Global Voices Online

Stories

Ecuador: Blogging to Prevent Domestic Violence in Guayaquil

lingua → nl · fr · es · zht · zhs

The municipal government of Guayaquil, Ecuador [es] recently sponsored a blog contest open to new and existing bloggers around the theme “Home: A Safe Place?” The topic was chosen to give visibility to the problem of domestic violence and to help generate solutions to eradicate this problem in homes and communities.

Even though there was some criticisms [es] regarding the way that the contest was publicized and concerns that some would only create a blog for the contest, it did fulfill the original objectives [es]. Many bloggers ended up participating [es] and the judges made their decision. These are the top four winners and who received cash prizes.

Violencia Discreta [es] looks for peace built from inside the home and from there promote gender equity. This blog is written by Fernando Landin and Princesa Quil. She wrote a post on the purpose for the awards where she explains what was the motive to participate and why a ‘woman remains safer in the street better than her own home':

Ese día volví en la tarde y me encontré con una mujer, una de las tantas mujeres que sufren en su soledad de una violencia discreta. Sutilmente le dije que me interesaba conocer su historia, y que podía confiar en mi. Sentí su frustración, la decepción de amar a alguien y luego sufrir la agresión, y aguantarlo por mil razones que no entendemos hasta que abrimos los ojos. Y luego la pregunta: Con quién he estado todo este tiempo?. Luego, pasaba por la Comisaría y siempre estaban llenas de mujeres agredidas, abría los periódicos y ahi estaba alguna mujer asesinada por su cónyuge, caminaba por la calle y ahi estaba alguna mujer con una autoestima por los suelos, desarreglada y sintiendose chiquitita, que seguramente era inferiorizada por alguien. Me dije que está pasando aquí! Me di cuenta que el problema es gravísimo, pero que es tan común que parece que lo hemos asimilado como algo normal, cuando solo demuestra que existe una seria patología que sufre nuestra sociedad.

That day I returned in the afternoon and I met a woman, one of many who suffers alone from a discreet violence. Subtly, I told her I was interested to know her story, and that she could trust me. I felt her frustration, the disappointment of loving someone and then suffer the attack, and endure it for a thousand reasons we don't not understand until we open our eyes. And then the question: With whom have I been all this time?. Then, I had passed through the Municipal Court and it always was full of abused women, and I opened the newspaper and there was a woman murdered by her husband, I then walked down the street and there was a woman with a her self-esteem near the bottom, disheveled and feeling small that certainly she was belittled by someone. I told myself what's happening here! I realized that the problem is serious, but that it is so common that it seems that we have assimilated that it is something normal, when it only shows that our society suffers a serious disease.

Hogar Lugar seguro? [es] is the title José Cruz chose for his blog. He says that there is a perception that anything that happens at home is private, and which only contributes to the fact that domestic violence is not talked about in the open. In his intent to help women fight against abuse, he has listed the main locations where they can look for help in two of the main cities in Ecuador: Quito and Guayaquil.

There is another blog under the same name as the one previously mentioned. Hogar: Lugar seguro? is written by William Zea Morales. With a compilation of testimonials, he explains why 6 out of 10 women in Ecuador have suffered physical, physicological or sexual violence from their partners. The following is the story of Isabela, a 54-year old woman:

Lo conocí en la playa el 30 de noviembre de 1994 (2 días antes del cumpleaños de mi niña). Él me confesó su amor, escribió su nombre y el mío en una palmita. Iniciamos el noviazgo y me sentía feliz pues él era muy detallista . La primera señal me la dio una vez cuando me preguntó si yo podía ser su puta. Me indigné y dijo que era broma. Nos casamos en su país de origen, en Europa. A partir de ahí la historia cambió. Me hizo abandonar mis negocios, por lo que yo tenía que pedirle dinero para todo y él me humillaba cada vez que se lo pedía. Me hizo alejarme de mis hijos pues le molestaba que me visitaran. Me llamaba chopa y me decía que yo estaba engordando. El día que cumplimos cinco años de casados me votó de la casa y me dijo: “Ya tú estás pagada”. Busqué ayuda profesional y hoy soy una mujer nueva.

