Submitted by Bajan Truth


The Late Honourable Prime Minister David Thompson, Combermerian

Legacy for sale, created by MEDIA CREATIONS LTD.  You do not actually have to do much, intent is as good as the deed. Talk about Families First, no programmes, no initiatives, no legislation, mention in a few speeches and it is legacy.  Talk about Barbados is for all of us and not a few, it is a society not just an economy and you have transformed the Barbadian landscape. Pass free busfares and free camps and apparently that is sufficient to have impacted the lives of Barbadians and lift them from out of poverty. Go to the Gaza and Red Sea attend a few dub fetes and the youth have become a champion of youth, an inspiration, a community worker par excellence that has powerfully impacted on the lives of part of a wonderful legacy, legacy for sale. The intent is as good as the deed. A storm an unprecedented event in Barbados it is the spiritual power of David Thompson, such an outstanding leader the earth itself has groaned as it did for our Lord on his death (earthquakes) according to
Matthew Farley.

The creation of this legend so fixated the Dems and the media that they forgot to warn Barbadians about the storm, or did they deliberately withhold that information because they did not want to disturb the worship at the shrine of David Thompson (Combermere) now hailed the greatest leader Barbados has ever known. David you worried about the short time in office, the fear that you did not get to do what you wanted and about the legacy you would leave behind.  You did not have to worry, your faithful Dems have ensured that your name is lifted above all names, even above Prime Ministers of yore. Apparently in two years you did so much for this country and the region that my God had you been here longer you would have ushered in Paradise. Apparently no leader before, Grantley Adams, Errol Barrow, Tom Adams, Bernard St.John, Erskine Sandiford and Owen Arthur could ever compare with you.  One media Dem worshipper even said that your death was a loss not only to Barbados but to the region and indeed the world.

This is nauseating and simply sick. It does not speak well of our intelligence as a people, the integrity of the  Dems, and the media. This reminds me of how Bush with skilfull repeated P.R. made Americans feel  that somehow Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11 and was able to successfully get permission from congress to take them to war for years, 20, 000 young lives destroyed; more than 4000  dead. It took them seven years to finally call put the lie for what it was.

David Thompson was a man of promise, but he did not accomplish a great deal as Prime Minister. As a young man he was an excellent example of service; good political skills, excellent debater; crisp and sharp wit. As a political leader after two defeats, a  hiatus and a nasty battle with Mascoll won gov’t. Fumbled the economy, CLICO, managed to create and pass two bills. Two years later death came calling, in three gone. Prior to his death he was not know as a community worker who worked side by side with people and the youth, that is Hammie La or Keith Simmons; he was not known for vigorous defence of the poor like Andrew Pilgrim,  he was a corporate lawyer; he was not a master at managing of the Barbados economy and raising the standard of living, that is Owen Arthur; he did not lead the country to another place, Barrow lead us to Independence.  The point is these people have works, continuous works over a period of time that specifically transform to back their words. We will not need to create a legacy for them. Let us get a grip on reality.  We need to mourn his loss as our Prime Minister, as a husband and father.  Personally I was moved by his passing, he was young. What he did and who he was will not change when he is judged by God, no matter how many Bajans are sucked into this public relations mirage.

Let us stay with the truth.


  1. Go to one of the older secondary schools in Barbados which lost boys to the two world wars and watch how that loss is memorialised.

    Friday morning this week, or next week, think it is before the memorial in Bridgetown.

    The Cenotaph in Bridgetown will bear the same names and those who did not go to school at the older secondary schools.

    It had a deep impact on me each year for the eight or nine years I was there.

    It has probably been going on for close to a century, first at those older secondar schools and then at the Cenotaph since 1925.

    Over within a short time and morning classes as usual.

    Life goes on.

    It made me think hard though.


  2. @ Charlie

    You seem to missed the whole point I was suggesting. you had

    “Do not try to make persons feel guilty about worshipping him. They are not worshipping him they are speaking from their hearts about a young son of the soil who became Prime Minister.”

    while i suggested you meant paying him tribute in the first line. otherwise the two statement contradict themselves. I was in now way imply you should speak ill of the dead.


