SHOULD THE VOICES of the people matter in a democracy? Do the voices of Barbadians matter in our democracy?
We find these questions important as we observe the Government’s apparent reticence in the face of strong objection to the proposed plasma gasification plant at Vaucluse, St Thomas.
It would be inappropriate to say that a majority of Barbadians appear not to be in favour of this project since we have no way of proving this. However, what would not be inaccurate is the assertion that objections have resulted in the largest town hall meeting ever convened in Barbados when Cahill Energy attempted to sell the venture to average Barbadians at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on July 22.
The questions and suspicions were many and in the absence of any Government representatives at that meeting, officials of Cahill failed in their attempt to justify the planting of this $700 million waste-to-energy facility on our landscape.
One month later, and with objections apparently increasing, it is hard to fathom the deafening silence of Minister of the Environment Dr Denis Lowe, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and the Government as a whole. It is as if they have determined that they will outlast objectors with their silence.
While there are clearly a number of people among the objectors who have made up their minds that plasma gasification and Cahill Energy are bad for Barbados, the comments of the majority of people seeking answers suggest their fears are based on a lack of information and their suspicion is fuelled by the silence of their representatives.
This would suggest that if the Government thinks the project will be genuinely beneficial to the country and not just Cahill and/or a select group of people here, it has a duty to “sell” it to Barbadians.
Talking down to the population from the floor of Parliament, where no ordinary citizen can respond, or resorting to absolute silence outside of that chamber, smacks of disrespect.
We do not believe it is unreasonable for Barbadians to ask if this is primarily a garbage solution or an alternative energy venture. It can’t be unreasonable, given our experience with water supply, to ask how much water this plant will require. Neither can it be out of place to ask who owns Cahill and from whom the money for this massive investment will come.
It certainly can’t be out of place for taxpayers and electors to ask whether any member of the Government has any financial interest in the project, in Cahill Energy, or in any firm that will be engaged in the funding, building or operating of the plant or the supply of waste or any other commodity or service to it.
We also hold the position that with technology this new and untested, the country has to be exposed to the views of “experts” other than those supplied by Cahill Energy, even if it is at the expense of the Government. How can we be asked to trust Cahill’s information when it has a vested interest in the venture?
Cahill Energy, plasma gasification and/or waste-to-energy may in fact be good for Barbados, but bludgeoning a population into metaphorical signing with state-led silence can’t be the path to achieving this.
Barbadians have a duty to ask questions and Government has an obligation to answer. Anything less is nothing short of disrespectful.
