Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Light bulb questions heat up Jamaica

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It was also stated that several members of parliament were allocated funds to meet costs associated with the project. </div></div>

I remember when they tried to rake Mr. Shaw over the coals trying to extort money from him to fund this distribution of the Free Bulbs. Bwoy dem was sure barefaced with it.

[johnnycakes]

Re: Light bulb questions heat up Jamaica

I can remember back when Hurricane Gilbert mash up Jamaica and the Canadian government donated a heap of canned sardines to the island.

They handled the distribution by putting the sardines in regular grocery stores and selling them for something like 25 centsUS instead of one dollar US.
They were cheap enough that most people could buy them and my rasta neighbor was buying them to mix in with his dog's regular food.

The Jamaican government should have done the same with the bulbs and sold them low enough that everyone could afford to buy them with no problem although I'm sure that, given the current atmosphere, SOMEONE would find a way to corrupt that means of distribution as well.

What a thing.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Light bulb questions heat up Jamaica

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: johnnycakes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I can remember back when Hurricane Gilbert mash up Jamaica and the Canadian government donated a heap of canned sardines to the island.

They handled the distribution by putting the sardines in regular grocery stores and selling them for something like 25 centsUS instead of one dollar US.
They were cheap enough that most people could buy them and my rasta neighbor was buying them to mix in with his dog's regular food.

The Jamaican government should have done the same with the bulbs and sold them low enough that everyone could afford to buy them with no problem although I'm sure that, given the current atmosphere, SOMEONE would find a way to corrupt that means of distribution as well.

What a thing. </div></div>

See how Labour Government operate?

[johnnycakes]

Re: Light bulb questions heat up Jamaica

That's one for them Tuffy
Point taken.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Light bulb questions heat up Jamaica

PNP Vice President weighs in on light bulb controversy
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Peoples National Party (PNP) Vice President, Dr. Peter Phillips, has weighed in on the controversial Cuban light bulb distribution programme.

The issue was brought to light last week by Energy Minister Clive Mullings.

Dr. Phillps says Party President Portia Simpson Miller has done the right thing in asking for a report on the bulb programme from former Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell and his then deputy Kern Spencer.

He added that a preliminary report on the programme estimated the level of savings for Jamaica per year in terms of saved fuel cost at US$80.3 million.

<span style="color: #CC0000">Addressing the PNP Region Three, Dr. Phillips said the first two months have shown that promises have outstripped the capacity of the governing Jamaica Labour Party.</span>

http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/2452/26/

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

Paulwell again!
Many of us recall that months ago some light was shed on the budding scandal of the handling of the ‘Cuban light bulbs’ and particularly how it was being handled for Phillip Paulwell and Kern Spencer to get political mileage from the project. Specifically there were two published editorials which cited the bulb project and the Montego Bay rice mill project (the operators reportedly fled the country owing the government millions).

The letters to the editor also mentioned blunders like Net-Serv and other IT project losses; the Goodyear factory wastes; the cement crisis which cost the country billions; Trafigura; the Universal Access Fund mismanagement; and the most recent one involving the cancellation of a cell phone licence.

In the face of all this, the previous Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, with full knowledge of all this, went on the national television debate and insulted us by praising Paulwell for performance and hard work when the above-mentioned blunders all occurred under his stewardship.

Those of us in business know that the success of the telecommunication systems, wired and wireless, is a function of efficient technology and good marketing strategies which leapfrog over bureaucratic hurdles and flourishes where you have good government, bad government or no government, as in Haiti, Somalia and vastly underdeveloped parts of Africa and Asia. In fact, in Jamaica, it could easily be said that the developments were done in spite of Paulwell, when we rightfully take into account how badly the Universal Access Fund (under Paulwell’s full control) was managed.

When Simpson Miller became Prime Minister we expected her to be new and different on matters of this and other kinds (as she promised), but from the way in which she mishandled the Trafigura scandal, it became clear that she decided to jump quagmire left by her predecessor and simply tough it out.

Simpson Miller was alerted to the mismanagement of the light bulb scandal long ago and it’s pure subterfuge for her to be now feigning ignorance and requesting a report from Paulwell at this stage. Thereby she is demonstrating that she did not take the prime ministership seriously.

But the saga of Paulwell’s poor stewardship defies my grandmothers’ serious prescription: “If you have a serious sore foot and don’t take it seriously, be prepared to lose the foot!”

.W. Wood,
P O Box 760
Kingston
[email protected]

http://www.sunheraldjamaica.com/fullletters.htm#letter1

[bee_bop]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

The Cuban advisors couldn't have gotten a mere 'lunch money' from the light bulb scandal, if they travelled all the way from Cuba to Jamaica, something must have been in it for them...

Hmmm...Ja$ 240 million for 83,000 light bulbs, and 100 Cuban advisors...that's 830 light bulbs per Cuban...Ja$ 2.4 million per Cuban, or US$ 34,042.55 per Cuban(with an exchange rate of Ja$ 70.50 to US$ 1.00)...If I was from Cuba that would be a lot of money, especially when combined with another income...

