The country has been slowly decaying over the last ten years, due to the incompetence of the Democratic Labour Party government and as such, Barbadians have lost their faith and confidence in the ruling party.

Barbados Labour Party candidate for St. Joseph, Dale Marshall suggested the above, as he spoke at a National Meeting held by the BLP in Greens, St. George recently.

“The one thing that the Democratic Labour Party has failed to recognise, is that the people of this country have lost confidence in the Democratic Labour Party government. If you ask any Barbadian if their life is better off today than when the Democratic Labour Party came to power, their answer will be a resounding no,” the incumbent said.

“And the people did not lose this faith and confidence overnight, it was a gradual decline. Because when the Barbados Labour Party came in 2013 and said that the Democratic Labour Party was taking us down the wrong road, the majority of the people of Barbados said, give them another chance. They got another chance. They had two terms of government in this country and the one thing that you can be sure of, is that every single day was worse than the day before. So we have had ten years of Democratic Labour Party rule and the people of Barbados have absolutely nothing to show for it,” Marshall said.

He meanwhile questioned the vast amounts of money spent by the DLP on various buildings across the country and yet, critical services are still not being delivered.

“It boggles my mind that the Democratic Labour Party could build a brand new headquarters for the Sanitation (Service) Authority in Vaucluse St. Thomas. Building real estate is more important than buying garbage trucks to pick up garbage alongside the street,” he said, adding that virtual mountains of garbage are now piled up on local streets, creating a haven for rats.

He added, “How could they build a headquarters for the Barbados Water Authority for $160 million, but not lift a finger to ensure that the people of my constituency, the people of parts of St. George, parts of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Lucy, even as far up as St. James, are without water.”

“They spent $39 million on a polyclinic in Gall Hill (St. John). I did a police station, a new law court, a post office and a library in Horse Hill for $17 million dollars. I built four facilities on one location for $17 million dollars and they built a single polyclinic for more than twice that. And it still isn’t finished,” Marshall asserted. (RSM)

OUTSPOKEN Agriculture Minister Dr. David Estwick has rubbished the proposal by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to abolish the road tax in Barbados, and replace it with a levy on fuel.

Speaking at a spot meeting in Market Hill St. George to endorse candidate for St. George North Jepter Ince, Dr. Estwick described such a move as “nonsense”, adding that it would cause everything on the island to go up.

During the BLP’s recent Manifesto launch at the Plumgrove Pasture, Kingsland, BLP’s economic consultant Dr. Clyde Mascoll stated that those who used the island’s roads the most, would be those required to pay more.

“Those people who use the road most, should pay the most. It is called equity and justice, so therefore we are going to transfer the road tax to a small tax in fuel and as a result those businesses that use the heavy vehicles on the road and are on the road all day will pay it proportionately,” Mascoll added.

However Dr. Estwick believes this could have dire consequences for Barbadians. “Anytime you increase the taxes on diesel, the Barbados Light & Power is going to increase the fuel clause adjustment and cause your electricity bill to go up, your telephone bill to go up, your water bill to go up…”.

Saying that the BLP is simply “grasping at straws”, Estwick said, “If gasoline goes up, if diesel goes up, transportation costs go up, business costs go up. Everything In Barbados will go up so it is a basic arithmetic.”

Estwick also denounced claims that the DLP has brought the economy to a standstill. “They tell you we don’t have reserves. They tell you the government in debt. They tell you we have high deficits. But I want when you see [Gline] Clarke, to ask Clarke and Mottley, if these are the problems facing Barbados, how are you going to fix it. Tell Barbadians what is your strategy to fix it. Explain to one and all in Bim.”

He said the DLP is going to roll out and has rolled out a set of solutions in it sustainable redevelopment plan.

Estwick recalled that back in 2006 then Prime Minister Owen Arthur said that the country had a $500 million hole and he had to sell the land to pay the bills.

“Before DT took office the fiscal deficit was $500 million, as soon as we came to office the recession struck the country and the belly fell out of the revenue by another $400milion+ dollars. Which means we were faced with almost $1 billion in deficit within the first two years of being in Office.”

Estwick reminded that the International Monetary Fund, the rating agencies and even the former Central Bank Governor prescribed that a large section of the public service should be sent home.

“We chose to make some adjustments. Those adjustments that were made were made to make sure that public officers kept their job. If we had listened to all of them, half of you would have gone home,” he told the modest crowd in attendance.

He admitted that this affected the capacity of the Freundel Stuart-led administration to do a lot of things that it wanted to accomplish, yet it was able to provide transportation, healthcare and housing. (JH)

TRANSPORT Minister Michael Lashley says the requirement by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in its manifesto that PSV operators must go green in order to get duty-free concessions is not only expensive but it could lead to higher bus fares to recover the costs.

