Hewitt says DLP bickering helps only BLP
Article by May 19, 2021
Barbados former High Commissioner in London, Guy Hewitt, says he has no desire to be part of any political bloodletting in the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
Moments after his arrival at the Grantley Adams International Airport from Florida, Hewitt responded to rising calls from DLP insiders and supporters that he should pursue the leadership of the party. Hewitt said such pursuits would not benefit the DLP.
“The only beneficiaries from any DLP infighting are all to be found in the Barbados Labour Party,” he told
Barbados TODAY. Responding directly to an April 30 column in the publication which promoted him as the future DLP leader, Hewitt said it was very reassuring to know that persons appreciated his efforts to be a solid citizen and friend. However, he added: “Having been at the 2018 Annual Conference and congratulated Comrade [Verla] DePeiza for president, I have no desire to stand
DLP leader makes pitch for campaign finance laws
Article by May 11, 2021
Though the Integrity in Public Life Bill has been the main focus of recent talks around Government’s aim of introducing some form of ethics legislation, Democratic Labour Party president Verla De Peiza has called for more attention to be paid to campaign finance laws.
Her comments came during her party’s weekly Sunday Roast live stream yesterday. The DLP leader said laws are needed to govern how political parties are financed, in particular during general elections, if true integrity rules and protocols are to be established and followed.
May 4, 2021
Tired of waiting in vain for permanent appointments, public officers are to propose to Government that appointments be delivered within a year to prevent officers working for extended periods of time, the National Union of Public Workers said Monday.
This was one of the issues raised and mandates carried at the NUPW’s annual general conference last month, Acting General Secretary Wayne Waldron told
Barbados TODAY.
He declared that public workers have been jaded by layoffs in recent years and are becoming more adamant with their demands for immediate job security.
He also noted increasing concerns about a perceived lack of transparency in relation to the appointment practices within some government departments and state-owned enterprises.
May 4, 2021
On this World Press Freedom Day 2021 and as we reflect on the theme Access to Information as a Public Good, I thought it instructive to share with the public – particularly media workers – insights into a 2008 draft Freedom of Information Bill, which after 13 years remains mere words on paper.
That bill was introduced by the former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Government of late Prime Minister David Thompson and when he died on October 23, 2010, the proposed legislation continued to make the rounds within the public service under his successor, Freundel Stuart.
All indications suggest that Thompson may have had a special interest in ensuring that a Freedom of Information Bill became law in an expeditious manner to the extent that the processes involving it were managed by his office.
April 30, 2021
Barbados’ highest appellate court, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), has yet again condemned the lower courts’ “unacceptable” delays in delivering judgments, issuing a strong call for an apology to the affected parties.
A real estate dispute, which took the Court of Appeal in Bridgetown four years to decide on, prompted CCJ justice Denys Barrow to issue the rebuke as the Port of Spain-based court delivered the last word on the case.
While declaring that the delay did not prejudice the lower court’s decision, Justice Barrow described the hold-up as serious and unacceptable.
He cited a concurring judgment by CCJ Justice Peter Jamadar who had some strong words for Barbados when he referred to Sections 18 and 84 of the Barbados Constitution relating to the delay in the delivery of judgments.