A Case of Massaging News

Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica – photo credit: Dominica News

On 27 April 2013 Barbados Underground (BU) posted the blog Who Are the Local Partners in Cost-U-Less?. Although the Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit has denied the word making the rounds that he is a local shareholder, BU defends our right to ask questions of Skerrit or anyone in the interest of providing clarification.

In the interest of providing further clarification it should be noted that the Companies Act Cap 308 places sole responsibility of managing the company in the hands of the Directors. What this means is that unless a shareholder choses to be a Director the public is left to speculate who are the shareholders. The Act is drafted to protect the Shareholder who  – if not a Director – has no say in the conduct of the company.

BU reiterates our position taken in the original blog, in the interest of transparency the other names mentioned (Hartley Henry, the Estate of David Thompson and Leroy Parris) should state publicly whether they have an interest in Cost U Less (CUL).  The government has approved significant concessions to CUL and given the names mentioned the public has a right to know. It should be noted that Pricesmart has since denied receiving similar concessions. Also at the time of launch it was widely reported that David Staples represented local shareholder interest. Perhaps in the interest of protecting its goodwill CUL should make a public statement stating who are the local shareholders.

We Are News Takers

The hunt for the Tsarnaev brothers captivated Barbadians this week

There is no denying that the main news feeds for individuals and media come from CNN, ABC, NBC and to a lesser extent the BBC.  The result is that news about the Boston Marathon bombing and the resultant manhunt for the Tsarnaev brothers have bombarded our media channels all week long.

At workplaces, on social media discussion points remain fixed on events which unfolded in Boston this past week. While it is understandable that Barbadians have a strong connection with North America – in this case Boston – there is the realization that we have allowed the Western media to heavily influence our thought process. If a similar incident had occurred in a non Western country there would hardly be the same preoccupation by Barbadians which we witnessed this week. A tragedy is a tragedy wherever it occurs.

The tragic Boston episode should highlight the important role of the media and how it is capable of winning and influencing the minds of citizens. Should educated Barbadians not be expected to want to be equally informed about protests in Bahrain and Egypt,   preparation for the 2013 Zimbabwe presidential election, the coup attempt in Sudan, Ahmadinejad about to visit West Africa, an Iraq which continues to be gutted by civil strife. You get the point. Ask the average Barbadian about these non Western stories and nine out of ten BU is willing to wager are clueless.

Tales From the Courts Part XI: Sir Frederick Smith Attacked by Nation Editorial – when hypocrisy becomes high camp

Sir Frederick Smith

BU has read with interest the editorial in the Sunday Sun of 10 March 2012 in which the writer launched an attack on Sir Frederick Smith QC for comments made about the Barbados judiciary. BU holds no brief for Sir Frederick but one is left to question the motive of the ‘editor’ of what is regarded as the most widely circulated newspaper in Barbados.

BU’s research confirms that in the mid-90s Sir Frederick delivered a speech to a legal body, an event attended by judges and members of the Bar from throughout the Caribbean. At that time, Sir Frederick stated, inter alia, “It appears to me that judges in Barbados think they have a constitutional right to be stupid.” Sir Frederick is consistent – unlike the “editor” of the Nation.

The tenor of the “editorial” suggests someone has an axe to grind. Could it be there is some fire rage being directed at Sir Frederick Smith because he was chosen to deliver the eulogy for retired judge, Lindsay Worrell, the father of Mr Justice Randall Worrell.

The editorial gets off to a pompous start:

2013 General Election Media Campaign

The 2013 General Election is behind us and the analysis is  being processed by those interested to determine the factors which led to the final result. There is surprise that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) ran a media campaign which was more effective in persuading voters. One DLP TV Ad capitalized on the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) blunder of introducing the privatization issue to the campaign. BLP supporters have accused the DLP that the Ad misrepresented their position.

Prime Minister Stuart’s Second Term and Expecting Real Change From the Political Parties

Submitted by Hamilton A. Hill

Will Arthur stay on?

The tsunami of emotions that was campaign 2013 is now behind us and except for a battered ego here and there Barbados will settle down to a state of normalcy and life goes on. So too does business, though we hope not as usual.One can choose almost any angle from which to begin the advocacy for change, but the area of public influence and its manipulation is where this writer’s soap box is mounted.