He was speaking at a spot meeting in Market Hill, St. George on Friday night where he responded to a campaign proposal by the BLP where PSVs would either have to retrofit their vehicle or buy a brand new hybrid or electric vehicle to get the concession.

However Lashley said many of these vehicles are old and it would take up to $250 000 to retrofit and $500 000 to get a new “green” vehicle.

“Now tell me – which minibus man or ZR man will now have to take his van off the road, which means a loss in income, or how he will have to go to the bank to get the $250 000 to retrofit the van, or go to the bank and try to borrow $500 000…”

“Operating in an environment where bus fares are only $2. I believe they are telling you in a very smart way that bus fares will have to go up. Because I cannot see a minibus or ZR operator having these overhead expenses, having to go and buy a $500 000 and $250 000 to retrofit, would then have to operate in an environment where bus fares are only $2.”

“The cost of a battery for a electric vehicle is about $35 000. Imagine the cost of a battery for a minibus or a ZR van. It would have to be more than $35 000. So you are piling on all of these overhead expenses on the private sector,” he charged.

The Minister said he has had numerous meetings with the PSV owners who have made proposals for duty free concessions. “And they set out their case. They built their case and they put reasons why they would like duty free concessions. I believe the PSV operators, that they play a very important role in public support. And we must support them, but with realistic proposals, “he said.

As it relates to the proposal to abolish road tax, he said senior officials in his Ministry have been asking how such a move would be policed. “And you know that the BLP, before they make such an announcement, they really should ask how many Barbadians are non-compliant in relation to the payment of road taxes."

“The PSVs ask – ‘if they abolish road tax and you have to pay at the pump, what will happen to me? Because I am up and down daily, I have to stop at the gas station… again saying to you, what system they have in place to shield them from that sudden overhead expense?” he asked. “They are coming with these promises, but not analysing them and thinking them through properly,” he charged.

“I know of their expenses and I know what they requested. And I believe certainly that given the contribution that the PSV sector makes, not only to public transport, but to the economy, I certainly believe they are entitled to duty free concessions. But not with the caveat that they must go green…,” Lashley said. (JH)

GOING the International Monetary Fund (IMF) route would not be an easy pill for Barbados to swallow.

In fact, Labour Minister Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo is warning the Barbadians that the free services to which they have grown accustomed over the years would be a thing of the past.

Her comments came on Friday night during a spot meeting in Market Hill St. George where she responded to leader of the Barbados Labour Party, Mia Mottley, who said that she is willing to do anything legal and moral to rescue the country, which may include going to the IMF.

However Dr. Suckoo, who earlier lambasted the BLP proposal to increase non-contributory pensions saying that it would destroy the National Insurance Scheme, stressed that going to the IMF is “not a pretty thing”.

“I have lived in countries where they were on IMF programmes. We say that Barbados is more than an economy it is a society. That sounds like a nice phrase, but there is a reason we say [this] because we are concerned not only about how much money we have but about the quality of living of our people. About them having access to services, to education healthcare, housing. Those are the things we care about.”

She said that by signing onto this move, Barbadians would be putting an X across housing, education, health care, garbage collection all of which would no longer be free, adding that even water rates would increase.

“But why we didn’t want to go to the IMF? We have worked for ten years, extremely hard; it wasn’t easy…to keep this country afloat. Using solutions that are created by Barbadians. Educated, brilliant Barbadians have come up with plans, that saw us shaving a little off here, shaving their expenditure, saving a little bit here.”

“And in terms of getting revenue, getting a little extra from you…from all of us from the top of the bottom. Everybody contributed a little more in terms of National insurance; National Social Responsibility Levy and the Value Added Tax We have continued to do that. So that we don’t go to the IMF.”
She said while the BLP has been promising “the sun, moon and stars”, they also promised to cut revenue streams such as the NSRL and VAT and have not specified how they would be replaced. (JH)

The 23 members of the United Progressive Party (UPP) are ready and willing to serve the people of Barbados should they get into power.

Speaking during the presentation of the party’s candidates, which took place at Heroes’ Square yesterday evening, leader of the party and candidate for the City of Bridgetown, Lynette Eastmond, expressed that the ‘fearless 23 members of UPP’ were ready and willing to take up the task of bringing back investors to Barbados and generating more income for the economy.

Eastmond believed that the launch of the Party’s Creative Economy, otherwise known as the Orange Economy, was a new solution brought to the people where they outlined exactly where they planned to generate new income for the country and this was something that the other parties had not done.
“The UPP has come to you with a solution; no one else has come up with one,” she said.

“I am so proud of these 23 candidates who have come forward. We are here for the long haul. We’re the fearless 23. And just like how the fearless 16 back in the day took the Government even though they had fewer candidates, we will do the same thing.”

