CBC: A Dinosaur of Our Times

Last week’s debate in the House of Assembly on the guarantee of a $40.6 million loan for the government owned television and radio station highlighted the Administration’s disconnect from reality. It underscored a lack of appreciation for the paradigm shift in communications and information technology and the fact that the CBC business plan is now a failed 1960’s model to which the Prime Minister seems to be wedded.

When CBC was launched there was no CNN, no Direct TV and no internet. Television sets came with 13 channels and channel 8 was the sole channel for Barbados television viewers. Today there are scores of channels, multiple news services and an explosion of radio and video streaming services on the internet. CBC with its single TV station and its radio broadcast service as well as its multi choice TV continues to see itself as a broadcasting company in the 20^th century mode and has increasingly become a propaganda arm of Bay Street.

Barbadians are being asked to sink millions of their tax dollars into a failed and outworn business model at a time when we are facing the most serious economic crisis of our post independence history. S&P is poised to further downgrade Barbados’ credit rating and has sent a message that we have to curtail our deficit spending or suffer the consequences of higher interest payments and worse.

A growing number of people from many disciplines and political persuasions recognize that government needs to reorder its priorities and get its fiscal house in order. Instead it is business as usual at Bay Street as government clings to an anachronistic institution that has not adapted to economic reality and is heavily over staffed for the functions that it performs.

For some time it has been recognized that CBC’s future lies in the production of video content and the development of value added products feeding into an explosion of worldwide demand for new documentary video featuring cultural, historical and environmental subjects. It is patently obvious that CBC, as it is presently run, cannot continue without massive periodic injections of working capital. As long as this pipeline of financing is assured, there is little likelihood that there will be any incentive for CBC to change its modus operandi. Other media houses either make a profit or go out of business. CBC should be no different.

As we continue to develop our capacity to deliver streaming video new business models for producing and delivering news and information will develop and replace the old broadcasting system. Growing competition from private companies will expand the opportunity for a wider discussion of the issues of the day with a wide diversity of views and opinions. News will no longer be controlled or manipulated through a monopoly television broadcast service controlled by government. Without major adjustments to its business plan and operational methods CBC’s revenue base will be in a continual state of decline and the demands on the taxpayer to support this dinosaur will continue to rise.

Enough is enough. Issue new TV licenses with appropriate conditionalities, put CBC up for sale and let market forces do the rest.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Refocusing the Business of Government

The role of government in Barbados needs to be reassessed in light of our economic growth and social progress over the past 60 years and in light of the growing demands on shrinking resources in a time of global recession. Over time, this role has expanded to embrace a growing range of economic activities and services as political representatives seek solutions to our social problems by spreading the wealth instead of focusing on wealth creation.

Perhaps we should learn from one of the Chinese proverbs. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This particular proverb has oft been quoted but little internalized for it is much more difficult thing to achieve than to provide the fish with money that is extracted from others.

It is time to restructure government and bolster the productive sectors of our economy that create wealth for individuals and the nation as a whole. In so doing we should level with the public about the reality of our economic predicament and stop trying to paper over the degree of current unemployment and under employment in the country.

Using government institutions as welfare agencies by employing people without having work for them to perform, we create cohorts of unemployables who learn to draw a salary while avoiding work and responsibility. The stories are legion of new government employees taken on to perform a particular function and find that their daily work allocation can be accomplished within the first hour or two of the day.

Under the direction of supervisors, they quickly learn to expand a one hour job to four hours and then learn the art of kabuki by simulating activity for the rest of the day in an effort to look busy. The Ministry of Housing is a classic example of this with a reported 23 maids being employed to clean the building at Country Road when 3 or 4 would do.

The world over, it is recognized that Government does not excel at operating economic enterprises. Well meaning or self serving political interference in the operation of business activities like the omnibus operations in Barbados is a prime example. Government should divest itself of the Transport Board and at the same time strengthen its regulation of the operations of all omnibus or minibus operators to ensure that the public is afforded a safe and economical mode of public transportation.

It must be patently obvious to all that the government cannot act as an impartial regulator for a fleet that it owns and operates. Accommodations are bound to be made in the exercise of regulatory discipline and conflicts of interest arise between regulator and operator. At the same time political expediency will always be seen to play a part even in circumstances when it does not. The transport board cannot continue to operate at the level of losses that it has accumulated over the decades and should be run as a business generating a profit to allow a reasonable return and appropriate investment in replacing its fleet.