I met him at the beach on November 30, 1994 (2 days before my daughter's birthday). He said he was in love with me, then he wrote his name and mine on a small palm tree. We started dating and I felt happy because he was very detailed-orientated. The very first sign came after he asked me if I could be his bitch. I was shocked and he said it was a joke. We married in his home country in Europe. From there the story changed. He made me leave my business, so I had to ask for any money for everything and he humiliated me every time it was requested. He made me distance myself from my children since he was bothered they visited me. He called me derogatory names and told me that I was getting fat. On our 5th wedding anniversary, he threw me out of the house telling me: “You're already paid for.” I sought professional help and today I am a new woman.

Prevención de Violencia Intrafamiliar, Guayaquil [es] didn't receive an award, but was recognized with the First Honorable Mention. The blog is written by Juan Robles Chang , a psychologist, and he comments about the different approaches and the theories of the prevention of domestic violence as a science. He offers some pictures of the dialogue as International Day against Child Abuse took place back in November 2008.

These blogs are helping Ecuadorians not to remain silence regarding domestic abuse.

0 comments · read »

Turkey: Prime Minister Storms out of Davos Hearing

Deborah Ann Dilley · 23:41 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → it · fr · es · zhs · zht

A funny thing happened at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week, Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed off the stage after a verbal scuffle with Israeli President Shimon Peres. The initial incident stemmed from Prime Minister Erdogan not being allowed enough time to respond to Peres' comments on the current war in Gaza. Reactions from the Turkish blogosphere have been varied: some gave the Prime Minister a “hero's welcome” when he returned to the country, some wonder how this will effect Turkey's foreign and domestic policies, and some just think that it was bad behavior.

A Hero's Welcome
Many Turkish bloggers posted photos of Turkish citizens celebrating the reaction of Prime Minister Erdogan at the Davos Forum, and crowds of people went to the airport to herald the his return. Erkan's Field Diary notes the euphoria best:

As of tonight, Erdoğan becomes a political legend….
Whatever the diplomatic consequences of Erdoğan's reaction (or whether it is right or wrong) in the Davos panel, he becomes a legend for masses.
Thousands are driving to Atatürk Airport to welcome PM Erdoğan's arrival at the moment…. Now I hear that subway services are extended to 3 am so that people can go to airport…
Apart from hard core anti-AKP citizens, and retired diplomats whose minds belong to Cold War era, who immediately reacted negatively, we try to understand the situation.
* at one level, it is a matter of pride. Turkey's PM stood against disrespect.

Foreign/Domestic Policy Implications
The Republic of Turkey has always had good relations with Israel, and still does even after the diplomatic outburst, but the situation has lead many to wonder whether this means a major divergence from former foreign policy positions, and what this means for domestic policy. The White Path weighs in:

The last time I saw such a tense public sentiment was the early 1990s, when Bosnians were subjected to “ethnic cleansing” by Serbian nationalists. The situation in Gaza was more complex, to be sure, but it was perceived in Turkey as something similar to the slaughter of Muslims in the Balkans.
Therefore, it wasn't a surprise to see the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan say harsh words against Israel. He was just mirroring the public sentiment. And this was more than populism, as some could ascribe to a politician who is on the eve of local elections. Mr. Erdoğan was sincere in his feelings. When he visited a group of wounded Palestinians that were brought to an Ankara hospital, people noticed tears in his eyes.
….
But while strong emotions are worthy of respect, diplomacy more so needs nuance and deliberation. And those are not the highest qualities of Mr. Erdoğan. He is rather known to be a man who minces no words and, as he put himself, who thinks “anger is a rhetorical art.” So, as he has done many times before on many other issues, including domestic ones, he sounded unbalanced — and even pro-Hamas. As Sedat Ergin, the editor-in-chief of daily Milliyet, put it in these pages yesterday, his whole Gaza rhetoric was “problematic.”

Talk Turkey, while encouraging others to watch the proceedings to see the whole context of the argument leading to the walkout, did point out how comments made by the Prime Minister of Turkey in response to the current war in Gaza show some hypocrisy in Turkey's current policies:

But the real issue was the criticism of Israel's killing of children recently. Israel, on the other hand, claims that if terrorists are targeting you on a daily basis, it leaves you with no choice but to hit back.

