Delivering A Recession Budget

Chris Sinckler, Minister of Finance

The eagerly awaited budget will be delivered by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler on Monday (22.11.2010). The debate making the rounds – will the government increase the VAT? How much will transfers and subsidies to statutory agencies get slashed? Will the government interrupt its social programs (building a society) to focus mainly on the ‘economy’?

The protracted global economic slowdown has severely impacted Barbados as it has most countries in the world. Although leader of the opposition Owen Arthur has taken to making the asinine comparison of Barbados to a growing Guyana economy, most reasonable people understand that any economy which is dependant on tourism, international business, remittances and foreign direct investment will struggle in the prevailing climate.

A simple observation of how many Barbadians have adjusted to the economic hardships does not convince BU the gravity of the situation is fully understood. The most modest home still has a minimum of one car parked outside, the ubiquitous cable dish/antennae, and of course the mobile phone/s. The latest fad is for our teenagers to upgrade to a Blackberry to feed a growing addiction to Facebook and Twitter.

Is Barbados Network Helping Barbadian Nationals?

Submitted by Yesitsme (as a comment)

 

Let’s look at what this Returning Nationals/Barbados Network program is and is not. It is poorly run! It is designed to extract as much money as possible from Returning Bajans by making the program as complicated, inefficient and cumbersome as possible. It is run by John Blackman who is unorganized, not a people person, does not return phone calls, never available, paints a glorious picture when you contact him while outside of Barbados and then he gives you hell when your container is in Barbados at the Port and you’re trying to get it out.

You’re gouged by Agents, Brokers, the Government, the Port  and just about everyone involved in the process. The Government is looking to our retirement money on a monthly basis fuelling their foreign exchange issues or should I say crises.
We buy houses and everything involved in living here. Yes we help to employ Bajans, establish business and you could go on and on…

Food Security Not A National Priority

In the Barbados Advocate Business Monday of October 18, 2010 Professor Avinash Persaud was quoted as making the asinine statement, “being food self-sufficient is unobtainable and anyone who believes otherwise is not being realistic’”. Who was Persaud referring to? What BU has been hearing is the need for Barbados to develop a food security plan. In 2008 former minister of agriculture Haynesley Benn intimated such a plan would be introduced in 2010. Minister Benn has subsequently moved on to another ministry the result of a Cabinet reshuffle – the promised plan may yet be delivered by Minister of Agriculture David Estwick.

Whenever the debate what is the best strategy Barbados should adopt for agriculture surfaces, the proponents are accused by Persaud and those of his ilk as romanticizing the sector. Successive governments have allowed agriculture policy to become stymied by the indecision whether to commit to a service base economy and or develop a feasible agriculture sector. The argument as always existed if we commit to a service based economy the opportunity exist to combine a limited intensive agriculture production with the number one productive sector.

While our governments continue to vacillate on whether to subsidized the agriculture sector (many of the world’s developed countries subsidize agriculture), it should be of interest to learn of recent developments which on the surface seem to be tangential to the issue of food security. On closer examination one can reasonable conclude there is a potential threat to global food security.

Marketing Barbados – Tourism MATTERS X

Adrian Loveridge - Hotel Owner

From a tourism marketing perspective, there are two phrases, expressions or mission statements that I have come to detest. They are ‘paradigm shift’ and ‘thinking outside of the box’. It’s not the words themselves, but more the people that tend to quote these sayings frequently. Because in hindsight what at the time seems almost an imperative to implement change, inevitability becomes seemingly the last thing on their minds.

Most people consider tourism a dynamic industry which is subject to frequent change and almost perpetual challenges. So it would be unreasonable to think that ‘we’ could keeping doing things the same old way and achieve different results, surely?

Many industry players over the years have expressed that there should be changes in the way we market Barbados, including the last president of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association. Wayne Capaldi suggested a hybrid private/public sector team dedicated to marketing the destination. Clearly no-one has more vested interest in seeing both increases in long stay visitor arrivals and all importantly (in my opinion) average overall spending, than the tourism stakeholders.

A New Concept Called Political Immorality

Submitted by Wishing In Vain

The late Prime Minister, David John Howard Thompson, often argued that Barbados is more than an economy it is a society as well.

 

The late Prime Minister, David John Howard Thompson, often argued that Barbados is more than an economy it is a society as well. As the many tributes attest, he tried to live his life according to that mantra. David Thompson was a child of an independent Barbados, and whilst a citizen of the world, he was Barbadian to the core, and he had a clear vision for the type of society he wanted for Barbados.

The Late Prime Minister, David Thompson, was often held up to public ridicule for promoting his values based approach to Barbadian society.   An approach that was unwavering through opposition and into office.  He advocated, while in Opposition the idea of giving young people a stipend for working in the holidays. The then Arthur led administration pooh pooped the idea and sought to bastardize  the concept.  They even classified it as offering  a bus fare and lunch money  solution to youth unemployment.

