Prime Minister Owen Arthur delivered the country from the suspense which it has been griped for weeks by announcing January 15, 2008 as the day Barbadians will go to the polls. Nomination Day will be December 31, 2007. In a much heralded press conference which was used by the media to boost advertising revenue, Arthur rang the bell to announce the upcoming general election loudly.
For most Barbadians who have not become completely apathetic, this general election will be one of the most interesting since Independence in 1966. Many factors have interacted to ensure that this will be the case:
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Many people still have a question mark about the ability of Leader of the Opposition David Thompson to lead Barbados
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What about the ‘tiredness factor’ which many blame on a third term government
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Let us not forget the significant overruns on major government projects at a time when the escalating cost of living is impacting many ordinary Barbadians
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Barbadians had to endure the embarrassing situation of the Mascoll/Thompson conflict which almost caused the country to implode and by extension threatened to rock the political stability of Barbados. How will they response given what they have had to endure?
Although the points above are by no means exhaustive, they provide a snapshot view of the many factors at play that will make this a most interesting general election.
We anticipate that the nature of the upcoming campaign will trigger, and we use the Prime Minister’s parlance, muscular debate and commentary. In anticipation of this, Barbados Underground will flip the switch that will moderate all comments from January 1, 2008.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.