General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) Toni Moore served early notice that she will not sit by and allow a delay in negotiating a new minimum wage as outlined in the Budget.

During debate in Parliament on Tuesday night, the St George North MP endorsed the move which came on the heels of concerns she raised in the Lower Chamber last month, that three years after the $8.50 per hour minimum wage for shop assistants and the $9.25 per hour for security guards, the minimum wage board was yet to meet to review the sums.

Moore said failure to act is not an option as she urged her colleague Minister of Labour Colin Jordan to ensure nothing stands in the way of the critical talks.

“I urge him to actively ensure that bureaucracies or absences of members of the Minimum Wage Board will not see us dragging into inertia where the commitment to improve on the minimum wage is further delayed. There must be no excuse for the board’s inability to meet.

“I will not stand idly by while our workers are forced to make do with wages that don’t keep pace with the cost of living. Failure to act is not an option, it is actually nonnegotiable.”

Moore, who has previously insisted that the current minimum wage is just a starting point, is anticipating a further hike. She suggested that an increase along with some of the budgetary measures would help workers better cope with the cost of living.

“I have every confidence that a new rate will come alongside the announcement of the continued decrease of the VAT [Value Added Tax] on electricity and negotiations that I imagine will continue for lower prices at the supermarket level. I believe that these measures will not resolve the problem of cost of living but will certainly go some distance into addressing an issue that is often very complex,” she said.

Moore also signalled her satisfaction with the government’s move to revisit granting of concessions which Prime Minister Mia Mottley said had resulted in the loss of more than $2 billion in revenue over the last four years.

Starting January 1, 2025, businesses with concessions prior to 2005 must reapply, while companies with concessions post-2025 will be required to reapply to the Ministry of Finance in 2027.

Moore, who recently mounted a strong lobby for an overhaul of concessions granted to the construction and hotel sectors, said the move was the action of a government willing to act in the interest of the economy and society.

“This measure is about aligning our economic policies with the realities of today and the aspirations of tomorrow. It is about ensuring that if companies are saying that they’re earning foreign exchange, that that foreign exchange is reaching where it should.

“This approach I find to be both sensible and responsible. But above all, it encourages organisations, including unions, if they get concessions, to bring current their application for concessions and their obligations to do right once they have been granted these concessions. So the measures are measures that we see aligning with a forward-thinking government,” the trade unionist said in support of the measures.

The government backbencher also gave the thumbs up to increasing the staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by 250, the modernisation of the Barbados Police Service, and the establishment of a Teaching Service Commission.

“These actions, to my mind, are the very embodiment of a government that prioritises its people and sees the workforce not as a liability but as the very engine of growth for this nation,” she said. (SD)

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Neil Rowe has declared his political loyalty to the governing Barbados Labour Party, making clear that he has no plans of cutting ties and joining another party.

“I will remain and retire as a member of the Barbados Labour Party,” the embattled St Michael North West MP said on Wednesday as he gave a clear picture of his parliamentary future since he was officially stripped of his post of Deputy Speaker of the House back in January.

The government backbencher, who is facing a rape charge, declared his plans for his political future in the House of Assembly on Wednesday as he rose to speak in the Budget debate.

“I rise on behalf of the good people of St Michael North West, who I shall not betray by crossing the floor of Parliament. Who I shall not betray, Sir, in any way that would signify that I am only thinking about self and not the good people who I humbly serve,” Rowe said to loud applause from his parliamentary colleagues.

He declared: “Sir, I remain loyal to the Barbados Labour Party. Blood is thicker than water, and I was birthed within a Barbados Labour Party family, Sir, I will remain and retire as a member of the Barbados Labour Party.”

In January, Prime Minister Mia Mottley told the nation that a decision had been taken to rescind Rowe’s appointment as deputy speaker. She said the decision was taken so that Parliament could be removed from being embroiled in a member’s private issues, Rowe would remain an MP.

She said then: “In this case, there is no consideration whatsoever of anything other than the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Parliament of Barbados being involved in a private matter. It is a judgement of all of us, that he be allowed the time to allow himself to deal with this matter, and indeed to be able to ensure that his assertion of innocence is capable of being pursued. By the same token, while that is going on and he is given all of the space to do that, we have to ensure that the public business of the Parliament of Barbados, and by extension, as an arm of the Government of Barbados, can continue without, as I said, being embroiled in the private issues of a particular member. 

“There is no issue of his representation as an MP. That is a member for the people of St Michel North West that was settled. And indeed, that is not an issue in this matter at all.”

Rowe was replaced in the deputy speaker post by St Thomas MP Cynthia Forde.

Last September, Magistrate Deidre McKenna ordered that Rowe stand trial before the High Court on the charge that he had sexual intercourse with a woman on September 18, 2022, without her consent or was reckless as to whether she consented. The matter is now before the High Court, and he remains on bail.

Rowe’s stance on his future with the party also came as he gave “support and endorse” the government’s Budgetary proposals even as he hit at former BLP member Ralph Thorne, who crossed the floor of Parliament just over a month ago to become Leader of the Opposition. Thorne had also appeared as legal counsel for Rowe along with Senior Counsel Michael Lashley, a member of the Democratic Labour Party, when he was committed to stand trial in the High Court on the rape charge.

“It hurts my heart that the honourable member of Christ Church South has decided to act as Jesus and to carry the cross for the Democratic Labour party,” Rowe said. “I want the opposition to know that I will remain focused when it comes to representing the good people of St Michael West.”