Isn't Turkey being hypocritical as it fights its own war on terror with the PKK, the militant faction of the Kurdish independence movement?

Then again, there's a big difference when it comes to indifference of killing innocent civilians versus killing innocent civilians who happen to be children.

Narrator discusses the silver lining for Turkey in this diplomatic situation:

The only silver lining regarding what happened in Davos last week is that President Obama may now start seriously considering Turkey as the country that he will pick to make a major speech addressing the Islamic world. The reason is simple. After the drama in Davos, Turkey has won the hearts and minds of 1.3 billion Muslims. Erdoğan's behavior made him an instant global hero in the eyes of all Muslims, who were bitterly frustrated with the Israeli onslaught against Gaza that ended up killing 1,300 people, half of them innocent civilians. As of last week, the Palestinian cause and Turkey became one — and all of this is thanks to the larger than life personality of Prime Minister Erdoğan. Whether the pro-Israel lobby likes it or not, President Obama is sophisticated enough to recognize these dynamics in selecting the country where he will make his speech to the Islamic world.

Bad Behavior
While many Turks celebrated the Prime Minister's actions, others condemned him for what they saw as bad behavior. From Internations Musings:

Turkish PM Erdogan doesn’t like critical journalists. People know that in Turkey and some European countries - especially after Erdogan’s bargaining and blackmailing last week in Brussels regarding the EU accession talks. But yesterday, while talking at a forum in Davos, people around the world could observe a statesman who lost his temper again when he left the stage, full of anger, after he was denied more time to speak about the crisis in Gaza. The moderator was David Ignatius of the Washington Post. Witty, smart and provocative. And he, Erdogan, has to deal with that. Nit-picking journalists are everywhere. How does he think to survive when Turkey joins the EU? There is nothing wrong with showing your emotions but there is definitely something wrong with insulting countries and presidents of countries that are supporting you. And of course he showed the same old rhetoric all over again: ‘they didn’t show respect for me’ and ‘I defend Turkish honour’…in my opinion you don't defend your honour by putting someone else down.

Carpetblogger comments on how the Prime Minister's behavior was a disservice to Turkey and the role that it could have had in negotiating peace in the Middle East:

A Turk gesturing on behalf of oppressed Palestinians is about as politically courageous as an American advocating for a “democratic transition” in Belarus: There's absolutely nothing at stake and everyone gets to feel good about themselves. Turkey has no aggrieved Palestinians occupying valuable political real estate. There's no chance of instability on its borders. And, it has a population (definitely not a tribe) that needs no excuse to wave flags and express outrage at perceived slights. We don't see any downsides to Erdoğan's outburst except, oh, perhaps a missed opportunity for Turkey to serve as a levelheaded mediator in the conflict, something that could actually help the Palestinians! Maalasef.

Did Prime Minister Erdogan react in a way that will benefit Turkey and its role in the Middle East? It is a good question, and one that might be answered in the next few months, or it just might be a situation that becomes an interesting anecdote in the annals of diplomatic disagreements.

More on Global Voices Online:

Egypt: Erdoğan, Leader of the World

6 comments · read »

“Obama” gets a tummy ache while visiting Manila

Mong Palatino · 23:31 · East Asia

lingua → pt · es · mg

Watch this short video first:

This was a Philippine TV ad which appeared last month. It featured the lookalikes of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and United States President Barack Obama. For those who don't understand the Filipino language, Random Detoxification provides an English translation of the ad:

Obama: Thank you for a lovely dinner.

GMA: Oh, we're not done yet. Try our kare-kare. It's ox. [Kare-kare is a Filipino soup that combines oxtail and vegetables.]

Obama: Okay, sure.

GMA: Guinataang mais! It's corn. But we use our coconut. [Guinataang Mais is a sweetish Filipino delicacy made of corn kernels cooked in coconut milk. When GMA says “we use our coconut”, she refers to the mind.]

Obama: Oh, alright.

[Obama looks pained, and utters a grunt.]

