The recent announcement of the reappointment of Kerrie Symmonds as a government Senator surprised BU. While there has been a lot of debate about the non-reappointment of former Senators Elizabeth Thompson and Arthur Holder, our surprise has more to do with the reason why Symmonds resigned last year. Symmonds was involved in a widely publicized marital dispute. BU posted on the matter at the time to join local media which reported on a protection order being filed to keep Kerri at bay [it is our understanding his divorce is at the advance stage].
Symmonds widely reported to have resigned contradicts rumblings which suggest that former leader of the opposition Mia Mottley pressured him to resign. Perhaps the e-letter authored by his father Dru Symmonds currently making the rounds in cyberspace gives weight to the view Kerrie was pushed.
The concern which BU has about the Symmonds appointment to the Upper House has more to do with the obligation of public officials to be transparent when dealing with the public. It is BU’s understanding the request for a Protection Order from the court stemmed from the tyres and car seats of the vehicle owned by his wife Andrea being slashed. As human beings we maybe able to empathized with Symmonds at his actions in a failing relationship. People handle problems in different ways.
Given Symmond’s domestic challenge and his reaction to a marriage gone bad, the public of Barbados deserves an explanation on two fronts. Senator Kerrie Symmonds needs explain what remedial steps he would have taken to assure the people of Barbados that he has a grip on his personal situation to the point it will not embarrass the country, again. Leader of the Opposition Owen Arthur also bears some responsibility in light of Kerrie Symmonds’ resignation under Mottley to properly outline his reason for reappointing Symmonds, an obvious undermining of Mottley. Some will say he is under no obligation to take the public into his confidence on this matter but in light of the current fracture in the relationship with Mottley if for no other reason he needs to offer an adequate explanation.
Is it unreasonable to think that Arthur and Mottley on the eve of the Barbados Labour Party Annual Conference should be utilizing his best negotiating and relationship skills to bring his party together? It is not loss on some that Kerrie Symmonds has been preferred to Liz Thompson who had to endure the razor sharp tongue of Kerrie Symmonds on the political trail before he switched to the other side. To add insult to injury beneficiaries of Arthur’s politics of inclusion [Mascoll/Symmonds] appear to be favoured instead of the red-blooded BLPites like Thompson and Holder to a lesser extent.
Is it sensible for Arthur to ignore the popularity of the Late Prime Minister David Thompson which has as its foundation the prerequisite of being people centric? We live in a new age where transparency and accountability is being demanded of public officials. The BLP by appointing Kerrie Symonds to the Senate without an adequate explanation is insulting to the public it serves.
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