He said he continued to work for his constituents and remained on top of the issues affecting them.

“I am on top of every issue that exists in my constituency, every single one, and I would never turn my back on the good people of St Michael North West. Never,” Rowe declared. (FW)

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The 12-member jury in the trial of murder-accused Jason Cecil Spencer will return to the No. 2 Supreme Court on March 25.

This was the adjournment date given after one civilian witness gave evidence in the trial on Wednesday.

Spencer is accused of killing Charles Ellis on May 27, 2015. Ellis, formerly of 10th Avenue, New Orleans, St Michael, was shot while at Nelson Street, St Michael, on May 5, 2015 and passed away three weeks later.

Kemal Straker testified in the court on Wednesday that he was in the Nelson Street and Ashby Alley area and had seen Spencer, known to him as ‘Punkie’, and a man named Charles separately, before the incident.

In his statement to the police, the witness recalled that he went to get something to eat and when he went back outside, he heard a man groaning on Nelson Street. He walked to the end of the alley and asked what had happened but no one answered.

Straker left the area and soon heard that someone had been shot. He then saw ‘Punkie’ and a few people walking up through the alley. ‘Punkie’ approached him and told him he was leaving and said a taxi was coming for him. Straker boarded the taxi with ‘Punkie’ and another man and was the first to be dropped off.

He told the police that he had not seen who shot the man and only realised it was Charles who had been shot weeks after the incident.

Spencer is represented by Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim and defence attorney Summer Hassell, while Principal State Counsel Oliver Thomas is prosecuting the matter.

Justice Randall Worrell is presiding.

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After Brandon Deshawn Agard led police on a chase through Westbury to New Orleans, they discovered an illegal firearm and ammunition on him.

When he appeared before Madam Justice Wanda Blair in the No. 4A Supreme Court, the 27-year-old resident of Kensington Lodge, Passage Road, St Michael pleaded guilty to possession of a 9x19mm Glock semi-automatic pistol without a valid licence and nine rounds of ammunition without a valid permit on January 9, 2022.

Senior State Counsel Joyann Catwell said officers were on mobile patrol duty along Hawkins Gap, Westbury Road, St Michael and saw Agard sitting on the front step of a house. As they drove towards him, he took off running, arousing the suspicion of the officers, two of whom pursued him on foot while the others remained in the police vehicle.

As Agard ran across the Westbury pasture in the direction of Westbury Main Road, the officers observed him grabbing at his right hip with his right hand. He was eventually caught by an officer and when questioned about a bulge and protrusion in his pants leg, Agard replied that it was a gun.

A firearm with an inserted magazine was then removed from the pants leg.

A pre-sentence report has been ordered and the matter was adjourned until May 17.

Senior Counsel Stephen Lashley represents Agard, while State Counsel Maya Kellman represents the State.

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A jury has found Kemar Omar Yvonne Leacock guilty of murdering Jermaine Harper ten years ago.

On Wednesday evening, the 12-member jury of 10 women and two men in Supreme Court No. 3 returned a unanimous verdict, indicating that they all believed that the 2nd Avenue, Piedmont Park, Long Gap, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael resident killed 26-year-old Harper, formerly of Wilkinson Road, Richmond Gap, St Michael, on July 30, 2014.

Justice Carlisle Greaves set May 31 as the date for sentencing.

Principal State Counsel Neville Watson and State Counsel Treann Knight prosecuted the matter while defence attorney Safiya Moore represented Leacock.

Kemal Akeem Yarde of Rock Gap, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael, had been jointly accused of the murder but was freed on Tuesday after a successful no-case submission by his attorney, Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens.

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The awarding of compensation to a rape victim should not be seen as the court putting a price on that person’s dignity but as financial assistance to help them “regain their life”, a judge said on Wednesday.

Madam Justice Pamela Beckles gave that explanation as she ordered Brandon Kerwin Franklin Walcott to pay the woman he raped seven years ago $50 000 in compensation, half of which was due immediately. The remaining balance must be cleared in a year or he will spend three years in prison.

“While monetary compensation cannot take away the emotional pain and horrors associated with rape, and cannot undo the harm that has been caused, it can be used for the rehabilitation of the victim in that it can help them to regain their life by payment for counselling, treatment and anything else that may be needed to move on from this experience,” the judge said.

Pointing out that rape is “one of the most traumatic and horrifying experiences an individual may ever have to go through”, she noted that one of the main reasons Walcott had not been given jail time was that the complainant was not opposed to monetary compensation.

“The court recognises that monetary compensation is not the appropriate remedy in most rape cases, but it can be useful in some cases, and each case will have to be decided on its own peculiar circumstances,” Justice Beckles said.

Walcott, of Flat Rock, St George, had previously pleaded guilty in the No. 5 Supreme Court to having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent, knowing she had not consented or was reckless as to whether she had consented on April 17, 2017.

Justice Beckles gave a starting sentence of 10 years while pointing to the aggravating factors, including the gravity of the offence, the prevalence of the crime, and the exposure of the victim to a sexually transmitted infection or an unwanted pregnancy.

Walcott’s lack of previous convictions, low risk of reoffending, cooperation with the police, expression of remorse and apology to the complainant led to a deduction of two years from the sentence. Other discounts were also given for his early guilty plea and the delay in getting to trial.

“Make sure the payment is made, and do not find yourself at the court’s doors again,” Justice Beckles told him. “If it were not for your favourable pre-sentence report and the fact that the complainant indicated that she was not opposed to monetary compensation, you would be doing some hard prison time. If you have a problem with alcohol, then get some counselling for it.”

