BARBADOS ADVOCATE – DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN- THE DEBATE

APRIL 8, 2009

In the early 90s, our country Barbados was described by the Barbados Labour Party as a country in economic crisis. It was said that the Government and the Governor of the day, had created the problem. The crisis was detailed by the then Government. We were told what caused the problem and what solutions had to be implemented. The whole country was briefed on the contribution expected of each group, which included the social partners.

These groups were led to march by the Barbados Labour Party, while we were involved in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Barbados Labour Party and their main spokesperson on economic affairs were bombarding the call-in programmes aided by some moderators who felt that persons defending the Democratic Labour Party should not be heard.

The situation got so bad, that the whole country was shut down and many productive days were lost, which resulted in the country not being able to earn the necessary foreign exchange that was required to correct the economic problem. Even though the Prime Minister of the day assured all groups that he was not going to allow the IMF to devalue the dollar, that did not stop the various groups from bringing the country to its knees.

A decade later, now that the Barbados Labour Party finds itself with a socio-economic problem, the Opposition is being blamed for unpatriotic acts, even though they have complied with all the request made of them.

This is occasioned by an appointee who has shown that juniors who have attained knowledge should not be heard and complaints of persons should not be entertained. Though they are protected from predators, who wait to create snags for new entrants, who are willing to protect their integrity by dealing with all the snags which have been created in the system that should not be allowed to snag the system.

It must be clear to one and all, that any reforms must provide for the separation of criminals, so that certain criminals cannot get their way with young offenders. This results in making them worse than when they entered the system for reform.

Reform must be positive and not negative. Prison must not be seen as an institution of higher criminal learning. Those persons who see themselves as professors at that institution must know by now that the youngsters are willing to do their time and defend their identity.

Two of the sites holding the prisoners have been identified. I am told that another proposed site might have been deemed unsafe because of the structure of the building. This property is capable of being used productively and would free up prime property in order that Government could continue its development plan.

On Wednesday, we witnessed a fire at Bromefield St. Lucy. This is a yearly occurrence. Over the years, the residents have been able to control this fire by the use of their individual water hoses.  On this occasion, though it was not a cane fire, but a trash fire, the residents were unable to contain the fire owing to a lack of water.

The water supply in the area was better than the day before, when persons have t o travel to Bourbon to fetch a pail of water in order to get a shower. Yet the pressure was so low that they were unable to control the fire.

The board of the Water Authority needs to urgently redirect the funds for the capital works programme that should have been completed some three years ago. Persons living in the Crab Hiss area can tell you about having to go back to their old time ways by having to take their showers in the back yard instead of their lovely bathrooms because of poor water supply.

Rusty water is not uncommon in St. Lucy. It would be appreciated if the Water Authority could inform us of the number of repair jobs they had to do in St. Lucy and the cost to the Authority. The population of St. Lucy has increased significantly. The Water Authority, MTW depot and all agencies dealing with water, roads and lighting on the highway and in the tenantries need to install the requested lights to enhance the security.

The demographics of the area have changed and what was headlined in another section of the press must be ignored and the meat of the story appreciated. The residents of St. Lucy have always accepted their responsibilities, but they want to continue to appreciate their unique qualities with which they have been blessed.

On Monday, I sought to get Government to appreciate that we should not go around creating permanent law to suit what was supposed to be a temporary problem, by informing the House that het Police was within their jurisdiction.  I informed them that it was the prison officers, the defence force and officers from the RSS who needed to be empowered, making Station Hill the only location for a prison, instead of creating a climate where prisons could be created without just cause.

We the citizens of Barbados must do everything to bring normalcy back to our country. As a responsible Opposition, we cannot join with anyone to stop the growth of the economy. We must not act like the politicians of the early ‘90s and at the same time, we must ensure that we do not give away goodwill to any one politician. Blame must be laid where it is due and praise must be given when necessary. This is too serious a matter for grandstanding of for TV actors.

Lucy is proud of her offspring and she does not mind being regarded as ‘behind God’s back.’ She enjoys having water on three sides, showing her love for a good water supply and having one neighbour, Peter, who allows her to keep her independence and loyalty.

Lucy’s offspring would have preferred temporary locations for prisoners instead of temporary prisons. It is time to stop insulting the intelligence of the people of St. Lucy.

(Denis Kellman is the Parliamentary Representative for the parish of St. Lucy, Barbados)