What’s Up With Skin Bleaching?

One of the challenges of living in these times is the difficulty being able to discern whether a behaviour is a fad or something more concrete. Cultural relativism seems to have subsumed the view by what seems to be a growing minority that a society should have as its underpinning a healthy layer of ethics to guide our daily interactions. A classic example is the discussion about Rihanna’s surrender to the world of the US influenced music genre R&B even if it means she would have betrayed all the mores inculcated by a Bajan society. The moral degradation of Barbados society becomes more evident when the people and by extension the government seems impotent to act by relieving her of the Youth Ambassadorship in obvious circumstances.

Regrettably social scientists have become silent and the void has created the opportunity for opinions of a quantitative flavour to trump all. It has become fashionable for subjective positions to win arguments even if it means society as a whole maybe threatened. Despite the fact there is enough evidence to show if Barbados continues on its current path our society will further descend into a moraless pit, cultural relativism continues to go unchallenged by leaders in civil society.

As a dominant Black society Barbados should be concerned about how our way of life is being infected by other cultures. Our willingness to compromise on unique attributes which historically have defined who we are must be troubling. It may even seem redundant to explain a key characteristic which defines a Black person is the colour of the skin.

Owing Taxes

Submitted by People’s Democratic Congress

The notion that “more than $200 million is said to be OWED to Government in VAT and Income Tax by several major enterprises, professional, and business people” (Weekend Nation, Friday, February 11, 2008), is absolute rubbish.

The principal reason why we in the PDC make this criticism is because the government has long been STEALING (TAXING) on a daily basis countless portions of the incomes of those enterprises, professional and business people that are referred to in the Weekend Nation newspaper story, as well as it has been STEALING (TAXING) on an every day basis countless more portions of the incomes of thousands of other people and entities  in this country.

Whilst the PDC will not get side tracked by that $ 200 million figure, the fact of the matter is that none of those people/entities, as well as no one else in this country OWES the government any amount of TAXATION, or anything in TAXATION at any time. None of them or none of us in the general publics of this country OWES  NOT ONE RED CENT to the government of Barbados in TAXATION!!! For, you owe nothing to a thief.

If anything it is the damn government that owes every TAX VICTIM in this country a fundamental duty to stop/to cease violating the income and property rights of our people as well as our businesses, owing to the unvarnished fact that our incomes are our incomes and NOT the government’s. And, if any thing too it is the government that OWES businesses and OWES its own workers for business and work done for it, and that must therefore make sure that these persons are compensated by fair means, e.g. by making sure that the money value of the people is utilized for such purposes, and NOT by stealing from the general income of the relevant individuals, businesses and others in this country.

Thank GOD The Windy Season Only Comes ONCE Per Year, Why, Kites with “Bulldogs”

Submitted by Annoyed Visitor

I’m sure it originated out of Africa, must have, every Massi Warrior needed to scare his dinner to death rather than use skill to hut same. Now today there are Bajans that think their neighbors need to be harassed with noise pollution day and night so they can show off their Kite (Chinese manufactured) flying skills ( kite comes with instructions).

Do our island visitors think this practice is acceptable, not from what I’ve been hearing at hotel pools, bars, beaches, restaurants etc. Most find this kite flying with noisy bulldogs most annoying and disturbing. I heard one lady state that she phoned the Hasting Police Department to complain and was told if it’s not interfering with aircraft then there’s “NOTHING WE CAN DO”. About what I’d expect from the Barbados Police Department knowing Bajan mentality. Like the saying goes “Barbados has a rule for everything and enforcement of nothing”, think I’m wrong, just check out today’s Nation Newspaper for a list of outstanding Income Tax and VAT business’s and individuals that remain uncollected for several——– years.

If Barbados has any ambitions of being classified as a First World Country then they have to step up to the plate and “WALK THE TALK.

CARIBBEAN STOCK REPORT 4 February to 11 February 2011

 

Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Cave Hill - Click image to read report

 

 

We Need To Do More To Punish Perpetrators Of Corruption In Barbados

David Mabey

Our aim is to protect society from extensive, deliberate criminal deception which could threaten public confidence in the financial system.  We investigate fraud and corruption that requires our investigative expertise and special powers to obtain and assess evidence to successfully prosecute fraudsters, freeze assets and compensate victims – SFO Serious Fraud Office

Several events have occurred in the last three decades which exposed flaws in governance structures which have served us well; or so it seemed. One example is the meltdown of Wall Street which precipitated the global recession which has been with us for more than two years.

The post mortem of the disaster has revealed that old fashion greed was the motive driving many in decision making positions.  The challenge for global societies is the need to have robust regulatory systems which are marshalled in a just matter. For too long our systems of justice appear to be better equipped to punish a certain type of crime especially when it affects the ‘small’ man.

There is a view that enacting Freedom of Information (FOIA) laws will not be enough if we are to judge by those countries which have FOIA on the books. BU believes this to be a defeatist view and we are heartened by the recent action of The Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom by securing its first convictions of fraud against individuals accused of breaching UN sanctions. It should be of interest to Barbadians who had the ‘honour’ of being the first ‘scalp’ of the SFO.

