THE SOCIETY FOR MASS FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY & THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS

PRE-ELECTION MANIFESTO

PART ONE

OCTOBER 2006

 2006 The Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy / People’s Democratic Congress

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Copyright 2006 The Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy/People’s Democratic Congress All Rights Reserved.

2 Part One

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pgs 4 - 7 Foreword

7 - 14 Introduction

14 - 52 The Economy and Economics: Big and serious national problems

52 - 74 The Abolition of Taxation

74 - 88 The Abolition of Interest Rates

88 - 93 The Reform of Hire Purchase

93 - 107 Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes deemed Non-Repayable

107 - 114 Imports of goods and services into Barbados to be Zero-“Priced” at ALL points of entry

114 - 120 Exports intended for External Markets to be paid for in Barbados Currency/Price Value

120 - 158 The Greatest Development Possible for our Productive Sectors

158 - 162 Withdrawing Barbados From CSME Arrangements

162 - 170 The Abolition of ALL Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados Dollar

170 – 176 The Disposing of the Notion of, Measuring For, Inflation in Barbados

176 - 195 The Abolition of Motor Vehicle and other Forms of(Compulsory) Public Liability Insurance

195 – 197 The Institution of a National Money Value System

197 - 209 Land Space Possession to be Acquired – Whether bought, sold or leased – ONLY at Administrative/Nominal Costs

209 - 214 The Institution of a Rent Control Regime For BuildinG

215 The End of Part One

3 FOREWORD

Some approximately five years ago, a group of very politically impassioned, aware, and concerned Barbadians, on recognizing at the time that there was little being done by the political directorate in Barbados to address and resolve the myriad political, social, material, and financial problems that have been for years brought upon the masses of people of Barbados by elite/state political exploitation, decided to come to the fore of Barbadian politics and society by forming an independent, non-partisan political organization to represent the interests of the masses of people in Barbados, and to begin by using this organization and other means the setting about to achieve the long-term great transformation of the lives of the masses of people of Barbados.

Actually, these great and seminal efforts had given rise to the Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy (SMFD). For, over the course of many months, first, by meeting for about 2 months at certain weeknights by Cave Sheperd, Broad Street, then later for a couple nights on the Board Walk, next to the Careenage, in Bridgetown, then later, too, for several nights in about three months or so on the Central Bank Compound, Church Village, Bridgetown, until finding rented inside space at Lorde’s Court Roebuck Street in 2002, which was secured for many months – this organization was able to, among other things, mould and fashion a slogan “a free mind, a free money, a free people”; a beautiful emblem; organizational colors; a draft provisional Constitution; an assemblage of national ideas, perspectives and programs; and a nucleus of very committed members not only catering to the fundamental and logical development of the affairs of the masses, but also catering to the fundamental but rational social, political, financial and material changes for Barbados. SMFD’S biggest goal was, still is, and will always be to help create a brighter and better Barbados for 21 st Century Barbadians, and others beyond that time.

Over the last three years or so, by us, in SMFD, canvassing and campaigning hard across the country, and especially in Bridgetown, for support for SMFD and its causes, have no doubt involved our being met with good responses and support from thousands upon thousands of Barbadians for us and these causes. Over this time also by conducting open air public meetings throughout much of Barbados; by house-to-house canvassing in many constituencies; by making our views and policy positions clear by way of using various communication media –which, too, has involved a very spirited public awareness raising poster/flyer campaign educating potential/Barbadian Voters of WHAT a SMFD backed Government/a SMFD/PDC Government shall be doing for the country; by our constantly liaising with different Barbadian social groups; and by listening to many of the frustrations, concerns and views of thousands upon thousands of Barbadians as well as by observing the unsatisfactory physical conditions under which many, many of them live and work, have obviously brought us much needed political experiences and a sense of appreciation that in Barbados Voters wish to see not only a new party emerge and take

4 up the reins of legislative and executive government, but also long to see a new political, social, financial, and production order created in Barbados.

Thus, with these great efforts and interrelationships over the last four years, we surely have been laying much of the foundation for the further growth and development of our movement. As such, two very fundamental aims of SMFD have been achieved: the creation and development, in early 2005, of a party - the People’s Democratic Congress (PDC) - and the production of a SMFD/PDC pre-election Manifesto, which is what you, the reader, are presently reading, First, the Congress, along with the Society, is currently based at Dear’s Land, Black Rock, and is and will always continue to have as its parent body the Society. Second, with regard to the emergence of the Congress, this is as a consequence of there having been established in the Society, the position that because of the structure of the Society itself there would have to be developed out of the Society, a party that would not only be a truly people-centered, democratic organization whose overarching political aim would be to win governmental power in order to help achieve those crucial people-centered objectives and programs which would have already been spoken to by the Society, but one that would also be presenting and giving strong support to its own full slate of candidates that will be contesting the next elections in Barbados, Also, we, in the Society, especially between the time of the last election and the emergence of the Congress, would have been bombarded by calls from Barbadians in their great multitudes to form a party that would be one of at least two other new parties to in the long term replace the BLP and DLP, which, according to them, have been for a long time outstandingly, and in many instances deliberately and willfully so, failing the masses and many others. And, last but not least, just as many Barbadians would also have been imploring us to install diligently a political leader of the party which, in contrast with the Society, requires a Political Leader! Thus, right now it is being seen that machinery of the party are being well set in motion not only in relationship to the coming elections but also with respect to many more to come!!

What must be also stated is that with the coming about of the Congress, we in the Congress and the Society have found it necessary to include the promotion and securing of the interests of the pseudo-elite( middle classes) as part of our overall agenda, and not just those of the masses, because we have properly recognized that they too have been for a very long time suffering from elite/state political exploitation in Barbados, although not like the extent nor profundity to which the masses of people of Barbados have been experiencing this exploitation for over the years. We are fundamentally and diametrically opposed to elite political exploitation in Barbados and where so ever else, whatever forms, shapes or designs it comes in!!

Thirdly, with regard to this pre-election Manifesto, this is as a primary result of the members of the Society/Congress determining that through the creation of such a pre-election Manifesto there will be the bringing about of a greater measure of ideological and policy coherence, consistency, and certainty than previously to our public pronouncements, views and commentaries, esp. with regard to the measures like the Abolition of Taxation, and the Abolition of Interests Rates; and

5 determining that potential/Barbadian Voters must be given a document far intellectually and inspirationally better than what has been produced by both BLP and DLP at election time, and that seriously outlines and properly explains for the benefit of the understanding of these Voters the policies, measures and prescriptions contained in it, and that would very likely between now and the next election, be a sound and valid basis for Barbadian Voters, first, properly and prudently evaluating and, then, VOTING for that package of policies, measures and prescriptions – being SMFD/PDC’S - that have enormous and limitless worth and relevancy in relationship to the great need of theirs for credible and concerted political and other actions that result in the betterment and enrichment of their lives and interests - and not plain old deceptive rhetoric and down right intellectual and party grandstanding as are synonymous with the BLP/DLP.

It is clear that both the Congress and this Manifesto are but part of a wider SMFD/PDC plan of greater things to come for the people of Barbados, the vast majority of whom truly deserve better not worse living conditions, brighter experiences not duller ones, and safer circumstances not more threatening ones. We, in SMFD/PDC, intend making our entire political and other efforts and plans a serious departure from the type of partisan politics that is now muchly practiced in Barbados whereby deception, greed, selfishness and exploitation of a rank political nature are the order of the day in Barbados, by being entirely truthful, altruistic, responsible, and upright in our political actions as we continue to treat to the affairs of the public. Also, we say and do these things as a matter of duty to the people of Barbados and not as a matter of right!!

In conclusion, we ask that the ALMIGHTY put and inspire greater and necessary confidence in SMFD/PDC, continue to instill in us your guidance and honor, strengthen us as we go about this very important mission of intensifying our thrusts in the quest for the achievement of legislative and governmental power in Barbados, to be used principally as a means of doing things that are necessary to help in the great transformation of the country for the benefit of the people, esp. the masses, and not for any undesirable or corrupt personal, familial or financial/commercial gain. Thank You!

Meeting Place : Dear’s Land Black Rock – ANY TIME Tel : 433-5714/267-1889 Website : www.somassfreedem.org E-mail : [email protected]

6 INTRODUCTION

For certain, we, in Barbados, have some way passed the half way point of a journey between the last general election on May 21, 2003, and the next election constitutionally due on May, 21, 2008. Hence, there could be no better way for The Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy and The People’s Democratic Congress (SMFD/PDC) to begin intensifying their approach towards the next election than by presenting this pre-election Manifesto to the electorate of Barbados, at this juncture in Barbadian and world history. Indeed, we feel honored and gratified that this is our first such Manifesto, which we have dedicated to the people of Barbados, and which you, the reader, will find while reading and analyzing it, to be a very clear example of putting country before party/self!!

For, not only is this Manifesto a solid statement of SMFD/PDC’S profoundest intention to seek a mandate from the people to preside over the boldest, most far-reaching and most meaningful change this country will have ever seen in its relatively short history as a nation, but is yet another expression of the greatest level of confidence that we have in the people of Barbados that they will strongly support nothing but the best and most pragmatic election proposals outlining how Barbados can become a modern, world class society in the long term. Moreover, such proposals are emerging from these two political organizations, which having observed the very unequal and unacceptable living conditions of the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo- elite, to a lesser extent, of Barbados, and which having resolved that the primary cause of such is local elite/state political exploitation of such people, have decided that we have had enough not only of this vicious exploitation but also of those political and other institutions, structures and processes in Barbados that are themselves manifest evidence of being part and parcel of this exploitation.

Thus, SMFD/PDC have democratically resolved to helping produce a Barbados that purposefully emerges from the grips of a conservative, oligarchic elitism to a Barbados that strongly becomes the foremost national social democracy within this Western hemisphere, whereby greater prospects for a better blend of the private and the social, a better blend of individuality and nationality, of liberty and authority, and of prosperity and equality, for many, many more Barbadians, must be certain. It is more SMFD/PDC’s duty to the country than it is to party and self, to help Barbados, which, save the real rescue efforts of ourselves and those of some others, for all intents and purposes, is fast IN DANGER of becoming a neo-colonial social order, which itself in turn, we are certain, would bring utter country-wide chaos, crisis and decline for thousands of people more in Barbados, and not without our considering possibilities for Barbados becoming a failed state in the long term. The average Barbadian Voter must therefore

7 see why this Manifesto is speaking directly to the political re/engineering of substantially better social, financial, material and other change results for Barbados!

What A Manifesto Is And/Or Should Be

At this moment we do reveal to readers of this Manifesto and potential Barbados Voters in Barbados that for us, in SMFD/PDC, A Manifesto is a serious political document in which there is provided by or on the behalf of the party that happens to have ownership of the said Manifesto political/electoral policies/measures for the benefit of the understanding of the electorate or portions thereof as to what is very likely too be done when this party achieves governmental power, and from which there is begotten serious public political/electoral responsibilities and consequences. Too, we do not accept that a party’s Manifesto is to be produced at ONLY around election time, and that it must involve party gimmicks and intellectual grandstanding which invariably help to divert the minds of most of the electorate from attending to many of the real problems facing the country around that time. Neither do we believe that such a manifesto should be a foray into the art of simply producing hundreds of suggestions for better government or society – many of which are sometimes incomprehensible, sometimes incomplete and unexplainable, or should be a foray into the use of myriad statistics without proof of their underlying sources and of how they were gathered and compiled - occasions which altogether serve to either turn off or confuse the mind of the average potential voter. Rather, a party’s manifesto should essentially be a very readable and decipherable political medium from which there is clearly identified, addressed and proposed serious solutions for partially resolving those very important sub/national issues and problems affecting the average countryman and woman cum average voters, whether or not an election is imminent.

Therefore, in presenting this type of Manifesto to the electorate at this time, we are continuing to set very high standards with regard to having a keen sense of political timing and a firm knowledge of seizing the moment while you can, in times like these when national political cycles are on the upswing for SMFD/PDC and on the down swing for the BLP and DLP, and furthermore by publishing this Manifesto we are continuing to carefully outline for the great benefit of the understanding of the readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters, the historical, academic, common sensical, rational and other bases informing the development of our various policy measures, positions, strategies, etc., which altogether are being put forward as partial solutions to many sub/national issues and problems!! Again with respect to the setting of high Manifesto standards, we are unshakably of the view that A Manifesto can only say so much and no more!! Otherwise, then, A Manifesto must be limited to dealing with only a reasonable range of issues, problems, strategies, and if it has to be so, in depthly, in order for the reader of it/potential Voters to have a full understanding of the main issues at stake – something which we

8 have done with this Manifesto- and given that we wish for the Manifesto to be EVER remembered by the manifesto reader, and the potential Barbadian Voter, when considering voting for SMFD/PDC next elections, for the carefully parceled out outstanding but brilliant issues, strategies etc. it contains, rather than they having to struggle to remember a very wide and comprehensive but shallow range of ordinary statistics, arguments, proposals and strategies as like put out in the Manifestoes of the BLP and DLP a couple days before the elections themselves, and which will serve to mainly confuse the minds of such persons, and possibly make them disinterested. As such, there shall be areas which some readers and potential Barbadian Voters will find NOT covered in this Manifesto, even if such persons are firmly of the view that they should have been covered.

Type of SMFD/PDC Candidates’ Respect for the Positions, Measures and Strategies…

With regard to our Candidates’ respect for the measures, positions, strategies, etc., as contained in this Manifesto, they must in principle uphold and behold them as part and parcel of SMFD/PDC’S strategy of making sure that no effort is spared in producing a well balanced, responsible, disciplined, and united team of political representatives, each of whom must be firmly committed to sound democratic principles, good governance and fundamental social change; must be greatly committed to selfless service in the interest of the development of the people of Barbados, esp. the poor and the disadvantaged, and must be greatly committed to making themselves electable.

With respect to the average potential Barbadian Voter in every single constituency, SMFD/PDC hope that for them this manifesto will serve as a very important political tool in his/her understanding and acceptance of the type of national political leadership (Executive Coalition Government), the type of political society for Barbados (People’s Participatory Democracy), and the nature, type and extent of national policies and programs (Abolition of Taxation, Making Constituents debate and pass the substantive Laws of Barbados, etc.), that, among other things, a future SMFD/PDC government will foster and secure for this country as soon as possible after being elected by the people. Moreover, the average potential voter must be aware of the very critical role they have to play in so far as they must VOTE IN a SMFD/PDC Government which shall understand the clear and strong relationship that exists between realizing, specifically, the objectives contained in this Manifesto, and generally, any worth wile, progressive and pertinent objectives, and success in overcoming the utter stagnation and crisis currently facing prospects for further long-term growth and development of Barbados and its people.

9 This Manifesto and Making Use Of Voting Opportunities

To those Barbadians who simply refuse to vote, and may be for good reasons too, we say to them that it is their right NOT to vote, but that having read or heard about this very reader-friendly and very forward thinking Manifesto, they must give themselves every single chance to reconsider that stance by having strong confidence and faith in the fact that once a SMFD/PDC Government begins to implement the various policies and measures of this Manifesto, what shall also be being addressed is the question of the fairly high levels of the voter apathy/disaffection currently being seen in Barbados, and which would be dealt with at their root causes. Earlier in paragraph two of this introduction, we declared “war” on those political and other institutions, structures and processes that are themselves manifest evidence of being part and parcel of elite political exploitation in Barbados. That is why and for other serious reasons like institutional decay and collapse, that this Manifesto in different segments makes it abundantly clear for the benefit of the understanding of readers of it and for potential Barbadian Voters, that we shall ABOLISH and wherever necessary REFORM those political, social, financial and material systems and processes that have been used by others to exploit and dehumanize esp. the masses of people of Barbados, and which obviously eventually have played a part in causing some extent of voter apathy /disaffection in Barbados. Nevertheless, we urge voters and traditional non-voters to make proper use of VOTING opportunities ahead to vote “for” SMFD/PDC next election, and as can be seen by the contents of this Manifesto, for the greatest possible liberation and enrichment of our people, and “not for” those - meaning many of the leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP - who are either representative of or are part of those political oppressors of the masses/pseudo-elite who use power, status, money and wealth to not only oppress us, the masses/pseudo-elite, but also to viciously divide and rule us. As well, the reader shall see opened and veiled references made throughout this Manifesto to the subject of Voting; which party - of course SMFD/PDC - to vote for; who we wish votes from with regard to whatever issue; and what to vote for and why, etc.

This Manifesto and SMFD/PDC’S Political Support Base

As for the relationship between this Manifesto and SMFD-PDC’s national political support base, this connection has a very important role to play in the lead up to and during the electoral con- test itself, in that, this Manifesto has been skillfully fashioned to further politically electorally energize this support base and has been frameworked, too, on the basis of it being largely a product of what this support base, and by extension the country, expects to be done or done by A SMFD/PDC Government, to be a fulcrum from which this base in the final analysis will succeed in getting more and greater short/long term political/electoral and other kinds of support for SMFD/PDC. Furthermore, out of all the roles to be played by this Manifesto and this political support base, individually or together, in the lead up to the next election, arguably the biggest one

10 is showing to Barbados and the rest of the world, by way of actual VOTES cast by it and others for SMFD/PDC in the next election, that the ideas, measures/positions/strategies as contained in this and the other Manifesto to come out just before the next election, would have been so overwhelmingly successfully understood and accepted by the vast majority of people of Barbados that based on the presumption that it would have been known by voting time that for thousands upon thousands of potential Barbadian Voters such ideas, measures etc., would already in fact have strongly and very well been withstanding the rigorous scrutiny of potential/critics and experts and therefore declaratory of a new and urgently needed developmental path for Barbados, as well as based on the presumption that these said ideas, measures, positions/strategies would have been so known by the said numbers of potential Barbadian Voters to have already in fact been of a great measure of political/electoral inspiration and motivation to them from the point of view especially that these said ideas, measures, etc., having long passed the test of reasonableness and common sense as afforded by the vast majority of people of Barbados, that such great numbers voting for these philosophies and policy measures and by extension for SMFD/PDC would have been very much a foregone conclusion. Also, the reader of this Manifesto shall realize that this Manifesto properly, and throughout its contents, exhorts political support from many angles and not only from this support base.

Tired and Frustrated with both BLP and DLP and Their Type of Manifesto Ideas

Very importantly, we take the opportunity in this introduction of this Manifesto to let the Congress’s members, the Society’s members and their supporters and the general public know that they have to be exceedingly careful with a few people whose main contribution is to be destructive and not constructive, and will bark that “such and such developmental/Manifesto ideas will not work”, that “these developmental ideas/Manifesto ideas are not yours, they came out already” , even this “ there are only two parties in Barbados” etc. albeit in spite of the fact that thousands upon thousands of Barbadians have made it clear to us that they yearn for greater more relevant and workable ideas to come to the fore in Barbados, and which would be of help in the further development of Barbados; that they are TIRED and FRUSTRATED WITH both parties and their type of Manifesto ideas and false promises, and hence, it being that they are very likely/are going to vote for a SMFD/PDC Government that shall carry out much needed and long overdue change for the better of Barbados.

No doubt we will successfully overcome those irritants and another irritant- whereby particular so-called national political opinion polls are done, esp. close to or during an election campaign ,or both, and which in the final analysis really will have overstated voter support and preferences for the BLP and the DLP. This latter subject is a subject that has to be really dealt with now, a little, and later, substantially more, in our Manifesto. Based on our own occasional informal and

11 unscientific surveys of potential/Voters/Non-Voters in Barbados, and given the kinds of responses that we have been getting from respondents to them and which are quite useful in regard of providing a wealth of information on the extent to which so-called national political opinion polls are or are likely to influence potential/Voters in Barbados, it has been found that for a substantial proportion of them - the respondents - these polls among other things tend to and do help influence them, and as they think, influence other VOTERS, to Vote for mainstream candidates and parties whom they did not intend originally Voting for. These citizens also in responding to our queries about those national public opinion polls, do see these polls as having such an influencing effect on them, and as they think others, so much so that in cases where they and others had qualms/doubts about voting for particular candidates/parties they actually under the influence of these particular polls continued with these same qualms/doubts and more about voting for the same particular candidates/parties, but given the way how the findings would have been published in the Newspapers – Biased Headlines and all, in favor of the particular questionable candidates and parties, remarkably instead reluctantly or uncertainly continued voting or voted for the same Tom Farnum or Vicki Jones or the Corruption Party over whose heads hung those qualms/doubts. In the case of some others - still respondents – for them these polls do have the effect of reinforcing in them to Vote for a particular candidate or party, and really no other!! And in the case of some of the Non-Voters, further influencing them NOT to vote for any body or party!! In these cases, SMFD/PDC do have evidence that to some extent these national political opinion polls really affect particular electoral outcomes in Barbados. Most importantly, though, it is SMFD/PDC intention in this Manifesto later to propose legislation that will deal effectively with this type of electoral corruption.

No Faith in BLP and DLP Leaders and Major Players

Also, in this Manifesto there will be often reinforced or intoned the point, and which has been supported by the findings of surveys that we have carried out throughout Barbados, that thousands upon thousands of citizens have no faith in the leaders and major players of both the BLP and DLP, saying that they are the same ideologically and programmatically, and that they only care about themselves, their familial and business connections, and are for the elite, when instead they ought substantially be for the poor, the deprived, and the marginalized –the masses of the country. These citizens are right!! Alternatively, throughout this Manifesto the reader of the Manifesto and the potential/Barbadian Voter will surely and regularly be told about SMFD/PDC’S bounden-duty to come up with - and for sure this process is already in motion - their own entirely different leaders, candidates, and platforms that are driven by people-centered and equality and other such developmental considerations, that are informed by the right regional and international initiatives, and that are compelled by the utmost need to create some entirely new political, social, material and financial cultures and systems for Barbados. Therefore, the reader and potential/Barbadian Voter must from the outset of this Manifesto, and as gleaned from

12 the tone and temper of its entire contents, realize that SMFD/PDC have, are, and will always firmly and unswervingly pledge commitment to those kinds of considerations, and to the development of far better social, material, financial, and political life standards for the people of Barbados!! Also, the reader and potential/Barbadian Voter must realize, again, from the outset of this Manifesto, and by way of all the arguments, measures, positions, and strategies in the Manifesto: from the Foreword to the installment on Reform of Hire Purchase in Barbados; from the installment on withdrawing Barbados from CSME Arrangements to the one on some policies for Reform of Plantation Labor, Home Helping and OutDoor Vending in Barbados; and from the segment dealing with that Reform of Media Sector in Barbados to that that deals with Politico- Constitutional Reform for Barbados, that SMFD/PDC commit themselves to making up for the current losses and failures in national growth and development in Barbados, as greatly helped caused since the 80s by the erratic and wayward performances, whilst in government, of BLP and DLP leaders and major players, many of whom - in the judgments of virtually all politically conscious and knowledgeable Barbadians - have been doing more harm than good to the legacies of Sir Grantley Adams and Errol Barrow, among the few truly political giants, and whom therefore have helped - in some instances deliberate, because of their narrow personal ambitions esp.- to make these parties become like their own fiefdoms so very useless and helpless to the poor, the disadvantaged, the elderly in Barbados, but very useful and helpful to themselves and those who are already well endowed, financially and otherwise in Barbados. Therefore, it is for no small reason why subsequent to the 80s, Mr. Owen Seymour Arthur, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for the last 11 years or so, in particular, the BLP, to a greater extent, and the DLP, to a lesser extent, are seriously blasted, savagely denounced, and terribly ridiculed throughout this Manifesto for their adverse political and other motives, words and actions that have in their own ways wrecked havoc on the livelihood of the vast majority of people of Barbados, and thus have otherwise received little praise and commendation for anything/ any efforts falling under the subjects and issues this Manifesto is dealing with.

Nevertheless, since we are always ideologically and socially sympathetic with many of the ORDINARY SUPPORTERS of the BLP and DLP, who naturally are of the masses - the masses, too, of whom we belong to, and whom therefore SHALL ALWAYS form the political and other bases of our organizations, and who will always be included in any SMFD/PDC policies, programs, etc., it could only be welcoming news to them that we kindly offer them, now and beyond this Manifesto, the opportunity to join or support us in this emerging national movement that is bound to make this first quarter of this century in Barbados the time for real betterment and development of the broadest segments of the Barbadian people – the masses and the pseudo- elite!!

Like a vanguard in defense of the masses of people, to a greater extent, and of the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, of Barbados, we exhort and promote the very best for the soldiering masses and

13 pseudo-elite, who undaunted by the challenges and chastened by the sacrifices experienced and made along the journey towards greater freedom and democracy, greater equality and wealth for Barbados and who nevertheless are confident of the sight of crushing victory over elite/state political exploitation and other gross and inhuman elitist/statist behaviorisms, would ONLY BUT see the renewal of a nation/state and the development of a world-class society. It is in this light that we, the members of both the Society For Mass Freedom And Democracy and The People’s Democratic Congress, conclude this opening statement urging one and all forward ever backwards never as we duly commend this Manifesto to the people of Barbados by the grace of the Almighty.

THE ECONOMY and ECONOMICS: Big and Serious National Problems

Since Barbados for centuries has become more and more involved in and at the same time more and more dependent on the world economy, it has meant Barbados continuing to receive vastly more goods and services from the world economy at a higher cost than it has been able to produce and deliver to it at a lower cost. Throughout different phases of our national development, too, many other gross political, social, financial and material imbalances have been present, e.g., work being more beneficial to owners of wealth far more than human converters of this wealth. Today, as perennial inherent adversities and threats – these imbalances partially explain why there have resulted innumerable social and other problems greater than post- independence governments of Barbados would ever have hoped for, e.g. the pervasive poverty in the country. What each Voter for a start must understand is that for SMFD/PDC an “economy” must be defined as any region of the world in which there is still generally studied, adapted and practiced, the inverted (depoliticized ) political ideology and psychology of the original European Capitalist/Imperialist/Settler Elites and their supporters in distinctive regions of world and at different times, with a view to fundamentally aiding in the continued systematic political exploitation of, in the case of Europe itself, their own lower classes; in the case of European settled regions like America, the native and mass populations; and in the case of the non- European regions like Africa, India, China, almost the entire world’s peoples, esp. the masses of these regions, in order to secure financial (including profit), material, political and other advantages for themselves.

Economics, therefore, is the systematic study, and practice of economies and their different functions and inter and outer related parts. Interestingly enough, a Professor Laswell, well known at the London School of Economics and Political Science, was reported a long time ago rightly defining Politics as “Who gets What, Where, When, and How”. In contrast, however, it is entirely unacceptable to, as many current economic texts do, define Economics as “the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy human wants”, or to, as the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (3 rd Edition) puts it, “as the study of the way in which money and goods are produced

14 and used”. Also, this said dictionary defines an economy as “the system by which a country’s money and goods are produced and used”. As this essay proceeds the reader will see why the latter definitions are so irrelevant to us in Barbados!!

Basis Of Profit

A very crucial aspect of the Economy and Economics, and which too has been derived from these original European Capitalist/Imperialist/Settler Elites and their supporters, is the ideology and practice of human beings esp. elites and governments, believing in making use of as many other human beings as possible and/or believing in making use of as many resources as possible in the most “efficient” ways at the least costs possible in the quickest time possible (not very applicable to government in Barbados), in order to achieve certain material or other objectives including profit! This shows that it is the elite/state that is exploiting the masses/pseudo-elite greatly more than the reverse. It is this that has been the essence of the profit/political exploitation dysfunction in Western-dominated global society, and that has therefore been made the life function of the Economy and Economics. What each reader of this Manifesto and each potential/ Barbadian Voter must know, too, is that the economy could clearly be proven to be essentially the result of a most profound but ancient type of political infrastructure/system that was being operated by those earlier Europeans, and that economics can be clearly proven to be the inverted political ideology and psychology of those said earlier Europeans. Despite material existence and its conversions being at the heart of human existence, with these somewhat strangely forming the basis for defining the Economy/Economics today, it could NEVER have been yet right for economists to define an Economy/Economics on the basis of this ever constant process of human beings simply directly or indirectly converting natural things into man-made things, and furthermore, distributing them, when, IN FACT, such material change results and movements, despite being so countlessly different among themselves, would have been taking place for millions of years, and therefore would have pre-existed the Economy/Economics – the results of a Eurocentric political system/human intellectual/mental activity, respectively!!

The facts are that whereas the concept of the Economy and the discipline of ECONOMICS would have been the result of this long raging intention of pre and post 19 th Century Eurocentric/Western Feudal/Capitalist State Leaders to always accumulate greater material wealth/changes for their and their families and allies’ own survival and development, and furthermore, whereas this intention would have had to be and was realized at seemingly great costs, to universal others mainly, a situation which, too, therefore would never have been accomplished without Europe’s colonization and indoctrination of the world, the facts arriving therefrom are that the concept of the Economy and the discipline of Economics must always be seen as incapable of doing without Politics/the Political, but in contrast for sure Politics/the

15 Political actually being able to do without the economy concept/discipline, for reason that the former materially survive and develop once humans do so and the latter survive and develop once Politics/the Political do so.

Moreover, given that Mind and Matter are two entirely different things that never meet physically except through INDIVIDUAL human beings, it is only left to be logically concluded that in terms of defining the Economy/Economics themselves, that the Economy and Economics should only then and now have been properly defined on the basis of those types of ideologies and psychologies that had led to those parallel governmental, political and authoritative actions – some of which evolved and hardened into political systems - and which altogether had underlying them intentions and purposes by a small group of Europeans to achieve particular desired results in Europe and Europeanized regions – which is globally - from the 18 th Century to the present time; with these political actions and systems having had at their center the elite/state political exploitation and dehumanization of those earlier mentioned peoples in order to secure the said greater material change results and benefits for those particular elites. Hence, what characterized such times would have been an amalgam of vicious unbridled psycho-political ideologies and systems, chief among them being Colonialism/European Enslavement/Feudalism/Fascism/Imperialism; with European Enslavement/Feudalism the only ones not being generally in existence.

The Real Truth About the Economy/Economics that BLP/DLP Don’t Reveal

Therefore, it a great pity that both BLP and DLP cannot tell Barbadian voters and their supporters the REAL TRUTH - that these so-called Economy/Economics concepts have ever been, are, and will always remain mere 19th Century concepts that form part of the political/economic language used today to assist in the elite/governmental exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite, especially, as that they do not have an independent material existence of their own, and as such would entirely loose their structure, relevance, clarity, and utility, when at anytime, as is presently happening, it is seen that ONLY through political actions are they being given effect – see why the said Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (3 rd Edition) in defining an economy refers to a system: this system being a political/legal one? The REAL TRUTH is that the notion of an economy/economics and even the practice of economics are like some other social disciplines grounded in sheer ideology and psychology and entirely constrained by their truly non-political essence!! The REAL TRUTH is that the Economics discipline was created in the 19th Century to not only give good life – which though have so far failed to happen – to an otherwise hazy and nebulous concept of an Economy/Economics theory – but also to, among other things, find a fitting study and practice within which to intentionally legitimize and sanitize many of the bad effects upon other peoples of those inherently inhuman,

16 unpleasant and unwise Eurocentric ideological and political systems like the said Colonialism, European Enslavement, Capitalism, Imperialism, and which have themselves given rise, too, to equally lasting and very oppressive elitist/human derived material-change conditions and legacies like work, Taxation, etc., across this entire world. The Barbadian Voter must know that, at this time in 2006, the rampant industrial and labor protests that have been continuing for many years - 2005 being outstanding – in Barbados, and that have been witnessed by virtually all and sundry over poor physical and other working conditions esp. in the government sector, that these conditions are evidence of some human beings using work to, among other things, degrade and dehumanize other human beings under the pretext of their doing a good day’s work.

Another reason why both the Concepts of an Economy/ Economics were created was so that Europe could have effectively imposed on global thinking and academics what amounts, first, to have been a process of fundamentally politically and ideologically inverting the negative, inhuman and bellicose imagery, temper and tone of some otherwise very raging political ideologies and psychologies forming part of systems like those immediately mentioned above, and, too, a process of fundamentally politically and ideologically inverting the said negative, inhuman, and bellicose imagery, temper and tone of some of those very destinely faltering political ideologies and psychologies forming part of then faltering systems like Conservatism, Feudalism, Individualism – into very apparently politically positive, humanistic and passive imagery, temper and tonal displays representative of would be seriously depoliticized and sanitized ideologies and psychologies and systems – and, on the whole, which was done primarily with the intention to facilitate in formal ways the teaching of them to their own people and other peoples across the world; what amounts, secondarily, to an intention to engender a process of the mixing up altogether of some of these now very softened and depoliticized Eurocentric images and expressions etc., and of some of these apparently less cruel and depoliticized ideologies and systems, these resulting in one umbrella intellectual discipline and social practice called Economics - which would naturally include the concept of the economy- and which in as much as it would have been Europe, first, and other global regions, later, that would have terribly/falsely accorded it scientific status- without its damaging and cruel intellectual and historical backgrounds being revealed, and without its political backing being emphasized.

Cruel Histories Never Reflected in Economic Texts

In this regard, the cruel intellectual and physical histories like the dreaded aspects of colonial enslavement are never told by European authors of European economic texts to, say, English speaking Caribbean readers of them. What is worst is that such a concept and discipline like many other Eurocentric academic concepts and disciplines will have found their ways over the

17 years – no doubt with the approval of our political leaders, government and non-government - into the Barbadian society’s most value-instilling environment - our secondary and tertiary educational institutions - and even beyond, with their utter anti-masses and anti-progressive messages and teachings embedded and their very socially and politically conflict prone aspects glossed over for our students to learn, and for them later on to socialize and reproduce as adults, to our very detriment as a so-called developing country. Therefore, theoretical economics – which means a type of ideology and psychology that has been politically inverted by esp. Europeans, and others, and for use in the political exploitation/political domination of other/relevant peoples, esp. non-Europeans – will, when taught, practiced and adapted to suit our Barbados circumstances, appear without its accompanying political infrastructure - merely spoken to in terms of things like work, taxation, interest rates, which, too, when having their essential political badness concealed from serious public scrutiny, will mainly falsely succeed in continuing to give the impression to citizens that these are ordinary welcome things, and NOT of the bringing of major damage to Barbados and its development.

The fact is that BLP and DLP governments have contributed to a 21 st Century Barbados in which these and other wretched Economic legacies of a European Enslavement and Colonialism are still creating more poverty and destitution for the country, while doing little that has to be considered good!! What is damning and ironic is that when captured in the so-called economic literature which again falsely purports to be without its parent political infrastructure – these legacies and their effects portray and/or invite wrongful so-called apolitical and value neutral applications and interpretations even though these said legacies are themselves massively political supported and are the functions or effects of massive political control!! The primary reason why Local Economists and BLP and DLP Political leaders – all of whom should know better, and all of whom should be apportioned most of the blame for the Economy and Economics being among the biggest national problems – are promoting and overplaying the concept of an Economy and Economics as non-political social subjects that must be taught, studied, and practiced in this way - but which fortunately will NEVER prevent the great pseudo- elite and the greater masses from seeing the light and thence surging forward politically against them and their bad effects - is to make these social categories as ignorant as possible to the Politics that enormously drives Economics so that they would not achieve much political and ideological consciousness about the anti-masses, anti-pseudo-elite, anti-national developments as well as otherwise pro-Elitist/Eurocentric developments falling within these subjects in order that they - most of the masses/pseudo elite – would NOT normally be in positions to make themselves realize as much as possible the bad and horrific relationships between what is learned and practiced as Economics, and their perpetual poverty-stricken/marginalized status, in respect of the majority of masses, and their underprivileged status, in respect of the broad members of the pseudo-elites, within a so-called Economy; and why they are almost always eking out livelihoods in their respective unsatisfactory material, financial and social conditions as opposed to the elites who live in way better material, financial, social conditions. These current political

18 leaders make these social categories absolutely wrongly believe that they must ignore ANY political possibilities for working towards removal of those many modern day shackles of bondage and servitude which, of course, have their bases in the Economy and Economics.

Local Economists, BLP and DLP Leaders Grossly Misleading the Country

Therefore, the quest of Economists and BLP and DLP Political Leaders is NOT to see the masses/pseudo-elite agitate and fight for far better living standards and conditions for themselves, because as they see it right now, and this is a sadly mistaken view, that once the concept of the Economy and the discipline of Economics are around and are being practiced and helping to take care of the citizen’s basic survival and development needs, generally speaking, things are going to be as economically good as they have been. Nothing could be further from the TRUTH!! Nothing!! The false impression must never be given by such persons to the masses/pseudo-elite that Economics is what IS, and therefore CANNOT be CRITICALLY ANALYZED and QUESTIONED, with a view of totally removing those aspects of it that are totally wrong and dangerous to our country and its development. Moreover, the question must be asked by SMFD/PDC as to how many Barbadian Voters have really over the years been critically analyzing and questioning those backward and ugly Economic surrogate fundamentals like Taxation, Interest Rates, Repaying Loans for Productive Purposes, and Work, and their political, politically exploitative foundations in so far as finding out whether they are in net terms doing severe harm to the country and its development!! Why uncritically accept these things when in fact the evidence is there that these are lethal political weapons used mainly to oppress esp. the masses to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent?? How many Barbadians realize that such things must be carefully removed from the Barbadian political, social, material and financial landscape, and replaced with the appropriate modern national developmental systems and strategies if Barbados is to emerge out of the serious stagnation and crisis it has found itself, and to pursue and achieve unprecedented progress and development of its affairs?? So much for the BLP and DLP preaching development politics and mass education at that!!

SMFD/PDC Preparing for Wonderful Results at the Next Election

Certainly, now, SMFD/PDC are doing whatever within their powers and capacities to mobilize the masses and the pseudo-elite against many aspects of Economic surrogates like Taxation, Interests Rates, Repaying Loans for Productive Purposes and Work, that are doing Barbados NO OVERALL Good, and more to the point great harm, as it struggles to come to terms with certain local and international political realities e.g. hegemonic trade and its adverse effects upon a less than strong local state. We of SMFD/PDC must let potential/Voters know that we are succeeding to a great extent in this mobilization of the masses/pseudo-elites. No doubt about it when A

19 SMFD/PDC Government achieves governmental power in Barbados, these and other cruel, barbaric and degrading systems will carefully and as quickly as possible be removed or reformed, and the appropriate systems and strategies put in their places to greatly assist in advancing the affairs of the broadest segments of people of Barbados and to greatly assist in catapulting Barbados into a world class status of its own, buoyed by greater freedom, justice, equality and productivity. For greater information on these and other aspects read further in the Manifesto. Right now All right thinking and national minded Barbadian voters must seize this unprecedented and grand opportunity presented by SMFD/PDC and others for the entire and better transformation of Barbados. Join the many that are helping prepare and organize SMFD/PDC for the securing of wonderful results at the next Elections. Vote SMFD/PDC next Elections!!

Also, by BLP and DLP governments over the years NOT changing fundamentally and fairly the rules governing material production and distribution and financial conditions in Barbados so that the masses and the pseudo-elite in Barbados would have been able to achieve far greater and more equal rights and benefits again like the elite, would have meant fewer and fewer material and other benefits being distributed to the masses and the pseudo elite who clearly deserve vastly more benefits consistent with the substantial contributions they have been making to national development. The present leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP must be criticized severely for their assistance in allowing this economic ideology/political dispossession system - and its appendage - the financial system - to basically remain intact, esp. since independence, to the detriment of these two categories, a historical imbalance that ought never continue happening in this country!!

How BLP/DLP leaders are in Cahoots with the Elite?

These leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP, who happen to be of the pseudo-elite, must, especially when in government, be greatly satisfied with and/or are benefiting, personally and otherwise, from the spoils (excesses) of the existing “system”, and be benefiting from such above and beyond what the ordinary pseudo-elite would receive as income and other benefits, in order to refuse to take the lead in changing substantially the present economic and financial relationships upon which such a system in Barbados is based, and which have terribly involved the masses esp. being in chronic economic political dispossession and dependency. For, on one hand, it is the political/ distributive power and influence of the elite that have historically given these leaders and major players (pseudo-elite) of the BLP and DLP direct access to those great quantities of material and other benefits that are within the domain of the elite and the elite dominated “system”, in exchange for the loyalty and working “agreement” of these leaders and major players to little advance, if any at all, this “system”. And on the other hand, it is the

20 political skill and work of these particular BLP and DLP leaders and major players, especially when in government, to have or continue to have the historical support of many other pseudo- elites and thousands of the masses as much as possible as bulwarks against the elite, in exchange for their doling out benefits like access to state jobs and state appointments to the said pseudo- elites and the masses. Such an illustration is awesome or awful at the same time depending on how one looks at the picture of how politically sociologically Barbados is configured. From such an illustration and other relevant social facts, it is concluded by SMFD/PDC that many of the great masses and pseudo-elites are being deliberately used in this system as political pawns, and to be concluded by us too that many of the great masses and the pseudo-elite are being made by such leaders and players and some others to believe that there is NOT much alternative other than being paper pushers, chatter boxes and hewers of wood and drawers of water within the prevailing economic abyss – no matter how many educational and technical qualifications citizens of such categories may possess!!

Serious Questions for Some Local Economists and Some Local Politicians

Our resolve to become the government of this country in order to help effect fundamental but rational change for the better of the country, esp. for the sake of the underprivileged, the down- trodden, the infirm and the elderly, MUST HENCEFORTH become clearer and stronger to the average potential VOTER who wishes for such change!! Too, this position is partially informed by the fact that there is so much that is so wrong about Economics that whenever one sees and hears so-called Economists like Mr. Owen Arthur, Mr. Anthony Wood, Mr. Clyde Mascoll, and Drs. Downes and Howard at UWI, Cave Hill, Politicians like Sir Lloyd Sandiford, Mr. David Thompson, Mr. Trevor Prescod and Historians like Mr. Robert Morris, Drs Beckles and Welch at UWI, Cave Hill, speak casually about economic power, and about things like black economic enfranchisement, SMFD/PDC must ask of them: how is it that the masses are the largest and the most productive social grouping in Barbados yet are made to ONLY receive paltry financial, material and other returns? How could this substantial dependency by the masses on others esp. the elite and the government within Barbadian society be avoided when they have to be in receipt of such meager incomes and benefits? Why is it that the elite, who are by far the smallest and the least productive social grouping in Barbados, made to receive the greatest financial, material, and other returns in the country? Why is it that the pseudo-elite and the government, in particular, have not been able to achieve much of their wealth on their own, and, too, more power? Why is it that these persons being of the pseudo-elite have not been greatly helping the pseudo-elite to become stronger politically, materially, financially, etc.

21 Who is of, and represents, the Elite, the Pseudo-Elite, and the Masses in Barbados

For those reading this Manifesto, references are being made to the Elite, to the Pseudo-elite, to the Masses, and the Government. We now make clear who generally would fall within such categories by way of referring to well-known Barbadians who are definitely part of these categories. Hence, persons like Sir Charles Williams, Sir David Seale, Sir John Stanley Goddard, Sir Henry Forde, Mr. Kffyrin Simpson, Mr. Keith Rayside, Mrs. Ram Merchandani, Mr. Assad Haloute, and their similar, basic ways of life, are, for SMFD/PDC, representative of the elite of this country. Persons like Sir Clifford Husbands, Mr. Owen Arthur, Mr. Clyde Mascoll, Miss Mia Mottley, Mr. Ishmael Roett, Mr. Fred Gollop, Sir David Simmons, Mr. John Connell, and their similar, basic governing roles, are, for SMFD/PDC, part of the entire personality behind government of this country. Persons like Mr. Owen Arthur, Miss Mia Mottley, Mr. David Thompson, Sir Lloyd Sandiford, Mr. Philip Greaves, Mr. David Commissiong, Sir Roy Trotman, Mr. Harold Hoyte, Professor Hilary Beckles, Professor E R Walrond, Bishop John Holder, Mr. Darwin Dottin, and their similar, basic ways of life, are, again, for SMFD/PDC, representative of the pseudo-elite of this country, and, finally, with respect to the masses, we are categorizing persons like Mr. Hamilton Lashley, Mr. Anthony “Gabby” Carter, Mr. Ronald “Suki” King, Mr. Anthony Wiggins, Mr. David Denny, Mr. Keith Franklyn, Mr. Andi Thornhill, Mr.Ricky “Lil Rick” Reid, and their similar, basic ways of life, as representative of the masses of this country.

Any national concept or any academic discipline and social practice that refuses to deal substantially with the ideological, philosophical and practical conditions militating against greater social justice and equality and harmony in Barbados, and that refuses to help bring about far greater levels of national growth and development but instead blatantly fosters the opposite in both respects - which in both respects must therefore mean greater levels of national stagnation and decline - must in themselves be huge national problems and ones that directly and indirectly produce greater serious social and political problems of their own for our dear Barbados. Therefore, in this context, both the concept of an Economy, and Economics, are among our BIGGEST National problems. This must be told to the country in no uncertain terms!! That University of the West Indies - Cave Hill - Professors in Economics of the ilk of Drs. Andrew Downes, and Michael Howard, and even Senior Lecturers in Political Science at the said campus like Dr. George Belle, and Mrs. Cynthia Barrow-Giles, have as yet to say and articulate this about the concept of the Economy and the Economics discipline, is shuddering, to say the least, and shocking, to say the worse. Where are and what have our renowned University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Social Scientists been studying when the very terrible effects of this concept of the Economy and the practice of Economics are continuing to reap greater and greater havoc and despair on many of the equally suffering Barbadian masses and pseudo-elites? SMFD/PDC do challenge them in the full glare of the public to deny that the concept of the Economy and the social discipline and practice of Economics are primarily being used by many in the elite and the

22 government to keep down and suppress the masses and the pseudo-elite!! We challenge them to deny that they are also involved in the elite and the government’s suppressing of such social categories.

Interpreting the Evidence of Gruesome Effects of Economics in Barbados

When SMFD/PDC do a proper analysis of the concept of the economy and many of the central notions and practices of economics which include but and are not limited to its surrogates: Taxation; Interest Rates; Making Loans for Productive Purposes Repayable; the Archaism of maintaining the degrading status of Workers rather than evolution towards Partners; the unsatisfactory method of income: Wages, and not Profits, etc., we properly conclude that these things are generally of astounding ill-effect to the masses, to a greater degree, and of shocking ill-effect to the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree, and generally are of greater and lesser benefit to the Elite and the Government, respectively. The physical, factual and statistical evidence of the varying effects upon the elite, pseudo-elite, and the masses, of having and continuing to experience these political/financial conditions and their worst effects in the same Barbadian context, is extremely disturbing and revolting, and made worst off when it is seen that in the process of struggling to make ends meet the masses are continually being victimized and weakened more than any persons else, a situation very pervasive in Barbados. An example of this evidence is that it is the Elite and Government in Barbados that possess ownership of the most lands and the most productive buildings and assets, even as they are among the least productive, and the pseudo-elites and the masses that possess ownership of mere houses, cars and jobs, in Barbados, even as they are among the most productive!!

We provide two interpretations of this evidence!! Thence, one, the less politically important interpretation – which is an interpretation that assumes falsely that Economics has no political basis – is suggestive that it is really primarily because of Economic prudence, et al, that, wherefore, a small percentage of the citizens (elite) of this country continues to own and control the vast majority of the productive wealth/income of the country – and believe it by now they should have been receiving far fewer benefits than what they are now getting consistent with the real inputs that they are making, a big percentage of the citizens (masses) of this country, mainly because of economic imprudence, et al, do not any way near own and control the greatest amounts of wealth and income of this country – and believe it they should have been getting greater benefits than what they are presently getting consistent with the fact that they are the greatest human producers of the wealth and income of the country. This is fundamentally wrong!! It is so totally wrong and unfair for any “system” to allow/give such numerous opportunities to the elite in order for them to achieve such wealth, and NOT at the same time

23 allow/give such similar opportunities to the masses and the pseudo-elite too for them to achieve the same on the same or similar bases.

Also, it is really primarily because of both the Economy concept and Economics discipline that the government continues to own and control a sizable amount of the wealth and income within the economy, despite its own blissful economic imprudence, right?? right!! This happens when this political group politically exploits the masses and the pseudo-elite, but not as much as the extent to which the elite politically exploits the masses and the pseudo-elite, nor as much as the extent to which the pseudo-elite helps the elite exploit the masses. However, the outstanding similarity between the government and pseudo-elite is that of their being of an essentially comprehensive yet non-production behavior. This is what substantially informs the basis of the extreme behaviors of these two different social groupings: the government being overly greedy and covetous, and therefore resorting to Taxation and other wicked schemes to come by many of its ill-gotten gains, and the pseudo-elite, although being dragged along the ground by the elite and the state, still hanging to the coattails of the esp. elite in order to benefit little from their - the elite - overly greedy behavior. The fact is that it is these extreme behaviorisms that allow the average critical political thinker to know that these said behaviorisms are indicative of outright limitations to the powers of the elite and the state. With respect to the different political effects upon the social classes, see such supporting evidence as the Nation Publishing Company sponsored social stratification ( social groupings based on race, class, status ) study done about 4 years ago by three UWI lecturers on the analysis of the state of the Black Middle Class in Barbados. With respect to the kind of political effects upon government, rationally delve into any relevant annual government economic/financial reports to observe such effects.

Post-Adult Suffrage BLP and DLP Governments to Blame

And the other more politically important interpretation – which is an interpretation that knows rightly that Economics has a political basis – is however suggestive that this fairly unsatisfactory Economic development that Barbados has undergone has overwhelmingly been caused by the type of basic, localized, elite-pre/disposing Political Rules and policies( primarily Westminster/type political rules/policies) that have long been governing the production and distribution of wealth and income in the country, and which since their introduction into Barbados centuries ago have not properly evolved into a better type of basic, localized Political Rules that favor the masses and the pseudo-elite and their development. Post-Adult Suffrage BLP and DLP Governments must get the blame for this unacceptable state of affairs!! Moreover, such localized, elite favoring Political Rules - it must not go without stating - are European in origin, and are the product of having over the centuries been deliberately historically developed next to a pro-elitist Economics that would have been created by the historic European intelligentsia acting

24 in concert with historic European Elites, and that would have been plainly presented at different times to the rest of the world for quite anti-masses, anti-progressive, and anti-nation building reasons as higher forms of political development and governmental administration, to be mainly imposed upon and prevailed over the said rest of the world including Barbados by way of Imperialist/Colonialist behavior by Europe.

Very Degrading Economy and Economics Subjects

The Barbadian society, esp. the masses, being already made to endure such a less than satisfactory political system, is made to suffer more when it is seen that the historic Barbadian intelligentsia and elites even in a post independence era still continue with many very degrading Economy and Economics subjects. For how else could it be explained sufficiently to the country that the type of political rules/policies existing in Barbados, are the fundamental reasons why when Elite owned and controlled private sector companies, or government, so wish to construct, say, a material or intellectual project costing overall BDS $ 6 Million, to be finished in a year, with the wage component costing BDS $ 2 Million to be shared among 200 men and women employees, which works out at BDS $ 100 000 per employee per annum or about BDS $ 6 000 per employee per month, and the project becomes finished – that it is reasonably observed that it is the existing political rules/policies underlying this scenario that are a total basis for these elite owned and controlled private sector companies, or government for that matter, being indeed the biggest exploiters of the masses, to a greater degree, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree?? Imagine that this above scenario itself were real, for not only would it be the case that at the end of the day the elite or government ends up with a material/intellectual product which they could NEVER have built on their own, and have built WITHOUT the support of the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, but also it would be the case that if any of those two hundred employees had to own a similar project costing such monies it would have taken them using the same rate of pay, probably same rate of institutional savings and within the said political, material, financial system, at least 60 years to build and complete a similar project at current prices with or without the equally exploitative mortgage system being utilized!! Agree that this situation can be presumed to have REALLY happened countless times in the past – that it really repeats itself countless times the following year, or another 2 years or 3 years later, with the elite and the government doing many, many of these projects per year, even?? Also, in this case, the question of the inducements and incentives that the elite and government – already powerful and wealthy - would offer to these 200 employees to get their projects done would far surpass what the less privileged would offer to the same number or other similar numbers of employees to get similar projects done, hence would not these situations therein constitute a basis for many of the masses being so poor and in poverty and the pseudo-elite being so underprivileged and hard-pressed in life. And agree, too, that the latter situation – which can be presumed to have REALLY happened countless times in the past too – really repeats itself

25 countless times the following year, or another 2 years or 3 years later in similar ways, what therefore will be happening, socially and otherwise, to the masses then??

The people of Barbados MUST REALIZE that REAL LIFE instances like these with their underlying political rules and policies are what have primarily been the causes of this cruel and degrading ELITE political exploitation of the masses and of the pseudo-elite. The Voter must seriously remember that this very elitist and anti-social principle is to make use of as many other human beings and/or as many other resources as possible in the most exhausting ways at the least costs possible in the quickest time possible (not very applicable to the government sector) in order to achieve certain material and other objectives including profit. We dare say that the government of Barbados follows not far behind in the political exploitation of the masses and the pseudo-elite too!!

Massive Damage to Growth/Prospects of the Country by Both the Concept of the Economy and Practice of Economics

We therefore realize from the above scenarios the type of massive damage the concept of an Economy and the discipline and practice of Economics are helping to cause on the overall material growth prospects of the country in so far as the fewer persons being made to control and determine the output of Barbados, the less national output there shall be in the long term, and the tremendous damage that they are doing to prospects for greater equality in national income and wealth distribution in Barbados in so far as the fewer persons that have been made to eventually own and control the majority of the country’s wealth and income, the lesser the prospects of the vast majority of persons being made to in the long term own and control the majority of the said country’s wealth and income. The time is right and ripe now more than ever before to certainly begin the deemphasizing and marginalization of this very blurred and hazy concept of a Barbados Economy and of this destructive social practice called Barbadian Economics, based on the mounds of factual and statistical evidence that thousands upon thousands of Barbadians have gathered so far on the nature and political consequences of the Economy and Economics, and which many of the affected people must really conclude are among the biggest national problems we have in Barbados.

Harmful Elitist/Governmental Behavior

As has been evident over the years, the Elite as well as BLP/DLP Governments have been tinkering and fiddling with Economic theoretical models, methods and policies, and in some ways have therefore been playing “economic” mind games with esp. the masses. Hence, many of

26 these models, methods and policies have, among other things, involved changing tax rates and giving tax allowances – which, in some cases, have seen the persons directly responsible for these changes making the masses/the pseudo-elite believe that these changes are really to benefit them but which in the end dehumanizes them; have involved the raising or lowering of Interests Rates - which, in some cases, have seen the persons directly responsible for these changes making the masses/pseudo-elite believe that they will really benefit from these changes but which in the end will make the masses/pseudo-elite esp. spend or consume or work more for less; and have involved the elite and state continuing to grant work holidays thus making it appear that the masses/pseudo-elite are really being cared for by employers, but it is clear that these things have NOT worked in the interests of either social category, and by extension the country, because these social groupings being the socio-political basis of the country are the ones that have historically been experiencing the most social suffering, degradation, and malfunctioning taking place in Barbados, and as a result of such harmful elitist/governmental behavior.

National Partnerships

This tinkering and fiddling far from intending to resolve this historical suffering, degradation and malfunctioning of these two groupings, is meant probably to aggravate this suffering more!! What is needed now more than ever before is to Substantially REPLACE the concept of the Barbadian Economy and the discipline and social practice of Barbadian Economics with the right material production and distribution prescriptions altogether coming under the SMFD/PDC principle of National Partnerships, which means a political system whereby the vast majority of domestic production, services, wealth and income are produced and owned by Partnerships in the country, which given the particular democratic nature, structure and objectives of them, shall mean greater, greater numbers of Barbadians being able to control and determine the output of the country, hence, far greater national out put in the long term than now, and shall mean too in concert with other progressive policies to be implemented by a SMFD/PDC Government, greater equality in the distribution of national income and wealth eventually (see later segments for more details).The Voter must therefore see why A SMFD/PDC Government shall bring redress and reconciliation to the many historic imbalances that exist in Barbados through the crafting and implementation of many nationally correct and prudent policies, many of which are being presented in this Manifesto.

Another piece of evidence of the profound ill-effects of Economics on the masses and the pseudo-elite, relates to Barbadian corporate affairs – and again SMFD/PDC are subjecting such evidence to two interpretations: one, the less politically important and less correct interpretation that wrongly assumes that Economics has no Political basis, and the other, the more politically

27 important and more correct interpretation which rightly assumes that Economics has a fundamental Political basis.

Why BST, Goddard Enterprises, etc, have long remained at the top of the Corporate Ladder?

With regard to the first interpretation, this is being applied to the evidence that Elite-owned and/or controlled companies like BST, Goddard Enterprises, Sagicor, Banks Holdings, C O Williams, Williams Industries and R L Seale and Co., have for a long time remained at the top of the corporate echelons in Barbados. Such an interpretation would conclude that why these companies have so remained at the top of the corporate echelons for decades even though many of the original owners and controllers have already passed or have become retired at this stage, primarily have been because of their overall and strictly managerial and business prudence and successes with respect to their corporate affairs. Whereas, it is fairly true that the latter have played some part in their remaining at the top for so long, they have had moderate effects on such corporate dominance. Hence, they are not sufficient in themselves in explaining their present top status.

