Submitted by Hamilton Hill
As the hands of life’s time peace moves us closer to the end of yet another year on planet earth, we as a people are faced with the realization that it also moves us closer to the crossroad where the wrong turn takes the most stable nation in the region down the path that others bigger and more resourceful have followed, and are yet to see even a glimmer of hope that recovery is within their grasp.
The up-coming general elections may well be yet another watershed moment in the history of the land to which we all lay claims of love. If those claims are to be taken seriously then we must engage in the act of introspective soul searching with the intent of bringing Barbados back to the days of yore when party affiliation was secondary and surfaced only at election time.Today it predominates our every move.The group that speaks begrudgingly of “The Fatted Calf” are constantly reminded of the life they enjoyed while living “High On The Hog” and the unconnected lot wait patiently for the crumbs that fall from the Party Table.
What choice do they have at this point?
Even here at Barbados Underground simple debates are as educational as they are partisan, and can quickly depart from every tenet of civil discourse, only to be replaced by language reminiscent of that from a political meeting of the People’s Pressure Movement. What some may refuse to admit but cannot overlook is the fact that there are glaring traits of similarity that bind the two major parties in a way that only serve to breathe life into the growing movement of scepticism. Dennis Kellman is the government’s version of the opposition’s Noel Lynch. They both have fallen head over heels in love with the sound of their respective voices, to the point where some say that they both are plagued by that malady Bajans call “Short Man Syndrome” (see me and hear me at all times)
Lets go as far back as the murder of Victor Pele`Parris. Were we not told by one party that they would get to the bottom of that? From Atlantic Shores to Brooklyn stretched the trail of evidence and? Fast forward to Jonathan Danos and 3S steel. While working for a company called Mabey & Johnson Ltd Mr. Danos was sued for taking kickbacks on deals done in Jamaica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, yet was in bed with the Arthur administration. Today’s government still does business with 3S. Planted in the centre of a ministry is a man painted in infamy by the then opposition.
As both sides remind us of their quest to guide us out of third world status, they find it easier to facilitate a chosen few who found over-night riches, than to find a way to replace the pit toilets that far too many still have to use in this modern day Barbados. Silly as it may sound, after this election we may be talking of the Barbados we used to know. My vote goes to the first party that gives some politician a taste of prison. Perhaps I will never vote again.
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