Submitted by William Skinner

At the risk of inflaming the partisan passions of die hard Barbados Labour Party and Democratic labour Party supporters, I venture to suggest, that both parties are now in the position of the pot calling the kettle black! It seems to be quite clear to objective citizens, that both are now apparently incapable of formulating any real socio-economic plan to take our country forward.

Ever since the mid 70’s, the sole purpose of both parties, has been to focus almost exclusively on winning elections. As the country developed and the corporate elite became more sophisticated, the public sector was allowed to lag behind because of slow movement toward technology. The black political managerial class is therefore left to “keep noise” and impress the public gallery.

Many of our problems are rooted in our colonial history. At the very top is an educational system that lacks serious and progressive reform. The system is still elitist, and favours academically inclined students. Teachers are under constant pressure to keep the status quo intact.

Health care, public transportation, housing and even basic maintenance of our roads, have suffered at the hands of politically inspired decisions, ad hoc inferior planning and execution. Hence we are losing millions of hours in production because we cannot solve basic traffic problems and move people and services with the speed required by any modern economy.

We seem to be constantly reinventing the wheel and playing political games. The political polarization of the society has also led to partisan thinking by the so-called brains of the society. Hence any discussion of the economic ills of the country becomes a sophisticated shouting match between the learned economists, according to their party leanings.

The sum effect of the above is an embarrassing lack of any substance in relation to debate on matters affecting the society. Those who want their positions heard are now left to use a popular radio call in program and blogs such as this one. To put it mildly, the bankruptcy of ideas that has completely invaded and strangled the black political managerial class, has effectively driven citizens, to cynicism and an understandable dismissive attitude when it comes to those we elect or allow to guide our affairs.

The only solution is for progressive thinkers to organize themselves into an active watchdog group, which will ultimately become the vanguard of national progress and hopefully retard the political posturing that, if left unchecked would probably ruin whatever gains made since the attainment of adult suffrage.

It is therefore quite fair to suggest that both the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party have become like siblings fighting over family property. Since they seem to be perpetually blinded by dangerous political opportunism, they may very well be unaware of what they have done to themselves and by extension, the broader society.