Sexuality And Gender

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The Laptop Scandal In Guyana

Rickford Burke, President of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

The Laptop scandal which has engulfed the PPP government of Guyana has reinforced allegations of rampant and systemic corruption in the PPP government, and that the schemes and devices of this racketeering ruling elite are perpetrated with impunity in plain public view. The commission of criminal and unlawful acts with impunity has burgeoned into a culture of corruption that vitiates the rule of law in Guyana today. Amidst this public debauchery of fleecing of taxpayers and the Treasury, no PPP government official has ever been investigated, charged and prosecuted for corruption! There seems to be no sentinels at the exchequer; no enforcers of the law; no merchants of justice. This insidious culture has become so pervasive, that it has perverted our polity and institutions of government, and render indistinguishable our values system of right and wrong; propriety and impropriety.

It is against this backdrop, that the laptop scandal has emerged. Its genesis is in Minister Webster’s disclosure to the Parliament on February 1, 2011, that each Laptop, for the PPP’s “One Laptop Per Family Program” (OLPF) will cost G$295,000.00 – the equivalent of US$1.500.00. Webster said that the government would procure 27,000 laptops for distribution in 2011 and had budgeted 1.8 billion dollars – US 9 million dollars for the project in 2011 (a general election year). She forecasted that ultimately 90,000 computers would be purchased for distribution countrywide at a cost at approximately 5 billion dollars.

The following day Kaieteur Newspaper in a front page article captioned “Each cost $295,000 = US$1,500,” reported that “The cost for one of the laptops under OLPF Project would cost $295,000 even with the absence of any public bidding process thus far.” The ridiculous cost of US$1,500.00 per Laptop, infuriated the public and ignited a firestorm. On February 2, Minister Webster rushed back to Parliament with what she called a clarification. She told the Parliament “I now wish to clarify that the budget assumes a unit cost of US$295 per laptop and not $295,000 as previously stated inadvertently.”

A People In Need Of Oratory Stimulation

Submitted by Charles Knighton

Three separate offerings in the Nation of Wednesday Feb 09th prompt this letter. In his School of Thought, Ridley Green laments:” the way many of us parents behave on behalf of our offspring, it is as if we are telling them resilience and character are not quite the key.” Justice Worrell Court Cry, in blasting “dropout witnesses” observes: ” It is a trend which is showing the complete decay of Barbadian society, the complete decay of the moral fabric of Barbadian society”.

Though there are many other examples of the malaise, if not complete decay in Barbadian society, they are not necessary to enumerate here, as most are aware of them. While the psychologists, sociologists, and priests busy themselves trotting out their pet theories as to why such a state of affairs exists, the overarching cause, just as in dysfunctional families, organizations, or businesses is the lack of strong and inspirational leadership. And while it is not required that such leadership emanate from the political class most believe, for better or worse, that it should.

Which brings me to Sanka Price and his “Only Human” column, We expect more form politicians. This column could easily have been written during any of my twenty years living in Barbados.  The pettiness of spirit and pedestrian nature of what passes for intellectual jousting over issues is disheartening. And while Mr Price mentions those who have brought intellectual heft to Parliament, with the notable exception of Errol Barrow and perhaps Tom Adams, these people  do not represent what I would refer to as speakers of soaring rhetoric and inspirational thought. While it is all well and good to deliver well reasoned arguments with  a sense of authority, at the end of the day if people have not been moved to take action then all that has been
accomplished is the stimulating effect of mental masturbation.

How Good Is Cow’s Milk?

Submitted by Terence Blackett

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Rihanna’s Image, Let It Go

Submitted by Charles S. Cadogan

I’ve read the article in Barbados Today regarding Rihanna’s image.  Sad to say, she’s not that interested in how anyone really feels. She’s in the business to make it by any means necessary.  Sex always was a big seller even if one has to use his or her imagination. Rihanna is selling what the public wants. See Rihanna’s latest video which is creating the buzz.

I can understand your feelings regarding her holding a diplomatic passport and expecting her to be different in her business approach. However you should never loose focus, she is in business not for herself but under contract to do what the company wants i.e. to recoup the money they expensed towards promoting her.

I saw the video and it is what it is to who want to take it where their imagination wants to go.  She is in the business to make money for the company so she too can get paid. Rihanna came on the scene like little Miss Innocent, but as time passed, she had to do what was expected of her if she wanted to be make it big.  Many of us do worse things than what she’s doing in her videos or her songs;  She is on her **JOB** doing what she has to do to stay on top of the industry.  We might not like what she is doing  but remember she is now a woman who can make her own choices;

I remember Grace Jones from Jamaica who was off the hook how she dressed and acted. This doesn’t make the person less than who they are at the end of the day.  Just hope and pray that during her run that she will continue to be successful, and be a **LADY** in public.  To be quite honest with you what she is doing isn’t nothing new or any different than many others who are in the business.  Rihanna never started out to be another Queen of Soul.