The West Indies Cricket Team in happier times ... ...
This is where Government comes in – unfortunately the Governments of the Caribbean have never seen cricket as a sector for the economy. All of us would be highly critical of Government if we were sitting on minerals that we could mine and we were not seeking to do anything about it.
The idea is not for Government to throw money at cricketers or to interfere with the rules of the game. It is about building an industry in which we appear to have a competitive advantage. The region has not benefitted substantially from what can come out of a cricket industry. For example books, training, films, gear that is designed in the region and marketed as coming from the region.
Thousands of West Indians should be involved in an industry to which the region has contributed substantially in fashioning over the years. It is true that regional efforts are often cumbersome, but there is nothing to prevent Barbados from recognising this as one of the new sectors for development.
Countries with limited natural resources must create opportunities for themselves. It is possible to decide to develop an expertise in an area and just go for it!
Yes the whitewash was stark but if we were still benefitting more substantially maybe it would hurt less.
Barbados Allegiance,
We had a very excellent post for you yesterday morning. But we dont know if spies caught up with it but what we do know is that when the submit “button” was clicked on, the sending process froze from then until quite recently. And this has meant that we have been unable to retrieve such an excellent post.
However, what we have done now is to just present in point form what we could barely remember was to be sent to you all this morning for your information.
So here we go.
1) We have postulated that with the Abolition of TAXATION, INTEREST RATES, EXCHANGE RATES PARITIES WITH TE BARBADOS DOLLAR, etc. and with other modern rational strategies and sub systems taking their places, there will be the coming about of unprecedented high levels of national output, income, expenditures, consumption, investment, real savings, exports, imports etc, sufficient that such will redound to the further social welfare physical infrastructural and security development of this country.
2) Having said so, we must AS SOON AS POSSIBLE win elections for the House of Assembly in this country, and must do this by an overwhelming majority – quite more than a two-thirds majority. Such a mandate we will continue to ask the voters of this country for over and over.
3) Having got such a mandate from the voters, the PDC will lead the charge in making sure that many political constitutional and legislative changes are carried out in this country in support of the above and below and other principles and policies of our people’s centred developmentalist party.
4) There must also be the recognition of persons reading this information now that there will be a grand effort by this PDC government to integrate these particular political, financial and strategic policy and sub-systemic changes ( Abolition of TAXATION, INTEREST RATES, etc you know the lines already) with these particular political financial and environmental structural and operational changes ( a new state management entity ) in order to properly understand that there must be a great measure of coherence and harmony and circularity involved in the conceptualization and the designing of such changes in order to achieve the best results for their patrons.
5) Thus, following on from 4 above, there will be the establishment of this new state management entity that will be responsible for the business of the managing of the affairs of the state. It will replace the Crown, the Ministry, Ministries, statutory corporations and all other state bodies, in all of its different manifestations – through the creation of Divisions, Subsidiaries, Boards of Directors, etc.
6) Such a new state management entity will be part owned by those who are now present day political heads, permanent secretaries, administrative officers, general workers, etc., those who make up the boards of statutory bodies and their present day workers, and those who are part of other so-called state-owned entities altogether composing the entire public service. This entity will also be part-owned by those who are present day workers within the judicial arm of the government and by those who will make up the legislature of this country. Such partners will have great say in the decisional and policy making and managerial processes of the Divisions, subsidiaries, and other entities that will make up the holistic structures of this state management entity. They will also be remunerated in profits and dividends at agreed times and based on agreed principles and rules. A similar type of transformation will also be engaged in the private sectors of this country.
7) The political heads of the three major components making up this entity will be elected by the people. For example, the Cabinet, which will be an executive coalitional cabinet – will see candidates vying for a number of pre-fixed positions for parties (11), a number of pre-fixed positions for non-party political organizations (5) and a number of pre-fixed positions for independent candidates (3) in it – and which will total 19 positions in all, as a general rule, and which will be subject to alterations.
8) The head of the Cabinet will be the President, and the deputy head, the Vice President – both of whom at first will be elected by members of the Cabinet and then at a later stage in the evolution of the Cabinet will be directly elected by the people. The President or acting President will NOT have the power to dismiss any minister or any person from the Cabinet – ONLY to assign to and remove portfolios from those who he/she has the power to assign to or remove such from.
9) The Judiciary, which will be headed by the Chief Justice, or deputy headed by the deputy Chief Justice, will be made up of elected Court of Appeal and High Court Judges. The Court of Appeal positions will be vied for by candidates who would have been already Court of Appeal Judges, High Court Judges or persons who have had 15 or more years experience as practising attorneys including state attorneys – The High Court positions will be vied for by persons who have already been High Court Judges, Magistrates for 7 years or more or persons who have been attorneys including state attorneys for 10 and more years.
10) The Legislature will be made up of constituents who would have been selected by other constituents to fill about 200 positions, we think, in each Constituency Assembly in each Constituency in Barbados. Such Constituents will decide, debate and then pass legislation of this country. Too, there will be the head of the Legislature whom will be elected by those Constituency Assembly members at a convenient meeting of all Assemblies.
