News

An angry landowner who said he was not given the whole story by the Dems when they sought to erect an election billboard on his land at Greenhill, St Michael, cut it down yesterday afternoon.

Two men with saws topped the billboard as landlord, Keith Goodman, and members of his family watched around 2.45 p.m.

Goodman told the Election RECORD that more than a week ago he was approached by businessman, Muhammad Nassar, for permission to erect a billboard on his property at Greenhill, St Michael.

However, Goodman charged that Nassar never indicated that the billboard was political in nature nor carried the photographs of four candidates of the Democratic Labour Party. Goodman, who has been selling fruit and vegetables at the Greenhill site for the past 30 years, said: “ I told him every member of my family belongs to the Barbados Labour Party. From Jackson, Greenhill, Lewis Gap, Storey Gap, Gall Hill, Christ Church, and Tent Bay, St Joseph. He never said anything else and broke off the conversation. I later saw the billboard on my property.”

Meanwhile, Nassar turned up on the scene around 3 p.m. and disputed suggestions that he never indicated that he represented the Democratic Labour Party and sought permission from Goodman to erect a billboard on his property.

He claimed that Goodman said: “ No problem at all put up the billboard and I told him I would put it at the corner of the property. It was in place over the past week. I am very, very surprised that it has been removed because he gave me permission.”

Nassar confirmed that another billboard at Speightstown was removed by an unidentified person or persons, but the Dems replaced it.

He further charged that other billboards were removed from sites in Mile & A Quarter, St Peter and Country Road, St Michael.

Late last week Prime Minister Owen Arthur charged that DLP operatives were erecting billboards across the country in breach of the laws of the Town and Country Planning Department. In some cases they were being erected on private property without the permission of the owners of the land.