Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

174 One newspaper editorial pointed out that, “The Bank has functioned through two different political administrations with the same management core. That says much for the integrity of the Central Bank. No one can seriously doubt now that the Central Bank has always acted in what it perceived to be the best overall interest of the country.” G. Arthur Brown, former governor of the Bank of Jamaica, supported this view in his remarks during the 10th Anniversary seminar when he said that the Bank’s signal contribution was the avoidance of economic disaster in Barbados. Commenting on The Economy of Barbados , the Bank’s 10th Anniversary publication, one writer described it as the Bank’s “most significant and lasting contribution to an understanding of a modern Barbados” and “a statement about the seriousness of the Bank's officers and their awareness of the needs, not only of professionals and students, but also of researchers in the future.” Another editorial in June 1982 noted, inter alia , that “The Bank ... has been able to keep its language simple and relatively free of jargon, which helps the layman to feel that the information is within his grasp.” It also praised the Bank for using “... traditional media outlets for conveying information as well as channels of its own.” The new Central Bank building The construction of its headquarters building in Church Village was at once the most ambitious and controversial project ever undertaken by the Bank. It attracted negative comments from early. For example, an article in a daily newspaper just after the Newspaper clipping of article by Muhammad Nassar calling on Governor Blackman to resign over the importation of chairs for the new Central Bank building.