  3. James Russel Lowell said,

    ‘Truth forever on the scaffold,
    Wrong forever on the throne,
    Yet the scaffold sways the future,
    And behind the dim unknown,
    Standeth God within the shadow
    Keeping watch above his own.

    There is a movement of distortionists who have committed themselves to reshaping of truth and perpetuating images of falsifications. These promoters are utilizing their skills to glorifying the late Prime Minister into a super human and inflate his modest contribution to the development of humanity.

    Fanatics and mercenaries are on a mass campaign during this interim before burial, betraying the course of human history.
    Future generation will have to extrapolate from the lines of dissertations, the true pockets of our reality.

    Academics and other significant entities are forwarding their partisan emotive perspectives positing the myth he was solidly grounded.

    Much is attributed to this ‘Family First’ ideal that was vaguely enunciated by the late Prime Minister. In an effort to enlargen Thompson’s legacy, the cultivation of the mythology floated to the top with the effort to establish constituency councils units which are hollow ,ineffective, and undemocratically selected. These fig leaves are glaring reflections of the waste of tax payers money.

    There are so many undisputed facts which are available to us that can be added to those above, but it might be culturally apt to reserve the dim side in the interest of smoothing the emotions .But man must not speak with fork tongues . I am sure that workers dismissed from the U D C would concur .

    When the dark dusk is settled and we wipe away the facade, we look forward to a genuine analysis and synthesis of the life and work of this friendly Barbadian citizen . David would probably find the lyrics of many very amusing .


  4. I find it quite amazing/amusing dat suddenly some amongst us are so concerned about ‘preserving the truth for generations to come’.

    No one is idolizing David. We regret his death, though the writing was on the wall, n we will mourn however long we feel. Who evva got a problem wid dat can join him in death.

    Porgie
    why you doan stop gine church doe? ya one-sided, bad-lookin, ball-hed hypocrit. you is de devil-self. ya heathen.

    Carson C/ Charlie
    why wunna-all wasting time wid dese Thompson-haters nah? Nutton in gun change dem opinion ’bout he. Dem ‘idol’ is de lil short man.

    Raymond
    Wah HH sah bout de present PM? I miss um. by de way, David is still my PM til tamorrrrrrrrr. I in lehhing he go til den.


  5. Nothing I read on this blog surprises me. It is atypically Bajan.

    Whether what is said and written is true,false or in between, I do see very clearly that the late PM was loved and respected by a lot of Bajans.
    The one thing that hasn’t changed is the nastiness that is exhibited by some Bajans couched in intellectually enhanced verbiage.

    May the future be kind to David Thompson’s family, friends and supporters.


  6. Haunts
    This outpouring of love for David Thompson from Barbadians and other persons from across the Caribbean killing the nasty minded BLP supporters.
    They cannot put aside political partisanship just for a while in respect of his wife and children. Those children may even read this blog.
    Some idiot called Pappy P is now alluding to the firing of UDC workers. Where was this idiot when three managers from the Hospital were fired? Where was your condemnation? David Thompson was on a mission to root out corruption and who was in the way had to go.
    They feel so bad that for about ten days all they hearing are tribute after tribute from persons of all walks of life. It is killing them. Tomorrow is the final rites and they will feel worst because he would be sent off with all the dignity that Barbadians associate with funerals.
    May he rest in peace because that is what Barbadians wish for all our sons and daughters who die.


  7. Charlie
    Sock it ta dem Charlie ol boy. dem grudgeful minded, bad minded, envious, spiteful n vindictive. All de accolades n nice-ities dat de PM gettin from hay, day n evrywah, got dem hart burnin wid envy. PM’s dead bout hay befoe n nevva been seen such a outpouring a luv n sympathy.
    Eat wunna-alll harts out. Hope a few a wunna drop down ded tamorrrrrrrrrr when wunna-all see de ‘sen-off’ dat gun be fit fa we KING. Bare Lousy Peeple.

    David, we love you
    David, we miss you.
    David, we sorryyyyyyyyy
    And we gun misss youuuu.