Which brings us to the other interpretation that applies to the evidence cited above that companies like BST, Goddard Enterprises, Sagicor, Banks Holdings, Williams Industries and R L Seale and Co., have long remained at the top of corporate echelons in Barbados. In contrast to the earlier interpretation, this one concludes that it is primarily through the demeaning operation of said localized Imperialist/Colonialist driven/influenced/elitist Political Rules that such big conglomerates and companies have continued to succeed overall and exist way beyond the average life cycles of businesses and the average life cycles of persons in Barbados. This interpretation would go on to assert that such Political Rules include but are clearly not limited to the following instances whereby such incorporated businesses have under the Constitution of Barbados, the right to freedom of association; have under the Company Act in Barbados, the political/legal capacity to have separate legal personalities different from those of the human members composing them – such a factor having contributed - not improperly however - to the prolonged life of these types of businesses; and have under various business-oriented laws, the political/legal capacity to engage in mergers with one another, to take over one another, to acquire the ownership and assets of one another, to create subsidiaries, etc., in such ways as would allow for them to survive and develop and consolidate their hold over other companies and businesses esp. smaller ones, and by extension the masses/pseudo-elite in Barbados, while at the same time too politically exploiting them through economic surrogate fundamentals like Work, the Taxation process, Consumerism, etc.. In this regard it is important to observe the

28 serious and revealing relationships there are between who are the elite in this country, and the top conglomerates and businesses in Barbados!!

How the Pseudo-Elite in Barbados Originally Came About?

The pseudo-elite, as a social grouping in Barbados, it must be properly argued, has a serious linkage between its creation and both this concept of an Economy, and Economics, which themselves, as stated before in this Manifesto, were created in the 18 th Century by the European intelligentsia acting in accordance with the European elites of that time. The Elites in Barbados, around or just after the ending of the period of colonial enslavement in the English-speaking Caribbean, saw the political and resources need to create a local pseudo-elite to directly administrate their plantation business BASED on its newly found so-called economic affairs which were to be characterized by greater labor mobility, wage labor, etc., and to in turn use this social grouping to help control the masses. Remember that under colonialism Barbados was a satellite of Europe!! Ever since that time, the vast majority of pseudo–elites, whether black or white or mixed, have owed their existence as a social grouping to the historic Elites and by extension Europe, and who because of such origins have hardly challenged the power and material bases of these elites who they vastly outnumber and have greater thinking abilities than, and furthermore Euro-centrism.

Notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of pseudo-elites are still of such conservative political loyalties and responsibilities to the elites - loyalties and responsibilities which are still being exchanged for greater access to those financial, resources, material and social status portfolios that the elite either own or control respectively, under this Barbados political legal system – the fact, too, is that whether it is political organizations like the BLP or DLP or BWU or Police Department – which all happen to be pseudo-elite led and controlled despite being greatly made up of members of the masses – and which all happen to be dealing directly with some of the worst of Elitism in this country – the vast majority of pseudo-elites have become like relatively silent but obstructive BUFFER ZONES that exist between, on one hand, the elites wishing to continue their exploitation of the masses, and, on the other hand, the vast majority of masses bent on stopping – WHICH THEY MUST!! – this vicious elite political exploitation of them. As well, these pseudo-elites have also become, to a great degree, of great help to the elite in the process of their (elite) political exploitation of the masses, from whom ironically the pseudo-elite draw much of their power and legitimacy.

29 First Labor Strike at C. O. Williams Co. Ltd .

Analyze, for instance, what Mr. Levere Richards, a pseudo-elite, and of the Barbados Workers Union, had to say to workers at the first labor strike in the history of C. O. Williams Co., in the latter part of 2005. The tone and texture of his statement that the workers HAD to first go back to work in order for negotiations to continue on what the workers were demanding suggested that C. O. Williams came first not the workers; no equality between them even. It is also the case that with the pseudo-elite continuing from the days of their creation in Barbados to be very managerial and supervisory and administrative in their social and economic roles has meant that they were NEVER created to be the real material producers or converters of the material base; the latter roles being ALWAYS carried out by the masses as a social grouping. SMFD/PDC make the point that it is this material base from which great political power, actual or potential, is derived, and upon which every human being must depend upon/provide for in whatever ways possible in order to survive.

This material base is also the real basis for the allocating and deriving of financial/income/statistical value for reasons of in whatever circumstances of the measurement of production/productivity in Barbados and in the rest of the world. The Barbadian pseudo-elite therefore is not only in a situation whereby they are extremely politically constrained by their historical loyalties and duties to their origins but also is in a situation whereby they are extremely politically constrained by their positions in relationship to the material base of the country. Such factors therefore mean that even though the Thompsons, the Mottleys, the Mascolls, the Commissiongs, the Trotmans, the Beckles and the like do provide leadership, management, and control - which they assert many more times greater than any numbers of the masses have done over those political and other processes that are sometimes yet rather infrequently used by the powerful masses to help force SERIOUS, RATIONAL and DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES in Barbados - these pseudo-elites, as a social grouping, are unfortunate however to lack that amount of potential political power and critical mass to greatly help effect such CHANGES and therefore have had, generally, and with a great measure of self-annoyance, we believe, to settle for the maintenance of the essence of this “system” in Barbados re their inability to generate greater productive value and be rewarded as such. It is the masses, as a grouping, ALONE that have this great amount of potential political power and critical mass but over which they themselves are apparently confused or unaware of and therefore do not often utilize them to on their own greatly help effect social, political and other changes in their own interests.

30 Regrettably, the political power situation of the pseudo-elites has since the 90s worsened and has really been threatened for the first time …

Notwithstanding that the masses and the pseudo-elite at this stage must work as much as possible to ensure that GREAT AND WONDROUS CHANGES are carried out in Barbados, there is no doubt that, regrettably, the present political power situation of the pseudo-elite – as a social grouping – and since the 90s – has really been threatened, aggravated and, in many cases, have declined for the first time since they would have become – from in the 1950s and 60s - chief managers of Economics in Barbados, a situation which, in addition to those RECENTLY mentioned serious political historical constraints, has mainly brought further serious social and economic limitations to their own power and capabilities, their own growth and development, and similarly naturally in respect of those kinds of variables as they apply, too, to aspects of the lives of the masses as a whole - a trickle down effect on the masses - situations which when put in the context of the hierarchical structuring of the Barbadian society, and which when viewed by thousands and thousands of Barbadians that are being informed that in the original classical historic sense esp., that Economics is anti-masses, anti-social class equality, anti-Third World growth and development in sustained and exponential senses, must mean that the pseudo-elite must no longer remain essentially politically stagnant and compliant, but must as of necessity develop a greater and vibrant national political consciousness and activity about the country’s growth and development, which if Barbados is to become a world class society, must see the total marginalization of the concept of the Barbadian Economy and the social practice of Barbadian Economics, particularly, and the concept of the Economy and the discipline and practice of Economics, generally, as a means to ending this ignoble situation whereby the pseudo-elite and the masses remain very powerless and very dependent in relationship to the elite/the state.

Since the structural adjustment and stabilization programs in the 90s in Barbados, which really illustrated the true on-going political state of the pseudo-elites more than any other social grouping in Barbados, and which can be succinctly described as a state of being ever in crisis and at the crossroads (mortgages, debt, too services centered for its size) given their kinds of political and other relationships to the material base/financial value generation of the country, and in relationship to other social groupings and their (these social groupings) own political and other relationships to the material base/financial value generation, the political power situation of the pseudo-elites, as expressed earlier, has really been threatened, aggravated, and, in many cases, has declined mainly as a direct and indirect result of ECONOMICS ; albeit not entirely their own fault, for these pseudo-elites as a social category in as much as they seem totally unable to successfully press for greater political, organizational, industrial, material, financial and other claims against the elites and the state esp., are being used senselessly by ECONOMICS, which has helped to create the pseudo-elites in Barbados. Hence, see what is happening to the pseudo-

31 elite led credit union movement and the proposed amendments to the Cooperatives Societies Act by this BLP Government; see what is happening to the pseudo-elite led NUPW throughout the government sector in terms of the industrial working conditions arena; see what is happening within the two old pseudo-elite led political parties in terms of their image, financial and organizational aspects; and see what is happening within many-elite led national sporting and cultural organizations and their financial and organizational capacities. In many cases, the pseudo-elites seem to be more fighting among themselves than fighting against and for the destruction of concepts like the Economy, and actualities like Economics, which are continuing to bring untold misery and despair to them. These fights must be abated, if the “war” that SMFD/PDC have declared upon elite/state political exploitation and its institutional and other manifestations in Barbados have to be won, as that the political and other skills of the pseudo- elite, as a social grouping, must be viewed as capable of being used in more productive and beneficial ways.

The masses must ABSOLUTELY RULE OUT BEING GREATER LED, MANAGED AND CONTROLLED by persons from the pseudo-elite and the elite in cases whereby they STRONGLY and REASONABLY believe…

Whereas it is seen that the masses like the pseudo-elites are yearning for better and brighter socially, politically, materially, and financially, it must be still stated that masses must know that they have the numbers and qualities of capacities and skills within themselves to be providing far greater leadership and management over their own affairs than at present, and that instead they must ABSOLUTELY RULE OUT BEING GREATER LED, MANAGED AND CONTROLLED by persons from the pseudo-elite and the elite in cases whereby they STRONGLY and REASONABLY believe they are being/will continue to be/have been totally misled, mismanaged by those from the pseudo-elite and the elite, and must instead themselves provide such leadership and management of greater portions of their own affairs– hence, the coming about of SMFD/PDC. There must be greater partnerships between the masses and the pseudo-elites, however and where necessary!! To return to the question of intra-pseudo-elite political fighting this in itself tells the story that many of the pseudo-elite already know that in many areas of or related to governance of the masses that many pseudo-elites have thoroughly been, are terribly misleading the masses!! The masses must begin this process of understanding that this is one of the reasons why they must from here onwards reject the LEADERSHIPS of the BLP/DLP/BWU and others when there is absolute reason for doing so, for they (the masses) must realize that if they could be so cruelly misled and deceived by the state, many elites, and many pseudo-elites than could ever have been thought about on the worth and relevance of the concept of the Economy and the social discipline of Economics to Barbados, what else could they not be being savagely misled on?

32 Why no Black Barbadian pseudo-elite/masses owned/controlled Top ten businesses in Barbados, in spite of the fact that blacks are the overwhelming majority people in Barbados?

Without hesitation, the BLP, the DLP and the BWU esp. must tell the average Voter in Barbados why under this system of global Politics and Economics there are not many predominantly Black/Brown/Yellow countries at the top of the so-called industrialized, developed echelons of global society? Why that there is only one – Japan - (with China now rising to be a super power) – which is not even located within this western Hemisphere but within the Eastern Hemisphere? How come there is no outstanding predominantly Black country in this CARICOM region in spite of the fact that blacks are the vast majority of the collective CARICOM population? And how come there are no Black Barbadian pseudo-elite/masses owned and controlled businesses in the top ten companies in Barbados? in spite of the fact that blacks are the overwhelming majority/skilled people in Barbados? The answer is primarily because of the continuous practice of the concept of the Economy, Economics and Western Politics in Barbados, the region and the world. Attributing, among other marginal things, personal decisions and preferences and emphasis on Education by blacks rather than wealth ownership, generally, within a pre-existing Euro-centric political, social, material, and financial system in Barbados in which they themselves were historically thrown into, and mercilessly so, for the TOTAL deficiency and imbalance in Black ownership in this country, is of little real explanation. The real substantial explanations are systemic in nature and in cause and effect, locally, regionally and internationally. Barbados and many other relevant countries, of course, have to properly evolve from such Euro-centric ideologies and practices, and instead devise the right materially-focused ideas and political outlooks and social practices - some of which are being advanced in this Manifesto - that will greatly assist them in bringing greater progress and development to themselves!!

SMFD/PDC for a Well Managed and Continued Refined and Adjusted Capitalism for Barbados

We are quite careful to say that even though many Black Barbadian intellectuals have mainly blamed the nature and structure of Capitalism for the great disparities in national income and wealth, the enormous national economic political dispossession and excessive poverty taking place among the masses esp. and the rampant political exploitation and many social problems in Barbados, SMFD/PDC are arguing that even though both the concept of the Economy and the social discipline of Economics are intertwined in Capitalism – another political ideological psychological system – and that Capitalism has been the system that has benefited itself substantially from the concept of the Economy and the social discipline of Economics, that

33 Capitalism CANNOT still be mainly blamed for these states of affairs, but things Economic and accompanied by their political infrastructure, must be! Why this is so, has to do with the fact that not only has Capitalism, along with liberal democracy, proved that it is the political system that has substantially provided the greatest prosperity and wealth for Barbados and the world, but also that it is the system that has really and truly promoted and secured the greatest political freedoms and rights so far for itself and its subsystems – Barbados included. Therefore, it is clear why Communism/Socialism collapsed in the East, and why in the remaining Communist/Socialist led countries there is great reliance on Capitalist techniques and approaches to help them advance. This is mainly because the Communists/Socialists over the years promoted and secured too much State ownership and control in their own territories, and less political freedom and rights in their own territories than the Capitalists did in their own territories. As that greater Political freedoms and rights are ABSOLUTE necessaries for any nation/state/political/ideological/psychological system that is part of the thrust upon which any modern collectivity of people must survive, it must be that the greater these things are in reasonably well managed greater proportion to the level of authority/compliance and cooperation within the nation/state/political/ideological/psychological and other systems/sub-systems, the greater growth and development prospects and actualities, material and otherwise for such systems, and subsystems like Barbados, than would be if there is negative disproportionate political freedoms and rights within such systems/sub-systems.

Whereas SMFD/PDC IS ALL FOR Capitalism, but for a well managed and continued refinement and adjustment of it to suit Barbados’ our own history, heritages and cultures, and this is so because Capitalism is surely not without blemish, in that, it has supported and has allowed to remain within it, though it has NOT caused them, these great disparities in wealth and income among social categories, the enormous economic political dispossession, excessive poverty, rampant political exploitation and some social problems that seriously co-exist alongside it in Barbados and elsewhere, we are surely virulently totally AGAINST the Concept of the Economy and Economics per se within a Capitalist context, simply but seriously because there are too riddled with Elitist, Euro-centric biases against masses/the pseudo-elite, and by extension the Barbados nation-state, and therefore when these are politically explored and implemented they lead to much anti-national/sub-national developments than SMFD/PDC would appreciate. Although both Capitalism and Economics emerged at roughly the same time in world history, the concept must be that what value Capitalism has given, Economics has in many areas taken away/from. Also, the concept of the Economy and Economics muchly purport to be scientific when they are clearly not, in that, they purport to be WHAT IS, and NOT WHAT COULD BE, SHOULD BE. They are too instructive/prescriptive/exploitative and static, not very receptive/educative and dynamic. And, last but not least, they generally assume wrongly and falsely apolitical and de-ideological/de-psychological characters and effects so much so that when implemented by nation/states and elite-driven private sectors in countries, like Barbados, which clearly have different political, ideological/psychological characters and effects from those

34 of Europe, and owing to our different histories, heritages and cultures, they will produce very many more adverse than positive results for those particular countries.

Many Localized Political Rules That are Vastly Politically Exploitative, NOT Capitalism

Had not for the presence of global/local Capitalism, which some of our Barbadian intellectuals have, again, mistakenly argued is vastly politically exploitative, anti-Black, anti-masses, working class when it is really many Localized Political laws, rules, methods and traditions leading to rampant economic political dispossessing of the masses/pseudo-elite and other grave political and developmental ills THAT ARE THESE WAYS in Barbados; when it is really adverse disproportionately big State ownership and control of wealth THAT IS VERY POLITICALLY EXPLOITATIVE, VERY UNPRODUCTIVE, AND WASTEFUL in Barbados, and when it is the State that is too big in the lives of the people of Barbados so much so THAT IS TOO ANTI- DEMOCRATIC, THAT IS TOO ANTI-PRIVATE SECTOR AND CRUSHING OF OTHERS in Barbados – Barbados would NOT have progressed modestly since the Abolition of Enslavement in Barbados in 1834. For, despite certain Capitalist laws, rules, methods and traditions in need of really being changed in Barbados in order to help continue enhancing the growth and development of Capitalism in Barbados, it is more of grave concern to SMFD/PDC that there are other Localized Political laws, rules, methods and traditions (Taxation, Interests Rates, Hire Purchase, Repayable Loans, etc) that are totally hindering the further growth, development, and, not least, the further proper refinement of Capitalism in Barbados, and that are, too, unfairly creating and encouraging wider disparities in economic political possession of wealth and assets among the social categories in Barbados.

The assertion is that the further growth and development of the masses, the pseudo-elite, the country and Local Capitalism, respectively, can ONLY be realized, and the said categories do far better and prosper more than now, with the total removal or reform of these political laws, rules, methods and traditions that are so conflicting with the growth and further refinement of Capitalism in Barbados; can ONLY be realized with the total utter marginalization and de- emphasis of both the Concept of the Economy and the practice of the discipline of Economics in Barbados, and can ONLY be realized, and the said categories do far better and prosper more than now, with the right and fairest and most effective Political laws, rules, methods, and policies, taking the place of those being removed or reformed, and the augmenting and continued implementation /creation and implementation of other truly worthwhile and progressive social, scientific, cultural ideologies and policies altogether under a SMFD/PDC Government in Barbados. The development of the masses, the pseudo-elite, the country and local Capitalism can ONLY be realized and the above categories do better and prosper more, with the substantial reduction in the property, land space rights, services, debt, etc., that are, in effect, presently said to be owned by the State but which are de facto owned by the people, and such can ONLY be

35 realized, too, with the substantial reduction in involvement by the state in the lives of the people. For sure, a SMFD/PDC Government shall achieve these objectives.

We need to restate in this Manifesto how the pseudo-elite led BLP and DLP Governments have over the years insensitively, and in some cases deliberately so, used things Economic in the process of fairly politically exploiting the masses and the wider pseudo-elite to the varying detriment of the masses, and the pseudo-elite!! The proper growth and development of the masses and the pseudo-elite, are certainly most obstructed when it is the case that these fairly unprogressive BLP and DLP governments have been TAKING from the masses and the relevant pseudo-elite enormously MORE than it is giving to them. Take for instance, the earlier example of Elite-owned and controlled companies or the government, and in this case just the government, wishing to construct a material or intellectual project, say, costing overall BDS $ 6 Million, to be finished in a year, with the wage component costing BDS $ 2 Million, to be shared among 200 men and women government employees, which works out at BDS $ 100 000 per annum or about BDS $ 6 000 per employee per month, and the project becomes finished.

This scenario really points to multifarious concrete examples in the past, and in the present, and no doubt will point to concrete examples in the future – until the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government - whereby past BLP and DLP governments, and right now this BLP Government, have over the years been making use of as many other human beings and of as many resources as much as possible in the least efficient ways in some of the least quick times so as to achieve material and other objectives including the distribution of political largesse to esp. political supporters!!

With regard to real events in Barbados, the type of economic ideology that would truly inform such political behavior is near its worst!!

Notwithstanding the tardiness of government, it will still achieve the exploitation of the employees in those multifarious concrete examples even if did not do so to principally extract profit like the private sector, but to create greater income opportunities for its political support bases which ever government is in office. It is probably worse if the government contracts a company of whose leadership and management is politically known to whichever party is leading government to do this project for the government. With regard to the real events in Barbados, the type of Economic ideology that would truly inform such political behavior is near its worst!! For, whereas the government will have for itself ownership of the completed project, it would have still seized from its employees or from the contracting employees, parts of their incomes ( in taxation), incomes that would derive from the construction of the project in instances whereby the incomes that they would have been rewarded with by way of whatever mode of payment,

36 would really have been theirs to be duly rightfully legally protected, and not subject to the thieving actions of the state!! How vulgar and atrocious!!

Serving to Deepen the Political Exploitation of the Masses/Pseudo-Elite

With respect to Taxation and the high levels of government work/employment, these two variables serve to prolong and deepen the political exploitation of both the masses and the pseudo-elite while at the same time fostering utter and massive governmental inefficiencies and incompetancies. Whereas Taxation is primarily in existence to wickedly politically suppress the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, it, in its financial regalia, serves a more corrupt and sinister role from the point of view that it serves as an over-weaning financial trough from which ALL elite-owned and/or controlled companies more than any other companies are allowed to feed. How more foolish can these Owen Arthur-led BLP Administrations (1994-2006) get with their crazy tax and interest rate philosophies, outrageous political featherbedding, extreme welfarism, etc., which altogether will mean more of the SAME massive governmental inefficiencies and deficiencies plus unmanageable debt, financial and production problems at the national level? God’s will, they shall be STOPPED by the electorate at next elections!!

Helping Vote this BLP Out

That these problems have become part and parcel of the wider contagion of monumental governmental incompetence and mismanagement of the country by these BLP Administrations, is patently clear to 7 out of every 10 potential/Barbadian Voters that SMFD/PDC have spoken with over the last two years, many of whom are certain too that they are going to help vote this BLP OUT!! With specific regard to the question of welfarism, whereas SMFD/PDC is all for the wise and correct use of welfare policies to bring about social betterment for intended beneficiaries, this extreme welfarism that IS being carried out by Mr. Owen Arthur AS A remedy for his outright refusal to properly politically deal with the horrifying effects on Barbados of the concept of the Economy, the discipline and practice of Economics, and their political support structures must be blasted by all right thinking BLP, DLP, SMFD/PDC Voters esp., when, as it is right now being seen, that this level of extreme welfarism is there to make those who are supposed to be benefiting from it, a great deal socially and financially poorer, more dependant and less important than ever before!!

37 Some of what this Very feeble BLP Government has been doing since 1994

By this pseudo-elite led government accepting and practicing for ever so long the concept of the Economy and the discipline of Economics, has meant that it has been helping to create conditions for its own serious dependency and powerlessness, and by extension those of the masses, the pseudo-elite and the country. Take for instance, some of what this very feeble and cowardly BLP Government has been doing since 1994: continuing with Taxation which is reported by some economic experts to be just over 40% of National Income; swelling the essentially non- production government sector with almost 30, 000 workers; horrifying the Barbadian public with its abnormally excessive borrowings, locally and internationally done, to finance excessive and unnecessarily high levels of government expenditure – much of which has been wasted on the GEMS project, EDUTECH, Greenland, NHC Warrens Offices Project, Hilton Hotel; continuing with tens of millions BDS yearly in interests payments on domestic and foreign loans; continuing to defy logic and reason by depending on the outrageous selling of precious Barbadian land spaces to esp. Foreigners, as a major means of earning foreign exchange for the country; a situation which is seriously aggravated too when those buildings that are built on these lands are sold primarily as well to help earn foreign exchange for the country make; and by ignorantly continuing to produce a skyrocketing National Debt, which is mainly the effect of foolish and backward government/private sector politically imposed so-called economic policies, which themselves are causing the productive sectors to be performing most unsatisfactorily.

Therefore, such harrowing details are indicative of the devastating effect economics and the economy are already having on existing and further growth and development possibilities of the country, and as is currently happening, and as is being projected in the long term by this BLP circus, this total farce of Barbados relying heavily upon economics and the economy for such growth and development, is but a most unholy and backward reliance which will ONLY MAINLY help lead to greater net adverse social political, material, financial trade offs between the state and other states, between the state and the local private sector, between the state and regional and international private sectors and international multilateral organizations esp. financial institutions; such trade offs being largely related to the state accumulating substantial losses in political authority and legitimacy over certain nationally important assets, institutions, processes, land spaces, etc., in exchange for its increasing opportunities for achieving more short- term financial advantages to itself but more distressingly less long-term financial advantages to itself. Heavens grant that a SMFD/PDC Government is elected sooner rather than later to help save this country from becoming of hellish proportions!!

38 Owen Arthur led-BLP Administrations sheepishly doing the same damn thing!!

Who would think that in the early 90s, that Mr. Henry Forde (now Sir), and Mr. Owen Arthur, as Opposition Leaders then, would have been venomously and viciously accusing the then Government of willfully selling off the “family silver”, yet, when the average potential BLP, BLP, SMFD/PDC Voter at this time, looks around and sees that these Owen Arthur led-BLP Administrations, since 1994, have been sheepishly and shamelessly doing the same damn thing, and not only have they been foolishly selling off huge portions of strategically important and prized state assets like the Arawak Cement Plant, the Barbados National Bank, the Insurance Corporation of Barbados, to esp. foreign interests, but they, and this needs to be restated in this Manifesto - have also been unwisely allowing hundreds upon hundreds of acres of our precious and fertile agricultural land spaces to be sold off to foreigners for totally unsuitable and unprogressive purposes. What would the reader of this Manifesto and the average potential/Barbadian Voter therefore have to say about Mr. Arthur himself, this BLP Government itself, the Elite of the country themselves, and about long term prospects for the quality of life and development of younger and future Barbadian generations?

In respect of such cheap, desperate and powerless actions by recent BLP Administrations and DLP Administrations – for, as implied earlier, in the early 90s, the latter sold much of the “family silver” in relation to of a lot of government shares in BARTEL, BET, Almond Beach Village, Flour Mill, etc., - it is continuing to be clearly shown to the Barbadian public what serious damage is still being done to the country’s overall growth and development, esp. with the continuation in a wholesale manner of this practice of the concept of the Economy and the discipline of Economics. Given this Manifesto’s definition of what Economics is and what an Economy is – stated at the start of this installment – it must clearly count that for virtually every single Economic decision or process or institution established by any government or private sector entity or non-governmental organization in Barbados, there is involved an inherent unfair benefit going to Europeans and Europeanized regions of this world, primarily because Economics was created by Europe to be this way. Therefore, a so-called economic decision by an individual Barbadian to go and work at Cave Sheperd Co. Ltd, will mean that he/she will in whatever capacity they serve be politically exploited by whatever means assured to be politically, materially, financially benefiting some European or Europeanized region interests. This is the extent to which Barbados’ and the international social, political, economic, financial and material affairs have long become interwoven!!

39 We are Mainly Economic Losers in Barbados and the Wider Less Developed World

Whereas such a decision may or may not benefit Barbados, the fact is that the reverse is true that virtually every economic decision or process undertaken in Europe and in Europeanized regions of the world must count for involving/having the potential to be inconsistent with our Barbadian interests or to be disadvantageous to persons like us in Barbados, which happens to be unwisely classified by many local economists as a small open economy. In the final analysis Europeans mainly benefit from the concept of the Economy, and Economics, whereas in regard of both things, we, in Barbados and the wider so-called less developed world, and esp. the less well off citizens therein, are ONLY benefiting a little, but at the same time losing terribly as a result of those things. With the onset at this juncture of higher stages of Capitalism, Imperialism, material production, globalization and trade liberalization across the world, our Barbados affairs have become even more politically, socially, materially and financially challenging and crisis prone than ever before, especially if many of the “right” things are not being done by Barbados’ political directorate either on its own or in conjunction with other regional and international actors to counter such or out-maneuver such higher stages of international politics, economics, material production and finance. Taking the situation of the ever downward slide in the local Sugar industry’s performance here and abroad, and the principal causes of it, - or excuses for us, in Barbados - that have been highlighted by state officials in Barbados, is not the loss of preferential market access and guaranteed prices by Barbadian Sugar Exporters to the European Union (EU), which itself has been under considerable pressure by World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant sugar producing and exporting countries to open up its sugar markets to the relevant other exporters, and the fact of gradually lower and lower sugar prices on the world market not fundamentally tied to why many more of our precious lands are being increasingly occupied by foreigners for them to use as avenues of leisure and recreation and vacationing, while at the same time the average Barbadian remains in dire need of his own land space rights?? Could it not have been foreseen long time ago that these things would have inevitably been happening given that it is the intention always by Global Expansionists and Imperialists of the Eurocentric kind to make Developing countries like Barbados remain in a state of chronic dependency and severe exploitation by way of ideological, political, economic and financial means?

The faster Arthur, Wood, and Mascoll are Voted Out, the Better for Barbados

Hence, the faster Barbadian Voters Vote out political jokers like Messrs. Owen Arthur, Anthony Wood, Clyde Mascoll - parliamentarians whom have studied Economics, and, in the case of Prime Minister Arthur and Minister Wood, have implemented or allowed to remain political laws, rules, and methods that support this economic ideology/Economic practice in Barbados much to the horrible delight of Europe and to the glorified destruction of many of our Barbadian

40 affairs - and too the faster they are replaced by vastly more adept politicians and thinking strategists, including SMFD/PDC politicians and experts, the better the developmental prospects would be for Barbados, esp. if it acts in greater political, trading, material, financial partnership and unison with other developing regions/countries which have national/international interests that coincide and converge with ours, and that must altogether be represented in the right and consistent ways. The faster Barbadian Voters realize that the Barbados Public Sector must be rapidly and carefully and totally reformed away from dangerously backward notions and practices related to the concept of the Economy and Economics, and the faster they are replaced too by a new state management entity within the concept and social practice of National Partnerships, among other things, the better Barbados would be in repositioning itself to be become a world-class society based on it own concept of such. The faster these Voters realize too that there are, regrettably, many striking similarities between those who were the 17 th Century European colonial state rulers of Barbados, those who were the 19 th Century Local European descendant state rulers of Barbados, and those who now are the Local African descended state managers of Barbados, respectively, and the faster these Voters realize that it would be better to Vote for A SMFD/PDC Government that shall ensure that sovereignty over the country’s affairs would be placed in the hands of the people parallel to such a system of National Partnership, and parallel to other profound beneficial changes that will come under such a Government, the better prospects would be for the country’s long term development more than now.

Barbados an Executive Presidential Republic under A SMFD/PDC Government

Also, and to maintain this slight departure from the main subjects of discourse in this installment, A SMFD/PDC Government shall within 18 months of becoming the Government of this country turn this country into an Executive Presidential Republic whereby at the first stage the Executive President shall be elected by A Cabinet of Directors of State Partnership INC., which shall itself – this Cabinet – be elected by the people re a variant of the proportional representational electoral system that shall under the said SMFD/PDC Government replace the existing first-past-the-post electoral system, and at the second stage, the Executive President will be separately elected from the rest of the Cabinet but will be nationally elected on the same day as the Cabinet, which too shall remain nationally elected under this newly introduced electoral system. This electoral system shall be Abolished within I year of the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government in this country. It is reasonably expected that under this system the country will have its first Executive President being A SMFD/PDC Executive President, who, incidentally enough, shall have been widely studied and experienced with also a serious background in the study of Political Science and/or International Relations, and with a good grasp of alternative political, financial, material, and social perspectives and philosophies vastly different from and far more effective than the Concept of the Economy, and Economics (More on this later), and not as we see right now our dear country being held to ransom by a political buffoon, Owen Arthur, who

41 has seriously failed to demonstrate sufficient political skills and understanding of the present world order and the true role or position Barbados has to occupy in it, and by what broad legitimately acceptable methods shall it get there.

NO Such Thing as Economic Power, ONLY Political POWER in a Social Sense

As a logical consequence of all such evidence - political, material, financial, analytical and otherwise - of the profound damage that the ideology and practice of Economics have long been doing to Barbados and elsewhere, and which must be of tremendous help – this evidence - in our continuing to expose Economics for what it really is, SMFD/PDC assert that there is NEVER such a thing as economic power. Thus, ALL Barbadian Voters, before they go the next polls in Barbados, must understand and accept that there is NO such thing as Economic power, even when Politics is mixed up with or disguised in Economics. It is a gross misrepresentation of the gravest order!! The fact is that all POWER is POLITICAL in a social sense. So while the Voter OR a Political Party should speak in terms of POLITICAL POWER, it would be highly improper for him/her/it to speak of ECONOMIC POWER. This term had probably been coined in representation of the convergence on agreement of certain national but dividing interests in Europe, and as adopted elsewhere. To be sure ALL constant production changes in Material essences and forms, whether in Barbados, Ghana, China, India, Europe, USA, Brazil, etc shall come under Materialism, and furthermore shall have given rise to an appropriate ideology under which some of the things which now fall under Economics shall otherwise have come under. This is the right way for Barbadians to look at it, and not how the Europeans and some others have seen it – so-called economically, when it is really meant to be politically significantly because of the enormous use by human beings of political power, authority and influence to achieve social, material, financial and other objectives. Could the reader of this Manifesto and the average potential/ Barbadian Voter imagine the output of a business in Barbados coming about without political action? The annual GDP of Barbados coming about without political laws governing or influencing the political, material and other objectives embedded within the achievement of this annual GDP?

SMFD/PDC NOT Playing with Words BUT Speaking the Truth

However, by giving so-called Economics a material basis on false grounds when it ought to be given its true political basis, means that the Masses/pseudo-elite here or elsewhere SHALL NEVER in any instance achieve ECONOMIC POWER – an illusion – when it is realized that for political reasons primarily it has been deliberately ignored or unrepresented in social and academic settings and writings - Economic ones included - the fact that POLITICAL LAWS, RULES and INSTITUTIONS/PROCESSES too, will continue governing, in a social sense, all

42 material, financial and other relationships in Barbados and elsewhere!! Please note carefully that SMFD/PDC when dealing with such subjects and matters, are NOT playing with words, but mainly wishing to make the Manifesto’s Reader/the potential Voter understand that words must be given their true meanings, and that both must correspond with the facts and vice versa. The late President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah must have known about the pre-eminence of politics and the political when it has been reported for some years now that he stated: “seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added after”. The concept of Economic power it must not go without saying represent a grave contradiction in the term, in that, NO WHERE – including Barbados - is it found that material change/possession/wealth directly cause/lead to any level of political power/authority/influence, but EVERY WHERE in which it is found Politics/the political – including Barbados - Political Power/authority/influence generally directly causes/leads to greater/material change/possession/wealth for those persons/groups wielding increasing amounts of such over others, with those wielding less and less amounts of such over others, less and less material change/possession/wealth. This is primarily so because it is only human beings that have substantial social political power and control over other human beings and material and financial factors, and NOT such factors having power and control over human behavior. Hence, Economics really being an ideology/psychology and about the state of possession of material by peoples anywhere, does NOT in itself or of itself possess such power and control characteristics!!

The vast majority of the relevant Barbadians of the ages of 50 and more ….can say …. that their entire political, social, material and financial circumstances in the 80s and 90s have changed only modestly…

Therefore, SMFD/PDC strongly contend that the reason why, in Barbados and the world o’er, Elites and governments could possess so much material wealth and income is precisely because in the first instance they wield so much political power, authority and influence – and NOT the other way round. We strongly contend, too, that the reason why the Pseudo-elites and the Masses, here and elsewhere, proportionately possess average wealth and income and possess low wealth and income, respectively, is primarily because in the first instance they possess average political power and influence and less than average political power and influence, respectively – and NOT the other way around. The leaders and major players of the BLP and the DLP must therefore tell the country in very categorical terms why they have failed to further advance Barbados’s political, social, economic, and financial systems beyond their current state to the point where the vast majority of relevant Barbadians of the ages of 50 and more, and living in Barbados, can say without fear of contradicting themselves that their entire political, social, economic and financial circumstances in the 80s and 90s have changed only so modestly when compared with the substantial and enriching political, social, economic, and financial changes that took place in the 50s and 60s in Barbados. Hence, when, as has been happening for years,

43 and SMFD/PDC is examining from the 50s to the present since this is the time within which popularly elected leaders has been assuming full political management of the domestic affairs in Barbados from the British, it is without doubt generally the case that Elite persons continue to dictate the rules, that Pseudo-elite persons continue to implement them, and that the Masses continue having their only major role in this process being to adhere to them ( all rules are however to generally adhered to by those who are being affected by them), what else could be expected when it is found that it is the elite that still owns and controls the greatest wealth and income of the country, with the pseudo-elite and the masses owning less and less in proportionate terms?? What else could be??

By focusing on material and money income primarily the Masses and the Pseudo-elite shall surely NEVER even come closer to achieving this illusion of Economic Power.

The Masses of people of Barbados must surely Vote SMFD/PDC Next Elections for greatly needed redress of such circumstances. In a big way, the inappropriateness of some persons in Barbados has been to get the Masses especially to focus on the material to a great extent, and money income, to a lesser extent – which, however, is not inherently “wrong”, but “wrong” when the focus primarily is on the material and money income per se and NOT on the types and degrees of human, social, material and financial relationships revolving around such material and money income- so that when the Masses do really focus they NEVER as a whole focus primarily on the wider, bigger and more important political, educational, and other means to achieving substantially more and greater material wealth and income, but primarily on the narrower, smaller and lesser important work, investment, and other means to achieving this more evaporating but substantially and proportionately lesser material, income/financial, collective bargaining /unionist means of doing so via achievement of mainly increases in them/quantity/quality. To achieve greater freedom and democracy, and greater wealth and income for the masses and the pseudo-elite in Barbados, generally, and greater freedom and liberty from unfavorable elitist political laws/rules/methods that underpin Economics and Economics itself, the Masses and the Pseudo-elite, as a whole/as wholes, must of necessity focus on these wider, bigger and more important relationships with a view of bringing about greater desirable and equitable changes to them and for them, and that will par with such greater freedom and democracy and greater wealth and income and other worthy objectives!! By focusing on material and money income primarily the Masses and the Pseudo-elite, shall surely NEVER even come closer to achieving this so-called ECONOMIC POWER. We of the masses and the pseudo- elites shall never achieve an ILLUSION!! By focusing on material and money income primarily we shall surely not acquire as much political power as we ought to, and as a matter of fact will be losing political power as time goes by. By thousands of Barbadians believing that because the elite owns and controls the vast majority of wealth and income in Barbados – a situation which is naively translated by some, esp. those who have come up under Euro-centric schooling, to mean

44 this so-called ECONOMIC POWER – and believing that if and when many, many persons from both the masses and the pseudo-elite categories do decide that they are going to FOLLOW and COPY the Elites – by doing what they the elites have done to achieve this illusory economic power – a thing too which has gone even as far back as a few mis-teachings of that European - Karl Marx - without using the political process to change the Political rules of the game to really favor themselves and all others, will surely mean when they actually follow and copy that they will live and work extremely hard and will NEVER achieve like how the Barbadian elites and their possessions suggest they have historically achieved - this amount great ownership and possession of Barbadian national wealth and income. The current crop of Barbadian elites have achieved primarily because of the politics of colonial/slave/plantation business of years ago.

In 19 th Century Europe, unlike other traditional Eurocentric thinkers at the time, Marx saw it that those who owned and controlled the wealth of European regions – the Capitalists – were involved in a class struggle with the workers whom the capitalists were exploiting for profit, a situation which he theorized would become at a later point in time unbearable to the workers, who then would overthrow the system and implement a common classless society. By using an economic determinist model which placed Economics at the core of social change in 18 th and 19 th Century Europe, Marx was bound to underestimate the role of politics and the political to social change. Hence, by his viewing politics and the political as a reflection of the Capitalist mode of production at the time – Marx was bound to seriously underestimate the political/ideological/psychological structures and maneuverings of Capitalism and the political power system of Capitalism, and was bound to overstate the revolutionary potential of a working class which he thought should have aspired for some ILLUSION of economic power, with real political power being put in the hands of some dictatorship of the proletariat!!

The Profound Significance of Politics and the Political to Social/Material Change

We, in Barbados and the rest of English speaking Caribbean, can ill-afford to ignore the profound significance of politics and the political to social change in our own human spheres. For, throughout our histories - from European Colonization/Enslavement to the present work system – and these are political systems that would have governed material production and distribution at different times in such histories – the Elite/State classes would have been seen to have MAINLY achieved great wealth/income through the operation of the said politics/the political which, at the same time, dictated and shaped human social behavior in as much as ruling on who was to get what, when, where, and how, or not – benefits - ruling on who was to do what, when, where, and how, or not - costs. Also, for a very long time in Barbados and the rest of the English- speaking Caribbean, various working class struggles against the ruling classes have taken place, with some gains accomplished as a consequence of those struggles, on the basis of politics and the political – the 1930s labor riots and the ensuing social changes. In as much as the production,

45 distribution and exchange of goods and services are required for human survival - and this is a very important fact - it must be understood/accepted still that the primary social differences that exist between many of the elite, many of the pseudo-elite, and many of the masses in relationship to the material production and distribution processes in Barbados, are caused by and are reproductive of a class-based type of political/legal distribution of wealth and income, and are indicative of and reproductive of vast differences in power and authority/educational achievement realms within Barbadian society, etc., Thus, politics and the political are at the center of defining the social group/status of citizens of Barbados, and, too, must be utilized when there are major movements for social, material, financial betterment by citizens in Barbados. These are things that the leaders and major players of the BLP and the DLP have not done well in telling the country, but would prefer instead to tell the country in vague and hollow and cliché terms about the need for greater redistribution of wealth and income among the social categories in the country!!

To return therefore to the question of the need for the masses and the pseudo-elite to focus not only on material and income factors but also on the human, political, educational, social, financial and other relationships that revolve around such factors in order for them to get a better understanding of what is required before proceeding to achieve wholesale betterment in their lives, it is as well important that the masses and the pseudo-elite realize that to achieve greater and more sustainable wealth and income for themselves they must, say, achieve greater political freedom and democracy in a broad national sense before seeking to simply get raises in income and material wealth. Moreover, the social and political conditions must first present and then be met in order for greater and extraordinary levels of national wealth and income to be reached for the benefit of the entire country. One such condition is a virtual national awareness and consensus that greater political power must be achieved first in order to carry out much needed political, social, material, and other changes to Barbados.

BDS Millions In Investments Annually Yet Little Progress For The Non-Elite

To attempt to achieve greater and extraordinary levels of national wealth and income on the basis of status quo objectives that are anchored within this present political dynamic would leave Barbados somewhere around the point where we are now - tremendously stagnating and in decline. This happens primarily when there are excess political, social and other capacities in need of exploration and use but which because they are not being done these ways, would leave room for the preservation as much as possible of the status quo. Bringing on newer and more material resources and finance will only primarily benefit the elite and governmental status quo and not the masses and the pseudo-elite who are aspiring for greater wealth and income and social benefits at the national level. With the millions and millions of Barbados Dollars of

46 investment that are annually made in Barbados, there are NO corresponding multi-million dollar improvements in the general welfare of the masses and the pseudo-elite. These are facts which Voters must become aware of!! Instead of the great proportion of the masses and the pseudo-elite focusing excessively on material and income factors only, and the accustomed means to achieving such, whereby it is patently clear that we, the masses and the pseudo-elite, are achieving wealth and income at a slower rate of development, it would do us a whole lot good if we completely change our focus and our attitudes and temperaments away from the latter approaches and towards refocusing our energies on those political, educational and other approaches and methods that are necessary in helping give rise to actual changes in the present Political/Legal Rules, Political methods, traditions and institutions/processes, of the countries from foreign based ones/models to ones very indigenous, democratic and practical – and that would substantially more than now be fairly and adequately governing national material and production activity, and governing national wealth and income acquisition and distribution in Barbados.

Owen Arthur - The Biggest Political Mistake, Failure and Joker Out of all Our PMs

These existing pro-elitist/statist political rules and methods - which are so terribly working against the masses to a greater degree, and the pseudo-elite elite, to a lesser degree - have to be CHANGED and for the BETTER, by those who -, including SMFD/PDC - are directly being affected by them, in order to bring about greater and more equal rates of growth and distribution in national income and wealth and in other areas of national progress and development. The Black pseudo-elite, managerial political class that would have emerged ever since the 50s, with the exception of political giants like Sir Grantley Adams, Errol Barrow, Sir Frank Walcott among a couple others, have failed and continue to fail us. To think about it Prime Minister Owen Arthur is the biggest political mistake, failure and joker out of all the Prime Ministers Barbados has had so far. The man since becoming Prime Minister has failed thoroughly to challenge, even little challenge, and usurp the present elite power base in the country, which is required if the country has to really become more just, egalitarian, and productive; has done nothing to further uplift the living standards of the masses and pseudo-elite; has failed to make Barbados a genuine participatory democracy; has thoroughly failed to prevent the state from growing most unreasonably and illogically - bigger and unwieldly – more to the point he has helped to achieve a state behavioral pattern of regression and tyranny - which in both cases are terribly undemocratically impacting in many ways upon the citizens of Barbados. These are facts that the reader of this Manifesto and the average potential/Barbadian Voter must know about and must therefore do something about politically and electorally. Indeed, with the exception of mass access to education and mass access to health, what ever national social, security, welfare and infrastructural programs and projects these managers have managed to put in place so far for so

47 long the broad sector of people has only been seen to be able to modestly benefit, and in spite of the failures of the Economic concept and economics to greatly help them and the country.

Politics Used Against Economics To Help Make This Juncture The Time Of The Non-Elite

The broad sector of the people of Barbados must know that a type of People’s Power POLITICS must be used in the Barbadian “war” on so called ECONOMICS and its political, social, psychological and ideological support systems in order to greatly secure this juncture as the juncture of the masses and the pseudo-elite and their interests in Barbados!! Also, such a type of People’s Power Politics must be used in the “battle” to greatly help fashion the appropriate, less problem riddled, sustainable material production/distribution and financial environment consistent with the greater hopes and aspirations of the broad sector of people of Barbados. A SMFD/PDC Government intends to use these principles as instruments to help in greatly transforming Barbados from its current state of unbridled conservative oligarchic elitism to a state of surging national social democracy. Check that the BLP and DLP Governments have over the years used so-called economic theories and principles as a basis for solving many of our material production and distribution problems. However, far from solving these problems, what Barbadian Voters will have seen is these problems or their variants still having remained. Just look at the Barbados economic crises of the early 80s, 90s, and the 2001-2 recession, and the types of diagnoses that were made, the types of remedies applied and the consequences thereof. Have we Barbadians not seen these same or similar patterns of social political behavior developed, say for a PM to impose credit squeezes, impose greater tax thefts, etc., before and after each crisis/recession? In the medical field, don’t medical laboratory researchers seek long lasting cures for illnesses and diseases, and, in some cases, succeed?

Quite recently the Minister of Finance in response to our growing trade deficit and the accompanying substantial foreign exchange losses decided to impose higher taxes on extra- regional imports, generally, and on certain classes of motor vehicles, particularly. The Central Bank also raised for four straight times in 2005, the minimum deposit rate. Have NOT these or similar economic and financial strategies been taken before by Barbadian governments to deal with our so-called national economic problems? Is it not time enough to change these types of useless, ineffective short/long-term economic and financial strategies for better and more effective ones? Is it not time enough to do so, and time enough to change the political personalities behind these useless failed policies, and for better stronger personalities who have better more modern and effective policies? When implemented would these traditional strategies- whether or not they work for Barbados - be found not to work in ultimate favor of or in ultimate benefit to those Europeans in whose names they have been crafted? How could we solve national

48 economic problems when the concept of the Economy and the social discipline of Economics itself are huge, protracted national problems?

These questions do not imply that because original European elites and their descendants have created and perpetuated these types of politics, psychology – remember SMFD/PDC’ S definition of Economics - and these types of finance, they themselves would not experience social and other difficulties associated with the existence and practice of these subjects despite they and their family tree continuing to secure the greatest political, military, material and other advantages over their own and other peoples as a result of the universal Economy concept and the discipline and practice of economics. Far from, since any man-made system is prone to go wrong and will go wrong. However, the argument will always be that because they have created these types of political ideology and psychology called economics, and money affairs called finance, and have by way of their own internal and external power and value systems been respectively enforcing them on and inculcated them in their own peoples and non-European peoples – latest major victims are the Iraqis - naturally means that they HAVE MANAGED to continue securing greater advantages including those that are technological, scientific, military, etc., over other the relevant peoples more than on purely political, ideological and psychological grounds. Thus, the more our governments have resorted to the use of these types of Euro- centrisms to assist in solving Barbadian material and other difficulties, the deeper our problems surrounding the earlier mentioned preexisting gross imbalances are bound to become, and not to mention the worsening impact of global trading, commercial, and intellectual property affairs on the material production and distribution situation in Barbados

These are Undiluted Facts that any Serious Manifesto Needs to Contain

These are undiluted FACTS that any serious Manifesto needs to present to potential/ Voters for them to grasp. Once properly understood by many, they will certainly help in determining which ways Voters will vote in the next general election, which is being viewed by SMFD/PDC as the most crucial since national independence. Potential/Barbadian Voters will have the opportunity at the next election to help thrust forward a new, unique and comprehensive movement for serious national development OR to stick with the status quo and experience the incoherence and topsy-turviness of Barbadian national development based on the whims and vicissitudes of worn out national and sub-national political personalities, issues, strategies and systems. Too, potential/Barbadian Voters will also have the opportunity at the next election to help usher in a movement that will give Barbadian affairs greater autonomy and protection from the relevant political and other adverse effects being felt in the international arena OR to remain mired in ever chronic dependence and vulnerability to such effects as are being felt in the international arena at this historical juncture.

49

Therefore, potential/voters in every single constituency in Barbados must look at the fact that esp. since 1994 when Prime Minister Arthur, an economist, took office, how Barbados’ material production and distribution and financial systems have become seriously dysfunctional. Observe how since then Manufacturing and Agriculture have performed – dismally! Observe the performance of Tourism as well – very inconsistent – Observe the performance of the economy as a whole since 1994– totally unsatisfactory rates of growth, annually. Worse to the minds of these said voters must be how since 1994 our Balance of Trade and Payments have been performing– just short of being disgraceful. Too, in their minds how the National Debt of the country has been performing – badly ballooning sky high, and presently unmanageable. And, what about the depressing level of wages of the broad section of workers in Barbados? Still having their subsistence wages further restrained and eroded by increasing costs of living even when in Sept 2005 Parliamentarians succeeded in tremendously raising the salaries and allowances of themselves and senior public servants’? What Barbadian Voters must seriously understand and therefore not only totally reject, but also must make sure come to an end is the following two ignoble situations in Barbados - and some of their following disgusting co- relationships – whereby, on one hand, any Barbadian Prime Minister and/or Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, who, at whatever time having greedily swallowed these economic principles of Europe, and who, irrespective of the dire political, social, material and financial circumstances and consequences that will follow, shamelessly, recklessly, uncritically decides upon continuation with the political bureaucratic implementation of these economic principles which otherwise are laden with very lethal anti-third world and anti-national development forces and agents; and whereby, on the other hand, the same Prime Minister/Minister being in charge of the said implementation of these policies, will be seen as continuing to help cause utter and reckless long-term decline and chaos in Barbados’ material production, distribution and exchange affairs, which as implied earlier, are certain to follow with the implementation of these policies!!

BLP/DLP/major Barbadian politicians being rendered more irrelevant by the people…

The FACTS are that no matter how carefree a Barbadian prime minister or party is with regard to many of those so-called economic issues and their rank political underpinnings; that no matter how many Votes a particular Barbadian candidate or party wins by at election time; and that no matter how much the leaders and major players of the old, traditional BLP and DLP boast that they are democratic socialists, the time shall surely come – as has already begun to happen - when Barbadians in their great numbers WILL REFUSE to any longer falsely misbelieve that Economics and Economic policy, as politically implemented by the government and the private sector of Barbados, would EVER at any points in time in the past/present/future have been/are/will be serving the purpose of substantially bettering and enriching their lives. Also, for

50 these Barbadian people, the more and more it will be observed through their own senses that these Barbadian political personalities and political parties - as has already long started too – have truly been becoming more and more irrelevant or useless to them, especially, when they realize that such personalities and parties have been presiding over governments and other systems that have allowed them, these same people, to be continuously CHEATED and ROBBED by this economic ideology and by this economic political (dis)possession system currently in place in Barbados, even if public relations and communications media in Barbados do try to make these vanishing personalities parties seem greatly more important than they really are to the country. The big onus therefore is on SMFD/PDC to help successfully discourage thousands upon thousands of Barbadians from continuing to falsely and terribly misbelieve to their own constant detriment that these traditional political personalities and parties, BLP/DLP, can actually substantially help them, without there having to be at the right time, like now so, the successful undertaking in Barbados of a very fundamental and rational transformation and forward positioning of the political, social, material, and financial systems of the country, a situation which is NOT far from happening, however, given that thousands of Barbadians too are believing, accepting and supportive of what SMFD/PDC have been arguing that we, and by extension, the nation, possess some of those ideologies, philosophies and programs that are absolutely necessary for inspiring, motivating, supporting, and informing part of these great and empowering changes that are needed to assist in bringing greater well-being and prosperity to the lives of the masses and the pseudo-elite in Barbados. As it stands, it is this economic ideology and this economic discipline and their political enforcement/support mechanisms that have greatly assisted in the creation of thousands upon thousands of very dispossessed, marginalized and pauperized people in Barbados, who are like the by-products of SOME of the very adverse effects of this pandemic/catastrophe Economics and its politically causal agents, and which would so have been designed by its original founders to result and be ever present, and which in NO instances CAN be eradicated by any kind of new or old remedial Economic models and approaches. Thus, despite claims by Mr. Owen Arthur that unemployment has been reduced to their lowest levels ever in so-called Barbadian economic history, and that this is so great an achievement – which is a big sick joke – this is NO remedy for the above mentioned adverse effects, simply because it’s a function of the same Economics/Economic modeling!! What is needed is the eradication of this pandemic/catastrophe by way of many ideological, political, and other policy measures and strategies some of which SMFD/PDC have contained in this Manifesto, plus those of other people that will assist dearly in its eradication. Certainly, at this stage in our history Barbados is in serious developmental crisis!! Barbados is in a very chronic state of socio-political dependency and hemorrhage!! Voters must no longer allow these BLP and DLP leaders and major players who are trained in this Economics to continue at the helm of Barbados, for only a small minority will continue to benefit improperly and disproportionately whereas the broad masses, to a greater degree, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree, will for the time being continue to be dehumanized and dispossessed in their own country until the coming to power of a SMFD/PDC Government.

51 Most Voters: National Duty to Rid Barbados of Very Destructive Colonial Legacies

Therefore, the call goes out to virtually every right thinking potential/Barbadian Voter, and particularly every first-time Voter, regardless of party affiliation or whatever, to do something about these very unfavorable and deplorable happenings in their own country, by becoming part of this great thrust to put Barbados once again on a national developmental path. Nearly all potential Voters have a duty and responsibility to greatly rid Barbados of these very destructive colonial legacies, like Economics and its supporting ideological, political and other aspects!! By voting in a SMFD-PDC government, the voter will see this anti-masses/pseudo-elite, anti- progressive, anti-nation building ECONOMICS and its ideological, political and other support structures totally deemphasized and demolished, and thus the ending of the myriad and huge national, social and other problems they have for ages created for esp. the masses and the pseudo-elites of Barbados. Our Government will put greater emphases on those ideologies, programs, and projects that are home grown, or those that have been practiced elsewhere but which will have withstood the test of being rationally and politically progressive, and which altogether implemented, will surely assist in reducing possibilities for the existence of substantial problems and crises of a national political, social, material and financial nature in Barbados. In those regards, too, Barbadians will be assured that they will witness the achievement of a never before seen greater refinement and socialization of Capitalism in Barbados, and in a manner that will certainly bring about greater growth and prosperity to the people of Barbados. SMFD/PDC at this point do put forward some of the policy measures and strategies that are consistent with this thinking and approach. They are as follows:-

ABOLITION OF TAXATION

Contrary to what the concept of the Economy and the social practice of Economics teach, taxation is wholesale and wicked THEFTS by the Barbadian State of the income of individuals, businesses and other organizations in Barbados. Taxation is a monstrous political weapon used by the State to exert totally unnecessary control over the masses, to a greater degree, and over the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree, in Barbados. The State is assisted in doing those barbarous things by way of a multitude of relevant private businesses, agencies and other support systems in Barbados, having so-called legally sanctioned tax collecting capacities. Taxation also ensures in the most objectionable manner possible the continued political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elites of people of Barbados by, particularly, the government and the elite, locally, and others internationally. Taxation has the broad support of the Elite. TAXATION is simple and plain downright THEFT BY the State. Hence, in performing these morally and politically repugnant, less than honest “thieving” actions – which are condemned by the Holy

52 Bible, but which in Economics strangely fall under the category of Public Finance - the State rather than becoming stronger and more independent from the influences and directions of certain local and international business organizations, becomes calmly but shamelessly weaker and more dependent on them – to the point of begging them too to invest, to be socially responsible, and to the point of going cap in hand to these relevant local and international organizations borrowing and looking for alms - even as the partial illusion is constantly being made out in the body politic that these organizations, too, have to pay Taxes in Barbados when “compelled” to so do as that the TAX laws imposing such - some enacted in Colonial Barbados and others in independent Barbados - were passed or validated by some so-called Sovereign Parliamentary Legislature of Barbados, and as assented to by the Governor/ General. Who would believe that this is the same State that has made theft a crime and therefore punishes individuals for stealing? If you, the reader of this Manifesto, were to be caught stealing from the state, would you not in almost all instances be punished by the state? Who would believe that this is the same State that makes you feel that the heads and major players of these business organizations are the real basis of Tax contributions when in fact the real basis of those contributions are the masses/pseudo-elites either as workers or consumers?

Taxation: a most vulgar, ancient and irrational means of realizing most State revenue

Moreover, not only is it that Taxation is downright Theft: a violation of the income and property rights of natural and legal persons (no permission being granted by those affected for the State to less than honestly expropriate their incomes), but it’s also a most vulgar, ancient and irrational means by which the modern state of Barbados realizes most of its revenues (the state forcibly attaches financial/digit values (tax values) to goods and services without there being any rational basis for doing so. Hence, the amount in tax value that is included in the prices of goods and services is NOT as a result of the very important production/exchange processes but is as a result of some arbitrary, bureaucratic, dictatorial state driven process. Even more ghastly is that the amount that is stolen in Taxes by the State with respect to a particular area of state activity, say, Customs, is far greatly in excess of what it takes to finance the particular area of activity).

Taxation: a basis for flagrant and reckless misallocation of huge Barbadian resources

Also, Taxation is a basis for the flagrant and reckless misallocation of huge amounts of Barbados’ monies, resources and energies by esp. the State. In recent political times, observe the huge squandermania involving the GEMS, Greenland, UDC, NHC Warrens Offices, St. Joseph Hospital, Sherbourne Centre, the turning around of Lord Nelson Statute, among many others; and observe the gross and reckless BLP and DLP mismanagement of the country’s affairs when, in the establishing and/or the maintaining of State ministries/departments and enterprises for purely

53 The Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy “a free mind, a free money, a free people”

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

MR. MARK ADAMSON

A SMFD-BACKED GOVERNMENT SHALL ABOLISH TAXATION IN BARBADOS.