If Government determines that certain sections of the society should receive discounted or free travel, provisions should be made to pay all operators to be reimbursed for the discounts provided as a result of government policy.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Armistice Day 2011

The First World War ended 93 years ago when the guns fell silent at 11:00 on the 11^th of November 1918. The armistice ended the first phase of a global conflict that saw an unprecedented carnage that bled an entire generation. The ensuing peace was but a breathing space that would later burst into a flaming resurgence with Hitler’s aggression in 1939 and his attack on Poland. Once again the Western democracies girded themselves for a titanic struggle with the totalitarian Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan.

The USSR, an early ally of Hitler’s Germany that participated in the savage dismemberment of Poland, belatedly joined the western allies after Hitler turned on Russia after consolidating his grasp on the rest of Europe. The ensuing global war ended in 1945 after the collapse of Germany and the capitulation of Japan after two nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In this Second Great War the cost in human life was staggering and the destruction wrought reached unprecedented proportions. Though the cause of freedom was eventually triumphant, the final victory was not always certain.

To commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of the fallen, nations around the globe mark 11 November as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Veteran’s Day. On that day, the Cadet Corps of the Secondary Schools and their pupils, hold a special ceremony to remember those alumni that fell in the two great wars. Today, Remembrance Sunday, we in Barbados remember our fallen heroes with solemn ceremonies at the Cenotaph in Hero’s Square.

It is a time not only to remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of freedom, but to also honor those who have placed themselves in harm’s way in the continuing struggle against totalitarian rule.

Generations of Barbadians have grown up in a world made safe for them by countless millions who resisted the jack boot of tyranny. They came from all quarters of the globe and fought to ensure that we could live in a land of peace and democracy where the rule of law prevailed. For this we should all give thanks, and never forget that the price of freedom can be a heavy price indeed.

Today the world is still a dangerous place. The bastions of freedom continue to be assaulted by Islamic radicals, narco-terrorists and through the corruption of organized criminal activity that particularly threaten the national security of small island states. Today’s conflicts are more by stealth than by frontal assault, thus all the more dangerous. We owe it to those who sacrificed so much, to stand guard against despots and cartels that would erode our cherished values in our exercise of free will and in the belief of liberty, the rule of law and equal justice for all.

As we remember those that sacrificed so much for us it is also a time to honor our men and women of today’s Barbados Defence Force as well as members of the Regional Security System who guard our shores. Their work is arduous and dangerous as they battle not only those that deal in addiction and death, but with the elements on the sea and in the air as well.

We should never forget that for all of us, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

United States Marine Corps 236th Birthday

Address given at Marine Corps Ball - Barbados

Fellow Marines, Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen. It is indeed a great honor for me to have been invited to speak tonight on the occasion of the 236th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. We gather here tonight to remember the glories and heroism of years gone by and to honor the men and women of today’s American Warriors who have served us, and continue to serve us, with a selfless courage and professionalism.

When one earns the title U.S. Marine he becomes one with the brotherhood of warriors forging a common bond that is not severed by time or distance. My early days in recruit training at Paris Island are as fresh in my mind today as it was 54 years ago and as I stand here I can picture my drill instructors, Sergeants Bowen, Giess and Pettit as clearly as the first day I stepped off the train at Yemassee, South Carolina for our bus ride to the Marine Recruit Depot at Paris Island.

They were veterans of the Second World War and Korean War and sought to impart as much knowledge as they could, distilled out of their own combat experience, to the raw recruits of our platoon. Like all of us here today it was not till we graduated from Boot Camp three months later that we were considered to be Marines. We had to earn the honor of the title Marine.

My subsequent training at Camp Lejeune and duty at Paris Island in the Marine Corps Band and as a Chaplains’ Assistant, flight training at Pensacola as a Marine Aviation Cadet and duty in Santa Anna, Okinawa, Vietnam and Cherry Point as a naval aviator brought me into contact with hundreds of Marines many of whom I stay in contact with to this day. Sadly not a few of them are with us but in spirit.

As a Marine there was never any doubt in my mind that I was part of a unique warrior class of amphibious shock troops that had served the United States with distinction. The terms Gung Ho, esprit de corps, duty and honor were indelibly etched in my mind as they are in the minds of every other Marine. Whatever my role I stayed true to my rifleman’s code for every Marine is a rifleman, be he a cook, communicator or pilot and I was proud of my expert rifle and pistol qualification year after year. They would stand me in good stead.
We learnt about the history of the Corps and its legendary heroes and sought to live up to the standards of valor that they had set.

But it was not all fire and brimstone for we had our moments of humor, good time and riotous fun. We worked hard and played hard and never sought quarter from anyone.

I might digress here to illustrate the sort of humor that we enjoyed by reading a short transcript of radio communications during the Iraqi war:

Iranian Air Defense Site: “Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.”
Aircraft: “This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.”
Air Defense Site: “You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!”
Aircraft: “This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send ‘em up, I’ll wait!”
Air Defense Site:  TOTAL SILENCE.
The Marine Corps experience molded me for leadership roles that I was later to perform in civilian life, both in business and in public life, and for this I will be forever indebted to the Corps.