GMA: Oh my gosh, that's impatso na. Dispepsya yan no. Ang dami mo kasing kinakain no. Ang Motilium, bilis! [Oh my gosh, that is indigestion already. That's dispepsia! You ate so much, that's why! Get Motilium, hurry!]

[Obama is served the medicine, and he takes it.]

GMA: The impatso will disappear in thirty minutes, no?

[Obama buttons up his tuxedo.]

GMA: Kapeng baracks? [She's referring to the Kape Barako she's serving. Kape Barako is a kind of coffee grown in the Philippines.]

[The two smile and shake hands for the cameras.]

Aside from obvious reasons, the ad is funny for Filipinos because President Arroyo has been “snubbed” by Obama on two occasions. She was trying to call Obama to congratulate him on his electoral victory last November but Obama didn’t return her call.

In this ad, “Obama” didn’t just return the call; he accepted a dinner invitation in Malacanang Palace, the Philippines’ presidential house.

What are the reactions of Filipino bloggers? Menard writes:

“I always thought that Barack Obama is distancing himself with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but I guess I was wrong. The video report tells us that President-Elect Barack Obama sneaked into Malacañang, Manila over the weekend to have coffee with Madam Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.”

Cathy was first incensed with the print ad:

“When I first saw the print ad for this campaign I was sort of incensed. How could they do that to President-elect Obama?! BUT…after seeing it in the full context of this TV ad, I was rolling stitches! Congratulations to the ad agency who thought of this really funny and effective campaign :)”

needle in a heisstack also likes the commercial:

“Every time I see President Obama now I can't help but remember the silly and extremely hilarious TV commercial that premiered on local TV last December.

“I seldom like local commercials because most of them are crap, but this one is pure genius and is just so damned funny that it made me laugh nonstop. The first time I saw it, I went, “WTF???” and burst out laughing at the same time. My sister also sent me a YouTube link to it on that same day, and I wasted no time spreading the link to others.”

The star of the ad is Ilham Anas, an Indonesian magazine photographer, who has been dubbed as the “Asian Obama.” The 34-year old photographer is now a celebrity because of his “similarity” with Obama.

While filming the commercial, Anas made some sidetrips in Manila. He visited call center offices (Business Process Outsourcing industry) to the surprise and delight of young office workers. Chuvaness posts pictures:

obama

obama2

obama3

The call center visit was symbolic because the Philippine BPO industry is afraid that the real Obama might “take some of the outsource jobs back to America.”

Anas is gaining popularity in Indonesia. Multibrand writes:

“I felt very happy that we have Ilham Anas who has been able to make people, in Indonesia & abroad, laugh to see that his face is similar to Obama. I hope that the ‘real' Obama would also be able to bring happiness to people around the world, especially in Indonesia.”

3 comments · read »

Serbia: Pescanik's Web Site Down, Radio Broadcast Disrupted, Editor's Car Destroyed

Sinisa Boljanovic · 22:50 · Eastern & Central Europe

lingua → es · it

A few days ago, Serbian web site www.pescanik.net was taken down and the weekly radio broadcast of the same name was disrupted. Also, the car of Svetlana Lukic, one of two Pescanik's editors, was destroyed.

Jovana Gec, an Associated Press writer, published this article - “Attackers disrupt liberal radio show in Serbia” - on Jan. 28, in which she wrote about the incidents and explained that the weekly show was “very popular with pro-Western Serbs” and ran “interviews with liberal intellectuals as well as critics of Serbia's conservative elite and the hardline Serbian Orthodox Church.”

Srdja Popovic, a famous Belgrade lawyer, wrote on web site Radna soba:

Firstly, what is Pescanik?

Pescanik is an NGO which has two members, two journalists: Svetlana Lukic and Svetlana Vukovic. They've been producing for 9 years 90-minute-long broadcasts. They are making this broadcast absolutely free and give it to radio B92 to broadcast it weekly, on Friday, and repeat it on Saturday. The broadcast is heard by 350,000-400,000 people every week.

