Senator Henry Fraser: Healthcare Slide at the QEH

Professor Emeritus Henry Fraser

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is in the news again. Professor Emeritus Henry Fraser made the announcement this Christmas week that the crisis at the QEH requires Minister of Health (MoH) John Boyce to meet with Minister Chris Sinckler as a matter of urgency. Of course this is the same MoH who boldly stated during the last budget debate that the deep cuts to the Ministry of Health budget would not compromise healthcare delivery.

Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner in response to the criticism offered the view that the QEH remains the best primary healthcare facility in the Caribbean. BU has no way to assess the veracity of Sandiford’s statement however one has to ask if Barbados should not hold the QEH to our high standard. Why should Barbadians retreat to accept benchmarking against healthcare systems in the region which have always looked to Barbados as the standard bearer?

It is instructive to remember that Fraser is an Independent Senator and Senator Sandiford-Garner is government appointed. The question to the BU family et al – who should we believe? Some issues CANNOT be about politics, the good health of a nation is a wealthy of a nation after all.

Tourist Predictions Not Hitting the Mark

Adrian Loveridge – Hotelier

If there was a single phrase to describe this winter tourism season, I think it may be great expectations. Despite all the wild speculation which included ‘this November has been one of the best Barbados had seen in a while’ being made by tourism officials, the month in fact ended by recording the lowest long stay visitors for any November during the last 11 years. It also heralded 20 consecutive months of stay over visitor decline.

As this is the latest in a long line of unfulfilled predictions this year, is it time for our policymakers to focus more attention on what can be achieved, rather than drift into the realms of prophecy and conjecture. I wonder just how much longer we can go on trying to justify rewarding failure. So much is riding on the performance of our tourism sector over the next 120 plus days leading up until next Easter Monday on 22 April, not only in terms of occupancy, but in the critical role of trying to claw back lost revenue from the last almost two lean years.

In our key market, the United Kingdom, traditionally there is a booking surge when tour operators step up their promotional activities on Boxing Day. But one of the largest travel companies, Thomas Cook, pre-empted its competitors by launching a massive sale, two weeks prior to Christmas to tempt the bargain hunters into commitment for summer 2014.

Symmonds Comment Shows Gross Disrespect to Muslims

Submitted by Douglas

Kerri Symmonds, MP

Dear David please permit me some space on your site to make a few comments with regard to something that I feel strongly about.

I recently listened to the debate about the funding of the QEH and I heard the Minister of Health announced the arrival very shortly of new ambulances coming from The United Arab Emirates which I thought was wonderful. These ambulances are gifts to the people of Barbados by the government and people of The United Arab Emirates. Sadly  while listening to the reply from Opposition MP Symmonds, I must say it is not often that I pay attention to Symmonds because I have long held the view that he has no spine and he stands for nothing and will fall for anything, be that as I may, I subjected myself to his presentation which in my view was despicable coming from someone who has been around politics awhile and therefore should know better.

Good judgement is not one of his strong points if we are to judge his actions two days before elections in January of 2008 when he found it possible to take money from a Doctor Boolani to regularise an immigration matter that he did not fulfil and he never returned the money. The copy of the Affidavit is attached as proof that he received funds and of his vicious and brutal attack on his wife for which she had to seek the protection of the Courts of Barbados.

Symmonds file #1
Symmonds file #2
Symmonds file #3
Boolani

Barbados Community College Conversation Continued…

Barbados Community College Government and Politics 100 Outline

Please find attached an image of partial course outline for Government and Politics 100 [allegedly] issued by Walthrust-Jones to Government & Politics students.  I emphasize this is not part of the official outline but is attached by WJ as though it IS part of the outline. Please observe the two notes I have made (1 and 2). These stipulations are inconsistent with the academic regulations and are therefore illegal:

1. A student cannot get an F simply because he has not submitted all course work. In stead a temporary Grade I is assigned.
2. An individual teacher cannot simply debar students from taking an exam.

The above was submitted by Neil Watchman.

Cedric Murrell Describes Sending Home 3,000 Public Workers as UNFORTUNATE

Submitted by Anthony Davis

Cedric Murrell, CTUSAB

“The position which will see 3000 public servants placed on the breadline between January 15 and March 15, 2014, is “unfortunate”, and clearly . . . a situation where Government had no other choice. This is the position being held by the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), and articulated by its president, Cedric Murrell, following a meeting with Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler, this morning. What I will say to people generally in this country, because we don’t know who is going home, is that they must have faith. They must have an understanding that there are times when an economy goes through trials and tribulations. (But) what we have to recognize is that the only way we can positively move from this position by growing this economy. By growing this economy, it means that every single person in this country, has to see how best they can contribute to the sum total of the output of this country. With regard to a perceived snub by Government, and them not being informed about the plans to sever workers, he noted that that matter had been discussed and resolved – page 3 of “Barbados Today, dated 18 December, 2013

My, my, my, My mind boggles, Mr. Murrell!

