Owen said no to a private request for a meeting from Mia to discuss the Rawle Eastmond matter, Mia went public with the request and Owen said no publicly. Political pundits can draw some easy conclusions from what has played out so far. Mia felt obligated to intervene on behalf of sitting Member of Parliament Rawle Eastmond who is a known sympathizer. Mia wants to align herself with the concern by Eastmond that there is ‘padding’ of the membership in St. James North. Mottley has been on the frontline pushing for constitutional reform of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Her act was also symbolic, to let Arthur and cohorts know that as a senior member of the party she will not be treated or ignored like a Johnny come lately.
The simplistic interpretation of events as they are being played out in St. James North: it is an internal party matter which should be left to the branch executive to apply the by laws of the BLP. A deeper understanding must be viewed through a political lens, that is, a public display of the widening fracture in the relationship between Mia and Arthur.
It should be obvious that Mia Mottley and Owen Arthur are not singing from the same hymn book. With a general election on the horizon this cannot be good news for BLPites and the electorate at large. The question being asked by interested observers is what caused the fracture. More importantly, what is preventing the fracture from healing?
There is the memorable UWI press conference when Arthur critiqued then leader of the opposition Mia Mottley. Many interpreted what he said ‘publicly’ as chastising Mottley about he alleged lifestyle. Political pundits know – despite Arthur’s denials – he left the door open to return to lead the party. It was always a matter of when he would return.
When Mottley was deselected – a borrowed term from Albert Branford -there was another press conference which highlighted concern how BLP funds were spent under Mottley’s tenure as party leader. Tennyson Barker was selected to investigate and prosecute we all recall. Since casting the slur on how Mottley managed party funds all has gone quiet. BU does not recall Mia Mottley’s response to Barker’s claim.
Finally there is a view that The Mottleys have a since of entitlement that Mia Mottley should be Prime Minister of Barbados. Many blogs have been featured on BU on the subject of Mottleyism. Despite all the reasons given why Mottley has become a Black sheep, general public is none the wiser why a lack of confidence developed in Mottley as leader which resulted in parliamentary colleagues redirecting their support to Arthur.
BU does not get it. There is something missing from the debate. What is it?
125 responses to “Mottley And Arthur At It Again”
@ Hants
Your comment would hold water if the assumption was that he did not state his position. On the contrary, Owen Arthur stated his position as early as last year’s annual conference (convention) of the BLP; he has since restated his position in allowing the party’s machinery to resolve whatever the issues are, and moreover, he stated same at a meeting which was then restated in the press. What you may find difficult to accept is that Mia is mounting a clear challenge rather than accept that there are set procedural rules governing the particular issue or issues. Mia is not bigger than the party and neither is Owen. For that reason, Owen recognises that the only way of being fair is to follow those procedures that Mia obviously wants to railroad. She now stands on quicksand and her political life is slipping away. How the hell could she in the future garnish support from those new candidates she is now damaging their chances only because of selfish reasons. She is truly acting as ordinary as one can act, rather than as a former deputy Prime Minister and former Leader of the Opposition, not to mention a former General Secretary of the same BLP. Let her join the DEMS if that is her overriding desire; at least Bajans will know the berry does not fall far from the tree!
Mia Mottley knew that Owen Arthur – The Master Tactician – would not grant her a meeting and therefore her request for such would be refused. This was a manoeuvre to elicit the support of a wider audience – the electorate – so that they would be aware of some misgivings she has about the nomination processes in the BLP.
This is in line with her previous withdrawal from the Chairmanship contest. There is a straight line in her thinking that of consistency in that she is seeking to support those who appear to be in any way disadvantaged or not receiving a fair deal. You may disagree but there is a logic from her spective.
She will not leave the BLP and should not even think of such a move. Her trump card is that she is rock solid in her constituency where the electorate vote not for the BLP but for Mia.
She will one day play a major part in Barbados’ politics it is not a matter of entitlement but because the wind is blowing in her direction. Not that she is often spoken of in “equal” terms to Owen Arthur, that billing
supports the above analysis.
