News

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is funding its campaign with money from the Government of Taiwan, on the condition that if it wins next week’s election the Dems will break diplomatic relations with China.

This was revealed last Saturday night by Prime Minister Owen as he addressed a massive crowd in Carlisle car park, where he accused the Leader of the DLP of selling out Barbados for a bowl of wonton soup.

According to Arthur, all previous prime ministers of Barbados had respected the “one-China policy”, a position held by more than 120 countries world wide, and he would not sit idly by and allow the Dems to sell out the country for election money. Barbados had worked too hard for decades, he said, to build its reputation around the world to have it destroyed now by the Dems. “This was a party that until recently could not pay the mortgage on George Street,” Arthur said to loud applause.

“In this election you are seeing overwhelming evidence of large sums of money being spent by the DLP… You had candidates … walking about issuing bounce cheques for the purchase of KFC. That is true. You had others walking around in conditions of penury, now they are flush too. “You see a campaign of ostentation and extravagance by the DLP. They offer hundreds of dollars to the (voters). They put up posters all across the land. They purchase the services of artistes that we cannot afford, and some of them come at US$80 000 a night.

“And the question arises, where has the DLP gotten its money from, and at what price? Tonight I have come to share that information with you, because tonight this campaign is going to a new level.”

He said “BLP intelligence” had revealed that local businessman Leroy Parris flew to St. Kitts last week to make arrangements with two representatives of the Taiwan government to transfer the money to the DLP in Barbados.

“Taiwan feels that it can walk around the world buying countries. And there are countries in the Caribbean where people in high office have been offering blandishments to people to switch from Beijing to Taiwan. A lot of its is based around St. Kitts… You will better understand the place of Hartley Henry in this campaign …

“Our intelligence has told us there have been many contacts between the DLP, through St. Kitts, and Taiwan.

“Our intelligence has also told us that a critical series of meetings was held over the last few days, and this weekend, to formalise the arrangement for Taiwan to be able to fund the remainder of the campaign of the DLP.

“And there are two men involved. There is a Mr. Charles Lee, a Chinese national, born October 7, 1959, who travels on three passports … He is the minister-counsellor in St. Lucia. And then there is a gentleman called Mr. John Liu, who is the ambassador of Taiwan to St. Kitts.”

The Prime Minister added: “Then … we were told that a high emissary, representing David Thompson and close to David Thompson, would be going to St. Kitts this weekend to … to bring in the money.

“I don’t talk idle talk!

“Who is the emissary? Where do you feel that Leroy Parris is tonight when the DLP is supposed to be launching its manifesto. Ordinarily he would be with David Thompson, but Mr. Parris left Barbados on Thursday ... And let me give you the further facts. When he went to St. Kitts on Thursday, Mr. Lee left Castries in St. Lucia on Liat flight 1718, arrived in Antigua at 6, left Antigua and went to St. Kitts on Feb. 2, the same time as Leroy Parris.

“What is Leroy Parris doing in St. Kitts? He says he has gone there to attend an annual dinner being sponsored by the Government of St. Kitts for its diplomats. The Government of St. Kitts has written the Government of Barbados asking us to appoint Leroy Parris as their consul in Barbados, but we have not yet agreed. So Leroy Parris … is attending a dinner as a diplomat, which he is not, meeting with the Taiwanese ambassador in St. Kitts.”

Arthur then questioned how Thompson on how he could be involved in such an act in “this 200th year after the abolition of the slave trade”. “How dare you believe that my country can be sold to the Taiwanese for a mess of pottage?

“I say to the DLP, that all of you who are walking around Barbados with your new-found wealth, filthy lucre … that should have no place in this our Barbados.”