The BU household was engaged in an animated conversation at the dinner table last night. We will not bother the BU family with all the details, but we felt there was a point made which provoked some passionate responses which we would share.
Many of us have observed that most leaders of countries are preoccupied with managing their public image. A big part of managing that public image is to project a ‘one big happy family’ picture. We have seen the First Family of the United States going one step further by adding a dog to the mix.
The meat of the dinner table discussion centred on how important is it for a leader of a country to have an immediate family which is percieved as ‘one big happy family’.
The BU household was reminded that the former Prime Minister Owen Arthur opted to patch his struggling marriage when he became Prime Minister. His estranged wife at the time was based in New York. When Arthur’s marriage to Beverly collapsed, he may have made the decision to marry his Executive Secretary Julie Price which based on subsequent events he had a long standing relationship before he became officially divorced. The marriage to Julie, the sudden appearance of his twenty one year old daughter, and there was the tragic event which we will courteously not mention, supports the argument that former Prime Minister Arthur was mindful of how important a ‘one big happy family’ approach was to sustaining his successful political career.
His counterpart at the time and current Prime Minister David Thompson has always projected family as being very important. We know that Prime Minister Thompson has for a long time adopted a program dubbed Family First which is established “in his beloved St. John, is a pioneering initiative that aims to re-establish and re-assert the family unit as the paramount and core constituent in the overall development of communities.”
The consensus around the dinner table was a family is important to project an image of security, stability etcetera. The public not only in Barbados but worldwide seems to value these qualities in a leader. Former President Bill Clinton of the United States sullied his family image by engaging in a sexual act in the White House. At the time Hillary Clinton, his wife, obviously had her eye on running for public office because because she willingly endured the embarrassment caused by her philandering husband.
The discussion reached its climax when the prospect of the next election in Barbados was tabled. If all the ‘actors’ remain the same , it will mean that Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley will have the opportunity to disprove the BU theory. It is public knowledge that Mia is of single status. Can Mia Mottley overcome that expectation which the public has that a leader should posses that ‘one big happy family’ image? It seems that she is trying to partially compensate for not having her own family because she has been seen in public with a dog! We are not sure if former Prime Minister Owen Arthur would be willing to give her a crash course in backyard gardening.
Unfortunately the BU family dinner had to come to an end at this point. No doubt we will get a chance soon to continue to discuss the importance of a family if a political leader wants to reach the pinacle. Can Mia secure the number one job in Barbados with single status?
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