Each candidate took the chance to present themselves to the public and highlight what prompted them to become involved in politics. Many of them, if not all of them, highlighted that they were grossly unimpressed with the underrepresentation and therefore felt the need to step up to the plate.

The 23 candidates for UPP are Christ Church East, Victor Knight, Christ Church East Central, Ogeji Dottin, Christ Church West Central, Ria Riley, St. Andrew, Roli Roachford, Christ Church South, Nadja Willis, St. George North, Everton Holligan, St. George South, Craig Harewood, St, James North, Grafton Cobham, St, James South, Christal Austin, St. James Central, Wendall Callendar, St. John, Hudson Griffith, St. Lucy, Wayne Griffith, St. Michael Central, Richard Barrow, St. Michael East, Paul Forte, St, Michael South Central, David Gill, St. Michael North, Maria Philips, St. Michael South, Sandra Corbin, St. Michael South East, Veronica Price, St. Michael West, Patsie Nurse, St. Michael West Central, Herman Lowe, St. Philip North, Nigel Newton, St. Philip South, Bruce Henis and City Bridgetown, Lynette Eastmond.

CEO of Williams Industries Inc., Tom Hall, has suggested that Barbados needs to give more attention to the areas of anti-corruption legislation, financial transparency in the public sector and de-risking the Barbados currency on the path to prosperity.

He was speaking recently at the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC) AGM and Luncheon 2018 entitled, ‘The Path Back to Prosperity’ at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. In his assessment, he explained, “In terms of the Anti-corruption legislation, the Act has gone through Parliament and should come into effect in June. From what I have heard, if that happens that will be an excellent first step. I hear it is not a perfect Act, but it is important for the influential bodies such as the BEC to focus on the Anti-corruption legislation because it is the biggest drive an economy can have. If it slips down the corruption route, it hurts the young, the future generations and it hurts the poor way more than the rest of the society.”

He continued, “Because the public sector in Barbados is a large one, it needs financial transparency around it. I would suggest that two years from the Election Day, all state-owned enterprises should have their audited accounts up to date. I know some may say this is impossible, I have spoken to a few accountants and it would be a colossal multilayer headache to get that done, but it is achievable. If you can come to a point in 2020 that you have a snapshot signed off by one of the big accountants that this is the state of affairs of that place, then by the next year you will have an accurate view of how those enterprises have spent the taxpayers’ money. At Williams, we can’t run all of these companies without up-to-date financial information. We care about profit in the private sector mainly, but state-owned enterprises is less of a profit function, but it still uses capital and needs to be directed efficiently.”

Hall indicated, “The root cause of a lot of the problems we are facing here in Barbados is that the currency of the Barbados dollar is extremely illiquid and it is not functioning as a unit of exchange at the moment. Money is a unit of exchange and there are many good reasons we have it peg two to one and it has done us very well in the past, but once the election environment goes away there should be a sensible discussion about the best currency for us or how the Barbados dollar can become great again. At the moment, there is a wall of International money that would consider Barbados a main face for the region, yes Barbados does have its challenges, but things function in general. I think Barbados would take off if we could just de-risk that currency.” (NB)

A vote for a third party is a vote for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), advises Barbados Labour Party Candidate for Christ Church East Wilfred Abrahams.

Sharing this opinion on Friday night during a national meeting in Parish Land, he asserted that much was at stake during this election, and encouraged persons to not only get out and mark their ‘x’ on the ballot sheet, but not to waste this vote.

“I have heard people talking about a protest vote and voting for one of the third parties. Do not waste your vote. A vote for a third party is a vote for DEM. A vote for an Independent is a vote for DEM. Do not waste your vote on somebody who does not have a chance of getting into government. They cannot help you when things get tough. Use your vote wisely,” he said.

Insisting that he was not “crying down anybody”, Abrahams, who is contesting the seat for the second time against incumbent Dr. Denis Lowe of the DLP, issued an invitation to his third-party opponents.

“If the fella from UPP has your interest at heart, then he could come forward and work with me when I become the MP. If the woman from Solutions Barbados has your interest at heart then she can step forward and help me when I become the next MP. I am not going to spite anybody. I will take all the help from all the quarters when it comes,” he stressed. (JMB)

Barbadians are consuming above the recommended amount of sodium.

President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Dr. Kenneth Connell, shared this as he gave the Barbados Drug Service’s lecture on ‘Drilling Down the Numbers in 2018, Getting Hyped about Hypertension!’.

“Barbados’ salt studies suggest that we consume some 2.7 grammes of salt, which is way above the recommended 1.5 grammes of sodium, and you can argue that within our population, the aim should really be one gram of sodium or an even lower target…”

The lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology also made the point that “no salt is good for you” and urged the gathering at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre to avoid using it.