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A 38-year-old construction worker who threatened to kill a woman who had been “tarnishing” his name has been placed on a bond to keep the peace.

Denmar Mccarthy Saffrey of Smith Road, Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes in the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court charged with assaulting Rashida Carter, occasioning her actual bodily harm and threatening her with the words, “I am going to kill you. I am not from around here. Nobody do not know me”.

He admitted to both offences which occurred on March 13.

The court heard that Saffrey had spoken to Carter about gossiping about him. He had a pair of scissors which he put to her stomach and made the threatening comments. Saffrey also punched the woman in the stomach.

In his defence, he said: “These people have been tarnishing my name. There is only so much a man can take.”

Although admitting to hitting Carter, he denied having scissors at the time.

Placing Saffrey on the six-month bond, the chief magistrate informed him that if breached it, he would have to pay $750 forthwith or spend 60 days in prison.

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The Farmers’ Empowerment and Enfranchisement Drive (FEED) programme has failed in its objectives, Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne has charged.

“We’ve heard of the much-vaunted feed programmr, and it is such a beautiful acronym, but the sad news is that it has not met its objectives since less than 25 per cent of land-owning farmers are in production,” he said on Tuesday in his response to Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Budget presentation.

“That is at the heart of the crisis in agriculture in this country. So when we hear these beautiful figures, these impressive figures, the reality is that the majority of landowners are not participating in agriculture.”

Accusing the government of misleading the country regarding what is happening in agriculture, Thorne said that many farmers involved in the non-sugar sector areas were struggling to produce.

“Farmers have been expressing surprise at the claim that there were increases in production of non-sugar crops and produce. They are saying that there have been shortages of chickens and eggs, or sweet potatoes or yams. In fact, across the vegetable farming sectors, farmers have been struggling,” he contended.

In light of the predictions of drought conditions, Thorne said there were expectations that this year would be the worst annual onion crop ever. He therefore asked what would be done to aid the farmers during this period.

“In the past, farmers were provided with incentives and assistance to offset the impact of the water shortage. Support with tanks, guttering, and pumps was provided to increase the water harvesting capacity. What has this government done lately for the farmer?” he questioned.

The opposition leader also said that the land under cotton production had been reduced from 2 000 acres to four acres and asked what plans were being made to address this.

He also pointed to other areas in the sector that required attention: “The farmers and the land lease project are suffering, and they cannot get water support…. What has happened to the $2 million promised to the Barbados Agricultural Society? Is it nothing to this government? This money allows farmers to draw from a revolving fund, easing cash flow problems, and is repaid through marketing of pigs and other produce. The people have a system. Please, government, help the people.”

The senior counsel also chided the government for short-sightedness with the now-ended social compact pointing in particular to small producers of chicken, noting that by forcing a lower price regime on this group, many dropped out of the market.

Adding more pressure, according to him, was the opening up of the protected chicken and pork market, which had allowed outside interests to now control food distribution.

He also pointed to a drop in pig production and importation of pork from Suriname as areas of concern.

“Food security is national security. Since local production is under threat, food security and national security are also under threat,” Thorne said.
(JB)

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Minister of Education Kay McConney has cautioned reform naysayers that the education system has outlived its purpose in its present form and must be changed now to stop some students from being left behind and becoming apathetic to their country.

As the Budget debate continued on Wednesday, she said that while the current system has turned out some of the best tradesmen and academics over time, some may have fallen through the cracks because of the policies and curricula that had not been tailored for them. 

The St Philip West Member of Parliament said technical and vocational skills are in greater demand globally, and Barbados’ classroom must reflect this reality.

“We have to build on the education system that we already have. We cannot throw away everything. There are some things we will keep. There are some things that we will introduce for the first time, and there are some things that we will have to change in significant ways,” she said.

“The intention is that when we are all done, we would create a Barbados where all people feel as if there is a place in this society, in the school system, for them. The day that we continue to allow our system to leave people behind, we are going to find that it is to the detriment, not of the people left behind, but the entire country because we must all live together.”

The minister said that while the Common Entrance Examination has served some students well, four out of every ten children score below 50 per cent in Mathematics; in English, one of every five falls below the 50 per cent mark.

“How do we continue a system in the same way that is leaving 40 per cent or more of this population behind?” McConney asked.

In reiterating her case for education reform, the minister also told the Chamber that between 2010 and 2022, 11 per cent of students (7 082) left school without a single certificate. 

“Can we continue for this system to work in that way?” the minister asked.

Responding directly to the warning from Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne on Tuesday that education must not be “touched” unless the changes are to the curriculum, McConney said it is for this reason that curriculum transformation is one of the central pillars of the transformation proposal.

“Curriculum cannot be done alone. If you touch the curriculum, you then have to touch teachers because they have to be trained to be able to deliver the new curriculum. And the schools have to be touched…This notion that you can pull out a piece of education and tinker with the specifics of the syllabus and then shift resources…this pull, tinker, shift is what has gotten us here,” she added.

McConney said the hands-off approach to education is the reason Barbados is now battling with a sick school plant that is not fit for purpose. She said the current administration is moving to implement a new, comprehensive maintenance plan to take the education system into the future. 

“We need now to look at new models. We need to think of what the classroom of tomorrow looks like and how do we now make sure that we are able to attend to this,” the education minister said. 

(SP)

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Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Sandra Husbands says without education transformation, Barbados is doomed.

