Sunday, May 16, 2010

We Warned You About Dodds!

The recent revelation by the Goveror of the Central Bank that Dodds Prison will cost the people of Barbados a total of $749 million, payable over a 25 year period, further convinces the ‘Peoples Empowerment Party’ (PEP) that Barbados is well on its way to a status of ‘debt slavery’, compliments of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and the Barbados Labour Party (BLP)!


The BLP must be condemned for the shenanigans they perpetrated on the Barbadian people when, in 2005, they initially gave a price of "around $100 million" for Dodds, only to increase it to "$288 million" two years later, and then subjected Barbadians to having to wait a full two years after they left office before details of the full price were publicly revealed for the very first time!


Similarly, the ‘DLP’ must also be condemned for failing in their duties as a Parliamentary Opposition during the period of BLP rule, and for accepting the ridiculous contractual arrangements entered into for the construction of Dodds. It is noteworthy that the new DLP government paid the Dodds debt in 2008 and 2009 without once protesting or even bringing the matter to the attention of the Barbadian people. In fact, Barbadians should note that it was the Governor of the Central Bank who brought this matter to their attention and shared the relevant information with them - not the Minister of Finance or any other DLP policitican! Indeed, the DLP Minister of State, Senator Darcy Boyce, actually participated in accepting and approving the Dodds contract!


The clear conclusion to be drawn from all of this is that the DLP tacitly approved of and went along with what we now choose to call "The Dodds Fiasco". The PEP on the other hand, has been publicly protesting about this matter since 2006!


Indeed, in a Press Release dated 4th June 2007, our party stated at follows:-


"The PEP is demanding that Prime Minister Owen Arthur explain to the Barbadian people why the cost of the contract to construct the new prison at Dodds in St Philip has escalated from $100 million to $288 million................. The PEP is extremely concerned about this phenomenal increase in the contract price of the new prison........... Indeed, as early as 8th March 2006 our Party signalled our concerns about the prison contract to Attorney General Dale Marshall, when we wrote to him requesting that we be given copies of the construction plans for the new prison and be permitted to visit the construction site at Dodds, St Philip..........................


The PEP demands to know why a foreign firm was selected at a price of $288 million over a local consortium of firms, whose price was much lower at $120 million.............. The PEP denounces the practice that has been routinely engaged in by both the BLP and the DLP of awarding contracts at a particular figure, and then agreeing to phenomenal increases in the cost of such contracts..................................


The PEP also deplores the trend that has emerged of favoring foreign companies over their local competitors, even in circumstances where the local company is offering a lower and more reasonable price."


The recent revelations of the Governor of the Central Bank have confirmed the relevance and correctness of the concerns that we raised back in June 2007.


The real issue is that the narrow, incestuous two party system of governance is leading our country to ruin! And you, the citizens of Barbados need to bestir yourselves and join the PEP to engineer a broadening and a democratisation of the system, thereby facilitating greater accountability!

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