Moontown

BARBADOS ADVOCATE – DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN - THE DEBATE

FEBRUARY 25, 2005

As a long standing member of the Democratic Labour Party, I am appreciative of the wisdom of the late great leader, Errol Walton Barrow. I am even more convinced that he was right in his approach to some of his comrades. These comrades displayed an attitude towards the upliftment of the masses and could not appreciate how a man, who was born in the middle of a cane field and part of shop life, yet appreciated the importance of uplifting the plight of the masses.

This appreciation can only be recognized by persons who had an opportunity to enter into dialogue at an early stage of their lives with the masses. Such persons were touched to see how the masses made requests of them as if they were not equals.

He did not use his position in life to belief that his family had the last piece of land or shop, but instead he used this experience internally and externally to try to work out an economic order to advance the progress of the masses.

This policy allowed the capitalist class to better manage their resources. This is consistent with the work that his uncle started in building the confidence of the masses.

The last few weeks have been very educational for me. We now know how selfish we are as a people, and that we are no longer our brothers’ keeper. We are now a people who are prepared to accept persons from outside and give them all types of concessions up front, yet would want to punish our own, even before they get the chance to produce.

If they are punished before they produce and are non-productive, who is to accept the blame for the country not being able to produce at its true capacity?  

We have been told that the country has an economy based on services at the high end and that we need to better educate our people, a point I thought was accepted by all. The question that must be asked is whether the Governor of the Central Bank was the messenger or whether she was speaking based on foresight at the University of the West Indies on the same evening that the Prime Minister was speaking about the economic problems of Barbados. Who was the messenger and why two of the most important economic planners were competing for prime press coverage at the same time, or was one complimenting the other?

The Right Excellent Errol W. Barrow was criticized for advancing his position on what he would have accepted as the appropriate development of the country. He gave us free secondary education from the “womb to the tomb”.

We now see our country being able to export its people because of their educational base. At the same time, while the world appreciates our educational performance and is compensating us, some persons have decided that it would give too much credit to the Democratic Labour Party.

The multi-million dollar programme Called Edu-Tech has been found wanting, and a project that was once seen as a capital expenditure project is now rightfully seen as Revenue Expenditure for the school repairs and Capital Expenditure for the computers.

Edu-Tech has not delivered the goods promised by the Barbados Labour Party. The one that has worked and continues to work must pay the price for an ill conceived project that was supposed to take the spot light away from free secondary education.

The Right Excellent said that he wanted our economy to be structured around the Singapore model. To achieve this, he used the educational tools to start the social revolution for all. He did not even introduce a ‘means test’ to stop the rich or Whites from receiving free education, though it was thought by some that that they had the means to pay. Now the Government wants to charge fees across the board. Is education for the few elite? Or is it that some sends their children overseas and pay exorbitant fees, so all should pay?  I used to hear people talking about kicking down the ladder and I thought it was figuratively, now I know that it is literally.

In the early nineties, the Government accepted its debt to the University of the West Indies, but never accepted that free secondary education should be put on the back burner. All of us knew that those times were hard. Some marched up and down Barbados and at no time could the private sector members rebel about their future staff members being deprived of an opportunity to get tertiary education.

Eleven years after, with the economy good, the private sector reporting surplus profits and workers complaining for increase disposable income, after holding strain for eleven years without the union getting the increases for their workers, the Government wants to extract fees from the students, whose parents held strain to ensure that the economy continues to grow.

The private sector must add its voice  against these new impositions; the unions must remember what their members gave up over the last eleven years; and Professor Beckles must remember his commitment to make sure that at least one university graduate can be found in every home. He should not allow the short sightedness of Government to block his progressive vision.

Are we now working to make sure that Project Oasis can work? Or are we ready to give up Barbados to CSME and Globalisation, or are we ready to take over the world?

In the land of the blind, the one-eye man is King. Let us forget about Blue Peter Shark and focus on the Lion Shark.

(Denis Kellman is the Member of Parliament for St. Lucy, Barbados)

PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE

YAM PIE; FRIED PLANTAIN

BAKED PORK; BAKED CHICKEN

FRIED CHICKEN; GRILLED KING FISH

FRIED DOLPHIN; FRIED SNAPPER

BBQ PIG TAILS; SEA CAT

BEEF STEW; FISH GRAVY

STEAMED VEGETABLES

TOSSED SALAD; COLE SLAW

While endorsing Prime Minister Golding’s recent announcements about the modernisation of the public sector, Joseph Matalon, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), has urged caution and called for the Government to get to work.