She believes one area in particular that must be transformed is the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (BSSEE).

Contributing to the Budget debate on Wednesday, Husbands berated Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne for suggesting that Barbadians think the BSSEE – commonly referred to as the Common Entrance or 11-plus examination – is the best option at that stage of schooling. She insisted that this country will have no future if it does not follow the path of those who have upgraded their economies.

“There is only one way to do it and that is through education. Without education transformation, there is no future for Barbados…. If you do not transition the economy into the coming fourth industrial revolution, our businesses will fail, people will not have jobs and people will face starvation. That is the reality and that is the truth,” Husbands said.

Regarding the 11-plus, she said: “You have a system that fails 80 per cent of the children, demolishes their self-confidence…and you want me to believe that Barbadians think this is the best course of action?”

The St James South MP told the House of Assembly that transformation must come to an examination that leaves many students feeling as though they have failed in life when they do not get a passing grade in the annual test that determines placement at secondary schools.

She said if children are to maximise their potential and earn well in the future, they will have to embrace education in technological skills.

Husbands said $254 million of the $651 million apportioned to the education ministry in this year’s budget, has been set aside for tertiary education as she highlighted that many children have left school without certification and without a clear pathway to a job.

“When we fail to transform the education system they will have no platform for their lives. Putting $254 million towards tertiary education is to help us provide a second chance for all those children who missed it at primary and secondary school,” she said.

Addressing Thorne’s criticism of the government’s treatment of ash workers who were sent home last year, Husbands said more than 1 000 of them were able to get into the Construction Gateway Programme “to pursue construction and building classes that would give them the skills that they could make a life for themselves”.

She said it was distressing for her that the opposition leader thought those workers should go back to the “stop-gap job” which she described as something for people to do when they needed something urgently.

“If they are going to live out their full life, maximising their potential, a country owes them the opportunity to get the type of schooling and education that would give them better-paying, more sustainable jobs, especially in the area of their personal desires because they have the skills to make their way in the world…. We want more for them,” Husbands said. (SP)

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Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw on Wednesday called on Attorney Genearal Dale Marshall to reopen an investigation into a 2009 report by the Urban Development Commission (UDC) that raised questions about the transfer of several tenantry lands in which Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne is named.

And she has challenged the senior counsel to give an account to the country.

“I would like on the floor of this House, to request of the honourable Attorney General to ensure that the file in this matter that was sent to the Commissioner of Police is reopened and that a senior officer is put in place to deal with this matter to determine whether there is any truth to what is here,” Bradshaw told the House.

Reading from a letter dated November 29, 2009 addressed to the Commissioner of Police about the report written by Guyson Mayers and presented to the Board of the UDC in response to their request to investigate reports made by clients of the commission, Bradshaw said,” the commission is of the view that the report points to activities that may be considered as maladministration at best.”

“This report concerns a number of irregularities that developed in the handling of the transfer of title proceedings by an officer – and I’m not calling any names, Madam Deputy Speaker, but by an officer who is the principal legal counsel at the Urban Development Commission,” said Bradshaw who made reference to three cheques – for $12 250, $6 705.97 and $12 500 – all dated August 9 – drawn on the UDC’s Capital works account and paid to Mr Ralph A Thorne, attorney-at-law, in respect of three different lots on behalf of clients.

Providing more details from the report, Bradshaw read: “It is of interest and probably a matter that needs further investigation, that these cases were all referred to the same attorney-at-law who is known to be close to the principal legal counsel on the same date.

Some considerable time has passed since these referrals without the work had been completed.

“However, this delay, though inordinate, may not necessarily speak to unlawfulness. However, the determinative factor is whether the attorney’s inaction amounts to him assuming the role of the owner by deciding what should be done with the money in his possession.”

The report went on to say: “It may reasonably be assumed that if one is in possession of funds for in excess of four years and has done no visible work in relation to the matter referred, then one has perhaps stepped into the shoes of the owner for the purposes of the control of those funds.”

The issue, she said, was whether each of the beneficiaries freely chose Thorne as their legal representative as she revealed other cases where she claimed the clients did not know that Thorne was their representative in the matter.

In cases involving two lots at Lower Burney, St Michael, Bradshaw said, the principal legal officer advanced a government subsidy of cheques to Thorne on March 19, 2007, and accompanying letters were signed by the legal officers who stated that the cheques were expected to be held in escrow by Thorne pending delivery of an executed copy of the conveyance in these matters.

Bradshaw said Mayers pointed out in the report to the UDC that, “It was not common practice for money to be sent to another in order that it can be held in escrow pending the delivery of completed work that this may have been peculiarly motivated, maybe evidenced by the fact that two years later, the documents awaited have not yet been delivered and the monies forwarded have not yet been paid to the new beneficiary”.

The report, according to Bradshaw, said there was doubt as to whether the proper procedure had been followed. Mayers explained that the practice was for the commission’s principal legal assistant to prepare the conveyance in such matters which would then be forwarded to the attorney who is acting for the tenants.

Bradshaw also revealed a third matter which dated back to June 2008. She said a woman visited the commission’s office to enquire about the process that would enable her to purchase the lot of land she occupied in Taylor’s Land, Bank Hall, St Michael.

The report said: “The lady had never had any prior contact with the commission about the purchase of her lot, but the file revealed that a government subsidy to the tune of $6 458.40 had been paid to Mr Ralph Thorne on her behalf concerning lot nine of the said tenantry on the 22nd of January 2004, four years prior to her even expressing an interest in the purchase of the loan.

