CLICO the ‘corporate leper’

ACTING PRIME MINISTER Freundel Stuart said CLICO had been treated like a “corporate leper” because of the friendship between its CEO and the Prime Minister.But he warned that the days of treating the company like a political football were coming to an end.Stuart made the comments while contributing to yesterday’s debate on a resolution for the vesting of a portion of land in Constant, St George, to be acquired for a housing project. CLICO Holdings is presently constructing four houses at Constant on behalf of Government and the Opposition has questioned whether there is a construction contract between the company and Government.Stuart told the Lower House: “You don’t get the impression that Clico has been responsible by its activities in many areas of generating a lot of the employment that Barbados enjoyed over the last two decades. “We are all given the impression that because there was a friendship between the CEO of CLICO and the leader of the Democratic Labour Party that by that fact itself, CLICO is some kind of corporate leper that everybody should try and shun for fear of contamination and so it was again today.”He said he had every confidence that the project at Constant would be a success.And he implored Minister of Housing Michael Lashley to continue doing what he was doing.He said Lashley had shot to “ministerial stardom” in a short space of time and that was why he was a source of embarrassment for the Barbados Labour Party.“I warned him sometime ago not to be beguiled by the smiles and hollow exhibitions of friendship by those on the other side . . .  I can’t imagine a party in Government for three consecutive terms and the largest revenue intake at their disposal . . . could leave office with the low income housing market in Barbados untouched and come in here and try to berate a minister who is producing and building houses,” he stated. (MB)