Afterwards, they transcribe the broadcast and they publish a book every three months. The books have been printed in 26,000 copies so far. The books were sold by the price of the production or were given free on promotions. The promotions are organized on the tribunes in 30 cities a year all over Serbia. As of now, 354 broadcasts have been aired and 300 of them were copied on DVD. They are distributed all over Serbia in the same way.

Since last year, Pescanik has its own web site www.pescanik.net. On the site, Pescanik's contributors publish their articles about politics, above all European integration and attitudes toward war crimes, about society and culture. […]

The Pescanik broadcast always starts with an editorial by Svetlana Lukic.

In the last, 354th broadcast, she talked about the events from last week. In the focus of those events was, it seems, untouchable president of the republic. Editorial writer found fault with the following:

that he was the only one in the world who didn't congratulate president Barack Obama;
that he isolated Serbia and raised a new iron curtain;
that support of European integration has decreased by 6% in the last 7 months, the time that this pro-European government exists;
that he, thanks to his student, the foreign minister, accuses the EU that it puts special cases to Serbia for admission (we want in the European Union but they don't want us);
that he usurps competences which don't belong to him according to the Constitution;
that he doesn't make anything in order that Serbia supports the European Parliament's resolution according to which July 11 would be proclaimed as the Day of Victims of Genocide in Srebrenica;
that he, thanks to eminent members of his party (Dragoljub Micunovic), deceives the Serbian public that the International Court of Justice has acquitted Serbia from responsibility for genocide.

And look, a miracle!

Because of some inexplicable disruptions on multiple transmitters during the Pescanik broadcast on Friday, January 23, and during the repetition on Saturday, January 24, many people from Vojvodina, central and south Serbia and Belgrade couldn't hear this editorial as well as most of the broadcast.

Biljana Srbljanovic, a famous Serbian playwright, reactivated her B92 blog and, among other things, published on it a letter by Petar Lukovic, editor of e-novine web site. The letter was sent to president Boris Tadic. In it, Lukovic wrote:

[…] However, dear President Tadic, the problem which relates to Pescanik exceeded only internal media borders; disruption of this broadcast irresistibly reminds us of the time of “famous” Slobodan Milosevic, when numerous secret services had the task to control, stop, or disrupt broadcasts; today, when the slogan “Tadic is Serbia” has turned into a national doctrine, there is no reason that I turn to you from this virtual space - through e-novine - (which, by the way, you don't read) and remind you of a just few facts.

In the disrupted broadcast, an editorial by Svetlana Lukic was dedicated to you; the fact that only you, as well as Putin and Hamas, didn't congratulate Barack Obama on his election as U.S. President, had to be commented upon, as well as the fact that support for European integration in Serbia has significantly decreased at the time of your “pro-European government”, as you like to say. […]

[…] What happened, exceptional President, is what happened: no one could hear the repetition of Pescanik because the disruption worked perfectly. The site still doesn't work - thousands of hackers are working to keep the site from becoming available anymore. It's the most interesting that we can read, not just in e-novine, but in many different forums, that Boris Tadic is behind this action. […]

Condor commented on B92 forum:

[…] I don't believe that Tadic has ordered attacks on the site, disruption of Pescanik broadcast and destroying of Svetlana's car - but he made it possible and believable. […]

1 comment · read »

China: Shoe Hurled at Premier Wen Sparks Fury

Bob Chen · 22:48, February 2nd, 2009 · East Asia

lingua → es · it · zhs · zht · de

Shoes thrown at a leader, but not G.W Bush this time

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was greeted by a shoe thrown at him during his speech in Cambridge University, England. The lecture was about building harmonic international relations.

The protester hurled a shoe at Wen, yelling, “How can the university prostitute itself with this dictator? How can you listen to these lies?” He then blew the whistle, and was shortly removed by security. The London Times described him as a “young, Western-looking man with dark hair”, a possible pro-Tibet or human rights activist.

Wen came back to his lecture soon, commenting on what happened: “this despicable behavior cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the U.K.”

Wen's speech in Cambridge is one part of his 5-day European visit. The trip is considered an effort to repair the relationship with Europe which was damaged by Tibet riots and protests during the Olympic torch relays. On the other hand, with a stable and strong, though slightly slowed economic growth, China is trying to exert its influence and signal friendship in a time of global financial crisis.