As to who will support her in the BLP. Politicians seek office, position and power for those to be realized they will follow anyone who can deliver, if Mia can, self-interest dictates they will fall in line.
“Note that she is often spoken of in “equal” terms to Owen Arthur, that billing supports the above analysis”
enuff | January 31, 2012 at 9:18 PM |
@ Hants
Don’t they meet every week as a parliamentary group?
Enuff,
I understand that she has not attended these meetings since she was voted out of the leadership position.
Random Thoughts | January 31, 2012 at 11:36 PM |
To summarize a lot of male politicians hate women who have no use for the 3 inches of sausage in their pants.
Random Thoughts
3 inches that’s all you’ve been getting! You poor thing. I can see from your comment that you are not accustomed to others, and I compliment you for maintaining your dignity, but 3 inches is really below par.
A member of the executive spoke today on Brasstacks, outlining the facts to the St James North nomination.
If what was said is true, then it makes this whole flare up by Mia a nonsense. She seem not to have the truth from Rawle.
For what it is worth, Mia seem to want to cause disturbance in the BLP to let her friends win the next election by making the BLP seem to be divided. Mia, the party is bigger than you!
Most if not all of you either don’t know or chooses to mislead others on the allegation of padding the voters list. The facts are: St. James North Branch of the BLP had about 40 members prior to the nomination process; now they have over 1000; Rawle and others are screaming that the list was padded because some of the new members were not even aware that they had joined the BLP. When some of those “new” members received the membership cards they contacted the party to say that they never made an application. One retired senior public officer even demanded an apology. Those complaints should have been enough to trigger an investigation and a postponement of the election until the matter has been cleared up. Unfortunately for Rawle, the results of the nomination /election is already known but he still continues to delude himself.
David to think all of this is taking place between Owen & Mia at a time when PM Stuart is yet to let Barbadians in on the details of the meeting Owen Arthur attended at Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.
Hmmmmm !
What is worrying for the BLP is the vehemence which is being targeted at Mottley. There must be more in the pestle. Why did Mia show fellow MPs her mobile device in parliament yesterday?
That’s it David.
The details about the Pegasus meeting.
@Fractured BLP
What about the Pegassus Hotel?
Sunday 4th….St.Albans School..Nomination Day ..looks like its going to be hot,
Yeah what happened in JA @ the Pegassus dread?
one of those persons who will never say that it is time for Rawle Eastmond to hang up his boots. There was a time when he was one of the persons who held the party together now he has fallen from grace. We shall never know the fullness of it all but what I do know is that he is a politition par excellance who history shall absolve. He has no point to proove other than to continue to fight for the people of his consistuency and the country over. The people of St.James North should not be blinded by suppositions but be steady in their support for him.
The type of chaos which now reigns in the BLP is enough to cause many to desist from voting but this must not be a deterrant. Those responsible for the constant fif raf behaviour should simply stop it!
Mia has a good heart and she stands by her word. To try and seek audience with Owen Seymore was commendable but it only gave him a chance to mud sling once again.Owen clearly has no respect for any ‘Order’. Cynthia Forde is wise and should stand her ground in her support for Rawle Eastmond and justice. Owen is intimidated by strong women and his only recourse is to be snide. Why does he ever constantly say Psalm 133? He has no real understanding of it or else he would have lent his ear to reason.There is going to be a vast turn around in the next election and no doubt some Divine intervention.will be needed.
I am amazed that some are making Mia’s character the main issue. If character is the main issue, then Arthur should not be running. Arthur is intent on destroying Mia Mottley’s future in politics and he has made this no secret. Members of the BLP are in a sticky situation because Arthur has no room or time for Mottley and therefore a vote for Arthur in the next election will be a vote against Mia Mottley.
Those who support Mia must ask themselves if they will vote for Arthur or stay home. For Mia to be party leader or Prime Minister anytime soon, Arthur must lose the next election. plain and simple.An Arthur defeat is the only way Mia can be Prime Minister any time soon.
So this debacle is so that Ms Mottley becomes PM . This is all that is at stake here? hmmm
The BLP like the DLP is prepared to mash-up and buy-back so that the “chosen one” becomes Prime Minister. Remember what happened to the last “chosen one”. Patience is a virture!!!