He sought to raise the level of awareness of the potential fallout from an increase in Crime and Violence. His campaign on crime and violence was also attacked.  The Arthur led government turned it into a parody which sought to mock the seriousness of the message. School children made it a mantra during those dark days. These are the same youngsters today who made David their hero and abandon the Barbados Labour Party to the political wilderness.

Bajans In The Diaspora: Young Barbados Professional Society

Submitted by Austin

 

Austin

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a US based organization called the “Young” Barbadian Professional Society” (YBPS) .  “…The mission of the Young Barbadian Professionals Society YBPS is to garner the intellectual capital of its members to further advance positive transformations in the global Barbadian and Caribbean communities, through the Society’s economic development, education, and philanthropic programs. YBPS is a 501(c)(3) organization.  (from www.ybpsintl.org).

I felt compelled to share the YBPS with the BU family, as it represents Bajans in the diaspora in positive social action….  >>>> Austin

(Exert below also from http://www.ybpsintl.org)

The Spectre Of Political Interference By Some In The Legal Fraternity And The Co-option Of Local Media

Leslie Haynes QC - President of the Barbados Bar Association

In the last week or so, Nation “journalist” Tim Slinger wrote a report on the fed-up Barbados Bar. The basis of his report was a letter from Barbados Bar Association (BBA) Chairman, Leslie Haynes Q.C. to Acting Chief Justice Sherman Moore.

According to Leslie Haynes, “As president of the Bar, it is my duty to inform you of the general feeling of the Bar, that the wheels of our judicial system are grinding to a halt.” Haynes subsequently released a copy of this letter to the Nation.

BU has held back on commenting on this matter lest we be dragged across the coals by the legal beavers who frequent this blog space. The report could hardly be done justice until a smidgen of investigative journalism was practiced. It is no secret how BU feels about the local Fourth Estate and by extension the Nation’s capacity to engage “investigative” journalism approaches; a prerequisite to being a professional journalist.

Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner Elected To Serve As Vice President American Commission of Women (CIM)

Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner

Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner has been successful in her bid for the Vice Presidency of the Inter American Commission of Women (CIM). She was elected at the 35th Assembly of Delegates held November 3-5 in Mexico City. The election was conducted on the day of the state funeral of former Prime Minister David Thompson, and prior to her arrival in Mexico  Senator Sandiford-Garner won her position by acclamation.

Senator Garner’s candidacy had been endorsed by all the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members, and during an engagement in  Washington DC in October, the opportunity was taken to visit  Ambassadors of other OAS member-states in an effort to secure their support for Barbados’ election to the body. She received 18 0f the 34 country votes.

Barbados will serve on the executive committee of this influential hemispheric institution for the next two years and Senator Sandiford-Garner will join a team which comprises delegates from  Mexico(President), Argentina,  Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Senator has been Barbados’ Principal Delegate to the CIM since November 2008.

Why Is Emerald City And Carlton Supermarkets Importing ‘Fresh Milk’?

It seems ludicrous we have the Pine Hill Dairy (PHD) with the capacity to produce fresh milk yet Andrew Bynoe has to spend scarce foreign exchange to satisfy local demand. Is there more to the story than meets the eye? The obvious observation is if milk is imported it can’t be fresh.

There has been tension between the PHD and the local milk farmers through the years. When PHD started to produce powdered milk at the expense of the local milk farmers, it served to heighten the tension.

To the point, fresh milk has one definition – that which comes directly from the udder of the cow without processing. Here is what BU family member ROK had to say about fresh milk on Facebook, “Fresh milk is that which you get directly from the animal without pasturisation or any other type of processing. Fresh milk will not last longer than a week (if so long) in your cooler. The milk which we imbibe from phd is not fresh milk. It may have been made from fresh milk.”

Why is Andrew Bynoe from Carlton and Emerald City Supermarkets being allowed to import milk which cannot be properly described as  ‘fresh milk’? Why is PHD being allowed by consumers and the Fair Trading Commission to produce fresh milk which is not fresh? Doesn’t the PHD have an obligation to be honest when marketing its products?

Accountability And Offering Excuses For Excuses

Kammie Holder

Most of our problems in life tend to come about as a result of trying to evade being accountable. It appears like a disease in the government, the private sector and in our personal lives. It’s just not an easy thing for some of us to accept accountability.

Accountability means we are responsible and answerable for our actions or inactions, thus the consequences must be accepted. Managers and leaders must accept accountability for the actions of others in their organization or on their team, just as they accept praise when the team does well. In order to be accountable, we must also embrace the fundamental principle of integrity. It’s not always easy to do the right things, but we can save ourselves a whole lot of time and trouble if we invest a little more time to do things right the first time. In communications with the late Prime Minister of Barbados David Thompson, he always reminded me to “Do what I think I have to do and what is always right.” It’s also much more difficult to clean up a mess than to just simply avoid it.