Genuflecting to Butch

[Don1]

By converting the issue of a serious breach of development orders by the RIU Group into a crusade against RIU and Spanish investors generally, Butch Stewart along with a complicit and pliant Bruce Golding has subverted and damaged one of the main sources of investment in Jamaica's tourism.... completely unnecessarily and for selfish reasons of corporate protectionism.

Yes the Observer broke a legitimate and important story... the building breach. After that commendable exposure of apparent wrongdoing .. the extraordinary and outsized campaign of bashing the Spanish using his personal toy the Observer (AKA The Sandals Newsletter or The Beechwood Prostitute or The Daily Tampon) was an obvious and odious attempt at cutting his new competitors down to size.... efforts some here see as "normal" and "acceptable" because "he owns the newspaper"... you guys need to get out more and discover the true role of media.

Golding's role in this issue highlights an issue I have raised here in the past regarding the corrupting influence of the cabal of big businessmen wielding power in Jamaica.. especially given the narrow ownership of public media.

Stewart has Golding by the balls on this issue.... being a chief financier and architect of his electoral victory..... grab 'em by the balls and their hearts and minds will surely follow.

I wrote yesterday of Golding being "in charge".... that is definitely the case within his party but there are some locals who seem to have a ring through his nose.
Golding injected himself into the issue loudly, clumsily and unnecessarily... all to appease his champion Butch.
He should have - behind the scenes urged the developer to correct the breaches and left the public posturing to The Daily Tampon and the details to the parish council or responsible minister.

I have warned about the corrupting influence of big business and unprofessional media... some scoffed because they see Stewart as some kind of corporate God..... now the chickens are coming home to roost because the Piper has been well paid and knows what tune to play.

[Muadib]

Interesting spin.

Then again maybe Bruce Golding put his foot down because it is under his Ministry and it was a particularly brazen disregard of approvals on a grand scale... a disregard that extended to the level where the persons in breach attempted to defend and justify the modification.

Admonition in this instance would be best served in public view to send a CLEAR message about the new modus operandi.

I guess it all depends on whether one subscribes to Occams Razor principles or one subscribes to conspiracy theories...

[Karl]

Yes the Observer broke a legitimate and important story... the building breach. After that commendable exposure of apparent wrongdoing .. the extraordinary and outsized campaign of bashing the Spanish using his personal toy the Observer (AKA The Sandals Newsletter or The Beechwood Prostitute or The Daily Tampon) was an obvious and odious attempt at cutting his new competitors down to size.... efforts some here see as "normal" and "acceptable" because "he owns the newspaper"... you guys need to get out more and discover the true role of media.

Golding's role in this issue highlights an issue I have raised here in the past regarding the corrupting influence of the cabal of big businessmen wielding power in Jamaica.. especially given the narrow ownership of public media.

Stewart has Golding by the balls on this issue.... being a chief financier and architect of his electoral victory..... grab 'em by the balls and their hearts and minds will surely follow.

I wrote yesterday of Golding being "in charge".... that is definitely the case within his party but there are some locals who seem to have a ring through his nose.
Golding injected himself into the issue loudly, clumsily and unnecessarily... all to appease his champion Butch.
He should have - behind the scenes urged the developer to correct the breaches and left the public posturing to The Daily Tampon and the details to the parish council or responsible minister.

I have warned about the corrupting influence of big business and unprofessional media... some scoffed because they see Stewart as some kind of corporate God..... now the chickens are coming home to roost because the Piper has been well paid and knows what tune to play.

There could be another way of looking at this - Bruce and Butch walking hand in hand on this issue is part and parcel of a grander plan...merely the largest and or most overt example of Golding and the JLPs cementing of 'power' in certain hands/certain coalescing group?

[Willi]

Madness!

The presence of an "approved" modified plan (in Spanish, no less) told me all I need to know. This is a clear case of fraud and underhandedness.

No wonder we are in the mess we are! Bandooloo gone mad to rhatid.

Read what is happening in Cancun. John maxwell is no friend of Bruce and the JLP. Go read his multi-year long campaign against the Spanish hoteliers!

