Barbados: Ministry of Housing seems only concerned with "Fancy Speeches" says DLP

Barbados: The Minister of Housing continued to sing the praises of the Chinese prefabricated houses and makes light of the comments of the members of the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers who have continued to question the quality of these houses, said Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Spokesperson, Ricardo Harrison. "What is of grave concern to us is the number of homeowners who are yet to receive materials such as plywood and galvanize sheets to effect their own repairs. A drive across the length and breadth of Barbados would reveal that three months after the passage of Hurricane Elsa on July 2 2021, and with Christmas swiftly approaching the Ministry of Housing seems oblivious to the plight of these honest hard working Barbadians but seem to only concern themselves with fancy speeches in the Press and to their loyal supporters,” he added in a statement published online.

The Democratic Labor Party is concerned about the amount of red tape people have to experience in order to access materials to initiate their own repairs and at their own expense. There are simply too many houses across Barbados that are still awaiting materials that are available locally through agencies such as Urban & Rural Development Corporation.

“What is also troubling to us in the DLP is that there appears to be clear partisan distribution as it relates to those few who have already received assistance.”

“We are asking the Barbados Labor Party to stop playing politics with people’s livelihood and accelerate the house repair exercise so that working-class and humble Barbadians may rest easy as the Christmas season approaches. Now is not the time to play partisan politics Minister,” Harrison concluded.