhere, and a case made for the resurrection of Caribbean Airline, or having another airline do it for us. All to no avail.

Concern was also expressed about Carnival Cruise Line deal that guaranteed the government (BAT) earnings of $156million and 1.5 million tourist arrivals over three years (Nation 10/07/08). Given the formula used, 200 ships each with 2000 passengers, or five ships per week would have to arrive each year. It was unlikely the Cruise Line could deliver the stated guarantees because few of the sixty or so ships in its fleet were of the 2000 passenger capacity. Also it had no way of knowing–apart from guessing–how many passengers would disembark or much money they would spend in Port. I noted the pending arrival of the mega ships, the changes in modus operandi and queried the Port’s ability to accommodate the mega-ships. “No problem, we could handle anything,” was the response. The first mega-ships came on stream but Barbados was not listed in the itinerary. Our politicians appear content to keep people in the dark and cover them with mush like mushrooms. Below is the story of our loss of airlift from our Reliable Source.

Senator Thompson Missing In Action

Submitted by DLP Political Correspondent

Senator Elizabeth Thompson

Having read the paper this morning and having seen the attack that Sen. John Hutson launched into the ever missing from Senate Liz Thompson and the fact that Kerrie Symmonds continues to state that Liz Thompson sees sitting in Senate as below her status and her calling.

It has clearly reached decision time for Mottley to determine what she will do re the continuous absence from as many sittings of Senate as she Liz Thompson has now missed.

The truth is that it presents a real dilemma, in that to remove Liz Thompson from the Senate it will bring severe stress to her and Thompson’s relationship,this is someone that was placed in Senate because of her support of Mottley.

Guyana President should Take Lie Detector Test In Roger Khan Drug Case

Submitted by Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

Roger Khan

NEW YORK: The New York based think-tank, the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) Monday upped the antae against Guyana’s President, Bharrat Jagdeo, in the Roger Khan saga. The Institute accused Jagdeo of complicity with the convicted drug dealer and of lying about what it described as “a close relationship with Khan, whom CGID had branded – “The Al Capone of Georgetown.”

A confessed Guyanese drug baron, Khan last week pleaded guilty in Federal Court in New York, to eighteen counts of importation of cocaine into the United States, conspiracy, weapons possession and witness tampering. He is expected to be sentenced next month.

The Chinese Spoiler Proposes New World Currency

BU received an email from an anonymous mailer yesterday which highlights the barring of the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference in South Africa. The Dalai Lama is recognize as the Head of State of Tibet and its spiritual leader. Since the middle of the twentieth century the Tibetan people have been displaced from their lands by the powerful rampaging Chinese.

The growing China influence in the world has not gone unnoticed among those who monitor world affairs. The refusal by South Africa to disallow the entry of Dalai Lama illustrates the rising influence which China has spawned on Africa and elsewhere. We have blogged our observations before. The insatiable demand caused by China’s massive economy forces the government to identify sustainable supplies of raw material.

Coincidental with the news about the Dalia Lama there has been another interesting development which involves China. Within recent days news reports emanating from China has been the growing concern regarding the ‘safeness’ of its US investments. The concern has been driven by the current global financial crisis. USA appetite for printing of money and the creation of a double digit trillion dollar deficit has the potential to devalue the US dollar.

Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary Waits For Government Proposal

Submitted by Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

[Bridgetown, BARBADOS] Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary officials were pleased to read in the Nation that the Government of Barbados has apparently assigned a Bds. $1 million budget estimate for Graeme Hall. “We have not seen a formal proposal from government in regard to how these funds will be used, but look forward to giving the proposal our full attention when it is received,” said Stuart Heaslet, representative for the Sanctuary.

Heaslet acknowledged that the Sanctuary had not requested operational funds from Government.

“The real problem is not one of day-to-day operational sustainability of the Sanctuary. It is a much bigger problem than that. The closure is an interim step to limit exposure to environmental and other risks to its owner and his family – there are serious environmental problems outside of the Sanctuary that endanger the wetland and hence the US $35 million private capital investment at Graeme Hall.

Adonijah Sent Packing By Nation Group, Read All About It!

Arising from an earlier blog Down By The Riverside fellow blogger from the Living In Barbados Blog expressed the view that  private enterprise must be allowed to manage to stay afloat and make money for shareholders (parsing). We have no problem with that position, the flip side however is that BU has the freedom to critique the genuineness of decisions taken as we perceive them. As a corporate citizen the public’s perception should be of value to the Nation Group of Companies.

We are aware that three hundred daily newspapers have gone out of business in the last 25 years in the United States. We are aware that the main reason from the drop in circulation has been because the younger readers have been tapping into Internet based sources like blogs, free online news sources etc.

Unfortunately we have to take the word of the OCM Group Chairman Sir Fred Gollop about the reason for sending home Adonijah and 20+ other media workers from the Nation Group of Companies last week. He mentioned about increase cost in newsprint blah blah blah. We have access to the OCM consolidated financial statement for 2008, what we don’t know is how the Barbados companies performed vis-a-vis others in the OCM Group. We have to guess.