VOTE THE BEST ONLY ♦ A GREAT CAMPAIGN ♦ A GREAT PARTNERSHIP AMONG PEOPLE

54 political and cliquish/questionable reasons, such things are done without apparent reference to the high costs involved in doing so, since for them there will always be TAXATION to provide for their ill-deeds and mal-doings ( What a backward and atrocious kind of thinking/behaving!!); and observe the said gross and reckless BLP and DLP mismanagement of the country’s affairs relative to the creation/maintenance of State enterprises that are substantially funded through wicked taxation, but which are in idiotic and destructive competition with sectors/businesses which help those same State enterprises to survive a la Taxation. In the latter case, it is only manifestly fair that any competition these types of State enterprises were providing to the relevant private enterprises should have been competition based on their own financial standing. SMFD/PDC will NOT mince words over these issues!!!

Taxation: devalues unnecessarily tremendously the national inputs and outputs of the country

Taxation devalues unnecessarily tremendously the inputs and outputs of the national productive/labor sectors much to the detriment of national growth and prosperity. Hence, it creates, to a great degree, unnecessary and substantial decreases in the demand for goods and services by way of helping create artificially “higher” than ought to be income costs, and creates artificially less than demanded and supplied quantities/qualities of many goods and services leading not only to many income costs higher than if Taxation were not in existence, but also to an entire Taxation process that terribly takes away from the holistic value of the goods and services( before consumers/users could get to purchase/use many goods and services, many thoughts they have about what amounts in Taxation are to be stolen by the State from them). Too, included in the final income costs to consumers/users of many goods and services, will be a great proportion of Taxation which would have come through sellers of goods and services passing on the vast majority of TAXES imposed by the state to buyers/users as part of exchange processes, and when it is considered, too, that such Taxation that is imposed is done so in a cumulative/compound fashion at the various higher stages of the distribution/exchange, thus becoming what they are to the final consumers/users of them. Also, by unnecessarily increasing income costs, Taxation greatly assists in bringing about serious fiscal and external account and debt problems for the country thereby terribly decreasing the income, output, investment, consumption and export value and potential of the country (Since the introduction of the VAT to Barbados in 1997, one can see the clear role that it is playing in destroying prospects and realities for greater growth and development in Barbados vis-à-vis the serious declines experienced in manufacturing, agriculture and other vital sectors).

55 Taxation: a basis for the continuation of national wealth and income inequalities

Moreover, Taxation is a basis for the continuation of gross inequalities and disparities in the income and wealth distribution patterns across Barbados. After these grand thefts have taken place, the vast majority of the proceeds go, outside of those that are value allocated to public sector wages as a whole, and those that are value allocated to the payment of National Debt, to already very monied and propertied Barbadian individuals and groups on the basis of contractual arrangements between the state and big business/big financial moguls, as that the state would have over the years in many cases been unwisely needlessly fashioned by state and bureaucratic leaders into an essentially non-commercial non-profit entity, and made worse by the fact of Taxation long having forced and forcing the broad masses of workers and consumers to produce the greatest taxable value ( these persons are really responsible for producing almost all Taxes), which includes “payment” of the Taxes of those already very monied and propertied Barbadian groups. It is therefore an unmitigated lie of the nastiest kind that, as is claimed by some Barbadians, that Taxation and Taxation policies of governments in Barbados over the years have been playing a great role in the redistribution of wealth and income among the social categories. For there still remains in spite of Taxation becoming nearly 40 cents out of every dollar in the 2000s in Barbados, a small minority that owns and controls the vast majority of wealth/income in Barbados( about 3% of the population), whereas the masses and the pseudo-elite share the remainder of national wealth and income. What must instead be argued in respect of many persons and businesses having made much progress in Barbados is that in spite of Taxation that they have made it through sheer hard work, much saving, proper investing, etc.

Moreover, it is clear that there is some fundamental and enormous unwritten conventions/trade offs between the state and most, if not all, these very monied and propertied persons and entities whereby the State with so many powers, resources and personnel decides to meekly but ironically offer the Private Sector little direct competition esp. in areas where it could do very well or better than now to compete with it, in exchange for the Private Sector operating very freely without State competition and making huge sums, with only a reasonable certain amount to be Taxed by the State. Hence, it is also clear with those and other deep-rooted problems, Taxation has been one of the major causes of utter retardation in the growth and development of Barbados even as it brings miniscule benefits to the country.

SMFD/PDC NOT swayed by arguments of persons to Reduce rather than to Abolish it

The above are facts/arguments against Taxation that these self styled/so-called people- centered mass-based parties - BLP and DLP - have NEVER known or have NEVER cared to know about and therefore through their own recklessness and lack of diligence/research have NEVER been in

56 a position to unearth and disseminate to citizens, workers and businesses of Barbados. This ought NOT to be surprising because already on the whole many members, though not all, of these parties DO NOT care anything much about the vast majority of citizens, workers and businesses of Barbados, for if they had really cared so much they would have sought out these most convincing and undeniable facts/arguments against Taxation, with a view of positively educating citizens, workers and businesses of Barbados about this ignorant thing called Taxation, and for them along with these citizens, workers and businesses to take the right political action against it. Both BLP and DLP are of the entirely outrageous positions that TAXATION shall ever remain in place even if the vast majority of citizens, workers and businesses are reaching the point where they are completely being decimated and vulgarized by this Taxation.

What might be interesting in this regard is that the leaders and major players in these parties do have an overriding personal vested interest in seeing this plague, Taxation, remain. Almost all potential/Barbadian Voters must think about this most serious fact!! However, because SMFD/PDC have long known about these facts/arguments against Taxation, and because we really care about the citizens, workers and businesses of Barbados, and because we know that in many, many instances the interests and development of the country must come first over other interests and developments, we have had to unearth and present these facts/arguments in this Manifesto in order that these said citizens, workers and businesses must have their own analyses and conclusions on Taxation, and for the necessary rightful political/electoral action to be taken against it, and against the leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP that support it. SMFD/PDC are confident that those and other facts/arguments have duly formed part of the basis of our mission to Abolish Taxation in this country. Therefore, in this drive to Abolish such a wicked thing like Taxation we are not even swayed by the belief of a minority of Barbadian skeptics and cynics – however valid they think their views are, but which, moreover, they are still entitled to hold - that taxation should be reduced instead of being abolished - to a lower overall percentage figure from the very high already, oppressive 40 or so % out of every dollar, as is claimed by some economists to be.

In TRUTH and in FACT there is ONLY one form of Taxation: Income Taxation

By simply reducing Taxation will not be sufficient to overcome or nullify the already dangerous ideological, political, behavioral and operating effects it has had over the years on people in the country. For example, nothing could be more dangerously unpleasant than the State and its taxation supporters making citizens believe that there are really various kinds of Taxes : Direct and Indirect Taxation; VAT, NIS, Personal Income Taxes, Corporation Taxes, Sales and Consumption Taxes, Capital Gains Taxes etc., when in TRUTH and in FACT there is ONLY one form of Taxation: Income Taxation. This is an example of the very wicked Divide and Rule

57 political tactic that had been employed by bygone European ruling classes/colonial masters to weaken/disunite their own populations, and non-Caucasian populations world wide, and which has been unwisely inherited by the current crop of black Barbadian state leaders. This way of portraying the Tax system in Barbados and the effects of portraying it in this way and the actual effects of Taxation, itself, altogether on the minds of our people cannot be simply rid of by reducing Taxation.

The fact that a prominent Barbadian business person in Barbados could be reported as claiming in the Barbados Business Authority, Monday, 3 April, 2006, that the government owes businesses BDS $ 45 million in VAT refunds, and could be reported as providing sound arguments why they should be repaid, but could himself in the said story be reported, ironically enough, as providing NO answer/no way out for when and how they would get this money shows that TAXATION is not only downright theft but also shows that it involves a modern form of inhuman and barbaric bondage that must fought against at all costs. If these businesses were owed this amount of money by other businesses would they not have taken these businesses to court? Why not have a law suit asking the court to consider realizing this amount of money from the government by way of auctioning off government properties, given that it has long been “owing” vast sums of VAT refunds to many businesses? Why not? Do you, the reader of this Manifesto, think that these businesses will really succeed if they had to follow through on these suggestions right now? Why not take the government to court and ultimately succeed in getting a court order for the government to repay these businesses such monies plus interests, which would most likely have to be again wickedly stolen by way of Taxation by the government from the same citizens, workers, and businesses to repay such money value? Now, Sir Allan must, in this case, be asked: who is the Peter that is really paying for Paul or the Peter that has long been paying for Paul?

One day coming soon every single Tax will be rid of from this country

While we support his claims for repayment under the present regime, we must admit that he must be more understanding than he thinks he is, in that, he must correctly believe that one day coming every single Tax will be rid of from this country, if mainly because this is the fundamental objective of a SMFD/PDC Government, and if far greater progress and development than now must come to the country in the long term. So abominable is the effect of this Tax system on the minds of citizens that in this said story Sir Allan claims that the VAT Department is owed significant sums of money!! Well the truth is, Sirrey, that the VAT Department is NOT OWED one red cent. NO intending/ACTS of THEFTS of property/money value/income, cannot ever be reasonably presumed to give rise to later rightful claims of having to be owed/is being owed by anyone/entity to the person/entity or persons/entities intending to/doing the stealing re

58 the said property/money value/income, substantially because the latter such persons/entities have already set out to steal and having stolen wickedly, define what is owed, ONLY because they have failed to steal more. In this case, therefore, because the State is doing the Stealing, has already dishonestly decided to steal the money value/income of persons/businesses and others, and, worse yet, because it has previously threatened and enforced Tax related sanctions, there must be great credence given to the fact that the State is always really intending to/ robbing individuals of what is theirs – in this case money value/income – Hence, No Taxes, are owed to the State, NONE whatsoever!! To make the point clearer, regard and contextualize the apt definition of the verb – to owe – as is given in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - “to have to pay someone for some thing that they have done for you or sold to you, or to have to give some one back money that they have lent you”. Is the state still owed TAXES then? No!!

This could NEVER EVER be a real question that state theft, Taxation, is needed and needed by the state…

Also, to think of relative reductions in Taxation is to totally misunderstand one of the major reasons why Taxation has come into being, that is, to absolutely unnecessarily control and devalue the livelihoods of esp. out of all citizens - the ever increasing masses of people. This type of view, reducing Taxation rather than abolishing it, ignores the fact that a very absolute and vicious and exploitative relationship would still exist between the State and the Tax victim, even when Taxation is reduced. Moreover, very misguided, self-styled tax experts, including the former Opposition Leader Clyde Mascoll, who has himself claimed that he is the economist in Barbados that is the foremost authority on Taxation matters, would themselves wish to argue that it is good to have such reductions in Taxation, probably to reduce the costs of doing business in the country, to encourage overall private investment, and to help create sufficient boost for prevailing Economic activity, among other things, and thus will primarily be seen by many citizens to be beating their chests over such marginal and superficial arguments, but of course they will ignore the outstanding fact that because individuals CANNOT ever steal from themselves, personally - only others - (but will ever historically accumulate wealth for themselves and for exchange with one another), there could NEVER EVER be a real question that state theft, Taxation, is needed and needed by the State to advance the NATIONAL interests or to secure particular NATIONAL material ends or to distribute them, when, as will be seen to happen under A SMFD/PDC Government, the state/government sector WILL be made to vastly improve upon its already basic potential/position to accumulate greater wealth, to exchange some of it to gain greater wealth, to earn its own revenues, and pay its own bills, and to allow far greater democratic/legislative stakes in the State than now to Partners (present day workers and managers and political leaders - hence State Partnership Inc.), and in order to achieve these and other objectives will be found to greater use its human capital component, its already vast resources, land and building space said to be owned by the state!! The notion therefore that the

59 state has to steal from persons and businesses in order to suffice its own needs is totally dishonest and outrageous when it is a fact that the mass citizenry of the country will NOT impose TAXES, only a class of individuals would, upon themselves and moreover will NOT steal from other citizens, esp. if they - the human members of the state - will see it fit to a priori fairly accumulate wealth and exchange some of it. Hence, the state DOES NOT have to steal a la Taxation. In the case of the state taxing, it is a few that taxes in collaboration with others, thus increasing the costs of the administration of these tax thefts, costs of doing business/investing nationally, which, in turn, seriously and adversely affect the nation’s potential and actual output – quantitatively and qualitatively, esp. when it is view that many of these tax thefts (not revenues) are being put into a state sector that already has the human and resource capabilities to enhance in great ways its own revenue and market potential without the need for its efforts to be mainly unnecessarily supported/subsidized by such Taxation thefts.

Nothing can however beat the absolute trash of what was reported in the Advocate Newspaper….. “Taxes ensure high standard of services”

The absolute rubbish that Taxes are as certain as death is another piece of evidence of the psychological and emotional damage that has been brought upon the Barbados by Euro-centrism and economics, and nicely swallowed by many Barbadians. Under A SMFD/PDC Government such an objectionable comparison will have no place in this Barbadian society. Nothing can however beat the absolute trash of what was reported in the Advocate Newspaper, Saturday, April 8, 2006, when under the caption: “Taxes ensure high standard of services”, it was attributed to one Esworth Reid, Deputy Permanent Secretary on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, at a Tax Fair held April 7, in Heroes Square, the following message that the community must accept responsibility for themselves and participate honestly in the payment of Taxes, which ENSURES the CONTINUED HIGH STANDARD of services provided to the people of Barbados. Like a braying donkey devoid of the ability to think, Reid is attempting to make a mockery of the same people of Barbados by making such a ridiculous statement. Could any potential/Barbadian Voter imagine that Reid is really a permanent secretary making this statement? The facts are that Money or Taxes or the Taxation process that is come by, is, in itself or on its own, absolutely NO guarantee of there being provided high standards of services in Barbados. For if this were true with the great millions that government collects in Taxes yearly the quality of many of the health services at our QEH would not now be so shocking and deplorable, the quality of many of our public roads would not now be so deplorable and in a bad state of disrepair, the overall quality of the state of our public transportation system would not now leave much to be desired and we can go on and on about the quantity and quality of our public services in Barbados. Reid must surely NOT KNOW that there are many, many other variables involved in determining the quality of our public services, and that there are public services in Barbados that are undertaken by certain state institutions that do not live off stolen

60 monies/taxes that do provide good public services e.g. the Central Bank of Bank, BTII., Not to be out done by the nonsensical and outdated views of Reid, one Errol Best, was reported, in the same Advocate, to be suggesting that free education and free health cannot be supplied by the state without Taxation being in place. What egregious and scandalous non-sense!! For the facts are that with the coming to office of A SMFD/PDC Government there shall indeed be still the provision of essentially “free” education, health, community, social/welfare, free security and other services carried on in Barbados without the existence of this dreaded Taxation, and all such “free” services provided on the basis of how the financial/money system in Barbados is primarily structured and organized in relationship to the private and state sectors

Reduction also is total irrationality when considering the way how tax systems are structured overall. Let us, say, there was the immediate removal of so-called direct taxation in Barbados but that there was the retention of the so-called indirect tax system. This type of removal of so-called direct Taxation would lead, yes, most things remaining equal, including that of essentially the same rates and areas of application of indirect taxation being maintained, but with minor changes being made to the said indirect taxation system and other government financial and fiscal policies, verily to the facilitation of greater national income and production which, in turn, would see in the short-medium term way more “indirect” tax yields but in the long term greater or as much “indirect” tax yields as if there were no Abolition of “direct” Taxation coming about to compensate for such losses. This kind of situation is certain to happen under a government – not ours though - that seeks to Abolish so-called direct Taxation. As well, this scenario not only takes into consideration the “indirect” tax effect of the removal of some “direct” taxes, but could also take into consideration the national and sub-national income, output, expenditure effects of the removal of “direct” Taxation off a category of salary/wage income, trading income, or the “indirect” tax effect of the removal of “indirect” taxes from income derived by some good or service. Hence, overall and in the final analysis, there may be no reduction in taxation! The VAT in 1997 was claimed by Mr. Arthur to have replaced 11 so-called indirect Taxes, but by the end of fiscal year 1997/1998, this VAT had stolen more than $ 500 million from people and businesses. Taxation MUST GO!! Right now the present Minister of Finance has increased the basic personal tax allowance from BDS $ 20 000 to BDS $ 22 500, and has lowered the effective marginal rates that individuals and corporation pay in income taxes, but certainly there has been no substantial tax “revenue” losses. Also, the present Minister of Finance remarked sometime ago, while undertaking tariff reductions in respect of the government’s trade liberalization program, that the government would have lost millions and millions in customs “revenues” arising out of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements to eliminate tariff barriers to international trade, yet the government’s tax “revenues” on the whole still remain about the same now as when that statement was made.

61 Another unfortunate and unjust fallacy being used by some to justify the existence of Taxation: that it is needed to fund state social, welfare, security and physical infrastructural operations

Another unfortunate and unjust fallacy being used by some Barbadians to justify the existence of Taxation is centered on the claim that Taxation is needed to fund state social, welfare, security and physical infrastructural operations and existences because the government has to find money to make these things available at little or no direct income costs to the public. The reader of this Manifesto and Potential/Barbadian Voters must be made aware that this is pure ignorance!! For it cannot in any reasonable manner be this way when - with the exception of police and armed forces services – these assets and resources, goods and services that otherwise make up the social, welfare, and physical infrastructural aspects of the state, are similarly those which are being provided by the Private Sector, which in using such similar assets and resources, goods and services that the state similarly has, does NOT have to resort to Taxation in order to finance such assets and resources, goods and services, and cannot in any reasonable manner be this way when it is seen that persons who are employed by the state are really those who are extremely capable of turning state business into a commercially viable and profitable institution, overall, like any other private sector organization, and who are themselves responsible for carrying out all aspects of the work associated with the provision of these operations and existences!!

Look at the fact that BST, Goddard Enterprises, Banks Holdings, Clico, C O Williams, R L Seale, etc., which altogether control nearly as much or more money value than the Government does, do not have to TAX to come by their revenues. What is sad and unfortunate though is that we make reference to these companies, which, despite their paying their own bills, meeting their own expenditures and making huge annual profits at that without Taxing Barbadian citizens, entities and others, are seen to come by these things through mainly elite/state political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite. What is even more destructive of any notion that a state has to Tax is whereby according to the Barbados Business Authority of Monday, March 6, 2006, the traditional banking sector in Barbados is currently holding more than BDS $7 billion in assets whereas the credit union movement has almost BDS $1 Billion in assets. These, too, do not have to Tax the citizens or entities of Barbados and elsewhere, to come by such assets values, and especially when they possess such little properties of their own when compared to what huge amounts of property and personnel the state has!! Again, it is a pity that we have to refer to such institutions since in arriving at these assets values these institutions are in association with some other institutions and processes seriously politically exploiting by mainly political, financial, and other means, the masses and the pseudo-elite categories. When every potential/Barbadian Voter and others that are presently reading this pre-election Manifesto go a little further they will realize why Taxation is not needed to fund such operations!! We must restate, that with men, machinery and resources in plentitude in and outside of Barbados, A SMFD/PDC Government

62 shall restructure and liberalize the money and financial system in Barbados, and shall bring other fundamental and better changes to other systems in the country, so much so that altogether these shall see the state earning its own revenues and paying its own bills without having to wickedly violate the income and property rights of Barbadians.

Another unfortunate and dangerous fallacy: greater numbers poorer with the Abolition of Taxation

Another unfortunate and dangerous fallacy that has also been used by a few persons on account of their knowing that a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall abolish Taxation goes like this that greater numbers of citizens will become poorer than now. Nothing could be further from the truth since it is this political, economic and financial system – of which Taxation is part of - that has long been put in place to make the broad segment of persons poorer than ever all the time. Taxation on its own makes thousands of citizens of Barbados poor and poorer. However, this disgusting situation does NOT greatly result from the fact that annually substantial amounts of value are imposed in Taxes by the State on individuals (over BDS $ 2 Billion) as much as it greatly results from the fact that corresponding to these financial values imposed there are underlying vastly more fundamental psycho-induced political controls and restrictions on the real activity of individuals and entities that are otherwise described as being subject to this Taxation in Barbados!! Hence, with respect to the Taxation system, these individuals and entities are made richer/poorer based on their ability or inability to function within this system or access goods/services at whatever income costs, etc. within the wider market, wider political/legal system, and not purely on grounds of the imposition of Taxation Values. Individuals and entities, and by extension, sectors, which are made up of individuals and entities, are therefore made poorer when they cannot access as many resources and other things as they would like, or do no not have enough liberty to function properly within the wider market/political/legal systems. This translates into individuals, entities, and sectors in Barbados that face the most political tax controls and impositions disproportionate to their functions and operations, having lesser freedom, movement, market access to whatever, etc, in Barbados, and those having to face the least Tax controls and impositions relative to their functions and operations, having greater freedom, movement, market access to whatever, etc, in Barbados. No wonder then that given those things the elite, the state, the pseudo-elite, and then the masses will each have respectively greater levels and qualities of political liberties and freedoms than the succeeding social category, and too greater income and property possessions than the succeeding social category. With the Abolition of Taxation by A SMFD/PDC Government there shall become relatively greater freedom and liberty accorded to those individuals, entities and sectors in Barbados which now have less freedom and liberty, less wealth and income through Taxation, and which (this Abolition of Taxation) can truly be said now to be utterly needed to forthwith begin reducing the unit costs of living in Barbados, and to forthwith begin creating greater, better conditions and

63 opportunities for generating greater prosperity and well-being in the country, especially, for those who produce the most. In the latter regard, it is a pity that a lesson has to be learned from a country that does not have good domestic race relations - largely inspired by the majority race there - and that does not have many good foreign policies, but which somehow is one that has happened still to provide for probably the greatest regulated freedom and liberty on the planet earth - minus the recent curtailing of many civil liberties under their own Patriot Act - and which without accidental occurrence has happened still to become the country that is the richest and most productive in the world. This country is the USA. The USA is not just simply the richest and wealthy nation on earth, but is one that has within it innermost and great knowledge and understanding of the role of greater freedom and liberty to the achievement of greater wealth, prosperity, social balance and advancement. For, certainly, in the American Civil War in the 19 th Century, the North simply did not go to war with the South to Abolition Slavery in the South; or certainly, the US Supreme Court in the 1950s, simply did not rule that the segregationist principle of Blacks being separate but equal with Whites in the USA, no longer had an official place in USA society; and certainly, President Bush right now in 2006, simply does not offer strong support to immigrant labor for the sake of doing so.

Rather NO or LITTLE Taxation is ALREADY helping to create substantial growth in real activity…..

Using particular sub-sectors/sub-sectoral activity in Barbados that are NOT assaulted with Taxation or that are assaulted with little Taxation, and these are not very many, it is seen that in respect of these sub-sectors/such sub-sectoral activity, we are certainly far from the idea that NO/little of Taxation is helping to make them poorer. Rather NO or LITTLE Taxation is ALREADY helping to create substantial growth in real activity, sales, purchases, income, profits when there is rightly NO or still wrongly progressively little Taxation. Take an objective analysis of the huge growth/potential of the NO TAXED Marijuana business in Barbados, in spite of its criminalization!! Take an objective analysis of the tremendous growth/potential of the NO TAXED indigenous fruit (dunks, grapes, ackees, etc.) and coconut vendor business in Barbados. Take an objective look at the big growth/potential of the NO TAXED local Barbadian glass and plastic bottle collection industry. Take an objective assessment of the great opportunities that the NO TAXED Barbadian car-washing business offer to its stakeholders. Does the average reader of this Manifesto and the average potential/Barbadian Voter know, or even strongly believe for that matter, that had there NOT been Taxation and other totally unnecessary business costs to be encountered by these NO TAXED activities/mini-sectors as they logically progress upwards, and that had there NOT been these smaller areas of activity/mini-sectors more often than not being affected by how bigger portions of this wider “system” in Barbados structures, conditions, and stigmatizes lesser ones, and which altogether are substantially totally preventing the greater growth of these smaller activities/mini sectors, that these same smaller activities/mini-sectors

64 would long time ago have truly grown up and matured into nationally vibrant and very top of the line national sectors?? Also, take an objective assessment of the VIRTUALLY NO TAXED burned CDs and DVDs business, and look too at the VIRTUALLY NO TAXED street style newspaper vending and natural drinks business. No doubt thousands upon thousands of Barbadians are self-employed in these NO TAXED and little TAXED sub-sectors and other RELEVANT areas of commercial activity, and have been able to achieve, substantially, income wise, wealth wise, and asset wise. SMFD/PDC’s contention is that Taxation not only terribly hinders greater levels of income and wealth growth and development thus helping to create greater levels of poverty in Barbados, but also unintentionally helps create a massive non- mainstream business sector which largely revolves around the providing of services, largely revolves around the charging of tax excluded income costs (“prices”) to customers/clients, and hugely revolves around the getting of income/making of investment purchases right away. Such is indeed great for the country.

There are even cases where there are sub-sectors/ sub-sectoral activity in Barbados that have had imposed on them punitive Taxation which would have been partially designed and implemented to make them poorer, but thereafter that would still have survived well probably because of, et al, great demand for their services or products. Take the case of the private–sub sector of the Public Transportation Sector, which even though it was wickedly assaulted with Taxation by Mr. Owen Arthur in 1998, was to bear that all and remain yet a very essential component of the wider public transportation sector, which in the report of the 2004 performance of the Barbados Economy by the Governor of the Central Bank, was listed by her as recording fair growth.

With the election of a SMFD/PDC Government that shall completely eradicate Taxation from the political and financial landscape of this country.

Hence, the fact of these persons, businesses/entities, and sectors being efficient, productive, entrepreneurial, and very income-driven is an entirely sufficient basis upon which these and other relevant persons, businesses/entities, and sectors shall become in the long run overwhelmingly more monied and propertied than now with the election of A SMFD/PDC Government that shall completely eradicate Taxation from the political and financial landscape of this country. As for the private/state sectors of this country, it is mainly at the points of exchange of money/goods/services that there is revealed what income costs would be to the purchasers/sellers/renters/users of goods and services in Barbados. It is at these very points that the Abolition of Taxation shall take very favorable effects on income costs to such purchasers/sellers/renters/users of such goods and services, by way of the lowering of such costs to such persons and businesses/entities primarily because Taxation has its greatest money effects at the income level, and if only because there is one and only one form of Taxation, that is,

65 income Taxation!! The results therefore for enormously great and positive/related changes to national and sub-national income-determining variables like the politics of national and sub- national ownership of wealth and its distribution, national and sub-national expenditure (investment, consumption), production/productivity/output, debt and credit, and the results therefore, too, for massively big and positive/related changes to national and sub-national income-determined variables like the politics of national and sub-national ownership of wealth and its distribution, national and sub-national expenditure( investment, consumption) itself, production/production/output/ debt and credit, are totally real and totally real with regard to how better and fairly these variables will perform in Barbados with Taxation being Abolished under A SMFD/PDC Government.

With regard to the belief of many Barbadians that with the removal of ALL Taxes by A SMFD/PDC Government, there will immediately be NO lowering of income costs (“prices”) to consumers/users of all goods and services that would hitherto have been “TAXED” in Barbados, this admitted likelihood shall be avoided with there being instituted for the benefit of the nation under A SMFD/PDC Government, a true market income cost (“price”) regulating system in Barbados, at the time of the complete Abolition of Taxation in Barbados. Just hear, Owen “the nightmare” Arthur griping and complaining in the House of Assembly on the delivery of the 2006-7 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure in March 20, that there were private sector businesses that were getting so-called TAX benefits but which were still engaging in price gouging and were not passing on the “price” benefits that by way of the lowering of taxes on goods and services were believed by government to be intended to ease consumers!! Would any one really truly believe that he is the Prime Minister of Barbados??

Does the average potential/Barbadian Voter right now know that there is no LAW whatsoever that LIMITS the amount in Taxes the State can extract from the Incomes of citizenry and entities….?

The Abolition of Taxation shall therefore have very positive relationships on the whole as will be seen universally: the more Taxes paid, the less disposable income for persons and entities, the less taxes, the more disposable income for persons and entities. No Taxes, all disposable income to all persons and entities that have duly earned it, to do whatever with, ALL the income earned paid in TAXES, no disposable income going to persons and entities, for it would have gone to an abominable totalitarian state. With regard to the latter, does the average Barbadian Voter right now know that in Barbados there is no LAW whatsoever that LIMITS the amount in Taxes the State can extract from the incomes of citizenry and entities: verily it being very possible, though very improbable, that the state can, say, Tax 80% of the incomes of all particular persons or entities?. Alas, No amount of TAX Fairs the Inland Revenue holds, the VAT Department holds,

66 NIS Department holds etc., will stop this SMFD/PDC-led thrust from going forward!! TAXATION MUST GO!! By Voting for A SMFD/PDC Government, VOTERS in Barbados have a great opportunity next election to once and for all send Taxation packing from the political and financial landscape of Barbados!! By TAXES being totally abolished under A SMFD/PDC Government in Barbados, therein lies the basis for unprecedented high growth in real activity, sales, purchases, income, and profits in Barbados, but which, esp. with the last item (profits) being involved, must still, according to SMFD/PDC, involve proper political and social engineering around and related to them and their expected real growth rates in order that the greatest benefits will be derived from the great and cathartic release of hitherto bottled up stifled energy, creativity, production, income of citizens and entities in Barbados, and which will certainly be enormously beneficial to the nation and national pride simply through NOT ONLY the Abolition of Taxation, BUT ALSO the Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, etc. Hence, it cannot be just the removal of Taxation that will make Barbadians more prosperous and dynamic for other aspects of Barbadian life are involved.

Another unfortunate fallacy: that there is some kind of or part of a world system, some kind of imperialist force that will pursue and punish Barbados when A SMFD/PDC Government Abolishes ALL Taxation in Barbados

Another unfortunate fallacy that is being used by some Barbadians relates to their use of the argument that there is some kind of or part of a world system, some kind of imperialist force that will pursue and punish Barbados when A SMFD/PDC Government Abolishes ALL Taxation in Barbados; that there is this kind of or part of a world system that enforces a global Taxation philosophy and policy on other countries and that is so strong that the small state of little Barbados has no alternative but to not only accept Taxation but also to impose it as part of this supposed global regime. Utter nonsense and garbage, SMFD/PDC say!! For there is NO INTERNATIONAL LAW or TREATY that stipulates that any Parliament OR Executive of Barbados or any other countries of this world have to impose Taxation, and even if there were, it would be totally abominable for such a LAW or TREATY to stipulate that any Parliament or Executive MUST impose Taxation on the People of Barbados, and other people of other countries of this world. Such would indeed amount to a violation of the sovereign rights and independence of Barbados and those other countries and would certainly by now be absolutely terribly rejected out of hand by Barbadians and other nation peoples of this modern civilized world presumably subjected to it. With regard to international and regional and bilateral agreements between Barbados and other countries of this world whereby Barbados has agreed with them on Taxation matters with the coming to office of A SMFD/PDC Government they shall be duly informed of our position with regard to the Abolition of Taxation and the consequent setting aside of those agreements. While we realize that Barbadian goods and

67 services would still be subject to Taxation in other countries, but that those countries goods and services would not be subject to Taxation in Barbados, it stands to reason that in conjunction with the implementation of other progressive policies (like the Abolition of Interest Rates, the Abolition of Repayable Institutional Loans involving Productive Purposes, All Imports Zero- priced at all points of entry) that A SMFD/PDC Government will have for Barbados, that Barbados will stand to benefit still tremendously from them altogether more than at present, and will thus compensate more than adequately for our goods and services still being most likely Taxed overseas.

Another unfortunate fallacy: Barbados’ lack of natural resources; hence, Taxation

Another unfortunate fallacy that is used by some Barbadians is based on the claim that Barbados does not have many natural resources, so that is why Taxation exists. Again readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian voters must realize that this is far from the truth, and is pure and unbridled ignorance!! By now from reading this Manifesto they must realize that taxation results in MONEY being stolen by the state from individuals and entities. Hence, whether Barbados has many natural resources or not, the fact is that these resources do not carry inherent money values. They are assigned subjective values cum money values by the owners, purchasers, sellers of them in the context of a counting/transaction/contractual processes (market process). These resources do not produce money but goods/ commodities etc, which are demanded and supplied at price p by human beings. So whether or not Taxation exists, there will always be resources natural or other wise from which goods and services will emerge through a conversion/production/distribution process; goods and services which, too, are what existed before Taxation came about, and which are what will exist after Taxation goes in Barbados. Why does resources rich Guyana, South Africa, USA, have Taxation systems, then? Again it is clear that the Taxation system is a very wicked one in many, many ways. It is deliberately responsible for much of the stagnation and crisis so wrecking sustained growth and development in Barbados. It is very responsible for the tremendous loss of hope and confidence by countrymen and women in BLP and DLP management of the affairs of the country.

Therefore in our bid to return a significant degree of civility in the governance of our country, it must be of paramount importance for a governing SMFD/PDC to take the necessary and long- lasting steps of ensuring that government leads by example in being a center of hope, inspiration and excellence for other Barbadian entities and citizens to follow. Too, it is very important that we, in SMFD/PDC, have regard for the necessary and effecient steps that have to be put in place to make sure that Barbados achieves the kinds of material growth and development/distribution rates that would enable it to become a world-class jurisdiction in the long-term. Moreover, it is

68 also absolutely important for SMFD/PDC to make sure that the income and property rights of individuals and entities in Barbados are protected from the thieving actions of the state.

A SMFD/PDC Regime to set up a Commission for the Abolition of Taxation in Barbados

Hence, in respect of the achievement of those objectives, a SMFD/PDC Government having won the next poll shall, in one of its first acts in presiding over the affairs of the country, urgently begin the process of Abolishing ALL forms and types of Taxation in Barbados. It shall appoint a high-powered properly representative Commission for the Abolition of Taxation in Barbados that shall lead and manage all national efforts with respect to the Abolition of Taxation in Barbados. It is planned that prior to the Abolition of Taxation, this Commission will be coordinating government’s own in-depth but excitingly imaginative public education and consultative drive – which shall also involve town hall style meetings - to get the country prepared and organized for this most inevitable, most far-reaching and most liberating change, and the proposed benefits thereof.

It will be expected by the governing SMFD/PDC that representatives of all pre-existing tax collecting agencies of the government, of the Social Partnership including trade unions, representatives of other social and political groups, and of academia, representatives of youth groups, representatives of consumer groups, and other members of the Barbadian public and invited foreign business and other delegations, will take special part in this drive to ascertain what methods the country will use to help succeed in achieving the political objective of once and for all abolishing this scrooge of Taxation from Barbados. The culmination of this Campaign, which shall take no longer than 6-8 months, shall see the taking to Parliament of a Bill to abolish ALL existing Legislation enabling the state to Tax, and which will have the effect too of abolishing all forms of Taxation, and a simultaneous amendment to the Constitution to make it virtually impossible to reintroduce Taxation to this country.

That expressed, we now come to a very important part in this segment related to the Abolition of Taxation. In our endless but very meaningful discussions with professionals of various stripes, technocrats of many suasions, producers and consumers of multifarious goods and services, students and other members of the public on this subject of the abolition of Taxation there is a very pertinent question which almost always comes up, i.e., with the Abolition of Taxation, what will replace it so that the state will earn its own income and provide for its own expenditure and income/output? While we have refused so far to answer this question on grounds of maintaining a keen sense of political strategy in the midst of the battle with other parties for political turf, we cannot at this moment continue putting off answering this question, when it is our desire that constituents across Barbados in their huge numbers should vote next elections for us on this and

69 other grounds. Therefore, constituents before they exercise their franchise must have had enough time to weigh many of the reasons for the Abolition of Taxation, and to study what state revenue- generating and other strategies that are being proposed by SMFD/PDC that will one and at the same time replace Taxation, and that will under-gird this new Non-Taxation regime.

As a consequence, we dutifully present some of the following strategies, some of which will directly replace Taxation, and which, on the whole, when implemented by a SMFD/PDC Government will certainly meet the objectives of the Barbados State earning properly and fairly its own revenues and being able to finance its own expenditure and output just like the ordinary business entity in a specific sense.

STRATEGIES

(1) In association with fundamental but much welcome reorganization and rationalization of the State into one big partnership - State Partnership Inc.(SPI)- which will be incorporated under a new and very comprehensive Partnerships Act of Barbados- and which too will be organized into line Divisions, Subsidiaries, Boards of Directors, Enterprises and Projects as opposed to the retention of the current situation of Ministries, Statutory Boards, Departments etc.- and which itself will be made up of Partners, who shall have been the beneficiaries of change from the current status of present-day workers within the Public Service- there shall become the ABSOLUTE reduction in the role and size of the State and its operations in the livelihoods of the people through the ABSOLUTE elimination of inefficient and unnecessary State Ministries, Departments, enterprises and projects.

In so far as there would have been just before or during the time of the Process of the Abolition of Taxation - which will see so-called Direct Taxation going first, then so-called Indirect Taxation - inefficient and unnecessary enterprises, companies or projects that are either owned/managed solely by the State or that are owned by the State but are in joint ownership/management under some commercial joint venture or strategic partnership with Private Sector entities, there will be seen too closure or withdrawal of interest by the State in these inefficient and unnecessary concerns. Only in cases where the then Ministries, Departments, Enterprises and Projects are serving very important social/welfare/security/infrastructural/nationally strategic purposes will they not be eliminated even if proven to be inefficient and unproductive. However, plans must still be put in place for their internal and external restructuring into said Divisions, Subsidiaries, Boards, etc. with a view to making them as efficient and productive as possible. The latter

70 will apply too whether or not any of those agencies have got a commercial role to play in whatever sector of interests.

Where the state will be seen to have withdrawn from particular activities, the private sector for all intents and purposes will take over from and/or expand activity where the state had been operating, if possible. The option of making SPI, on the whole, the biggest, most efficient, most caring and socially responsible public share-owning enterprise will still exist based on the performance of SPI share-owning enterprises and projects. On the question of where these THOUSANDS of former state employees will go, SPI SHALL make sure that they are counseled, given, if they so desire, what severance benefits are entitled to them, and that they are PLACED, if they so like, into partnership businesses BEFORE the particular Ministries, Statutory Boards, Departments, etc. are closed down – which under A SMFD/PDC Government has to and will happen if government business has to be restructured properly and the overall costs of doing government business SUBSTANTIALLY reduced in the context of the Abolition of Taxation – OR what will happen is that in cases where certain government Ministries, Statutory Boards, Departments, Companies, etc can be taken over - but under different terms and conditions of operating - by employees cum partners in partnership with others, these entities and their effects WILL be sold debt free if they were previously indebted to any one, any entity, to would-be former employees and other interested persons, most of whom shall however become partners in the then newly established private sector businesses. The state will still maintain its essential executive, legislative and judicial functions albeit with some necessary changes. (See more in the segment on a new state management entity for Barbados).

(2) The establishing or transforming from then former State Ministries, Departments, Enterprises, and Projects, of would be new SPI Divisions, Subsidiaries, Boards of Directors, Enterprises and Projects which, in the final analysis, by capitalizing on careful and wisest use of the appropriate mixtures of the social/ “price” market systems, careful and proper use of the offerings and opportunities provided with their own environments, and strategic locations, use of economies of scale, by capitalizing on being part of a state which manages the largest amount of land space/rights, industrial space in Barbados, and which by making use of the greatest number of partners ( present day workers ) and resources and assets in the country, and which by being part of a state which manages the largest social/welfare sectors and accompanying social infrastructure, assets and resources, and which must yet cater to social equality/justice and developmental concerns which necessarily will be very exposed during times off great material prosperity as is forecast by SMFD/PDC, must and shall surely as important factors in themselves help result in those types of advantages that shall hugely assist these entities/projects in the achievement of

71 their own objectives of being central to A VERY BALANCED commercially, financially and socially viable state. These newly formed Divisions, Subsidiaries, etc., of the State, shall also look to capitalize on their ability to create niche markets of a commercial or social nature, and to pursue commercial, financial, social justice and developmental advantages out of the concept and reality of the greater good for the greatest numbers etc, in order to wherever possible assist these entities and projects in their achievement of being themselves commercially, financially and socially viable.

(3) Certain Divisions, Subsidiaries, of State Partnership Inc. shall be given power and authority (autonomy) to devise and implement their own revenue generating, profit maximization, market and resource allocation and cost reduction strategies. Only the resulting “prices” that would be charged to the public will be reviewable and changeable by the Board of Directors of SPI (the present Cabinet of Barbados). This situation shall only exist for a short time in Barbados in that there shall as indicated earlier be instituted within three to four years of the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government in Barbados a truly centralized market-setting income cost( so-called prices) regulatory system for Barbados. Each of these agencies will only have to restore, if capable, and in a position to do so, to the Consolidated Fund at the end of the financial year, the value of any of the original sums actually allocated by the Board of Directors of SPI (the present Cabinet of Barbados), and spent or still to spent/spendable by the particular Division, Subsidiary, etc, out of what would have been earned by them during the financial year. Any excesses earned will be kept and used by the particular entity for only productive and meaningful purposes. All partners of SPI will be paid in profits on the basis of profit sharing schemes implemented by SPI.

(4) The financing of SPI enterprises and projects by way of voluntary public investment in them- not on the basis of the issuing of government paper – which will be forbidden under a SMFD/PDC Government – but on the basis of taking risks that may eventually bear profits for the partners and the investors in these enterprises and projects.

(5) The continuation by a SMFD/PDC Government of the policy of making great use of valid and truthful accounting terms and values as a means of symbolizing the capital, assets, and liabilities positions of State Partnership Inc. and its different components against those of other privately or publicly owned businesses, or private citizens, and of reflecting changes in the financial and accounting relationships among and between its different components and among and between said businesses and citizens, WITHOUT INVOLVING the actual use of Money. Money will however continue to take on the role of being an actual back up

72 to these actual non-money transactions like how gold in many countries would have been used as a back up to money transactions.

(6) By coming within the relevant laws and regulations making it the case that Barbadian citizens, or wholly or majority owned/controlled Barbadian entities, so truly in need of institutional loan financing for productive purposes, will on the basis of meeting affordable criteria succeed at getting such loans from any financial or money collecting institution, and moreover will find that such loans will be deemed non-repayable, shall surely mean that given its lead role in managing the affairs of the country and which involves too heavy financial loan and investment responsibilities, the State of Barbados being one of those national entities shall henceforward no doubt eminently qualify as an entity that in principle shall borrow money for productive purposes without repayment. Furthermore, for all entities including the state, any such enterprises/projects that they will be involved in and that will be generating productive activity in as much as they would be involved in the process of construction of any new or expanded dwelling, factory, warehouse, store, office, church, road, park, etc., but which after they have been completed, will have to conform in reality to existing agreements made under these laws and regulations that shall stipulate that these enterprises/projects when completed would have to engage in the performance of some social, community or national responsibility even if in addition to their normal business, commercial undertakings in order to have pre-qualified for the non- repayable loans regime. (See later segment on making institutional loans for productive purposes non-repayable for more details).

(6) Laws will be passed by the elected SMFD/PDC Government in Parliament, making it absolutely compulsory for would be Divisions, Subsidiaries, Enterprises and Projects of the State, to publish, using whatever available and prominent means, very timely, accurate, reliable and reader friendly information about their financial affairs every day /week/month as the case may be in order to assist the public in making quite informed decisions about whether to in whatever ways involve themselves with a particular Division, Subsidiary, Enterprise or Project that is either owned/managed solely by the state or in conjunction with the Private Sector.

(8) State Partnership Inc will be under very strict orders to engage only in social, welfare, security, infrastructural and commercial activity that there and then can be financed by its own existing finances, and backed up by it resources, asset strength etc. There shall be local financial non-repayable borrowings BUT ONLY for productive purposes by SPI, with ONLY foreign borrowings where absolutely necessary. By doing this our intention would be, among other things, to reduce drastically the National Debt and it potential for

73 destructive growth since ordinarily such kinds of borrowings not only involve substantial principal repayments but very enormous interest payments.

(9) With the carrying out of policies by a SMFD/PDC Government that will certainly bring about substantial and sustained country wide- prosperity and growth and development, the State because of the unique positioning of itself in relationship to other people and businesses in Barbados will surely stand to benefit from the increased levels of material, production, distribution, financial activity helped brought about in the country. It is believed by some, esp. within relevant official quarters, that the GDP value of the Barbadian economy is at this stage about BDS $6 billion at current prices. Some too believe that 40% of that is in Taxation. By reason that most of this 40 % goes to non- productive activity within the Public Sector – debt repayments, sinking fund payments, inert Capital expenditures etc. and to non-profitable activity- transfers and subsidies, wages and salaries, social and community spending, housing and general public service expenditures – it is eminently logically clear that if the same percentage of this 40 % ( meaning a percentage value and not meaning the private sector taking on spheres of activity that can best be carried out by the public service ) were to have been right now allocated to productive and profitable activities in the vastly more efficient Private sector or if the state allocates some of that to its own efficient, productive and profitable activities, whether in existence or to come on stream, then on the basis of the assumption of a SMFD/PDC government being in office today, and as such its successfully achieving the Abolition of Taxation, the Abolition of Interest Rates, the Abolition of Motor Vehicle Insurance and, too, the entire rationalization of the public service, there would likely be a GDP value of Barbados of over BDS $ 8- 9 billion at today’s prices, and an astronomical increase in the normal market derived revenues of government.

Hence, the Abolition of Taxation will certainly accompany vastly greater national incomes, expenditure and output, greater levels of domestic investment, consumption, savings, exports and imports for Barbados, while reducing the national debt of Barbados. We will make sure too that the results of such growth and development makes for the upward social, political and other transformation of the lives of the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalized in Barbados. These and other great benefits that are being projected by SMFD/PDC for Barbados and Barbadians must certainly be an incentive to VOTING for SMFD/PDC next general election. It is with that presentation of those strategies that we bring to a conclusion this segment on the Abolition of Taxation and hope that the average potential voter sees the full wisdom behind SMFD/PDC articulating the absolute and clear need for this country to Abolish Taxation if in fact we are on a path towards deepening the democratic tradition and good governance, as it would indeed be foolhardy and untenable to maintain such a despotic system in such a context, while expecting the country to become a world class society.

74 THE ABOLITION OF INTEREST RATES

Indeed, and for a very long time, Interest Rates have formed part of the so-called Economics that is so studied, refined and practiced in Barbados. To be more precise it comes under the rubric of Monetary economics. That we have already defined economics in the segment: The Economy/Economics: Two big and serious national problems - just leaves us to state that Monetary economics can be defined as that branch of economics that shows how the descendants of the original European Capitalists/Imperialists/Settler Elites have, from the 19 th Century to now, been able to use the amount of money being circulated at any given time in or across any regions of the world as a means(financial) of further politically exploiting, as in the case of Europe itself, their own lower classes; as in the case of European Settled regions like the U.S.A, the native and mass populations; and as in the case of former European Colonized regions like Africa, the entire peoples, in order to continue securing profit, financial, material, political and other advantages for themselves.

Interest rates have therefore become more dangerous than ever to the lower classes across the world with the mushrooming of global trade and investment and labor flows, global economics and global finance, worldwide. In Barbados, Interest rates as studied, adapted, and practiced have been given legislative sanction in the form of Interest Rates Acts and other relevant Acts. Interest rates constitute among the vilest examples of manifest political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite of Barbados by the Elite/State and their stooges. Virtually everyone knows that Interest Rates are calculated on the basis of principal sums lent, borrowed, deposited, etc. whether in the form of loans, mortgages, bonds, treasury bills, hire purchase deals etc. However, our concern, right now, is not these principal sums, but the interest rates that are involved. Interest is levied by state and private financial and commercial institutions on loans, bonds and other financial instruments, the value of hire purchase items, monies payable, etc. at particular rates( _ % per whatever time period ) At the same time, Interest is bestowed by these said financial institutions on deposits, bonds, and other financial instruments at particular rates ( _% per whatever time period ). According to the type of financial or other arrangements entered into, Interest charged or bestowed, is higher or lower with respect to the purposes of the arrangements entered into by the agreeing parties.

Interest Rates: anti-national interests and anti-public policy

Though having this legislative sanction, and having their basis in agreements between financial institutions and depositors, borrowers, investors etc. it must NEVER be believed that Interest Rates are in the national interests. Rather, Interest Rates are not only against the national interest

75 The Society ffforfor Mass Freedom and Democracy “a free mind, a free money, a free people”

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

MR. VINCENT ADAMSON

A SMFD-BACKED GOVERNMENT SHALL ABOLISH INTEREST RATES IN BARBADOS.

VOTE THE BEST ONLY ♦♦♦ A GREAT CAMPAIGN ♦♦♦ A GREAT PARTNERSHIP AMONG PEOPLE

76 but also are against sound public policy!! The Interest Income and Interest Expense that are realized by depositors/lenders/investors, and borrowers respectively, involve one of the most dishonorable uses/sickest distortions of the money/value of the people by the relevant institutions and the beneficiaries involved. Whether it is the state or private people being involved in the fashioning of particular Interest Rate loans, mortgages, etc., potential/Barbadian Voters of Barbados must however REALIZE that these Interest Rates mean the use of public money for PRIVATE GAIN/PERSONAL LOSS, which though totally unrelated to the production or distribution or exchange of goods and services, is still very related to the politics of mass deception and division of a people, which as such speaks to a form of massive dishonorable conduct that exists in the financial and economic affairs of the country.

Money CANNOT make or cost Money – Except…

For, not only is it OBSCENE for state and a few private people to bestow benefits and charge expenses on the basis of simple differences in use of the Barbadian people’s MONEY with regard to the same/similar or whatever context, but it is also OBSCENE for them to make the public, esp. the masses, absolutely falsely misbelieve that money in itself can MAKE/COST money via the allocation of Interest Income and Expense. With respect to the general notion of money, it is the people’s historic efforts that would have led to the coming about of MONEY. The worth of such efforts is still embedded in the value of THIS MONEY today. The MONEY is theirs. The state, its agents and a few private people are NEVER the owners of this money and must never pretend to be owners – which in many cases they are doing. The state, its agents and these few have given themselves too much power – which a SMFD/PDC Government will properly correct – in regulating and dictating the use of the Barbadian people’s MONEY, and thus this has been disastrous to the masses, especially.

No self-respecting Nation of people would ever bestow benefits or incur losses to themselves for mere USE of their own MONEY. Only a certain class of people drunk with political power bent on doing political disservice and social harm to others, however, would just as it is with the imposition of Taxation!! With respect to what Interest rates suggest that money can make money/cost money, Money cannot make Money since it would directly involve the use of the same commodity (Money), and therefore in same way that apples cannot make apples, Money cannot make Money!! Also, Money cannot cost Money since it would also directly involve the use of the same commodity (money), and therefore in the same way that apples cannot costs apples, Money cannot cost Money!!

Exceptions to these money principles happen when there is either Money trade involving different international currencies with different values, and it would therefore appear that Money

77 is being bought and sold, or when currency that has been freshly made or printed overseas has to be paid for in the same or other currencies being required to be paid for in. These types of instances can therefore be referred to as Money MAKING/COSTING Money. If apples cannot make or cost apples, and would therefore, if purported to be happening, envisage the bringing about of utter chaos and retardation to market and industrial affairs, mainly through the tremendous lack of beneficial and useful exchanges with various other commodities such as bananas, oranges etc., the latter of which is direly needed in order to further market and industrial development via specialization, then it must on the same principle immediately above be happening that with Money being purported to be MAKING/COSTING Money, there must be the bringing about of utter chaos and retardation to financial and economic affairs of Barbados, through this unceasing unproductive and irrational shifting in tremendous money values from depositors/investors to borrowers and from borrowers to depositors/investors and who so ever else may be involved, which at the same time has NO basis whatsoever in beneficial and useful exchanges with various other commodities like fridges, sugar, computers, yams, buildings, cars, books, etc., the latter of which is seriously needed in order to boost greater national production, but has A MOST WRONGFUL Basis in Elite/State Political Exploitation of the Masses, to a greater degree, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree, of Barbados.

Barbadian Voters must be aware of ample evidence of this chaos and retardation in the financial and so-called economic affairs of the country via Interest Rates in the financial sector where total Interest Rate value is equal to artificial debt/credit, which in turn leads to less/greater disposable income, to no/greater savings to no expenditure and therefore no investment value, simultaneously generally. This vicious cycle, Barbadian Voters must be aware of, too, continues whereupon, say, in getting loans from financial institutions to help in making real investments borrowers are forced to agree– NOT forced to do so by Bank or Credit Union officials, although in such cases one would get the feeling that some times while getting such loans there is undue influence prevailing – BUT forced to do so on the basis of social, financial and other demands being thrust upon them - to interest charges which really have NO basis in the investments to be undertaken ( the principals sums, however, do have bases in the proposed investments), BUT which have a basis in Elite/State political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite by financial means.

BDS 2.4 billion for 2003-4 went in oppressive interests payments

What does the average potential Voter think when realizing that in any published financial statement of any bank or credit union there is a massive difference – surreal too – between the huge Interest Income alleged and the small Interest Expense alleged in their statements? What does he/she think too when in reading a copy of the Central Bank’s monthly publication

78 Economics and Financial Statistics (Feb 2005), there is information that states that about a tenth of government’s total current expenditure of BDS 2.4 billion for 2003-4, went in oppressive Interest Rate payments to others, and what’s worse on account of government’s increasingly staggering indebtedness? While this publication did not differentiate as to what extent they were local or foreign Interest payments, can any BLP, DLP or SMFD/PDC Voter deny that this sum, in Barbados dollars, amounts to be more than the total amount of monies allocated each year to the Ministry of Health for the last ten years? No doubt that this amount in interest payments by government is a normal but crippling thing!! Imagine this sum of money being put to productive use in the private sector? And for meaningful consumptive purposes by the country?

What does this Voter think when in this same document there is given statistical information on commercial banks’ distribution of loans re the amount to be paid in interest that outlines a general trend within the period 1988 to 1997, of the lowest interest rates categories ranging from – 6.75 to 8.75 % - realizing significantly fewer loans being disbursed than the 8.75-12.75 % categories which registered by far the greatest loan disbursements. As for the highest interest rate categories ranging from 12.75 to over 14.75 the lowest loan disbursements were recorded. What does he/she think about the very adverse implications of these financial happenings for national industrial and financial development, and for the further distribution of income and wealth among social categories in the country, et al, when Elites and Governments unwisely continue with Interest Rate regimes? and the very gross implications of these happenings for an already scandalously high and burdensome National debt, and for the allocation of the resources and assets of the country with the said continuation of Interest Rates regimes?

Some of the leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP must surely be Voted out of office for NOT ONLY doing absolutely nothing to prevent this type of Elite/State driven financial hooliganism and banditry from being continuously perpetrated against the masses/pseudo-elite of Barbados, for it is they that directly or indirectly have to carry the burden of the payment of such rates of interests, BUT ALSO for when being in government, as are the current BLP members of the Cabinet finding themselves, being directly involved in such financial hooliganism and banditry!!

Very erroneous judgments of some persons on maintaining high interest rates

Also, within monetary circles in Barbados there is the very erroneous judgments of some persons that by maintaining Interest Rates, and especially at particularly high levels, that such would serve as incentives to increases in foreign currency holdings/inflows in the country when there are decreases in the value of particular major international currencies OR decreases in the interest rate component of such currencies. In the Barbados Business Authority EDITION of Monday,

79 June 13, 2005, with respect to the issue of whether or not the second Interest Rate hike ( and there were a total of four for the year(2005) was necessary, the Barbados Economic Society tendered this : “A rise in the minimum deposit rate leads to higher market interest rates( on loans and bonds ) thereby making saving more attractive and borrowing less attractive( due to higher interest payments ). The change in the interest rate is also used to signal to the public that there is a need for more careful budgeting (expectations). These two factors (market interest rates and expectations) then feed through to result in a reduction in the demand for both domestically produced goods and imports, as firms and consumer cut back on their planned expenditure. The reduction in the demand for imported goods implies that less foreign exchange is now required to purchase these items and should result in a relative improvement in the level of foreign reserves.”

While this is generally true, the fact is that these kinds of manipulation of Interest Rates have happened several times before in Barbados and are not working effectively in helping bring about sustainable material growth and development for Barbados, and in helping bring about the appropriate financial climate to support this would-be objective of sustainable material growth and development for Barbados. Could the average potential BLP, DLP and SMFD/PDC Voter imagine that at Christmas time in 2006 there was an observable fall off in commercial business activity largely as a result of the cumulative/overtime effects that would have been brought on by the brazenness of the Minister of Finance to implement another set of imprudent fiscal containment measures in August, 2005 as well as his acceptance of another set of imprudent monetary containment measures, on a country whose level of productive activity and productive earnings esp. with respect to the main productive sectors is unacceptably modest, at best, and unsatisfactorily low, at the worst.

It is nonsensical for either the Government of Barbados, the Central Bank of Barbados, or the Barbados Economic Society, or all three, to proceed on the assumption that Barbadians will continue to accept the dishonorable and abhorrent situation of paying/rewarding others for the use of our own money, and at the same time paying dearly for encouraging higher foreign currency stocks. Such have serious negative implications for not only domestic material and financial activity generally, but also domestic and export “price” levels. Such can, among other adverse things, lead to lower national expenditure at the domestic level and “price” incompetitiveness at the export level as more often than not these Interest Rate costs are included in the respective “price” levels, and are not even domestically offset by overwhelming instances whereby the beneficiaries of Interest Income from financial institutions often take such income and use for domestic or any other spatial investment, productivity and development purposes, rather they mainly let it accumulate at the financial institutions, and are not even domestically offset by lower real domestic demand leading to lower foreign exchange costs of import.

