A Time For Change To Transparency In The Political Arena

Submitted by Hamilton Hill

This past June we saw where BLP candidate Indar Weir submitted a video montage to this site, and given the variance of comment shook to the core the social conscience of a nation. At first look I thought that these were images left in the wake of tropical storm Tomas. Then I opted to raise the volume and quickly came to the realization that this was not done by the hands of Mother Nature, but through blatant political neglect, fed and fostered by the passage of Father Time.

Quite unlike a few who contribute here this episode for me was personal rather than partisan, for I know poverty. Like my shadow it has been an accompaniment for all of the fifty three years granted me so far. This montage represented a stinging indictment against every GQ looking, Essence Imaged trend setting soul that climbs the steps to our Parliament, seemingly oblivious to circumstances that in some instances are reminiscent of places like Somalia.

“A Light That Is Lit ‘Cannot’ Be Hid”: How The Atrocities Of The ‘Reformation’ Defined Modern Christianity And Why Most Hold No Real True Faith In God

Submitted by Terence Blackett

“The ‘STONE’ which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” – Psalms 118:22

For almost 2000 years, the Bible has remained the most controversial book in all of human history. While today, we take for granted the some 24,000 different translations of the Bible – there was a time when those who read the Book* did so in morbid fear for their lives. Yet we know that the Bible – is the “only” authoritatively-inspired Word of God to mankind and remains “the single, solitary light” through which mankind can past from the darkness of a sin-cursed world into the marvellous light of a world tomorrow ruled by Jesus Christ in utopia and eternal bliss.

It cannot be denied that 2000 years ago, the life and death of this Jewish carpenter changed the world forever. He was murdered by His own people for laying claims to the prophetic “Promise” of the Old Testament that He was indeed Yeshua Hamashiach (‘Jesus The Messiah’).

Following the crucifixion of Jesus, it can be said that the Bible remains the most blood-soaked, blood-stained book since mankind sojourned upon the earth. The atrocities that have been committed in its name and against its true followers are nothing short of patently apocalyptic. Yet many of Christ’s servants have sought to share the Good News of the Gospel while others have sought their destruction and the “trampling underfoot” of their faith as a mean to silence the work of righteousness and the advancement of truth.

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Woman Travelling On Business Injured While Having Sex In Motel Is Denied Compensation

Submitted by Sargeant

It’s a long weekend and people will be making merry in the streets and between the sheets. Speaking of sheets here is a fascinating case and since BU is home to many legal experts – some with formal training and the majority trained at the “school of hard knocks”- I thought that I’d bring it to their attention to get feedback on an interesting legal argument.

Seems an Australian woman who was travelling on a work assignment decided to get it on with an acquaintance at the motel where she was staying, while they were playing “hide the sausage” the light fixture fell off the ceiling onto her face causing injuries to her mouth and nose.

Now her lawyer is appealing a ruling from the Workmen’s Compensation Board which denied her claim for compensation for the injury. It seems that the claim hinged on the fact that she was travelling on business and “sex is an ordinary lawful incident of life”.

Well you can read the rest….

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1032084–woman-injured-having-sex-on-business-trip-wants-workers-compensation

Barbados Crop Over, The Greatest Summer Festival On Earth

Whether you judge based on the plane loads of Barbadians and tourists disembarking at Grantley Adams Airport, the jam-packed fetes, the many cruises off the West Coast of Barbados, the bumper to bumper traffic around Bridgetown many with H-number plates, capped by a rising excitement triggered by the culminating events of Pic of the Crop Finals, Foreday Morning, Bridgetown Market, Cohobblopot and the street jam Kadooment, Barbadians at home and abroad for the next few days will forget that world remains gripped in a world of economic uncertainty for a few days at least.

If the above was not enough to excite, next week Barbados will host Rihanna, arguably the world’s most visible entertainer in the WORLD at Kensington Oval to a sold out arena numbering 25,000. Did we mention that Rihanna is a Bajan?

The CCJ Has Now Constituted Itself as a Parliament

Caswell Franklyn, Head of Unity Workers Union

I must admit from the outset that I am out of my league, but that has never stopped me before, and I see no good reason why that should stop me now. Recently the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) gave a judgement in a Belize case that I thought would have been the talk of the town. Unfortunately, this landmark case appears to go unnoticed and I can’t wait any longer to have my say.

The present Attorney General of Belize brought an action for misfeasance in public office against two former ministers in the last administration. Misfeasance occurs when someone acts improperly or illegally in performing an action that is in itself lawful. Apparently those two ministers were responsible for the sale of government land, at a substantial loss, to a company owned by one of the same ministers.

The local court at first instance ruled that the Government could not sue using the tort of misfeasance in public office: it was not an action available to the State. The Attorney General appealed, and the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling. The former ministers then took the matter to the CCJ. That court was divided on the issue, but by majority decision they have given the Attorney General the right to sue for misfeasance in public office.

Mr Clyde Owen Gregory

Submitted by Douglas Leopold Phillips

 

Opposition Leader Owen Arthur congratulating Gregory Nicholls on being named BLP candidate in St. Michael North West

The recent announcement of Gregory Nicholls , the political nomad and heir apparent to George Payne, to contest the St Michael North West for the Barbados Labour Party,came as no surprise. We on this side are quite aware of what happens when the factions in the Barbados Labour Party oil up their internal machinery …there will be jostling for human capital. In this instance, Nicholls was on the political auction block.

The exclusion and non participation of Clyde Mascoll from the process has also not come as a surprise, as we know, Arthur has planned something special for him The fact that Arthur has been able to woo Gregory away from the Payne camp has once again demonstrated Arthur’s intention to be man again. But what would Arthur have told this young political aspirant about his fortunes in St Michael North West? How would he have sold the package? What would have made this chap from Melrose St Thomas travel the belly of the Barbadian politics to contest the St Michael North West seat?  Well …. We were able to reconstruct a part of the conversation that was electronically recorded but somehow got garbled.