Being an ADULTERER make a one better Prime Minister?
What are we dealing with here, little sin and big sin? Or sin is sin?
When a certain Prime Minister who was married at the time was dropping off a little outside child to school at West Terrace did that make that PM a paragon of virture fit and proper to castigate any one about their lifestyle?
This is all about Mascoll.
Seethru wants Mascoll to rule Barbados, the same man that he called a shoplifter.
It is difficult to accept that Eastmond would so easily be discarded by the St. James North executive his initial non committal notwithstanding. This is a man who won his seat multiple times.
Why did the executive experience difficulty communicating with Eastmond.
@Caswell
George Griffith refuted any idea of a padded list.
Mia posseses options and she should use them wisely to turn the tables on Arthur. Here is a man who touted and promoted her to a heartbeat away from Prime Minister then to turn around and visciously denigrate her character not to mention ostracise the BLP’s best and brightest. What kind of twisted individual would do that to the one he meticulously groomed.
In the meantime grasshopper extraordinaire a man without any standpoint is Arthur’s new star boy. Drum roll for Clyde the Glide the sole opposition leader in the Commonwealth to seamlessly move from cursing and bewsing a governemt in the worse way one day to hugging them in a loving embrace the next. All for a Ministry, a few pieces of silver and to hurt David Thompson. Fruendel knew what he was preaching about some people’s misguided reasons for entering politics. You need a standpoint. Clyde like Arthur have none.
@BU.David: “Why did the executive experience difficulty communicating with Eastmond.
An excellent question.
Have you played the game of Go?
Or of Machiavelli?
Interesting submission and comments:
http://bajan.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/mia-mottley-bungled-a-golden-opportunity-part-1/
This too:
http://bajan.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/opposition-opportunism-part-ii/
Too many hypocrites on BU.
God does not like ugly and some day soon mr arthur wil have to pay for the ugliness he has displayed since losing the election on his own volition. For some ctime now Mr Arthur has deluded himself that he can be a Mr Barrow but mr Barrow was an astute politician which Mr Arthur was not having handed an easy election to win to the DLP on a platter. Sorry, Mr Arthur, good economist or not Barbadians disdain selfish and ugly bahaviour and good economist or not, the country will survive if you die as you soon will if you continue along this obnoxious and vindictive path. I am on record as applauding you for your management of the economy during your time in office but you ought to understand that good behaviour matter too. Sit tight, Mr Freundel and remain silent. Come next election, you will be Prime Minister in your own right.
I would hate for the day to come when we keep a non functioning party in power to assure any political leader that they will be next in line to the throne. As much as I believe that Mia Mottley is the best choice for Prime Minister of Barbados, to ask the electorate to wait another five years while these people make a mockery of what is governance is really to ask too much. Is there no other way for Mia… would Clyde the Glide, who is waiting to be repaid by Arthur, not simply want to keep out of the way. From what I understand, the respect of the electorate for him is almost zero. In mathematical terms that means nil. The only thing I hear people saying is that he is a good economist. But what is a good economist? Someone who understands Math and econometrics but nothing about ethics? Worldwide there is a movement for ethical economists. Old school economic paradigms are no longer working. We are making a mistake if we think that Clyde the Glide’s economic rather mathematical sense makes political sense. Juggling figures is not all there is to managing an economy. A good economist yes, is a very corrupt economist, in the old days , just before the recession. Clyde the Glide should just glide back – out of the way and allow Mia to take her rightful place. He certainly s not thinking about country but about himself. He would always be a useful mathematician. He is not a political leader.
This is a tactical battle of positioning between Mottley and Arthur, if it was not Eastmond it would have been another issue.
These combatants must constantly “reinvigorate” their campaigns because both feel they are right. The one who loses will be he/she who believes what they are being told by their supporters; the truth is often heard from those who take a neutral stand…..they are most likely to be in tune with the general mood.
Mia is playing a good hand, that she is able to bolster expectation as she walks out to bat proves that.