80 What potential voters in every single constituency must know also is that higher local Interest Rates could NEVER significantly lead to substantial foreign exchange reserves for precisely the reason that Barbados’ currency is not internationally tradable, a situation which must be reflective of Barbados’ very tiny contribution to world trade and investment flows, and precisely because foreign exchange is primarily used to facilitate Barbadian import-led, foreign exchange- using, domestic related activity and not to primarily facilitate Barbadian export-led foreign exchange-earning foreign related activity!!!

Two existing absurd and useless national financial systems

What these voters must understand, too, is that there are two absurd and useless national financial practices that have over the years been contributing adversely to the stagnation and crisis that are being experienced in the development of our national material production, distribution and exchange affairs. The first, relates to fact of how the Barbados political managerial class and our major players within the Barbadian financial sector esp. have over the decades learned and learned well how to allow to continue a most disgusting aspect of the very Euro-centric economic-oriented model called the Circular Flow of National Income Model, which is practiced in Barbados.

While it is understandable of the model to suggest that all national income that is earned is either spent or saved, with that which is spent by way of consumption or investment leading to further income, there is this said disgusting aspect which suggests and will encourage excessive national SAVINGS, most of which thereafter still have to be spent eventually any way!! Even in this Euro-centric model the notion of dis-saving is put forward, whereby the individual is cast in a demeaning light for spending most of any increase in his/her income rather than saving it. But, knowing what Economics is primarily about, and knowing that Interest Rates are a major component of Economics, SMFD/PDC cannot allow the average Voter to be caught up in the tangle that these Owen Arthur Administrations ( 1994-200? ) have so characteristically Euro- centrically found it fit to put Barbados in on the basis of their making national savings, and incentives to allow for such greater savings, a strong policy plank of such governance. For, it is financial and political backwardism of the highest order for a small country like Barbados, with a very open, very import-dependent, Elite-dominated Peripheral Capitalist debt-ridden Economy, to continue promoting greater national savings at the expense of greater national expenditure.

81 Public debt made phenomenally high via reckless government spending and borrowing

Every single post-independence Minister of Finance, esp. Owen Arthur, for it is he that is the only Economist to have been Prime Minister and Minister of Finance so far, must take the blame for this shocking national tragedy!! What aggravates is that not only has the cost of savings – a significant portion being private and public debt – been made phenomenally high through reckless government spending and borrowing among other things, but also the fact has been that the main beneficiaries of the use of national savings – which have overwhelmingly come through the output of the masses - are the already wealthy elite and the duly possessed big businesses, and NOT the poor and underprivileged and marginalized – the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, of this country!!

Have not the electorate of Barbados at different times in the past heard the leaders and major players of the BLP and the DLP portray their parties as being parties of the masses? Could the broad sectors of electorate once again fall for such nonsense, especially at election time? Nevertheless, a SMFD/PDC Government shall, upon taking political office, make National Expenditure esp. private investment for well balanced purposes – and the means for lowering it - the basis for boosting our nation’s output and income - very critical factors in assisting in bringing about 8-10 % average annual real growth rates in our production and distribution and exchange affairs. As a consequence, such a government shall also make every effort to LOWER National Savings to reasonable levels, and to lower National Savings to such an extent of virtually by-passing this stage re the circular income approach as part of the move to make greater national progress and development a priority of A SMFD/PDC Government, with only personal and corporate desires being of extenuating factors in the bid to little encourage savings.

And the second vexed national financial practice relates to the fact of how the Barbadian political managerial class and the major players within the Barbados financial sector have over the decades learned and learned well how to allow to subsist almost perpetually the very unwholesome practice whereby Banks, Credit unions and other national financial institutions perform the parasitic role of being the major beneficiaries of the FINANCIAL results of the laborious production of the broad masses of people of Barbados purely on the basis of the fact that the People’s Money having been so-called lent to esp. persons and businesses to directly or indirectly facilitate the productive activities of these said persons and businesses, have at later points in time to be repaid by them or through the relevant others, along with interests charges. What is even more stunning is that multifarious times esp. during times of national economic crisis e.g. 1991/2 – when things have gone terribly wrong for persons and businesses in so far as severe economic and financial system dysfunction is concerned, we are made to observe banks, credit unions and other financial institutions seeking, and on very many occasions succeeding in doing so, outright possession or ownership of productive or residential assets that would have

82 been underwritten by these would be faltering loans/mortgage agreements with their punitive and prohibitive interests rate regimes. It is clear that such chaotic circumstances cost the financial sector tremendously and by extension impact negatively on many forms of national development.

A SMFD/PDC Government to restructure in certain ways the Barbados financial sector

As a consequence of the coming to light of appropriate results of national consensus building initiatives on the Abolition of Interests Rates in Barbados, a SMFD/PDC Government shall curtail those types of gross deficiencies and obstacles that are found among the relevant productive and financial sectors to be inimical to the development of these sectors, by introducing legislative and other policies that shall transform the financial sector from being primarily retailers of financial services to being primarily owners/ managers, producers, wholesalers, and retailers of an entire range of goods and services in the country. Surely, this type of restructuring of the financial sector would be adding far greater value to National Income, Output and Expenditure than is now the case with the way how the BLP/DLP have in their very linear and backward ways structured the sector!!

By reading this manifesto it must be clear that BLP and DLP candidates will continue to subscribe to very wrongful anti-masses and anti-national development approaches and policies like taxation and interest rates, and as such must therefore be considered unelectable by the broad sectors of Barbadian voters. It is in the interest of leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP to maintain these very destructive and inimical economic and financial policies and their dreaded political instrumentation as part of a wider global Elitist scheme to keep the great pseudo-elite and masses as ill-informed as possible about these kinds of things and their very far- reaching ill-effects, to keep them very dependent on the Elite and the government, and therefore in a kind of perpetual bondage. God help us!! For sure, A SMFD/ PDC Government will ensure that for Barbados this does not continue!! For it is our greatest wish to see the broadest possible segments of people and by extension the entire people of Barbados rise.

A SMFD/PDC Regime to set up a Commission for the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire Purchase in Barbados

However, Barbados will not rise until there is far greater freedom and motivation given to the masses and the pseudo-elite!! Hence, in order to guarantee greater freedom, motivation and, too, more equal development for the masses, the pseudo-elite and by extension for the people of Barbados, and as one of our first orders of public business, an elected SMFD/PDC government will appoint a High-powered Commission for the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire

83 Purchase in Barbados, that shall lead and manage all national efforts with respect to the Abolition of Interest rates and the Reform of Hire Purchase. It is planned that prior to the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire Purchase, this Commission will coordinate the government’s own in-depth and seriously exciting public education and consultation drives to get the country prepared and organized for these most inevitable, most profound and most empowering changes, and the proposed benefits thereof. It will be expected by the governing SMFD/PDC that representatives of all local or regional or international, state or non-state Interest Rate oriented financial/money collecting/hire purchase businesses and organizations, representatives of the Social Partnership including Trade Unions and Private Sector Agencies, of Consumer groups, of Social and political groups, representatives of academia, youth group representatives, members of the general public and invited foreign financial and commercial delegations, will take special part in these efforts to ascertain those approaches and methods that will be used to successfully achieve the political objective of the Abolition of the scrooge of Interest Rates and reform of iniquitous Hire Purchase.

The culmination of these efforts shall see the taking to Parliament of a Bill to abolish ALL existing legislation enabling the practice of Interest Rates in Barbados, to Abolish all forms of Interest Rates in Barbados, and the simultaneous creation of a provision within the Constitution of Barbados to make it exceedingly difficult thereafter to reintroduce Interest Rates and Interest Rates practices to this country; and of an appropriate Bill to reform Hire Purchase arrangements in Barbados.

That expressed, we now come to a very important part in this segment related to the Abolition of Interest Rates and the Reform of Hire Purchase in Barbados. In our very many meaningful discussions with professionals of various stripes, technocrats of many suasions, producers and consumers of multifarious goods and services, students and other members of the public on this subject of the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire Purchase there is a very pertinent question which almost always comes up, i.e., with the abolition of Interest Rates, what will replace them so that banks, credit unions etc. will still make profits, since this is what private business is partially about? How are we going to reform hire purchase? While we steadfastly refused to answer the one on what will replace Taxation on grounds of maintaining a keen sense of political strategy in the midst of the battle with other parties for political turf, we have been somewhat informing the types of citizens above of what will take the place of Interest Rates in the banking, credit union, financial and other relevant affairs of the country, how the country’s financial sector will manage without Interest Rates, and how financial entities would still in principle be able to make profits. We have also been, to some extent, telling citizens about fundamental changes that shall come to Hire Purchase arrangements in the country.

84 Therefore, citizens cum constituents before exercising their franchise next time around must be given enough time to weigh many of the reasons for the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire Purchase (to come right after this segment on Interest Rates), and to study what methods and strategies that are being proposed by SMFD/PDC that will one and at the same time replace Interest Rates and that will amount to Reform of Hire Purchase, and that will under-gird these new but progressive changes. As a consequence, we now dutifully present some of these methods/strategies:

STRATEGIES

(1) The establishment of a national philosophy that will help secure for Barbados greater responsibility for the management/creation of its own financial affairs, and which would mean including more Barbadian financial affairs into our Barbadian political “sovereignty/independence” ethos, thus greater sovereignty/independence from those dictates and adversities created through the operation of a US led Western imperialism in which is found much anti-masses/pseudo-elite, anti-Black anti-Third World financial language, intent, and meanings which are manifested usually through political means. Hence, with the philosophy of the Abolition of Interest Rates, with the attainment of that objective in Barbados, with its locally bred replacements being viewed as a means of securing greater and stronger nationalism for Barbados, and with other politically liberating policy measures and initiatives too achieved, it shall surely be realized that altogether such things shall serve as impressive channels through which greater national production and wealth and prosperity for Barbados and Barbadians will be achieved.

(2) All financial institutions shall be required by laws passed within 1 year of the coming to office of A SMFD/PDC Government to, on one hand, with respect to depositors, make reasonable charges within set parameters against ALL Depositors for use of the time, security and resources of the particular financial institutions concerned in the course of these persons, businesses and others, depositing and/or saving money value at, or withdrawing money value from, or on the whole whenever transacting business with these particular financial institutions, and, on the other hand, with respect to borrowers, making reasonable charges within set parameters against ALL Borrowers for use of the time and resources of the particular financial institutions while in the process of the use of money, whether to be used for productive or for non-productive or for purely financial purposes.

Whereas the present regime of Interest Rates does unwisely provide for gross imbalances between benefiting depositors/investors and burdened borrowers within the financial

85 sector of Barbados, and very much on the thoroughly objectionable basis that MONEY MAKES/COSTS MONEY, this financial regime that a SMFD/PDC government shall put in place shall bring about greater balance between depositors/investors and borrowers with respect to the financial benefits realized and the financial costs accrued from the use of the same financial services, which themselves shall be automatically derived from the basis of each particular transaction itself, and which shall see in the final analysis the number of loan applications, particularly, and acceptable levels of deposits, generally, being greater balanced by the OVERALL commercial viability, financial performances, and accounting stability of these particular financial institutions.

No Interest Rates - Central Bank of Barbados no Authority to set Interest Rates in B’dos

(3) Not only will there be the Abolition of Interest Rates on relevant institutional deposits, institutional loans, by a SMFD/PDC regime, but also the Abolition of the practice of government issuing bonds, treasury bills, debentures, etc, by a SMFD/PDC regime. One of the logical consequences of the Abolition of Interest Rates is that the Central Bank will NO longer wield authority over non-existent Interest Rate matters within the financial sector. This will therefore lead to the necessary fundamental reordering of the monetary policy of the country. Monetary policy shall for the first time in the history of political governmental financial affairs in Barbados be rightly anchored in the process of the allocation of the fruits of production, and without the prospect of the State crowding out, tying up the more efficient Private Sector in the quest for allocation of commercial or developmental finance, locally. Such is based on the general fact that, in commercial and productive senses, MONEY IS, OUGHT TO BE, AND WILL BE BETTER MADE ONLY AFTER FACTORS OF PRODUCTION HAVE BEEN ENGAGED. As such, under A SMFD/PDC Government, the State like any other normal business will depend on the earned incomes of citizens and businesses in order to successfully secure financial inflows from the public into any of its profit-making partnership enterprises and projects, or in order to itself make financial investments into particular profit-making public partnership enterprises and projects, and based on these approaches shall be able to fairly and democratically shape or influence the monetary policy of the country. (See above on strategies replacing Taxation). Monetary policy will also be properly reflect the reality that NO ONE PERSON, NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL, the state included, should be of the view that because of their having the capacity to or having become actually involved in the employing/depositing/borrowing/storing of institutional money, esp. involving substantial amounts, that this will mean the coming about of their assuming, esp. unofficially, proprietary rights over this money or particular financial institutions or that this will mean giving rise to behavior or not in a proprietary way over these money uses/functions

86 whether this is the State or not, and in such ways as would bring serious/disadvantages to other borrowers and depositors.

Part of A SMFD/PDC Government’s New Monetary Policy for Barbados

Also, an elected SMFD/PDC government shall, as part of the new monetary policy for Barbados, amend our financial laws and regulations to make it ILLEGAL for the State to continue forcing or otherwise persuading financial institutions to invest in government paper, as that under a SMFD/PDC Government the issuing of government paper to the public or particular institutions will be absolutely forbidden. There shall also be amendments to our financial laws and regulations to make it ILLEGAL for the State to continue the practice of forcing or otherwise inducing financial institutions to have ANY part of the money stock in their possession deposited with the Central Bank for whatever purposes. All persons and entities doing business with financial institutions in Barbados shall be regarded and treated on the same basic human/business terms/levels.

(4) With the Abolition of Interest Rates within the financial system there will be no such rate system to manipulate/to encourage/discourage savings in financial institutions. Under an elected SMFD/PDC regime, there shall ONLY be allowed non-monetary incentives/allurements (attractions) offered/granted to the public as part of those means financial institutions will use to invite desired levels of national personal or corporate savings and which shall include, but shall not be limited to, advertising and promoting for better money security features than the other, marketing for better financial services offerings than the other etc. These security features/financial services themselves will in real terms be reasonably directly money costed by these institutions to the persons/businesses doing business with these financial institutions as has been stated earlier. Owing to the fact, too, that, under a SMFD/PDC regime ALL financial institutions operating in Barbados will have to become Registered Partnerships involving only partners, who, then, would have been former present-day owners, managers and workers of the former financial companies, there will very likely be no better incentive to deposit funds in any financial institution than on the basis that for whatever funds invested there will be a corresponding stake in the financial institution concerned and that this will entitle the investing member( however not a partner) to the receiving of dividends, if so, at the end of the financial year, and based on the performance of the institution for the period in question, this approach will truly constitute a corporate basis upon which the public can be encouraged to invest in these financial institutions.

87 Certainly, the Abolition of Interests Rates in Barbados shall help bring about significant reductions in the costs of doing business in the country, shall help bring about greater levels of real investment in the country, shall help bring about substantial reductions in private and public debt in the country, and shall assist in bringing about greater equality in the distribution of income and wealth among social categories in the country. With this SMFD/PDC commend to ALL right thinking voters in Barbados this most revolutionary policy which has been designed to benefit everyone in Barbados vis-à-vis the creation of real opportunities for Barbados becoming a world-class jurisdiction.

THE REFORM OF HIRE PURCHASE

Hire Purchase arrangements have been in existence for quite some time in Barbados and have formed part of the core commercial retail relationships between, on one hand, appliance, furniture and vehicle businesses, and on the other hand, households, and some other businesses and entities. These arrangements/contracts realize the owners, who are usually merchandize commercial entities, and hirers (citizens, entities), who are usually the customers thereof, agreeing in the first instance to allow the hirers to hire, and later with the option of purchase as the agreement comes to an end, any merchandise or consumer goods or items from the owner for a specified pre-fixed period in which a down payment is either or not asked initially for by the owner in order to permit the hirer to have possession of the good(s)/item(s) from the owners, whereupon once in possession the hirers have or are supposed to pay to the owners specified and equal pre-fixed installments of money usually per month until the Hire Purchase income costs are totally paid up, in which case then the hirers become the purchasers of the good(s)/item(s) and thus the new owners of them. While there are many more details to these arrangements, and various forms these take esp. because of the goods/items involved, the legislative basis of these arrangements however is set in the Hire Purchase Act 1959.

Hire Purchase arrangements are distinct from Cash Purchase arrangements whereby the owners of the good(s)/item(s) sell them immediately to buyers at particular prices. Indeed, Hire Purchase arrangements have helped scores of merchant businesses in Barbados over the years by providing greater access to and realization of more sales revenues which but for these kinds of arrangements they would not otherwise have been able to access and realize, and, too, have helped thousands upon thousands of households, businesses and entities in Barbados over the years by providing greater access to more goods and services which but for these arrangements they would not otherwise have been able to eventually own – esp. when viewed in the context of what tremendous disappointments/burdens Cash Purchase arrangements would always otherwise immediately impose on existing Merchant businesses/Hire Purchase customers respectively, and

88 when viewed in the context of other pre-existing countless financial obligations of Merchant Businesses/Hire Purchasers, which might, too, have made it more or less difficult, depending on which way it is being looked at, for these businesses and persons to enter into certain additional commercial retail arrangements with other entities other than, in fact, entering these Hire- Purchase arrangements in order to access greater levels of sales revenue and ownership of goods and services, respectively. Nevertheless, it would seem that with respect to these Hire Purchase systems, while not doing much harm to those commercial businesses that are offering them or that are hirers under them, have done much harm to esp. numerous persons of the masses of people of Barbados, whereby they allow for these Hire Purchase entities and others that are profoundly involved in offering public invitations to enter Hire Purchase agreements, to be part of domestic situations in which esp. these said numerous persons of the masses of people of Barbados ARE/WILL BE made worse off financially/work wise than could be imagined through the worst effects of these Hire Purchase arrangements, which, in effect, increase elite political exploitation of the masses by financial/work means.

The pain, pity, embarrassment of seeing goods/items repossessed by owners from hirers

Whereas it requires tremendous risk taking capacity on the part of Hire Purchase businesses to enter into arrangements with Hire Purchase customers, it is the pain, pity, and embarrassment experienced by esp. some household hirers, and that are observed and felt far and wide, when very essential goods/items are repossessed by owners from them, that are of great concern and worry to us in SMFD/PDC; assuming it was really the intention of owners to sell to those particular hirers but for certain difficulties being posed by the lack of maintenance of the existence of certain Hire Purchase agreements, and which would have led to the termination of the agreements by the Hire Purchase businesses, and assuming that at the same time it was really the intention of those particular hirers to eventually own the goods/items but which became destroyed through certain unforeseen difficulties, which would have led to the fact of termination of the agreements. It is therefore extremely distressing to SMFD/PDC that for a long time in Barbados there have been no major changes to Hire-Purchase legislation in Barbados by either BLP or DLP governments so that not only those kinds of above-described unnecessary situations would entirely be eliminated, but also so that there is secured much urgently and direly needed restructuring of the entire Hire Purchase system in Barbados to bring it in line with modern times, and, of course, given the fact that Hire Purchase in Barbados is still and will remain in the foreseeable future a nationally commercially important mechanism.

89 A SMFD/PDC Regime to set up a Commission for Reform of Hire Purchase in B’dos

As of necessity, therefore, an elected SMFD/PDC shall as one of our first orders of public business, appoint a High-powered Commission for the Abolition of Interest Rates and Reform of Hire Purchase in Barbados that shall lead and manage all national efforts with respect to the reform of Hire Purchase and Abolition of Interest Rates. It is planned that prior to the Reform of Hire Purchase and the Abolition of Interest Rates, this Commission will coordinate the government’s own in-depth and seriously excitingly imaginative public education and consultation drives to get the country prepared and organized for these most inevitable, most far- reaching and most empowering changes, and the proposed benefits thereof. It will be expected by the governing SMFD/PDC that representatives of local or regional or international state or non- state hire purchase-oriented commercial organizations, representatives of the Social Partnership including Trade Unions and Private Sector Agencies, of Consumer groups, of Social and political groups, representatives of academia, youth group representatives, members of the general public and invited foreign financial and commercial delegations, will take special part in these drives to ascertain those approaches and methods that will be used to successfully achieve the political objective of the reform of this very iniquitous hire purchase culture and the abolition of the scrooge of interest rates.

The culmination of these efforts shall see the taking to Parliament of separate Bills related to Reforming Hire Purchase and to Abolishing Interest Rates (the latter dealt with earlier). However, with respect to Hire Purchase arrangements in Barbados, a new governing Hire Purchase Act shall be passed within 1 year of the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government, and shall include the following strategies:

STRATEGIES

(1) It shall be the case that in every instance where identical goods and services are being offered at the same time to potential customers on Cash and on Hire Purchase terms and conditions by any merchant/business house in Barbados, that the Cash Price shall be the same as the Hire Purchase Price on the basis that it is the same identical (brands/models) of goods and their services that are being offered for sale in respect of both cash and hire purchase arrangements. The facts of the matter being that these two arrangements are NOT really different in that when comparing the substance of each against the other it is realized that they involve the SAME goods which usually will have carried the SAME CIF(FOB) value on entry at the Ports, the SAME local COSTS per unit etc. This must leave the average BLP, DLP and SMFD/PDC Voter to wonder what would have caused these two

90 arrangements to in the final analysis appear with so vastly different price structures in terms of what is to be totally paid for the goods under the Cash arrangements, and what is to be totally paid for the SAME goods under Hire Purchase arrangements.

No justifiable reasons for the two having such vastly different “price” structures

Based on our own findings as a result of investigations into both arrangements, SMFD/PDC are of the position that there are no justifiable reasons for the two arrangements having such vastly different “price” structures. Too, as part of this legislation, where services and other documentation of Hire Purchase businesses are being utilized by Hire Purchase customers in view of the said Hire Purchase arrangements, these customers shall be required by such businesses to pay any reasonable direct costs as contributions towards defraying the total costs of such services and for the provision of such documentation. These businesses shall clearly identify such costs as part of the information on the bills presented to Hire Purchase customers. These customers shall in acceptance of such costs pay the costs at whatever time required to do so;

The setting up of a HIRE Purchase Relief Fund

(2) Provision shall be made within the said Act for the setting up by State Partnership Inc. of a Hire Purchase Relief Fund, which shall be properly staffed and funded and endowed with the necessary resources. Such a Fund shall be required to provide RELIEF to Hire Purchase customers (not however being businesses )in cases whereby, at the time of hirers making application to the Fund, there are extreme difficulties in making the last 1/3 or less than 1/3 payments, or in any of the specified pre-fixed installment period(s) during the existence of the agreement, the amount in defaulted payments that shall very likely amount to and be equivalent to 1/3 or less than 1/3 of the said specified pre-fixed installment period(s), with the amount totaling ONLY 1/3 or less than 1/3 defaulted payments, and which altogether shall ONLY become applicable when 1/2 of the agreed time of the agreement has elapsed, in which cases the Fund shall pay such amounts to the business on the behalf of the hirer. When applying to the Fund, it must be proven by customers that there is a real problem in making these payments, and to qualify all customers must be receiving less than $35, 000 in annual total income and the hire-purchase price for each item must be valued less than $60, 000;

91 Establishing a Market Mechanism to help set the “Price” of Many Goods and Services

(3) Ensuring in the shortest possible time consistency with legislation allowing for the development of a suitable, local, technologically advanced, and centralized market-setting income cost (so-called prices) regulatory system for Barbados. This market shall determine the cash/hire purchase “prices” of specified retail goods and services in Barbados, and will by integrated electronic means relay these “prices” to business places offering the particular goods for sale. Set up in four locations in Barbados – Bridgetown, Speightstown, Charles Rowe Bridge, and Six Roads – approved consumers, approved partners in partnerships, and approved partners of the state, shall come together in those locations at pre-fixed times on a daily basis, and haggle, in a non-collusive way, over what the income costs of these particular goods and services are to be in the country. The introduction of this system shall mean the dispensing with the practice of merchant/business places in Barbados displaying very one-sided cash/hire purchase “prices” of goods and services ( services shall have their own similar market), as that legislation shall be passed consistent with the above prohibiting ALL Commercial Business houses from displaying the “prices” of goods and services- Why the latter is so is to confront a most unfair and discriminatory trading practice by these Commercial Business houses whereby they have or purport to have whatever inside financial and accounting information on their businesses and therefore have an advantage over the Consumers in that they have the time and processes through which they can eventually place/set what ever “price” figures/displays over whatever goods and services they are offering to consumers, to the serious disadvantage of the Consumers who mainly have choice and money but do not have the time nor adequate knowledge and most importantly hardly ever the opportunity to help decide what these prices of goods and services that they are likely to OWN are.

(4) Removing seriously the UNFAIR discriminatory practice that relates to Hire Purchase businesses not offering some self employed persons or small business people the opportunity to directly access hire purchase arrangements, whereas at the same time these said businesses are offering the same opportunity to employed people. In this case the principle to be established is that of equal access by all productive people to such arrangements.

Certainly, the level of reform of Hire Purchase arrangements in Barbados as envisaged by SMFD/PDC shall bring about significant strengthening of the relationships between esp. business places offering hire purchase arrangements, and Hire Purchase customers, and in turn shall lead to greater confidence by investors, owners, hirers, advertisers and other stakeholders in the hire purchase market in Barbados. Such reforms shall also assist in bringing about greater equality in the distribution of income and wealth among social

92 categories in the country. With this SMFD/PDC commend to ALL right thinking Voters in Barbados, these most necessary proposals which have been designed to benefit almost everyone in Barbados.

INSTITUTIONAL LOANS FOR PRODUCTIVE PURPOSES DEEMED NON-REPAYABLE

For decades it has been part of the Barbadian so-called economic and financial culture for Barbadian and non-Barbadian financial institutions to widely practice the Euro-centrism of financial institutions agreeing to lend to individual borrowers different amounts of monies (principals) for different purposes, with interest being charged on such sums lent at fixed or variable percentage rates per month over the supposed repayment periods, as part of the terms and conditions of these loan agreements. Whether the financial institution is Scotia Bank, is the Royal Bank of Canada, is The Barbados National Bank, is the The Barbados Mortgage Finance Corporation, or is The City of Bridgetown Credit Union, or whether it is BDS $ 1 000, BDS $ 10 000, BDS $ 100 000 lent to assist in purchasing a motor vehicle, house, or to apply to land interest, to be repaid in 6 months, 12 months, 36 months, at 6%, 7%, 8.5% per month in interest, respectively, the overarching end result has been to practice an Euro-centric model that has been designed to have a devastating effect on the further growth and development of so-called Third world countries like Barbados, and to help make them more dependent on esp. so-called First world countries like the USA, UK etc.

Representative of the grossest in Elite/State political exploitation of Masses/pseudo-Elite

Also, these types of money affairs represent the grossest in elite/state political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite of Barbados. That money and money affairs have now assumed such preeminence in Barbados have much to do with Barbados and the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean’s increasingly deepening incorporation over the past 50 yrs or so into Western political Imperialism/Sociology, and into Western economic and financial affairs, which, too, have had their bases historically in Europe and Euro-centrism, two situations from which most modern day political exploitation has emerge.

We have already stated in the earlier segment on the Abolition of Interest Rates that Barbados’s Money rightfully belong to the Barbadian people, but that the State and some other private institutions and people have over the years sought to have and have wrongfully achieved virtual

93 proprietary rights and controlling interests over the People’s money. Furthermore, we will continue to state that through Barbados’ own localization of Euro-centric financial ideologies and systems, there has therefore improperly and disdainfully come about greater and more profound inequalities in income and wealth distribution among social groups in Barbados than those that could possibly have come about through direct colonial and imperialist relations with the USA, UK etc.

Whereas that earlier segment on the Abolition of Interest Rates primarily deals with the exploitative nature and consequences of Interest Rate ideologies and policies of all local and locally-based foreign financial institutions, and which once aided and abetted, in some cases, and authorized, in some other cases, by the leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP Governments over the years, the very draconian and obstructive effects there have been/are that have been/are helped caused by such ideologies and policies on the further development of the affairs of the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, and by extension, the entire country, this present segment primarily deals with the very barbaric nature and consequences of the repayment of Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes ideologies and policies of all local and locally-based foreign financial institutions, and which, again, once aided and abetted, in some cases, and again, authorized, in some other cases, by the leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP Governments over the years, the greater horrific and devastating effects there have been/are that have been/are helped caused by such repayment of institutional loans for productive purposes ideologies and policies on the further development of the affairs of the masses to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, and by extension the entire country, than those draconian and obstructive effects that have been/are helped caused by Interest Rate ideologies and policies.

Barbadians repaying sums equal to those borrowed in principal: the depths of intellectual paralysis and regressive human behavior

The leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP are without doubt substantially to blame for allowing to exist in Barbados, a Euro-centrism that speaks not only to Barbadians actually being charged interest for borrowing their OWN Money but also to Barbadians being asked to repay their OWN Money in respect of repayment of those sums that are equal to those which were borrowed in principal from financial institutions. These are the depths of intellectual paralysis and regressive human behavior to which Barbados continues to sink deeper and deeper!! Many of the leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP must be VOTED OUT or rendered unelectable by the vast majority of Barbadian Voters through their kinds of support for these types of things which are clearly anti-masses/pseudo-elite, anti-developmental, anti-wealth generation, and anti-egalitarian. The greatest electoral opportunities are right now being

94 presented to the electorate to bring to an end these odious financial practices by VOTING IN a SMFD/PDC Government!! Just imagine a person having, say, $ 10 000, of which he really owned. But wanting to buy a motor car for $ 5 000 he decides to take the $ 5 000 from the original sum, and buys the motor car. Could you imagine him or any other person else asking himself to repay such monies?

To help create conditions for Barbados becoming a vastly more productive-oriented and world class society, A SMFD/PDC Government to start with shall through the passage of appropriate legislation introduce a domestic regime whereby ALL Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes shall be deemed Non-repayable. This regime shall ONLY apply to Barbadian citizens, to fully owned and managed Barbadian entities, whether state or private, and majority Barbadian owned and managed mixed Barbadian/foreign entities operating in partnership with international private interests. With a SMFD/PDC Government in place NONE of the above categories of persons and entities shall be required to REPAY any financial or money collecting institutions located in Barbados any monies so-called BORROWED from them, who, under the laws of Barbados, shall be mandated to be part of this regime. Furthermore, under these said laws No financial or money-collecting institution whether of a private or governmental nature, or of a mix of either, or whether locally or foreign owned, Shall under any reasonable circumstance refuse or reject loan applications in their possession for Money to engage in productive activities. As for institutional loans for purely personal, or personal consumption purposes, these under a SMFD/PDC Government shall be continued with, being Repayable, but shall be deemed non- repayable ONLY to the extent that they would fall within a wider productive arrangement – social or institutional, or to the extent that they are entirely being used to facilitate the purchase of goods and services from ONLY local producers and manufacturing of such goods and services. Institutional loans related to education, health, etc., of persons shall remain repayable but shall be repaid according to a downward moving payment scale of 100%, if 100% unpaid; 85% of the amount and less, if 10% and more has been paid; 65% of the amount and less, if 25% and more has been paid; 55% of the amount and less, if 35% and more has been paid; 45% of the amount and less, if 45% and more has been paid; 35% of the amount and less, if 55% and more has been paid; 25% of the amount and less, if 65% and more has been repaid; and 0% if 85 and more % has been repaid. These loans shall be disbursed without regard for any specified repayment times. These types of loans shall be totally deemphasized and entirely rationed, however.

A SMFD/PDC Government to bar financial institutions from lending to one another

Any other institutional transfers (physical/paperized/electronic) of the money of the people, except the movement of money into or from deposit/savings institutions, accounts/trust funds,

95 etc. and involving such institutions/depositors/savers/trustees/, shall ONLY be by way of physical/real investments into state or private money-making productive initiatives or projects or prgrams. See the logic!! Under this national regime also Monies shall NOT be lent by financial institutions or any other money collecting institutions like insurance companies, to other financial institutions which have been set up for the same purposes as those institutions whose primary purposes are really to lend or collect money under whatever non-money titles, references, e.g. present insurance companies, even when ALL of them become partnerships that are owners of productive projects under a SMFD/PDC Government. Hence, under a SMFD/PDC Government, it shall be unlawful for a Bank or a Credit Union or an Insurance company operating in Barbados to lend money to one another. The essence of these intentions of SMFD/PDC is to make Barbados become a very productive world class society in the long term, and to make it better for it to become this way without much unnecessary and wasting consumerism, institutionally speaking, and in the context whereby for Barbadian citizens, Barbadian entities and locally registered non-Barbadian entities, it shall be less than easy to so-called borrow money unless for productive purposes or unless involved in productive activity, and in which case such monies that are so-called borrowed shall be deemed non-repayable.

Barbadians asserting collective rights of ownership, as a people, of Barbados’ currency

The meaning given to the term “PRODUCTIVE” is producing or realizing planned changes to material existences through human or mechanical activity, and of which they themselves are esp. measurable and expansable. The argument of Barbadian people and businesses NOT repaying their own money is founded on the very logical precondition that ownership of any property in any democracy entitles owners to a right of access to it and for which any money benefits/costs involved in its existence and maintenance must be given to/borne by the owners on the basis of actual use of it or service to it.. Such a policy therefore must be interpreted as being based on the Barbadian people asserting their own collective rights of ownership as a people, in this case, the Barbados currency. Though it would not be possible for an individual or entity in his or her or its own right to own the money of the country - ONLY to possess/have an interest in it, but then, too, only on the basis that there is a pre-existing co-possessory claim in place – however not to the extent that one has the right to destroy or otherwise impair the others’ rights of possession/having of interests - it will still entirely be possible for him or her or it to have rights of possession and interests. State and financial institutions demanding that Barbadian people and entities reproduce monies equal to those lent originally plus interest charges, have mainly resulted in huge and catastrophic costs to the growth and development of these institutions themselves, the Barbadian people, and the country as a whole. The vilest possible effect of this gruesome form of elite/state political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite is where the masses, to greater degree, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser degree, are made to reproduce goods and services, et al, and on the basis of this economic system – work incl. - at very substantially high

96 financial costs with little monetary, material and wealth ownership and other benefits being derived at the same time!!

For example, let’s view that an average person would have got a loan worth BDS $ 30 000 from a financial institution to purchase a motor vehicle, and instead ended up on the final payment four years later paying a total of BDS $40 000 with BDS $ 10 000 being made in interest payments. The amount lent having been based on a calculation involving the person’s average monthly income, the person’s total value of deposits at the particular financial institution lending the money, and the person’s creditworthiness. Let us say too that this person’s contribution to national income was around BDS $ 45 000 for each of the previous 4 years prior to the loan. It means that, in this example, this person lost at least BDS $ 40 000 in income – the amount in income that is the total vehicle payment - to the so-called economic and financial processes in Barbados over the period of re/payment simply to get a vehicle notwithstanding that for those four previous years he contributed BDS $ 180 000 to the national income process.

Barbados’ National Income system must be made to reward persons making direct income contributions to it at points in time thereafter making such contributions

For having made such contributions to national income (and only productive money-based ones we herein regard as part of our Manifesto solutions), such a person must be entitled to get back something from the said national income system via the money system. It is through his/her and countless others’ making contributions to the Barbados income system that ALL Barbadians are able to benefit from the income system itself. Whereas it can be properly argued that this person took his total annual income and EXCHANGED it for multifarious goods and services, and saved some parts of it for eight years as part of this scenario, for his personal and non-personal benefit, and therefore WILL NOT EVEN be rewarded by the economic political dispossession system, it CANNOT be seen where now at this stage this person is being Rewarded by such a National Income system, and this point has NOTHING to do with Government providing physical, social, security, welfare, bureaucratic, infrastructure and services to that person and other persons’ benefit for the said eight year period – but every thing to do with the fact that the national income system ought to, needs and must be made to directly reward contributors for their tireless and strong productive money-based contributions to National Income at certain points in time soon after making such contributions.

At the core of this scenario is the thought that this person lost out tremendously due to the fact of the prevailing Barbados `national income system NOT being infused with such a reformist ideology, with the consequence that this national income system NOT having, in Barbados, been restructured to conform with such an ideology –and NOT having as a basis been made to

97 facilitate something akin to this scenario whereby this person who having made this eight yr contribution to the national income system, must truly mean for such persons HAVING NOT BEEN properly rewarded for their contribution to the said system, as opposed to what we in SMFD/PDC are currently realistically now setting out for productive Barbadians and Barbadian entities – just National income rewards - via the same scenario above. In this scenario also, this person lost out tremendously because of the REDUNDANCY of the loan system within the wider financial system. To somewhat explain the latter, is fairly easy. In that, by way of the multiplier effect, the circular nature of the national income, expenditure and output system, and the interconnectivity of the money/goods/services transaction processes, whatever amounts of money that are so-called borrowed from financial institutions MUST END BACK there, even if achieved, in some cases, on the basis of the most misleading and exploitative grounds!

Why repay money that will, once spent, end back in the financial system, irrespective of whether the institution – which is indeed part of that system - and which had originally lent the money, getting it back so to speak?

Hence, the same BDS $ 30 000 that this middle income person got by way of the loan/value and that was spent on the vehicle locally – and, in this regard, the money/value lent must be spent several times over and over in order for it to end back into the financial system – would in fact nevertheless have still ended back in the financial system even if split up and arriving at different times. The question the masses/pseudo-elite must ask of the leaders and major players within the political, financial and economic system must be: WHY REPAY MONEY/VALUE THAT WILL, ONCE SPENT, NATURALLY END BACK IN THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE INSTITUTION – WHICH IS INDEED PART OF THAT SYSTEM – HAD BEEN THAT THAT ORIGINALLY “LENT” THE MONEY, BUT WHICH MIGHT NOT HAVE GOTTEN IT BACK SO TO SPEAK, IN THIS CASE? WHY? One answer to this is that because the masses are first in order, and then the pseudo-elite are second in order, of comprising a numerical majority, there must ever be this bid by the minority elite ruling and political managerial classes to wrongly and unnecessarily politically control and exploit the masses/pseudo-elite in order to perpetuate their dominance and ruler-ship over them, using devices such as Taxation, Interest Rates, making institutional loans repayable, etc. to help make the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, drudge excessively and be in servitude all over the place and at different times.

To make things worse, the originators – the Europeans - and the adopters and maintainers – mainly Barbadian Cabinet Ministers and Legislators and financial system managers - of this financial system in Barbados have given the respective Barbadian domiciled financial institutions a theory that - OUR Barbadian - Money so-called lent to us by the respective institutions, must

98 be repaid to the respective institutions!! Hence by this theory making many Barbadians wrongly, diabolically and unwisely believe that the Royal Bank, the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Barbados National Bank, the Barbados Mortgage Finance Corporation, the City of Bridgetown Credit Union Ltd, etc., are the rightful owners/possessors of Barbados’ money rather than each truly being MANAGEMENT PROCESSORS/CIRCULATORS of money/money based transactions within the wider Barbados financial system of which they are part of, and of which you the reader of this Manifesto and every single potential/Barbados Voter are a part of, has meant that many Barbadians would be thinking that they are truly indebted to these institutions, and therefore like modern day serfs tied to neo-feudal financial over lords in a transformed neo- feudal Barbados, and a neo-feudal Western society, will MAINLY so behave in a manner synonymous with being cruelly “tied up” and in bondage to these particular financial institutions, when, in truth and in fact, Barbadians are the true Owners of this money no matter where this money is being transacted, and that these financial institutions are therefore the ones who are indebted to us for the use of our money to make money and huge profits at that. The BLP and DLP must truly be VOTED OUT, once and for all, from Barbados, for allowing these abominable things to continue for ever so long in our dear country!!

As true owners of our Barbados MONEY, Barbadians must NOT continue with the practice of being made to repay MONEY plus interest to mere financial institutional overseers. Instead, it would be fair and dutiful for Barbadians to allow them to have just that amount of net income/profit that is necessary for them to achieve the status of sound managers/processors/circulators of our MONEY in Barbados via the management of these monies and money transactions throughout Barbados, and NOT as now obtains where they continue being terrible political exploiters by financial/ideological means of the broad sectors of Barbadians. What a scandalous way of politically managing this Barbados society! And Barbados is paying a substantial price for this, as thousands upon thousands of Barbadians live in fear of having their mortgages, vehicle loans, commercial and relevant other loans curtailed on the slightest defaulting on them, and the very likely harsh consequences that may be visited upon them from these financial institutions!! Greater Freedom!! As for foreign currency lent to Barbadians by any financial institutions in Barbados, such would be subject to the same conditions of lending as if it were Barbadian currency being lent and deemed repayable or non- repayable, in principle, and we are mindful of the fact that ALL exchange rates parities of the Barbados will be Abolished by a SMFD/PDC Government.

By way of the fact that the leaders and major players of the BLP and the DLP have been involved over the years in these kinds of transgressions against thousands of their fellow human beings in Barbados must be sufficient to make the masses, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, have the consciousness, will power and resolve to totally do away with their largely feeble and terribly disappointing representation in the House Assembly, and their largely dismal

99 and ineffective leadership in the Cabinet, so that a new political order involving parties like SMFD/PDC, and involving newer, more workable and more people-relevant financial related ideologies and policies, would take its place in the People’s Legislature, the Cabinet, the Parliament, the political culture, and by extension Barbados, in order to help manage the proper advancement of the affairs of people of Barbados. There can be no denying that, in Barbados and in any modern day society, money has over the years been used to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, and that it is a medium of exchange. Correspondingly and automatically, Money is meant to ultimately serve PRODUCTIVE PURPOSES. This is one major reason why A SMFD/PDC Government will make sure that under its political leadership financial institutions will MAINLY so-called lend money for productive purposes in Barbados, and that such Institutional Loans for Productive purposes while being non-repayable, will also be the only form of transfers of money/value from financial institutions to customers in Barbados, other than those that involve transfers of a personal/consumption/business deposit/trust nature from financial institutions to customers in Barbados.

A very substantial basis for financial institutions in Barbados to make money and profits

The question as to how financial institutions will be able to make money or profits - which incidentally are their main functions - is therefore in good stead. As stated earlier in the segment on the Abolition of Interest Rates, and which is relevant to restate, a SMFD/PDC Government shall introduce legislative and other policies that shall transform - with the exception of the Central Bank of Barbados - all money deposit/lending institutions of the financial sector from being primarily retailers of financial services to being primarily owners/ managers, producers, wholesalers, and retailers of an entire range of factors of production, assets, goods and services in the country. Surely, this type of restructuring of the financial sector would be adding far greater value to national income, output and expenditure than is now the case. It would involve very important and manageable processes through which these transformed financial institutions would continue making money and profits, and in sufficient volumes, and, too, in a context whereby these transformed institutions will be using their already acquired managerial and financial skills, know-how and technologies to help create a financial regime for Barbados that will surely assist in greater real production and productivity gains being established, nationally, and under their respective financial /asset portfolios, in our beloved Barbados.

All financial institutions operating in Barbados to be converted into Partnerships

Too, with respect to financial institutions making more money and profits, such a government by then would have made ALL financial institutions operating in Barbados become registered partnerships SOLELY OWNED by the partners involved, and who, at the time the law was being

100 passed to approve the creation of such partnerships as the only multi-member corporate business entities possible in Barbados– thus replacing companies etc. – would have moments before been referred to as owners, managers and workers of these financial companies, but who, altogether thereafter the successful passage of this legislation, would then have been referred to as PARTNERS - the ONLY OWNERS of these said financial institutions. This legislation will have effectively abolished the practice of work, the title of workers, abolished the payment of wages, the 40 hr work week and all other relevant incidentals thereto, not only with respect to financial institutions but also with respect to any commercial entity that would have 3 or more members at the time of the passage of the legislation.

These Partners shall be paid in profits (dividends)

These Partners shall be paid in profits (dividends) per week per month as the case may be, and in ways that are going to emphasize that their former statuses as workers, supervisors, managers, owners, receiving wages and salaries every week, two or four weeks as the case is now in this work culture, would really have become things of the past. Based on the overall performance of these financial and other Partnerships, dividends will be paid out on the basis of a legislatively prescribed formula to the Partners. Receiving dividends, too, will be those members of the public or any other business entity or any other interested entities for that matter, who/which having invested funds in such Partnerships shall have the opportunity to receive Profits, and who will have made such investments on the basis of being ONLY INVESTORS NOT PARTNERS. As stated immediately above the ONLY persons that will OWN ALL PARTNERSHIPS in Barbados are the Partners NOT investors, creditors, consultants, etc. It shall however be quite possible for Partners to still invest actual share funds in their respective partnerships. Such investors shall, however, on the basis of the amount of funds invested in the Financial Partnerships via a SMFD/PDC reformed Barbados Stock Exchange or via appropriate private agreements between Private Partnerships and any members of the public or any other business entities, or other interested entities for that matter, be allocated, and as will be known beforehand, corresponding investment shares in the said financial or whatever PARTNERSHIPS concerned proportionate to such amounts that are invested in the Financial Partnership Institutions, and furthermore which will ENTITLE the investing membership to the receiving of dividends, if so, at the end of the financial year, and based on the performance of the Partnership for the period in question. More details on SMFD/PDC’s planned Corporate rearrangements for Barbados in the relevant segment ahead.

To return to our main subject in this segment, that is, that Institutional Loans for Productive purposes shall be deemed Non-Repayable in Barbados under a SMFD/PDC regime, we will with utmost power and authority declare that such a financial framework shall have very important

101 and substantial consequences for the fiscal and financial affairs of the government. Since a SMFD/PDC regime shall Abolish Taxation and Interest Rates, shall Abolish the practice of the issuing of government paper, and Abolish the practice of having financial institutions place part of their money stocks with the Central Bank, and since government activity must first be financed out of its own finances and which must be backed up by its own assets/resources strength, the quest or intention to have the State possess the fairest and most efficient alternatives means of revenue generation other than perpetrating disgusting and outmoded means of doing so like Taxation, and to have the State possess the fairest and most efficient alternative means of using the existing money exchange system other than through equally disgusting and outmoded means like Interest Rates, must be critically addressed in order for the State to properly sustain itself and carry out its functions.

We have already outlined in this manifesto the strategies that will be put in place by an elected SMFD/PDC Government to replace Taxation and Interest Rates, and the strategies that will be put in place to under-gird the new regime of a self-sufficient and solvent government fully able to earn its own revenues and pay its own bills. One of those strategies that will help replace Taxation – and which the reader would have seen was slightly dealt with in the segment on the Abolition of Taxation, and which now happens to be the main subject of exploration in this segment – that of Making Institutional Loans for Productive purposes Non-repayable – when put in place by A SMFD/PDC Government, will fairly seek to maximize the proper and productive use of the money exchange system in Barbados. Therefore, as one of the many thousands of potential Barbadian beneficiaries of this strategy, which, too, itself has been designed to enormously benefit ALL the productive sectors of the country, the masses/pseudo-elite, and by extension the country, the State must itself too seriously capitalize on it, as it is clear that the State has and will continue under a SMFD/PDC Government having overwhelming financial and investment responsibilities.

The National Non-repayable Productive Loans Scheme

To properly ensure that this strategy’s potential is fully developed and reached, and that all of its aspects are fully represented to the people of Barbados, a SMFD/PDC Government shall within a few months of coming to office ESTABLISH a MECHANISM that shall greatly help achieve those objectives immediately above and any other relevant ones. The name of such a mechanism shall be called the National Non-repayable Productive Loans Scheme. It shall be a Constitutionally enshrined and recognized independent financial body. It shall be made up of a Board and Partners, the latter of whose responsibility it shall be to elect the former, such a Board of Directors. The electorate of the country shall on National Election Day elect a head and deputy head of this scheme. Its rights, duties and responsibilities shall be set out in the Constitution of

102 Barbados and in other relevant laws of Barbados. SMFD/PDC do envisage that there shall be huge demands being made by Barbadian entities and citizens on financial institutions and other money collecting institutions that shall, by law, be made to be part and parcel of this very nationally and strategically important scheme. The scheme shall be given the appropriate resources and will-power sufficient to meet these demands.

A SMFD/PDC Government establishment of a Commission for the Institution of a National Non-Repayable Productive Loans Scheme

Similarly, with respect to the national consultation educational processes that will take place before the actual Abolition of Taxation and the actual Abolition of Interest Rates and the Reform of Hire Purchase, respectively, in Barbados, under A SMFD/PDC Government, such A SMFD/PDC Government too shall before the implementation of this National Non-Repayable Productive Loans Scheme for Barbados appoint a high-powered, very sectorally representative Commission for the Institution of a National Non-Repayable Productive Loans Scheme that shall lead and manage all national efforts leading up to the implementation of such a scheme. As part of this process, there shall be an excitingly serious public education and consultation drive – which shall include town hall style meetings – to get the country prepared and organized for this most revolutionary change. Moreover, it shall be expected that representatives of the entire financial sector, the Social Partnership including Trade Unions, other social and political groups, academia, youth groups, consumer groups, and other members of the Barbadian public, will take part in this very essential drive to establish such a Scheme to replace the normal lending process. The culmination of this national consultation educational drive, which itself shall take no more than 6 months to complete, shall see the taking to Parliament of a Bill to abolish the traditional lending process and to institute the National Non-repayable Productive Loans Scheme. A SMFD/PDC Government shall put this scheme in place within 18 months of coming to office.

A further peek into this scheme from this vantage point shall reveal part of the criteria for such lending being, among other things, that:

1) Only Barbadian citizens or totally/majority Barbadian owned and controlled partnerships, totally owned Barbadian sole/double proprietorships, totally owned social entities (as these shall be existing under a SMFD/PDC Government), registered at the Corporate Affairs Department of SPI, and operating in Barbados, shall qualify to be part of this scheme;

2) The institutional non-repayable loan applications which must be made to the scheme shall be properly certified by any financial or money collecting institution of this scheme as

103 being only and only for productive purposes, in order for qualification for this main type of national institutional lending;

3) Eligible persons, businesses and social entities are each entitled to a first time loan - which for a newly* established partnership, a sole/double proprietorship/a social entity/ for a newly* established personal productive agenda, will be the start up capital in the first year, and with regard to similar type applications, under this start up capital description, actually this way – first time loans - each and every year after the launch of the scheme, and for a not so new partnerships including SPI/sole/double proprietorship/for a not so newly established personal productive agenda, further capital injections in the first year, and with regard to similar type applications, under this further capital injection description, actually this way – further capital injections - each and every year after the launch of the scheme, with the former and latter (original and further capital injections ) as part of this criterion being subject to the proviso that where a person or a business or social entity successfully gets a loan and therefore actually uses the money for productive purposes at whatever time, he/she/it, EXCEPT SPI and the People’s Legislature**, only becomes entitled again in that year/quarter in which the productive activity related to the use of the maximum last loan itself has ended** ( see 7 below)(a person or entity may allow the accumulation of yearly loans to be used at any particular time in the future). Also, for each FIRST start up capital loan or for each FIRST further capital injection loan, under this scheme, the scheme shall determine the amount in money that shall be disbursed to the applicants based on the business/feasibility plans presented by the applicants to the scheme, and given the type and amount/costs of resources/assets planned to be used in the projects/programs. Newly* means within 0 days and 6 months at any time after the launch of the scheme but ; For **, see 12, below.

4) However, the second and other ensuing loans shall, in all cases with respect to partnerships EXCEPT SPI and EXCEPT the People’s Legislature**, be each equal to the amount of net profit less unproductive indirect income like rent, profits on shares/investments etc., each partnership is certified by the scheme, and based on the financial/accounting information provided by the partnership including SPI**, as having been made in the immediately preceding year, from that year’s actual business activity and only that; and the second and other ensuing loans shall in all cases with respect to sole/double proprietorships/social entities/ personal productive agendas, be each equal to the amount of total money-based productive income (NOT rent/shares/investment income and any other form of unproductive indirect income) earned by each proprietorship, entity, person as a partner of any business, as is certified by the scheme, and based on the financial/accounting information provided by the proprietorship, entity, person, as having been made in the immediately preceding year, from that year’s actual business activity and only that. These

104 loans themselves will be entirely calculated on the basis of ACCURATE, TRUTHFUL, HONEST and RELIABLE FILINGS with the scheme of the estimate/the actual amount of net profit less unproductive indirect income like rent, profits on shares/investments etc. a partnership, EXCEPT SPI and EXCEPT the People’s Legislature**, makes or in the case of a sole/double proprietorship, a social entity, a personal productive agenda, the total money-based productive income (NOT rent/shares income and any other form of unproductive indirect income) earned, in each’s case, in the previous year, and as altogether certified by the scheme as being these ways – accurate, truthful, honest, reliable - and as made in the immediately preceding year as their individual or respective money- based productive contributions to the particular year’s National Income. For EXCEPT SPI and the People’s Legislature**, see 12, below;

5) In cases whereby it is difficult as it would be in the so-called informal sectors of the society to have an official gauge of money-based productive income generated by a person or business or social entity for the particular corresponding year, an income value would be fairly and reasonably assigned by the scheme to that person or business or social entity whose circumstances pose such difficulty, based on LIKENING the STATUS of an INFORMAL business partner/entity with that of a FORMAL business partner/entity;

6) This scheme shall apply these policies ONLY to Barbados and not to any external spheres;

7) At any one given time persons are only allowed a maximum of two loans, sole/double proprietorships a maximum of two and any sized partnership three. This provision excludes SPI and the People’s Legislature, see provision 12, below; 8) NO two, three, or any other number of loans shall be applied for for the same project, plan, purpose, etc;

9) Persons/businesses/social entities that are in the process of so-called repayment of WHATEVER types of loans that were disbursed under the Euro-centric traditional way of lending, on this scheme being launched these persons and businesses and social entities shall have these loans immediately DISCONTINUED, and will no longer be made to so- called repay such loans. With respect to the domestic component of the National Debt that is to be inherited by SPI, these persons, businesses and other entities owed money by the State shall if and only if they are engaging in productive activity at the time be reimbursed with the monies owed but shall NOT, without prejudice to some of the above mentioned conditions, qualify for any Non-Repayable Loans by the Scheme equivalent to the time it takes SPI to complete their individual reimbursements equivalent too to their entire yearly

105 national income contributions of the time that it takes for reimbursement to complete. Such monies owed by the state shall relate to the principal sums lent to the State however, and will therefore not include interest charges previously agreed upon. Some very similar conditions shall also apply to those who owe the state money not taxes;

10) With respect to financial institutions or money collecting institutions – SPI, People’s Legislature or not – they must at ALL times, unless the law setting up this scheme provides otherwise, e.g. in a case where there has been a state of national emergency/crisis that has been declared by the People’s Legislature, and in which case too SPI/Legislative arm would have priority over others, operate on a first come first serve basis with respect to applications coming before the scheme.

11) In normal non-emergency times, ALL financial institutions or money collecting institutions –State, People’s Legislature or not – shall hand over to the Board of the Scheme, all those funds that would not have been earned through their own activity but which because of the way how the National Non-repayable Productive Loan Scheme will function, will see money/value ended up in these institutions which they - these institutions - would really NOT have earned. Also, if there is excess loans for productive purposes being demanded by Barbadian persons and entities, which is what will be expected at some points in time under the system, but which under this system too would mean that any of these institutions would, and sometimes with reasonable foresight, too, find that they would not at the time have had sufficient money/value to facilitate such excess demands, such institutions shall have the RIGHT to require and get as much as possible such amounts, on the provision of details from these institutions to the Scheme, from the Board of the Scheme as may facilitate their individual demands.

12) With respect to State Partnership Inc. and the People’s Legislature, ONLY some of the observed (like above), unobserved and yet to be evolved relevant conditions, shall APPLY whenever monies are sought by them from the system, but the one that really must apply is the one that deals with the country being found to be in a national emergency/crisis situation, and the People’s Legislature thus resolves that this is so, and therefore as such State bodies would have a degree of priority over others; and

13) Also, what shall happen in terms of State Partnership Inc. and the People’s Legislature is that they will NOT, NOT be allowed to for an entire fiscal year seek any more than 4/10 of GDP of the country at any time in actual or planned Non-Repayable Productive Loans from the Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable Scheme/Money Value System, and this is irrespective of what net money-based productive incomes (

106 unproductive indirect income of these will NOT qualify) they would have earned for any year in the past. Productive Loans applied for by both SPI and the People’s Legislature shall be applied or reapplied for at the start of each financial year and shall relate to all Divisions, Subsidiaries, Projects of SPI and any committees of this Legislature, making such applications as a whole to the scheme at the ending of the immediately preceding financial year for the amounts to be spent in the incoming financial year. Such monies WILL ONLY be disbursed by the Scheme when actual productive activity is to start in the actual financial year re what each division, subsidiary, project is doing. The number of annual productive loans SPI and the People’s Legislature shall apply for shall be as many as would be limited by the 4/10 GDP figure. The basis for calculating the amount that shall cover these loans shall for at least 3 years after the launch of this Scheme be about 1/10 less than the present Total Expenditure of the Government for fiscal year 2006-7, and not NET profit which really does not exist on the whole for Government enterprise/operations.

There is no doubt that when a SMFD/PDC Government implements this scheme that enormous opportunities for unprecedented great levels of national income, consumption, investment, and output will take place; that tremendous reductions in the private and public debt of the country will be recorded, that massive growth in export trade will take place leading to the creation of an export-driven economy for Barbados, and that financial institutions instead of being wholly unproductive by merely shuffling around money will be required by such a SMFD/PDC Government to earn money by engaging in productive activity. With that, we in SMFD/PDC duly commend this most profound and liberating manifesto initiative to the people of Barbados.

IMPORTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES INTO BARBADOS TO BE ZERO-“PRICED” AT ALL POINTS OF ENTRY

Since the days of enslavement, our economy has been structured in such a way that when comparing present-day imports of goods and services into Barbados, with present-day exports of goods and services from Barbados, it is seen that both historical and colonial factors do substantially explain why Barbados continues to register serious imbalances in trade. The triangular trade system which existed during the period of enslavement saw enslaved African people being imported into the Americas and the Caribbean by Europeans from Africa, which in turn benefited from finished goods from Europe, Europe which in turn saw raw material that was largely derived through this African labor being exported to it from the Americas and the Caribbean. Also, owing to the very dependent relationships that existed between particular colonial powers and the colonies, it meant that the colonial powers/enslavers, or their

107 representatives in the colonies determined what was to be imported as opposed to enslaved persons – who were themselves by unconscionably stupid Eurocentric standards deemed imports - as well as it meant that these powers/enslavers or their particular representatives were the ones who determined what was to be imported as opposed to later freedmen and women during emancipation.

Foundation was long ago prepared for Barbados’ current chronic import dependent culture

A proper historical overview of the development of present-day Caribbean society from the time of colonial rule to now, indicates that with colonies in the middle to late centuries of the last millennium being compelled by the colonial powers to export ONLY to Europe, that with colonies during this same period being willfully made by the said powers to produce a very narrow range of raw materials to export to the said Europe, too, that with Barbados and other colonies of this Caribbean being deliberately made part of the overseas markets of finished goods and services from Europe, and that with these colonies too having then no manufacturing/bases created by the colonial rulers to produce many of the things that were being imported into the country, must have and did mean that the foundation was long ago prepared for today’s very chronic import dependent culture of the Caribbean. While it is a known and irreversible fact that Barbados is a natural resources scarce country – a natural outcome - with the rest of the world capable of supplying all of our domestic commodity needs and demands, the unvarnished fact too that Barbados could never at any time on it own supply the total commodity needs and demands of even its own people far less the rest of the world, strongly makes the case that there would always be higher than normally expected domestic demand for imports, and that more than ever many local people and businesses would seek always to capitalize on this situation by ever increasing their propensities to import and actually ever importing and importing in order to facilitate the survival and development of the people of Barbados.

Therefore, while it is a very plausible argument that the total annual quantity of our imports - valued in Barbados dollars - are never too high per se, but that in relationship to the recent historical performance of the Export portfolio of the Current Account of the Balance of Payments, it may well appear so, esp. if the total annual quantity of exports – valued in Barbados dollars as well - are far lower than our imports, such a false comparison must however serve as a strong case itself for avoiding making further false comparisons between present-day imports and exports, and with regard to making further false comparisons about some of their different individual trends – demand for and supply of both, the short/long term outlook of either, etc., given such negatives associated with their widely known historical and colonial backgrounds. Thus, it is clear that post-independent governments of Barbados, or any post-independent private sector/labor groupings of Barbados, could NOT be blamed for present day Barbadian import

108 performances that are of a direct consequence of those present unavoidable natural outcomes, and those ongoing/previous historical and colonial outcomes. Importantly also, post-independent governments of Barbados or any post-independent private sector/labor groupings of Barbados, could NEITHER be blamed for Barbados’ so-called economic growth potential substantially being led now by imports per se, NOR must they be blamed for Barbados having been for a long time an import-dependent economy, however, these assertions NOT BEING MADE re Barbados’ historical and current export trends per se, but BEING MADE re its natural resources scarcity, historical/colonial past, import policy/demand, etc.

Post- independence BLP and DLP Governments have seriously failed in many aspects of Barbados’ import policy affairs

However, where SMFD/PDC will differ strongly with the BLP/DLP in respect of Barbados’ import policy affairs is where, since Barbados has achieved independence, both BLP and DLP governments have from then up to now FAILED SERIOUSLY to help quicken the pace of the diversification of markets away from whence our imports would have been traditionally coming from - Europe/USA; have from independence up to now FAILED SERIOUSLY to help greater rationalize the types and amounts of imports into Barbados and their effects on Barbadian society; and have from then up to now FAILED SERIOUSLY to substantially reduce the impact of port entry prices on final consumers of those locally sold final goods and services that have high import contents. The relevant leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP must be condemned for these and other related sad and sorry states of affairs. For, with the processes of world trade and investment liberalization, and those of globalization altogether deepening and quickening, it clearly means that for a very import dependent, resources-scarce country like Barbados, immediate prospects and actualities for our avoiding greater incorporation into Western Imperialism, global economics and international trade and finance, and of avoiding the many adverse consequences thereof, would have been so difficult to achieve, and to withstand, as much as too as they are to a great degree inimical and dangerous to multifarious aspects of our national survival and development, but which should for a long time every since have been fairly successfully out-flanked and overcome, if the Barbados electorate had decided long ago as much as four-six elections ago to no longer continue under the partisan political leadership of the BLP and DLP, who, with their very weak and passive import ideological and policy perspectives, instruments, and effects, have surely landed the country full into these oncoming trends and their adverse consequences, and whereupon having done such, have failed miserably to do any thing even reactionarily to effectively recover from and pull away from the worst effects upon Barbadians, esp. the masses/pseudo-elite, of those very negative institutional and cultural trends and processes. Barbados should instead have long created other national political leaderships with far stronger import ideological and policy perspectives, instruments and effects. Right now, in SMFD/PDC, the Barbadian electorate DOES have a great chance to elect A SMFD/PDC Regime

109 that will steer Barbados onto a different course away from esp. this BLP that has brought too much pain, suffering, hopelessness and despair to the vast majority of Barbadians as a result of its inferior import ideologies and policies .

Some Evidence of a Barbados that has more than any thing else been NOT properly prepared for increasing globalization and trade liberalization effects on Barbados

In actual fact what Barbados has apparently been doing is to be simply going with the tide, so to speak. Some evidence of the current results of such mis-thinking and mis-strategy by BLP and DLP Leaderships is that our Agriculture, our Agro-processing, and Manufacturing Sectors, esp., have become increasingly useless and worthless rather than being revitalized and their future firmly secured. Too, under present-day BLP and DLP Leaderships no longer are these Agriculture, Agro- processing and Manufacturing Sectors being allowed to develop to their true potential as a means of helping prevent higher levels of food imports esp. and prevent the loss of much foreign exchange!! Yes, another piece of evidence is that under this same stagnating and seriously out-of-touch leadership and governance import-oriented material production and distribution activity serves as a real basis for bringing about national economic crises and ruin rather than serving as a basis for bringing about national material production/distribution growth and development!! Another piece of evidence too of many of the prevailing harmful results of these increasing globalization and trade liberalization effects/trends are that more and more of the Barbadian identity, culture and space have become under particular threat from extra-regional giants like India and China, which may also well be bent on exporting too much of their particular ways of life to Barbados, which, without serious study by the BLP and DLP of the serious repercussions that such could bring to Barbados’s long term prospects by the relevant Barbadians/Barbadian entities importing such ways of life to our shores, could mean truly greater crises than presently existing enveloping our country. The cases of the 14 illegal Indians to work on Kensington Oval and much public concern about increased Chinese construction activity in the country are extremely instructive in this regard.

The Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) will greatly help and provide the opportunity for the worsening of Barbados’ Balance of Payments position

Again, under this BLP and DLP model of national leadership/governance, what is going to greatly help and provide the opportunity for the worsening of Barbados’ Balance of Payments position re Barbados’ import regime, is the so-called CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which was launched in January, 2006. This system must be seen primarily as another phase in Barbados’s deepening incorporation into Western imperialist and Global Economics and international trade and finance development. Despite the name of this system, it is an

110 Imperialist/Economical device of fundamental Western, Elitist proportions that certainly will lure Barbados and other participating countries into a false sense of hope and inspiration that by fostering greater trade among the system’s members, that by further removing or lowering of barriers to trade and investment, and that by allowing for greater freedom of movement of goods and services, capital, labor, and the rights to establish businesses in one another’s territories, will therefore realize greater growth and development for the participating countries, an entirely flawed conclusion based on entirely mis-placed and mis-understood assumptions.( See for further details the installment on A SMFD/PDC Government Withdrawing Barbados from the CSME in this Manifesto).

A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon entering office start the process of providing greater balance than is presently right now the case between local state and private sector needs, which seem now to be greatly in favor of the state; greater balance than is now the case between local production and consumption needs, which seem now to be greatly in favor of consumption; greater balance than is now the case between the need for proper levels of private and personal wealth and income and the need for higher levels of national social production and distribution, which now seem in favor of private and personal wealth and income, and at that ONLY a few persons and entities. To greatly reverse those and other kinds of ignoble and unbalancing trends, to strengthen our import policy/culture – surely not in terms of perceived notions of there being too many imports into Barbados, and at the same time to emphasize the urgency of the need for greater autonomy for Barbados as it conducts its political, social, material, and financial affairs, on a regional and international basis, as well as to ensure the creation of a financial/price protection stability scheme against any adverse price or other effects upon the quantity of imports as a result of international, political, material, trading, and financial behavior inimical to Barbados’ national interests, an elected SMFD/PDC Government shall within 3 months of achieving governmental office in this country MAKE ALL goods and services imported into Barbados ZERO-“priced” at all points of entry, and irrespective of whatever CARICOM/CSME agreements that will be at stake.

This policy will mean the absolute overhaul of the current system of appraising the value of goods and services at the level of entry at all points of entry, esp. our main ports of entry, in Barbados; of basing such revenue that would be earned from directly and indirectly handling, storing, managing, processing etc. the persons, goods and services being transited through these points of entry; and of making revenue earned by these ports greatly cost-reflective. With respect to the first point, under a SMFD/PDC Government, there will be no such external value/prices being used in appraising the value of such goods and services via external invoicing and such like as is now the case with such goods and services coming through the main ports, e.g. that are carrying fob/cif/original overseas values in whatever foreign currency denominations. Rather, on entry at the respective main points of entry, goods and services will be given ZERO-“PRICES”,

111 and at the same time A SMFD/PDC Government will be signaling to CARICOM and others the bringing about of the end of any relevant Barbados’ obligations to esp. CARICOM, the CSME, and what ever else, as that Barbados must, wherever necessary, pursue its own national interests and well being, or ever shape certain interests, situations and events into a context of certifying its own national interests or well-being. Furthermore, A SMFD/PDC Government in appraising the value of such goods and services, shall do this based on the expected, carefully studied FINAL “prices” to FINAL local/domestic consumers of such goods and services or close substitutes thereof, minus other costs that might have otherwise been involved in other domestic transactions associated with such goods and services after they have left the main ports of entry. Such will have to do with a rather important feature which shall be looked at in this manifesto quite shortly. Suffice it to say, in dealing with the second point still, and as part of this entire overhaul of the State sector, which will involve as stated earlier the emergence of a new state corporate entity - State Partnership Inc.- to manage all affairs of the state, including managing state-owned assets and liabilities – that the Division of SPI that shall be responsible for the main ports shall be given the power and authority to charge reasonable prices, and, if necessary, market ones, for services rendered in the handling, storing, managing, processing aspects of their operations as these would apply to either people, goods or services, starting from a zero-“priced” perspective, and based on other current, capital, investment, and other costs that would reasonably be involved (not the dangerous and wicked TAXATION heists that we see right now ) in actually running the affairs of the main ports of Barbados. This would be absolutely necessary since there shall be the Abolition of Taxation and a decentralization of power and authority across all spheres of the state.

The establishment of a National Currency Board for Barbados

In contrast with BLP and DLP governments, A SMFD/PDC Government shall incorporate into its Import Regime the policy of placing emphasis on the use of, in foreign dollars, and inclusive of cif/fob, the TOTAL VALUE of those goods and services imported into the country on a yearly basis, as a means of determining, by way mainly of ACTUAL UNIT foreign import purchases, what levels of actual imports should on their own basically be necessary to have in Barbados in subsequent years to the emergence of this zero-“priced” policy, using a mixture of market forces and state policy, to first secure and then maintain national industry, production and distribution on a sustained, upward growth path in the region of on average real growth rates of 8- 10 % annually, given that sufficient foreign exchange will be being earned by other local sectors/industries to enable Barbados to pay for such imports through the establishment of a National Currency Board that shall direct all such payments, and that shall receive and manage almost all foreign exchange into the Barbados, rather than using a combination of the TOTAL VALUE, which is the foreign currency values converted into Barbados dollars, and the corresponding TOTAL QUANTITIES of goods and services both imported into/exported from

112 the country on a yearly basis and the levels of foreign exchange available in the country, as a PREMISE for determining whether greater or fewer imports ought to be allowed into the country.

Dispensing with the archaic and ineffective policy of BLP and DLP Governments using fiscal, financial and monetary policies, et al, to determine levels of imports

Reference in this regard must therefore be made to the fact that this country, if it really wants to achieve the status of a world class productive jurisdiction, must ALWAYS then allow greater, not fewer, levels of imports per se into this country, and on an upward sustained basis, if possible, in all cases to the satisfaction of the country. The very archaic and ineffective policy of both BLP and DLP Governments primarily using fiscal, monetary and financial policies to in a broad way help effect the desired TOTAL VALUE, in Barbados dollars, and the corresponding TOTAL QUANTITIES of actual goods and services imported into the country at whatever time to expand or contract the economy whenever it is felt appropriate by relevant state and private authorities, will be totally dispensed with under a SMFD/PDC Government, as a way of helping the country to achieve sound Balance of Payment practices.

It is clear that the benefits of this policy will substantially redound to the overall benefits of individual citizens, importers, manufacturers, producers, consumers and the country as a whole when a SMFD/PDC Government puts such a far-reaching and significant policy in place in Barbados. For instance, take the price for oil on the world market. At the moment this price is around US $ 75 per barrel. Just think about the horrendous “costs” of energy products to the final consumers in Barbados. And think too if this zero-“priced” policy had actually been place as it relates to not only oil/energy products being sold in Barbados, but also to each and every good and service that is imported into the country, each good and service that has a high import content, each and every good that is affected by world oil prices, and finally that is sold in Barbados. Imagine the fulsome benefits and savings that would have been derived there from if such a policy were already in place in Barbados. Woe betide the ignorance of this BLP Government. With that, we in SMFD/PDC duly commend this policy to the goodly electorate of Barbados.

113 EXPORTS INTENDED FOR EXTERNAL MARKETS TO BE PAID FOR IN BARBADOS CURRENCY/PRICE VALUE

In the segment immediately preceding it was stated that at some time during the period of European enslavement/colonialisation of African people’s in the Caribbean, Barbados and other enslaved/colonial societies in this Western hemisphere were not only involved in the triangular trade system, but also had their export trade restricted to their respective colonial rulers. The fact that whatever goods and services that were exported to Europe were determined by colonial rulers, or their representatives in the colonies, and not determined by the enslaved during the period of enslavement, and, too, were not determined by the freedmen and freedwomen during the post emancipation period, and the fact that colonial rulers and representatives did not create an industrial/manufacturing/ base even though there were strong local demands in the colonies for finished goods and services, notwithstanding that all exports from the colonies were going to Europe, would have meant European enslavers/colonial powers were about laying the basis for the current chronically weak export-dependent cultures forming part of most Third World constitutionally independent societies, including Barbados.

Beginning in the 50s, as more and more colonies of the British, French, Dutch, Portuguese and other empires, would have succeeded in getting their own constitutional independence from European colonizers – these newly founded-independent countries were to be seen later being given preferential market access to Europe/EC to sell many of their products and services at guaranteed prices under LOME Agreements and other agreements. Today, it must be stated that only a few territories remain European colonies, and that LOME and other Agreements are currently being replaced with Regional Economic Partnership Agreements between now EU countries and former colonies. By such former colonies having over the years this preferential market access and these guaranteed prices would have meant that these countries were to become inextricably linked with the notion and practice of being very chronically dependent upon Europe for export of goods and services in the same way that these same former colonies now possess import cultures that are so very chronically dependent upon Europe, to a greater extent, and recently the USA, to a lesser extent, for imports of goods and services. What would have exacerbated this situation of chronic export dependency is that, say, a country like Barbados, which is really a natural resources scarce country, has been made to become over time focused substantially on the exportation of goods and services to Europe, USA etc. which ironically have far, far greater resources than it has, is a situation that would and must without a doubt indicate the type of dependency it has found itself in, when it without satisfying the country’s own demand for some of these goods and services, find that at given points in time its citizens have to do WITHOUT much or all of these same goods and services that are otherwise being exported to Europe, USA, etc., under various kinds of pretexts e.g. for maximum foreign exchange purposes,

114 and notwithstanding that the same Europe, USA, ETC., are themselves being supplied with similar goods and services by many other countries. Another trait of this export-dependency is the almost life or death situation, as it has been made to be believed by Owen Arthur and company, of setting up of industrial enclaves in such a country like Barbados, and whereby the country gives all kinds of fiscal and financial incentives to foreign companies operating in these enclaves,, ONLY to end up re-exporting much of the goods and services they produce, but not without serious political exploitation of much of the local labor force employed with these companies, and who are paid starvation wages. That this line of thinking is exactly indicative of the very unfortunate position Barbados has found itself in with regard to its export/industrial policy, must presuppose knowledge of how potentially and actually destructive this export- dependency is to Barbados, and the need therefore to take the necessary action to better our export situation.

The lack of natural resources and, too, the lack of indigenous assets have meant that whatever yearly exports of final goods and services that are being made from Barbados to other parts of the world must in turn have a very high import-content and must be demanded and costed from primarily external points of view. The straw argument being made by some Barbadians, and which is based on the historical performance of the Export portfolio of the Current Account of the Balance of Payments of Barbados, that the total value, in Barbadian dollars, of total annual exports from Barbados, is too low especially when compared with the total value, in Barbadian dollars, of total annual imports from Barbados, is just as nonsensical as that made with regard to the one on imports being too much. These Barbadians yet make no reference to the fact that present-day exports and imports and some of their different individual trends - demand, long term outlooks,, etc., have quite negative historical and colonial backgrounds. Such backgrounds have had similar long lasting adverse effects on Barbadian exports, as much as they, too, these backgrounds have had on Barbadian imports themselves. The argument that the export performance of the country must be analysed without comparison to import performance per se , really must help serve however to point out that our exports are not low per se, and really must help serve too to point out that such an argument must logically be accepted when these backgrounds have to be accounted for in any analysis of the performance of contemporary and present-day Barbadian exports, and which themselves are of great cause along with natural resources scarcity, export policy, export demand factors, etc., in helping to bring about the type of Barbadian export performances in a post-independent era.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and recent changes in world trade rules and principles

Hence, post-independent governments and private sector/labor groups of Barbados could really NOT be blamed for those Barbados’ export performances that are of direct consequence of those

115 still present unavoidable natural outcomes, and those ongoing/previous historical and colonial outcomes. Certainly, post-independent governments and post-independent private sector/labor groupings of Barbados could NIETHER be blamed for Barbados’ so-called economic growth potential being based on exports per se, NOR could they be blamed for Barbados being an export dependent country- not so much with regard to present import trends themselves – but having regard to Barbados’ financial wellbeing and needs being given greater importance more than the actual domestic export/considerations, and such wellbeing and needs being given greater credit than blame for our material survival over those already adverse backgrounds.

With the emergence over the last 20 years or so of a multiplicity of regional trading blocs and pacts across the world, with the emergence of the WTO, in 1994, and with it the rise of reciprocity, Most Favored Nation, and other world trade rules and principles, all of which probably except the first factors have clearly and directly undermined the EU’s regime of preferential access and guaranteed price support for some commodities of former colonies to European markets, have certainly come about too adverse effects on Barbados’ already tenuous and unenviable export position, and, by extension, its Balance of Payments. See a copy of the latest Central Bank’s Economic and Financial Statistics Document.

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy will greatly help and open opportunity for the worsening of Barbados’ Export position

Moreover, as spoken to in the above installment on making Barbadian Imports Zero-“Priced” at all points of entry, what is, under this BLP and DLP model of national leadership/governance, going to greatly help and provide the opportunity for the worsening of Barbados’ Balance of Payments re its import regime, is the same thing that is going to eventually worsen the said Balance of Payments this time re its export regime is the so-called CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which for some countries - Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Belize and Surinam - was launched in January, 2006. Other participating countries joined later in the year. As stated earlier, too, this mechanism must be seen primarily as another phase in Barbados’ deepening incorporation into Western Imperialist and Global Economical Development. Despite the name of the mechanism this is an Imperialist/Economics device of Western, Elitist proportions that will lure Barbados and those other participating countries into a sense of false hope and inspiration that by fostering greater trade among the mechanism’s members, by further removing or lowering barriers to trade, and by allowing for greater freedom of movement of goods, services, capital, labor, right to establish businesses in one another’s territories, will lead to greater growth and development for the participating countries. This is an entirely false and dangerous conclusion based upon ill-thought out premises! The double adverse effect of the CSME, which is like the vice grip that is increasingly negatively applying pressure

116 on what is between it, will certainly help serve to put this country in greater dire straits materially, financially, etc. esp. given Barbados’ current model of leadership/governance, and given the type and extent of import and export capabilities of the country and, by extension, the so-called economic performance of the country. (See for further details the installment on A SMFD/PDC Government Withdrawing Barbados from the CSME Arrangements).

Some ways in which BLP and DLP Governments have failed to energized our Export sector

Also, it must not go without saying that BLP and DLP governments since independence have contributed immensely to our currently thoroughly weak and chronically dependent export position. They have FAILED enormously to be quicker in diversifying into other non-traditional export markets. And they have FAILED seriously to ensure that have been far greater variety and value added to what is exported from Barbados. Such export-oriented failings do not stop there, for, among other things, they have FAILED also to make sure that there are greater synergies developed between what is produced in Barbados and what is exported from here, and what comes into the country from outside, and what is re-exported. The facts of the matter are that if Barbados is to truly become a world class society in the for-seeable future, the country’s export regime must undergo tremendous change and for the better!! As it stands, BLP and DLP Governments have, within this post-independence juncture, FAILED MASSIVELY to create a genuine and successful export-led material production and distribution jurisdiction that is capable of achieving sustained real long term growth rates in the region of 8-10 % per year.

How can Barbados have a truly successful export regime when the domestic costs of exports are so tremendously high? How can exports be truly competitive with other countries’ products in the export sectors when things like Taxation and Interest Rates that should long time ago have been abolished are allowed to exist and be included in the costs of exports? How can our export regime be successful when there is no Export Academy set up in the country to seriously study and propose solutions to export problems being encountered by our country as a result of difficult export and export related trends in the world commodities/services market?? With Barbados currently experiencing serious Balance of Payments difficulties there is no doubt that greater exports and having a viable export sector are needed to alleviate many of these difficulties!! With Barbados right now having more than, say, in the 70s and 80s, to earn greater foreign exchange to allow it to be able to properly carry out its local and foreign financial obligations, there is certainly a much greater need for greater exports and the establishment of a vibrant export sector; such, when contrasted with previous years export performances, and not when contrasted with previous or current import performances. Certainly, too, the establishment of a sustainable and vibrant export sector is essential and indispensable to the creation of a world class society!!!

117 To help achieve these objectives an elected SMFD/PDC Government shall within 3 months of achieving governmental office create for Barbados an export regime that shall make ALL Barbadian Exports paid for at their exit points in Local/Currency “Prices” once bound for the external market.

Some very valid reasons for the establishment of this very important export policy regime:

1) Such a policy shall be put in place to induce greater Barbadian exporter confidence esp. in export manufacturing, agriculture, agro-processing, and Barbadian exporter enterprise in striving for success in his/her/it/their export initiatives;

2) To ensure that such an export price currency regime will act most importantly as a necessary local protection/stability scheme for Barbadian exporters against foreign and adverse price and other effects upon Barbadian exports as a result of international political, economic, trading and currency imbalances;

3) To ensure that there is greater balance and continuity between import and export sectors.

The establishment of a National Currency Board for Barbados (same as referred to above)

To assist in the achievement of the overarching objectives of ( zero-“priced” imports and making exports paid for once destined for the external markets in Barbadian currency/prices values) and the achievement of some related objectives coming there under there shall be the setting up of an entity called the National Currency Board (NCB) that shall be responsible for receiving all possible total values/amounts of foreign currency that are earned in the external market by Barbadian exports or that are earned here in respect of the Tourism, Tourism related activity, Manufacturing, Agriculture, International Business Sectors etc., whereupon based on the actual number of nationally demanded and supplied foreign currencies/values at any given time by local and international business people exchanging any approved amounts deemed desirable by the Board, with whatever total values in domestic currency/prices that exporters can properly and adequately claim that their exports could easily fetch on the local retail market, will see such exporters being paid by way of this method. It is noteworthy that such exchanges will not be based on any foolish and demeaning Foreign dollar/“price” payments/Exchange Rates Parities but based on Local Currency/“Prices” for Exports.

118 Such a Board shall be a constitutionally sanctioned and recognized body which shall be led and managed by a President/ Vice President, both of whom shall be appointed by the President of State Partnership Inc. from a Board of Directors that shall themselves be elected by the Partners of this entity to run the day to day affairs of the entity. It shall carry out the policy of the coalition government in office. Such a National Currency Board shall, among other things, be responsible for seriously studying movements in international currencies/finance, whereupon proposing to the government solutions to any possible or actual problems that can be encountered by Barbados as a result of these movements.

The setting up by a SMFD/PDC Government of a Barbados Export Academy

There shall also under a SMFD/PDC Regime be the setting up in State Partnership Inc., of a Barbados Export Academy, which shall be created by means of the ordinary laws of the land. It shall be led and managed by a President and Vice- President both of whom shall be appointed by the President of State Partnership Inc. from a Board of Directors that shall have been elected by the partners of this entity to run the day to day affairs of the entity. It shall carry out the general policy of the government in office. By being an academic and practical institution of private and public trade exporters/exponents of export goods and services, such a Barbados Export Academy shall, among other things, be responsible for seriously studying, not only from in Barbados, but also from in other countries, export and export related trading patterns, flows, benefits and problems – of an internal ( Barbados) or external nature – that are being experienced by our country and its export interests, and which largely being as a result of planned, accidental, spontaneous, pervasive, and changing export and export related/ non-export/non-export related happenings and trends in the world commodities/services markets including Barbados, would necessarily be in need of the evolving of the right approaches and skills and attitudes in order to assist the political leadership of SPI, or whatever private sector interest, in fully/partially coping with and managing them, and to propose ideas, methods and strategies to the political leadership of SPI, or whatever private sector interests, for their implementation with a view of making Barbados’ export trade performances sustainably brighter and better.

It is clear the tremendous benefits that would be accrued to esp. exporters of goods and services in the country, when A SMFD/PDC Government puts such a policy of local currency/prices paying for foreign exports in place in Barbados. Say, a good is bound for the USA and is making US $6 in the external market, and is capable, too, of making BDS $15 or $12 or $10 on the local market the exporter will receive either BDS $ 15 or $ 12 or $ 10 from the NCB from the time the good leaves the country. In return, the exporter will be duty bound to pay over that US $ 6 earned in his name to the NCB. If Barbados is really to become an export-led material production/distribution society of a world class nature, it cannot become this way unless it

119 achieves greater autonomy in the conduct of its own affairs a la international/regional affairs. It must therefore seek NOT to, esp. in a context whereby it is a fact that the Barbados dollar is not an internationally tradable currency, carry or receive those great burdens which, including conversion costs, associate with those serious international currency transaction/ and any implications thereof that of course revolve around the importation or exportation of goods and services. As it stands these burdens clearly outweigh the benefits, and in all cases we must seek to minimize them. It is also important for Barbados to strengthen its production/financial base by transacting and paying for all Barbadian goods and services in local dollars/currency prices since it is eminently better and easier to do so, in many terms including political nationalist, social value, capacity building, money circulation and debt reduction terms. With that, we, of SMFD/PDC, duly commend this most exciting and progressive policy to the people of Barbados.

THE GREATEST DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE FOR OUR PRODUCTIVE SECTORS IN BARBADOS

It must be very clear by now that both actual imports into and exports from Barbados, and the Barbadian institutions and processes allowing for such, are very fundamental to the material, financial, and political survival and development of our people in Barbados. For without these imports and exports and the relevant institutions and processes involved in their facilitation and coming about, we, in Barbados, as well as in all other modern societies where such thinking exists and where such practices occur, today, would NOT have reached the level of overall existence and development of which we are at this stage. Common sense therefore tells us, in Barbados, that whatever material and/or human productive activity that takes place here and in other modern societies is as a result of imports and exports/institutions and processes being involved here and elsewhere or that this material and/or human productive activity must be geared towards such imports and exports/institutions and processes. Common sense also tells us, Barbadians, that such things speak to the integration and interdependence of our global societies, for whatever social, political, material, trading, or other objectives, subjective or objective, fair or unfair, etc. Common sense must tell us also that we must be watchful and wary of how Barbados plans and implements policies and programs of whatever nature, supposedly, in the interest of clear, coherent, compatible and harmonious relationships between these different import/export/ institutional/processional/GDP aspects of organization and development in Barbados, and the outer world.

120 Substantial subtractions from overall national progress in Barbados

However, a serious survey of these different aspects at this stage in Barbados will NOT produce evidence of those kinds of clear, coherent, compatible, and harmonious relationships among those kinds of aspects in Barbados. For what would have been seen under successive BLP and DLP Governments since independence, and which however has been to our great detriment and damnation via SUBSTANTIAL SUBTRACTIONS from overall national progress, is the excessive confusion, incoherence, disconnection and imbalance in the relationships between those relevant import and export/institutions and processional aspects and overall production levels in Barbados, and the wider world. The reader of this Manifesto and potential Barbadian Voters must be told by SMFD/PDC that whereas the personal attitudes and outlooks of many, many of our owners, managers, workers, investors, consumers, etc., have been having an impact on the overall historical levels of production/marketing and income results in the country, they are very marginal in impact, good or bad, when compared with the tremendous impact, more bad than good, our kinds of domestic institutions, structures and processes have been having on the levels of the production/marketing and income results from such goods and services in the country. What is worse is that when very negative personal attitudes and outlooks of many, many, owners, etc., and very backward institutions, structures, etc, come together in Barbados these can lead to serious national crisis and decline, if not corrected at the “right” times.

While we will have to have evidence of the personal and behavioral attributes of the various categories of citizens - some of whom have just been referred to above - in any analysis of the causes of continued export and production/distribution/marketing mal/performances in Barbados, SMFD/PDC will state categorically but rightfully our deep-rooted bias and resentment – which by now the reader of this Manifesto should be so far clear on - towards these realized backward institutions, structures and processes that have been certainly playing great roles in much national crisis and decline, and we shall also state that in any analysis of the causes of those mal/performances that it is these backward institutions and processes that have been making a greater adverse contribution to these causes than the negative personal/behavioral attributes have been making to them. Hence, given that SMFD/PDC have at this time deemed Barbados’ import and export values, institutions and processes of vital importance to the production/distribution and marketing outcomes of the country, we shall also at this time deem Barbados’ domestic production institutions and processes of vital importance to the achievement of any levels of imports/exports value, institutional and processional performances of the country.

121 Little of substance institutionally and otherwise under this BLP Government that is…

As has been observed, too, by SMFD/PDC, there is little of substance nationally institutionally processionally and otherwise, under this BLP Government, that is serving to substantially raise the level of imports (not necessarily the dollar value/costs), the level of exports and their dollar value earnings, to substantially boost the Gross Domestic Product of the country, and, by extension, that is serving to lift tremendously the living and development standards of the country, and generally vice-a-versa, i.e. there being little of substance, import/export wise, under this BLP Government, that is serving to substantially raise the production/distributional/marketing capacities of local institutions and processes, to substantially boost the Gross National Product of the country, and by extension, that is serving to lift tremendously the living and developmental standards of the country. Surely, the Leaders and Major players of the BLP and DLP Governments esp. since independence must take most of the blame for this sad and sorry state of affairs!!

Too narrow a range of sectors making up the industry and commerce of a country that seeks world-class under a SMFD/PDC Regime in Barbados.

With respect to the domestic productive affairs of the country, whether it is Tourism, Agriculture, Fish-processing, Agro-processing, Manufacturing, Construction, International Business, Financial Services, Cultural and Entertainment Services, etc., NOT ONLY would these be representative of too narrow a band making up the industry and commerce of a country that seeks world-class status under a SMFD/PDC Regime in Barbados, but are also in themselves too light duty, too simplified, too generic, with too few high earning, maximum value deriving synergies and interconnections, locally and internationally. It is quite clear that if Barbados must become a world-class society under a SMFD/PDC Government at any time in the foreseeable future that not only must there be greater and more meaningful connections between the import/export institutions/processes/sectors of the country, and the production/distribution/marketing institutions/processes/sectors of the country but also there must be the entire recapitalization, forward positioning and modernization of ALL the productive sectors in Barbados, as well as the introduction and development of new and appropriate sub-sectors of existing Sectors in Barbados or entirely new Sectors in Barbados, in this an era of increased competition and fluidity of resources and knowledge in the context of an already deepening globalization, trade, investment and financial liberalization across the world.

122 It must truly hurt the average Barbadian that Barbados is reported to have about 270 000 people but ONLY a GDP 2.6 Billion US dollar economy…

It truly must hurt the average adult Barbadian, and drive mad the average Cave Hill Campus lecturer, that Barbados is reported to have about 270 000 people, but ONLY a GDP of about US 2.6 Billion Dollars; whereas the Netherlands Antilles with only about 200 000 people, is reported to have a GDP of about US 2.5 Billion dollars; and Aruba with less than 100 000 people, being reported to have a GDP of about US 1.9 Billion dollars. (Taken from the Barbados Business Authority, Monday, 27 February 2006, which in turn took these statistics from The Economist magazine. Period of assessments 1998-2003, but this is 2006, is not it?) On realizing these kinds of unfavorable statistics for Barbados, every politically conscious and driven citizen of Barbados must ensure that Mr. Arthur and the BLP must certainly be VOTED OUT at the next election, for presiding over the miniscule, unbalanced and unsatisfactory growth and development levels that have been registered within the last 11 years or so in the Barbados production, material and distribution affairs!! There is no doubt that with the types of measures and strategies, as articulated in this Manifesto, that a SMFD/PDC Government shall implement, and do so in a clear, coherent, compatible and harmonious manner, that the goal of making Barbados a world class society achieving 8-10 % average annual real growth rates, and too the greater fairer distributing of such growth, will be reached. And, too, with such emphases being placed in this Manifesto on the strengthening and specialization and diversification of many, many aspects of local production/distribution/marketing such that from the question of ownership of many of these aspects of production: Partnerships instead of Businesses, to the question of reorganization of the State: State Partnership Inc., instead of the Crown/Ministry, such that from the question of how the State will under A SMFD/PDC Regime earn its revenues: the State earning its own Revenues by way of its own money, resources and management rather than evilly and dastardly imposing Taxation - to the question of the achievement of greater local autonomy from the regional and international “price” economy: Imports Zero-priced at ALL points of entry – must for those and other reasons mean that there is a strong and compelling case that is being thrust forward to the electorate for nothing else but the TOTAL election of A SMFD/PDC Government at the next election in order for a really strong and vibrant industry and commerce to come about in Barbados, on the basis, remember, of this said greater and better strengthening, specialization and diversification of many aspects of local production/distribution/marketing, and to in the short to medium term of such an election emergence in Barbados of the Barbadian capacity to achieve and sustain average annual real growth rates of 8 – 10% in the foreseeable future, and with the capacity to distribute greatly more evenly the wealth and income that would be driving or following such percentage growth. Quite briefly we present commentaries on the main productive Sectors in Barbados – these being Tourism, Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Construction, and the SMFD/PDC Strategies and policy measures that will greatly help cater for the growth of them under a SMFD/PDC Government.

123 THE TOURISM, TRAVEL, RECREATIONING SECTOR

Tourism, Travel and Recreationing still remains a fairly important productive sector in the development of Barbados. The fact of BLP and DLP Governments over the years excessively depending upon and scrounging off this Sector and its ancillary components, has been a very adverse factor contributing to the prevailing high costs associated with their respective operations and the consequential lost within recent time of much of the competitive advantage it had achieved in the 80s and 90s, when compared to other global tourism destinations. While this point of the high operating costs of the Sector has not only been regularly made by those having a fundamental stake in the Sector and its ancillary components, but has also been made part of pleadings by other major non-Tourism sectoral interests and non-interests in Barbados, to this stubborn BLP Government, in consideration of the fact that it is these costs that are very much causing Barbados to loose greater share of the region’s Tourism/Travel market, and while in response to that therefore the need would be for any serious government is to critically examine and do some thing about the question of sectoral costs reduction, the reader of this Manifesto and the potential/ Barbadian Voter must know that this point has never been accepted, far less understood, by this Owen Arthur-led Administration, and therefore to us, in SMFD/PDC, must NOT ONLY reflect a shockingly insensitive position to hold unto but also a blatantly reckless position in which the government has found itself in i.e. making sure that high costs help define this sector.

The Tourism, Traveling, and Recreationing Sector to see its high financial and resources costs substantially reduced with the election next general election of A SMFD/PDC Government

However, we expect that with the election to office of A SMFD/PDC Government next general election, and the ensuing implementation of SMFD/PDC Governmental measures like the Abolition of Taxation, The Abolition of Interest Rates, the Abolition of Motor Vehicle Insurance, The making of Partnerships as the only National Multi-member Corporate Business entities possible, that, among other things, the high financial and resources per unit costs that are currently being faced in Tourism, Traveling and Recreationing in Barbados, will be reduced substantially, and the country will therefore anticipate increased cost savings on the part of this sector, many of which would be reinvested in the industry as part of the processes of leading to true additions to productive capacity, and many of which would be used as risk bearing/venture capital in view of the urgent need to restructure and rebrand our product esp. away from the all- inclusive, condominium, golf course, retirement village, water park styled features, towards a truly Barbadian socially integrative, all-sectorally benefiting, direct spending, vacationing styled features. Also, it is verily hoped by SMFD/PDC that Tourism, Travel and Recreationing industry

124 planners and strategists in Barbados will take some of the increased cost savings and reinvest in ways that will see them following the lead of A SMFD/PDC Government in greater marketing and promoting Barbados, its people and its culture, in not only traditional markets but also non- traditional markets like Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean, as ways of helping to tap into these regions for their Tourism market potential and development in satisfaction of greater growth and development taking place in return in this still fairly important sector in Barbados.

Against this background, A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon coming into office quickly but efficiently put in place such national policies and measures as would be necessary to ensure that, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports entering into Barbados for use by and in the Tourism/Travel/Recreation Sector; that there will become the securing, and within a greater stabilized financial environment, of greater foreign exchange receipts arising out of tremendous growth in the export component of this Sector; and that by there becoming lower costs to the said Tourism, Traveling and Recreation Sector as a direct result of such national policies and measures; and, too, by the securing of greater inputs and value added from the Sector into the Agricultural, Agro-processing, Manufacturing, Construction, Off Shore Sectors, there shall surely become, as a whole, the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enacting of such policies and measures by A SMFD/PDC Government, greater and overall costs savings, greater and overall beneficial investments, exports, imports, consumption, income and growth attributed to this said Tourism, Travel and Recreation Sector, greater partnerships coming into the Sector, and lower retail sales “prices” by the Sector under a SMFD/PDC Government.

Potential for tapping into these non-traditional markets is great esp. with regard to Africa, Brazil, China, India

Surely, the question of air and sea transport and communication/information linkages to these non-traditional market places as just described above will always present formidable challenges in so far as they represent non-traditional tourism destinations which have little commercial historical ties with us. However, the potential for tapping into these markets is great esp. with regard to Africa, where there is located very strong ancestral roots of the vast majority people of Barbados, and with regard to Brazil in South America, which is reported to be home to the largest population of Blacks outside of Africa, and with regard to places like China and India, which are currently experiencing substantial so-called economic growth rates. Any increased capacity of tourists coming from these regions into Barbados must, of course, be met with a SMFD/PDC Government going all out to encourage a reasonably limited number of hoteliers and investors from these regions to come to Barbados, to establish not only hotels but also

125 restaurants, sporting facilities, leisure, recreational and other business offerings as part of the greater diversification of our tourism product into heritage, sports, conference, and cultural/community based tourism, but also to envisage some of the results of the entire educating, marketing or repackaging of Barbados in the eyes of the non-Barbadian overseas. The creation and development of particular kinds of initiatives around these kinds of considerations will surely help Tourism in Barbados, which at this time sees it, due principally to its very high cost of operating and essentially conservative marketing, losing competitive advantage to other competing global tourism destinations which are prepared to do and do offer far more than just sea, sun, fun, flora, entertainment and golf courses.

The creation and development of an efficient, reliable and viable National Airline of Barbados

As such, and to return to the question of transport and communication linkages, any initiative/bid to get airlift to and from those regions will, as said already, be difficult, but not impossible, due to there being little commercial historical ties between those regions and Barbados, and due to the indisputable question of profitability of flights to Barbados from those regions, vice-a-versa. Notwithstanding these complications, A SMFD/PDC Government, unlike BLP and DLP Governments of the past and present, shall do its utmost at bringing more tourists and investors from such non-traditional regions to our shores. WE SHALL HAVE THE RESOURCES AND FINANCE CAPABILITIES TO HELP ACHIEVE SUCH!! One such effort which we hope will go some way in addressing these complications will relate to a SMFD/PDC Government leading the way by directing that State Partnership Inc. seek a joint venture with ONLY local private sector enterprises to create and establish an efficient, reliable and viable National airline with an international service of its own, with its own well prepared and presented partnership personnel and modern aircraft, and thus having the capacity to negotiate in partnership with a SMFD/PDC Government, air routes for itself with the respective international aviation authority and other governments.

The establishment of an international airline for the benefit of nationals and non-nationals by Barbados must be viewed as one way of properly and maximumly capitalizing on the opportunities that will definitely come through such a Government’s implementation of very rational, progressive and developmental policies, esp. those of a financial and fiscal nature, e.g. the Abolition of Taxation, the Abolition of Interest Rates, the Making of Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-repayable, as clearly outlined in this Manifesto before. Yes, it may be a question therefore of Barbados experimenting with flights to these non-traditional regions, and not only for purposes of Tourism, but also for purposes of developing greater trading, commercial, cultural and other linkages and exchanges, first, before seeking to establish any

126 permanent air services with such regions, which, if some time after these prove to successful, then, there will be the establishment of, say, weekly flights to those regions. And, then, depending on the profitability of these air services, there may be more flights to and from those destinations.

The creation and development of an efficient, reliable and viable sea transport business

With regard to another important transport initiative/bid, A SMFD/PDC Government shall also direct that State Partnership Inc. create and develop an efficient, reliable and viable sea freight and civil transport commercial business, and with ONLY local private sector interest involved. Such a business shall seek to fill voids in the commercial aspects of intra-regional marine passenger/tourist merchandise transport and freighting. Such a sea faring business shall certainly concentrate on the advantages (less expensive than air travel) that are presented by this kind of travel at this time when traveling between Caribbean territories shall be expected to increase as a result of greater material, commercial and financial growth and prosperity in the region.

With regard to communication linkages, A SMFD/PDC Government shall authorize State Partnership Inc. to create and develop a very affordable, very efficient, modern public service- oriented international communication media using the most up-to-date telecommunication/conferencing techniques that will be capable of benefiting from reductions in the unit financial and other costs of operating such a system, muchly because of such a Government’s implementation of very rational, progressive and developmental policies, esp. those of a financial and fiscal nature, e.g. the Abolition of Taxation, the Abolition of Interest Rates, the Making of Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-repayable, as clearly outlined in this Manifesto before, and that would be encouraged by these national policies to provide this network through which international business/trade, cultural and communication linkages and exchanges will be fostered and developed, and in a modernistic way.

Tourists and other non-nationals, under A SMFD/PDC Government, NOT ALLOWED TO “PURCHASE” LAND IN BARBADOS, ONLY TO LEASE SUCH IF THEY FEEL TO.

With regard to the governance of this sector, and by extension, the country, A SMFD/PDC Government shall however make it very clear to Tourists in Barbados and those non-nationals looking to come here and those who are already here that in as much as we would welcome them to our shores and that Tourism, Travel and Recreation remain a fairly important industry to our country, we shall be firm in our stance that Barbados’s laws and legal customs and the doctrines of socially balanced development for Barbados must be obeyed. As such, they must be told in the

127 most understandable manner that, under such a government, they shall NOT be ALLOWED TO PURCHASE LAND SPACE RIGHTS in Barbados, ONLY to LEASE such, if they feel like, from the appropriate persons and entities, and that they will be restricted to the number of building properties they can own/lease in Barbados.

In conclusion, the main intended purpose of SMFD/PDC’S Tourism, International Aviation and Transport Policies for Barbados, shall be to help thrust this Sector of which these policies are mainly catering for out of the unpleasant, horrible and mainly BLP government-induced mishmash of bitter-sweet times, volatility and fixity, misery and serenity, which altogether and more have certainly too often checkered-marked the overall performance of these Tourism, International Aviation and International Transport Sectors since the BLP’s coming into governmental office in 1994.

Certainly, the BLP must take great blame for the unsatisfactory state of affairs of this sector and its ancillary components when they have resorted to imposing foolish and dispossessing Western economic policies like VAT and other forms of Taxation, Interest Rates, and the like, that have primarily brought malady and despair to these Sectors, AND WITH LITTLE TO GIVE THANKS FOR!! It is important therefore why Voters WILL Vote this BLP Government out of office, and Vote SMFD/PDC in, if the resuscitation and redevelopment of the Sector is to be carried out as part and parcel of the entire repositioning and modernization of the Productive Sectors in Barbados, which is what virtually every voter wishes for.

THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

The Agricultural Sector still remains a very important productive sector to the country’s growth and development, this notwithstanding the serious neglect of the Sector by successive BLP and DLP Governments and some others, since the 80s. From being in the 50s and 60s and long before then, the most important productive sector of Barbados, to today being a mere shadow of its former self, has meant that presently the Sector does not now employ as many people as it used to then in its heyday years, which is however good given that there is less exploitation and oppression of Barbadian agricultural workers by exploitative agricultural businesses and the State; does not now attract as many local and foreign investors/investments as it used to then; does not now produce as much out put as it used to then during those times- which is good too given that there is less exploitation by exploitative local and foreign investors, but regrettably has not been able to earn as much foreign exchange as it did then. Not only has it been serious neglect that has been responsible for the gradual long term decline witnessed, but, among other things, what have also been responsible are the stigma that has come to be associated with

128 agricultural work in Barbados, and that has therefore helped caused hundreds to refuse agricultural work in Barbados; the tremendously increasing costs of doing business in the Sector; the desertion within the last twenty years or so of much profitability and viability that before that time were so prominent when Agriculture performed well for a minority of people; and the multifarious adverse effects upon the Sector of certain kinds of changes to international trading, investment, currency and globalization regimes. These are facts that SMFD/PDC along with other politically conscious people in Barbados will let the electorate of Barbados know and continue to know have been happening under these old intellectually bankrupt BLP and DLP leaderships.

The Agricultural Sector and very closely related sectors like the Agro-processing Sector, stand to directly and tremendously benefit from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of a SMFD/PDC Government

We in SMFD/PDC however assure readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters that with the election of a SMFD/PDC Government at the next general election, and the consequent implementation of SMFD/PDC Governmental policies and measures that very great and positive changes will come to the Agricultural Sector and, too, to very closely related sectors like the Agro-processing Sector. For it is clear that these Sectors stand to benefit both directly and tremendously from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of A SMFD/PDC Government, e.g. the Abolition of Taxation, Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, Making Imports into the country Zero-“Priced” at all points of entry, Making Exports, once intended for the external markets, paid for in Local “Prices”/Currency, and the institutional and processional policy changes, e.g. Partnerships shall be only national multimember business entities, Imports into Barbados shall be Zero-“Priced” at all Points of Entry.

Against this background, A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon coming into office quickly but efficiently put in place such national policies and measures as would be necessary to ensure that, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports entering into Barbados for use by and in the Tourism/Travel/Recreation Sector; that there will become the securing, and within a greater stabilized financial environment, of greater foreign exchange receipts arising out of tremendous growth in the export component of this Sector; and that by there becoming lower costs to the said Agricultural Sector as a direct result of such national policies and measures; and, too, by the securing of greater inputs and value added from the Sector into the Tourism, Manufacturing, Construction, Off Shore Sectors, there shall surely become, as a whole, the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enacting of such policies and measures by A SMFD/PDC

129 Government, greater and overall cost savings, greater and overall beneficial investments, exports, imports, consumption, income and growth attributed to this said Agricultural Sector, greater partnerships coming into the Sector, and lower retail sales “prices” by the Sector under a SMFD/PDC Government.

Under a SMFD/PDC Government NO MORE OF OUR AGRICULTURAL LANDS SHALL BE TAKEN OUT OF AGRICULTURE

Added to the fact that under a government run by SMFD/PDC, Agriculture shall be made to experience greater and better times than now, will be the fact that NO MORE OF OUR AGRICULTURAL LANDS FOR A LONG TIME ( for as long as a SMFD/PDC Government exists ) shall be taken out of Agriculture for purposes of the creation of golf courses, for the building of villas, hotels, town units, local residential housing, whatsoever, as that NO PLANNING OR CHANGE OF USE PERMISSION shall be granted by such a Government to use Agricultural Lands for purposes other than Agricultural purposes, this, therefore, shall be a basis for the inspiring of greater hope, and the emergence of better prospects for the future stabilizing, resuscitating, growth and development of this most important national Sector. SMFD/PDC shall for purposes of this Manifesto define Agricultural Lands as those lands which, for the last hundred years and more, would clearly have been used as Agricultural Lands and for Agricultural purposes, and which up to the time of the coming about of such a SMFD/PDC Government, would by such a Government still be deemed as Agricultural Lands, no matter what other uses they have been put to and which therefrom will be subjected still to re-conversion to Agricultural purposes. ONLY those Lands being deemed non-Agricultural Lands shall be utilized for purposes of Construction, whether for Local Housing development purposes, Industrial/Manufacturing Development purposes, Tourism purposes or whatever other purposes. These kinds of approaches shall also inform a strong land use policy for Barbados by A SMFD/PDC Regime.

In recent times, the public of Barbados has witnessed this visionless, myopic BLP Government having been forced to make greater use of sugar cane and its by-products, and having been forced to provide the sugar sector with greater domestic linkages with other sectors and markets because of international “price” and other conditions related to the production and consumption of sugar locally and internationally, not the least of which are recent measures by the EU to dramatically slash the prices for sugar exported to them by exporters from Barbados and other ACP Countries, and not the least of which is the recent further liberalization of the market regime for sugar in traditionally protected and price guaranteed markets esp. the EU’s, by way of great pressure being apparently exerted on the said EU by other major sugar producers of this world like Brazil and Australia via the WTO. Hence, this BLP Government is complicitous in being

130 part of the causes why the sugar cane industry has recently been hustling and fidgeting around looking to get by way of providing greater emphasis on the growth of sugar cane and its by products in Barbados, what has for a long time been suggested by many persons here and abroad to get the sugar cane industry in Barbados properly restructured and diversified, these being the creation of more by-products and greater linkages between other sectors and itself, including the production of ethanol(alcohol) to help fuel auto-vehicles, use of bagasse to help generate electricity for the country, the branding of locally produced sugar, etc. SMFD/PDC remember the DLP Government in the midst of an economic crisis in the early 90s, fairly well proceeding with restructuring the sugar industry, but at the same time having been FORCED to do so for many reasons; one of these reasons being that growing operating costs in the sector HAD to be reduced in light of the price per ton that local sugar was receiving from external sources.

The DLP did not have any other option but to partially restructure it and with Booker Tate involved, with the IMF IADB and WB breathing down the neck of the Government. Recently, Both BLP and DLP Governments since esp. the 80s must be rightly accused of dragging their feet when dealing with these very important kinds of national issues and matters, including one being long in their possession that of the country should be looking for viable alternative sources of energy/electricity supplies. But this issue seems to have been disgustingly bogged down by the very farcical, erroneous and whimsical belief that the country must have to wait for the involvement of the sole supplier of electricity services the Barbados Light and Power to be in on any concept or plan for the undertaking of the provision of alternative sources of energy/electricity, if any such concept or plan has to be approved by authorities, particularly. In these times when world fuel prices are very high and terribly fluctuating, there is surely a need to break this monopoly on national electricity services, so that with more electricity providers acting in a non-collusive way, which any SMFD/PDC Government will ensure happens in Barbados, will at least mean laying the foundation for lower, cheaper, more reliable electricity supplies. It seems a little crazy that the BLP seems NOT ready take the other BLP off the backs of the people. Surely, the more our electricity bills go up and up and through the roof, and with other electricity-driven charges being faced by the mass of consumers, that this must constitute ample and sufficient grounds for the electorate removing the BLP from power, and with electoral precision, next election. This BLP must go!!

While SMFD/PDC do support the above described and other kinds of initiatives/reforms presently taking place in the sugar cane sector, we bemoan the fact that they have been too long in coming, and which would therefore mean that the country would have missed out on earlier opportunities for capitalizing on the benefits that would have come through those kinds of initiatives/reforms having been put in place as part of an earlier and better restructuring of the sugar industry. Where was the leadership and foresight by BLP and DLP Governments during the last 20 years or so, as they might have related to bringing the sugar cane industry in line with

131 21 st Century planning and expectations?? Why to this day there would have been no great emphasis put on the upward sustained growth of non-sugar agriculture by such governments, even as a counterfoil to the decline that would have been witnessed in sugar cane agriculture, and which would have been appearing for a long time to be taking the whole of agriculture with it, notwithstanding that non-sugar agriculture would not have been faced with the kinds of international and other pressures that sugar cane agriculture would have had to face?? With the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government really great emphasis shall be put on non-sugar agriculture however NOT as a counterfoil per se to a declining sugar cane agriculture, since under this Government sugar cane agriculture will see far greater growth and output than now, via increases in acreage under sugar cane, via the return to grinding of Buckley’s Factory in St. George, via the continued lowering of the unit costs of operating the sugar cane industry in Barbados, etc., BUT as an agriculture that, under this SMFD/PDC Governance, must begin to take up and succeed in taking up the challenge of helping lead a vibrant and resuscitated agricultural industry in Barbados, given the tremendous amount of previously pent up energy, creativity and productivity that will be unleashed most spectacularly across the country with the implementation of A SMFD/PDC Government’s policy measures like the Abolition of Taxation, Abolition of Interests Rates, the Making of Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non- Repayable, Land Space Possession whether “bought”, “sold” or “leased”, must be acquired at Nominal/Administrative Costs. Vote SMFD/PDC for these and more policy measures that will undergird/support renewal and revitalization of agriculture in Barbados.

The Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector

The Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector, like the Agricultural Sector, has been suffering from its own huge share of BLP/DLP governmental neglect and indifference. This kind of attitude towards this Sector is most disturbing given the great potential for development of the Sector. For it has been the case that Fisheries personnel, interests and resources in Barbados have been unduly long in suffering from the wantonness of fact of that the Sector, not being rewarded with a full ministerial governmental portfolio, has unfortunately had to subject itself to the humiliation of being a virtual non-entity component interest in the wider Agricultural Ministry. No doubt this lack of a ministerial portfolio of its own epitomizes (indicates) the type of governmental neglect and indifference of this potentially very significant sector, in spite of the incessant pleas by Fisheries personnel and interests for better representation of their needs at this and other past times. We, in SMFD/PDC, strongly assure the readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters, that with the coming to office of A SMFD/PDC Government at the end of the next election, and through the consequent implementation of SMFD/PDC Governmental policies and measures, that very great and beneficial changes shall come to the Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector.

132 The Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector stand to benefit directly and substantially from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of a SMFD/PDC Government

For, it is crystal clear that with respect to the Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector, that this Sector also stands to benefit directly and substantially from many of the financial and fiscal policies and measures ( the Abolition of Taxation , Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, Making Imports into the country Zero-Priced at all points of entry, Making Exports, once intended for the external markets, paid for in Local Prices/Currency) that A SMFD/PDC Government shall put in place. Hence, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, much greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports that will be used as inputs into the Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector; that there will become the securing, and within a better stabilized financial environment, of greater foreign exchange receipts arising out of greater growth in the export component of the Sector, and that by there becoming lower costs to the Fisheries and Fish Farming Sector as a direct result of such national policies and measures, the securing of greater inputs and value added from the Sector into the Fish-processing, Manufacturing and Tourism Sectors, there shall surely as a whole, be the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enacting of such measures by A SMFD/PDC Government, greater and overall cost savings, greater and overall beneficial investments, greater exports, imports, consumption, income and growth, and lower retail sales “prices” by the Sector under a SMFD/PDC Government.

With regard to the question of Barbados’ recent Fishing, and Maritime Boundary and de- Limitation Disputes with Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados’ taking of these disputes to the Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, SMFD/PDC are pleased that a judgment was given by the Court on Tuesday, 11 April, 2006. According to the Sunday Sun, 16 April, 2006, the findings of the judgment contained two major determinations: (1) the marking of an equidistance line between the two countries; and (2) acceptance by Trinidad and Tobago of an obligation to negotiate an agreement with Barbados to allow limited access for Barbadian fisherfolk within the Exclusive Economic Zone. An earlier draft of this Manifesto had stated that it was awaiting a ruling of the Arbitration committee on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea with regard to the same disputed matters Barbados would have had with Trinidad and Tobago, before seeking to enunciate a clear and coherent fishing policy on the extent to which Barbadian commercial fisher people shall be allowed to fish in waters between South/South East/ South West of Barbados and the North East/East of Trinidad and Tobago, but excluding the two countries’ territorial waters. Now that this ruling has been made it is entirely within the province of the Government of Barbados, and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, to achieve a fishing agreement, which 8 months down the road has NOT even emerge what a tragedy - that is mutually fair and beneficial to both sides, and for other agreements to be

133 made between the two countries concerning respect for and acceptance of the ruling by the Court, as they relate not only to the securing of fishing rights for Barbadian commercial fisherfolk but also as they relate to Barbados’ rights to further explore and carefully exploit oil and gas resources within its EEZ, now and in the foreseeable future. Whereas some members of the BLP have been publicly preening and gloating unnecessarily over the ruling, a word of caution must go forward to them that even though the ruling is most welcome, it is clear that Trinidad and Tobago has gone illogical overboard simply because both BLP and DLP Governments over the years have refused to put Trinidad and Tobago in its place, over what, the Sunday Sun, which too is ironically published by a business that is majority controlled by Trinidad and Tobagonian interests, has had to state in its Editorial of the 16 April, 2006, is “an enormously disproportionate balance of trade advantage”.