“Whether it is pink Himalayan salt, whether it is expensive salt that you purchased… whether it is salt that was somehow blessed and now has spiritual powers, it is still salt and therefore, your kidneys cannot tell the different between sodium. Regardless of where it is coming from, sodium is sodium [and] sodium kills. It is one of the main kinds of instrument used by the hypertensive criminal to kill you silently because salt tastes good,” he warned.

‘No cure’
Seeking to debunk some myths about hypertension during the lecture, Dr. Connell told persons that there is currently no cure for the condition. He therefore urged individuals to take their medication. He also discouraged them from the practice of stopping and restarting taking their medication.

“Hypertension has no cure. You don’t kind of get a touch of hypertension then next week you are going to be over it like flu. It is there and once it is diagnosed, then doctors make it more difficult for patients, I think, by saying things like, ‘Well, now you are cured’ when really they mean, ‘Well, now you are controlled’. So when your blood pressure readings are normal it is not that you are not hypertensive or a person with hypertension, you are just controlled on medication or on diet.”

Christ Church West Candidate Verla DePeiza is making it clear which of this country’s political parties has the interest of women at heart.

She said it has been the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and this is seen in its legislations.“The Democratic Labour Party moves women forward,” she insisted during a recent DLP National Meeting in the constituency of St James South.

“As far back as I can remember the DLP has been championing the cause of women. In our historical context, the plight of domestics was resolved by the Democratic Labour Party. Pregnant women received benefits under a Democratic Labour Party – the work on behalf of women as a subset of this society has always been at the forefront of the mind of DLP.”

“In recent times we have continued to have a focus on what will uplift females in this country. In a previous Democratic Labour Party administration, the Domestic Violence Protection Order Legislation came into play …Under this present DLP administration…the original legislation was brought under review, widening the scope of who could apply, and it included that important category of persons who were in volatile relationships, but they did not live together.”

Moreover, DePeiza enlightened supporters gathered at the National Cultural Foundation car park, that when legislation focusing on women was being debated in Parliament, Opposition Leader Mia Mottley was absent.

“I did my research and I found that on the days that the Domestic Violence Protection Order Act was debated in Parliament there was someone missing in action. Legislation that was critical and pivotal for the development of women in this country and someone was missing in action,” she pointed out.

“In the slew of labour legislation that the DLP piloted on behalf of workers, there was first the Employment Rights Act, this is an act that sat on the floor like a doorstop under the Barbados Labour Party previous administration and never saw the light of day. Our Minister of Labour, Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo picked it up, dusted it off and presented to Parliament…When the Employment Rights Act was debated in Parliament in 2012, somebody was missing in action. Somebody did not show up for you,” she told supporters.

DePeiza is therefore asking Barbadians to recognise who really cares.

“If the Democratic Labour Party could find the time, in trying times, to do not one but three pieces of legislations that women can depend on to make her position better in this country and if the Democratic Labour Party says to you that 10 years was not enough, we still have more to do for you – why can’t you mark your 'x' for the Democratic Labour Party on the 24th May.” (TL)

If elected on May 24, George Pilgrim, the Democratic Labour Party’s candidate for St. John, said infrastructure and public transportation are his number one priorities, and he is also intent on giving persons opportunities to be gainfully employed.

Speaking on Saturday night at a National Meeting on the hard court at Gall Hill, St. John, Pilgrim, as he launched his mini manifesto for the constituency, promised those gathered that he will hit the ground running from day one and that he intends to love the constituency as the late Errol Barrow, the late David Thompson and outgoing Member of Parliament, Mara Thompson did.

“I cannot mount this platform and dismiss or not mention the importance of having a very, very intense roadworks programme and an assurance of dialogue with the public transportation system, the Transport Board, and finding ways and means of alleviating the problems in St. John associated with infrastructure and public transportation,” he told those gathered.

Pilgrim, noting that his mini manifesto was influenced by conversations he has had with the constituents over the last three to four months, announced plans to create a charity which will assist various groups and organisation in the constituency. The goal, he said, is to uplift the community spirit in St. John, provide sponsorship where necessary and support for small businesses. He went further, telling constituents in earshot that the charity is being developed solely with them in mind, and for their development.

He also spoke to a proposed lawn maintenance programme, where he explained, he will put at the disposal of close to a dozen interested young people living in the constituency, the equipment necessary to start up such businesses in areas that they have identified. To date, he said he has received calls from persons interested in being registered for that programme and after the elections he will be getting to work on that initiative. Pilgrim gave that assurance as he revealed that the equipment has already been purchased.