I will not pay much attention to the barbs of innuendo and character assination directed to both….when the people speak, they do so with a loud voice. These personal attacks in the main will come from committed supporters from both camps.
Mia’s outward invitation to meet with Owen can be seen as an olive branch. Owen’s refusal to meet with her says much about the man he is. He has shot himself in both feet. He has shown the electorate that he is not prepared to mend fences and is out to destroy his BLP comrade. The only person he will be destroying will be OSA.
Mia is a very clever strategist and Owen has played right into her hands.
This less about Owen and more about the support group who catapulted him back as leader of the opposition.
DOES anyone think that Mia Mottley can outsmart one of the most cunning politicians ever in the history of Barbados ??
WHY did Tom Adams named OWEN SEYMOUR ARTHUR as a future leader ??
WUNNAH think Owen easy nuh ???
WHAT did you want Clyde Mascoll to do after he was treated how he was treated by the DLP ???
WHY wunnah dont ask Mia Mottley what she did that the men rid her of leadership ???
DONT you know that like Bob Marley sings “She must have done something wrong “ ????
JUST ASKING
JUST ASKING
JUST ASKING
@just Asking
Well if there is something which Mia and the BLP intends to hide from the public they will suffer the consequences of it.
DONT you know that people who crave Prime Minister -ship real bad dont get um ??
WUNNAH AINT SEE WHAT HAPPEN TO SUCH PEOPLE ??
WUNNAH want me to name some names ????
JUST ASKING
WUNNAH aint see that in today’s nation that the Market Vendor mocking me (imitating me)???
WHY every body copying my style and EVERYBODY want to tief the JUST ASKING name???
JUST ASKING
JUST ASKING
JUST ASKING
@ David
If the man said no in private, the reason one would then choose to use the news media to ask for what was already denied is obvious. Why do you people play foolish? Stupse.
DONT you know that the word on the ground, on the street and in the Rum shop is that the DLP gone after one term ???
SO what you talking bout the BLP hiding something about Mia Mottley is of little consequence ???
DONT you know the fact that Freundel gone from lacklustre and dontcarish to huff , puff and hot-air all up in people face aint gwine help his cause ???
DONT you know that people have pronounced it a desperate act that is —–TOO LATE !! CYAH CYAH CYAH ????
DOESNT sound too good for wunnah DLP goons and sympathisers ????
If Mia was indeed turned down in private then the public “message” deserved the response it got. Simple.
@islandgal
an olive branch that is blasted across a billboard is not a true olive branch.
The media should never be the means of communication for our leaders.
@Observing
But isn’t the rub that she was refused the private meeting?
What is playing out must be taken against all that has happen so far between the factions.
Why is it that the BLP operatives here trying to fool people that the St. James North membership list grew because Rawle withdrew, when he first raised this alarm over a year ago.
If my memory serves me correctly the expansion of the list occurred at the same time that George Payne thought he would have to face Mia Mottley in an election for Chairmanship. The padding of the list was designed to increase the number of delegates at the BLP Convention to vote for Payne.
The Gang of Five got rid of her before the Convention and she subsequently withdrew from the race claiming irregularities in the process. This in turn led to her campaign for ‘one man one vote.’
Wunna tink Bajans foolish, but some of us got long memories and we can think for ourselves. I hope my fellow citizens end the unholy Payne/Arthur alliance at the next election even of it means we have to suffer through another five years of Dem. The alternative of having these men lead my beloved country is abhorrent.
@David
Agreed, but then that’s an internal rub. The blame lays solely on her for bringing it out into the public.
Barbados electorate is going to put an HONEST Freundel Stuart back as Prime Minister again once he is up against that former Prime Minister who is a bully, vindictive and discredited. The public vote him out last time because it was shown that he took $75 000 earmarked for his party campaign and put it in his personal bank account. The lord knows how much more he put in his account from the rumours that circulated about certain family arrangements. He was so well off that he gave the Cricket legends $150 000 as a gift.
JUST ASKING
You think he easy?
@ Clone
Not that $75,000 cheque again. Good Croist now!!!
@Bajan to d Bone
“This in turn led to her campaign for ‘one man one vote.’”