What kind of drivel are you spewing to 3000 people – whom you and the other head honchos are supposed to be representing, but are doing a very poor job of doing – by telling them to have “faith” in these harsh economic times? Why don’t you, and your ilk who are in your tax bracket – and especially you three – give at least 10% of the money you receive – whether you have earned it or not is a horse of another colour; I do not think that you have earned yours, as you have done a great disservice to the public servants of our country –  to the Inland Revenue, to help this Government which has boxed in itself by having an incompetent Minister of Finance, and help those you are supposed to represent?

The Mandela Deception!

Reproduced from Mayihlome blog compliments of Rastarivisions.com

“The West nego­ti­ated – CODESA style – with the post-​colonialism lead­ers of African coun­tries…

Last month it was that time of the year when South Africa and the world catch the fever of the Man­dela Day Sab­bath; I say Sab­bath because this Man­dela Day has become a quasi-​religious event blindly fol­lowed by peo­ple who are not pre­pared to ques­tion what the hype about the day is all about or where it actu­ally emanates from.

We are stuck with a cult fig­ure more pow­er­ful than the Dalai Lama and Pope com­bined, yet we can­not actu­ally point out what deed of his earned him this saint­hood among peo­ple, even a mes­sianic sta­tus of some sort.

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Notes From a Native Son: Pride Comes Before a Fall, Even for Some Governments

Hal Austin

Introduction:
As the IMF troops gather at the gate, the people of Barbados have little time to reflect on how a once proud nation has found itself in this economic mess. But, as night follows day, it had to come; it is a modern-day example of Sodom and Gomorrah, of a people living so much beyond their means, partying and fornicating, that they forgot how hard work and good ethical behaviour has its rewards. For the national decline is not just economic, only that this time it is manifesting itself in an economic meltdown, but it goes right across the range of our social and cultural values. Although we can blame the 14 years of the Arthur administration for sowing the seeds of this predictable car crash, and rightly so, after nearly six years in government the DLP government can no longer use that excuse. The failure to manage the economy is theirs and theirs alone, first with the Thompson regime being caught off guard when it won the general election, and the political ignorance of Freundel Stuart to impose his mark on the post-Thompson government. But we are where we are and it is no good crying over lost opportunities. However, to kick off this period of tighter fiscal controls, government should impose a Bds$50m windfall tax on the commercial banks and use that money to fund a post Office bank; also encourage the credit unions to establish a joint credit union bank, both operating on balance sheet principles.

Destabilization of the Barbados Community College (BCC)

Submitted Neil Watchman

Stephen Broome, Chairman of BCC

There is growing concern among staff at the Barbados Community College where the Board or more accurately, the Chairman, seems to have developed a tight stranglehold on the institution. Staff cannot recall there ever being such a high level of politicization at the institution until the advent of Mr. Stephen Broome who served first as Deputy Chairman and is now in his second term as Chairman.

Some, perhaps out of fear, believe that the Chairman’s mission is to destabilize the institution as a precursor to the Government’s phasing it out. They point to the recent spate of sixth forms set up by the MOE headed by Ronald Jones in support of this supposition. This, coupled with the imposition of higher fees on UWI students from 2014 makes for a very confusing educational policy. One could be excused for thinking that the Government would have put more resources into the BCC but then again, if it didn’t do that when things were well, one cannot expect them to do it in these dire times. So what? Such confusion and contradictions seem symptomatic of the Freundel Stuart administration, anyhow.

Our Precious Environment!

Submitted by Anthony Davis

Denis Lowe (1) Peter Allard (r)

Landowners who ignore Government’s warnings to debush their vacant lots will be named, shamed, and even forced to pay a fine if they want to ever develop or sell that property. “Tired of people not responding to appeals to clear their land, Minister of the Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, said that his ministry was ready to take action. He said he had received a report about 25 undeveloped lots in the Southern Heights, Christ Church, community – just one example of several cases of delinquency all across the island – Source: Page 3 of “Barbados Today”, dated 28 November, 2013

I would suggest that the Ministry of the Environment and Drainage remove the log in its own eye before looking at the mope in in the eyes of private landowners. A prime example of Government’s delinquency is the building from which the BTA has moved. It is overrun with grass, and the trees are hanging over the sidewalk. That is very unsightly, especially that that area is a very high-traffic one.

Will the Minister of Housing be “named and shamed and be forced to pay a fine” if he does not “move with haste to clean up that ministry’s lots”?