“I also intend to explore the possibility of weekly marketplaces to be held in Four Roads. I will approach the landowners with the intent that on Saturdays we can gather and ply our trade in Four Roads next to the post office, there’s an empty lot there. I also want to start to explore the possibility of the St. John Farmers’ Association. I’ve met a lot of young people in St. John who have expressed a burning desire to be involved in farming… This constituency reflects the spirit of young people who are interested in enterprise and I want to say to those young people tonight, I intend to assist you in lifting yourself,” he added.

Pilgrim, the Party’s General Secretary, further noted that housing is also a concern he will be seeking to address. Reflecting on the impact that several strong hurricanes had on the Caribbean last hurricane season, he said that it is imperative that the houses in the constituency which are the most vulnerable are identified and refurbished. (JRT)

THE Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday ruled that Professor Eddy Ventose has qualified and is entitled to be registered to vote in the May 24 General Election.

This ruling was handed down by the Rt. Hon. Sir Dennis Byron, President of the CCJ, in an unprecedented Sunday hearing to clarify the right to vote in Barbados.Professor Ventose, a St. Lucian national who has lived in Barbados for several years, sought to be included on the Barbados electoral register.

He alleged that under the prevailing laws, he qualified and was entitled to be registered.

Sir Dennis, describing the case of Eddy David Ventose v. Chief Electoral Officer as “too important a matter affecting the state of Barbados”, made it clear that there will be no adjournments in the matter and revealed the decision just before 2 p.m. CCJ Judges on the panel were the Hon. Justice Adrian Saunders; the Hon. Justice David Hayton; the Hon. Justice Winston Anderson; and the Hon. Justice Denys Barrow.

“The long-standing policy of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission in relation to Commonwealth citizens to register as electors ... is unlawful and ultra vires.

“The Court is satisfied that on the basis of judicial findings pronounced in this matter, which have not been appealed, that the applicant has satisfied the necessary legal and regulatory conditions for registration as an elector,” Sir Dennis declared.

Moreover, he said that the Chief Electoral Officer shall register, or cause the applicant to be registered as an elector, before midday today, Monday, May 14, 2018.

The CCJ also ruled that if Ms. Angela Taylor does not comply with this order, she may be held to be in contempt of court and will be imprisoned and/or fined.

The Court of Appeal in Barbados on Monday, May 7 ruled that Professor Ventose was entitled to be registered to vote, but stopped short of compelling the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Angela Taylor, to do so. Instead, the Court ordered the CEO to determine Professor Ventose’s claim within 24 hours.

The reasons for the CCJ’s decision will be revealed later this week. (TL)

Former Prime Minister of Barbados and Minister of Finance, Owen Arthur, says he is keeping a watchful eye on the election campaigns in the lead-up to the May 24 poll.

Speaking to The Barbados Advocate recently, Arthur, who has retired from active politics after spending close to half a century as the Member of Parliament for St. Peter, said while he is not contesting any seat this time around, his interest in the well-being of this country has not waned.

His comments came as he maintained that he wants what is best for Barbados, now and into the future.

“I am still here as a concerned citizen, who is becoming even more concerned as a citizen. I am on the sidelines and I am trying not to get involved in it, but there are things that I would have helped to do as a Prime Minister and a Minister of Finance, that I think are important that I will comment upon because I feel that they are important,” said Arthur, who is a trained economist.

In that vein, Arthur who led the Barbados Labour Party from 1993 until 2010 when he resigned from that position, and later left the Party choosing then to sit in the House of Assembly as an Independent, while not mentioning it specifically, hinted at his disapproval of the BLP’s proposal to increase non-contributory pension from $155 to $225 a week. He voiced his concern as he explained that one of the most important things that his administration did when it found the National Insurance Scheme on the verge of bankruptcy, due to financial policies and the ageing population, was to undertake pension reform which included gradually raising the age of retirement. Given that, Arthur has warned against measures that could roll back the success already achieved from the measures his administration decided to take and which continue today.

“We established a task force under the Social Partnership to rescue it and restore it and reform it. We put in place a formula to make sure that it could remain sound. I feel that the stability of the National Insurance is a fundamental matter because it affects people’s livelihoods in their golden days and if we don’t keep it stable then you can put a burden on the young population,” the economist explained.

Arthur added, “I will comment on things like that and things that I believe are important, but I am not getting involved [in the politics].”

The former three-term Prime Minister, stating that this country is in a “very desperate situation”, said that going forward Barbados requires a government that would restore stability. As such, he is adamant that any political party seeking to form the next administration must tell the public that before “we hand out sweets, we must restore order and stability to our national affairs”. (JRT)

Mini mani-fiasco. That’s how some members of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) have described the recently launched manifesto of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

Speaking on Saturday night in Gall Hill, St. John during a political meeting in support of the DLP’s candidate for St. John, George Pilgrim, Stephen Lashley, the Party’s candidate for Christ Church West Central, said much of what is contained in that document are merely vote-catching measures and he urged the electorate to be wary of the unrealistic promises being made, referencing specifically the proposal to increase non-contributory pension.