Over the years I have kept abreast of issues affecting the Marine Corps and the development of new equipment and weaponry. I have also come into regular contact with Marines of all ranks over the ensuing decades and observed how well the younger generations have responded to the national security challenges and the changing shape of the battlefields of today. I marvel at the competency, professionalism and technical proficiency of today’s Marine as they grapple with and solve the complex problems of combat and pacification in the 21st Century.

At the same time today’s Marine is a socially conscious individual who responds positively to the society where he serves with a spirit of volunteerism that is unexcelled. Marines around the globe are not just the first in battle but also the first to save and succor in times of great natural disasters. Spontaneity and innovation is often on display in the face of adversity be it a hurricane, tsunami or flood as Marines move to rescue people and deliver medicine and food to isolated areas cut off from the rest of the world.

The Corps is a remarkable organization that is well led, well informed and highly motivated. It is a warrior class with compassion and serving in it was for me a delight and a privilege.

I am confident that the Marines will continue to rise to the challenges of the future holding dear to its core values while improving its capability to deal with new threats as they arise. The Commandant’s current thrust to involve the entire corps in developing strategies for the future is evidence of creative adaptation of cutting edge communications technology in problem solving and it is clear that this is one general that will not be fighting yesterday’s wars tomorrow. Let us hope that the recognition of this will give pause to any future enemies of America.

As we celebrate the 236th Birthday of the Corps here tonight let us remember those who have gone before us, those that are in ill health or wounded and the families that support them. May God grant them comfort and recovery as we extend a heartfelt thanks for their service to their country and their Corps.

God bless you Marines.

Semper Fi.

Unacceptable Cruelty to Animals

Animals have been my constant companions for the past seven decades and more. Dogs, cats, sheep and goats along with rabbits and guinea pigs and at one time a cow. We have shared a symbiotic relationship these many years as I cared for them while they provided milk, companionship and security. After my childhood menagerie, and my children’s pets and horses, we are now left with a few dogs that are our guardians and friends. Our duty to them is to make sure that they are fed and have fresh water, look after their medical needs and provide an adequate space for them to exercise while keeping their living areas clean. They in turn amuse us with their antics and bark at anyone who arrives in the yard.

My siblings and I were fortunate that my parents taught us at an early age to treat animals with respect and with due consideration for their well being. Thus when dogs reach a terminal point in their life and are in great distress I have a veterinarian terminate life as humanely as possible unless death comes naturally.

Whenever I have acquired an animal the first consideration was the appropriate space to keep the animal and the support system to ensure proper feeding and care. All too often a friendly puppy is adopted by an individual or a family without realizing that the dog may grow into a rather large animal that is difficult to control particularly if it is poorly trained and socialized.

The practice of keeping dogs for dog fighting along with the attendant brutality of the training regime for fighting dogs is an abhorrent practice and all too prevalent in Barbados. It speaks to a savagery that is not only directed to dogs but to the whole animal kingdom including man. It speaks of a disregard for life on so many levels that it is exhibited in the casting off of unwanted creatures in the most cruel, inhumane and savage manner that does no credit to our society.

With increasing regularity dogs are found with their paws bound with wire or rope and stuffed in a bag and dumped on the side of the road to die of thirst. Those that are lucky enough to be rescued by good Samaritans are often found to have been severely beaten, starved and tortured. These lucky few are often restored to health and live out the rest of their lives as treasured pets of a loving family even though some may be crippled as a result of the savage brutality of a former owner of unspeakable cruelty.

The incidence of animal cruelty is not unrelated to domestic violence and child abuse for those who would beat a dog to death would not think twice about assaulting a spouse or child in a fit of rage.

In an agrarian society where animals and livestock were a part of community life, children were taught to care and look after them, thus developing a more humane relationship between man and beast. In today’s urbanized world it is evident that there is a need for children to be taught how to look after animals and develop a respect for all life. This in turn might lead to a reduction in violent conflict resolution in our society.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Finally, Bipartisan Agreement on a New General Hospital

Four years ago the Owen Arthur administration decided that a new general hospital should be built to replace the decrepit and outmoded Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Four years later, the present government has now decided to reverse its initial objection to that decision and have now agreed that we do indeed need a new general hospital. After 44 tortuous months in office they have come to recognize that the present hospital is an increasing drain on the public purse while it does not meet the needs of the general public in the 21^st century. Following decades of patchwork quilt maintenance, changing medical technology, improved structural standards and design and increasing congestion The QEH has proved to be unsustainable

Unfortunately, because of petty political posturing, there has been a great escalation in the project cost and much time has been lost in the planning process as well as with the work that has to be done to train a new generation of technical staff. A new hospital would also require innovative operating systems and structures of management that would maximize the efficiency of the staff at all levels.