Having let the proverbial horse bolted from the stable, to wait until it has galloped away, to then shut the stable door with no horse inside, this BLP Government …

Having let the proverbial horse bolted from the stable, to wait until it has galloped very far away, to then shut the stable door with no horse inside, this BLP Government sheepishly takes great, great comfort in talking about maritime victories, while Trinidad and Tobago’s wild and untamed horse runs about amok in Barbados, eating and grazing on any Barbadian lands and defecating in good Barbadian buildings and on any other precious/productive assets it could find to do so!! The facts of the matter are that a future SMFD/PDC Government shall seriously use trade diplomacy and real politics as a basis for crafting and negotiating ALL future bilateral agreements, whether it is fishing, functional, technical agreements of whatever kinds, between the Government of Barbados and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Also, the fact of Barbados having to use a United Nations Court, and this was well within its rights as a signatory to the convention, for determinations on these disputes is enough evidence to support our position that a SMFD/PDC Government SHALL withdraw Barbados from ALL CSME arrangements mainly because it is these kinds of elitist, superficial and stateless arrangements ( CSME), and given their unsuccessful track records that rather than helping to solve many intraregional problems have simply been aggravating or glossing over them, situations, which as well lead to a total waste of time and resources.

Quite, frankly, A SMFD/PDC Government shall never leave it to any such arrangements like CARICOM, OAS, etc, to even have a role/input into the organization and management of any of Barbados’ most important social, political, material and financial affairs. Hence, as part of our policy on fishing for Barbados, shall be the stipulation that Barbados shall NEITHER subject any important Barbadian fishing, and for that matter, any important Barbadian maritime resources, air transport, immigration or other issues to the determination of, say, CARICOM, NOR shall

134 Barbados support any decision/process that emerges or that is likely to emerge from, say, within CARICOM that in any way impacts or that is likely to impact on, say, the entirely important affairs of Barbados as it relates to not only fishing, but also maritime, air transport, immigration or other local issues. It shall do so bilaterally/mutually through dealing directly with the countries involved in the issues or problems at stake, or international arrangements/solutions with the “right” international countries or agencies involved in the issues or problems at stake. Also, if there are other potential disputes between Barbados and other countries within the region over fishing in particular waters and over maritime boundaries and delimitation matters, then A SMFD/PDC Government shall work hard to make sure than the possibilities for disputes between these countries are absolutely minimized by honest and serious negotiations leading to if possible agreements between them, and if possible through third and fourth party talks. Surely, with the coming to office of A SMFD/PDC Government this Trinidad and Tobagonian wild horse shall be hurriedly sought out and captured and sent back to Trinidad and Tobago!!

Fisheries and Fish Farming in Barbados to get the greatest attention possible from a SMFD/PDC Government

Notwithstanding that the likelihood of the bringing about of resolution to these kinds of fishing, maritime boundaries and Delimitation disputes, has clearly helped in SMFD/PDC’s formulating of a SMFD/PDC’S policy on fisheries and fish farming for Barbados, there are surely other areas of national policy and planning that with regard to fisheries and fish farming in Barbados that have no bearing on these disputes but that shall have the greatest attention possible of a SMFD/PDC Government. Just a few policies and measures:

1) The creation of a new junior Division (formerly a junior Ministry) of Fisheries and Fish Farming in the Government.

2) The creation and development of a modern and efficient deep and high sea international fish trawler fleet.

3) The creation and development of new coastal fishing facilities at given points in Barbados, and where necessary the refurbishing of existing rundown coastal fishing facilities in Barbados, which shall all be properly outfitted with the necessary resources and services.

135 4) The placing of emergency fish patrols at sea as part of a very sophisticated and integrated network of security and safety for our commercial fisher people who being at sea for long periods of time are subjected to the ravages of the sea, and at such a time when Barbadian commercial fisher folks have for some time been suffering the loss of many of their own, and their very expensive vessels and equipment at sea.

5) And the ensuring of the provision of greater coastal areas for fish farming purposes and the provision of the necessary level of expertise, training and marketing skills to meet the anticipated growth in this sub-sector as part of the bid by A SMFD/PDC Government to have supplied more fish and fish based products to meet the growth in demand/consumption, nationally, of fish and fish based products.

The Cotton Sector

With regard to the increasingly vital Barbados Cotton Sector of the Agricultural industry, it is clear that the potential of this Sector has NOT been fully explored by successive BLP and DLP Governments. As a matter of fact, it can be said that cotton production in Barbados has, for the last two decades or so, suffered from a form of benign neglect and abuse and from a form of intellectual and policy paralysis under such governments, and particularly with regard to the DLP Administration of 1986- 91( Mr. Erskine Sandiford led this Administration after Barrow’s death in 1987 ), scandal and disgrace, which saw the nation/country losing much confidence and respect for the Sector, some of many things which had not only engulfed the sector, but had also weakened it. During this time of scandal and disgrace, there were also widespread and very pointed allegations of corruption, some of an accusatory nature, being made by many sections of the public against the said Government and the then Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Warwick Franklin, and which too centered around the operations of a now defunct government owned company, CARSICOT, that was set up by the said DLP Government to, among other things, assist in securing the further growth of the Cotton Sector in Barbados. With this BLP in office since 1994, they too have had their fair share of disgrace surrounding the cotton sector in Barbados. For it could NOT be believed that this same BLP would have been behind the setting up of a cotton company which today according to press reports have seen the unceremonious dwindling of the number of persons comprising the directorate of the company, which would be suggestive of managerial disarray, that the said company would have had lying around on in storage facility bales of cotton for over three years, and that so far the company has racked up more than four million dollars in losses. What cruelties are being meted out once again to our cotton and cotton- interested persons in Barbados.

136 Nevertheless, with A SMFD/PDC Government being formed at the end of the next elections, this still muchly valued and resilient sector shall get more than a new lease on life, in that, it shall get an entire redirection, transformation and modernization, which as herenow seriously stated will mean it will be thoroughly deserving of this, primarily because of the fact that the type of cotton grown in Barbados is heavily demanded on the world market through its especially great quality- regarded as the BEST by industry specialists, locally and internationally.

Thus, some of the policies and measures that A SMFD/PDC Government shall implement to assist in the further development of the sector are:

1) Substantial increases in the acreage of land designated for growth of cotton in this country.

2) The construction of a strategically located, modern, efficient, well equipped COTTON FACTORY in Barbados with the capacity to manufacture all the island’s cotton.

3) The ensuring of strongly built linkages between the processes of planting, tending to, protecting against pests and plant diseases, reaping, transporting, producing, standardization and trademarking/traderighting of the quality of the cotton, marketing of the cotton locally and externally, exportation to overseas markets, and its increased use as a factor of production in the local garment/cloth-making industry, and in other industries, if possible.

So with the election of a SMFD/PDC Government, there shall no doubt be the transformation of the Cotton Sector from being a sector to being an industry. We shall make sure that what happened to sugar cane in Barbados does not continue happening to cotton, from the point of view that all aspects of the use of cotton shall be explored, and if possible, utilized.

Far greater and better than what has been done since 1994, shall be done under a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government

Hence, with respect to the whole Agricultural and Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors, far greater and better than what has been done since 1994, shall be done under a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government, to redevelop and revitalize the still very financially, environmentally, aesthetically important sugar cane sector, as stated just above, to develop further the very increasingly

137 important cotton sector, and to redevelop and revitalize those other important sub-sectors within the Agricultural and Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors in Barbados.

For instance, with regard to those latter sub-sectors, the livestock sub-sector - poultry, diary, pork, beef, lamb, egg components - and the vegetable and fruit produce sub-sectors of the Agricultural Sector, and the boat-building, ice delivery, the markets components of the Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors of the country, shall be given all the land and sea space (the Agricultural and Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors, respectively) all the finance, resources and incentives including those catering for growth in organic and green house agriculture/farming, the motivation and leadership settings, institutions and institutional building systems, redevelopment and support schemes – including those which have been outlined in various parts of this Manifesto - that are necessary at all levels within the State and Private Sectors to see Barbados seriously reestablish vibrant and resourceful Agricultural and Fisheries Sectors that shall play great and substantial roles in the growth and development of programs and initiatives by Barbados to : -

1) produce much more of its own food, nutritional, scientific and energy needs,

2) to provide a serious platform from which the agro-processing, fish processing, manufacturing, and tourism sectors in Barbados esp. will definitely be supported and expanded, and from which domestic exports and their institutions, processes, and initiatives will also be expanded and developed.

This Owen Arthur-led BLP Government must take blame for decay and crisis that have rocked this Agricultural Sector since 1994

The intended purpose of SMFD/PDC’S Agricultural and Fisheries and Fish Farming policy shall be to help rescue these sectors from the grave, horrible and mainly government-induced decline, stagnation and uncertainty which have certainly bedeviled these Agricultural and Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors under BLP Governments since 1994. Moreover, this Owen Arthur-led BLP Government must take great blame for the decay and crisis that have rocked, particularly, the Agricultural Sector since the 1990s, as that it must be remembered that in 1994 on first being returned to office, the BLP, under Mr. Arthur, told the nation that the Agricultural Sector would be resuscitated and made to play a greater role than under the previous DLP Government in the country’ productive affairs in as much as the sector was identified by Mr. Arthur and the BLP as a vital part of some so-called three-pronged strategy to bring about sustainable growth in the so- called economy, and, too, as was stated by him and the BLP that a sub-sector of it - the sugar

138 industry would be returned to previous levels of the production of about 65 000 tons of sugar through, among other things, Sugar Cane Planting Financial Incentives, and the rededication of greater acreages of land space to the growing of sugar cane, and was like the Manufacturing Sector given certain fiscal, financial and other forms of relief and concessions – although not as many as were given to the Manufacturing Sector - by Arthur and the newly elected BLP Government, who altogether had told the citizenry that the Agricultural Sector had itself been burdened and constrained by too much neglect, too high costs of production, and too much debt as found under the then previous DLP Government.

The lowest levels of sugar output in the history of the sugar industry of Barbados –recorded during the second term of this BLP Government

A careful and factual reading of sectoral events subsequent to the putting in place of those BLP measures, would prominently reveal that not only had this three-pronged strategy failed most miserably and terribly before the middle of the BLP first term, but there had also emerged in its second term of Government that not only had the sugar industry registered the lowest ever levels of sugar output in the history of the sugar industry of Barbados, but also that the relief and concessions given to the Sector by the Minister of Finance and BLP Government were like the Manufacturing Sector not working to the benefit of the Sector and its growth and development, as that it was confronted with far more serious problems than could simply have been resolved by the throwing at it/them of relief and concessions.

For not only did and still right up to now has this JOKE and RACOON for a Minister of Finance NOT REALISED, it seems, that by his continuing to both resort to and depend upon the imposition of foolish, irrelevant and dispossessing Western economic policies like VAT, and other forms of Taxation, Interest Rates, and the like, for the stability and growth and development of the Sector, will only be primarily bringing about the continued and wanton long- term degradation of the Sector more than any thing else., but also as would be expected with someone fighting at great odds against nature to prevent some manner of agricultural wasteland, would be to be using dreadful methods to achieve good objectives for the Sector. Goodness GRACIOUS, SMFD/PDC know that the great majority of citizens of Barbados will NOT HOWEVER allow indefinitely such colossal ignorance of governance to itself continue because for us – the majority of Barbadian citizens -to do so would indeed mean that the entire fact and meaning of good governance and greater national development would completely be being undermined, compromised and wrecked by Mr. Owen Arthur and the BLP now and if they remain at the helm any longer than now.

139 Hence, SMFD/PDC and the vast majority of Barbadians right now know that it is crucial and important to understand why there is the need at the Next General Election to VOTE Mr. Owen Arthur and this BLP Government out of office, and to Vote in A SMFD/PDC Government that will make sure that the Agricultural, Fisheries and Fish Farming Sectors will be fundamentally redeveloped as part of the entire forward positioning and modernization of the productive Sectors in Barbados.

The Manufacturing Sector

The performances of Manufacturing Sector have over the last 20 years or so been at best, modest, and at worst, woeful. However, this does not mean that the Manufacturing Sector has declined in significance as much as those performances may suggest over the same period of time - far from - for it still remains a very important productive sector in Barbados. This is so primarily because these performances have come about through its being impacted upon by multifarious adversities external to the functioning of the Sector, and not primarily through its own internal deficiencies. Still, the Manufacturing Sector, today, does not employ as many thousands of persons as it used to 20 years ago – which quite frankly is good since there is way less exploitation and oppression of Barbadian workers by certain groups than had existed then; does not attract to it as many hordes of exploitative local and foreign investors engaging in profit making and risk taking opportunities as say 20 years ago – which, too, is good since there is way less exploitation/suppression of Barbadian Workers, but unfortunately, does not produce as much output, earn and save as much foreign exchange, as it did 20 years ago. . These are facts that SMFD/PDC along with other politically conscious people in Barbados will let the electorate of Barbados know and continue to know have been happening under these old intellectually bankrupt BLP and DLP leaderships.

The Manufacturing Sector will directly and tremendously benefit from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of a SMFD/PDC Government

We, in SMFD/PDC, however strongly assure the readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters that with the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government at the next general election, and the consequent implementation of SMFD/PDC Governmental policies and measures, that very tremendous and positive changes will come to the Manufacturing Sector. For it is clear that this Sector will benefit directly and tremendously from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of A SMFD/PDC Government, e.g. the Abolition of Taxation, Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, Making Imports into the country Zero-“Priced” at all points of entry, Making Exports, once

140 intended for the external markets, paid for in Local “Prices”/Currency, and the institutional and processional policy changes, e.g. Partnerships shall be the only National Multimember Business Entities possible, Imports into Barbados shall be Zero-“Priced” at all Points of Entry.

From that premise, A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon coming into office quickly but efficiently put in place such national policies and measures as would be necessary to ensure that, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports entering into Barbados for use by and in the Manufacturing Sector; that there will become the securing, and within a greater stabilized financial environment, of greater foreign exchange receipts arising out of substantial growth in the export component of the Sector; and by there becoming lower costs to the same Manufacturing Sector as a direct result of such national policies and measures; and, too, by the securing of greater inputs/ value added from the Sector into the Agricultural, Agro-processing, Tourism Sector, the Offshore Business Sector, etc, there shall surely, as a whole, be the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enacting of such policies and measures by A SMFD/PDC Government, greater and overall cost savings, greater and overall investments, exports, imports, consumption, income and growth to this Manufacturing Sector, greater partnerships coming into the Sector, and lower retail sales “prices” by the Sector under a SMFD/PDC Government. Also, there shall be the forward direction of Barbados’ land use/land space policy and town and country planning policy in ways that there shall become in Barbados a greater Manufacturing presence as well as the allowing for the fullest development possible of the Manufacturing Sector.

Local Manufacturing like local Agriculture has in recent decades suffered tremendously from increased globalization, international trade, investment, and foreign currency liberalization of movement and control patterns worldwide…

The point was made in the beginning of this Manufacturing sub-installment that the unsatisfactory performances in the local Manufacturing Sector would have come primarily through multifarious external adversities impacting upon the Sector, and not primarily through its own internal deficiencies. Moreover, just as it has been argued by some persons and entities in Barbados as well as it is currently being argued in this Manifesto, that local Agriculture has in recent decades suffered tremendously from increased globalization, international trade, investment, and foreign currency liberalization of movement and control patterns world wide, it has also been argued by some persons and entities in Barbados as well as it is currently being argued in this Manifesto that Manufacturing has suffered similar experiences. These particular persons, entities and our Manifesto have therefore pointed as evidence of such experiences to forms of Taxation (Tariffs and customs duties) and other non-Tariff barriers that once “protected” the Manufacturing Sector that have now been reduced under the notion of securing

141 greater trade liberalization, and have also pointed to the fact that with the coming about of the final trade-negotiating Round under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in the 80s, and since then with the evolution of GATT into the World Trade Organization in the 1990s, to the emergence of a newer regime of world trade rules and principles that have impacted on the Sector, and have also pointed to as fundamental to the existence of those rules and principles, international agreements reached at the level of Trade Round Talks, some of which have clearly failed to achieve certain noble objectives, like “developing” countries failing to have “developed” countries agree to carte blanche (out rightly) remove forms of protection for many of their local manufacturers, but some of which would altogether have resulted in the Government of Barbados removing many of those traditional and long established forms of “protecting” the Manufacturing Sector from the worst ravages of external commercial and trade competition, and which therefore would have helped resulted in many of our local manufacturers in Barbados having to face from such times as the 80s up to now, kinds of vicious, increased uncertainties and challenges when selling their finished products overseas, and when selling their finished products in Barbados. Throughout these times of greater trade liberalization for Barbados it can still be conceded that local manufacturing would have been given time by the Government of Barbados in which it had opportunities to make its own adjustments to the newly encroaching culture of doing things trade/investment wise, globally.

In many areas, absolute and utter collapse, and in many other areas, absolute downsizing and whittling down, of the Manufacturing Sector

From a local standpoint, such international competition has not been the only form of greater competition being faced by local manufacturers since there has also been regional competition. What also adds fuel to the fire is that there have been many local Barbadian importers importing, wholesaling and retailing in the country many brands of comparable products and items (substitutes) that have been manufactured outside of Barbados. Hence, whether these local manufacturers have been in the activity of making and selling on the local market soft drinks, beer, boxed juices, beer, biscuits, wooden and metal furniture, garments, they too have had to face regional competition from mainly Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, as well as from local quarters. No doubt such international and regional competition as well as problems related to the securing of adequate financing, adequate terms and conditions of the financing itself, bureaucratic red-tape, personal and business irresponsibilities, among other such things, would have led, in many areas, to absolute and utter collapse, and in many other areas, to the absolute downsizing and whittling down, of the Manufacturing Sector. Manufacturing exists now in Barbados as a mere shadow of its prime years in the 70s and 80s in Barbados!! While those accounts are truthful, the fact, too, is that Manufacturing DID NOT HAVE to face the enormous and ravaging extent of experiences that it actually faced from the 90s until now. For, even though Manufacturing has in recent times lost much competitive advantage to other Manufacturing

142 Sectors of the region and has recently lost prestige – as a sector that, say, had been able 20 years ago to attract far greater national allocations of resources and investment than at present, or, say, just as many national allocations of resources and investment as another sector – Tourism and Travel – had been able at that time to attract, Manufacturing has still had going for itself advantages, which up to now have not been properly explored and utilized by successive BLP and DLP Governments, and stake holders in Manufacturing over the last three decades or so. The readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters must know that Manufacturing has not properly survived and developed in recent times for reasons other than those internal and external adverse ones mentioned above, in that, the said governments and stakeholders although they could have simply have NOT transformed Manufacturing from its light-duty, simplified, domesticated and warehouse like characteristics to a Manufacturing that is of greater heavy-duty, sophisticated, greater foreign-focused, Partnership structured ownership, and integrated characteristics.

A very inept and backward Prime Minister, and supported by a few manufacturing industry analysts that are thinking like himself, make it believe that this is the furtherest level Barbados’ manufacturing shall right now go to at this stage,…

Manufacturing under this BLP Government, and this is something that the said readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters must take note of, has remained anchored at the lowly level of production of soft drinks, box juices, beer, biscuits, bread, edible oils, soaps, laundry detergents, powder, toilet paper, wooden and metal furniture, cement, blocks, chemicals, etc. Notwithstanding that the manufacturing and production of these products are absolutely required in Barbados, and it is very good that the manufacturers and producers of these can still, in spite of the very anti-manufacturing climate that has long been prevailing in Barbados, make successful claims to be representing manufacturing in Barbados, it is entirely and grossly humiliating to our country, and disgusting to say the least, for this BLP Government under the stewardship of a very inept and backward Prime Minister, and supported by a few manufacturing industry analysts that are thinking like himself, to make the public believe, as they have done, that the current levels Barbados’ Manufacturing is operating at such are the furtherest levels Barbados’ manufacturing could right now reach at this stage, even though it is clear that this said Arthur and the BLP have failed to bring on board greater and more profound levels of manufacturing. Whereas this political joke for a Prime Minister is totally misled, and is in his public statements misleading many, many citizens into believing that Hotel and Tourism Services, Financial Services, and International Business Services are the fundamental ways out for the country as a whole at this stage in its historical development, and whereas these few industry analysts are totally misled, and are in their public utterances misleading many, many citizens too into thinking that manufacturing is in its dying stages, there are many countries that continue to uplift and expand their manufacturing, hence, there are certainly many things that can

143 be done inside and outside of manufacturing in Barbados to turn around and forward position and modernized this sector in Barbados and to make it again a vibrant and very crucial productive sector of this country.

POLICY MEASURES

As a result of the recognition of such possibilities, a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall set about helping to create a viable and sustainable Manufacturing for Barbados by, among other things:-

1) Making sure that Barbados’ Manufacturing becomes of a greater heavy-duty, greater technologically driven and sophisticated, greater foreign-focused, greater democratic ownership and integrated nature than at present and in the past.

2) Making sure that Barbados’ Manufacturing proceeds to a higher, more productive and more value added level in the country, whereby there becomes established in Barbados the making OR assembly of Motor vehicles ( a Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry), the production OR assembly of Civilian OR Military Aircraft ( an Aircraft Manufacturing Industry) , the production or assembly of missiles, of satellites and other high grade military or non-military communication devices in Barbados ( a Missile Building, Satellite Building Industry ), that there becomes in Barbados the building of modern medium-sized civilian Ships and Boats ( a greater Ship Building Industry ), that there is the production or assembly of certain types of metal in Barbados e.g. aluminum.

3) Making sure that these kinds of manufacturing initiatives shall be by way of well thought out, safely located and financially sustainable joint venture enterprises between suitable foreign interests, local commercial interests and State Partnership Inc. of Barbados.

Also, given most Barbadians capacity to learn very well and to be very disciplined it shall be that these kinds of socio-political attributes, plus its fairly strategic geo-political position as well as the types of financial and fiscal measures that A SMFD/PDC Government shall put in place, that shall indeed be used to attract these kinds of industries into Barbados but with the understanding that A SMFD/PDC Government shall ensure that sound environmental/social impact assessments

144 studies are done as they are about to enter Barbados, and that strong environmental and atmospheric safeguards are put in place as such industries become established in Barbados. This present BLP Government must take ultimate blame for the crisis, decay, and ruin in many parts of Manufacturing in Barbados

The intended purpose of the entire SMFD/PDC’S Manufacturing policy shall be to help remove from this still very important sector, conditions of an appalling, increasingly pervasive and mainly government-induced decline, stagnation and uncertainty that have certainly been destroying much of the sector since the 1990s. Moreover, this present BLP Government must take ultimate blame for the crisis, decay and ruin that have rocked this sector since the 1990s, as that it must be remembered that in 1994, on first being returned to office, Mr. Owen Arthur and the BLP told the nation in very clear categorical terms that the Manufacturing Sector like the Agricultural Sector would be revived and made to play a greater role than under the previous DLP Government in the productive affairs of the country, in as much as the sector was identified by the BLP as a vital part of a three-pronged strategy to bring about sustainable growth in the so- called economy; was itself identified by Mr. Owen Arthur and the BLP as a major area for stimulating job creation; and was like the Agricultural Sector given certain fiscal, financial and other forms of relief and concessions by Mr. Owen Arthur and the newly elected BLP Government, who altogether had told the public that the Sector itself had been burdened and constrained by too much taxation, too high energy costs and too much debt under the then previous DLP Government.

NOT a single new major Manufacturing investment, local or overseas, for a long time in Barbados!!

A careful and factual reading of sectoral events subsequent to the implementation of those measures, would prominently reveal that not only had this three-pronged strategy failed most miserably and terribly before the middle of the first term of this BLP Government ( heavy state sector job creation as opposed to private sector job creation came about; word was out that far fewer jobs than hoped for were being created in the Manufacturing Sector), but there had also emerged at that time too that the relief and concessions given to the Sector by the Minister of Finance and BLP Government were not working to the benefit of the Sector, its growth and development as that it was, like Agriculture, confronted with far greater problems than could simply have been resolved by the throwing at it/them of relief and concessions. There has NOT been a single new major Manufacturing investment initiative, local or overseas, for a long time in Barbados!! For not only did and still right up to now, has this jack of lantern of a Minister of Finance NOT REALISED, it seems, that by his continuing to both resort to and depend upon the imposition of foolish, irrelevant and dispossessing Western economic policies like VAT, and

145 other forms of Taxation, Interest Rates, and the like, for the supposed stability and development of the Sector, will only primarily be bringing about continued and calculated destruction to this Sector to the point of exacting its virtual decimation, so much so that western society no longer needs great physical forces to assist in ensuring there is called up the sweat, blood and tears of our peoples in its continued domination of them, surely too must make for a totally misread and erring Prime Minister.

SMFD/PDC know that the vast majority of citizens of Barbados will NOT HOWEVER allow indefinitely such colossal ignorance of governance to itself continue because for them and us – SMFD/PDC - to allow such would indeed mean that the entire fact and meaning of good governance and greater national development would completely be being undermined, compromised and wrecked by Mr. Owen Arthur and the BLP remaining at the helm any longer than now. Hence, SMFD/PDC and the vast majority of Barbadians right now know that it is crucial and important to understand why there is the need to at the Next General Election VOTE Mr. Owen Arthur and this BLP Government out of office, and Vote in A SMFD/PDC Government that will make sure that the Manufacturing Sector is fundamentally revitalized as part of our plans for the entire forward positioning and modernization of the productive Sectors in Barbados.

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

Twenty years ago the Construction Sector in Barbados was not as popularly regarded as a very important national productive sector as it is right now, although, then, it still played a key developmental role in the material production, distribution and exchange affairs of the country. The Construction Sector presently is said by many so-called professional economists and social commentators to be a main engine of growth in the so-called Barbados economy. Whereas the Construction Sector has been since the 1990s taking on a long term, upward growth path, and whereas there has been for a decade or so talk of the Construction Sector booming, the Agriculture and Manufacturing Sectors have been in stark contrast taking on a long term, downward slide since 1990s, and hence there has been for a decade or so too this totally misguided talk by some Barbadians about both Sectors being on their death bed. Whereas Construction is producing at this stage the greatest national output of all sectors in Barbados, the fact is that it is doing this at a very great and high cost to the country, for example, the greatest exploitation right now of Barbadian and immigration workers takes place within this sector; great amounts of foreign exchange are lost to Barbados through imports destined for the Sector, and the greatest factor underpinning the motor force of the Sector is the capacity of those involved, esp. C O Williams, to totally misuse increasing amounts of our precious land spaces for construction purposes, and furthermore for them to be used as part of rented/leased/buy and sell

146 upscale villa, condominium, residential, golf course developments for primarily foreigners. These are not so happy facts that SMFD/PDC and other politically conscious people in Barbados will let and continue to let the electorate of Barbados know have been happening under these old intellectually bankrupt BLP and DLP leaderships.

The Construction Sector will directly and tremendously benefit from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of a SMFD/PDC Government

We, in SMFD/PDC, however assure the readers of this Manifesto and the potential/Barbadian Voters that with the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government at the next general election, and the consequent implementation of SMFD/PDC Governmental policies and measures, that very tremendous, positive and socially and financially rebalancing changes will come to the Construction Sector. For it is clear that this Sector will benefit directly and tremendously from many of the financial and fiscal policy measures of A SMFD/PDC Government, e.g. the Abolition of Taxation, Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, Making Imports into the country Zero-“Priced” at all points of entry, The Abolition of Motor Vehicle Insurance, and the institutional and processional policy changes, e.g. Partnerships shall be only national multimember business entities, Imports into Barbados shall be Zero-“Priced” at all Points of Entry, and Land Spaces whether bought, sold, leased, shall be done so ONLY at administrative/nominal costs, and NO land space shall be sold to non- nationals or foreign entities.

Against that background, A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon coming to office quickly but efficiently put in place such national policies and measures as would be necessary to ensure that, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports entering into Barbados for use by and in the Construction Sector; that there will become the securing, and within a greater stabilized financial environment, of greater foreign exchange receipts being saved as a result of the greater localization and rationalization of the Sector; and by there becoming lower costs to the same Construction Sector as a direct result of such national policies and measures; and too by the securing of greater inputs and value added from the Sector into the Agricultural, Agro- processing, Tourism Sector, the Offshore Business Sector, etc, there shall surely, as a whole, be the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enacting of such policies and measures by A SMFD/PDC Government, greater and overall cost savings, greater and overall beneficial investments, exports, imports, consumption, income and growth to this Manufacturing Sector, greater partnerships coming into the Sector, and lower retail sales “prices” by the Sector under a SMFD/PDC Government. Also, there shall be the forward direction of Barbados’ land use/land space policy and town and country planning policy in ways that there shall become in

147 Barbados the better overall development of the Construction Sector, and that will see the Sector in relationship to the Tourism Sector in Barbados, become a drastically lesser but more efficient utilizer of the land space of Barbados.

NO MORE of our Agricultural Lands FOR A LONG TIME ( for as long as a SMFD/PDC Government exists ) shall be taken out for purposes of the Construction…

The fact is that under a SMFD/PDC Government, NO MORE of our Agricultural lands FOR A LONG TIME( for as long as a SMFD/PDC Government exists )shall be taken out for purposes of the CONSTRUCTION of golf courses, for the CONSTRUCTION of villas, hotels, town units, local residential housing, whatever, as that NO PLANNING OR CHANGE OF USE PERMISSION shall be granted by such a Government to use for Construction purposes, Lands, which for the last hundred years and more, would clearly have been used as Agricultural Lands and for Agricultural purposes, and which up to the time of the coming about of such a Government will still be deemed as Agricultural Lands. ONLY those Lands being deemed non- Agricultural Lands shall be utilized for Construction, whether for Road Building and Redevelopment purposes, Local Housing Development purposes, Industrial/Manufacturing Development purposes, Tourism purposes or whatever other purposes. With regards to Road Building and Redevelopment, the focus of A SMFD/PDC Government shall for as long as possible be in line with its Agricultural, Land use and Physical Development, Road Traffic Management policies esp. ones that will involve puting a STOP to the CONSTRUCTION of any more NEW PUBLIC MAIN ROADS/HIGHWAY in Barbados, given that A SMFD/PDC Government’s focus shall be placed on repairing much of the existing badly worn out and very POTHOLED-riddled road networks, rather than simply constructing more NEW PUBLIC MAIN road/HIGHWAY networks to in the final analysis help create the bringing about of too many road problems leading to vehicle problems, and money wastage.

Far greater construction and use of HIGH RISE buildings as a means of compensating for the shortage/lack of greater physical space in Barbados.

And with regards to Local Housing Development Purposes, more land space than now shall be allocated to the fulfilling the housing and construction development needs of thousands of Barbadians, who, of course, at this stage, find affordable housing difficult to come by. Surely, therefore, these SMFD/PDC Government initiatives shall be the basis for the inspiring of greater hope, and the emergence of better prospects for thousands of Barbadians who right now feel a sense of being unceasingly and terribly marginalized and exploited in a country that is also supposed to be theirs. With regard to both Local Housing and Tourism Development, A SMFD/PDC Government shall direct the relevant designers, planners and builders to follow the

148 policy of such a Government that far greater construction and use, where necessary, must be made of properly constructed, an environmentally and aesthetically pleasing HIGH RISE buildings to compensate for the shortage/lack of greater physical space in Barbados to ever reasonably continue building low rise-buildings and in face of such great demands for housing. Such buildings must necessarily be also subject to rigorous safety and emergency evacuation standards.

As spoken to earlier in this installment, prior to the 90s in Barbados, Construction was never popularly regarded as a main engine in the growth of the material production/distribution/exchange affairs of the country, although it played still a key developmental role in those affairs. Today this has changed!! Again, Construction from the mid to late 90s up to now has been widely regarded by social, political, and business experts and commentators as a main engine of growth of the social, material and financial affairs of the country. Although it has been in this time providing a modest source of income for many Barbadians, but has been a great source of national expenditure and output, there are to the knowledge of SMFD/PDC four main disturbing aspects – two of which are basically restatements taken from earlier up in this installment - concerning developments and trends taking place within this Sector. These are:-

(1) that substantial foreign exchange on a yearly basis is being lost as a primary result of how the present import/foreign exchange regime of the country is structured (dealt with in the earlier segment on making imports zero-priced at all points of entry, and dealt with in a later segment dealing with the Abolition of all Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados Dollar);

(2) that the vast majority of construction taking place in the country is for the dangerous benefit of increasing the property ownership of non-nationals, or for the development of properties for the increasing vacationing/recreational/leisure use of non-nationals, particularly Western people who are mainly visiting the island, and are not for the benefit of locals;

(3) that the obscenely high cost of acquiring land space rights and high cost of construction is leading to higher and higher income offers/costs for finished properties in Barbados, thus putting many of these finished properties beyond the income reaches of the average Barbadian; and

149 (4) that Construction in Barbados remains dominated by a couple companies and their associate businesses in Barbados, to the detriment of the growth and development of other construction businesses in Barbados.

That this BLP Government must bear the ultimate responsibility for those types of nationally adverse developments and trends taking place within the Construction Sector, cannot be any less disturbing and aggravating than the fact that they too must take the ultimate blame for gross failure to properly restructure the Agricultural Sector in Barbados in light of the Sector being forced to adjust, and in very haphazard and incoherent ways, to external shocks and other effects as brought on by impact of very sweeping and far reaching changes in the international trade, investment and the foreign currencies environment. Therefore, policies like the EU agreeing over a relatively short period of time to drastically slash the guaranteed price of Barbadian/ACP sugar exported to the EU, must therefore have an adverse impact on the profitability of Barbados/many Barbadians remaining in Sugar and non-Sugar Agriculture, and conversely must present opportunities to owners of land space rights in Barbadian Agriculture to, on the approval of the BLP Minister for Town and Country Planning, realize some apparent great benefit and profit in eventually selling such rights especially to non-nationals, for them - these foreigners - to ONLY rub salt into our injury – which ironically means becoming owners of our lands after the country would have become seriously disadvantaged by the accelerating and overdoing of the trend of converting many of our prime agricultural Lands into spaces for the CONSTRUCTON of golf courses, hotel, villa, condominiums, retirement villages and the like; and too such happenings being antithetical to (against) the thought that the accessing and achieving of greater land space by the masses and the pseudo-elite of Barbados would be eminently desirable ad right and thus such principles and actualities serving as building blocks, et al, towards the creating of a stronger and better Barbadian nation within the present global scheme of things.

For such disdainful and complicitous behavior this BLP Government must be kicked out of office next elections, as that those approaches entail selling out huge swaths of Barbados to the highest foreign bidders, which could really mean for further unnecessary Westernization and recolonization of Barbados.

For such disdainful and complicitous behavior, this BLP Government must surely be kicked out of office, as that those approaches entail the selling out of huge swaths of Barbados to the highest foreign bidders, with very serious prospects for the further unnecessary Westernization of Barbados, and for the long term recolonization of Barbados. Too, Potential/Voters in Barbados must be made greater aware of the fact that the feeling of a Construction Boom taking place in Barbados is but being inspired by the poor strategy of a few - some elites along with some persons within Government – whose bid is to use some aspects of the Construction Industry as a

150 means of deepening and widening elite/state political exploitation of the Broad masses of people of Barbados, to a greater extent, and the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent ( relate back to the Segment on the Economy and Economics being serious national problems ). In the minds of such persons, the Tourism and Construction Sectors provide right now the best opportunities for the exploitation of the broadest segments of our people since Agriculture and Manufacturing no longer provide the best options for achieving such.

Has the monument in celebration of the first free village in Rock Hall, St. Thomas, been established at this juncture mainly of a possible diversion of the minds of the masses/pseudo-elite from better understanding what is happening with regard to this massive land “sellout”, and too has it been established at this juncture as an instrument that serves to get the masses/pseudo-elite primarily locked onto the importance of the historical/religious symbolism associated with its presence rather than it has been established mainly to, yes, pay historical tribute to that momentous and great occasion, but more importantly to serve as current instruction to the country that substantially more and more land space rights must become accessible/available to and owned by far greater numbers of the Barbadian masses/pseudo-elite, and in a context whereby the country deals seriously with this land “sell out”?

With the great and wicked sellout of the precious lands of Barbados under this BLP Government since 1994, of what worth is it then that this same government last year, in 2005, established a monument in Rock Hall, St. Thomas, in commemoration and in celebration of the first free village in Rock Hall, St. Thomas Barbados? Could it be strongly believed that this BLP Government has mainly decided at this juncture to establish this monument in Rock Hall, St. Thomas, as really a possible diversion of the minds of the masses/pseudo-elite from understanding what is really happening with regard to this massive land “sell out,” and too has it been established at this juncture as an instrument that serves to get the masses/pseudo-elite primarily locked onto the importance of the historical/religious symbolism associated with its presence rather than it has been established mainly to, yes, pay historical tribute to that momentous and great occasion, but more importantly to serve as current instruction to the country that substantially more and more land space rights must become accessible/available and owned by far greater numbers of the Barbadian masses/pseudo-elite, and in a context whereby the country deals seriously with this land “sellout”??

Too, could any one Barbadian Voter imagine that the Apes Hill Development Project in St. James, an investment project between Sir Charles Williams and overseas partners, which is reported to be a US $ 1 Billion plus investment, will only cater to a miserly 300 people during construction, and on completion a mere 400 – 500 employed?

151

Could Mr. Arthur be so naïve as to think that Barbadian Voters would take for granted that this Construction project will allow for the achievement of the goal of full employment and the eradication of poverty, when it was already being implied by Arthur himself via the Media at the ground breaking ceremony that the LONG DELAY for the project had to do with the him as Minister responsible for Town and Country and not the Government officers of the Department, and therefore nothing to do with quickly making sure that these projects come on stream so that such goals are achieved? If projects like this are so important to the achievement of full employment and poverty eradication in the country why the long delay in getting approval, especially if environmental/social impact studies are done?

Notwithstanding full employment and poverty eradication goals are ONLY dealt with in a so-called economic system these will never be achieved within such a system because of the nature of the system itself.

Notwithstanding that such goals (full employment/poverty eradication, etc.) are ONLY dealt with within a so-called economic system, being creatures of it, what must be very aggravating however is that within this so-called economic system even these goals become really illusory and will never be achieved because of the highly parasitic, exploitative, dispossessing nature of the system. Hence, in the case of full employment, the government and by extension the Social Partnership will succeed in the long term in suppressing domestic wages to point a whereby there will be more employment - around 9-10%, but the businesses that will be gaining from such will not stop raising their “prices” because they are already being faced with high external costs and the incentive to make more money, furthermore, these less than satisfactory disposal incomes received by the masses of workers will lead to mild contractions in aggregate demand across the country, thus along with higher fiscal and financial constraints will lead from time to time to at least marginally lower levels of national investment, which is not even outdone by substantial foreign investment which itself still wishes for lower wages, thus the end result right now must be marginally higher unemployment. As for the eradication of poverty, such a goal will never be achieved, even though reducing poverty to the lowest levels is possible, primarily for many reasons, but one such reason is that it is precisely because of those kinds of projects which the said Owen Arthur spoke about at the same ground breaking ceremony that are very much involved in helping cause greater levels of poverty in Barbados. They demand many costs and resources and human beings at given times, and therefore preempt others and their projects esp. small ones from using some/much of the same costs, resources and human beings given our limited and imperfect market from developing properly as well. Check that these types of projects have long been happening in Barbados and substantial poverty has still remained! And many Barbadians know that there are other factors that help create poverty in Barbados

152

Notwithstanding WHATEVER amount of foreign exchange generated per year after the completion of the Apes Hill Development, when comparisons are drawn between a near BDS $ 5.2 Billion local Barbados economy (2003 GDP figure) and its employment of nearly 130 000 people, and this BDS $ 2 Billion project and the 400- 500 that will be employed, it begs the question that there are three main things that should come rushing to mind about it:

Three Valid Things

(1) that millions of Barbados dollars have been given in concessions or waivers to the investors so that they help spend Barbadian dollars to reap substantial personal business benefits - which can be concluded from calculating the total US $ 1 Billion dollar investment figure divided by the total number of acres, which - in amounting to about US $ 200 per square foot, in ratio terms – would put this latter sum( US $ 200 for a sq. of the land space) and by extension the entire cost of the project way, way beyond the reaches of every single Barbadian investor, big or small – and which no sensible business person would invest his/her personal money value in - No wonder the BNB is helping to finance the project, when it should be that the money that is being used to help finance the cost of this project could be far better utilized in providing smaller more productive and intensive housing and recreational projects esp. for locals;

(2) based on the figures put across in the Advocate Newspapers that for a start, 200 single family homes and 150 cluster units ( including land ?) do offer the likelihood of more than US $ 214 million being realized on the sale of all such properties - but which would remain far short of the one Billion US dollar figure, we see that when adjusting the Barbadian per capita income of BDS $ 16 500 @ 2003, (Business Barbados 2005), someway upwards in order to be consistent with the fact that for a project of this nature it is expected that employees will get a little more per month than the national per capita figure, and by this we therefore, say, it becomes about US $ 10 000 that would be for the average employee at Apes Hill, such that when 500 is multiplied by US $ 10 000, one gets a total of US $ 5 million per 2006 - far, far less than what will be received by Williams and his overseas partners, a scenario that could be used to suggest too that given the US $ 1 Billion figure, thousands upon thousands of people in Barbados are really being grossly undervalued and underpaid; and

153 3) because we base the following argument on the number (2), that the bulk of the income that will be generated will surely go to the owners of the project and the Government, given the relatively small employment numbers - between 300 – 500 (provided in the Press) - at different times in its development, and which is so given the US $ 1 Billion figure, so given the per capita income of Barbadians, and so given that we are making an oblique comparison between a supposed fixed sum allocated to a supposed finite project which is scheduled to complete in a couple of years, and a yearly structured GDP figure.

SMFD/PDC regret that this is the stage to which Barbados has descended to whereby very inflated and really non-existent figures are being used to justify some belief that this US $ 1 Billion dollar investment is ever so magnificent…

Moreover, could any one Voter imagine that once AGAIN a swath of land over 400 acres in Barbados is taken up to give the wrong impression to the Barbadian public that this one Billion dollar figure is what will be the revenue made, say, within the next couple of years, and more so the more wrong impression that hyper-profits will be made out of this investment and its construction, when in fact it may represent simply the total cost of virtually all aspects of the investments to be put in over time from start to the foreseeable future!! SMFD/PDC make such a statement because there is an obvious fundamental deficit between the total investment value itself and the revenue that could possibly be derived from the sale of the 200 family homes and the 150 cluster units, which at this stage seem the major money generating aspects of the projects. However, SMFD/PDC regret that this is the stage to which Barbados has descended to whereby very inflated figures are being used to justify some belief that this US $ 1 Billion dollar investment is ever so magnificent and indispensable to the growth and development of the country as Mr. Arthur so inanely and sheepishly suggested to an audience that more appear his Masters than any thing else at the ground breaking ceremony of the project, and to justify some ill-founded belief that this type of Construction that reinforces serious social disparities, cleavages and tensions among the different social and income categories of the country, like how those at Royal Westmoreland, Port St. Charles, Millennium Heights, etc., have done, is the strategic direction in which Mr. Arthur has arrogantly said he will take the country and from which he would not depart from.

SMFD/PDC will NOT allow Mr. Arthur nor any body else to give the wrong impressions like above to the Barbadian public and get away with them, without getting the said public to understand that too many huge swaths of precious Barbadian land space are being “sold” out to mainly foreigners and for mainly short term gains- which include “selling” out land space to such people to bring about much needed foreign exchange – a situation which has NOT been helped by the dismal performances of Productive Sectors like Agriculture, Manufacturing and the

154 inconsistent performances of Tourism and International Business, and dramatically to make it believe that this blundering intellectually and politically bankrupt BLP Government is in respect of these projects being given a vote of confidence by local and overseas investors.

The fact though is that while SMFD/PDC understand the very valued importance of Construction and the Construction Sector to the growth and development of Barbados, it will NEVER support Construction and a Construction Sector that wholly distorts and unbalances growth and development of the country, it will NEVER support Construction and A Construction Sector that allows many of our precious lands to be sold off to foreigners. We will also NEVER support Construction and a Construction Sector that remain very politically exploitative, high income costing and inflationary (the latter term not used in a way to mean increasing “prices” but the inflated nature at this time of the sector). As such a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall put in place, among others, the following three sector specific policy measures that shall, in addition to those general measures dealt with earlier in this segment, assist in the proper growth and development of the Sector:

POLICY MEASURES

(1) With the creation of State Partnership Inc. (SPI), and more particularly, with the Abolition of Taxation there shall be the conversion of the Ministry of Transport and Works into a smaller entity – The Road Affairs Subsidiary within State Partnership Inc. and which will mainly cater to minor repairs of and the installing of road signage/markings on or along the public road ways in Barbados. What shall also happen is that as many of the then former Ministry workers as possible shall be successfully guided by SPI along the path towards forming a private Partnership, which will itself be the buyer of much of the then still good and usable equipment/facilities of the former Ministry, having been sold to it/them by SPI. This new partnership shall be required to not only submit bids for the renovation of old and worn out public roads ways and bridges in Barbados, but also required to bid for the construction of private houses and facilities. A Similar process shall also be undertaken with respect to the National Housing Corporation (NHC) whereby as many then former NHC workers as possible shall be successfully guided by SPI along the path towards forming a private partnership, which will itself be the buyer of any still good and usable equipment/facilities of the former NHC, having been sold to it/them by SPI. It, too, shall be required to compete with other similar contracting partnerships for business within, particularly, the Home Construction and Repair Sector. With respect to Home Construction A SMFD/PDC Government shall actively pursue a policy whereby almost all the buildings constructed in Barbados shall be of wall structures.

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(2) There breaking of the monopoly as held now by a particular group of companies in the Construction Sector, generally, and the Road Building Sub-sector, particularly, in Barbados, through the fair and equitable distribution, where necessary, of SPI contracts to non-traditional but efficient and reliable Contracting Partnerships. Young graduates of the Samuel Prescod Polytechnic and other technical institutes here and overseas, and others in the technical field at whatever level shall be educated and encouraged by a SMFD/PDC Government to capitalize on the policy measures that such a Government shall put in place for the greater growth and development of the Construction Sector in Barbados.

(3) The implementation of a policy of limiting the size and number of the residential buildings that can be built for and/or owned by non-national persons or businesses or entities in Barbados in the future with the election of A SMFD/PDC Government. Hence, only up to 8 rooms –including bedrooms and bathrooms – and no more than 1 building per family or household irrespective of whether a person or business is involved. The implementation of a policy of limiting the size and number of industrial/commercial/social buildings that can be built for and/or part-owned by non- nationals in Barbados in the future with the election of A SMFD/PDCPDC Government. ( NO foreign business shall be able to set up in Barbados unless it is in joint Partnership with Local Partnership Businesses – see segment on rent control of buildings) by non-national persons or businesses). Only up to 30 000 sq feet of ground space in a commercial/industrial/social building/buildings that are part owned with local interests, but ONLY one and no more than the number of buildings that would amount to 30 000 square feet and less. The implementation of the policy of the Abolition of Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados dollar, and with normal and specific foreign currency transaction directions, to be followed by foreign builders/purchasers of buildings located in Barbados. See segment ahead on the Abolition of Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados. The implementation of the policy of making Land space rights to be only acquired whether bought, sold or leased, at Nominal/Administrative Costs, and the policy of Zero-income costs/ “prices” for ALL Imports at ALL points of Entry, shall have the desired impact of lowering the income costs of buildings, thus making housing, especially, more available to the average Barbadian.

With these kinds of progressive measures, there can be no doubt that the Construction Sector and its sub-sectors like mining and quarrying shall achieve the kinds of growth and development that are consistent with making the entire Productive Sectors of Barbados more efficient, more progressive and export oriented, and capable of fulfilling their fullest developmental potential. It

156 must be stated in this Manifesto that in Barbados there are other important productive sectors and sub-sectors which help in their own ways to carry forward and develop the material, financial, socio-political affairs of the country, in spite of the many local and external difficulties and obstacles that they face. Two such sectors are the Wholesale and Retail Distribution Sector and the Energy Sector. It is clear, based on Central Bank Economic and Financial Statistics (See the Central Bank’s Economic and Financial Statistics, March, 2004 publication), that both these Sectors are very productive and expansive. Most importantly, A SMFD/PDC Government shall ensure that these Sectors and other Productive Sectors not herein mentioned, stand to benefit directly and substantially from the many financial and fiscal policy measures of A SMFD/PDC Government, again, the Abolition of Taxation , Abolition of Interest Rates, Making Institutional Loans for Productive Purposes Non-Repayable, Making Imports into the country Zero-“Priced” at all points of entry, Land Spaces whether “bought”, “sold” or “leased” shall ONLY be acquired at Administrative/Nominal Costs/ No Land space shall be sold to non-nationals or foreign companies, and the institutional and processional policy changes, e.g. Partnerships shall be only national multimember business entities, Imports into Barbados shall be Zero-priced at all Points of Entry.

A SMFD/PDC Government shall upon coming into office quickly but efficiently put in place such national policies and measures as would be necessary to ensure that, in contrast to now, there will become, and shall be made necessary use of, greater volumes of less expensive but higher quality imports entering Barbados for use by and in these Sectors; that there will become the securing, and within a greater stabilized financial environment, of far greater activity within these Sectors themselves, and by there becoming lower costs to these Sectors as a direct result of such national policies and measures; and, too, by the securing of greater inputs and value added from the Wholesale, Retail, Distribution, Energy and other unnamed Sectors into the Agricultural, Tourism, Manufacturing, Fish-processing, Agro-processing, Financial Services, and Offshore Business Sectors, there shall no doubt, as a whole, be altogether the bringing about in the shortest and best time possible of the enactment of the policies and measures of a SMFD/PDC Government, greater and overall growth, income, consumption, imports, greater and overall beneficial investments, cost savings to all of these Sectors, greater partnerships coming into the Sectors, and lower retail sales “prices” by these Sectors, altogether under a SMFD/PDC Government.

The implementation processes of these policies and other types of SMFD/PDC Government policies shall largely determine the success or not of the policies. For timelines with respect to the implementation of these policies, please see respective segments in this Manifesto. Moreover, we in SMFD/PDC shall make sure every effort is made to see that the policies as herein outlined in this Manifesto succeed on the behalf of the greatest development possible of the Barbadian

157 people and the country productive resources, institutions and processes. VOTE SMFD/PDC for a brighter and better society!!

WITHDRAWING BARBADOS FROM CSME ARRANGEMENTS

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was launched on the 1 st of January 2006, after a year’s delay, by six countries – Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Surinam, and Belize. Later in this year more CARICOM countries were to join the arrangement. It has its basis in the 1989 Grande Anse Declaration of the Heads of Government Conference in Bahamas of that year. In order for the CSME to have got launched, the 1973 Treaty of Chagaramus establishing CARICOM had to be amended by way of countries intending to participate in the CSME passing domestic legislation in their Legislatures in substance of protocols approved by CARICOM Heads of Government giving legal effect to the changes in the Treaty which not only would have given rise to the respective countries’ legal recognition of the CSME, but also making reference to the supposedly accompanying legal/judicial institution, The Caribbean Court of Justice, which was launched in 2004, but with only the spectacular participation of two countries, Barbados and Guyana, as an original court and appellate court. As an original court having jurisdiction over the interpreting and enforcing of aspects of the Amended Treaty, and still as an original court adjudicating on disputes/issues arising out of the CSME, and as an appellate court having jurisdiction over criminal/civil appeals allowable from those countries participating in the Court, and accepted by the Court as triable in law and fact.

The main purpose of the CSME is to create a single market and economy for the CARICOM region by promoting freer and fair trade and investment within the region (market aspect) and greater harmonization of many so-called economic and financial structures, processes and policies of participating countries into a oneness of thought and action by these countries (economy aspect). Whereas the single market aspect comprises freer movement of people, skilled workers, goods and services, capital, technology, investment, businesses within the region, the single economy aspect may comprise a single currency, a single Central Bank or monetary authority, some harmonization of fiscal, economic and investment policies, etc., within the region at the state levels. It needs to be said that many of CARICOM’s structural affairs seem modeled on the evolution of EEC/EC/EU regional bloc in Europe. Is CARICOM going to achieve a comparable level of regional integration and development as Europe has done on the basis of the formation and maintenance of trading, economic, political and judicial unity? Do we, in this CARICOM region, esp. when so-called led by Political state and non-state leaders, have the comparable political will and ideological commitment as much as the Europeans appear to have

158 had in building towards the EU, to really move towards, say, a Caribbean Union (CU)? Do we have as many comparable regional imperatives, motives and driving forces for doing so as Europe would have had in moving towards the EU? These are the types of Questions Barbadian Voters, and non-voters as well, have to ask and have to get answers to from the so-called politicians that come around so disdainfully infrequently after election time but remarkably frequently around election time!! However, as we proceed in this installment we shall be giving our own answers to these and other questions.

What has already been stated in this Manifesto but what is in dire need of restatement, is that this CSME is, and represents, primarily another phase in the sub-region’s deepening and widening incorporation into Western Imperialist/Global Capitalist Development. And, too, in spite of the title CSME, it is a device of Western Elitist proportions. The just stated main purpose of the CSME does establish prima facie that this is what will come to CARICOM and the individual territories making up this bloc, with the continued operation of the CSME – sheer imperialism/capitalism. The fact is that CARICOM accounts for a very, very small amount of world trade, investment and financial activity, and when taken into consideration the individual CSME’s countries’ contributions to that activity, the smaller the contributions are to such activity. In order for CARICOM and the individual territories to increase satisfactorily their overall growth and development they must fundamentally change and seriously improve the ideological, psychological, political, social, material, and financial basis upon which such growth and development are to/take place. Having done this they must increase and maintain increasingly their share, and increasingly, too, on their own terms, of world production, trade and investment, wealth and income, technology, finance, power/influence/culture and heritage relative to other countries, if such satisfactory levels of growth and development of their territories must take place. By doing this they should have succeeded in reducing the rate and scale of political exploitation by whatever means of them by bigger countries. These are the kinds of parameters within which greater regional integration and development should take place. NO CSME WILL DO SUCH primarily because it has not been structured to do such things!!

The CSME Will Fail to Substantially Reduce or Totally Eliminate Dependencies

Moreso, as it stands now there is nothing within the parameters of the CSME, or that will be as a consequence of the CSME existence, that will greatly help produce such objectives on the behalf of the CSME itself or on behalf of the individual members!! Thus, like how its parent system, CARICOM, has been failing since its creation in 1973, to help properly manage Barbados’ ever growing import/export dependencies on the international arena, the CSME will also fail to substantially reduce or totally eliminate these dependencies, and will therefore NOT facilitate the growth and development of Barbados, and the individual territories too, even if the latter, this

159 growth and development, come through other means. What is quite clear to SMFD/PDC is that there has been for a long time general long-term deterioration in Barbados’ import and export status in spite of CARICOM’s trading and economic objectives, and their own maintenance. This deterioration shall of course continue despite the coming into existence of the CSME, given that it like CARICOM deals with a global trading and economic system that largely favors the West and Europe, but that largely disfavors CARICOM, CSME and Barbados.

Moreover, just as CARICOM has been doing, the CSME will, like a child that has some of the behavioral traits of its parents, do, that is, use and develop to the great disadvantage and detriment of the participating countries’ import and export status, and by extension their internal social, material production and distribution development, Western, Elitist, political, economic, trading and financial ideals, methods, prescriptions and measures like Taxation, Interest Rates, Repayable Institutional Loans, like the Work culture, like the Import Regime of Barbados that mainly and unwisely allows the carrying of the Export money value of the Exporting countries into Barbados, and like the Export Regime of Barbados that mainly and unwisely allows the carrying of the Import money value of the Importing countries from Barbados, or worse yet that allows our Export products and services to be money valued in their own currencies, utilization of Currency Exchange Rates Parities etc. That these trading and economic ideals, methods, prescriptions, and measures are designed to be very anti-masses, anti-pseudo-elite, anti-national developmental re the negative implications for so-called less developed countries, will mean, as they have long meant, our Leaders and Managers, esp. state and non-state of CARICOM, greatly bringing our countries closer to their knees, and this is something that will happen to and throughout the CSME as it has already been happening to and throughout CARICOM. These are things that our Prime Minister should have known well before rushing Barbados into CSME arrangements, notwithstanding it being clear to serious thinkers that the major impacts of the CSME on Barbados shall mainly be ideological, psychological and socio-identity/cultural, and not political, so-called economic, financial, technological, etc. and that these kinds of impacts are as a result of CARICOM and the CSME primarily being conveyors and facilitators of domineering expansionist Western constructs and material existences, and not essentially creators and receivers of their own sustainable and legitimate constructs and material existences.

Nevermind the fact that CARICOM and the CSME are primarily ideological, psychological and socio-identity/cultural constructs, we must make clearly known to Voters to some degree that, despite CARICOM being branded a voluntary association of sovereign states, and which is the case too with the CSME, it and its regional territorial components could NOT up to now have materially withstood the far greater political, material, technological and financial forces of other trading blocs and other countries than what little forces they themselves have been able to muster under the notion of CARICOM, and as will be the case under the notion of the CSME.