    (sing ta de tune a Haiti by David Rudda)


  8. Does anyone know how long the mourning period was for Errol Barrow and Tom Adams?

  9. Perlixin Pearlie Avatar
    Perlixin Pearlie

    Bajan Truth or should I say hog mout M Mary Lynch? yuh nasty minded BLP crab. Yuh **ite-hong. Wunnah so is a new nasty breed uh stinkin, bad minded Bajan that does sicken Pearlie. Pure gutterwater runnin thru wunnah veins. Wunnah was calling fuh HH to resign evuh sense. Now he resign wunnah got a problem wid dat. Wunnah was licking wunnah chops when Thompson was pon de sick bed and keep calling down death pon de man. Now e dead, unnah got a problem wid dat. Wunnah hongry now fuh a election. But when Ossseymour get a second consecutive defeat in e ole hard chest in de coming Sin John by-election wunnah gine got a problem wid dat too. Wunnah too blastedwell confuse! Wunnah want praying fuh and wunnah want de Lord! David Thompson did love Barbadians unconditionally and Barbadians loved him back. Dat suprise wunnah cos wunnah only know bout all de wrong kindsa love!

    Learn from Thompson, folluh e example and mek Bubadus a betta place. Nuffin wunnah could do or seh could erase the immortal contribution and inspiration uh my beloved Prime Minister causin that was de handy work uh de LOrd from beginning tuh end! “Unite and love”. It easier dan wunnah think. Pearlie dun wid wunnah!


  10. Liz Thompson has been raising questions about the “legacy” others have left behind, as well. For me, as christian, parent, community worker and tutor, the term “legacy” needs to be redefined for all politicians and those aspiring to be. Strong spiritual values, integrity, honesty, perseverance, a caring attitude, loyalty to family, humilty, etc. by far outweigh all the “achievements” one might list alongside other persons in the political realm. These were projected by our late Prime Minister and are what our country and world need NOW!!!

    When your friends commend you, that’s to be expected. When your “enemies” and political opponents do so, then the world must take notice. As a human being, and it has nothing to do with sympathy, the late Prime Minister is seen in a more positive light by young and old than any others who have held the post before him.

    I am convinced, as one working among the youth daily, that if the qualities our late Prime Minister held dear are taught to our youth, Barbados’ and Barbadians’ reputation in the regional and international arenas will soar to greater heights.

    To those who, through envy or blinded by politics, believe otherwise, my question to you is simple; “What “legacy” and positive values are you leaving behind for future generations?”

  11. George C. Brathwaite Avatar
    George C. Brathwaite

    @Sentinel

    Excellent, and well stated! While I do not necessarily share your view on the meaning/definition of ‘legacy’ I do understand your message and endorse it. There is an individual responsibility that we should all embark upon in the name of progress; that means lifting our standards in every positive endeavour. Again, I support much of what you say Sentinel.

  12. A prayer for Mercy Avatar
    A prayer for Mercy

    The Book of Psalms

    Chapter 51
    1 Have mercy upon David Thompson, O Elohim, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out his transgressions.
    2 Wash David thoroughly from his iniquity, And cleanse him from his sin.
    3 For he knows his transgressions; And his sin is ever before him.
    4 Against thee, thee only, have David sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.
    5 Behold, David was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did his mother conceive him.
    6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make him to know wisdom.
    7 Purify David with hyssop, and he shall be clean: Wash David, and he shall be whiter than snow.
    8 Make David to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
    9 Hide thy face from David’s sins, And blot out all his iniquities.
    10 Create in him a clean heart, O Elohim; And renew a right spirit within him.
    11 Cast him not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from him.
    12 Restore unto him the joy of thy salvation; And uphold him with a willing spirit.
    13 Then will he teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee.
    14 Deliver David from bloodguiltiness, O Elohim, thou Elohim of his salvation; And his tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
    15 O Yahweh, open thou his lips; And his mouth shall show forth thy praise.
    16 For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would he give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
    17 The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O Elohim, thou wilt not despise.
    18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
    19 Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

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