“In this case, the tenant had never been in contact with her presumed attorney-at-law and had never had a conversation with the principal legal assistant who prepared the correspondence and facilitated the payments of the commission’s funds on her behalf in circumstances that could only have properly taken place with her consent.”

Bradshaw further cited that on September 9, 2005, the UDC paid a subsidy in the amount of $17 500 to Thorne on behalf of another client for Halls Land Tenantry, St Michael.

The report said, “This payment was directed to Mr Thorne in error as it was intended for another attorney by a letter dated the sixth of April 2006. Just a year later, Mr Thorne was informed of this error and to pass the $17 500 that was sent to him in error by the commission to its rightful target the 2009.

“It is worth noting that the officer had directed this cheque to Mr Thorne and it was not until the tenant visited the commission’s office and asserted that Mr Thorne was not her attorney, but in fact that there was another attorney that was on record for her, that a reversal of this transfer was attempted by the chief project officer,” Mayers’ report stated.

Bradshaw called for a response from Thorne to statements in the Mayers report.

“I want the honourable leader of the opposition, the leader of the Democratic Labour Party to answer some questions,” she said.

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Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne has been seeking answers on when Barbadians will have access to the new republican constitution, declaring it was a “dereliction of duty” by the government that the country is still without one two-and-half years after it transitioned from a constitutional monarchy.

As he wrapped up his budget reply on Tuesday evening, Thorne said the country was in a dilemma as it was functioning under what he called a Republican constitution with Westminster content.

“We are a republic with a constitution that became republican only through the theory of presidentialism. In other words, you made the Governor General president, and it has not travelled beyond that. There is still the spirit of Westminster within the Constitution of Barbados,” he said.

In June 2022, a 10-member commission headed by retired judge Christopher Blackman was appointed to advise the government on the formulation of a new constitution. The broad-based panel was mandated to examine, consider and enquire into the supreme law of the land and all other related laws and matters, for the development and enactment of a new constitution.

It was also required to make recommendations to the government on the reforms that would meet the circumstances of a 21st-century Barbados and promote peace, order, and good governance.

The commission held a series of public consultations at home and abroad and according to a Government Information Service statement issued in September 2023, the life of the commission was extended until April 2024.

But Thorne questioned whether the consultations were sufficiently publicised, and urged the government not to ambush citizens with the new Constitution but to give adequate time for a full review of the document

“The public awaits this constitution and so do I, and so do all free men who are interested in justice. When will it come? What is its content? Will the public hear of its content before you bring it? Or will you come and drop it in Parliament one day and use your numbers, your overwhelming numbers to impose it, to foist it upon the people of Barbados?

“Tell us its content, Give us a week or two to read it before we can say yeah or nay,” Thorne said.

(SD)

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley wrapped up three days of debate on the 2024 Budget proposals on Wednesday night with the revelation of a probe into the operations of the state-owned Home Ownership Providing Energy (HOPE) project.

In a two-hour defence of her government’s spending, the hiring of consultants, debt, restructuring of the economy, the operations of the Barbados Water Authority, taxation and the Barbados-Guyana Black Belly Sheep initiative, without going into details, Mottley told Parliament several things have been happening at HOPE Incorporated that have made the government unhappy.

“This is the first time the Government of Barbados is seeking to do something at this level of industrial scale,” Mottley said of HOPE, the state-owned commercial firm which is tasked with building 10 000 houses over five years.

“Has it had teething problems? Yes, it has. And have we found out things that I don’t like? Yes, we have. And have we taken action with respect to some of them? Yes, we have.

And I am not going to prejudice it this evening because I have asked for a full investigation into every aspect of it,” the prime minister said.

She also rejected suggestions by Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne that there was something untoward about $60 million paid to HOPE.

“Now, you heard about the $60 million. You would think that the $60 million gone for good.

Where did it come from? The Housing Credit Fund. It was intended always to be a revolving fund starting at $10 million. It still is…and, therefore, the monies that have been put into HOPE and in some instances National Housing, will be repaid because it is not a grant, it is a loan,” Mottley informed the House. Thorne was not present for Mottley’s speech.

The prime minister again stoutly defended the government’s decision to pay public debt management consultants White Oak $54 million to restructure the national debt, insisting that if it had not intervened, her administration would not have been able to afford the elbow room to do the things it is now doing.

But she pledged that she would do all in her power to make sure Barbados’ debt never had to be restructured again.

“May we never have to do a second restructuring…and that is why we are working so hard…both Belize and Grenada restructured once, restructured twice, and if I have sometimes to be a little unpopular, I will be, because I do not intend for the Government of Barbados to face another debt restructuring in my lifetime,” Prime Minister Mottley asserted.

The prime minister also sought to make a case for the local consultants who assisted the country in surviving its toughest economic challenges.

When Mottley addressed the Barbados Water Authority’s financial situation and the service contract concluded under the previous Democratic Labour Party administration, she told the House that “proper figures” and “proper reports” cannot be obtained from the utility company because it has to use Excel spreadsheets.

“When the overall contract came to an end in April last year, [the service firm said] they wanted US$24 000 [$48 000] a month, and, mercifully, the board up there said, ‘No, no no’.

And the reason is that when all of the contracts and works were undertaken, the price to date, we suspect, may even be more than $137 million.”

Prime Minister Mottley who responded to the opposition leader’s scepticism about the unemployment figures said that more Barbadians were working today than ever before, since Independence.