Owen .Hello Gregory, this is former Prime Minister Arthur , the Party needs a young well educated person like you to throw your hat in the ling against Christopher Sinckler.

Government’s Outturn April To June 2011 Positive

Government Release

Chris Sinckler, Minister of Finance

Current Revenue

21. Information received from the Accountant General indicates that current revenue for the period April 1st to June 30th, 2011 was $584.7 million, an increase of $43.9 million or 8.1% from the amount recorded for the corresponding period during 2010.

22. Taxes on incomes and profits realised $206.5 million, an amount of $3.8 million more than collected for the corresponding period in 2010. Corporation Taxes continued its decline falling by $1.6 million for the period under review. The five (5) companies making the greatest contribution for income year 2009 were analysed. Only one (1) of these has already filed for income year 2010. This difference is also linked to companies expecting their taxes payable to be reduced or the expectation/knowledge of losses. With respect to income taxes, $0.4 million less was recorded for the period April to June 2011. It should be noted that refunds of income tax were $11.1 million for the period under review while they were $0.9 million for the corresponding period in 2010-2011. Withholding taxes increased by $5.8million to an amount of $23.7 million.

23. Taxes on property increased by $1.9 million over the corresponding period in 2009-2010 to $6.5 million.

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The World Community Cheats Haiti

Buried in the news is the egregious reality that 50% of the money pledged to Haiti by the global community triggered by the earthquake which devastated the capital Port-au-Prince remains outstanding. Some continue to ask what has this country which symbolizes so much for the free world done to suffer such disrespect. BU will be chided by some for pulling the race card but what else can it be? There is no country in the world which should command the attention of France, USA and other G8 countries given its history.

Those involved in the humanitarian effort in Haiti must be frustrated at the snail pace life-changing activities are being rolled out.    The recent election of President Michel Martelly will not dissuade the cynics who believe Haiti finds itself in a very bad place which cannot be turned around in the near future by Martinelli, Baby Doc or even Aristide. This is a country which is a prime example of what a gulf between the haves and the haves not look like. The ‘families’ who have exploited Haiti through the years is well documented. So wither Haiti?

In good conscience BU wanted to used blog space to remember Haiti, as a people and a predominantly Black country how can we ever forget what it has given to us.

Haiti, do not give up the fight!

Where’s The Caribbean Calypso?

 by Eshwar Sundaresan (Reproduced from DawnBlog)

Photo Credit: Allsport Hulton/Archive

In the 70s, my father spent many nights glued to a radio or a transistor, following the commentary of Test matches between India and the West Indies. Yeah, he was a big fan of cricket, but a much bigger fan of an infinitely more exciting sport: Caribbean cricket. It seemed perfectly natural for him to take half a day off work to catch a BBC broadcast, on a static-ridden shortwave signal, of a 1973 Test match between England and the West Indies. Why would a middle-class working man, reporting to a demanding boss, do such a crazy thing? Because when stalwarts like Sobers, Kanhai, Lloyd and Gibbs performed their latest magic tricks, you wanted to be amongst the first to know. Is that so difficult to understand?!

Of course, in the next couple of years, ODIs became a format to reckon with and Caribbean cricket got even more exciting. A young Vivian Richards sauntered into the global arena and taught us that it was possible to hit towering sixes with a swagger. Simultaneously, gentle giants like Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding showed us how entire stadia could be hissed into silence with venomous bouncers. Through the rest of the 70s, other teams pretty much showed up for the honour of losing to the West Indies.

If there’s a better way to play cricket than the way the West Indians did in the 70s, we haven’t seen it yet. Perhaps the Ozzies dominated the late 90s and the early naughties more than the West Indians ever did, but they felt it necessary to swear, sledge and spit in anger to underline their domination.

The Democratic Labour Party Promised Integrity Legislation In 100 Days, It Is Now 1000+ Days And Counting

Late Prime Minister Rt. Hon. J. M.G. M. ADAMS (l), Prime Minister The Hon. Freundel Stuart (r)

To illustrate the more things change the more they remain the same BU has cited three quotes below uttered by the Late Prime Minister Rt. Hon. J. M.G. M. ADAMS, M.A which have been extracted from his introductory speech to the Integrity Legislation Debate (parliament) in November 1979.

During the last Session I moved a Resolution calling for the  introduction of integrity legislation for Ministers and Members of Parliament. After rnuch equivocation that Resolution was sent to a Select Committee. However, except for Mr. Speaker, no member of the then Government, the Democratic Labour Party, attended any meeting
of the Select Committee on integrity legislation and it failed to obtain a quorum. We therefore proposed in our Manifesto that we would pass legislation providing for; Members of Parliament, Senators and politically appointed members of Statutory Corporations to disclose their financial assets and liabilities on assuming office, periodically during office, and on termination. That was our commitment and this legislation is the result.

It is really a very simple principle that every year Ministers and Mernbers of Parliament, Senators should make a declaration of how much money they have, what property they own in and out of Barbados, and under certain conditions what property is owned by their spouse and children. Every year these declarations should be updated and examined by a Public Integrity Commission.

We have carried out an election pledge by introducing this Bill which seeks to preserve public confidence in the integrity and honesty of persons in public life. We know that we have to take the lead because the Opposition is opposed to it. I will not be so uncharitable as to say that the Opposition does not want this Bill passed because perhaps they are unwilling to make declarations and are therefore picking up something that is nothing, along with their anger, to excite the public in an unreasonable way.

Rt. Hon. J. M.G. M. ADAMS, M.A., (Prime Minister and Minister of  Finance and Planning), House of Assembly Debates