160 If No CARICOM State, Then Waste of Time to Have the CSME

Another foolish deficiency that relates to this CSME is that it does not possess or come under a serious political framework that speaks to, say, a federal CARICOM state whereby elected political leaders of the federal government would possess substantial central unified executive political powers, and the local state governments substantially less local executive political powers. Of course, these powers would ensure that certain commonly agreed policies are effectively and properly carried out in the interests of the growth and development of the Community, as opposed to now whereby many agreed goals and policies esp. at the level of the CARICOM heads, are not even implemented mainly because there is no such democratically- elected, strong executive political framework in place. As it stands now, it is not possible to establish a viable CARICOM state esp. on mere agreed political principles between any of the existing territories. It really takes more than such!! For, ultimately, if there were within CARICOM a single militarily and politically powerful state that could exercise great power over the others, then, it might have been very possible to have had such a state, but in reality with each territory paddling its own canoe, which is what statehood essentially means, there is no real chance of our sovereign states at any juncture creating this supranational entity. Outside of this a CARICOM state at this juncture or any other is still not possible as that if left to a major world power it would first colonize us and then think after!!

It is also not very possible to bring about a CARICOM state, far less possible to have a viable CSME, at the same time when particular politicians in local territories of the sub-region would be seen always and most unavoidably to be mainly looking after their domestic constituencies’ needs and problems even when in doing so it would appear at the same time that the needs and problems of other territories and/or their citizens, the latter - whether they are visiting or resident in the local territories concerned, or are at home, would be seen to be at the same time being disadvantaged and overlooked by the local politicians in a supposedly regionally unified place; far less possible to have a viable CSME when there would remain serious and unresolved problems related to too many immigrants from particular territories seeking to and entering other territories, particularly to live greener lives than the lives they were last living in the territories in which they would be arriving from, thus inevitably being in unfair competition with nationals for local resources and social and welfare services, thus there being formed tremendous local tensions and conflicts and fighting; far less possible to have a viable CSME when matters related to immigrants on entering particular countries, and in association with local agricultural estate owners, business owners, building contractors etc., receive jobs or business or contracts at far lower wages, “prices” etc., than what the nationals are accustomed to getting, thus inevitably creating much social and so-called economic dislocation, thus being a source of great tension and conflict between the immigrants and the locals people; and far less possible to have a viable CSME when matters related to cross border crimes would be being committed against local

161 residents and visitors by immigrants, or by nationals in association with immigrants in the host territories, and the fears by nationals would be that these crimes are going to go undetected by law enforcement agencies, and go unpunished.

It is these kinds of serious and unresolved problems which added to the structural ones identified above those, that will help to make sure that the CSME will fail just like how the Federation failed and how CARICOM is continuing to fail. Therefore, to make sure that Barbados does not waste too much precious time, energy and resources on a CSME that we know will surely fail, A newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall within one week of coming to office in this country URGENTLY WITHDRAW Barbados from all CSME arrangements in the interests of the country’s political and civil stability and well-being and the country’s long term national strategic development.

THE ABOLITION OF ALL CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE PARITIES WITH THE BARBADOS DOLLAR

With the establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), there has been brought into existence a supposed international monetary system based on international currency payments and currency trading processes. The IMF and the WB were formed in the 1940’s in the USA. While at this time Barbados was far from owning its own currency because its was a colony of the British and therefore was using pounds and pences, many countries still had ownership of their own currencies mainly because of their sovereign statuses. Despite this, what has been long happening is that, under this system, very few countries have been able to successfully have their own currencies recognized as internationally tradable currencies used in the universal payment for internationally transacted goods and services, used for the clearing of international debt, used as international stores of value, and for other relevant purposes ascertained and agreed upon by most, if not all, countries and their respective private businesses and citizens. With that, the question must therefore be whether there is really such a true international monetary system, given that today only a few countries and their respective currencies are able to really to see their currencies traded, internationally!!! There is political dominance by a few currencies!!

Due to the fact that in this international monetary and currency trading system the demand for and supply of international currencies are based generally upon the kinds of power and influence which countries have within the international political order, are based generally upon the highest levels of demand for and supply of goods and services of those countries operating at the highest

162 levels of the wider economic system, and therefore in whose names and interests these currencies are and will be traded, and which to some extent has been made to involve the values of some of the most heavily traded international currencies fluctuating against one another on a daily basis, it must be made clear to the readers of this Manifesto and the average potential/Barbadian Voter that with Barbados being a mini-power within the international political power ranking system, that with Barbados’ trade and investment with other countries only making up a most minute percentage of world trade and investment, that with Barbados’ currency having no name in international currency trade, it therefore means that the Barbados dollar WILL NOT be recognized as an internationally tradable currency by other countries across the world. Therefore, what Barbados was later on found to do, subsequent to the achievement of its own currency since 1972, was to, by way of implementing an exchange rates parity system for itself, follow some other countries and piggy-back on the power and influence of the most powerful countries in the world then in so far too as utilizing the currencies of these countries which happened to have been the countries with the most heavily traded goods and services, as a means of serving the currency and financial interests of the Barbados State and private and public Barbadian businesses and private Barbadian citizens when they would have had to transact business on an international basis. These kinds of approaches have continued up to today with Barbados.

This Approach of Barbados Having an Exchange Rate Parity System No Longer Works Properly

While this approach of having an exchange rate system might have worked in protecting the Balance of Payments of a then recently founded independent country, with issues of the visceral need, then, to protect the major industries of Barbados from substantial outside competition while at the same time doing as much as possible to make our exports competitive with other exporting countries, and might have worked to secure the Balance of Payments of such a young nation as well as to secure the need to evolve a sound debt management strategy as a fledgling independent nation, it is clear that right now that while a maturing Barbados must keep its dollar recognizing that part of the immense value of being a sovereign state is that, that that notwithstanding this local exchange rate parity system in which this same Barbados dollar is involved and which has been around for some while now is serving NO serious, useful purpose any longer as that such a parity system is totally helping to bring about the opposite ( of some of the above objectives ) to which it has been utilized to prevent, and too has been facilitating terribly other political, trading and currency conditions in relationship to Barbados, esp. internationally driven like world trade liberalization, that have completely served to undermine the continued achievement of those objectives. Hence, such an exchange rate parity system is continuing to more than ever before cost the country substantially illogically - more exactly the broadest sections of people – the real producers/distributors – cost the country tremendously in trading, production/distribution and financial terms, and, by extension, therefore serves to profoundly entirely reduce the growth and

163 development potential of the country. The leaders and major players of both BLP and DLP have over the years allowed the continuation of this increasingly senseless stupid system very much because they are greatly more pro-business than pro-masses. To say it, the state and elite business classes are the ones that dastardly secure the most financial and other benefits from whatever little benefits this exchange rates parity system has helped produce for the country, by way of the fact that with original import “prices” of goods and services imported into Barbados being denominated in, say, US dollars - the currency in which a vast amount of world trade is measured, and the country which happens to be the biggest world economy and the only super power. Therefore, this situation has meant the fact of such goods and services being transacted to enter the country becoming automatically doubled when the US “prices” of these goods and services are converted into Barbados dollar prices a la the US $ 1 = BDS $ 2 parity. Such helps easily but most disdainfully to provide the facts of a system that is purely destroying the greater hopes and potentialities and actualities of the country, while rewarding handsomely this small minority elite, to a greater extent, and the government, to a lesser extent.

Out of all these bad situations the worst would yet to have been stated so far, this being, that it is entirely awful and base for these dollar price conversions to have had NO basis in production or productivity.

What is even more devastating is that the state in a very parasitic fashion seizes the opportunity, esp. at the main ports of entry, to viciously exact tax value out of the “currency/price” conversions taking place at these said points of entry, and on the basis of this exchange rate parity system. And very loathsome, too, is that when the said goods and services make their respective ways to the final consumers as finished or semi-finished goods and services- the atrocious VAT and other taxes are observed operating in a compound fashion throughout!! The elite business classes take their turn in the form of their mark ups – which very many times are onerous on the mass consuming public - or in the form of exacting labor exploitation to secure profits on their investments based on the “price”-conversion/goods and services processes. Out of all these bad situations the worst would have been yet to be stated, this being, that it is entirely awful and base that these “currency/price” conversions would have had NO basis in production or productivity locally or internationally!! None whatsoever!! How could many Barbadians ever be thinking about our country at any given time becoming a world class society with such a no production/productivity feature in place but which itself claims to represent annually hundreds of millions of dollars in currency value at the level of imports, which is mainly nominal value but which nevertheless has substantial local/international political power and demand backing.

Not only is the import situation of Barbados terrible as it relates to the effects the operation of this system is having on our importation of goods and services, but also the export situation of

164 Barbados which is also badly affected by the effects of the operation of this system on our exports of goods and services abroad or here but regarded as exports (tourism). Barbados’ exports of goods and services have to not only find themselves being generally apportioned lower receipt values in the currencies of the foreign markets, but also to find themselves having to be generally apportioned different lower values in the currencies of the foreign markets despite the costs of production of Barbados exports being singly valued in terms of the Barbados dollar. And such is complicated by the fact that the major international currencies are valued based on their and their countries’ circumstances and interaction with other countries and without reference to Barbados’ currency value. With these facts in mind it invites the belief as to one reason why Barbados exports of goods and services are nearly always, in the absence of the dismantlement of the exchange rates parity system and its replacement by a better more appropriate effective locally crafted system of exchanging local currency for international currency, if so, undervalued and underperforming, and therefore why the talk about export-led growth and export buoyancy is absolutely nonsensical and downright stupid without the carrying out of the right political/material, financial and other reforms in the country. How could many Barbadians ever be thinking about Barbados at a given time becoming a world class society when foreigners continue to overwhelmingly control the financial value of our exports, and when it logically follows that we in Barbados are on an annual basis quickly using up foreign dollars faster than we are earning them. It is entirely shameful that BLP and DLP economists have for too long pandered to these pathetic Euro-centric ways of doing trade/currency/financial business, and have in the process operated to the detriment of the furthest and greatest possible development of the affairs of the masses/pseudo-elite of the country, and by extension, the country.

Some Very Valid Reasons for the Abolition of ALL Exchange Rate Parities with the Barbados Dollar

What would these BLP and DLP economists have to say when a citizen/entity has to purchase a good or service worth US $ 50 from the said USA, he or she or it has to look for not just US $ 50, but based on the parity of BDS $ 2 = US $ 1, BDS $ 100, with no REAL material/human costs being involved in this dollar currency “price” conversion process?? And have to say when the great parasite in this sense – the State – benefits by way of tax thefts from the citizen?? What would these BLP and DLP economists have to say too when a citizen/entity has to export a Barbadian good “priced” at BDS $100, to the USA, but based on the parity of BDS $ 2 = US $ 1, only looks forward to getting US $ 50, and which itself if indeed sold to an American is subject to Barbadian taxes, and which as a transaction is not based on any productive change?? It is therefore NOT difficult for the Manifesto readers and potential/Barbadian Voters to understand why SMFD/PDC intend to Abolish such exchange rates parities with the Barbados dollar.

165 However, to further enhance their knowledge as to why we shall Abolish All exchange rates parities with the Barbados dollar SMFD/PDC have produced the following reasons:

1) So as to make sure that the Barbados state, Barbadian private and public entities and Barbadian citizens on the whole achieve greater autonomy and strength when conducting international commercial business transactions involving foreign currency;

2) So as to make sure that there is mitigation of the likely worst effects of any turbulence experienced within the international political, economic, trading, and currency markets upon such a small open society like Barbados;

3) So as to make sure that substantial opportunities exist for serious reductions in the “prices” of thousands of final or semi-finished domestic goods and services at their different points of production/distribution through out the country, or for serious reductions in the domestic dollar costs of imported foreign or foreign bound semi-finished or finished goods and services,

4) So as to make sure that when emphasis is placed on goods and services imported into and exported from Barbados that these shall simply be valued, agreed upon and then paid for in the major international currencies required under the relevant international business contracts entered into, a process that shall be without the willful and unnecessary state/business expropriation of excessive Barbadian dollars from consumers.

Hence, A SMFD/PDC Government shall within 3 months of the coming to office proceed carefully to Abolish ALL currency exchange rate parities of the Barbados Dollar with other countries. All financial institutions as well as any other institutions or businesses that presently engage in foreign currency transactions, SHALL be required by law to terminate the practice of continuing with exchange rates parities with the Barbados dollar for business/financial/debt transaction purposes, but shall be allowed to CONTINUE the practice of simply buying and selling of foreign currencies by local or non-national persons and entities on the basis of such Exchange Rate Parities which themselves must be being determined on the basis of the world market “price” of each major currency against the other. With regard to the issue of Barbados entering arrangements with other CARICOM countries or any other regional grouping to establish a common currency, or with regard to the issue of the adoption of the US dollar as our currency, it is fitting to let readers of this Manifesto and potential/Barbadian Voters understand that such approaches under A SMFD/PDC Government shall not even be considered. Two such reasons being that, one, under the system that we shall implement if we become the government

166 the Barbados dollar must be used always as a bulwark against foreign currency penetration and its unsavory effects on the country, and, two, used always as a source of national pride and independence.

The Role of the National Currency Board in Such Vastly but Rationally Changed Currency Affairs Of Barbados

The National Currency Board (NCB) being the sole state agency responsible for the management of foreign currency flows into and out of Barbados, and also being responsible for the overall management of foreign currency stocks in Barbados, shall facilitate all those relevant commercial and other transactions involving foreigners and locals, and in which foreign currency is involved. For example, in the case of Barbadian importers it shall give to the importers of goods and services the AMOUNT in whatever foreign currency that is required for the overseas sellers of the goods and services- as indicated by accurate and reliable documentation provided by the overseas sellers - in exchange for these importers giving to the NCB - or any of its agents, who would happen to be approved financial institutions - the correct amount in Barbados dollars that would have to be paid by these importers. A significant cost factor in this correct amount that would have to be paid to the NCB is – bearing in mind that ALL IMPORTS of goods and services shall be ZERO-“PRICED” at all points of entry – the income costs that would have to be borne by importers, which itself will reflect the income costs themselves that the main ports of entry have determined are the costs of handling, storing, managing and processing such goods and services based on their own costs of operation and profit/revenue expectations. Another cost factor is the costs to the importers of utilizing the services of the NCB, or its agent (s), and the costs to the importers of helping maintain any overall profit/revenue goals of the NCB itself. For example, NCB gives to the overseas exporters using the name of local importers US $ 100 to purchase a stove. The importer receives the stove. The correct amount to be paid by the importer of the stove is: port charges for use of port services - BDS $ 50; for utilizing services of the NCB – BDS $ 25 – charge on maintaining profitable operations at NCB – BDS $ 5 = BDS $ 80.

In the case of Barbadian exporters, the NCB, or any of its agents, who, again, would happen to be approved financial institutions, shall give to such exporters of goods and services the AMOUNT in Barbadian dollars that could be fetched from the possible selling of the goods and services on the domestic market plus bonuses in Barbados dollars for use of their goods and services in earning foreign exchange for the country, in exchange for the foreign currency that is actually given to the Board/institution as a result of the sales of such goods and services overseas. For example, the NCB gives to the local exporter of a Barbados manufactured stove that is intended to be sold overseas BDS $ 200, which is the market income cost of it sold locally. Also, BDS $ 5 for using the good to earn foreign exchange for the country. The stove will sell in the USA for

167 US $ 95 or 50, whatever. At the end of the day the NCB receives this money. We are mindful that Imports of goods and services into the country are zero-priced.

In the case of overseas investors in companies or in any commercial venture in Barbados, or in the case of overseas purchasers/lessees of locally-owned buildings, assets, services, in Barbados, (remember that non-nationals will NOT be able to purchase rights to land in Barbados but will bee entitled to lease those rights) whether they are Barbadian by birth or not, and who would be determined to pay for these assets, goods and services in foreign currency, something that will be encouraged very much by A SMFD/PDC Government because Barbados will have to earn foreign exchange to engage in numerous international financial transactions – they - these investors or purchasers or lessees - shall be required to deposit these sums - which shall by law in each case be an amount in foreign currency that shall be the similar amount paid in foreign market money income costs, esp. in US $, for such purchases or leases as if such values were actually arrived at based on buildings, assets, services being bought/sold/leased overseas - with the NCB, or any of its approved financial institutional agents, which, in turn, shall give the local sellers/lessors the amount in Barbados dollars equal to the local market or whatever potential BDS $ income costs for such investments, buildings, assets, services etc. This shall not apply to foreign to foreign transactions – only local/foreign transactions - involving the investing, selling or leasing of whatever ventures, properties, etc., in question (leasing of land spaces only). The role of overseas and local real estate valuers/agents and other professionals in these affairs is clearly necessitated. For example, An American purchases a house in Barbados, in 2007, from a local Barbadian for US $ 4 000, and which was valued by the relevant professionals. These professionals also had valued it at the local “price” of BDS $ 10 000 if it had to be sold to a local person. The Barbadian pays this money to the NCB, which then gives the Barbadian BDS $ 10 000. Or it could have been that the American goes to the NCB, gets the BDS $ 10 000, gives US $ 4 000 to the NCB. Whereupon gives the Barbadian $ 10 000.

In the case of the Tourism and Ancillary Services sector, which is the sector in Barbados that presently earns the country the most foreign currency, the owners of hotels, restaurants, golf courses etc, shall be required by law to deposit all foreign currency earned by their businesses with the NCB or its agents, with the exception of that which has to be repatriated by foreign- owned or Barbados/foreign-owned establishments in the form of yearly/quarterly profits. In this sector and other sectors where there is substantial foreign ownership and at the same time where major focus by them is on earning foreign exchange, it shall continue being the norm for ALL local operational income of these businesses to be valued and paid for in foreign currency by persons purchasing and using their goods and services, whereas ALL local operational expenses of these businesses would be valued and paid for in Barbados dollars. Those Barbadian or local interests or local businesses/contractors to whom such local monies shall be payable/owed on account of these solely owned foreign/mixed local/foreign businesses purchasing such goods and

168 services from these interests, will, if possible, have the NCB, or its agents, pay, in Barbadian dollars, for those said goods or services on the behalf of these foreign involved businesses which, by law, will only have up to 51 % of total ownership of locally operating partnership businesses, and which would only apply if there are more than three partners, but which in turn shall give to the NCB, or through its agents, the amount in foreign currency that goods and services of a similar nature would cost in the countries in whose names the currencies would be tendered.

Under this most important strategy of the Abolition of All Exchange Parities of the Barbados dollar, and thus its replacement with a system of having ALL foreign exchange pay each year for 99% of ALL imports into the country…

The latter philosophy is being promoted by SMFD/PDC because under A Government headed by SMFD/PDC, foreign currency transactions in the foreign exchange earning sectors of the country will be required to be supported by their own inherent foreign currency costs in Barbados. As well, under any commercial/trading system like Barbados, ALL goods and services coming into, leaving and remaining in the system have to go through at least two of three major different phases – import/export/localization – and this will naturally mean that they will result in two- three major different “price” ranges for these goods and services.

Hence, under this most important strategy of the Abolition of All Exchange Rate Parities of the Barbados dollar, and thus its replacement with a system of having almost ALL foreign exchange pay each year for 99% of ALL imports into the country, and not as this current system does make foreign currency and still local currency pay each year for this said 99% of ALL imports – thus making the annual costs of importation astronomically high when such ought to be substantially lower than present; of having local currency/ “prices” each year ultimately pay for 99% of exports rather than having foreign currency pay each year for our own exports, along with having local currency/ “prices” continue annually to pay for locally traded goods and services - will no doubt/certainly lead to the creation of three major different “price” markets in reflection of those three major different phases of goods and services entering, leaving, and remaining in our commercial trading system. However, the major thrust of this new system, as gleaned from the imaginary “price”-figure scenarios above, will be to make these three major “price” market systems - import, export, and localization - carry each year income costs/benefits to buyers/sellers/renters/lessees based as much as possible on their own respective environments and reflective of their own costs/revenue and other structures, AND NOT anybody else’s, and furthermore by this, TOTALLY MINIMIZING the costs/benefits - and the cost/benefit effects too - of one another products and services being carried over into each other’s arena in such ways that there will almost be eliminated the entirely INDECENT, UNACCEPTABLE and UNNECESSARY OVER-COSTING/BENEFITING that is now taking place under this current

169 system to the great detriment of the further growth and development of this country’s affairs, but which when virtually eliminated under A SMFD/PDC Government will all things remaining equal redound substantially to the benefit of the growth and development of a greater, more autonomous Barbados.

The question of the devaluation of the Barbados dollar a la other currencies becomes absolutely non-existent….

Hence, with this Strategy of Abolishing All Exchange Rates Parities with the Barbados dollar, the question of the devaluation of the Barbados dollar a la other currencies becomes non-existent because neither will the fixed exchange rate parity system nor the floating exchange rate system be in operation in Barbados with respect to our currency’s relationships with other currencies.

In conclusion, it is clear that such a policy shall in the long run help to make Barbados a very productive world-class society wherein the production and distribution of substantially greater than now quantities and qualities of goods and services at the least costs possible to local producers, investors, marketers and consumers, shall be the order of the day. Also, such a policy is designed to make Barbados more competitive and stronger in an increasingly intense but volatile global environment. Unlike BLP and DLP Governments, A SMFD/PDC Government will remain committed to the bringing about of a brighter and better Barbados based on the creation and implementation of very innovative, rational and far-reaching policies and programs. With this we duly commend this most progressive and enlightening policy to the people of Barbados.

THE DISPOSING OF THE NOTION OF, AND THE MEASURING FOR, INFLATION IN BARBADOS

In Monetary/Economics a very often used term is inflation. It is defined as a sustained rise in the general “price” level of a country. It is purported to be measured through the use of “prices” indexes. It is a Euro-centric concept. Hence in a Barbados where Euro-centrism and Economics is dominant, but disgracefully so, it is not difficult to understand why there are abundant references to inflation, notions of inflation and measurements of inflation. The Central Bank and Statistical Department speak much about inflation: a 0.5%, 2.5% etc, rise or drop in inflation, and speak much about the likely/causes or likely/consequences of inflation for the so-called economic sectors of Barbados, or for Barbados as a whole.

170 Both the BLP and DLP have made sure too that they are not left out when it comes to foolishly parroting these irrational types of Euro-centrisms, whereby they provide no serious examination and analysis of the meaning of inflation and its very negative implications for Barbados. SMFD/PDC will surely denounce in the strongest possible terms those BLP/DLP leaders/major players who have made very grave blunders in supinely following Euro-centric ideology and praxis without just cause and reason. We shall for the benefit of readers of this Manifesto and potential Barbadian Voters now critique inflation and look at its repercussions.

To start with, such persons must be made aware that is not right at all to say that “prices” have risen when in fact it must be that sellers sought more money from buyers for particular goods and services, and to a great degree succeeded. The fact, however, is that money itself cannot even be a fair and good measure of increases in “prices” of goods and services when the “prices” of these goods and services themselves are potential money, and when money itself is so controlled by various political and other factors so much so that it cannot therefore automatically represent rises in “prices” as the definition of inflation suggests. Imagine a basket of basic foodstuff of 20 items now costing BDS $ 100, but one year ago a similar basket of foodstuff of similar 20 items was costing BDS $ 50; is it to be thought that this is representative of inflation even if these were the only items existing on the island? NO! NO! NO! Simply because not only are we dealing with substituting those goods for money whereupon the money received ( BDS $ 100 OR BDS $50 ) WILL HAVE REMAINED (NOT RISE EVEN) in the money system, with the items SIMPLY CHANGING ownership until they would become perished - if NOT possible for ALL, possible for SOME - but also simply because we are dealing with the fact that so-called PRICES of goods and services NEVER really MOVE – upwards/downwards/sideways in respect of any set of transactions involving this basket of goods, which for all intents and purposes could ONLY have COST that particular sum of money ( BDS $ 100 OR BDS $ 50), and THAT ALONE, and which would have happened to be given up in exchange for the basket of goods, with the ONLY things moving being the COUNTLESS different changes in ownership, if you may, of the quantities of foodstuff bought and sold over time ( 1 YR and more ) with reference to the particular so-called price ( BDS $ 100 OR BDS $ 50 ), and yes, even though there are representative of categories of goods. See why throughout this Manifesto it is seen either references to “prices” or so-called prices!!

Making the Argument Clearer for the Readers of This Manifesto and for the Potential/Barbadian Voters

To make the argument clearer for the reader of this Manifesto and the potential/Barbadian Voter, say, the like basket of goods had appeared to have four different “prices” over four successive days: BDS $50, BDS $ 100, BDS $ 150, BDS $ 200 respectively. And on each occasion they

171 were bought by the same buyer/seller or by four different buyers/sellers. Do you know that the price in effect is or would have been identical for each purchase? That the price in respect of the transactions is the same nevermind the differences in money paid over. In this sense, then, the price IS therefore the CAPACITY to effect or to have effected an EXCHANGE between the buyer and seller!! With there being TWO MAIN INGREDIENTS: money and the basket of goods. Too, what if the said basket above were sold on successive days for: BDS $ 50, US $ 100, CAN $150, UK 200 pounds, each to four different persons, or what if on one day, four persons each bought a similar basket of goods for BDS $ 50, US $ 100, CAN $ 150, and UK 200 pounds respectively? Would there be any difference in the real price effect? NO!! The major point being made here to the Readers/Voters by SMFD/PDC is that there is really NO such thing as THE PRICE/S of those goods REALLY BEING BDS $ 50, US $ 100, CAN $ 150, and UK 200 pounds, and the more, really NO such thing as PRICES of goods and services rising or falling. If anything is rising or falling it is the number of EXCHANGES (prices) that is taking place over time in the context of the pricing process and the income process. Such “price” rises and falls may, if anything, be classified as Euro-centric idiomatic expression. Hence, although “prices” of goods and services are subjective according to the buyer/seller, it is at the level of incomes that the money component of these exchanges of goods and services is felt most objectively. The seller gains more income and the purchaser less income as a result of the exchanges. By taking into consideration this two-fold income effect and the idiomatic expression that with the price for the same basket being BDS $ 50, BDS $ 100, BDS $150, BDS $200 on four different successive days but that the basket of goods is still sold by the same seller/same four different sellers to the same buyer/same four different buyers and that this would THEREFORE constitute the price of the basket of goods going up, will this however really be that the “price” has gone up when the same seller/same different sellers get more income and the same buyer/same different buyers less income? Absolutely NO!! For, there would have been NO increases in the exchanges of the identical baskets of goods between the participants in these transactions, and for each basket there could have been only one AND ONLY one “price”/income gain/loss, and only one of these for each transaction and no more. Most objectively, too, the counterpart is also true that on the whole the same seller/same different sellers loose property, whereas the same purchaser/same different purchasers gain more property, and there could have been one property increase/loss, and only one of such per transaction, and no more. Hence, in these cases it is impossible to realize “prices” actually going up or down. Generally, when there are any sustained increases in these kinds of commercial exchanges over given periods of time then that is what this country needs in order for it to really progress, and when there are any sustained increases in the rates at which these exchanges are taking place over given periods of time then these are to be more than encouraged, esp. when it would be properly observed that so-called PRICES are already really inherently STABLE and BALANCED already, on account of the fact that as suggested earlier in this segment that the financial system provides the money to every possible/transaction and that the so-called price of the good could only have been that and not any other. It would not bode well however when the exchanges are in decline or are likely to decline in the country over given periods of time.

172 The entirely false belief of many BLP and DLP economists that world energy prices are on the increase!!

Notwithstanding this, take for instance, the false belief of many BLP and DLP economists that energy prices are on the increase in Barbados, primarily due to increases in the so-called world market price of oil, and that these are therefore putting Barbados on a local, oil-led “price” inflationary path. While SMFD/PDC will disregard the different motivations behind sellers of oil at different stages, including the Barbados stages, wanting more money for the oil, the question really remains whether the number of EXCHANGES, the real prices, in Barbados, and including Barbados’s own IMPORT EXCHANGES, is still the same number for a comparable period before this so-called local oil-led price inflationary path began, or whether there are more or less. All of that given that SMFD/PDC know that “prices” never really rise or fall!! The issue of the quantities of exchanges shall however remain a subject for serious academic enquiry, something which this Manifesto could not now remotely represent.

INFLATION being used to unnecessarily control the lives of the masses and pseudo-elite

Nevertheless, instead of what the elite and BLP and DLP Governments over the years have been doing, i.e., using the notion of INFLATION and making use of its relatives like price indexes to measure for INFLATION, INFLATION STATISTICS, or, for that matter, using the notion of DEFLATION and use of its relatives, as ideological/ political/psychological weapons to assist in unnecessarily controlling the money incomes of the masses, to a greater extent, and those of the pseudo-elite, to a lesser extent, and, by extension, to assist in determining what the many money and income means of the masses/pseudo-elite are (through TAX thefts, wages and salaries contracts, rent contracts, shares and money deposit contracts at banks and credit unions, etc.); to assist in determining what the type and extent of money and income based means of the masses/pseudo-elite are ( the type and extent of banks and credit unions, businesses, jobs/opportunities, commercial property, etc.), or to assist in determining what many alternatives are there for the masses/pseudo-elite ( no wages and salaries contracts, very little fewer money deposit contracts, etc.), in as much as possible to control the number of Exchanges of goods and services in the country at given points in time or vice-a-versa, and to ultimately unnecessarily control the lives of the said masses and the pseudo-elite of Barbados - many of whom are BLP and DLP members and supporters – instead A future elected SMFD/PDC Government shall put policies and measures in place to neutralize any very/adverse money and income effects/determinants of these REAL EXCHANGES on the incomes of the non-elite. E.g. by making sure that greater incomes could be given to them by way of profits made by businesses, state or private, of which they the vast majority of the non-elite will become part owners of; by

173 making sure that institutional loans for productive purposes are non-repayable; by making sure that imports of goods and services zero-priced at all points of entry, etc..

It is a gross atrocity for BLP and DLP Governments and their so-called economic advisors over the years to have been using things like increasing or decreasing the MONEY SUPPLY, and things like raising or lowering INTEREST RATES, to achieve some joke objective of controlling or manipulating the illusory, mythical getaway “man”- INFLATION – foolish measures which are continuing to be adopted still and whose effects are such that the masses and the pseudo-elite in Barbados are ridden by the elite and the state to achieve particular Elitist/state purposes and designs, a thing which proves, too, how persons like Sir John Stanley Goddard and Mia Mottley, Owen Arthur and Clyde Mascoll, will use or support the use of backward Euro-centrisms to the detriment of the said masses and the pseudo-elite, persons who they depend upon too for their own survival and development. People, Voters, down with the utter bankruptcy of Euro-centrism, of INFLATION, Monetary Economics and Economics!!- Down with them, especially, when it is known that money and its circulation are like the life blood of a nation of people, and that when a BLP or DLP Government makes it harder for the citizens to access money, serious political and social illnesses will threaten to and will befall the nation and its people.

BLP Deliberately Making Life Very Poorer for the Citizens of This Country

At this moment, this BLP Government is making life extremely harder esp. for the poor, the marginalized and the infirm in Barbados, by imposing greater taxation assaults, credit squeezes – tightening the money supply – within the country in order to - as it says - curb INFLATION, curb imports, curtail foreign exchange leakage, and to remedy our Balance of Payments problems, whilst at the same time seriously carrying up the cost of living in the country but reducing the survival and developmental opportunities of the people of the country. Essentially what this government is saying to Barbadian people is that we are going to make you the citizens poorer, and the notion of curbing INFLATION is being used primarily as a pretext. This is murderous and any government that does this to our people, needs VOTING OUT RIGHT AWAY!! They are various ways of controlling your Balance of Payments and by extension your entire national material/financial affairs other than wantonly and willfully making a country poorer by using Economics and Monetary Economics methods and approaches like tightening the money supply as a way to curbing some bogeyman INFLATION in order to do so. This Euro-centric BLP Government must BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE entirely.

The electorate must VOTE in at the next elections A SMFD/PDC Government that shall not only allow for far greater access to money – at WHATEVER TIME the citizens of the country wish to access it for productive constructive reasons – but that shall also allow for substantial

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175 enhancement of the money circulation process; that shall make greater and better linkages with actual production and distribution; greater and better linkages between National incomes earned and their better distribution; that shall also make ALL imports into the country Zero-priced at all points of entry; that shall be reasonably selective in respect of THOSE imports that are problematic to the national interests, to be subject to the application of reasonable quotas, qualitative restrictions etc; and that shall outlaw notions of INFLATION and ALL of its RELATIVES within one year of achieving governmental office in this country. These things a SMFD/PDC Government shall do to assist in the achievement of average annual real growth rates of 8-10 % for this country. So vote SMFD/PDC for liberation from INFLATION.

THE ABOLITION OF MOTOR VEHICLE AND OTHER FORMS OF (COMPULSORY) PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE

In Barbados, there is some thing called public liability insurance. This means that it is the public that funds and that is affected by the operation of particular insurance schemes to the extent that these schemes are liable to them if anything goes wrong in the right way. This type of insurance is governed by the relevant laws of the country, even when private insurance companies are involved. The classic example of this is the Motor Insurance Schemes of, say, Sagicor, Clico, or Harmony General Insurance companies, which, in fact, are private insurance companies offering, too, a wide range of insurance liability coverage for various activities, events, and accidents. By law, every motor vehicle operating on the roads of Barbados must either be comprehensively or third party insured. There are other areas of public activities where the law stipulates that insurance must be taken out first before these activities and events must take place. E.g. Public entertainment shows, and certain private activities and events involving the use of government owned public buildings.

The concept of insurance is really a good idea for not only making persons become greatly responsible for the welfare of one another, but also for making the costs of risk bearing activities, events and happenings, lower as per person the more persons are actually involved in insurance as opposed to being far higher per person when a mass of persons undertake these costs on their own without being insured. Too, insurance is utilized to reduce the gap between the rate at which undesirable events and their destructive effects are taking place within a country, and the rate of recovery/restoration of aspects of persons’ lives and their property and other effects when these events and their destructive effects have impacted on them. There is no doubt therefore that the insurance sector has helped to foster Barbados’ development in tangible ways.

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However, like with many other current national programs or schemes of a private or public nature, SMFD/PDC do have serious problems and concerns with certain types of insurance in Barbados, and with certain types of insurance philosophies and policies. With respect to Motor Vehicle Insurance and other forms of public liability insurance, these have been impacting most adversely on the capacity of thousands upon of thousands of Barbadian persons and entities to achieve certain financial and other objectives every year. Hence, despite these trying circumstances thousands are falsely made to believe by many in state and private officialdom in Barbados that Motor Vehicle Insurance and other forms of public liability insurance constitute important aspects of our country’s development, never mind that they are in fact woefully non- production in character, mainly because of their essentially money accepting and supplying role, with the said Motor Vehicle and other forms of public liability insurance yet displeasingly diverting much money/value away from greater use on better and more productive sectors. SMFD/PDC know that what deliberately and absolutely compounds this situation is the compulsory legally binding nature of these types of insurance, which must ensure unnecessarily higher costs to citizens and businesses as a whole. However, whereas businesses can easily pass on the costs of compulsory insurance to mass consumers, the broad masses of people who are involved in these types of insurance cannot, even though they are the ultimate choice.

No democracy: policy holders having NO say over the rates at which premiums are charged

These types of public liability insurance do therefore represent harmful barriers to not only greater freedom and democracy but also to greater wealth and production for a people. By this, they are utterly injurious to the national interest and to national material/financial growth and development. To ensure that these kinds of national disgraces and malevolents do not exist longer than they ought to, A SMFD/PDC Regime shall within 2 years of coming to office Abolish Motor Vehicle Insurance and other forms of Public Liability Insurance.

Speaking about democracy there is no democracy existing within insurance companies/schemes in Barbados with regard to policy holders/contributors having ANY say and much more over the rates at which premiums are charged with respect to the particular insurance company/scheme’s policies or any other important aspect thereof. SMFD/PDC realize that with respect to prospective policyholders/contributors to insurance companies/schemes having to consider whether to sign the respective insurance policy holder “contracts”, there is this “take it or leave it” approach by the agents of the companies or the companies themselves, and there is this outright blatant and unreasonable refusal to do business with potential policyholders, without, among other things, any concern for the fact that in 99% of the cases these potential

177 policyholders are first and foremost citizens of this country entitled to due process and fair service, and without any concern for the fact that it is the policy holders that will be/are paying the premiums and other costs that will substantially allow for the continued operation of these entities and that it is they that intend to be/will be contributing towards the total insurable costs of insured accident victims, damaged and loss properties of the insured, etc., when these things take place in actual fact, as they are bound to take place, and therefore will not only be contributing to their own costs/benefits if any thing goes “wrong in the right way”.

These kinds of contracts have become “contracts” primarily because there is NOT enough direct input from the policy holders themselves, or from a group either made up of policyholders or non-policy holders, or a mix of either, that has been certified as the rightful representatives of these policy holders and whose main tasks would be to represent or negotiate all possible matters and positions concerning the interests of policyholders relative to these “contracts”. SMFD/PDC view these “contracts” as being too important to the operation of the insurance sector in Barbados, and by extension other sectors to regard the potential role of the policy holders or of such a prospective group in the drawing up, the execution and monitoring of these particular “contracts”, as being entirely limited and marginal/minimal or out of bounds. It is absolutely horrendous that these “contracts” would now be being presently construed by right thinking persons as being partial, undemocratic, elitist, and mere policy statements of intentions by insurance companies merely barely awaiting the acceptance and signatures of prospective policyholders. These conditions have the potential to seriously undermine and are likely now undermining the fundamental bases upon which the insurance sector has been founded in so far as policyholders are most probably contributing mainly to the fattening of the profits of these insurance companies, and not contributing to a holistic environment that speaks to ways and means through which the welfare and financial security of one another could be bettered.

“Contracts” lacking in balance, unfair and antithetical to the good ideals upon which the insurance sector in Barbados has been founded”

Another of SMFD/PDC’s serious concerns about how the insurance sector in Barbados is functioning, and which BLP, DLP AND SMFD/PDC Voters and Supporters must take serious note of, relates to the monetary/financial claims of the insured in so far as the type and extent of many of these monetary/financial settlements and payouts that these particular insurance companies have and have had to make when required to do so, have been undesirably misdirected and excessive. We are concerned that policyholders, individuals or businesses or the state, having “agreed to” the terms and conditions making up their respective policy “contracts” with insurance companies, and altogether having “agreed to” the premiums that have to be paid per month to the insurance companies in respect of the total money values of the “contracts”,

178 would find themselves in situations where they, as claimants, are not too long, say, 6 months, into the respective “contracts” when some unfortunate events or series of events or accidents of an insurable nature take place, having to file claims with the insurance companies for injuries or damages or losses with respect to the same events or accidents, and whereupon in the final analysis being successful in their claims, despite in numerous cases the time taken to arrive at these claims are long, and it is often believed by many that the insurance companies are the culprits in this regard, that they these claimants are paid the “agreed” sums that have been adjudged by the insurance companies to be paid by them. We in SMFD/PDC strongly assert that in such broad circumstances these “contracts” are lacking in balance, unfair and antithetical to the good ideals upon which the insurance sector in Barbados has been founded, and are disruptive to the entire and proper functioning of this a most important sector of the Barbados financial landscape.

SMFD/PDC are of the conclusion that this managerial financial approach to managing these aspects of the business of insurance companies in Barbados wrongly encourages and places needless emphases on stratagems and devices that are NOT based on the real fears of persons, businesses and others of genuine accidents, losses and mishaps taking place; it wrongly encourages and places needless emphases on stratagems and devices that are NOT based on the fact of life of risk taking, but that are deliberately designed to make the insurance sector instead of really providing financial security to policyholders in times of dire need for it to get fundamentally involved in the vagaries of making sheer PROFITS out of the creation and maintenance of loss making and damage oriented investment schemes, even if it means that a minority of policyholders could later realize elaborate pay outs and financial settlements in relationship to relevant claims, whereas the majority of policy holders are ultimately unfairly asked to bear the brunt of the costs of such payouts and settlements. These insurance companies could therefore be seen as operating tantamount to guinea pigs in a loss leader-type situation. Hence, for these insurance companies, too, such circumstances would in the end lead to betterment for them financially and otherwise, because in Barbados there have greatly become entrenched this pervasive money grabbing high-intensity stakes culture in which virtually all and sundry including normal citizens would have become involved, directly or indirectly, in contributing to the insurance companies’ financial and other circumstances rather than as it ought to be these insurance companies themselves fairly providing for the right and attractive insurable compensation schemes, and ones that are based on helping secure and maintain the cost- efficiency, viability, integrity and development aspects of this sector.

It is clear to SMFD/PDC that with these wholly deficient approaches there is the inevitability of great and unnecessary insurance-based costs being accrued to the sector to such an extent that the probability of the sector becoming or remaining financially self-sufficient is negligible, and as a consequence of that what it does mean is that the sector has to be constantly securing more

179 policyholders rather than putting the right and most attractive policy/public relations/investment programs in place to help sustain it. Already SMFD/PDC realize that it is the policyholders generally who are ordinarily faced with rising premiums, which in Barbados are based quite a lot on the astronomical costs of reinsurance abroad which itself is linked to highly unnecessary natural and human disaster-oriented pay outs and settlements, globally speaking. This kind of cost situation to the policyholders entails limitations to the amount in funds that they would contribute to insurance companies, and along with the costs of reinsurance and other costs of running the sector means that the sector has to be constantly substantially expanding and balancing its portfolios to the extent that components parts of it, esp. foreign based ones like this Monster CLICO, have needlessly wretchedly had to go so far as to have gone into housing and land development, real estate development, agriculture, banking, tourism, even construction in such a small country like Barbados, to properly survive, thus terribly depriving respective businesses which have traditionally been involved in making substantial contributions to such industries in Barbados from having greater opportunities for their own growth and development through these kinds of absolutely unnecessary but viciously destructive imperialist-type-plainly- gobbling-up-this-and-that transfer-the-risks- to other sectors approaches of these said insurance companies re any precious Barbadian lands and assets these said insurance companies will find within their reaches, and which by their repugnant acts have serious and harmful political, material, financial, demographic, cultural and other consequences from this country.

Some Very Serious Questions on the Insurance Sector That Need to be Answered

It must be made clear to the broad masses of potential Barbadian Voters that BLP and DLP Governments over the last twenty years or so must be castigated for refusing to fundamentally RESTRUCTURE the sector in ways that the sector could NOT now be VIEWED as being part and parcel of elite/state political exploitation of the masses of people of Barbados. This exploitation is one of the essential defining features of the sector. What have these governments over the years been doing to prevent these companies from unduly benefiting from policyholders who have paid in premiums with respect to their particular “contracts”, but who at the end of the day would not have been entitled to any money returns, granted that at the time of termination of such “contracts” they were not far from the stage where they would have qualified for money returns if in fact there were terminations of these “contracts”? What have these said governments done to prevent esp. big businesses from giving only job related insurance packages to senior employees? What have BLP and DLP Governments done to prevent some companies particularly banks from making it compulsory to have life insurance policies in order to pre/qualify for their services/contracts? What have these governments done over the years to prevent insurance costs from impacting most on the masses? What is being done by them to make sure the insurance sector becomes more productive? The answers are NOTHING, NOTHING. With these questions being put it behooves us to set out to propose many solutions that a future elected SMFD/PDC

180 Government shall put in place to assist in bringing greater efficiency and fairness and modernization to the sector. We must also add that at this present stage SMFD/PDC shall also be seeking to construct purposeful and substantial relationships with stakeholders of the insurance sector and all other relevant contiguous sectors with a view of making sure that there comes about the evolution of the best and most efficient insurance systems and approaches which, when implemented under an elected SMFD/PDC Government, will redound to the integrity and advancement of this sector, and by extension, the whole of Barbados.

SMFD/PDC Measures for the Insurance sector

A National Accident/Loss Compensation Fund

1) A SMFD/PDC Government shall having Abolished Public Liability Insurance in Barbados institute within one year of taking office institute a National Accident/Loss Compensation Fund and its relatives (some of which are described here under) that shall use and continue to use the People’s Money Value System to underwrite valid liability claims in respect of genuine accidents and losses on all public property and accesses. With respect to public accesses - highways, roads, streets, lanes, that are owned by the public - what this shall mean is that no longer will individuals, partners of /businesses and other entities have to have Motor Vehicles insured in order for them to operate on the roads in Barbados. What this also means is that no longer will individuals, businesses and entities be terribly misled about constantly, and in many cases futilely, insuring against risks of accidents/losses taking place on our public roads and public property, since what will happen instead is that once a genuine Accident or Loss comes about and directly causes/involves damage to persons, property, etc. compensation by way of use of the people’s Money Value System will take place thereafter. Therefore A SMFD/PDC Government shall amend the relevant laws to allow these vehicles and their owners to operate on public roads without the legally sick and objectionable feature of having to have compulsory comprehensive or third party insurance policies in order to be road fit on roads which the people of Barbados already collectively own. So much for the leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP claim to be leading the country!! Certainly their lack of wisdom and foresight on these matters does NOT amount to national leadership on their part!!

181 ALL Public Roads in Barbados to carry Automatic Compensatable Money Value

2) Owing to the incontrovertible facts of these public roads having over the years been built by or will continue to be built by the masses using their own energies and skills, and material and equipment supplied by others and having been or will continue to be so facilitated by the people’s Money Value System in such road building projects, and which are roads that would already have become or will continue to be invested in by the people, who are or will be the actual owners in a collective way, such facts could not be any better than serving to inform that within one year of its coming to office a SMFD/PDC Regime shall declare that ALL Public Roads in Barbados shall carry automatic compensatable money value such as will allow for only valid claims for such losses and damages ranging from BDS $ 0 to BDS $ 500 000 in each of those cases of genuine accidents/losses taking place on them.

3) With regard to (2) above, a SMFD/PDC Regime shall make it the law also that ONLY the owners and the owners alone of such vehicles that would have suffered, and in the case of such persons, injuries, damages or losses to themselves and/or their properties/possessions, and in the case of businesses and other entities, damages or losses to themselves, their partners and their properties/possessions, and in both cases, their agents, or representatives of their estates/interests, and who as owners/partners of such businesses would have been certified by the Fund and relevant authorities to have NOT been involved or in any way remotely connected with the CAUSES of the accidents/losses on public accesses, that such persons and entities shall in filing such claims for damages/losses with the Fund do so within 7 days of the taking place of the accidents/losses, and having done so shall be entitled, based on the facts of the cases, to appropriate amounts of compensation from the Fund as so determined by the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such.

Compensation too in the following regards

4) Persons who have in fact also suffered injuries, damages and losses to themselves and their properties, or in the case of partners of businesses/businesses themselves/ and other entities, damages and losses to themselves, their partners and their properties/possessions, as a result of being involved in these accidents or losses on public accesses, and who are certified by the Fund and any relevant authorities as being the primary causes of these accidents/losses, will only be entitled to file claims for damages or losses with the Fund between 6 months and 1 year after the accidents/losses, and shall as quickly as possible be entitled based on the facts of the matter to appropriate amounts of compensation as so determined by the Fund from the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such. If

182 it has been established/proven by the Fund’s investigators acting in concert with any relevant authorities that such persons/partners of such businesses/businesses themselves and other entities would have caused the accidents or losses through recklessness or carelessness, or involving deliberate or any breaches of road regulations by the drivers in question acting in their own personal or business capacity, no compensation will be given.

5) Where accidents are found to have originated on such public accesses but would have eventually involved private property and/or private persons and business partners and any others just off or adjacent to such highways, roads, streets, lanes, the owners of such property, or their agents, or representatives of their estates/interests, and/or these private persons, or their agents, or representatives of their estates/interests, will be entitled to file claims for damages or losses with the Fund as quickly as possible after the time of the accidents/losses, and too such persons/businesses/ and other entities who being certified by the Fund and any relevant authorities to have NOT been or in any way remotely connected with the CAUSES of the accidents/losses, shall be entitled based on the facts of the matters to appropriate amounts of compensation as so determined by the Fund from the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such. If it has been established/proven by the Fund’s investigators acting in concert with any relevant authorities that such owners of property or private persons or business partners or persons of other entities would have helped caused the accidents through their own recklessness, carelessness, or involving deliberate or any breaches of existing Road Traffic Regulations, then, to the extent that these are involved, these shall serve to take away from and reduce the amount of compensation that otherwise might have been given if they were not present.

6) In respect of social, religious, business or other approved events, activities, or happenings that are privately managed but which would involve the use of some kinds of the people’s property namely public buildings, and all incidentals to the use of such, like machinery, furniture, electricity etc., it shall NO longer be the case that to use these properties persons, businesses or and other entities in charge of these events, activities, or happenings shall have to make insurance deposits for the use of such buildings, since just as with the cases of these public accesses, these buildings would have been built using the energy of the masses and using the material and equipment of others and through the facilitation of the people’s money value system.

183 ALL Public Buildings/Structures, fixed/mobile, to carry Automatic Compensatable Money Value

7) Owing to the incontrovertible facts of ALL public buildings/structures fixed/mobile having over the years been built by or will continue to be built by the masses using their own energies and skills and material and equipment supplied by others and having been or will continue to be so facilitated by the people’s Money Value System in such road building projects, and which are or will be public buildings that would already have become or will continue to be invested in by the people, who are or will be the actual owners in a collective way, such facts could not be any better than serving to inform that within one year of its coming to office A SMFD/PDC Regime shall declare that ALL Public Buildings/Structures, fixed/mobile, in Barbados, shall carry automatic compensatable money value such as will allow for only valid claims for such losses and damages ranging from BDS $ 0 to BDS $ 350 000 in each of those cases of genuine accidents/losses taking place in or in relationship to them.

8) With regard to (7) above, a SMFD/PDC Regime shall make it the law also that ONLY those persons, businesses, and other entities and these alone being in respect of such persons, the occupants, visitors, renters, lessees of such buildings, physical structures, fixed or mobile, and in respect of businesses and other entities, occupants, renters, lessees of such buildings, physical structures, fixed or mobile, or in the case of these persons, their agents, or representatives of their estates/interests, and in the case of businesses and other entities, their agents or representatives of their estates/interests, and whom would have suffered, in the case of persons, injuries, damages or losses to themselves or their properties/possessions, and in the case of businesses and other entities, damages and losses, owing to their physical and notional presence at the time of such damages/losses to such public buildings/structures, and who as occupants, visitors, renters, lessees would have been certified by the Fund and relevant authorities to have NOT been involved in or in any way remotely connected with the CAUSES of such accidents/losses, that such persons and entities shall in filing such claims for damages/losses with the Fund do so within 7 days of the times of the accidents/losses, and having done so shall be entitled, based on the facts of the cases, to appropriate amounts of compensation from the Fund as so determined by the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such.

9) Persons who have in fact also suffered injuries, damages and losses to themselves and their properties, and in the case of partners of businesses/ businesses themselves and persons of any other entities/entities themselves, damages and losses to themselves and their properties/possessions, as a result of being involved in these accidents or losses in or in

184 relationship to the relevant public buildings/structures, and who are certified by the Fund and any relevant authorities as being the primary causes of these accidents/losses, will only be entitled to file claims for damages or losses with the Fund between 6 months and 1 year after the accidents/losses, and shall as quickly as possible be entitled based on the facts of the matter to appropriate amounts of compensation as so determined by the Fund from the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such. If it has been established/proven by the Fund’s investigators acting in concert with any relevant authorities that such persons/partners of businesses or persons of other entities would have caused the accidents or losses in or in relationship to such buildings, structures through recklessness or carelessness, or involving deliberate or any breaches of road regulations by the drivers in question acting in their personal or business or other capacity, no compensation will be given.

10) Where accidents/losses are found to have originated in or in relationship to such public buildings/structures, but would eventually involve injuries, damages, losses, to private property/private persons/businesses/entities within the spatial range of these accidents/losses, the personal owners, or their agents, or their representatives of the estates/interests, and/or these private persons, or their agents, or representatives of their estates/interests, the businesses or other entities in ownership, their agents or their representatives, will be entitled to file claims for damages and losses with the Fund as quickly as possible after the time of the accidents/losses, and who would have been certified by the Fund and any relevant authorities to have NOT been or in any way remotely connected with the causes of the accidents/losses would be entitled based on the facts of the matter to appropriate amounts of compensation as so determined by the Fund from the Fund as quickly as possible thereafter filing for such. If it has been established /proven by the Fund and any relevant authorities that the owners of or partners of businesses/persons of any other entities that own this property and/or these private persons that would have helped caused the accidents/losses through recklessness or carelessness or involving deliberate or any breaches of building and environmental safety/occupier’s liability legislation, then, to the extent that these are involved, they shall serve to take away from and reduce the amount of compensation that otherwise would have been given if those were not present.

AN ADDENDUM: public beaches and territorial waters to be given automatic compensatable value for genuine accidents/losses occurring on/in them.

In light of these measures, again we ask BLP, DLP and SMFD/PDC Voters and Supporters to take careful note of the fact that over the years BLP/DLP Governments to the detriment of the

185 further growth and development of the country would not have done any thing much to further advance the Barbados insurance sector. The facts are that ALL public accesses – highways, roads, streets, lanes, – and ALL Buildings/Structures, fixed/mobile, shall be made under a SMFD/PDC Government to carry an automatic compensable money value since they have already been invested into by the people of Barbados, who are the de facto owners, in a collective fashion, of such property, and who must never be asked to bear additional unnecessary and stupid costs in the form of insurance costs for the use of what is actually theirs. It shall also be the case that in terms of the beaches and the territorial waters of Barbados that these spaces shall be granted automatic compensatable value in as much as persons, Barbadians or non-Barbadians, or their agents, or the representatives of their estates/interests, partners of businesses, partnership businesses themselves or any other persons of other entities or these other entities themselves, shall be given the same rights and entitlements to use the people’s money value system as a means of recovering for, in the case of persons, personal injuries, damages or any losses to themselves or their properties or possessions, or in the cases of partners of businesses, businesses themselves, or any other persons of other entities or the entities themselves, damages or losses, as a result of genuine accidents, losses experienced on or in or that originated from or on these beaches/in these waters, or that in any way has a relationship to these beaches/territorial waters, and to access or not the National Accident/Loss Compensation Fund in similar ways described above, and to receive the appropriate amounts of compensation from the Fund on the basis of the facts of the matters, altogether as if these beaches and territorial waters were actually built and owned by the masses of people of Barbados. In this segment, the only Variations from the above listed measures in terms of the amount that would be the monetary range within which genuine claims for genuine accidents/losses would be made would be that in respect of the territorial waters of Barbados the range shall ONLY be between BDS $ 0 – BDS $ 750 000, and such shall ONLY relate to personal injuries.

Again so much for the leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP claim to be leading the country!! Certainly, the country has been dangerously misled, and grossly so, by leaders and major players of the BLP and DLP on such important issues. Whither their intellectual capacities!! We ask the whole of Barbados to consider and accept in the most serious fashion that these kinds of measures will help to greatly advance the Insurance Sector of this country. We oblige!!

Insurance money payouts and settlements tied as much as possible to total paid in premiums on policy “contracts”

A SMFD/PDC Government shall also make it the case that in the interest of the efficient and holistic development of the insurance sector that insurance claims for damages or losses suffered

186 as a result of accidents, natural or man-made disasters, thefts, or any other insurable events in Barbados, and as a consequence insurance payouts/settlements in regard of the foregoing mentioned insurable events, that the insurance pay-outs and settlements are tied as much as is reasonably possible to the values of the total paid-in premiums that policyholders would have made under such policy “contracts” to any Insurance Company cum Partnership business controlling such “contracts” up to the point in time claims for such damages/losses were made on the basis of the existing policy “contracts”, and NOT what the “contracts” for the items, property, persons etc. are each worth supposedly in total money terms, as that it shall be the policy of A SMFD/PDC Government that the worth of such “contracts” shall be based on ACTUAL PAID-in money value MINUS administrative costs involved in administrating the “contracts” in the companies cum partnership businesses. E.G. if a policy holder has an insurance “contract” on a building, and would so far have paid in premiums BDS $ 12 OOO over a 24 month period, and let us say the building is worth BDS $ 120 000, but becomes totally destroyed by fire, that BDS $ 12 000 minus administrative costs associated with the premium payments will be what SHALL be paid out by the insurance partnership business to the claimant. This policy will be implemented on the basis of the fact that policyholders would be seen as investing in their own financial/property/personal security from an insurance point of view while at the same time becoming insured.

Another important SMFD/PDC measure is whereby individual policy holders would have over time and prior to the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government been making non-stoppable premium payments to whatever type of policy “contract” being dealt with, whatever the length of time it has been in existence and in respect of these “contracts” themselves whatever different categories of insurance coverage that are being posted, but yet would NEVER have made any insurable claims on the basis of any of the categories, it SHALL be the case that under a SMFD/PDC regime these policyholders, or their agents, representatives of their estates/interests - once they have on the basis of the first insurable item, property, life, motor vehicle, ETC. - and irrespective of which insurance company cum partnership would have in the original instance provided the “contract”, and irrespective of which insurance company/companies cum partnership/partnerships would then have LATER provided insurance through out the course of time up to the time that these relevant claims would be made (except that in both cases the companies would no longer be in existence and the policy holders therefore would not have immediately insured with some other companies) will be entitled whenever it suits them to repayments equal to the total paid-in premiums of the last and continuing “contracts” at the time of the coming into existence of SMFD/PDC’s changes to the insurance sector, and once the policy holders would have continually made these premium payments from the first “contract”, second “contract”, third “contract” etc., up to the existing “contracts”, and once their total premiums throughout this time would amount or not to the total paid-in premiums of the existing “contracts” re the last and continuing insurance companies (defined as the same above), and if there is a loss on the difference, to be made up from the Fund. Such circumstances

187 shall also relate to various policy “contracts” that are all existing at the same time in regard of any person or entity that holds them, but which will only be dealt with in a similar manner as shown immediately above and in the context of the type of contract that would be the last and continuing policy “contracts” of whatever type that the policy holder has from the insurance company.

