Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell is not going anywhere despite calls by Opposition Leader Owen Arthur for him and Finance Minister Chris Sinckler to resign.
Furthermore, Worrell told the media today he had no plans to respond to Arthur’s consistent criticism of him and the economists at the Central Bank.Pushed further during his quarterly Press conference for a reaction to the attacks on him, Worrell said, “I don’t have any comment on the views of the members of the Opposition.”
On the charge from Arthur that there was conflict between the Central Bank and the Barbados Statistical Service over the country’s economic figures for 2010, Worrell said “this was absolutely untrue”.
“We collaborate very closely with the Government, with the Barbados Statistical Service, with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Affairs. We have ongoing relationships at all levels. Our economists are in constant contact with their economists, the Barbados Statistical Service, with budget analysts, and planners in Ministry of Economic Affairs.”
He added: “What I can assure the public about is on the basis on the facts. We provide the data and we are prepared to defend the data that we provide.”Regarding the reported conflicting data, Worell added: “The difference was between the volume of economic activity in 2010 and the returns we got from that 2010.
“What we have established jointly between ourselves and the Barbados Statistical Service is that there was a slight but perceptible increase in the total volume of economic activity, which is what the Central Bank said.
“However, we know and we have said repeatedly that in our major sectors such as tourism, people have had to reduce their prices. So the income that you have received in 2010 from that slight increased volume has actually been lower.”