“In the words of Thomas Edison, plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work,” Matalon said during a Lions Club of Kingston luncheon held yesterday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. “So let us all now get to work!”

Citing Golding’s proposed reforms as ambitious, Matalon outlined those which he described as some of the major elements of the reform programme.

These include a restructuring of the entire apparatus of the State in line with those roles and functions determined as part of the framework designed to maximise efficiency and to provide greater value for the taxpayers’ dollar.

He said another major element of the programme was a combination of long-overdue tax policy and tax-administration reforms designed to eliminate existing distortions, and the introduction of legislation to provide for a fiscal responsibility framework that would set parameters for fiscal performance and enhance transparency and accountability.

Industrial policy

Matalon also welcomed Golding’s promise to introduce “a wide range of initiatives in the area of industrial policy and investment promotion designed to create an enabling business environment and to improve local competitiveness so that we are in a position to capitalise on the resurgence of the global economy that must inevitably come”.

Against the backdrop of the financial and social challenges facing the island, Matalon called for the Jamaican people and Government to unite to face them.

He, however, pointed out that both the administrators and citizens needed to change the tone in which they discuss issues.

“Perhaps at no time in our history has there been a greater need for a sense of national unity and purpose than exists today. And I would suggest to our leaders, if they are to be successful in mobilising all stakeholders in the effort to rebuild our economy, that the conversation will need to take on a different tone.”

He added: “(A tone) that is marked by an appreciation of differing perspectives, that does not question others’ motives, and perhaps, above all, that is marked by due respect and consideration.”

Kimesha Walters, Gleaner Writer
Students and adults wait on buses at the bus stop in Cross Roads adjacent to the Carib Theatre. - Riccardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is having difficulties meeting the demand for commuters who wish to utilise its services, according to Reginald Allen, director of communications in the Ministry of Transport and Works.

“We have a challenge in putting the desired rollout of buses,” Allen told The Gleaner yesterday while noting he had received reports that commuters in Portmore, St Catherine, were impacted significantly last week because of an inadequate rollout of buses.

“There has always been a shortage a (of buses) and for quite some time we have had some problems,” Allen admitted.

He said the JUTC has had to creatively deploy buses, taking some off routes and placing them at others, in peak hours, or where there are commuter needs.

Sharp increase in demand

“As we go, we deploy and redeploy as necessary,” Allen added. “A major problem is a sharp increase in the demand for JUTC. In many cases we are not able to meet demand.”

He said a significant portion of the JUTC’s fleet consists of a ‘fairly aged unit’ as some of the buses range from eight to 10 years old. This poses additional problems.

“From time to time, we have had problems with spare parts,” said Allen, adding that a significant number of the buses are not able to stay on the road for an entire day, because of defects. “We try to send out as few buses as possible with faults,” he said.

Allen said the company was now focusing on long-term measures to solve the reliability challenge that it is encountering. These include obtaining a fleet of new buses, which are expected to be in the island by March next year, and reducing the variety of buses in the fleet to allow for better fleet management.

The finance minister Audley Shaw has appealed to the World Bank to intensify its efforts in working with Jamaica to find innovative solutions to the country’s high level of indebtedness.

Mr Shaw made the appeal while attending the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Istanbul, Turkey.

He spoke of the impact of the global crisis on the Jamaican economy, including plunging revenues from reduced remittances and foreign exchange flows, as well as reduced earnings from the bauxite industry.

Mr Shaw also called for the World Bank to work with the IMF to find sustainable solutions to the region’s problems, which are now being exacerbated by the world economic crisis.

Mr Shaw who is accompanied by the central bank governor, Derick Latibeaudiere, also met with officials of the IMF and held detailed technical discussions on Jamaica’s medium term programme in support of a Standby Agreement with the Fund.

The finance minister leaves Istanbul today to attend a meeting of the Committee of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Spain.

During that meeting he will have discussions with IDB President, Luis Alberto Moreno and other senior officials of the bank on proposed assistance to Jamaica.

Mr Shaw is scheduled to return to the island on the weekend.