11) In so far as the state budgetary process is concerned this will be the responsibility of the Secretary of Finance of this state management entity, whom shall be an independent member of the Cabinet and whom shall be a seperate person from the President or Vice President of the Cabinet.
12) Having prepared a financial budget, he or she shall before the ending of the financial year, but at a reasonable time before the upcoming financial year, send such a budget of income and expenditure for the financial year ahead to the Standing Committee of Finance – which will be a Constituency Assembly tasked with looking into and monitoring all possible matters related to the business of financing the affairs of the state as well as that of this state management entity – for it to evaluate and criticize and then for it TO PASS OR NOT PASS by simple majority such onto the entire Legislature for its deliberations and conclusions – acceptance, rejection or modification by its own simple majority. This particular Appropriation Bill – once successfully passing these stages – will then be taken to the present parliament building to be signed into law by the Head of the legislature on behalf of the people of Barbados.
13) With such political constitutional legislative changes coming into existence, there shall also come into existence the granting of certain powers, capacities and duties to certain Divisions, Subsidiaries, and other entities of this state management entity, to raise and spend their own incomes without having to seek the authority or approval of the legislature. Such entities shall however provide the Standing Committee of Finance with plans of its own intentions to engage in such income raising and spending activities. Where an entity has been a beneficiary of financial allocations from the legislature and after it has engaged in commercial activities it will be required to reimburse the Treasury before the end of the particular financial year in which it can afford to do so. Any excesses it will keep and manage by way of setting up its own funds and accounts that will help it to properly manage its incomes.
14) Such entities will adhere to strict and stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and will from time to time be called before the Standing Appropriations Committee to account for its money affairs.
15) Owing to the removal of TAXATION from the political financial system of this country, there will be many strategies and sub-systems that will replace such and that will substantially support this no-taxation paradigm.
Here are 2 ways in which the State will earn its own revenes, ( 1), by offering shares to the public in commercially viable solely owned or joint venture owned arrangement – say, in relationship to such arrangements that will provide for the proper mining and converting and marketing of our oil and gas resources – whether on or off shore; and (2), through the selling, leasing or renting of so-called state owned housing and industrial and marine spaces and buildings, or through the rendering of products and services to buyers and users of such respectively in the precincts of some of our very important national strategic assets, like the Seaport and Airport.
16) With regard to this state management entity it shall also have the power and authority like Barbadian citizens, Barbadian owned businesses and other entities, to enter the core financial system and get money/value for productive purposes and NOT have to repay it. There shall be a maximum limit placed on the amount that this state entity can get in certain given years.
17) With these things in mind (12 – 15), it shall mean that no longer will the state sector be seen by many as mainly a social welfare regulatory administrative enabling sector, but must also be seen as a major productive distributive sector – whereupon there will be the thrust to make sure that all the talents, skills and aptitudes of those who will become partners in this state management entity will be used to make sure that, et al, this sector offers excellent customer and customer friendly service, the best in “prices” for commercial products and services, the most affordable and reliable in social informational goods and services and the most effective in terms of judicial options and packages for individuals businesses and other in the respective personal, business and social sectors. Thus, it will no longer be necessary to see this state sector being described in the infamous words of the late Errol Barrow as an army of occupation.
18) Where the money supply is concerned, the PDC will make sure that there is sufficient productive money at all times to meet the demands for money/value of productive individuals, productive sectors and others in this country. Such will be consistent with the objectives of the PDC to make sure that 8 to 10 % average annual real growth rates are registered in this country, and on a sustained basis, and consistent with our strong views that money is to be primarily seen as a medium of exchange and NOT as carrying any inherent proprietary interests, esp as regards a few who hold on to it as if it is theirs and very insensitively at a point in time when others must have use of it.
19) Thus, the PDC will discard with this stupid notion of inflation and thus too of this policy of using Western fiscal and monetary measures to contract the money supply on some false assumption that to do so will REDUCE or CURB inflation in the country.
20) With regard to there being substantial money value circulation in the country, there shall be two policies which will be put faily early in place by the PDC to make sure that the country is as much as possible autonomized away from many external shocks and to make sure that the cost of living and doing business are kept to a minimum. There are, (1), MAKING SURE THAT IMPORTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES ARE ZERO-PRICED AT ALL POINTS OF ENTRY, and, (2), MAKING SURE THAT ALL EXCHANGE RATES PARITIES WITH THE BARBADIAN DOLLAR ARE ABOLISHED.
21) The PDC will ensure that there are techniques and approaches for the monitoring and checking of the effectiveness and effecience of these ideological political constitutional legislative financial changes in this country consistent with the expectations of the people of Barbados and those of a future PDC Government.
PDC
The problem with cricket is that it is being run by a bunch of amateurs! Because you were a cricketer doesnt mean that you have any management or leadership skills.