With respect to the accusation by Thorne that Barbadians were “over-taxed”, Mottley answered that Barbados enjoys one of the lowest rates in relation to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Caribbean.

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Police are on the scene at Chapel Gap, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, where a man was stabbed. Eyewitnesses said the victim was stabbed in the neck and rushed to the hospital. Investigations are continuing.

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Thursday described veteran Barbadian Photographer Willie Alleyne as an icon.
Alleyne, had a distinguished career spanning almost seven decades, died on Tuesday. He was 91.

He joined the Advocate newspaper in the early 1950s as a photographic apprentice and then moved on to set up his own business, Willie Alleyne Associates, in the early 1970s. He has received several awards for his outstanding work including the Barbados Centennial Honour and the Silver Crown of Merit.

Below is the full text of the PM Mottley’s tribute:
In just about every profession or area of endeavour in this country we can identify the names of individuals who have stood out for years on the basis of consistently excellent work.

When it comes to photography in Barbados, no attempt at creating a list of iconic performers over the last half century would be deemed credible if the name Willie Alleyne was not very high on that list. Indeed, the list would be very short and Willie would be standing head and shoulders — no pun intended — above most.

The news of the passing of this legend of photography earlier this week, in many ways marks the end of an era, and on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, I extend sincere sympathy to his loved ones.

As I reflect on my own life and my association with my grandfather, Perce Tappin, who was himself the first professional photographer, I cannot help but acknowledge the critical contribution of practitioners of this medium to the preservation of key images of our history and culture for the benefit of future generations. Indeed, Willie told me of his early work with my grandfather.

In fact, one only needs to spend a few moments with young people in any gallery or exhibition of images of our past to understand and appreciate the value of the work of Willie Alleyne and his contemporaries like Gordon Brooks, Cyprian La Touche and Ronnie Carrington. The expressions on their faces and the exclamations from their lips say it all.

His passing now places on all of us in Barbados who have been bestowed with the honour of “owning” the work of their keen eyes and steady hands, the duty of ensuring that present and future generations are able to value key moments of our past as captured by their lenses. They have gone on, but their images remain as a poignant reminder of the path our nation has trod — particularly since Independence.

To this veteran of the art of photography — from the casual and leisure to breaking news and official events — I say: “Willie, you have done well, guaranteeing that by your work we will never be able to forget you. Rest in peace and rise in glory.”

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Opposition in any form is always healthy. Analysis is constructive. Probing, prying, prodding and other such activity helps to fuel democracy and maintain accountability.

Our country has been fortunate to have benefitted from great leadership with both the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) at the helm. Our rich history and varied political accomplishments can be credited to the fact that both parties have done exceedingly well, holding each other’s feet to the fire.

An entity which formulates policy and then implements it cannot provide an objective scorecard on its own performance. Thankfully, this has been the case in Barbados’ political landscape dominated by two parties. And for that we, the citizenry, are grateful since the business of our country is conducted using hard-earned taxpayers’ money. We must have a vested interest.

Back in the day, the Budget Speech followed by the Budget Reply were two of the most eagerly anticipated days on the political calendar. There was excitement and rivalry in the Parliament yard that spilled into the House of Assembly. Parliament historically has been a battlefield of sorts. Debates were heated. Exchanges were robust. Tempers flared and parliamentarians even boycotted and walked out of the hallowed chambers.

In 2007, then Opposition Leader David Thompson led a DLP boycott of Parliament, citing disrespect. He and the Dems then mounted a platform in Heroes Square dubbed the People’s Parliament and spoke on a myriad of issues, including the ‘Hardwood Housing’ scandal.

Two years later, the BLP staged its own action. In 2009, the then Opposition Leader Mia Mottley led her parliamentary colleagues out of the House of Assembly. According to her, the walkout was triggered by a “breach of trust”. The party’s issue was over the allotted time given for former Prime Minister Owen Arthur to make his contribution.

Both Thompson and Mottley, after fearlessly leading opposition parties, went on to become prime ministers in our fair land.

Only this week, in Jamaica, Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s Budget contribution was aborted after government members of parliament, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, walked out of the Chamber, forcing a premature end to the sitting as there was no quorum – 16 members and the Speaker.

This is what democracy looks like. This is the excitement it brings. This is the spotlight it puts on national issues. This is how the public is informed about the affairs of the country. This is how the government of the day is held accountable. This is how opposition parties demonstrate that they should be considered by the people for high office.

For a while now, due to the 30-0 victories by the BLP, we have had Budget debates with Parliamentarians mostly speaking in one accord and from one hymn sheet.

Enter Mr Ralph Thorne to shake things up, challenging his former colleagues on the government side to give account of their stewardship on key issues including the Home Ownership Providing Energy (HOPE) housing project; frequent travel by the PM; the White Oak deal; and the allocation of funds to respective ministries, particularly the $188 million going to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Equally, the government MPs took on the DLP political leader who now has some questions to answer from the final night of debate on Wednesday, particularly those that arose during the presentation of Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw.

Make no mistake about it, the country has been watching. On social media, the creative memes, posts generated by ordinary citizens, video clips and the like have generated healthy and heated debate about the issues raised in the hallowed Lower Chamber of Parliament.

Public interest is high and this can only augur well for public engagement on critical matters that concern us all. Transparent, robust debate on national affairs is key to keeping our democracy alive and well. Barbados is better for it.

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Government’s delayed rollout of some aspects of Education reform has got the thumbs up from the Group of Concerned Parents, but coordinator Paula-Anne Moore says the real work must now begin.