“The people who know how the National Insurance Scheme operates recognise that that naked vote-catching measure was going to bankrupt the National Insurance Scheme and they warned Barbadians that here was an attempt by the Barbados Labour Party, in a mad rush to seek to get people to vote for them and they would stop at nothing,” Lashley stated.

Contending that the BLP had ten years to get right what they wanted to propose to the country, Lashley maintained their attempt is poor and lacking. He made the point while arguing that that Party could not have done careful analysis of the NIS.

Adding to his comments, Minister of Labour and Social Security, the DLP’s candidate for St. George South, Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo said that she too found the proposal absurd, particularly considering that it was a BLP administration that had instituted and started to reform the pension scheme, gradually increasing the age of retirement in Barbados, to safeguard its longevity. Such reform, she explained, was necessary given that Barbadians are living longer and not having as many children as before.

“Our population isn’t growing very rapidly now; our population growth rate they tell me is about 1.3 per cent – that means we are not having a lot of children. So as the actuaries looked at that, they realised that the only way to ensure that the contributions that are going in and that we can estimate going in would be sufficient for pensioners as they come out, is for us to extend the pension age,” Byer-Suckoo stated.

She went on to say that the fund has billions of dollars in investment and remains very sound at this time. As such, she said anytime a pension cheque has been late has not been due to a lack of money. However, she argued that while right now the scheme has the funds necessary to take it forward, should the BLP implement its plans, the pension scheme will be bled dry, leaving no pension for future Barbadians. This, she explained, is because to increase non-contributory pension they would have to also increase contributory pension; millions of dollars the scheme has not budgeted for.

“Now tell me if the Barbados Labour Party was able to embark on a process of pension reform because they realised there is a need to manage the pensions, how could it possibly make sense to now come and raid the same pensions in one fell swoop? When we do the calculations, what they are proposing for the non-contributory pension is actually going to cost this government and the National Insurance more than $20 million a year,” she noted.

Her remarks came as she maintained that the NIS is the envy of countries across the region and the world, and every effort must be made to safeguard its existence.

“We [DLP] cannot now sit back idly, after creating the National Insurance 51 years ago, working so hard to ensure that over the last 10 years in times of difficulty Barbados was able to be supported by that same National Insurance. The National Insurance provided unemployment benefit during the worst part of this recession. It was that National Insurance that provided for a period; about a year and a half we increased unemployment from 26 weeks to 40 weeks because of how difficult things were … and when things eased off we came back to the 26, again because we have to manage the National Insurance responsibly, we couldn’t do 40 weeks forever,” she maintained.

She warned too that if persons feel that putting money into the scheme is worthless and decide to stop, as those who have not contributed are benefiting more than them, that too could result in the demise of the system. (JRT)

Agricultural lands in St. John owned by the now defunct CLICO will soon be back in use.

Word of this has come from Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler. Speaking on Saturday night at Gall Hill, St. John where the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) held a national meeting in support of their candidate for St. John, the Party’s General Secretary George Pilgrim, Sinckler announced that with the CLICO portfolio now turned over to and being managed by Resolution Life, those lands are poised to be returned to productive use.

“What used to be CLICO is now Resolution Life, and the reason why I am telling you this you may wonder, is because many of the prime lands and plantations that have fallen into abeyance in St. John – Pool and Henley and Wakefield – we are now ready, having brought CLICO back and reformed it and transferred the assets to an asset management company. We are now ready to transform those lands and put them back into production on behalf of the people of St. John and the people of Barbados. That is what we are intending to do,” he said to applause from the audience.

Sinckler added, “This is a rich part of the heritage and I know it has hurt the people of St. John to pass and see those once very highly productive plan-tations lying fallow and growing bush and cow-itch. Well those days have come to an end.”

Sinckler, the Democratic Labour Party’s candidate for St. Michael North West, indicated that he has already given the “appropriate instructions” to the asset management company to start the process of utilising those lands again.

“It has taken some time, but we have delivered on that, just as we have delivered for those of you who had policies at CLICO, that your policies are now secured and you can go to sleep tonight knowing that you have an insurance policy that is still alive, that you have an annuity continues to be paid, that those of you who have claims can go down to that company and collect your cheque and get your money back. That is what we have done in relation to CLICO,” he stated.