There can be no denial of the biased stance taken by some in the media against this Prime Minister and his government. From the flat out ridiculous to those that bordered on disrespect, certain comments became a part of life in Barbados. That having been said, the governmental tic for tac that has been the staple of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation since inception must be ended. As we recognize the ruling party as the government of Barbados those in the minority form the official opposition of Barbados, must be respected as such.The respect due would surely resonate across the country with the assurance of unfettered access to air time. Selective dissemination of news stories must be seen as unacceptable for as a people discernment is our strongest attribute. The souffle` that now coats the face of Peter the Pollster lends confirmation to such. It behoves this administration to extend the olive branch where the CBC is concerned as a step towards maturity at a parliamentary level.

Can Denis Lowe be Trusted?

Denis Lowe (1) Peter Allard (r)

Last night at the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) meeting which  introduced the candidates at Carlisle Car Park, Owen Arthur read a letter. BU found the letter interesting for many reasons. It was a letter (according to Arthur) which was written by a regular caller to the talk shows, known to many as ‘Mr. Welchman Hall’.   Mr. Welchman Hall is a self-confessed Democratic Labour Party (DLP) supporter but was driven to resign from the SSA Board because of certain irregularities which he had observed.

In the letter Mr. Welchman Hall complained to Stuart that as a member of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) board Minister Denis Lowe frequently presided over board meetings. The fact that there was an appointed chairman did not seem to sway Lowe’s decision to usurp the role of the chairman.

See emails recently uploaded : #1, #2 and #3

DLP Ad Scraping the Bottom of the Skillet

BU believes this DLP ad is sending a dangerous message.

Beware BLP and DLP Politicians: LIAR,LIAR, Pants on Fire!

Donville Inniss – Minister of Health has accused BLP MPs of eating lunch in the lunchroom of parliament despite a decision to boycott parliament.

We are in the silly season and the standard, if we are to judge from the past, is for the public to expect lose information to spew from the mouths of politicians without serious challenge. During the silly season party supporters will seek to ‘legitimize’ information to attempt to give their side a political advantage. Given the challenges which continue to confront our tiny and vulnerable country, we deserve better from our politicians in and outside of government to manage the level of political discourse.

Those of us who try to be fair in our commentary have become fedup with the same old political barbs being tossed from one political side and then the other.  Hopefully the traditional media will join BU and others in social media to put the many unsubstantiated utterances of politicians under the microscope.

Yesterday in that august place Minister of Health Inniss revealed that some BLP members of parliament (MPs) ate lunch in the lunch room of parliament. Ordinarily such a revelation would not have raised eyebrows, however, against the background of boycott action by the Opposition it maybe viewed as bad judgement if they did. BU believes that the public should not be treated to a – yes they ate no they did not – by the supporters of both political parties. It should be a simple matter to confirm or refute Minister Inniss’ accusation.  Based on BU’s investigation so far the statement appears to be false. We are happy to correct our position if concrete confirmation is provided. The BU family has not forgotten the ‘flying a kite’ strategy by Minister Inniss that Kingsland is a location which is being favourably considered to relocate the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

Alexandra School Dispute: Remembering the Children

The wonderful sight of teacher and pupil reunited at the Alexandra School – Photo credit Barbados Advocate

He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough – Lao Tzu

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is defined as all “the  final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time”. Can BU draw a parallel and define the well being of a country by the quality of key decisions made by the  ‘leaders’ in a given period?

The debate which continues to gain traction in Barbados is about the Alexandra dispute and related issues. It has displaced discussion about the upcoming general election, and significantly, a conversation about the state of the economy. If one were to ask any educated Barbadian what issue should be occupying the attention of the country, the answer should be ‘managing the economy’. It does not mean that all the issues at play in the country should be ignored, just that the exigencies of now require priority planning how we allocate resources.

Tension at the Alexandra School has peaked and troughed since 2005, surely an indictment on the management system with oversight for education. Many problems currently being wrestled by the government have straddled both political parties and different personnel in the public service. What it exposes is a rotten core which drives decision making in Barbados.