Keeping Caribbean Democracy Alive!

Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Think Tank and Watchdog Group

OUR Caribbean

The mahogany Coconut Group extends sincere holiday and New Year greetings to David and the BU family. We are also extending greetings to all those who contribute and are keeping democracy alive throughout the Caribbean. The MCG is not, as we have said on many occasions, interested in “I told you so…” pontifications.

However, we are extremely proud that we have been in the forefront of several issues : violence against women, children and the elderly; exposing the incestuous and visionless political parties in the region; finally getting others to recognize that there can be no sustainable development without a reformed approach to education; defending the right to freedom of expression, by standing as one with BU and other blogs; exposing the complicit role that major corporations such as Neal and Massy (Barbados Shipping and Trading) have played in wrecking regional economies and we have continued to maintain that the Caribbean is one Nation .

Another year comes to a close, with the same players offering the same solutions, and expecting different results. The simple truth is that those who cut their teeth on old and irrelevant economic teachings, and who have not contributed anything to modern economic models and governance, are essentially ill equipped to save the region from the present malaise. We may seem harsh on them but they have not demonstrated any capacity to get our regional economies moving in positive directions.

Only in Barbados: The Minister of Finance’s Happiness and the DLP’s Political Deception is a Sadness for Bajans

George C. Brathwaite

By personal choice, I have not written recently on the social, political, or economic factors heavily impacting on Bajans, but I have observed the callous and perhaps reckless approach to governance by the DLP. The DLP regime has targeted the poor, the middle class, and there has been concerted effort by Cabinet to dismantle the gains achieved under the BLP. I am concerned, and particularly over the assault on Barbadian workers and their livelihoods. Nonetheless, the latest pronouncements and ensuing policies that have emerged from the DLP’s political machinery and from within central cogs of the Barbados Cabinet demand unfettered commentary. This I owe it to my fellow men and women regardless of their political persuasion.

I begin by stating my ‘critical’ bemusement at the ridiculous phrasing employed by the Minister of Finance, Christopher Sinckler. In his Ministerial Statement delivered to the Parliament of Barbados on Friday, December 13th, 2003, Sinckler said to the Lower House that he was “mindful” that the beleaguered DLP Cabinet had “completed the first three months of implementation” of the ‘restructuring programme’ which he had announced previously in the contentious budget delivered on August 13th, 2013. Sinckler, strikingly claimed that he was “happy to lay, along with this [Ministerial] statement, a report in matrix form, outlining the progress we [the DLP Cabinet and administration] have made to date on the implementation of the measures” announced in the August budget.

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Bajan Sandals Experience

Adrian Loveridge – Hotelier

Just over a week ago, my wife and I experienced a staycation at Sandals Casuarina.  An enormous amount of discussion has taken place concerning the extraordinary concessions granted to the Sandals companies and as I was not personally familiar with the product thought it was important that I tasted what is often referred to as the Sandals ‘WOW’ factor first hand.

Despite the website [Sandals] at the time showing that the hotel was fully booked until the middle of March 2014, I managed to reserve a room online for the dates of my choice and pay in full at published rates by credit card. Bookings are processed by yet another company, Unique Vacations Inc., based in Florida and an email confirmation was sent. Noticeably absent were any taxes or corporate information, including office address or contact details.

Having a few queries prior to our stay I emailed Adam Stewart, the CEO of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and within minutes he responded personally apologising that because he was currently travelling, he had passed my concerns over to the General Manager (GM) of the hotel. Still within one hour, Josef Zellner, the new GM not only answered my initial questions but went on to monitor our reservation and ensure a seamless check-in.

When Obituaries Make Pleasure

Submitted by Charles Knighton

Charles leacock, DPP

“Carson Anthony Ismael….had pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier in the Continuous Assizes. Calista Alleyne, whose throat was cut, died on May 26, 2010.  Ismael had previously been convicted of causing the death of his former wife Kirani Ismael back in January 2007. The charge had been assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to 16 months in jail for that offense, suspended for two years.” “Study ordered on manslayer”, Midweek Nation

“How dare someone take the life of someone else in a jealous rage and then follow it up with the most cowardly act of drinking a poisonous substance, unable to face the consequences of one’s actions?”  Janelle Husbands, December 10 Advocate

Consequences, Ms. Husbands? In Barbados? Where the Director of Public Prosecutions is only too eager to see manslayers as opposed to murderers? Where the average sentence for men who kill their partners is 5 years in prison? Where in an understatement of appalling proportions Mr. Ismael, who has now killed two female partners in less than five years, is deemed in need of “anger management counseling” in the probation report furnished to the court. Really?! Only in Islamic countries would the leniency shown to the killers of women in Barbados seem harsh.