Two politicos who shadow the Ministry of Housing have both come to the same conclusion about Dwight Sutherland’s tenure as Minister of Housing and Lands and Maintenance – that he was a dismal failure.
In swift responses to the announcement yesterday that Sutherland had stepped down from the Ministry, Senator Ryan Walters, the Democratic Labour Party’s spokesperson on housing, business and energy and Ricardo Harrison, spokesperson on housing for the Friends of Democracy, both spoke of what they deemed to be many failed housing projects under the Minister’s belt.
Walters, who had recently criticised Sutherland when he announced that the Ministry was embarking on an industrial approach to housing instead of the artisanal approach used for many years, said the DLP had “consistently drawn attention to numerous shortfalls, inefficiencies, and mishaps within the Ministry of Housing”.
He said: “I don’t have to list all, but several major failures immediately come to mind: the $60 million HOPE fiasco, which left many would-be homeowners disillusioned; the $27 million cost overruns tied to the controversial importation of steel frame homes; the unrealistic and ultimately unfulfilled promise of delivering 10 000 homes in five years; and the slew of legal challenges now facing the Ministry due to alleged breaches of contract and broken commitments. These are not minor stumbles.”
He added: “Instead of transparency and strategic planning, we’ve witnessed political grandstanding, poor execution, and a lack of accountability. Sadly, unlike the former minister, Bajans cannot so easily walk away from the consequences of his failure.”
Stressing that it was time for the Ministry to be repositioned and refocussed on its original mandate of providing affordable housing to Bajans through the National Housing Corporation, Walters stated: “Our people deserve more than empty promises; they deserve action, transparency, and homes they can afford.” Harrison called Sutherland the “worst Minister of Housing” in recent years.
“Barbadians have been greeted with the news that the Minister of Housing the Honourable Dwight Sutherland has tendered his resignation from the Cabinet. Of the four Ministers of Housing during the last seven years he has arguably been the worst. He has overseen the failed HOPE project at Lancaster, St James; the failed housing project at Pool in St John and the collapsed housing project in Six Roads, St Philip.”
He added: “Minister Sutherland appears out of his depth and he will be best remembered for promising 10 000 houses in three years but thus far, Barbadians have only heard about 1 300 – their location unclear.” (MB)
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