Sinckler, as he referred to the expected agricultural boost in the constituency, spoke to other needs including commercial activity. With that in mind, he suggested that St. John should have a “central town”, and he said the DLP believes that Four Roads is the appropriate place for such a commercial hub to be established. He is promising then that if the DLP is returned to office, they intend to create a “mini town” in that area to be a “centre and hive of activity, even for people outside of St. John”, as has been done in Six Roads, St. Philip.

He disclosed that the goal is to make it a centre of activity for commerce, leisure and even banking. The finance and economic affairs minister said he firmly believes that it is time that a branch of one of the commercial banks is placed in that area and he believes it will be able to attract business from people in neighbouring parishes.

“We know it can work because we have seen in Martin’s Bay how Martin’s Bay has been transformed and you can thank David Thompson for that because a lot of people forget it is David Thompson who pushed that down there. And even down Bath, in the worst of economic times, this Democratic Labour Party recreated Bath and made it one of the most, if not the most popular picnic and liming spots in Barbados, where buses can now get down in there without any trouble,” the finance minister indicated.

Sinckler said that there is no doubt in the DLP’s mind that they can develop the Four Roads area, noting that the foundation on which they can build is already in place. (JRT)

JUST over 200 constituents and guests attended the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) St. Michael West constituency’s Mother’s Day Luncheon yesterday.

Mothers joined DLP candidate for the area, Michael Carrington, his family and friends for a sumptuous traditional Bajan meal as they enjoyed the seaside view of Almond Bay Caterers in Hastings. Carrington made the occasion extra special as the first 50 mothers to enter the venue received a corsage while luncheon ticket holders got an opportunity to win prizes.

During his brief remarks, the DLP St. Michael West candidate wished all mothers present a happy Mother’s Day.

Additionally, he mentioned that last year, some of the mothers of the St. Michael West constituency were treated to lunch at St. Leonard’s Boys’ Secondary School.

With elections around the corner this year and the question asked about postponing the event, Carrington said it should be held as it was important enough to recognise the mothers’ contributions and the contributions they continue to make in society.

Carrington, who did not speak at length on politics, reminded the mostly female audience about the importance of elections.

“…The coming elections is significant because we are at a very serious juncture of our development. The Democratic Labour Party of which I am a part, we have done our best. We have done very well with very little…,” said Carrington.

CONSTITUENTS in Christ Church South have been told not to get carried away with the proposals which the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has been promoting in its Manifesto.

The advice has come from Anthony Goodridge who addressed a DLP spot meeting in Enterprise, Christ Church, in support of the candidature of Christ Church South hopeful, John Boyce, the Minister of Health.

Goodridge said that the BLP has been promoting several measures which are not ideal for either Barbadians or the economy, and that they would do more harm than good.

He said that for instance, the BLP’s plan to do away with road tax and replace it with a tax on gasoline, will leave motorists paying more of the new tax than the road tax they are currently paying. Furthermore, he revealed that people who operate public service vehicles will find themselves having to pay more which would then have to be passed on to the travelling public. He also took issue with other measures like the pensions which the BLP has outlined in the manifesto.

Goodridge said that the BLP had 14 years, a time of plenty, to give Barbadians more pensions and some of the other giveaways which are contained in the manifesto. “Why didn’t they do that then..?” he asked.

Instead, he told those attending the meeting, that the BLP had left the country saddled with debt which the present administration is now attempting to deal with.

He charged that the promises were an attempt to get people to vote for that party. “It is just a promise which is a comfort to a fool,” he told the meeting, advising the people not to let the Labour Party fool them.

“It is not the time to question the DLP, the party which has advanced your interest and did so for years,” he told the meeting. “This is not the time to hold down your heads and give up to the Labour Party and all of the tactics that party is bringing to win the election,” Goodridge said.

Goodridge also expressed that he could not understand how the BLP failed to recognise that the person they are using as a poster child would not come under the scrutiny of the DLP. (JB)

No wild promises will be coming from the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

Candidate for St Michael South Central, Richard Sealy made this clear while on the platform at Carlisle Car Park on Sunday night, as he called on Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Leader Mia Mottley to explain how her administration plans to fund promises outlined in their manifesto.

“You heard about abolishing the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), reduction of VAT to 15%, abolition of road tax; they will reintroduce full payment of tuition for UWI students, pensions increase, buy new buses, a fleet of new trucks for the Sanitation Service Authority, increase for public servants and a cost living allowance…..”

“All of these promises and when asked where they are going to find the money to get it all done, Ms. Mottley tells the people “Vote for me and let me show you” … It represents one of the most supreme arrogant statements ever made by anyone offering themselves for leadership anywhere in the Caribbean,” he stressed.

“You can’t explain to people, 60 odd years after universal education was available cost free at the secondary level, and you are not going to embrace people and explain exactly how you are going to get this thing done.”

Sealy told supporters that the Barbados Labour Party is leaving out fundamental details, also suggesting that this is being done deliberately.

