Policy Suggestions

-
Barbados Electoral Map

The Mahogany Coconut Group, cannot in all honesty, endorse either the ruling Democratic  Labour Party or the Barbados Labour Party in the recently announced General Elections of February 21st. 2013. We remain steadfast in our position, that neither party has the intellectual capacity or the political will to engineer progressive socio-economic reform. However, we respect the right of the populace to vote and we will be the first to offer critical support to any party, organization or individual, who come forward with suggestions and or positions to enhance our national and Caribbean well-being. However, we are cemented in our belief, that we are governed by a very sophisticated one party state. In other words, “six of one and half dozen of the other!”
Against this background we offer some of the policies we will support in the interest of national development:

 Education
We believe that there can be no real or sustainable change without the radical reform of the educational system. We therefore call for the abolition of the Common Entrance Examination. We will replace the current system with continuous assessment so as to identify the skills sets and educational strengths of our children. Too many of our children are falling through the cracks because of the elitist approach to education;
 Land Use Policy
 We call for an immediate band on the sale of land to non-citizens. In recent years we have seen the increase in land prices because of unregulated speculating. This activity has resulted in citizens being denied the ability to purchase land and therefore have no real legacy to leave for future generations;
 Tourism
We call for the establishment of craft markets at all hotel plants,each to accommodate   at least twelve vendors to sell their craft. The vendors   would be chosen by a lottery which would be conducted by the hotels and a reputable firm of auditors. This would assist in restoring some form of economic activity by small business persons who have been systematically denied opportunity in the tourism industry.
Agriculture and Fisheries
We call for the establishment of a revolving fund of fifty million dollars to assist small farmers with ten or less acres and fisher folk with small/medium sized vessels in order to improve their operations. These funds should be loaned from the National Insurance Scheme. We call for the establishment of an Agriculture and Fisheries Fund Department to exclusively manage the fund.
The Arts
We call for a National Primary School Arts festival.  All performances should be filmed and marketed throughout the world. Outstanding students/performers should be given scholarships to further their Craft/skills. This festival should include calypso and steel drum (pan) performances in addition to all other activities.
Governance
We   call for senators to be elected every two years and with  term limits of six years or three terms. Candidates should be nominated by any civic group or organization registered by the state. Independent candidates will not be allowed. No more than one candidate should be nominated by each civic group. In cases where there is no clear winner, run-offs should be used to determine winners. The newly constituted senate will have the right to vote on all government bills. Defeat in the senate will send the bill back to the House of Assembly for further consideration. A bill can only be defeated by a clear two third majority in the new senate. The senate should comprise of no more than twenty four persons and the stipend paid should be no more than that necessary to cover travel to and from the senate.  Senatorial campaigns should not exceed ten thousand dollars and the monitoring of such will be executed by an independent Senatorial Overview Committee whose members will not be paid but selected by the Government Opposition and Governor General.
Integrity
We call on all Members of Parliament to declare their assets immediately. Failure to declare assets after six months in Parliament should lead to recall and new elections barring those who refuse or fail to declare their assets from being elected and or participating in any campaign;
Republic
We call on both the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party to move Barbados to Republic status within one year after the date of General elections of February 21st. 2013.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Barbados Elections 2013 and Cash

-
Image
The Mahogany Coconut Group submits that the real vote buying is in the upper echelons of our society. What we witnessed on Election Day was some voters getting   cash, cell phones, IPods and a bill paid here and there. The real votes were bought by those shadows- black and white, - who Dr. Don Blackman referred to a few decades ago! Of course Dr. Blackman talked only about white shadows but the corporate landscape has dramatically changed over the years – we now have shadows of all colors and ethnicities. While we shout from the roof tops about what took place on elections day, we bury our heads in the proverbial sand, by refusing to ask one simple question: How did the two political parties, both claiming to be rather financially impoverished, raise a conservative estimate of over twenty million dollars to pour into a three week campaign? We ask Dale Marshall (BLP) to tell us about the successful “cake sales and car washes” that raised their money. We ask Ronald Jones (DLP) to t
Read more

Me and V: a personal introduction to gay tolerance

-
Image
One Caribbean Nation. By William Skinner Me and V: a personal introduction to gay tolerance I must have been around nine or ten years old. V was a well-known gay citizen, who lived in my beloved hometown of Britton’s Hill, in the parish of St. Michael, Barbados. My earliest recollection of V was his apparent penchant for dressing in white. I seldom saw him in a long pants, and he walked with an amazing rhythm. Even at that early age, I realized that he was very effeminate. He always seemed busy   out and about in the Brittons Hill area and it was obvious that everybody knew him, and his notoriety was island wide. I also noticed that he was always exceptionally clean. Later, I would learn that he was also known as a popular pudding and souse vendor, who carried on his trade in the vicinity of Nelson Street, in the city. He was well loved and respected in Britton’s Hill; along with that respect came good-natured heckling. One day, around midafternoon, about three of my childhoo
Read more

International Women's Day : Our Caribbean Women, Our Hope

-
Image
One Caribbean Nation As we celebrate International Womens’ Day, we are cognizant of the role our Caribbean women have played in the cultural social and economic growth of our region and evolving Caribbean civilization. They , like our men , have risen from the depths and decadence of slavery , to the highest political and corporate ladders in the region. They have given birth, to millions and have made and continue to make significant contributions to those in the Diaspora. In many cases, where they were not the biological mothers, they nurtured, cared and developed those , who were deprived of parenthood , and socio-economic hope. They are in our classrooms, directing young and fragile minds , how to navigate a world that we in the region , must forever avoid being dragged into conflicts of the so-called super powers. They are pursuing all the opportunities of our tertiary educational institutions, including the University of the West Undies, often in higher numbers than our men. I
Read more