Dear Sir, please accept this apology, on behalf of all Barbadians, for the conduct of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament two days ago. Indeed, Sir, I would wish to apologize on Ms. Mottley’s behalf as well. Sir, believe me when I say, no offence was intended. The lady leader is under immense pressure. Owen Arthur is about to make his move…and she can sense danger. Mottley is honestly not in control of her political faculties as this time. By the way, Sir, please forgive and forget George Payne. He is a Political bantamweight, not worthy of note.
Mr. Speaker, I wrote last week that the boycott of Parliament had precious little to do with the so-called gun issue and absence of a firearms policy. So afraid was Mottley for her life, that, still in the absence of a gun policy, she walked straight back into Parliament last Tuesday and picked a fight. Interestingly, also, so important was this issue of a firearms policy that it was not even mentioned during the period she spent in the chamber. I insist therefore that that staying away from Parliament last week was nothing more and nothing less than political grandstanding, born out of a desire to prove herself ‘man enough’ to fight and to lead her party.
The ‘cold pone’ fight on Tuesday last was also another staged event, designed to show, not you Mr. Speaker, but Owen Arthur and his supporters in the Barbados Labour Party, who is boss and who is not afraid to stand up and fight. It was also a strategic move to avoid having to debate that $28 million in free money given by the Owen Arthur administration to Carnival Destiny.
Mr. Speaker, you must appreciate that you were merely caught in the cross fire of an ongoing battle for the leadership of the BLP. Time is running out on Mottley. The candidate selection process in the party is so far going Arthur’s way, but he has to give himself enough time to heal the party from the fall out that will come as a result of the takeover.
Arthur initially adopted an adversarial posture, where he absented himself from parliament and most party activities and essentially ‘hung Mottley out to dry’. Together with his public berating of her, her credibility and her morality, he set the stage for a hostile takeover. However, this did not sit well with many party elders and Arthur was forced to change tactic. Persons in positions of influence within the BLP have made clear that they would support a leadership challenge only if and when it could be said that Arthur gave his full support and guidance to his successor.
Therefore, it is in this context that Arthur’s new political lease on life must be viewed. He has gone from not speaking to or even sharing a platform with Mottley to hugging and kissing her on every occasion they meet. The weekly spectacle of their warm embraces is as ridiculous as his taking pictures doing gardening in the lead up to the last general elections. Neighbors say not before or since have they seen him anywhere near a garden, and that the said area is now overrun by bush.
Therefore Sir, what you saw in Parliament last Tuesday was nothing more than a continuation of the cat and mouse game these two are playing. Arthur is now breathing down Mottley’s neck. He is on her like white on rice. He has her nervous. She has continuously to do and say things that project her as a worthy leader of the party. Thus, the grandstanding last Tuesday of calling a boycott of parliament and the shouting match with you, Mr. Speaker, two days ago that brought the high standards of parliament into disrepute.
Where Mottley erred on this occasion was in forgetting that the proceedings were going live on radio and were being recorded on video. Her public relations people next door, quite correctly advised the need for damage control. Thus, her hastily called press conference to explain and justify her actions and her rushing on the call in programme to minimize the fall out. However, by Tuesday evening, when all Barbadians saw the awful display for themselves, these media shenanigans were rendered useless. The damage had been done!
Arthur, on the other hand, must be seething! He lost a golden opportunity to debate the economy, due to his having to tow the line and walk out in solidarity with his leader. Arthur, no doubt, went to Parliament last Tuesday to lock horns with the Governor of the Central Bank and other individuals whose public pronouncements on the economy vary somewhat from his. He would have ‘done the dog’ on that $200 million loan resolution. Arthur genuinely believes there is only one economist worthy of note in Barbados and that that person carries the middle name Seymour.
Therefore, the jury is out on how much longer Arthur can play the game of towing the line, in circumstances where he knows Mottley is messing up and the party’s image is getting worse.
But Mr. Speaker, next Tuesday promises even more fireworks. I am not sure that Dr. David Estwick needs to respond to allegations leveled against him by Dale Marshall. The public listened with interest and not even in his account of the incident, did Marshall mention what the propagandists in the BLP were suggesting actually happened. This matter, from listening only to Mr. Marshall’s version, was clearly much ado about nothing.
What’s of interest next Tuesday is the anticipated return of Hamilton Lashley to the chamber, after a bout of illness and bereavement over the loss of his brother. The opposition would have hoped that after absenting themselves from two sittings, the agony of having to sit through Hammie Lah’s likely statement under the head of Personal Explanations would have been avoided. But, alas, life for them will not be that easy.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I am not a member of parliament but permit me this opportunity to table two motions under Private Members Business. One pertains to the issue of the proliferation of lesbianism in schools and society and what ought to be done to curb the practice and the other relates to the introduction of breathalyzer tests for all Members entering Parliament and mounting public platforms.
Fear not, Mr. Speaker! I give you the assurance that, in the event of you disallowing debate on these motions, your ruling will be heard in absolute silence and it will not be questioned or criticized…because cowards know which fights to pick!
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