The Barbados Co-operative Credit Union League (BCCUL) is distancing itself from a recent call by one of its former presidents for credit union members to vote for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in the May 24 general election.

The BCCUL said while it respects everyone’s right to vote for any candidate they deemed fit, the BCCUL was not in support of influencing anyone’s vote.

On Friday, longstanding member of the credit union movement Ashton Turney told Barbados TODAY he welcomed promises made by the DLP in its manifesto, to introduce a suite of relief measures aimed at the credit union movement.

Among the measures, the DLP pledged that should it emerge victorious in the poll on Thursday, it will remove the asset tax on cooperatives which it introduced in 2014; re-introduce the income tax deduction for credit union share and deposits; provide insurance on deposits at cooperatives; and support the establishment of a credit union owned and operated commercial bank.

As such, Turney, who is a former president of the BCCUL as well as the Barbados Workers Union Cooperative Credit Union, said he believed the membership of the credit union movement would increase as a result.

“I am saying based on this as a former president of my credit union and also the league, I am of the view that the membership of the movement should vote for the DLP so that they can benefit from these measures,” Turney said.

However, in a clear-the-air statement this afternoon, the BCCUL said while it “continues to respect the opinions of our members, we wish to reiterate in the spirit of democracy and fairness, that Mr Turney’s opinion does not represent the views of the BCCUL as a whole”.

“While Mr Turney and indeed all members of the credit union movement are free to exercise their democratic right to vote for any candidate or party they deem fit, we wish to reiterate that the BCCUL is in no way endeavouring to sway its members in support of any political entity. It is critical to ensure that the credit union movement maintains its integrity as a politically unbiased financial body; and although members may express their personal views, such are not to be attributed to or affiliated with the BCCUL,” it stressed.

However, the BCCUL suggested that it also welcomed the announced measures to benefit the credit union movement.

“Our policy has always been one of openness and transparency, and while we support any measures proposed to help credit unions, we cannot impose any partisan preferences or beliefs – or use our influence for that matter – to give credit to one or discredit another political party, especially during a political campaign,” the BCCUL explained.

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The battle between Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and the Barbados Labour Party's (BLP) candidate for St Michael South Kirk Humphrey has gotten personal.

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Locals turned out in their numbers for the second day of the Barbados Manufacturers Exhibition which is being held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The four-day exhibition which runs from May 18 to 21 promotes and markets locally made products and services to the Barbadian market, thus encouraging consumers to buy locally.

Exhibitors such as Melissia Batson has high hopes for the four-day exhibition.

The owner and creator of Jem’s Gourmet Chocolate revamped her business model after receiving suggestions from consumers at BMEX 2016.

Two years later she came back with her Infusion chocolate bars which is a 100 per cent Barbadian product, locally grown and locally made.

Batson, who received the Governor General’s Award at last year’s National Independence Festival for the Creative Arts for her delectable Infusion treats, was looking forward to getting feedback from patrons and familiarising them with her product.

“From them I hear what is working and what isn’t working . . . It is because of the Barbadian public I am into [chocolate] bars because we realised the truffles weren’t selling . . .  but then they were like why don’t you do a bar because it is more value for your money,” she revealed.

Managing director of the Fresh Press, Ray Chee-A-Tow, is also a new exhibitor seeking to encourage locals to eat healthy and be healthy with his cold pressed juices.

Chee-A-Tow explained locals were increasingly concerned about the ingredients used in products so his company created an item that consists of only fresh fruit and vegetables with no sugar or preservatives.

Chee-A-Tow disclosed that the year-old business was still trying to find its footing in the local market as it was created during a time of increasing taxes and economic uncertainty.

“As a small business it has been extremely difficult because when we started it was prior to National Social Responsibility Levy and two per cen tax and as a small business after the stuff came in we could not just go back to the market and change our pricing but we have had to absorb everything so it has been a struggle,” he commented.

With the island on the eve of an election, Chee-A-Tow indicated that he hopes the elected government would create policies that make conducting business easier for small enterprises.

“Whoever is in power you want to make sure that they have an open policy to small business. While the current government has an open policy to small business the challenge is that there are too many obstacles, it takes too long, too much red tape …there is too much for small business to thrive and we want an encompassing environment that will help people to get into business without the hindrances,” he said.

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Democratic Labour Party (DLP) representative for Christ Church East Central Ronald Jones has accused Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate for Christ Church West, William Duguid of abandoning his constituents during the 2008 and 2013 general elections.

Duguid returned this year under the BLP ticket after Maria Agard was ousted from the party.

Speaking at a meeting in Parish Land, Christ Church Friday night, Jones criticized Duguid’s return to politics, accusing him of taking his constituents and the citizens of Barbados for “fools”.

“In the midst of the election, he just upped and left them, but then he believed . . .  that persons who support the Barbados Labour Party are stupid people . . . so he can return after aiding and abetting the destruction of . . . Maria Agard,” Jones said while adding that the poor representation that the constituents of Christ Church West experience would be no longer with the election of DLP hopeful Verla Depeiza.

“Duguid came along and demonstrated how not to represent people, how not to leave them in the lurch,” he added.

Jones further contended that Duguid’s behaviour was synonymous with the actions of the members of the BLP, “ who grow up believing that citizens are fools”.

“They can make sport at them [citizens] . . .  mistreat poor people, people who are vulnerable and especially if you don’t have their level of education it is even worse, and that is intensified in the Barbados Labour Party,” he added.

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Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says if re-elected his Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration will break from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in its appellate jurisdiction.

Stuart, who made the disclosure at a DLP meeting in Eagle Hall, St Michael, while not going into details, cited disrespect from the Port-of-Spain-based court and the limited number of cases being brought before it.

“I want to say this, Barbados is not going back to the Privy Council because we are not going backward, life goes not backward or tarries with yesterday. But once the Democratic Labour Party is re-elected to office, I am determined, to put Barbados on the same level as every other CARICOM country by de-linking from the Caribbean Court of Justice in its appellate jurisdiction. We went in first and we can come out first,” Stuart said.

“That court had heard two cases for the year, two cases for the year, one from Barbados and one from Guyana.”

Stuart said he wants to make it clear that he is not commenting on the decisions of the CCJ, noting that as an officer of the court and as a lawyer, he respect the decisions that courts make.

“When I’ve disagreed with them I appeal them. But, I’m not going to have Barbados disrespected by any politicians wearing robes, it is not going to happen. And I spoke about this privately to the present president of the Caribbean Court of Justice. I don’t want to influence any decisions, I don’t care what they decide,” Stuart said.

“I think that the attitude coming from Port of Spain leaves much to be desired in terms of how its treating Barbados and I am not going to have a situation where other countries in the Caribbean keep a safe, safe distance from that court while Barbados supports its.”

In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ hears appeals from lower courts in both civil and criminal matters from countries which have decided that the CCJ should be their final court of appeal.

In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ interprets the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas for countries, businesses and citizens of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

In 2001, CARICOM member states established the CCJ to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s final court.

But so far only Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana have signed on to the Appellate Jurisdiction of the CCJ, even though most of the 15-member grouping are signatories to the Original Jurisdiction of the CCJ that also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the integration movement.

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