Supreme Court Of Judicature Marston Gibson Amendment Act?

Submitted by Caswell Franklyn, Head of Unity Workers Union

The Saturday Sun of March 20, 2011, reported that the House of Assembly passed an amendment to the Supreme Court of Judicature Act just after mid-night. That amendment partly paved the way for Mr. Marston Gibson to become the next Chief Justice of this country.

The lead-up to the amendment generated a considerable amount of controversy, and I would have been interested in the debate. Unfortunately, it took place after my bedtime. Many persons in this country rightly expressed abhorrence when they realized that the amendment was being done to facilitate one predetermined candidate. Their abhorrence would have been more acute if they were aware that it is normal practice to change qualifications to enable the appointment of individuals, who did not make the grade.

This matter with the Chief Justice only came to light because the qualifications for that post are found in the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, and any changes would require amendments to that Act. On the other hand, in the Public Service, when Government wants to change the qualifications to facilitate a particular individual, the Minister for the Civil Service merely signs an order to amend the Civil Establishments (Qualifications) Order, which is generally done in secret. In most cases, public officers only find out about the changes when they are about to apply for a senior post or when they are overlooked for promotion.

By way of example, when a vacancy occurred in the office of Chief Marshal, the candidates required: “Approved qualification in Public Administration AND Para-legal Studies” among other things. The qualifications were changed by replacing “AND” with “OR” in order to facilitate the preferred candidate.

Government Compounds CLICO Matter By Committing Another Gaffe

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart

As I said in an earlier post there is no way that the DLP was going to throw Parris under the bus, however I never anticipated that the PM would have openly given him the kind on support that he gave today. As Crusoe said ASTOUNDING! So where does this leave us ? Who is [sic] going to support average Barbadians who have [sic] their life savings in CLICO ? My view on this is that an election close at hand and Stuart will not be seeking re-election[sic] after all he has qualified for PM pension already so why hurt is head trying to fix this debacle that is why he was so careless in his speech today. He could not in all honesty   expect to regain his seat after that showing so he must be bowing out – Watching

 

BU is on record that Prime Minister Fruendel made an error by not calling a general election after the death of David Thompson. His explanation as to why he did not rings of political naiveté which does not bode well for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) heading into a general election in a recessionary climate. If the political landscape gives an advantage then is should be accepted and exploited with the ruthlessness that it deserves. The irony for some is that Stuart represents himself as a student of history, recent history supports the view that if former Prime Minister Owen Arthur had called the general election when Thompson and Mascoll were warring the DLP would still be warming the opposition benches.

With a general election constitutionally due in two years Stuart would have been forgiven if he had called a general election to refresh the mandate. The analysis of the last general election suggests that the public profile of David Thompson loomed large. Six months after Thompson’s death Stuart continues to manage a cabinet handed to him by Thompson. The longer he remains inert on the issue of manhandling his men the more it becomes fodder for the opposition and stokes the perception he is dithering on the job.

Barbadians Must Decide: Corruption Or Incompetence

Submitted by Dave R

 

Leader of the Opposition (l) Former Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley (r)

It was a remarkable story on Sunday night (March 20, 2011) that with the price of gasoline edging closure to $3.00 per litre and with bus fare already $2.00 – speaking at the Hilda Skeene Primary School in St. Philip, more people are reported to have turned up to hear Mia Mottley speak – than had attended to hear the entire BLP during the St. John By-election, a mere three months ago.  Not even when Owen Arthur speaks at Branch meetings, is the BLP able to pull so many people.  It surely looks to me that there is a clamour for Mia and that the people, especially women – find her “acceptable!”

That must be a big letdown, if you are part of Arthur’s rapidly declining support base, who already know that when Mia was leader – the BLP held six public meetings (out of an election season) which mysteriously were able to attract as many people as the DLP did during the recent By-election, notwithstanding the death of Thompson and given that the By-election in St. John, was held to find someone to replace him.

But just when Barbadians thought that Muammar Gaddafi was the only political sycophant, a gang of five dead beats, launched a brutal and extremely hostile power-grabbing manoeuvre, which saw them snatched power and the leadership of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, from Mia Mottley, a bright and up and coming, rising star. I am not a BLP member or supporter, but I have to wonder what the BLP is really doing and whether it is serious when it accuses the DLP of being incompetent, knowing full well that it has people like, Toppin, George Payne and Gline Clarke, within its ranks.

His Royal Highness Prince Edward Participates In The Barbados Royalist Regatta

Click Image to view pictures of His Royal Highness Prince Edward participating in the recently held Barbados Royalist Regatta,

President Jagdeo Never Read Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom”

by Robin Williams

President Bharrat Jagdeo

I guess that President Jagdeo never read Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom”. If he had, he would have assimilated some nuggets of wisdom that are very important and relevant to leadership in nations with diverse populations where there exists or had existed, some degree of tension and ethnic or racial security concerns. In one of his enlightening quotes Mandela opined, ….”No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.