Wen's lecture is also a call against protectionism, which may greatly undermine China's export-oriented economy. Wen has criticized the U.S and some enterprises for the cause of the crisis, blaming them as irresponsible and immoral.

France is not on the Wen's visit schedule. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, met with the Dalai Lama last year, which was considered a particularly unfriendly action by Chinese.

Protests accompanied Wen during his visit, most of them concerning issues about Tibet.

Pissed off by the shoe

Unlike the way many Americans reacted to their former president Mr. Bush's embarrassment in Iraq, it seems that this time the shoe thrown to Wen has really pissed off a great many people.

In Xiaonei, the Chinese copy of facebook, a post named “Britain, do you still wanna play?” showed up shortly after the incident. It aggregates a few furious comments.

吕洋 Ivan, a Xiaonei user, commented:

操他妈的藏独个王八羔子，早知道今天没课跟丫们干仗去，看谁鞋多。别忘了砸布什的鞋都是made in china的.

F–k Tibet-separatists, I'd go fighting with you jerks if I had known I had no class today. Let's see who has more shoes. Don't ever forget that the shoes that flew at Bush are both made in China.

In DWnews, an independent media publication, someone, obviously reminded of Bush, commented:

没有创意。

No creativity.

And another netizen followed:

呼吁人肉搜索，把肇事者暴露出来！

Call for human flesh search engine, find the man out!

On Youtube, the video gathered a group of comments written in both English and Chinese.

guanchyun applauded for Wen

没给中国人丢脸，牛

You don't lose face for Chinese, cool!

qujiahe felt sorry for Wen

这么慈祥一老头都被扔鞋，剑桥那哥们脑子坏了么

Even so benign an old man was thrown by a shoe. The guy in Cambridge has his brain going wrong?

ddream777 commented in English

Shame on this jerk. And it's such an ugly shame the Cambridge lecture hall is as sacred as a Baghdad tent.

siuhuen said:

Answer to your question - Cambridge Uni invited the Chinese PM.
Such a shame though - one student threw a shoe at the speaker just becoz he has a different political view, and the respect the entire world has for Cambridge Uni just came tumbling down.

But Jianghua2 replied to the comment above:

siuhuen, inviting Wen Jiabao to this university already lowered it s respect, come on CCP is known for it s genocide tendencies. Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao are both responsible for crimes against Humanity in China and Tibet (if you believe is not part of China). So Campbridge lost all it s honor already!

And in Xiaonei, not everyone is so much indignant. User 张胜蓝 commented on the news:

难道只能布什给人扔鞋子，轮到温家宝就气愤了？

So only can Bush be thrown with shoes? And when it's Wen's turn, we turn out to be so furious?

另外温家宝那番话讲得也太官话，这样都热烈鼓掌？怀疑剑桥里面都是些什么人……

And Wen's reply to the incident is all too official. Even clap for this? I doubt who are those in Cambridge.

Regardless of how the internet and overseas media react to the shoe, however, the state-media covered up the news determinedly. In discussion boards and blog servers, also, nothing related to the incident can be found. It seems as if the shoe has never been thrown in this harmonic world.

Follow-up: After a short time of black-out, the authority is likely to have approved the report on the incident on Chinese media. The delay can be interpreted as a necessary time for the top officials to assess the situation and public opinion, in order to determine in what way the story be told.

94 comments · read »

Trinidad & Tobago: The Bailouts Begin

Janine Mendes-Franco · 20:42 · Americas

The global financial crisis hit home in the Caribbean last Friday when it was announced that regional giant CL Financial, a conglomerate that was reputedly responsible for generating as much as 25% of Trinidad and Tobago's annual GDP with interests ranging from life insurance to methanol production, was in crisis. As the government scrambled to save the day with a bailout, bloggers were already commenting on the potential impact of the massive financial faux pas…

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog republished the statement made by the Governor of the Central Bank and provided a number of mainstream media links to the story. Meanwhile, The Liming House was all over the story as it broke, as was Keith in Trinidad, who attended the official press conference and posted the latest on Twitter. The Liming House also made sure to republish the official CMMB press release, which attempted to assure clients that their investments were safe.