Man get your facts straight. Mia was calling for one man one vote long before the 2008 elections, and I understand Rawle was against it then for the same reasons he is claiming happening with the list in St.James North.
Why do people on this blog feel that Mia Mottley has a god given right to become PM of Barbados. She better be careful, the last person who claimed he had a god given right to be PM of Barbados eventually got his wish but did not live long to enjoy it!!!
Mia has realised that the people in the BLP are not paying her any mind and she has to find a way to get attention.
She does not attend the parliamentary group meetings and there is where she should have raised her issues with the leader. (Did not these people here on the blog castigate the gang of 11 for doing the same thing she did?) And to boot, Owen is not the person to whom she should have raised concerns, it should be to the Chairman of the party.
Mia is hell bent on destroying the BLP if she does not become its leader right NOW! It seems as if her birthright was taken away and it should be returned right now.
She sometimes show up at branch meetings, enters when she has to get the attention, disrupting it it the process, spends the time inside on her Ipad or Blackberry (whichever) and then leaves, no interaction with her parliamentary colleagues.
Pray tell me, how is this reaching out! I agree with George Griffith today, the party needs to purge itself from all the disrupting forces. I fully expect that she would pull a Don Blackman on the BLP and enjoy doing it! I say to the BLP, expel her now before she causes further pain.
JUST ASKING | February 1, 2012 at 8:05 PM |
Don’t you get tired pedalling the same agenda after months on end? Being partisan and hysterical is hardly a good combo. Just saying, like.
@Prodigal Son
I understand that she has not attended these meetings since she was voted out of the leadership position.
**************
You have been critical of the way that the DLP treated Mascoll, is it too much to ask that you show the same consideration for Mia? I am not surprised that she hasn’t gone to any meetings I think it would be very awkward for her to attend especially with the very public criticism that Arthur has leveled against her (and I’m not speaking about this episode). At least she didn’t pull a Clyde and bolt for the other Party she has remained to fight the good fight.
As you seem to have some inside knowledge could you inform us whether Eastmond attends these meetings? If he does fat lot of good it has done him as Owen is hell bent on showing him the door.
A lifelong friend once told me that the Leader is a vindictive man and Miller wrote in another forum that he hopes to regain office to exact revenge (Darcy Boyce are you listening?) . Is it true that the “enemies list” is continually being updated?.
“Why do people on this blog feel that Mia Mottley has a god given right to become PM of Barbados.”
Prodigal son……because she is a brilliant articulate and PM material. She shines above all of the BLP candidates. I can see that you have a deep hatred for this woman and that is causing you much pain. You really want Owen to expel her? Then you really want to destroy the BLP! What manner of beast are you?
Owen Arthur is a thief.
Onions bag and Enuff knows this…they too shame to admit it publicly.
Hi, David,
The details about what transpired in Jamaica at the Pegasus Hotel is saved on Mia’s Black berry.
The thought of having that info. going viral has rattled Owen.
Avinash Persuad recent salvo was strategically intended to let Owen know….the game is OVER.
It is now over to Mia !
>The nonsense continues:
<blockquoteNo-show
Rawle Eastmond did not show up for a meeting with Owen Arthur. (FP)
By Maria Bradshaw | Thu, February 02, 2012 – 12:11 AM
Mia Mottley is not the only Barbados Labour Party (BLP) member to have been snubbed this week.
Three days after Opposition Leader Owen Arthur turned down her request for a meeting, Arthur has himself been given the cold shoulder – this time by embattled St James North Member of Parliament Rawle Eastmond, who, according to party insiders, failed to show up for a meeting convened, at his request, by the BLP leader.
Well placed sources say Eastmond wrote to Arthur on Monday requesting an “urgent meeting” with him to discuss the BLP’s “medium and long-term prospects”. Sources also say Arthur responded immediately, fixing the meeting for 10 a.m. yesterday at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.
When contacted by the DAILY NATION yesterday afternoon, Eastmond said: “I understand that Mr Arthur did expect to see me at some point today [yesterday], but I did not go and that is a fact.”
Read the full story in today’s DAILY NATION.