People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally from the human heart than the opposite….”. If the mindset of his Excellency the President of Guyana was contoured in the fashion of leaders like Mandela, prior to making the kind of comments he made before virtually homogeneous audiences at Babu John in 2006 prior to the elections and again in 2011 prior to upcoming elections, maybe, just maybe, he would have recognized that such words were verbal fodders destined to invoke hate and antipathy.

What gives more legs to the thought process that his Excellency the President of Guyana is particularly selective in what he wants to create in the minds of different segments of the Guyanese population, was his admonishment to Buxtonians during his politically expedient visit to that village, that they should forget the past and move on.

National Productivity In The Public Sector, Moving to A System Of Meritocracy

Hon Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo Minister of Labour

Any slight increase in the wage bill will have serious implications because it means we’ll have to look for either cutting expenditure in other areas, particularly our social programme, which would be undesirable,” Thompson told reporters. And if we are certainly not contemplating layoffs or any reduction in wages so we are hoping this year, in the construction of our estimates, to be able to not increase the wage bill in any way other than by way of increments – – CANANEWS 02/02/2010

The quote above is attributed to the late Prime Minister David Thompson. BU remembers that it was the then Minister of Economic Affairs David Estwick who first socialized the idea government should use a wage freeze as part of its fiscal strategy to respond to the challenge of a runway deficit on current account. He reached out to the unions by asking them to be sensitive to the current economic realities.

Successive governments have used the public service to pamper the electorate, in 1991 a DLP government imposed an 8% cut in salaries and sent home 3,000 public sector workers as a response to the urgent need to cut back spending which was a condition to drawing down on IMF funds. This time around a DLP government which finds itself in a tough economic situation has decided to raise its domestic debt profile to a level where it has never reached. The consequences of the decision means it has become fair game for those who appreciate the precarious position it places the economy. Thankfully our foreign exchange reserves although dwindling does not require we approach the IMF at this time.

One World Government In Disguise

Submitted by Ras Jahaziel

Don't be fooled by the various disguises and the different labels, the ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT has been around for a very long time. Look beneath the uniforms of different color and different nationality and you will see there is ONE SPIRIT OF LEGAL BRUTALITY - CLICK Image To Listen

 

A RASTA PLAY
(written and illustrated by Ras Jahaziel August 2010)
www.rastafarivisions.com

Caribbean Stock Report 14 To 18 March 2011

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

 

The Opening Of The 7th Seal: “Silence In Heaven” – How Ezekiel 9 Paves The Way For “Judgment To ‘First’ Begin At The House Of God”

Submitted by Terence Blackett

 

“If the righteous scarcely be saved, where will the ungodly appear” – 1 Peter 4:18

“And when He opened the “Seventh Seal”, there was “Silence in Heaven” for about half an hour…Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake…” (Rev. 8: 1 – 5).

The 2^nd verse was omitted as it pertains to the 7 Trumpets (which time and space does not allow for a clear exegesis). The “Silence in Heaven” for about half an hour cannot be the 2^nd coming of Christ as some have thought, for afterward the angel with the golden censer and incense offered the prayers for the saints from the golden altar. As the entire judicial tribunal (JUDGE, ADVOCATE, ELDERS, ETC.) were in the Temple after the opening of the 7^th Seal, it is evident that the judgment was in progress and probation had not closed at the time of the silence. For after the judgment has ceased and probation closed, no man can enter the Temple. (See Rev. 15:8).

Had the “half an hour” silence pointed to the “Coming of Christ”, at which time He takes His saints with Him, there would be no necessity for the angel to offer their prayers. Furthermore, it would be unnecessary to “cast” fire, which is the Spirit of God from the golden altar to the earth. Again, if the opening of the 7^th Seal means the “Coming of Christ”, then only those under the [6] “other” Seals would have been considered in the judgment, and there could no 7^th Seal, which would show lack of perfection and completeness of the judgment, and of the Gospel. It would also be contrary to the number of Seals on the Book.

So what caused the “SILENCE”?

Getting Serious About The Cost of Living Debate

Dennis Clarke, General Secretary, NUPW - Photo Credit: Nation

The audit tests revealed that for the financial years 2007-2009 in a sample of sixty-seven vehicles, forty-one (41) consigned to individuals, with a customs value of $485,233.39, were seen in the Customs computerized system ASYCUDA ++ as released without the payment of customs duty – Auditor General Report 2009 Section 3.82

 

BU wishes to congratulate new Editor in Chief of the Nation Newspaper Kaymar Jordan. Her effort to mobilize a national conversation about the politicised and worrying issue of the rising cost of living is commendable. We could question the motive of the Nation to align itself with the number one public concern,  there is significant earned media to be had maybe? Let us give the newspaper the benefit of a narrow doubt.

Unfortunately high expectations held by BU and others who attended the town hall meeting were not met. We could could point to the fact that Editor in Chief Kaymar Jordan was unable to control the mouthings of the panellists led by Minister Haynesley Benn who broke protocol by lambasting his host. Jordan’s inexperience as a moderator was also exposed by how she managed feedback from the floor, who wanted to hear Gline Clarke, Jepter Ince and others of that ilk?