Triniadian diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch thought the bailout made sense, but still had a concern - one that was apparently shared by former Governor of the Central Bank, Winston Dookeran, now head of the political party Congress of the People:

Clico has so many assets, so many fingers extending to so many pies that the effect of its collapse will be felt throughout the economy. It makes a certain sense to support Clico and try to hold on to assets, jobs etc.

However, I can’t help feel that there [are] certain things going on behind the scene[s] that we will never know about. Especially considering the relationship [that] PNM treasurer Andre Monteil has with Clico.

Barbadian bloggers were also quite interested in the story. Trinidadian journalist-turned-blogger B.C. Pires, who now resides in Barbados, was among the first to comment:

THE INTERNET is turning out this morning to be the equivalent of the telephone during the 1990 coup attempt.

But the rumours about Clico Investment Bank – some of them circulating for a decade now – this morning turned out to be true. The government and/or Central Bank have moved swiftly to guarantee depositors’ funds – but I want to believe that someone is going to move just as quickly to demand ‘equal treatment' for the Hindu Credit Union, don’t mind it is in receivership.

Barbados Free Press also weighed in:

The government of Trinidad & Tobago is refusing to say how much money it is giving to bail out the CL Financial Group and CLICO, but the estimated liabilities amount to US$16 Billion dollars.

Yes, BILLION with a ‘B'.

The blog stated its suspicions that very soon, “CLICO and associated companies will be asking the [Barbadian] Prime Minister to give your tax money to a company that has an estimated 100 billion dollars in assets, but has run out of cash.”

BFP also questioned the timing of a public “gift” from the company:

“A few days before the CLICO crisis was announced, newspaper accounts say that CLICO ‘gave' land for a daycare centre and a school to Barbados. Pardon us for being a bit cynical if we point out that this ‘gift to the people' came only two days before Parrish and company announced that they were the recipients of taxpayer bailouts and guarantees that probably total hundreds of millions if not more.

Barbados Underground was of the opinion that the CL Financial bailout could have implications for Barbados:

Back in July 2007 we hinted our concerns that Trinidad and Tobago had become the hegemonist of the Caribbean. At the time former Prime Minister Owen Arthur with lead for CSME matters seemed prepared to expose Barbadian companies to the highest bidder. The Arthur approach fitted well with the Port of Spain expansionist strategy given their cash rich position derived from a petro-based economy operating in a bullish global petro-market. The end result is that our largest conglomerate BS&T, our Barbados National Bank and other home-spun entities were gobbled-up by Trinidad investors. While the advantages of the Arthur strategy made a good economic argument BU has always been concerned about our ability to cope with the downside of such a strategy i.e. the mitigation of risk associated with the heavy concentration of Trinidadian ownership in a small Barbados market.

Despite the concern of the rest of the region, however, the drama is primarily being played out against Trinidad and Tobago's economic backdrop, a fact that has not eluded This Beach Called Life:

Could the failure of the Trinidad and Tobago conglomerate CL Financial, the largest financial group in the Caribbean, be the tip of the financial crisis in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean? Is the financial Titanic about to hit? If citizens are asking what they are going to get for the multibillion dollar Government bailout of CL the answer would be a financial system which has not collapsed. If people are asking why no beefed-up laws were passed to regulate CL Financial when the Central Bank became concerned about their high risk ventures since 2004, the answer would be who knows.

Despite the economic uncertainty, the blogger seemed to have his head on his shoulders:

As ludicrous as it seems right now, the best thing the public could do is be concerned but party. People should leave the financial institutions alone and let the regulators do what has to be done. This is one time where don’t worry be happy might work. The other banks in Trinidad and Tobago are stable and we were told the others never went into those high-risk ventures that CL Financial was prone to undertake. The problem with high-risk financial institutions is that most of the people who invested in them were ignorant to how high risk the ventures were and made the decision to invest based on a glossy brochure an/or an insurance agent - the two least credible sources of the truth.

As the truth continues to unfold, one thing is certain: bloggers across the region will be talking about it.

8 comments · read »