I hold no particular brief for Mia Mottley, but what Owen Arthur is doing to her is not right and definitely not fair. It appears that he set her up to fail and she has failed. Arthur handed over the leadership of the party to Mottley but never once gave her the guidance and support that she needed to break free of the tattered image that she brought to the helm of the organization.
He grudgingly handed over the gavel but never once, it would appear, wished her well in that position. Now, 18 months later, the issue of leadership in the party is no more settled than it was at the beginning of the journey and all of a sudden, Arthur has sprung to life. Arthur spoke for 45 minutes last Sunday, but again, never once said that he was supporting Mottley or that he was committed to her success.
She in turn, did not wish to offend him two weeks ago, so she il-advisedly conceded that she trails him in popularity and appeal. I would never have advised her to do that. Frankly, I think it was a response to the recent poll not befitting a person of Mottley’s vast political experience.
I do not know where the BLP train is headed, but I would advise any friend or relative of mine to jump off. There is no way I can see Mia Mottley being ousted from the leadership of the Barbados Labour Party and remaining quiet and dignified. She is no David Thompson. She will not walk away and lick her wounds. I predict that if she were to be ousted from the leadership of that party, she would “brek it up”. Frankly, she would have all rights to, because she was not given a fair chance. Arthur never gave her the support that a former leader should have offered.
I have my doubts as to whether she would have done any better than she did in terms of image and appeal, but that does not take away from the fact that Arthur should have been there for her. He stood away from Parliament. He stood away from Roebuck Street. He kept his hidden kitchen cabinet operating and never once endorsed or supported any of the battles that she waged. The fact that I believe Mottley is unsuited to lead Barbados now or anytime in the foreseeable future is irrelevant to the discussion. She was appointed and anointed leader and she should have been supported by all in and around the party.
Frankly, I do not understand how and why thinking citizens would seek to distinguish Arthur from Mottley when it comes to leadership. They are one and the same, when it comes to leadership style and approach. Persons seem to forget that Mottley was a heartbeat away from the leadership of Barbados during the past two terms. That there was a period in the first half of the current decade when Arthur spent more time away from Barbados than he did in the land and where Mottley chaired the Cabinet of Barbados and led the troops in Parliament for weeks unending.
All the arrows that can and has been pointed in the direction of Owen Arthur can easily be pointed in the direction of Mottley. She was his sidekick in many respects. They are a political Siamese.
The Gems financial fiasco occurred with Arthur and Mottley at the helm. The $750 million in cost overruns racked up by the former BLP government came about under the twin-headed leadership of Arthur and Mottley. The ABC Highway scandal that has now come back to haunt and hurt Barbadian taxpapers is the product of the genius of Arthur and Mottley. The embarrassments that are today UDC, RDC, Invest Barbados, NHC, an over-priced, hard to use Kensington Oval, the prison at Dodds, the office complex at Warrens, the millions of dollars in unserviceable equipment brought in by a mutual friend and a host of other infelicities, the details of which will be made public in the fullness of time, were all done with the full knowledge and sanction of Arthur and Mottley.
How is it today that people are seeking to make a distinction? There is no difference between what Arthur did and what Mottley would do. All that Mottley knows she learnt at the feet of Arthur. Therefore just what the electorate rejected in January, 2008 is precisely what they would receive were Mottley to assume the reins of government any time soon. Actually it would be all that and whatever other embarrassments that come naturally with her ascendency to higher office.
From when is the Barbados Labour Party so “poor rakey” that it has to look back to go forward? Following the defeat of Bernard St. John in 1971, it looked to Tom Adams in 1976. It had the likes of Henry Forde, L.B Brathwaite and then young turks like Louis Tull, Billie Miller, David Simmons, Richard Cheltenham and that generation in its armor, but it went for the then fresh and unblemished Tom Adams. In 1991, following the defeat of Henry Forde it worked around the aforementioned remnants of the great combination and chose Arthur. Now today, in 2009, it finds itself so bereft of talent that in going forward it is looking to the same rejected leadership of 2008 to propel it towards 2013.
What does this say of the likes of Marshall, Mascoll and the host of new faces it introduced in the last general elections? What truth are they admitting about the new candidates they have sprung upon the electorate in the past 12 months? Aren’t any of them leadership material?
In 1987, long before David Thompson had penned his name to a nomination paper, the country knew that here was a future leader of Barbados. The same applied to Errol Barrow in the 1950s and Richie Haynes in the 1970s. We saw in them, what we wanted in future leaders. Mia Mottley has been in the forefront of national leadership for the past 20 years and today, in the year of our Lord 2009, is being touted as a person with leadership potential who needs to be nurtured and given a chance. Give me an asprin!
What more chance does Mia Mottley require? That name alone is supposed to bring with it certain pedigree. She is a third generation politician. She served for several years as Deputy Prime Minister. Her face is known to many, her lips are known to more. Her tongue is legendary. She is a former Attorney General and a Queens Counsel. What then is preventing her from being a natural, logical choice for future leadership of Barbados? Could it be that Barbadians do not have a mirror image of Mia Mottley when they focus on the type of leadership that’s good for this country?
And what of Owen Arthur? He was given a chance over several others back in 1994. He did a relatively good job initially, but, like most short men, power got to his head. He became arrogant, vindictive and spiteful. His economic genius, when finally tested, netted very poor results. He has left a legacy of economic destruction, with hardly a profitable public enterprise and no social safety net to protect the poor and vulnerable. Is Arthur really ready to stand in the political dock and have his charge sheet read out? I think not!
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