She told Barbados TODAY that Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s announcement that the September 2025 rollout would be deferred by one year to allow for more national conversation on the sweeping changes to the educational system has eased the anxiety of parents and educators who have not wholeheartedly endorsed the proposed reforms.

“We can only conclude with gratitude that the ministry listened to the deluge of disquiet and rejection – from parents and educators – related to key aspects of the initial proposals. It must have been recognised that the implementation of the initial reform proposal without widespread parental acceptance and support would only doom its success,” Moore said.

“Few parents would want to risk their children’s education to change and its inevitable disruption. We must be convinced that the major change will be successful and is necessary. To date, we remain unconvinced by too much of the proposed reform, despite great aspects such as universal pre-primary, remedial primary and secondary education, and increased neurodivergent and other testing and support.”

Delivering the Budget on Monday,  Prime Minister Mottley said despite the postponement, the Ministry of Education will proceed with non-controversial aspects of the reform, including teacher retraining, new administrative arrangements for the teaching profession, curriculum reform, school repairs and other improvements.  

She outlined that 22 master teachers will be deployed across secondary schools starting September 1, this year to elevate teaching quality and instructional standards.

Moore suggested that the reform process was being hampered by “insufficient clarity and details on the proposed major changes”, lamenting that since the Ministry of Education’s public town halls held last October and November, there have been no official updates.

The parent/student advocate however suggested that the government should assess whether its laudable objectives of improving learning outcomes for all children, particularly primary and secondary remedial education, couldn’t be addressed within the existing secondary school structure without the additional significant risk and cost of the major proposed changes, especially at secondary level.

She insisted that reform that is matched with financial, teaching and other resources introduced on a phased basis such as increasing specialist teachers, universal pre-primary, remedial primary and secondary education, additional neurodivergent and sensory testing, psycho-social support, parental education, and separate schools for students with behavioural challenges would be far more feasible.
(SD)

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Non-teaching staff at the Lester Vaughan School are taking their concerns about the safety of the Cane Garden, St Thomas school to the Labour Department.

The move follows the closure of the campus and a move to online teaching at the end of last month, after several complaints from students and teachers about feeling ill.

The school has been facing several ongoing environmental issues that continue to present a challenge to the teaching and student body.

Barbados TODAY understands that despite the school being closed, the ancillary staff, laboratory technicians and office workers are being required to report to work daily.

One staff member told Barbados TODAY the situation raises concerns about their safety since members of the community and other individuals who typically use the school grounds for exercise and training have been barred from doing so, due to “environmental health concerns”.

“It ain’t safe . . . for the people in the community to exercise in the mornings and evenings . . . the people in the neighbourhood, to run round the pasture exercising. They say it’s unsafe for them and they can’t come on the premises. The teams that train at the school, athletics, and football, can’t come. If that is the case, why are they insisting that we remain?” the worker said.

Another employee added: “The board even sent letters threatening that if we don’t come to work, it will be that we will have abandoned our jobs.”

While other ancillary staff members have been allowed to work from home, the board has not permitted a full closure of the school, Barbados TODAY was told. (RG)

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Two prominent political scientists have scored Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne relatively high for his reply to Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Budget, saying it hit key marks in an attempt to keep the administration “on its toes”.  But they have suggested that his absence from the House of Assembly for most of the debate on Wednesday did little to project him as a future prime minister.

Thorne, who 24 hours earlier had presented his reply to Mottley’s budget proposals after crossing the floor 39 days ago to become the sole voice of the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in the House, was not in his seat as an array of government MPs targeted his speech or when the prime minister wrapped up the three-day debate.

While Dr Kristina Hinds, the Head of the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill declared she had a problem with Thorne’s non-attendance, regional pollster Peter Wickham said he considered it a “useful political strategy” given the opposition’s sole seat in the 30-seat legislature.

And while Barbadians wait to hear Thorne’s explanation for staying away, the DLP remained silent on the matter involving their political leader.

“I don’t have a word to say,” General Secretary Steve Blackett replied when Barbados TODAY asked him to comment on Thorne’s absence.

A day after Thorne’s reply in which he attacked Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw over the discovery of a cheque written to her by a contractor in her constituency office, she countered by presenting letters dating back to 2009 that raised questions about transactions involving the senior counsel and a government lawyer.

Wickham told Barbados TODAY: “His not being in Parliament was consistent with what I know of the gentleman, and the reality is that, had he been there, he would perhaps had been rising on points of order, which ultimately would not have made a huge difference because, in the final analysis, there was reading from documentation.

“So, perhaps the fact that he wasn’t there was a useful defence strategy on his part, even though it looked kind of bad. But I think in a situation where you are alone in the Opposition, sometimes it may make sense for you not to be there because it is always harder in this political realm for a person to attack you when you are not in your seat to defend yourself because people often think it is a bit of unfairness going on.”

Wickham also thought it was uncharacteristic of Bradshaw to stridently attack the opposition leader as she referenced the letters which she made documents of the House.

Pointing to Thorne’s allegations, Wickham added: “The response of Bradshaw was uncharacteristic because we don’t know we have ever seen her in that mode before. But she was clearly in the defensive mode…. One could argue that it was an Owen Arthur-type defence and response where she thought to use the fact that, ‘let he who is without sin, cast the first stone’…and ‘if you think you can cast aspersions, I can cast some too, and I have documentation that can work’.”

