David Thompson names new board members. Croneyism and Merit.

Prime Minister David Thompson has named new board members for several government-controlled institutions.

He has made his close personal friend Leroy Parris the Chairman of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, so don’t expect to hear anything critical of government coming out of the country’s lone television station. Leroy Parris is the Executive Chairman of CLICO Holdings Barbados Ltd., and the obvious link between insurance and broadcasting is political croneyism.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Croneyism

cro·ny·ism

n. Favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications, as in political appointments to office.

Deputy chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is Akintolove Corbin, so don’t expect to hear him as a moderator again on the Voice of Barbados evening radio call-in program Tell It Like It Is.

Colin Spencer is deputy chairman of the National Cultural Foundation. He is also the defeated DLP candidate for St. George North and a calypsonian, so obviously we can look forward to a crackdown on calypso tunes which find fault with this new DLP government.

We are pleased to note some other NCF board members who are proven stalwarts all worthy of appointment, namely Wayne Simmons, Anthony Waldrond and Cranston Browne. These are people who have made their names known in cultural circles in Barbados.

And we have saved the best for last: Dr. Erskine Simmons is the new chairman of the Commission for Pan-African Affairs, which in our opinion is an excellent choice. Dr. Simmons has proven himself to be capable and competent in his work as the Honorary Consul for Ghana and he possesses both knowledge and experience to make him the best person we can think of to be made head of the Commission for Pan-African Affairs. There is no doubt that this is an appointment based on merit, and we look forward to a new energy and direction coming from the commission in the months ahead.

Bajan Free Press

http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/14103/10/

Prime Minister David Thompson has announced the names of members to 12 other boards

Saturday, 09 February 2008

He says cabinet is working assiduously to get the various boards in place so that the essential work of government would continue apace.

Insurance executive Leroy Parris has been appointed as Chairman of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation; his deputy chair is Jeanette Layne-Clarke.

Other members on the CBC board are Peter Boyce, Evette King, Pastor Wesley Dear, Father Clement Paul, Muriel Sealy and the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s office or his nominee.

The new chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is Mitchell Codrington and his deputy is Akintolove Corbin.

At the National Cultural Foundation the Chairman is Ken Knight, deputy is Colin Spencer.

Other NCF board members are Christopher Griffith, Wayne Simmons, Dr. Gladstone Yearwood, Errol Rollins, Alissandra Cummins, Anthony Waldrond, Cranston Browne, the President of the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture or his nominee.

Dr. Erskine Simmons is the new chairman of the commission of Pan African Affairs and Deputy Chairman is Denis McIntosh.

Other members are Petrona Holder, Myrna Belgrave, Samantha Caine, Cavel Best, Shelly Small and Rodney Headley.