Submitted by Yardbroom
It is appropriate to review the performance of the DLP Government after one year in office and an “honest” assessment must conclude that they have “done well.” You may think that the above statement demonstrates political partisanship on my part, that is not the case. The words indicated – done well – were spoken by the previous Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt Hon Owen Arthur at a recent well attended public meeting at Alma Parris Secondary School in Major Walk St. Peter, as reported in the Nation Newspaper on 5-1-2009.
In recent weeks I said the DLP Administration is doing well and was taken to task by a few bloggers, for making as they said, a ridiculous statement. Now that Mr Owen Arthur has come to the same conclusion and made the point in a public speech. Perhaps some bloggers even if grudgingly will have to admit that Prime Minister Thompson and his cabinet, backed by a group of very competent members of Parliament have got Barbados on track again.
It is only fair to state that Mr Arthur did add a “rider,” that being the “policies” used in the first year by the DLP were those of the BLP…I am inclined to let that go, Governments are about outcomes.
The main point which cannot be denied is that this DLP Administration under the excellent leadership of Prime Minister Thompson has got to grips with some of the issues which bedevilled Barbados prior to the last general election. Mr Arthur will not agree with me I am sure, but there is a lot more which is good to come from this Administration and it does not matter with what degree of reluctance, people will ultimately accept the quality of this Administration’s governance.
When you are praised by an opponents; particularly one who said they would not like your party to ever be in government in Barbados again…that is praise indeed. There was no reason for Mr Arthur to speak the “truth” but that he did to my mind signifies some generosity of spirit. I applaud him unreservedly.
When those bloggers and there are a few who continue to post that the DLP Government have been ineffective in their first year. I would just direct them to the comments of out previous Prime Minister Mr Owen Arthur as he has a different take on the situation.
The catastrophe that was envisaged by some with this DLP Administration, has not materialised, a great disappointment to a few but there is great benefit to the citizens of Barbados. The disappointed few and others have instigated a new agenda on the blogs and other places, it has started to gather legs and though of unsteady gait they have been free with their comments. Implicit in the comments being made are that some would like this Administration to fail, if only to prove that they were right and no mistakes were made in the last 14 years of the BLP Government.
In tandem with this belief of right there is a pseudo intellectualism which scatters itself along the lines we are intellectuals; we know what is right for “you” the plebeians. These latter day patricians who show disfavour for those whose grammar they deem not up to scratch or whose writing style they abhor and publicly make it known to intimidate…claim to speak for the common man, they do not.
If a common man modestly clothed in the raiment of a beggar should stand at the top of Broad Street shouting ungrammatical “truth” that truth is not negated because it is from the mouth of such a modest person or because of its grammatical worth…”truth” it still is; and do not let pseudo intellectuals infer otherwise, or try to intimidate the “common people” into silence.
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