The Violet Beckles Affair, Separating Fact From Fiction

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The poster who operates under the moniker ‘Plantation Deeds’ was asked to produce documents to support his many assertions to date regarding the VIOLET BECKLES ESTATE. In the interest of fair play BU will give some additional exposure to this matter but with some rules.

The poster ‘Plantation Deeds’ needs to explain the documents and lead his case on BU WITHOUT labelling anyone involved. Let the BU family draw its own conclusions. We look forward to receiving other pertinent documents from Plantation Deeds i.e. deeds etc.

Eugene Melnyk Puts the Squeeze On Barbados Underground

Eugene Melnyk – Photo credit: http://www.canada.com

On the 6 December 2012, BU received a letter from Ontario counsel Mr Sean Campbell of the law firm DAVIES WARD PHILLIPS & VINEBERG which advised they are acting on behalf of Eugene Melnyk as follows:

Dear Sirs/Mesdames:

We are counsel for Eugene Melnyk.

It has come to our attention that Barbados Underground is disseminating information that is false and defamatory and that this is causing substantial damage to Mr. Melnyk’s business interests and reputation. Without limitation, Barbados Underground is disseminating an article entitled “Senators-owner Eugene Melnyk & Founder Of Biovail Charged With Fraud”, dated March 24, 2008 and comments related to that article. A copy of the article and comments are enclosed. Among other things, the article and certain comments falsely allege that Mr. Melnyk has been charged by regulators in Canada with accounting fraud. This allegation is manifestly false and defamatory. Mr. Melnyk has never been charged by any Canadian regulatory authority with fraud.

Our client considers this matter to be very serious. We have been instructed by Mr. Melnyk to demand that you immediately remove the above referenced article and related comments from your website. We further demand that you cease and desist from making or disseminating any further false or defamatory statements concerning Mr. Melnyk and from any other conduct that is damaging to Mr. Melnyk’s business interests or reputation. In the event that you fail to comply with this demand, legal proceedings will be initiated against you and any other involved parties without further notice.

Please contact me in the event that you wish to discuss this matter.

This letter is written under reserve of all our client’s rights and recourses.

Yours very truly,

Sean Campbell

BU has responded as follows:

Social Media and Protecting the Right to Freedom of Expression by Ordinary People

Submitted by William Skinner

Social Commentators Carl Moore and Peter Wickham have been critical of “the blogs”

Barbados Underground and all locally based blog operators should resist the attempts to silence them, by the so called guardians, of what is acceptable media and by extension acceptable journalism. The simple truth, is that the growth of what is called the new media, has given expression to those, who were once systematically barred from national discourse.

While I will never subscribe to the use of excessive vulgarity in any form, written or oral, I believe that this is being used as a red herring to censor the freedom of expression that blogs such as Barbados Underground are now in the vanguard of ensuring.

Barbados is steeped in intellectual snobbery and I suggest it pains those who always thought that they alone will be the chosen ones to see their names in print, pontificating on all matters, while the rest of the population, worship their superior academic and intellectual skills. They were entrenched as the fountains of all knowledge. That class status has now been forever discarded.

Blackout at Starcom

Submitted by HAMILTON HILL

Vic Fernandes – CEO Starcom

Even though Thanksgiving here in the US is symbolized by a bird we know as a turkey, somehow on this chilly thanksgiving morning other birds come to mind. Perhaps the Bajan in me comes to the fore anytime the temperature drops, but even so why am I thinking about sitting ducks and yard fowls? Maybe, just maybe it has something to do with The Market Vendor.

This morning the vendor took as his choice of discussion the selective nature of the media here in America. Market you fa real?  Market up to this very moment the Starcom stations have not been notified of the fact that there is a God. They have not been told that Kaymar Jordan [and lets put it nicely] has parted company with the Barbados Nation, their very own subsidiary sister. Perhaps she does not have the stock of a David Ellis, who was force fed contrition after being left by those blowhards and jokers at the BAJ to twist in the wind, so that a public apology sufficed, while she was made to fall on the sword of political immolation, a clear and distinct sign that her usefulness to her masters, and yours had expired. A sitting duck dat.