Along with the initial planning of the building design and construction, there should be a parallel planning of the maintenance of the facility. Suitably qualified engineering staff should be employed in the earliest stages in order to familiarize themselves with the new hospital, establishing proper preventative maintenance procedures and implement them from the very beginning.

Relocation of the hospital to a higher elevation and to a more accessible site would be of long term benefit and improve the capability of the institution to respond in times of natural disasters or mass casualty events. Given the improvement in road systems and the ubiquitous availability of vehicular transportation there is now greater flexibility in choosing a convenient location for ease and speed of public access to the vast majority of the public.

The practice of medicine today is a team effort of physicians, nursing staff, record keepers, sanitation workers, information technology and communication specialists, catering facilities for patients and staff, pathology, and pharmaceutical dispensing services but to mention a few. This in depth support is critical for effective, safe and error free patient care.

A new hospital will mean developing a new way of recruiting, retaining and managing the knowledge intensive workers that will be essential to get the true benefits from the enormous capital cost of a new facility. While we focus on the design and structure of a new building and its location as well as how we plan to finance this massive project, we also need to take care of some of the essential things at the very basic level that will support the success of this venture.

For example, we need to promote the study of the physical, chemical and biological sciences in secondary schools and to create an excitement in the scientific curricula. The importance of a sound grounding in science cannot be understated for many of the essential professions in today’s economy. It goes without saying that a science background is a prerequisite for the nursing profession, yet a staggering number of youngsters who chose to apply for nursing school have to attend remedial classes in science and many who may have a natural aptitude in caring for the sick and elderly find that a lack of a sound grounding in science prevents them from maximizing their potential in the nursing profession.

The new hospital is a very necessary project and given its cost and complexity needs the very best technical planning and implementation. Equally challenging will be to get the human equation right and with our present organizational structures and planning priorities that is an impossibility.

  

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com

Compulsory Acquisition of Private Property

The Constitution of Barbados guarantees the right of private property ownership, it further protects us from the deprivation of our property except in situations where there is an urgent public need and in such instances of compulsory acquisition the owner must be fairly compensated with a monetary settlement. Examples that readily come to mind for compulsory purchasing of land are for road improvements and road construction, the erection of public buildings and construction of schools or low income housing projects. Once acquired, if the property is no longer needed for the original public purpose it should be first offered to be returned to the original owner.

The concept of Eminent Domain or compulsory acquisition of private property is a long established right of sovereign governments to acquire private property without the owner’s consent where there is well recognized public need. Exercising the right of compulsory acquisition should not be taken lightly and should be for clear and transparent reasons for the public good.

Since biblical times, compulsory acquisition of private property has been exercised by monarchs and potentates, become part of English Common Law, codified in the Napoleonic Code and is part of the 5^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

From the earliest times the exercise of compulsory acquisition has been fraught with problems as individuals and assemblies defined public use with increasing elasticity or used its provisions for private gain. King Ahab of Samaria’s acquisition of Naboth’s vineyard next to his palace was an early example of how not to do things as Elija subsequently pointed out. In more recent years, American municipalities and states have moved the goal posts from public use to public benefit until the Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. The City of New London created such a public outcry, that legislators in most of the 50 states swiftly moved to strengthen private property laws and rein in the excesses of compulsory acquisition.

Closer to home we cannot forget the government’s acquisition of Graeme Hall Plantation to establish the Ministry of Agriculture and the subsequent divestment of much of the land to private developers who profited mightily from the subsequent sub-division. In more recent years Parson’s Pest Control Limited successfully challenged the government’s acquisition of a portion of its property and the Barbados Supreme Court case number 154 of 1999 on the Town Planning web site makes for interesting reading.

Finally we come to the news last Friday of a most remarkable plan by the government to compulsorily acquire a section of land from Secure Shred Inc. at Vaucluse in St. Thomas, with the intention of transferring that land to a competing private company engaged in the same business activities as the company that presently owns the land.

By what stretch of imagination could this be possibly deemed to be in the public interest? How on earth can this maneuver be described as environmental protection? What must corporate Barbados think about its property rights and the business environment that this precedent would create?

This proposed action by the Ministry of Housing and Lands is a monumental abuse of the powers of compulsory acquisition. It should be abandoned before the public purse is further impoverished through the inevitable litigation that will follow as well as the incalculable damage to the investment climate that would result from such an action.

There is now a clear need to improve the criteria, transparency and mechanisms of compulsory acquisition as well as the management of the inventory of property purchased in this manner.

phillip.goddard@braggadax.com