#BTSpeakingOut – Our Government and Chinese houses

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Dr. Derek Alleyne

As a former Director of the Urban Development Commission I have avoided joining the debate on the importation of houses from China.

The principal reason for my hesitancy is that I continue to share amicable relations with most of the staff and some Board members of the Commission and it could be construed that some of them have been passing information to me. In addition, I feel a sense of loyalty to the Commission and particularly to the Director and staff.

Over the years Governments’ responses to storms especially Ivan, Sandy and Tomas were hampered, not by shortages of competent tradesmen and contractors, but by the availability of funds and a shortage of temporary housing.

In none of the above cases were the repair and rebuild processes completed but in many cases affected homes were supplied with materials and or assistance with the repair process. The question that I am forced to ask is what is different with storm Elsa?

To date different figures representing affected homes have appeared in the public domain. I will accept the pronouncement on September 9th when Minister Duguid reported that more than 130 contractors had so far been mobilised and his ministry was moving to assign about 300 to repair the damage from the June 16 freak storm and Hurricane Elsa.

The excellent dentist informed that there’s room for more contractors to come on board with several projects underway. He confirmed, “We need more contractors because when you add the amount of repairs we have to do, almost 700 repairs and then the amount of rebuilds, 400 to 500.” That was storm Elsa.

Remember that on Saturday October 30, 2010 with maximum sustained winds of near 70 miles per hour with higher gusts, the centre of Tomas passed 20 miles south of Barbados, strengthened to a Category 1 Hurricane and moved northwest.

In its wake it left over 500 houses in different stages of damage and dislocation. The response was a coalition of agencies with resources and responsibilities for emergency and housing services under the leadership of Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, responding to the challenges. Although gaps revealed themselves in the response the effort was a multi-sectoral and interagency response that should have been the accepted model to deal with disasters.

In the face of the current disaster nothing of that sort has materialised. What has emerged is a number of entities and speculators that have received special consideration that has not led to an amelioration of the plight of those that have suffered.

Lots of public relations and major confusion have been the experience of most Barbadians who have suffered from the effects of storm Elsa.

Minister [William] Duguid from all reports you should stick to dentistry, as a minister you have been found wanting. I take this opportunity to apologise to the management and staff of the UDC for any discomfort my intervention may cause but could not resist the temptation to have a say. “Waste and graft” are public expectations of public administration and though I accuse no one specifically of such in this instance, our responses need not confirm that expectation.