One Caribbean Nation. By Ralph Jemmott The Democratic Labour Party’s Report on Crime, a 146- page document, has been published. It reflects the work of a 12-member commission chaired by Ms Verla DePeiza that was established to examine what appears to be a rising tide of criminality in Barbados. The DLP is to be commended for its efforts. The document itself is entitled A Blueprint to Rescue a Nation. Creeping old age and the fact of being ‘in town long’ have tended to make one sceptical of so-called ‘blueprints.’ This is particularly so when it comes to documents that propose to be able to ‘rescue’ an entire nation.’ Certainly, Barbados, like much of the region, is in need of change to alter the tendency to gun-running, crime—both blue and white collar—, social disorder, drug abuse, and family breakdown with all its attendant consequences. Someone stated recently that in today’s world, there is no guarantee of the success of anything. One aspect of the commission’s findings highlight...
One Caribbean Nation. Not anti-development, just anti-exclusion Today’s Editorial On the surface, Barbados appears to be moving forward with high-end hotels, airport upgrades, and multimillion-dollar partnerships that frequently dominate the news cycle. The country is marketed as a rising star of Caribbean luxury tourism, with glossy renderings of resorts and ribboncuttings used as symbols of progress. But for many Barbadians, this version of progress feels increasingly out of reach. Behind the ribbon-cuttings lies a more sobering reality: one of rising inequality, poor public consultation, and a development model that appears to benefit a select few while leaving the average citizen behind. The image of progress has been carefully curated, but the substance is uneven at best. Take the highly-publicised Pendry Barbados development – a branded luxury resort with residences, beach clubs, and exclusive amenities. While these may sound like economic game changers, growing concerns suggest ...
One Caribbean Nation. by William Skinner Trinidad is a Real Country Trinidadians have a rather strange saying : “Trinidad is not a real country”. It’s a light hearted but often frustrating commentary on how “tings” are done in T and T. These things range from: complaining about vendors , selling their produce outside of the public markets , to the problems with what initially appears to be difficult public servants and customer service. We say “initially appears” because most of these often maligned public workers, are pretty cordial , when approached with a smile or a little joke. They are similar to their Caribbean counterparts. However, customers who are not always pleasant are supposed to be always right ! Trinidad still has a very entrenched hy-brid system of local and central government and its not unusual , to be given an answer to a problem , in a local burrough and then realise that t...
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