Submitted by Austin
On the Barbados political stage there is a truly remarkable confluence of factors, which indicate an absence of the public’s voice on a wide range of issues facing our nation. The public has yet to hold government official accountable for delivering true reforms needed in response to these troubling time. We have been distracted by petty squabbles in parliament posted on a daily basis in the national news, which shift significant focus from the real issues facing our nation. All the while our economic and social issues get worst and worst as the days go by.
The current government was put in power largely to end years of fiscal misuse and a lack of focus on addressing the needs of the average Bajan family, vs. what was the status quo servicing of elites and big business.
The DLP to date has not been successful at staying the course detailed in pre-election campaign promises, and have been held hostage by the opposition wherever possible every step of the way. The DLP party needs to find a way to control the misguided opposition leadership and get down to the peoples business, as failure to do so will only impact their ability to face the public in the next election and make the same unfilled promises.
The opposition’s trickle down economic approach of the Arthur years has not worked, with the trickling stopping just short of average Bajan families. It did not worked in the US, nor will it work in Barbados, as time has showed.
The DLP has demonstrated that it can grab the line against the opposition, but lack strong leadership in many ministries to pull the line in their direction. The PM as the anchorman has not been effective at digging in and creating leverage for ministers on
the line to lead. On one side of the line the public is clear on what it needs, jobs and improved civil/social services. On the other side of the line the opposition party continues to throw sand in the faces of the DLP which has slowed the rate of national progress in these hard times.
As Obama did in the historic US election, the PM needs to develop a grassroots public campaign with active public involvement to hold opposition leaders accountable at the ballot box, since that seems to be so much of their focus. He needs to put them in clear position to face the public and explain their misguided old school form of thinking to many good ideas he has placed on our national agenda.
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