However, he assured that the Democratic Labour Party will be making realistic promises to the people of this country.

The St Michael South Central candidate also queried the BLP’s position on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“They don’t say that they are going to go, but they don’t say that they are not going,” he indicated, noting that the manifesto states “The BLP will do everything humanly and lawfully possible to save the Barbados dollar. The IMF was set up to lend to its member countries in these circumstances…”

According to Sealy, “To me it sounds like she has already booked a ticket to Washington D.C. It sounds to me as if she has determined that the IMF is the course that they want to go. There is no way you can sign a Letter of Intent with the IMF and get that shopping list of promises past them. It is not working; this is a senseless document, it is inconsistent, and you can’t get that pass the IMF.”

Finance Minister Christopher Sinckler continues to query the nature of the relationship between the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and Nigerian businessman Benedict Peters.

During the May 6th Democratic Labour Party (DLP) election campaign launch, he charged that members of the BLP met with the billionaire at the Barbados Hilton Resort and he called on Mia Mottley to explain the purpose of that meeting.

Mottley has remained mum, however Sinckler presented a letter to supporters at Carlisle Car Park on Sunday night as evidence of a meeting in 2016.

The candidate for St Michael North West disclosed that the “Pre-Action Protocol Letter” came from Attorney-at-law, Leslie Haynes Q.C., on behalf of his client, Peters, who complains that comments made during the said campaign launch defamed him.

Sinckler said Haynes letter read “In particular, you alleged that my client met with ‘the leadership of the Barbados Labour Party at the Hilton Hotel’ and the said leadership was seeking to get money from my client. You further suggested that my client was ‘funneling money into the Barbados elections just like the Russians were putting money in the American elections’. You categorically stated that ‘Nigerian money is trying to influence the outcome of the election’ clearly suggesting that my client is the source of such money.”

Furthermore, while describing Sinckler’s comments as “completely false, baseless and malicious,” Haynes also stated in the letter that Peters instructed him that he met with Ms. Mottley while on a family vacation in Barbados and the two discussed global affairs and investment opportunities in Barbados and the wider Caribbean, and since that meeting, back in September of 2016, he has not met with or had any contact with her or any member of the Barbados Labour Party.

“A Nigerian billionaire, travels all the way from Nigeria to Barbados stays at the Hilton on a family vacation, on which he found the time quite miraculously and unexplained to meet with Ms. Mottley, who up to now, has not yet admitted that she met with him. But, at least he skin the cat,” Sinckler pointed out.

“He didn’t meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He didn’t meet the Prime Minister of Barbados who has responsibility for Invest Barbados. He didn’t even meet with the Minister of International Business, Minister of Tourism or the Chamber of Commerce of Barbados. And he didn’t even meet with me and I am the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.”

“Up to now Ms Mottley has not been honest enough to say to the people of Barbados that she met with him…What investment opportunities was Ms Mottley meeting with him about? We want to know what she discussed with this Nigerian billionaire… I am waiting on her because if she says anything less than what is satisfactory about what was discussed in that meeting, I am telling you I am prepared to call her a heinous perpetrator of terminological inexactitudes,” he told supporters to the DLP meeting. (TL)

Debt restructuring will not give Barbados the cash injection it needs at this time.

That’s according to Former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Owen Arthur. During a press conference yesterday at the offices of the news media company Barbados Today; Arthur poured cold water on that idea, which is being promoted by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), contending that unless action is taken quickly to stabilise the economy, it will go under. The former three-term prime minister made the point, making it clear that using debt refinancing as a means to pay for new expenditures, will not give the country the cash in hand as expected, or needed, to finance those new things.

“What a debt refinancing is, is that you take the existing debt and you try to get the people who are holding it to agree to reduce the amount you have to pay them as debt service. So it is a saving of expenses, but it not going to give you cash to spend. Now this is not theory. Jamaica as you know had programmes with the International Monetary Fund and Jamaica had two experiences in doing debt exchanges,” he said.

Hopes that a new Anglican Bishop of Barbados would have been elected yesterday were dashed, as the election process reached a stalemate, once again.

The Elective Synod of the Anglican Church met at the Ivan Harewood Centre of the Christ Church Parish Church from around 9:40 a.m. for the voting process, but just after 4:00 p.m., after three ballots, neither Rev. John Rogers, Rector of the St. George Parish Church nor Dr. Jeffrey Gibson, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Michael and All Angels could be named as a clear winner, to replace former Anglican Bishop Dr. John Holder, who retired earlier this year. Rogers is said to be favoured by the laity and Gibson by the clergy. However, in order to be elected as Bishop, a candidate must gain a two-thirds majority in both Houses-The House of Laity and The House of Clergy.