[Willi]

You posted this article by Espeut:

I am cautiously optimistic about this government's environmental intentions. The appointments to the boards of government agencies which have to do with the environment actually have real environmentalists on them, and the Government's approach to the flagrant breaches at Mahoe
Bay has been decisive and refreshing. But will things actually be different?

Demolition orders
Will the Government back down and allow Riu to keep its fourth floor (or is it a fifth floor) in the flight path of the Sangster International Airport? To my knowledge, in recent Jamaican history, few demolition orders for illegal buildings have ever been issued, and none has actually been carried out.

Has this government really changed course, or will it continue the anti-environmental practices of the PNP? Will applications not responded to by NEPA within 90 days be allowed to go ahead with a presumption of approval, as Mr. Golding says? That will be a recipe for even greater environmental degradation than under the PNP. Time will tell if this golden opportunity will be just another missed opportunity.
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and an environmentalist. For feedback, email columns@gleanerjm.com.
__________________

[Farmah]

"Genuflecting to Butch"?????

Don1, the real issue at hand is the blatant violation done by the RIU people. I will agree that Mr Stewart likely has his motives and also used his print medium to lambast the RIU violations. We could also agree that Mr Golding should have handled the case better, away from the public thundering. However, let's not divert our attention from the breaches incurred by RIU. Other Spanish investors shying away from Jamaica is their own realization that we will not just allow them to come into the island and do what they want outside the parameters of the rules and regulations.

[Willi]

Good post.

I agree.

[Muadib]

Dem deh ah secondary issues.

We need to investigate how Butch Stewart tun billionaire pon di backs of poor black people.... I thought the womaniz.. sorry, mentally dera...oops.. I mean Joshua fixed that problem for good !?

Why can't Butch be like Oliver Clarke, the leasor of vast lands to locals such as the Mconnells ?

Bwoy ever since Butch and di PNP bruk up.....

[Mosiah]

Read what is happening in Cancun. John maxwell is no friend of Bruce and the JLP. Go read his multi-year long campaign against the Spanish hoteliers!

John Maxwell is one of the few journalists I have maximum respect for, but he opposes tons of things that I don't, like Highway 2000. We can live with the Spanish hoteliers. We hold the handle, but there is no excuse for personal attacks by Sandals using a medium such as their newsletter.

If you can't see that, Willi...

[Mosiah]

Farmah, leave the simplistic posts to some other people. Who don't know that the real issue is the alleged violation by Riu? But there are agencies, authorities, ministries and the prime minister's office ready to do what they failed to do earlier. But who will sanction a newspaper that freely writes about an alleged violation and doesn't mind embellishing it with a lie or two? At times, their articles are not ascribed to anyone, not even an editorial. Even the editorial cartoons come along for the silly ride as the paper ignores every other issue that might have occurred that week, like the murder or 64 Jamaicans.

If unnu cyaan see dat...

[Muadib]

LOL !!

Mi tell yuh seh Corporate Wars is a bitch.. oh the poor Spanish Hoteliers, not an agenda bone in their body...

Yuh tek people fi fool bout personal attacks...

Eiddah dat or yuh is naive.

[Mosiah]

Yuh tek people fi fool...

Yuh got one thing right.

[Muadib]

And that is your constant downfall.

[Willi]

You still dont address my question.

What is the value add of these hotels, if they are not expanding the visitor base? If they just piling on to a crowded field, what is the inevitable outcome? Complete Chapusa business this.

Look, I lived in Spain and understand the Spanish mentally better than most here. I also know of the Spanish Tourism experience ( I have relatives that worked in Mallorcan tourism) and I know they were interested in studying the Jam tourism model years ago.

If investors come here with the bandooloo, chapusa (slipshod) mentality, they will have to be discouraged from doing so.

As to Butch, I see him as a sideshow in this. No violation and he would have had no grist for his mill.

BTW, point out the lie or 2 from the "newsletter" as you call it. LoL

[Peter R]

Backside!! 64 x52 = 3328! What the frick a gwaaan! war?

pr