Also, unlike BLP and DLP Governments over the years, a SMFD/PDC Government shall allow terminating policyholders the benefit of being repaid the amount equal to the total amounts paid over in premiums minus administrative costs incurred by such policyholders to such insurance companies. This benefit relates ONLY to policy “contracts” that are more than 6 months old. If under these policy “contracts” it would have been found that they would have made due payments for every month of six months and beyond in respect of each and every “contract”, then at the time of termination of them, it will mean that such policyholders will be entitled to such reimbursements equivalent to what would have been paid in as premiums on these “contracts” and less any reasonable proven administrative costs involved in their dealing with these companies and which would be worth more than but not less than those six months and more on each and every “contract” they had up to the time of their termination.

Each Partner of any National Partnership Business must be Offered Insurance Incentives if Senior Partners Are Offered Such By Any Partnership

A SMFD/PDC Government shall also as part of the new national corporate structure for Barbados- National Partnership Businesses - make it compulsory that in cases where senior partners might be offered and might be in receipt of insurances incentives as part of their offices such must first be ratified by the entire members of the partnerships before being offered to and received by these senior partners, and at the same time too the immediately aforegoing must not happen without each and every single partner of such partnership businesses being offered insurance packages which themselves must be ratified by again the entire members of the partnerships.

The Increasing or Decreasing of Premiums to be Ratified by Partners of the Relevant Insurance Business

In so far as the increasing or decreasing of premiums by these insurance companies cum partnerships is concerned – and though frequent use of the term insurance companies has been used in this segment it must be said that such does not in any way prejudice or take away from

188 the fact that present-day insurance companies will still be converted into Partnerships under a SMFD/PDC Government -, the fact shall still be, too, that under a SMFD/PDC Government these companies cum partnerships will not be allowed to raise or lower premiums unless ratified by the entire members of the partnerships and policy holders; policy holders who as a category shall be different from partners in partnerships, as that as a matter of fact, policy holders shall be regarded just like how shareholders will be regarded in relationship to companies cum partnerships in Barbados under A SMFD/PDC Government, that is, policy holders shall never own insurance partnerships ONLY the Partners will do so. In the process of increasing or decreasing of premiums it shall be the made by law the duty of insurance businesses to give to ALL such partnerships and policyholders the necessary information given beforehand that would inform the basis of such approval or not. Such shall be in contrast to now where very small groups within the insurance sector in Barbados continue to have a final say on such increases or decreases under BLP and DLP Governments!!

A SMFD/PDC Government shall also make insurance premiums approved by these partnerships eventually subjected the formality of the “price” market decisional process (Dealt with earlier). We shall also make it contrary to the law for businesses including financial institutions, state enterprises, etc., to have as part of their criteria for accessing their services or for pre-qualifying for their contracts what amounts to be these businesses totally unnecessarily imposing duties or requirements or demands on potential/customers to furnish insurance policies or other related matters as part of their way/culture of doing business, in order for these potential/customers to do business with them, which if these customers do not furnish such would mean that they would NOT be able to enter relationships with these businesses. These kinds of duties or requirements or demands shall be deemed by A SMFD/PDC Regime as serving to unreasonably restrain trade and business, and shall therefore be made unlawful by A SMFD/PDC Regime.

Also, a future SMFD/PDC Government shall make it absolutely the case that all Insurance Partnerships shall become part of the National Non-Repayable Productive Loans Scheme whereby Barbadian citizens, and Barbadian owned or controlled businesses including the said insurance partnerships, shall be entitled to Non-Repayable Productive Loans for productive purposes from financial or money collecting institutions. However, insurance partnerships would ONLY be so entitled to such non-repayable loans if they are engaging in productive projects, programs, and they of course would have met other relevant criteria.

And, finally, all insurance partnerships shall be directed by A SMFD/PDC Regime to become more directly involved in productive activities of whatever sorts whether inside or outside of the country as a means of earning greater revenue for these partnerships. These partnerships would be allowed to greater involve themselves in the owning and managing, whereupon the promoting,

189 marketing, and further developing, etc., of any portions of any sectors of industry inside or outside of Barbados, as a means of diversification of their portfolios, adding strength to their risk/loss business and of reducing the costs of the impact of reinsurance abroad.

The Abolition of the National Insurance and Social Security Scheme of Barbados

Privately owned and managed compulsory public liability insurance schemes are not the only ones that will be abolished by A SMFD/PDC Government, for there will be another type. Hence, there shall be Abolition of the State-owned and managed National Insurance and Social Security Scheme (NISSS), by such a government. The NISSS by not only being a vicious and exploitative compulsory public liability insurance scheme, but too by being a scheme that is mainly funded by way of the State resorting to obnoxious and despotic acts and means of stealing portions of the income of the relevant persons and businesses and others in so far as much of this scheme is an equally destructive type of Taxation Regime like other types of Income Taxation, it must surely therefore not be surprising to the readers of this Manifesto that such reasons and more certainly will provide the basis for the Abolition of the NISSS under a SMFD/PDC regime, and for very good reasons which includes that because Taxation must be Abolished under A SMFD/PDC Government, must mean that N.I. which is a form of Taxation, must also go too. Some other reasons for Abolition of the NISSS were dealt with earlier in this segment and, as you the reader knows, some other reasons for Abolition of the NISSS are also dealt in the segment dealing with the Abolishing of Taxation.

Hence, notwithstanding the public relations and propaganda exercises of BLP and DLP Governments over the last four decades, which really falsely promote the NISSS as being a cornerstone of social security, welfare safety and social justice in Barbados, a serious perusal of the real happenings behind that façade will reveal the very stark nature of state political exploitation of the masses/pseudo-elite involved in this Scheme. While parceling out social benefits like unemployment, sickness, injury, maternity, severance, which among other benefits are sometimes in these modern times in Barbados inordinately long in coming to claimants when they are due once applications for claims have been made to the Scheme, and which are sometimes also totally insufficient and paltry when finally in the hands of the claimants, given what the scheme would have been previously stealing from employers and employees, incontrovertible evidence shows that the NISSS is totally absolutely unproductive; is an agency for the massive misallocation of national resources; is a huge and unnecessary income cost burden to persons, businesses and others; is of bad help in the realization of greater fundamental

190 disparities among the income and wealth categories of Barbadian society, and is of undemocratic and anti-national development characteristics of staggering proportions.

These very adverse factors, and which virtually all potential Barbadian Voters must be aware of , of the operation of the NISSS are indeed sufficient to warrant SMFD/PDC’s unflappable quest to put to the people of Barbados the need to totally but properly Abolish this particular scheme and replace it with a newer, more balanced and sophisticated one that reflects and that is at the same time rooted in the desires and intentions of a Barbadian people to achieve greater freedom and liberation from organized tyranny, exploitation and oppression; to achieve real social betterment and justice over the purveyors of stifling poverty, hunger and misery, and to achieve greater political relief and responsibility as a result of tremendous reductions in the role of the big, impersonal State in the lives of the citizens. Also, despite those very devious tyrannical, exploitative, and oppressive practices being exhibited by the NISSS, it is clear that when contrasting the performances and development for the last twenty years of both itself and another until recently state-owned insurance institution that itself has had a money collecting role, the Insurance Corporation of Barbados (ICB), that even though when holding for certain differences between the two, it has to be that the less untoward of the two - ICB - has performed and developed far better than the NISSS. Certainly, the greater the levels of voluntarism and the lower the levels of the coercion within Barbadian insurance spheres the greater the possibilities/actualities for/ scoring efficiency and capacity building achievements. This is what underlies the comparison between the two agencies.

The Barbadian State helps to make tens of thousands of Barbadians poorer

Moreover, with the well known but equally offending excessive authoritarian/tyrannical behavior of the Barbados state, it must be becoming of serious concern and outrage to the vast majority of Barbadians that the State STEALS from (Taxes) relevant individuals/entities in order to support this scheme whereupon in turn determines when, how, how much, etc., or not, a contributor will get in benefits in the final analysis. In such an instance, therefore, it is like we in Barbados are running around in destructive circles. The Barbadian State under elitist ideology help ensures that tens of thousands of Barbadians esp. the broadest segments, are made poorer continually, by way of Taxation and other systems, then turns around and on their own terms proceed to parcel out so-called social security and welfare benefits to many, many of these poor and marginalized people to little ease their harsh and suffering plight. Well, of course, SMFD/PDC condemn this type of subhuman behavior in the strongest terms!! These kinds of situations must necessarily change under a Government of Barbados led by SMFD/PDC. Also, there is a saying that goes like this: “if you start wrong, you end up wrong”. This saying aptly applies to the DLP

191 government in the 1960s, when it decided to establish such a scheme and to subsequent governments, BLP and DLP, which have maintained it.

With the commencement of the scheme saw the adding of another labyrinth/layer of wicked and punishing taxation – again this is what these NISSS impositions are – on the backs of the Barbadian people and businesses. This means that by the State falsely making it believe that it has had to steal and in a massive way in the first place – and again remember that the Bible condemns stealing - in order for this scheme to be set up and maintained, must surely mean that subsequently after such massive thefts it would have relatively little else to give back to those who - including benefit claimants - it has stolen from or very little to think of to make itself really greater more productive on its own, knowing the psychology that is involved in stealing. With that, there in lies much of the destruction associated with this Taxation evil, which if allowed to continue would lead to – and Barbados is near there - such a severe social national political malignancy that is so enormous and spreading so fast that only self-destruction of itself and other connections would be the order of the day. Thank goodness SMFD/PDC is here to help cause its own destruction in order that the masses, the pseudo-elite and by extension the country would become more liberated and developed.

If NISSS were to become depleted now, it would be indebted to thousands of Barbadians

Therefore, it is easy to understand why it is often said by some officials of the NISSS that the funds of the scheme could become depleted at given points in time in the future time if pre- existing percentage rates of contributions to the scheme are NOT increased to allow the scheme to so-called adequately serve basically greater numbers of contributors in the future than would presently be serving; would argue too that the pre-existing percentage rates of benefits from the scheme would have to be lowered in the future to help enable the scheme to help reduce the possibilities of future depletion of the funds; that the existing age of national retirement be increased so as to slow the rate at which retirement pension payments impact on the costs of running the scheme and so as to help reduce the possibilities for depletion of funds by a particular time. Whereas the recent changes, including pension reform, that were introduced to the scheme by this BLP Administration reflect such thinking, this present BLP Government, and past BLP and DLP Governments, CANNOT avoid the fact that if one were to see the scheme come to a halt now – having run out of money - for whatever reasons, then thousands upon thousands of Barbadian contributors would be OWED money by the Scheme. What compounds this is the fact that no matter what names of employees and employers making contributions to the Scheme under whatever named and declared objectives, and the fact that no matter under what named benefits, say, unemployment, sickness, maternity, are Barbadians actually receiving benefits from the Scheme, in the context of the NISSS, it is impossible to actually trace who is

192 actually contributing what to the scheme; with the only consolation being that because Mr. X and Mrs. Y have been recorded as having contributed this amount to the scheme, they are therefore entitled to this amount of benefits. By being not able to trace the personal/business contributions means all kinds of things will severely act at times at cross-purposes or go wrong within the Scheme, esp. if payments are to be made to prioritized contributors.

Having Euro-centric foundations meant that the NISSS was never intended to alleviate the worst of still existing colonial systems

These two very adverse factors (adjusted slightly due to the differences in functions between the NISSS and local financial institutions) are not only present in the NISSS, but also present in Banks, Credit Unions etc. Worse when they are always present in rolling schemes like the NISSS that are being unceasingly but mistakenly used to financially support a very inefficient, unwieldy and bankrupt Governmental apparatus. Such adversities are not even being counter-balanced by these schemes having real production activity taking place as a basis for financing themselves however content they are to just extract and pay out benefits (manipulate and shuffle around money value ), even as the financial and other costs to do such things are on the increase. These are facts that Voters must be aware of come next general elections in Barbados, which shall be the most crucial and historically politically redefining for Barbados since independence. Voters must be aware too that even though such a scheme might have meant or intended well for Barbados esp. during the 70s and 80s, primarily because of the socialist philosophies and instincts of Leaders like Errol Barrow, but which because of its – this scheme - Euro-centric colonial foundations, it must never be thought of by Voters still that it was intended to alleviate the worst effects of the operations of entire national political, social, economic, and financial systems in Barbados, since the causes of those effects primarily lie in the systems themselves. Again, this NISSS has been acting like a gloss over a very rough-ridden surface. Yes, citizens!!

Unlike the leaders and major players of BLP and DLP Governments, a future elected SMFD/PDC Government shall for those and other cogent reasons Abolish the NISSS so that not only will this rightful action indicate that we are absolutely serious about assisting greatly in bringing to an end as many elite/state political exploitation effects and mechanisms of the masses/pseudo-elite as possible and in the quickest time, but also this action will too indicate that we are absolutely serious about putting in place those modern, legitimate and effective national/sub-national ideologies, programs and schemes that are to replace very old and dysfunctional illegitimate and ineffective ones, in ways that the interest of the greater good of the country and in ways that the interest of greater national prosperity and development could properly be served!!

193 The institution under a SMFD/PDC Government of a National Providential Scheme

Hence, A SMFD/PDC Government shall not only abolish the National Insurance Social Security Scheme at the same time as Taxation is being Abolished in Barbados, but shall have also as its replacement a State regulated but privately managed, nationally membership owned and controlled National Providential Scheme (NPS) which shall be a voluntary contribution/benefit scheme. In this scheme what a person contributes to the scheme, he/she gets back, less his/her contribution to the cost of running the scheme for what ever time he/she is part of the scheme. A person is able to withdraw his interests from the scheme at any time, and to receive any monies due. It shall ONLY be open to Barbadian citizens of age 16 years and over, of any sex, creed, religion etc. It shall exclude Barbadian businesses or other incorporations. One of the fundamental aims of the NPS shall be to take over the FUNDS related to existing CONTRIBUTORS, not the PORTFOLIOS/POLICIES of the currently to-be-abolished NIS/SSS, in order for participants of the Scheme to be able simply to reallocate/maintain/withdraw their funds/money value whenever, wherever, however, they want them, and if they want to add more to them so be it, such that in these ways they would be for their own savings/retirement purposes (pensions)/sickness/maternity/severance/out-of-partnership purposes be allocated according to how the individual contributors would see fit, without it having to be in existence these useless sub-schemes and their attendant rules and paperwork, within a wider scheme. No longer shall there be those cumbersome and inefficient divisions, which prior to these changes would also have seen the unnecessary catering for and exploitation of self-employed people.

Increase in monthly Non-Contributory Retiree Allowance to start at BDS $300 Monthly. A new Regime for secondary and college school leavers of an Educational and Training Allowance in the order of BDS $300, once in attendance at any approved and certifiable educational/training institutions

As for the so-called Retirement Age, A newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall as part of these reforms Abolish the notion of Barbadians reaching particular preset Retirement Ages. Not only is this offensive and ignorant but is also an indication of the extent to which the State seeks to generally interfere in the lives of the citizens of Barbados, and, specifically, to use such schemes to manipulate citizens to their own disadvantage. As such, under A SMFD/PDC Government, Barbadian nationals and other nationals living and having contributed to the development of Barbados shall be given the space to on their own and probably in partnership with the businesses they are part of to determine when they will retire without the embarrassment and pain esp. in your later years of such unnecessary state imposed considerations. Where the Non-Contributor pension benefit policy is concerned this shall be continued with under A SMFD/PDC Government in the form of a Non-Contributory Retiree/Maintenance Allowance, but shall ONLY apply to Barbadian citizens who are proven at any particular time to be

194 PERMANENTLY unable at any point in time in the future to earn an income for medical, mental, incapacitated, old age and the like reasons.

A newly elected SMFD/PDC Government shall make sure that this benefit to be granted to only Non-Contributory Barbadian Retirees/Barbadians medically, intellectually and physically challenged and the elderly shall start at BDS $ 300 monthly. Thus there shall be tremendous increases granted over the paltry sums and increases that are given out by this BLP Government. And A SMFD/PDC Government shall be able to make such benefits affordable to the country!! With regard to those that would have contributed to the NPS, but who upon retirement would have not saved enough to sustain even the BDS $ 300 monthly figure, the NPS itself shall upon applications being made by such persons or on their behalf intervene by using the National Money Value System to make sure that the differences are met to suffice the BDS $ 300 monthly that as a minimum is deemed needed to finance part of the costs of living of such Barbadians, and to at least make such individuals a little happy.

This amount of Monthly Stipend shall also go to those Barbadians who would just have left secondary school but who would be currently pursuing various forms of approved and certifiable public/private education and training at or in conjunction with duly state approved learning institutions/academies, here or abroad, in order to further their own self-development, social well-being, and by extension the development of the country. Whereas these Allowances shall be fully funded by the National Money/Value System, the wider National Providential Scheme shall be partially funded by the National Money/Value System. These kinds of measures are strong indicators as to why potential/ Barbadian Voters must indeed ELECT at the next elections A SMFD/PDC Government which shall greatly assist in the much needed advancement of this country, and which at the same time shall be making sure that no one esp. the elderly, the incapacitated, the sick, the poor, etc., will be left behind or marginalized in the continual process of the modernization of Barbados. Truly VOTE A SMFD/PDC Government.

THE INSTITUTION OF A NATIONAL MONEY VALUE SYSTEM

The notion and practice of a National Money Value System shall be extremely critical to the effectiveness of the implementation and functioning of many of those policies and programs and schemes that A SMFD/PDC Government shall put in place to greatly assist in the continual modernization of the country. This system shall be made up of the TOTAL money stock/flow of Barbados currency held by every single person, institution, process etc., in Barbados and the

195 value of which it is, or could possible be/or juxtaposed with. The chief institutions of this system shall be in the names of the following, and from which power and authority shall in this order flow upwards and across: The People’s Legislature, The Cabinet of State Partnership Inc., The National Currency Board (NCB), The National Non-repayable Productive Loans Scheme (NNRPLS), The National Providential Scheme (NPS), The Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE), The Treasury/Audit Subsidiary (Consolidated Fund), The Central Bank (CB), The Statistical Division, The Banks/Credit Unions/and other financial institutions including for such purposes insurance partnerships/mutual funds. There shall be a National Money Value System Council.

It shall be headed by a President and Vice-President whom shall be elected by Barbadian Voters at national elections, from nominations put forward at Nomination Day, nationally. Elections to such positions shall be held every four years. The President and Vice-President shall be a part of and shall lead the business of the Council. This Council shall be A Standing Committee of the People’s Legislature, and shall act in the name of the People’s Legislature when required. It shall collaborate with other designated committees of the People’s Legislature and shall furnish important financial information to the People’s Legislature. Such a Council and its role and function and its connection with the Money Value System shall be enshrined in the Barbados Constitution. The central operating notion and practice of this system shall be that it is the Barbadian people and businesses and other entities that are collectively the owners of this money value system, and therefore shall each be entitled to the use/ possession of the money/value contained therein primarily as a medium of exchange and as a store of value.

Another important notion and practice must be that there shall be no impediments to the circulation of money within the system itself and wider Barbados, and that if there arises any such impediments they must be identified and eliminated by the Council as quickly as possible using quite proper and lawful means. Each person, institution, process, whether Barbadian or Barbadian based or not, once however in Barbados etc., will be encouraged to quickly use and dispose of money, and especially if it is in excess of what they need or if it is simply not needed, through some legitimate means – by trading (buying/selling), investing, saving, debt servicing etc- so that the other person, institution, process, will have proper and lawful use and possession of it.

Strict Laws will be passed if need be to make esp. Banks, Credit Unions, Large Partnerships etc., conform with this policy. It shall be made clear that in areas where the law or policy demands of the component parts of the system to perform their duties in the interest of a citizen or business or financial or other institution of Barbados on particular matters like ensuring that there are certain levels of domestic investment in the country, they shall do so and in the event that they cannot do so, they must on application prove to the High Courts of Barbados why they cannot do

196 so. This system shall also make sure that Barbados is well poised and actually capable of achieving average annual real growth rates of 8-10 % in a very sustainable way, and as a basis of that to help ensure that Barbadian goods and services become greater competitive and qualitative in the international arena. The message is simple: Vote SMFD/PDC Next Elections.

LAND SPACE POSSESSION TO BE ACQUIRED – WHETHER BOUGHT, SOLD OR LEASED – ONLY AT ADMINISTRATIVE/NOMINAL COSTS

Land space is said to be the basis of national social political freedom any where in this global human order. Hence, depending on how land space is distributed among a nation’s people, such people would or would not be capable of achieving greater means to freedom or freedom itself, and by extension greater means to development or development itself. For SMFD/PDC, freedom, among other things, means, and in a relative but not absolute sense, freedom from tyranny; freedom from poverty; freedom of movement; freedom of expression, and freedom to choose among alternatives, material or otherwise. Part of this notion and practice of greater relative freedom in whatever dimensions must therefore relate to greater self-satisfaction and self- actualization for beneficiaries and exponents of actual greater freedom, and part of this notion and practice of lesser relative freedom in whatever dimensions must therefore relate to lesser self-satisfaction and self-actualization for victims and exponents of actual lesser freedom. For SMFD/PDC, Development means, among other things, and as well in a relative sense, the process or state of moving from a supposed “lower” stage of life to a “higher” stage of life. We assume that such Development however takes place in cycles and is achieved ONLY through greater human interaction.

With regard to the subjects of Political power and exploitation these necessarily correlate with the extent of land space possession or lack thereof by whom/whatsoever in a country and among countries. And of course it is land and its resources that provide indispensable means of survival and development for a people. From about the time of the settling of Europeans in Barbados in the third decade of the 17 th Century to about little after the middle of the 20th Century, this represented a period in which land space ownership was concentrated in the hands of very few people including the Colonial Government. Once independent Barbados had begun to reach the point whereby land space became progressively more distributed among the Crown, Plantation owners, the Church, the foreign gentry, the local planter/merchant class, and many small freeholders, than at any time prior to that.

197 Despite much social, political, financial and material progress being markedly made by many of the masses of people of Barbados in the 60s – 80s, this was NOT to reflect in increasing but sufficient and substantial amounts of land space being distributed among them and away from the landed classes. However, this kind of progress saw a slight reversal in the long established trend of the more and more the land space being held by the foreign and local landed classes of Barbados, and the slight lessening of the social, political, financial, and material progress and exploitation carried out by those classes in the same period. It must be true that this period must be the focal point of achievement in BLP and DLP Administrations in the 20 th Century, and thus the zenith of both parties. Not only did these Administrations do fairly well in terms of the progressivism related to the political, social, financial and materialist based policy/implementation processes of the country, but also some of the said national agencies, institutions and processes of the 60s and 70s that were to be of great importance in the furtherance of the growth of modern-day Barbados were established during this time and did do fairly well in their functioning and performance, and even some national agencies, institutions and processes which would have come after this period, would have been made to benefit as a result of the policy/implementation processes of those times. In the context of this segment, stand out measures relate to the Tenantry Freehold Purchase Act, stand out institutions the establishment of the Barbados National Bank, and others.

No real opportunities involved in the process of the average Barbadian seeking and succeeding at “owning land” in Barbados.

However, probably due to some cast of awful political human ignorance and depraved self- interest in Barbados, it is sad and disturbing that this logic and dialectic would not have been allowed to further evolve up to this stage of the turn of the 21 st Century. For, since the time of the late 80s, and up to the time of emergence of SMFD/PDC in 2002, thousands upon thousands of the masses/pseudo-elite, would have utterly lost hope and confidence in the political, legal and financial systems of Barbados providing them with substantial opportunities for owning their own land space possession rights and privileges over specified areas of Barbados land – or other wise said for “owning their own land” - at the “cheapest or most reasonable prices available” - and out of their “own pockets and savings”, nevertheless with much assistance from financial institutions still. Today, there are NO real land “ownership” opportunities available to the average Barbadian in so far as he/she CANNOT on his/her OWN seek to and succeed, at that, in “owning land” in Barbados, without the assistance of the Government!! BUT, the Rich and famous have every Real opportunity to own land in Barbados whether or not they are foreigners. This is outrageous, sickening and revolting!! For the masses esp. the land ownership situation has become so gross, unbearable and despicable that it threatens the livelihoods, freedoms and development of the broadest segments of people of Barbados, who must now, NOW!! RIGHT NOW!! take very serious political action to ensure justice and equality is brought to bear on this

198 totally VEXXED situation of the very unequal and untenable ownership of land space rights among social categories in this country.

These Leaders and major players of BLP and DLP Governments are politically spineless and lacking in political courage, probably very afraid to seriously tackle head on the massive land space redistribution disparities and the associated problems in the country.

A number of factors would obviously have helped to bring about and at the same time exacerbate this situation. For, both BLP and DLP Governments have been for the last 20 yrs or so compulsorily – and on an ever increasing basis – acquiring much of the land space of the country NOT from the relevant land sharks, but from mainly emergent land rights possessors. These leaders and major players of BLP and DLP Governments are politically spineless and lacking in political courage, probably very afraid to seriously tackle head on the massive land space redistribution disparities and the associated problems in the country. They fear the possible political backlashes from the particular elite, and from those of their own social backgrounds, if they go after these land sharks. Why backlashes from those of their own social backgrounds is because those persons feel that they are so dependant on the Elite land Sharks for their survival, that to hurt the interests of the Elites would also hurt their interests!! How pathetic this would be!!! But such stances would be so bizarre but absorbable in a context whereby there would certainly come about greater massive national political, social and financial problems in this country than would be hoped for that would derive from increased concentration of land ownership in the hands of a few hundred people in Barbados instead of far fewer such problems that would come with increased and substantial distribution of ownership of land space possession across Barbados.

THESE Governments therefore prefer to take the lands they have compulsorily acquired/seized and put into a “land bank”, which would thus see a further limiting of the actual land space available to John Public; which would thus see increases in the potential adverse effects on the income of John Public if he so seeks to buy rights over a given area of land space; and which would thus see little increases in opportunities for land space recyclement among the non-elite and the non-land sharks of this country. THESE Governments prefer NOT to take these seized lands spaces and properly and on very rational bases redistribute them to the masses and the pseudo-elite!!

Hence, the leaders and major players of the BLP and the DLP by their own omissions may be believing that there ought to be no real substantial land redistribution because they would not like these lands of the elites to be touched in any consideration of the issue!! Another factor is that in this same period, these said joke governments have allowed a particular few land sharks to

199 maintain and/or increase their ownership of land space rights and privileges during this most critical time in our land history when compared with the other 20 years before. Too, this means that the land interests of these few land sharks would have increased during this said period to the extent whereby some of these sharks would have set up companies for the primary purpose of presiding over much of these Barbadian “land spaces”, and which no doubt as a consequence would find these sharks not surprisingly having almost all or very substantial shares in them!! Is it right now being seen the real political, social and financial implications of such companies being set up for the primary reason of holding land space rights, etc.?

In this same period, both BLP and DLP Governments have been unwisely allowing much of our very scarce land space rights and privileges to be sold by local land sharks at greatly increasing rates and “prices” - and greater than at any time prior to this period - to high-bidding money drunken foreigners, esp. those who are from well to do countries in the North, for the principal demeaning purposes of the local land sharks making super-profits and the state carrying out greater Taxation assaults. IT SURELY CANNOT BE RIGHT TO RIGHT THINKING BARBADIAN CITIZENS THAT MORE AND MORE OF OUR LANDS SPACE RIGHTS ARE BEING SOLD AND AT ALARMING PRICES TOO TO FOREIGNERS TO SUCH A POINT WHEREBY BARBADOS IS CLOSE TO BECOMING OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY FOREIGNERS, WITH THE VALIANT STRUGGLES THAT MANY OF OUR FOREPARENTS FOUGHT FOR IN THIS BARBADOS FOR GREATER HUMAN RECOGITION AND DIGNITY AND DEVLOPMENT, EQUALITY AND JUSTICE ALMOST COMING TO NOUGHT THROUGH JOKERS LIKE MR. OWEN ARTHUR WHO THINKS THAT BARBADOS SHOULD SELL ITS PRECIOUS LANDS TO FOREIGN INVESTORS IN ORDER FOR BARBADOS TO PAY THE COUNTRY’S BILLS. IT SURELY CANNOT BE RIGHT!!. It is said that the late Prime Minister, Errol Barrow, remarked, some time ago, how one day Barbadians will wake up and find that Barbados does not any longer belong to them. It seems both BLP and DLP Governments and especially Mr. Owen Arthur – since Barrow’s demise - have been ill-advisedly taking his dire forewarning, and turning it into an achievable objective of theirs. Another factor, too, is that within these said last twenty years or so for various reasons the “costs of land space” have for local to local exchanges increased tremendously, in some cases, and astronomically, in some other cases, more than at any time during the previous score years – 70s to 80s. In commenting on this last factor, what we wish to outline to Readers of this Manifesto and potential/ Barbados Voters is that both BLP and DLP governments have been seriously implicated in this highly objectionable trend of allowing far too many of our most fertile and arable lands to be blatantly and foolishly converted into golf courses, recreational facilities for locals and visitors alike, residential developments including retirement villages for the rich and famously retired, without proportionate attention and firmness being given to the fact that there would have been so many less fertile and arable lands that could have been developed for the same purposes. This is outrageous and despicable!!

200

201 At this juncture in Barbados such (“buying and selling of land” primarily to make a profit) is widely happening, very fast and furious!!

These types of odious land trends have developed mainly because these governments have in their own ways failed massively to manage the very serious and adverse impacts of a World Trade Organization (WTO) led “fairer” global trade regime; the very serious and adverse impacts of substantially greater liberalization of global trade, investment, capital, technology, and communication flows; and the very serious and adverse impacts of the acceleration and deepening of the latter and other world forces and trends described by many as globalization, on very vulnerable sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, even as they knew or should have known that these particular changes were long coming. Such factors and more would have dastardly and unfeelingly been helping many present-day big and medium sized land rights owners think that the only major alternative is to do little or nothing to the land, and quickly wait on the right moment to sell such rights to the right interests for the right “price”, or to develop the land by way of subdividing up for purposes of proving housing and other developments, thus making more money than could possibly have been made if traditional means of employing the land to make money are less profitable. At this juncture in Barbados such (“buying and selling of land” primarily to make a profit) is widely happening, very fast and furious!! While SMFD/PDC sympathize with such persons, the fact though is that had there been a serious and well honed integration of land use, housing, agricultural, manufacturing, industrial, export, financial, and other policies and had there been the proper implementation of such by the last DLP administrations 1986 – 1994 and BLP Administrations from 1994 – 2006, the extent and rapidity to which the aforesaid land rights owners are doing what they are doing could NOT have been possible. Such is entirely displeasing and must be one of the bases upon which a Barbados electorate must ultimately in the near future never reelect BLP and DLP Governments again, both of which have done absolutely nothing to stop these types of vicious land trends from helping create at this juncture further elite political exploitation of the broadest segments of the people of Barbados, and greater and worsening social alienation, marginalization and economic political dispossession of these same poor and underprivileged people in Barbados.

A future elected SMFD/PDC Government operating in the necessary interest of the masses/pseudo-elite of Barbados shall as much as possible reverse this very unwelcome and potentially lethal trend of selling our lands spaces to the highest bidders, foreigners or not, and shall as much as possible shatter and dilute the still unrighteous concentrations that exist in the narrowest of land rights ownership and distribution among certain social categories in Barbados through the implementation of the following land related policies:

202 Land-Related Policy Measures

1) The passing of legislation within 1 year of A SMFD/PDC Government entering office catering for the removal of references to the “buying”, “selling” “willing of”, “renting/leasing” of LAND SPACE in the future, NOT present historical, records, documents, and other paperwork of the government. The fact is that No one OWNS land and therefore CANNOT buy it, sell it, will it, etc. To suggest otherwise is to blindly and foolishly accept the language, semantics, norms and cultures related to the tyrannical behavior of those brutish European Monarchs of old who apparently wished of belonging to the land!! And who wished for “their subjects” in a similar way to belong to the land- another manifestation of the desecration of language, semantics etc. Those wretched Monarchs did this in order to perpetuate their “subjects” inferiority as much as possible. The fact is that only those things which are man and woman made are Property, Property being some thing which man and woman in general has full knowledge and control of. By way of the fact that human beings have NOT created, and have NO total knowledge of and control of land, means that it is NOT property. Hence, it CANNOT be owned and therefore CANNOT be leased/rented. For any body/ideology to make countrymen and women believe otherwise is to engage in political exploitation and dehumanization by psychological/ideological/financial means. SMFD/PDC is committed to ending this barbaric behavior!! Hence, under A SMFD/PDC Government new and more logically befitting terms and references shall be used to approximate to the actual situations involving land deals;

2) This legislation, which will be at a later time taken note of by the People’s Legislature, must also make provision for the total Abolition of the demeaning and degrading notion and practice of so-called land owners – who are really owners of rights over land – charging income costs from tenants for use of particular spaces – called LAND RENTING.. As such, LAND RENTING SHALL BE ABOLISHED in Barbados within nine months of A SMFD/PDC Government taking office. It is the intention of A SMFD/PDC Government to substantially free broad sections of the people of Barbados from all vestiges of colonial servitude and oppression like land rent, which is a reminder of real stories on serfdom in Europe. There shall also be UNDER a SMFD/PDC Regime a People’s insertion of a provision in the New Constitution of Barbados in satisfaction of that, and in satisfaction of making it almost impossible for any persons in Barbados TO EVER AGAIN BE CHARGED RENT for land space in Barbados;

3) At the appropriate time, A SMFD/PDC Government shall once and for all terminate certain nuisance legal, political and financial obligations and expectations that so currently attach to

203 the land e.g. the Abolition of SO-CALLED Land TAXES, Capital Gains TAXES; The Abolition of the practice of Barbados land space rights and, too, buildings rights being used as collateral by banks, credit unions and other financial institutions in mortgage deals. There shall also be the muchly desired termination of the Era of Mortgages in Barbados. This last strategy shall be helped brought about with the establishment of the Institutional Loans for Productive Loans Purposes Scheme (dealt with earlier);

4) The ratification by the People’s Legislature of laws earlier passed by A SMFD/PDC Government to Repeal the Land Acquisition Act, which has long been used by the State to compulsory acquire land space from particular persons/businesses. When used by the State and its agents, it does have such harmful effects as leads to, at most, the willful violation of and trampling upon the real relationships that exist between those private citizens and entities which possess rights and interests over land spaces, and their full personal and impersonal enjoyment, comfort, desires and intentions over these land spaces. Such effects also serve to seriously detract from citizens or entities having or desirous of having ownership of these rights - a situation which in NO way strengthens the hopes of prospective holders of such rights (see 13 below for further information);

5) The ensuring of a nationally enforced regime of serious but prior negotiated reductions in, and greater control of, legal and other professional fees concerning land and building- oriented transactions in Barbados by A SMFD/PDC Government;

6) The taking of note by the People’s Legislature of a serious Land Use and Development Program earlier enacted by A SMFD/PDC Government and which, among other things, will better and more aptly demarcate how the lands of Barbados will be zoned, used and for what purposes, and, where absolutely necessary, which lands of Barbados shall be reconverted to their former states of use in the strategic interest of the country, with final approval for change of use of lands no longer lying in the hands of the Minister responsible for Town and Country Planning, but eventually with the People’s Legislature, which, too, shall debate and pass all laws of Barbados under a SMFD/PDC Government – and which shall ratify such a program. With respect to the Town and Country Planning Division of State Partnership Inc. this shall serve as an advisory body to the supreme decision makers of the country – the People – and which having had its present enforcement powers cut - some of which it must be said are entirely and needlessly draconian and ruthless- shall be properly suited to advising/informing on national policy making with respect to very fundamental and strategic land and building matters of the country;

204 7) The creation of a serious National Ownership of Land Rights Scheme within 2 years of SMFD/PDC taking governmental office and its later taking note of by the People’s Legislature. Such a Scheme shall rigorously adhere to an Act similarly titled and passed by A SMFD/PDC Government, and shall make sure that it is adhered to by all Barbadians and Non-Barbadians. Such an Act shall make it entirely POSSIBLE for ONLY Barbadian persons, individuals/joint, or fully owned Barbadian businesses/entities, individuals/joint, and furthermore ONLY those who are Barbadian by birth or descent, or those entities that are fully Barbadian by incorporation and registration in Barbados, to OWN or acquire by purchasing or any other approved means Land rights, or to “OWN or Acquire Land” in Barbados, and, conversely, entirely IMPOSSIBLE for those Barbadians who have citizenship by registration or naturalization or by marriage, Mixed Barbadian/Foreign Households in Barbados, those Barbadian entities that are NOT incorporated or registered in Barbados, or even entirely IMPOSSIBLE for entities that have mixed foreign/Barbadian ownership, to OWN Land rights or to “OWN land” in Barbados. Therefore, it shall be utterly IMPOSSIBLE under A SMFD/PDC Government for Foreign-born, non-Barbados born/descended people, or Foreign/Mixed Barbadian/Foreign owned entities, to own LAND rights or to “OWN Land” – in Barbados. Barbadians shall when buying and selling these rights do so ONLY on the basis of administrative/nominal costs, which shall include but will not be limited to, the legal, realtors’, documentation fees involved per transaction. E.g. Barbadians will buy and sell such rights based on all those costs, and no other costs, and which totally added up would involve that one transaction. Unless they are further professional services warranted in respect of the same transaction, no other costs shall be accrued to it. A SMFD/PDC Government shall persuade unceasingly on other CARICOM States to adopt similar Legislation for their own countries.

8) Also, this Legislation shall however make it possible for persons, businesses/entities who are INCAPABLE of OWNING Land rights or “OWNING Land” in Barbados, rights/entitlement to individually/jointly LEASE such Barbadian LAND RIGHTS or “LANDS” ONLY, and on the basis of ten- twenty year LEASES of such RIGHTS/LAND as agreed to between themselves, and the relevant Barbadian Land rights OWNERS or “OWNERS of Land”, and depending on the type of activity for which the land space in Barbados would be being used for, such leases shall be on a case by case basis, with VARIATION in the length of leases within this range. Where at the time this Legislation is being passed and there are instances where RIGHTS over Barbadian Lands are OWNED or “LANDS are OWNED” by Foreign- born and even non- Barbados born/descended people or Foreign/Mixed Foreign/Barbadian owned entities, this Legislation shall include provisions that shall allow for the commencement and successful conclusion of actions including non-financial compensatory negotiations between a SMFD/PDC Government and such people and entities that shall lead to necessary conversion of such OWNERSHIP RIGHTS into LEASED RIGHTS or “LAND OWNERSHIP” into “LAND LEASES”. Even

205 though such persons shall be deprived of “OWNERSHIP” of Barbadian Lands they shall NOT be deprived of possession as that such legislation shall be mainly changing the status governing the type of possession of Barbadian land previously in non-Barbadian “OWNERSHIP” from “OWNERSHIP” TO LEASEHOLDS in respect of these arrangements. These and All other LEASES of Land rights in Barbados shall be acquired based on ONLY administrative/nominal costs e.g. legal fees involved, realtors fees involved, documentation costs involved, etc. per transaction. E.g. if a Barbadian, or non- Barbadian for that matter, acquires a lease, the cost of such would be based on the professional services offered, and only for this transaction. No other future charges shall be involved unless, with respect to the same lease, further professional services are involved.

9) Also, Legislation shall be passed within three years of SMFD/PDC ENTERING Governmental office empowering the National Ownership of Lands Rights Scheme to vigorously enforce on the behalf of the people of Barbados, a later approved People’s Legislative measure that SHALL DULY LIMIT relevant Barbadian citizens, individually/jointly, to Ownership of RIGHTS over Land or “ownership of land” to a MAXIMUM total of 10 acres, fully Barbadian households, individually/jointly, to a MAXIMUM total of 25 acres, small-sized fully-owned Barbadian businesses/entities, individually/jointly,( to a MAXIMUM total of 30 acres, medium-sized fully-owned Barbadian businesses/entities, individually/jointly, to a MAXIMUM total of 50 acres, big- sized fully-owned Barbadian businesses/entities, individually/jointly, to a MAXIMUM total of 80 acres. Those persons/businesses/entities who would have been found at the coming about of this Legislation to have had greater acreages than they would be allowed to be had on the basis of this legislation, that total Amount of OWNERSHIP RIGHTS over LAND OR THEIR “OWNERSHIP” of LANDS will have to be changed in order to be made compatible with this legislation. That which is in excess of SMFD/PDC governmental requirements will, on the basis of negotiation, diplomacy, arbitration including via State Partnership Inc., in the final analysis involve such land rights or “land being bought” from such persons/businesses/entities by State Partnership Inc. The total land spaces bought shall then become that of the People of Barbados and held “in trust” by the People’s Legislature. State Partnership Inc. having bought such RIGHTS OVER LAND or “Bought such LAND”, ONLY at administrative/nominal costs – legal, realtor, documentation charges per transaction, shall when the need arises apply in the form of a legislative measure to the People’s Legislature to ACCESS, SELL and REDISTRIBUTE whatever amounts of lands spaces approved by the Legislature to those who at this moment ARE AS YET to OWN such LAND RIGHTS or “OWN” LAND, at administrative or nominal costs. Majority Barbadian/Foreign Mixed Households shall ONLY be entitled to LEASES of such RIGHTS of up to ONLY 10 years. Such leases may be renewed at the end of the pre-existing contracts..

206 10) A SMFD/PDC Government shall also within three years of coming to office introduce Legislation to be later taken note of by the People’s Legislature that will declare that State Partnership Inc. shall have vested in it ONLY Management, not OWNERSHIP, of RIGHTS over those LANDS or LAND SPACES in which the state has controlling interest, to such an extent that where at least two years before the passage of this particular legislation, and out of all the land the state would have had OWNERSHIP of RGHTS over LAND, or “LAND OWNERSHIP” – it would ONLY by virtue of this legislation have MANAGEMENT ONLY OF that amount of LAND SPACE the state had in fact 2 years ago at the time been previously UTILIZING. This legislation shall point out clearly that it is the PEOPLE through the People’s Legislature that shall Collectively OWN THE RIGHTS TO ALL LAND that the state would own, or that shall “OWN” ALL THE LAND that the present Government “OWNS” in Barbados. With the coming to office of a SMFD/PDC Government it shall be seen that the state shall NO LONGER “own land” in Barbados but shall manage all such lands at its disposal. The remainder of those LAND rights or “LAND OWNED” by Government within the two period, used or unused, shall, under this Legislation, become OWNED by the People of Barbados through the People’s Legislature and any Legislative measures/entities that the People’s Legislature will from time to time USE TO DECLARE SUCH People’s ownership.

11) Land oriented Legislation shall also be passed by a SMFD/PDC Government that shall clearly and unambiguously state that NONE of these LAND Rights THAT have been enshrined in the relevant Legislation SHALL be TRANSFERABLE to Foreign born, non- Barbadian born/descended people or Foreign states or corporations; As for those relevant Barbadian persons, businesses/entities having such rights, these will ONLY be transferable, permanently/temporarily by means of buying, selling, leasing, etc.

12) This Ownership of Land Rights Legislation shall also provide time periods – up to 6 months for those Barbadians in individual/joint ownership, for those fully Barbadian households, individually/jointly, and for those small Barbadian businesses, individually/jointly; up to 8 months for those medium-sized Barbadian entities, individually/jointly; and up to 12 months for those big-sized Barbadian entities, individually/jointly, and State Partnership Inc – before which these ownership RIGHTS over LAND or “OWNERSHIP of LAND” will absolutely LAPSE into the STOCK OF land RIGHTS that is owned by the Barbadian People and Entities, where it is clearly proven that either at the commencement of these relevant contracts, or for a reasonably accumulated time thereafter, that the land spaces over which these contracts would have been held, are not then being utilized. All LEASES, individually/jointly, of LAND RIGHTS or “LAND” for all Foreign/ Mixed Foreign/Barbadian people, households and entities, shall automatically expire within 6 months if it is proven that either at the commencement of these relevant contracts, or for a

207 reasonably accumulated time period thereafter, that the land spaces over which these contracts are held are not being utilized, and shall therefore revert to their previous OWNERSHIPS;

13) And finally with respect to this far-reaching and most important legislation, the State, acting through State Partnership Inc., shall NOT have again the power and authority to employ under any circumstance the Compulsory Land Acquisition Act, referred to earlier. It shall be Abolished under a SMFD/PDC Government, and must never be allowed to reappear in whatever else guise in Barbados. It is a totally barbaric, despotic and repressive measure almost whenever it has been utilized by successive BLP and DLP Governments over the years in Barbados.

Hence, this anti-Compulsory Land Acquisition Legislation that will be passed by A SMFD/PDC Government and later ratified by the People’s Legislature shall ONLY make it possible for State Partnership Inc/the People’s Legislature to acquire RIGHTS over land by way of buying/leasing them just like any ordinary business. In cases where State Partnership Inc must acquire rights over land from Barbadian people and entities in order to provide for very important and national strategic infrastructural and other kinds of development, the public must know every detail of such plans, and so must those who are to be DIRECTLY affected – including Land rights owners - with every thing being done to ensure the efficiency of the execution of the plans, then it, State Partnership Inc/People’s Legislature, must in the final analysis buy such rights/ “buy such lands” from such people and entities over which such development is to take place USING EVERY POSSIBLE Avenue: education about the benefits of the plans, reasonable prices, alternative lands, arbitration, judicial process, etc. Where there is controversy over the buying/selling of these rights or over the “buying/selling of such lands” at the level where the relevant Barbadian people and entities are simply NOT wanting to sell, such shall be referred to the High and Appeal Courts of Barbados (Never, Never, however, to the Caribbean Court of Justice!!) for efficient and speedy and fair resolution. What every single potential Voter shall recognize is that State Partnership Inc. shall buy, if need be, land space rights from the people via the People’s Legislature, which shall establish a committee that shall ALSO have power and authority to sell or not to sell, using a fair and democratic process. The decision of this body shall be final. It shall also be the case that in this Legislation, any Rights over land shall ONLY be bought/sold/leased/ at nominal/administrative income costs, as in respect of ALL the parties mentioned above. Meaning that, such income costs would be made up of the total of whatever professional fees, administrative costs of services involved in the paperwork, a small profit to the seller/lessor, etc of such rights, which altogether will signify nominal/administrative costs to the purchaser/lessee/tenant of such rights.

208 It is absolutely necessary for a SMFD/PDC Government to introduce these very rational and fundamental changes to land AND land related affairs in Barbados, given that Barbados must ever be in the forefront of the creation and establishment of a new, solid, people’s centered and social developmental path for itself, therefore being a model for other CARICOM countries and beyond to follow, and to properly realize the great benefits of such a path for Barbados, albeit within the context of Barbados being a small land space jurisdiction with scarce natural resources and an ever growing population. It is also clear that these types of changes shall lead to the freeing up of greater sums of money value and resources that otherwise would certainly have gone in the direction of purely unproductive, very limited, and sometimes very speculative, very astronomically high income-costing land-related transactions – a trend which continues unabated in Barbados – but which, then, with these very important land and land related measures being implemented by a SMFD/PDC Government, would surely quickly become in the reverse, with especially those sums and resources that would have otherwise gone in the direction of that current trend being freed up, to help in the financing and the development of the huge expansion that is required in the material production and distribution sectors, the social and welfare sectors, and to help in the bringing about of substantial reductions in the per unit cost of doing business in Barbados, all of these types of things in order to help make Barbados become a world class society. Another fundamental purpose of the measures shall be to bring to an end a land space possession system that is primarily elitist, under-socialized, and underutilized, and that has been helped along by the waywardness and idiocy of both BLP and DLP Governments over the last 20 years or so. The general consensus among the electorate must be to VOTE SMFD/PDC for a better more land redistributed and productive Barbados!!

THE INSTITUTION OF A RENT CONTROL REGIME FOR BUILDINGS

Whereas it is absolutely wrong to charge RENTS for use of Land Space, it is however totally right to charge rents for use of Buildings. Too, whereas there are really NO owners of Land Space to pay such rents to – only to a “system” that is part of the ENTIRE and WICKED process of the political exploitation of such renters of RIGHTS over LAND, or renters of “rented land” – and by psychological/ideological and financial means; there are really however owners of buildings whom should be in receipt of the rents for use of such buildings, whenever they are rented out. And, too, whereas Land is NOT property, Buildings are property. By constructing buildings, human beings are clearly adding money/financial value to their own efforts, which are in need of being truly paid for within a money/market system!!

209 This value added is clearly NOT present in cases where human beings exercise mere control over the use of portions or control over portions of God given Lands – something which in this Euro- centric system is bizarrely called “ownership”, and, mind you, as SO-CALLED OWNERS, under this sick system, will proceed on this entirely false basis to charge other persons - RENT - for the mere use of it/transferred control of it!! That fact does not however undermine cases where human effort is used directly or indirectly in taking portions of the Land to be used in the productive processes, whereupon these portions are given financial/money values on the basis of those human efforts. These are facts that the readers of this Manifesto and every single potential Voter must know about and must therefore be prepared to act upon by joining and supporting a political movement - SMFD/PDC included - that will by using these facts make access to land space possession and building/home ownership in Barbados far easier and better than now for the broad sections of people of Barbados!!

Many Owners of such properties have been providing very substandard and poorly maintained buildings at obscenely high income costs (“prices”)

Nevertheless, in Barbados for the last 20 years or so not only have the income costs of acquiring RIGHTS over land been rising enormously, but also as a partial consequence of that it has been witnessed by many thousands of people in Barbados that the Income Costs (prices) of purchasing rent RIGHTS /RENTING such buildings, some of which involve new/newer buildings, have increased tremendously. There have even been claims made by many renters of such properties - whether being used for commercial/residential/social or recreational purposes - that many owners of such properties have been providing very substandard and poorly maintained buildings at very high income costs. Therefore, whether or not it is nationals or non-nationals that are purchasing rent rights, or renting such buildings, at such alarming high income costs (“prices”), SMFD/PDC are nevertheless of the profound conviction that such situations are indicative of these renters having to undergo cruel and horrendous elite/state political exploitation in order to make these rental payments to the owners of the buildings. What is greatly more UNFORGIVABLE is that when after making rent/lease payments, esp. for many, many years straight towards the use of the buildings, all the owners have to do, if they seek re-possession and re-use of these buildings after such times, and this is their right however, is to give the renters/lessees adequate notice of termination of the rental agreements whereupon actual termination follows. In spite of these cruel and inhuman conditions, BLP and DLP Governments over this twenty-year or so period have done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to bring to an end these injustices and atrocities. These parties have failed the country and its citizens and their own members and supporters who are indeed made to suffer such stone hearted injustices and atrocities. Such conditions also speak to the entire social marginalization and economic political dispossession of a substantial segment of the Barbados population at a time when thousands upon thousands, who really wish to, but do not have their own homes or the conclusive and real means to achieving

210 such, find it exceedingly difficult to enter the home ownership categories. People, the BLP and DLP no longer deserve being in governmental office for these and other kinds of stark failures that they have seeming delight in committing. The answer is to Vote A SMFD/PDC Government next elections in order to right these and other terrible wrongs.

As political organizations that intend well for and on the behalf of the masses/pseudo-elite, that envisage Barbados becoming a world class society with sustained average annual real growth rates in the region of 8-10%, a Barbados with a highly skilled and talented and competitive national corporate business structure made up of primarily self-employed people and partnerships, and a Barbados that establishes a haven for specialization of schools from secondary to tertiary level in order to maximize the social and material development of Barbados, it behooves a newly elected SMFD/PDC Government to put effective and people-centered strategies in place that would ensure that our residential and commercial accommodation markets are complementing and stabilizing factors in the quest to achieve the above and other meaningful SMFD/PDC objectives. Thus such A Government shall implement the following strategies:

Rent Control Strategies (Buildings)

1) The great and serious thrust towards a RENT-LESS Barbadian society whereby ten years after SMFD/PDC have taken governmental office only a very negligible proportion of the housing stock in Barbados shall be being RENTED, as a result of the implementation of SMFD/PDC measures to help achieve such. We in SMFD/PDC are of the understanding, and we want every single POTENTIAL/Barbadian Voter to know this, that, besides the work system/culture, RENT systems/cultures are the biggest indicators/effects of the vilest of elite/state political exploitation of the broadest segments of people of Barbados;

2) SMFD/PDC shall within 3 years of entering governmental office provide Legislation giving rise to the creation and establishment of a Rent of Buildings Management Committee of the People’s Legislature, which shall lay down and enforce the basic appropriate physical and spatial conditions that are necessary in order for buildings to be rented/leased for residential or commercial or social or recreational purposes;

3) A SMFD/PDC Government shall within 2 years of achieving governmental office pass legislation that shall provide for the establishment of one general national enforceable

211 income cost (“price”) standard with respect to what is the rent money to be charged for empty residential buildings and commercial buildings per cubic sq. ft, respectively, IRRESPECTIVE of where in / what part of Barbados one is located. It shall be up to the relevant parties to however agree on what the income cost would be for semi- furnished/furnished accommodations, although such a Committee shall require that for such furnishings used in a rented/leased residential accommodation situation the total amount charged for such furnishings shall be EQUAL or LESS than the number of appliances or furniture offered by the building owner/lessor multiplied by the amount per month that would ordinarily be paid on the basis of the new hire purchase “price” REGIME that will be implemented by A SMFD/PDC Government, towards similar appliances or furniture in Hire Purchase Businesses, if at the time of the rent agreement such appliances or furniture being part of the rent/lease agreement are proved to be no more than 1 year old, or if more than 1 year old, half the hire purchase income costs re Hire Purchase Businesses that would ordinarily be paid per month for use of the appliances or furniture. The total monthly bill for a furnished rental/leased residential accommodation shall therefore be the number of cubic ft. of the dwelling x the set rate per cubic ft. plus the number of appliances and furniture to be used by the renter/lessee as contained in the dwelling x the set rate for renting such appliances and furniture within this context. A similar formula shall apply with respect to any rented/leased commercial/social accommodation. Under this legislation therefore, the final bill shall NEVER include income charges for use of basic kitchen or bathroom equipment, the renter/lessee shall alone determine the number of living room, bedroom, or dining room appliances and furniture being used in the context, and the rent bill shall clearly itemize these final costs;

4) Building owners and prospective lessees/renters under this legislation shall also be free to determine whether or not to include utility costs as part of the final rent bill, and by extension as part of the wider rent culture;

5) A SMFD/PDC Government shall also within two years of achieving governmental office provide legislation that shall also make it absolutely mandatory on an owner, or his/her agent, of a rented/leased residential/commercial/social building to present the first option of purchase to a renter/lessee after 8 years of continuous monthly payments at an income cost that is a vastly reduced income cost taking into consideration the simple formula of the then present money/financial value of the building – minus the total in rental/leased payments made right up to the 8 years and beyond TIME LINE. Such an 8 year and more time line shall be mandatory no matter the type of rental or leased contracts between the owners and renters/lessees. At the time of the passing of this legislation, notice shall be given in the said legislation of the date of the legislation

212 taking effect, and shall apply at the time of passage to all future rental/leased building contracts, and to all those existing rental/leased building contracts that are more than two years old.

6) This legislation shall also make provision for the securing and the use of all valid documentation from the owners/lessees/renters in order to facilitate such future possible ownership. In some cases, the absence of valid/documentation will NOT serve to prevent a strong case for future possible ownership by the previous renters/lessees, as that it shall be sufficient to use credible strong oral or other evidence of the length of time of tenancy. This legislation shall also make it mandatory that if a renter/lessee has for some reason had his/her contract terminated by an owner of a building, or the owners/s stand-in agent, in view of these measures in this Manifesto, he/she shall have a right of appeal to the then to be set up Rent Management of Buildings Committee of the People’s Parliament, whose decision to reinstate the renter/lessee shall be final;

7) With respect to the Government’s housing estates, the current “Sale of units” program shall be continued, but A SMFD/PDC Government shall on entering office and as one of its first major public programs institute a very concerted 10 year government program whereby if you are a renter in any of the government’s housing estates you shall be given the option of leaving the estate to live in newly founded, well located, well designed residential developments constructed by government on government controlled lands across the country with these homes being built under the National Non-repayable Loans Scheme, and the land space rights involving such land upon which such homes will be built being sold by government to the previous renters of government housing cum new property owners at administrative/nominal costs.

8) And finally there shall be the institution of a policy whereby A SMFD/PDC Government shall direct its own and other relevant designers, planners and builders of Local Residential Housing, Office and Tourism Developments to follow the policy of such a Government that far greater use, where necessary, must be made of properly constructed, and environmentally and aesthetically pleasing HIGH RISE buildings to compensate for the increasing shortage/lack of greater and proper physical space in Barbados that is being caused by LOW RISE building developments. Such buildings must necessarily be also subject to rigorous safety and emergency evacuation standards.

All potential voters shall see the great and ultimate benefits of these measures immediately above, which, when implemented under A SMFD/PDC Government, will see the ushering in of a new and invigorating culture in the residential/commercial/social accommodation sector of

213 Barbados, and which, when added to the implementation of other nation-wide exploitation breaking mechanisms like The Abolition of Taxation, The Abolition of Interest Rates, and the institution of a National Non-repayable Loans Scheme, by such a SMFD/PDC Government, will see the unraveling of rapid and extraordinary and profound changes for the betterment and renewal of the Barbadian society. Therefore, give SMFD/PDC your vote!!

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THE END of Part One

 2006 The Society for Mass Freedom and Democracy / People’s Democratic Congress

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