The cost of those bulbs was about Ja$ 2,891.57 per bulb, or US$ 41.02 per bulb...Suppose the bulb blow, do the consumers get a refund from a warranty?

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The Cuban advisors couldn't have gotten a mere 'lunch money' from the light bulb scandal, if they travelled all the way from Cuba to Jamaica, something must have been in it for them...

Hmmm...Ja$ 240 million for 83,000 light bulbs, and 100 Cuban advisors...that's 830 light bulbs per Cuban...Ja$ 2.4 million per Cuban, or US$ 34,042.55 per Cuban(with an exchange rate of Ja$ 70.50 to US$ 1.00)...If I was from Cuba that would be a lot of money, especially when combined with another income...

The cost of those bulbs was about Ja$ 2,891.57 per bulb, or US$ 41.02 per bulb...Suppose the bulb blow, do the consumers get a refund from a warranty? </div></div>

My thinking, (knowing the ComRaids), is that the Cubans saw little of the money. From what I heard it was Little Kern BigSpenda Baby Modda that really eat the big food!

[neutral]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CEW</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The minister said he was uncomfortable with the fact that the two companies involved, and to which several million dollars was paid to distribute the free bulbs, were allegedly not registered as contractors nor suppliers with the National Contracts Commission, and were only incorporated around the time the islandwide distribution of the bulbs began last year.</div></div>
This smells... [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70402-thinking.gif[/img]
</div></div>

Yeah,...this smells to high heaven....(pardon the pun Cew)
It`s a 100 watt co-ck up.

Hopefully someone sould shed some light on this idiot farce soon.

[bee_bop]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

Well, the light bulb business is not the only disgrace...what about the Highway 2000, which in 2007 can't finish yet !!!

Imagine the then government bypass the Parish Councils that employ Engineers and have road-building equipment sitting idle, while the government pays for maintenance, and upkeep.

If they had simply allow each Parish Council to put the engineers and equipment to use, each Parish working concurrently would result in a significantly shorter duration for the construction. After all, road-building is not rocket science !!

[Wahalla]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well, the light bulb business is not the only disgrace...what about the Highway 2000, which in 2007 can't finish yet !!!

Imagine the then government bypass the Parish Councils that employ Engineers and have road-building equipment sitting idle, while the government pays for maintenance, and upkeep.

If they had simply allow each Parish Council to put the engineers and equipment to use, each Parish working concurrently would result in a significantly shorter duration for the construction. After all, road-building is not rocket science !! </div></div>

As a Nigerian put it "this experiment was never about development"...

[johnnycakes]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

Littleman posted:
"The Cuban advisors couldn't have gotten a mere 'lunch money' from the light bulb scandal, if they travelled all the way from Cuba to Jamaica, something must have been in it for them..."


Littleman,
Cuba gets goodwill from what it does around the world and perhaps expense money from the nations that can afford it.
They send doctors to Venezuela in exchange for a cut in the price they pay for Venezuelan oil.
Back during the Cold War they sent volunteer teachers to Nicaragua to work at eliminating illiteracy and when some of these were killed by U.S. mercenaries (Contras), thousands volunteered to replace them.

The Cuban military also volunteered to go to save Angola when it was invaded by the racist South Africans. Every soldier that went was a volunteer. Not one was ordered to go.

This is the socialist spirit of giving what one can to help the world and it's a very foreign concept to anyone raised in a competetive capitalist society where very few have charitable impulses.

Your disbelief is very understandable.

[SmoothOperator]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

Kern Spencer weeps as Police called in to probe Light Bulb Scandal. ROFLMAO!

http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/2758/26/

The Fraud Squad has been called in to probe alleged irregularities in the Cuban light bulb distribution programme.

On Tuesday, the house was told of duplicate payments amounting to millions of dollars.

Energy Minister Clive Mullings disclosed that the matter has also been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Kern Spencer, the former Junior Minister in the Ministry of Energy was placed in charge of the light bulb distribution programme wept as government members erupted in frenzy when Mr. Mullings sought to shed light on the issue.

Former Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell was absent.

Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller was among a few members who quickly went over to console Mr. Spencer

[Wardob]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

Sorry for the young man, It’s obviously he was not fully educated in the art of corruption been taught by his masters.

I am waiting to hear whom were the stipends paid to. But I wont be surprise if it’s to a top party member, boy they don’t work without STIPENDS

[sistactry]

Re: Cuban 'Free' light bulb cost Ja Millions?

[size:12pt]<span style="color: #CC0000">Simpson Miller was alerted to the mismanagement of the light bulb scandal long ago and it’s pure subterfuge for her to be now feigning ignorance and requesting a report from Paulwell at this stage. Thereby she is demonstrating that she did not take the prime ministership seriously.</span>[/size]

dat eediat ooman u see, what a disappointment ehh!! [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad2.gif[/img]