But, Wickham said he thought the deputy prime minister gave a “solid” political defence against Thorne’s allegations that would have “put him on the back foot” had he been in the House.

He went further to dismiss notions of Thorne as a future leader of Barbados, given his absence from Parliament.

Wickham said he was more comfortable seeing him as a Leader of the Opposition and having to make a presentation on behalf of the DLP. However, the political scientist argued that while Thorne gave a “good account” of himself in the budget reply and “put up a good fight and keep the government on its toes”, he doesn’t believe people see him as their next prime minister.

“In terms of Thorne as a leader, I think that the budget reply that he gave was reasonable in touching all the points. In terms of his . . . behaviour in the context of a future leader, I think it is clear to me that Thorne is probably not going to lead Barbados. I am not convinced that the vast majority of people who watched Thorne saw him as the next prime minister, and were watching him in that context,” Wickham said.

Dr Hinds, a former independent senator, gave Thorne a failing grade for not attending the final stages of the budget debate.

“The point about Mr Thorne’s absence…that did not sit particularly well with me, to be totally honest. This is now the Leader of the Opposition, and there are no other representatives of the Democratic Labour Party in the House of Assembly. So, it is imperative that this one member be present. And I am not being unrealistic, people need to take breaks, but this is not a taking of a break that we saw. This was absent for the most part,” she said.

“If it is that you are going to take on a role such as this, leading the Opposition, being the lone voice of the Opposition in the House of Assembly, having newly rejoined the Democratic Labour Party, and taking up the helm as their political leader, I think that duty calls.”

She added: “This means that Mr Thorne needed to be present for far more of that debate than he did. I know it would be very difficult, and I know that he is a human being and it is hard to take that sustained criticism, but that’s the job that he left the Barbados Labour Party and joined the DLP to do.”

Dr Hinds said she did not know what to make of the allegations levelled by Deputy PM Bradshaw against Thorne. She contended that Bradshaw did not seem to know if the matter of 20 years ago had been resolved in the intervening period.

“I think what the Deputy Prime Minister was attempting to do was to make us think twice about the character of Mr Thorne. It is a technique that one can use, but just as one might say that Mr Thorne put some allegations in the public domain that he could not necessarily substantiate, one could say similarly for Ms Bradshaw,” the senior lecturer in political science suggested. “He is a relatively new political force as Leader of the Opposition, and perhaps some of the enthusiasm surrounding him may need to be tempered.”

Nonetheless, Dr Hinds shared Wickham’s view that the opposition leader played his role well in keeping the government on its toes.

She argued that unlike when there was no opposition and the government could afford to deal with issues at a general level, Thorne’s persistent questions and claims, whether true or false, pushed the ministers to dig deeper into matters and to produce more substantial explanations.

Thorne could not be reached for comment up to the time of publication.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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This year’s Budget speech was a mix of strengths and areas for improvement, consumer advocacy group Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) has said.

A BCEN statement said while there are commendable elements that demonstrate thoughtful planning and prioritisation, there are also aspects that need further refinement and attention.

“BCEN finds that the budgetary proposals were ‘broad strokes’ that provided a general overview without delving into specific details about financial allocations and government’s priorities. It is still unclear how funds will be allocated or how specific programmes or initiatives will be funded.

“With a generalised budget, it makes it very difficult for the public to assess the potential impact of the budgetary decisions on themselves and the economy. While the Budget shows effort, there is still more that could have been done to enhance its overall effectiveness and address certain consumer concerns,” it said.

The group said it recognised that the budget proposals were not perfect, but also declared they were not “entirely useless” in that they carry “a fairly well thought out practical side, whether the PM knew it or not”.

It added: “However, in order to zero in on the pragmatic side of the Budget, one has to delve into its contents and extrapolate. BCEN examined the budget from a consumers’ welfare perspective and tried to tease out the direct and indirect effects and the short-term and long-term consequences that the budget would have on consumers.”

BCEN identified what it refers to as the “upsides” and the “downsides” of the budgetary proposals.

One of the “upsides” it cited was the existence of a framework that deals with inflation and price stability.

“BCEN believes that many people would have missed it because of how the PM delivered the budgetary proposals which was too long-winded and diffused. The budgetary proposals as outlined establish a framework that could deal with inflation and ensure that there is some measure of price stability.

“Although details were not explicitly given, nor policies labelled as such in the Budget presentation” the advocacy group pointed out, “the budgetary proposals contain fiscal, monetary, and supply-side policies that are useful for tackling inflation and ensuring price stability.”

For example, BCEN noted the introduction of tax credits for investments in national development projects.

“This is the type of fiscal policy that encourages investment in key sectors identified by the government, and which could potentially stimulate economic growth and productivity, which in turn could help mitigate inflationary pressures. Another example of fiscal policy is the review of tax structures and the introduction of new investment funds.”

BCEN suggested that these are the kinds of fiscal measures that a country could use to attract investment and promote economic activity, which in turn could indirectly contribute to price stability by fostering a competitive business environment.

One of the downsides, according to the consumer organisation, related to the cost of living.

BCEN contended that there is still more to be done to ease the burden of the cost of living and that there are no direct measures that deal with reducing the high cost of living in the budgetary proposals.

“In terms of employment and labour market dynamics, it is unclear how the Budget will affect employment opportunities. Attention was given to spending on job creation programmes (digital training), workforce development initiatives, wages for certain class groups, and improved working conditions for law enforcement workers but will these few initiatives impact on consumers’ ability to secure stable and decent-paying jobs?” the consumer group questioned. (EJ)

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