Submitted by Robert ‘Bobby’ Clarke
We are marching because our country is in crisis, and we – the citizens of Barbados – intend to do something about it! We are only too aware that the official political and two party governance system has become dysfunctional. The Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister have lost their credibility! The Opposition is mired in disunity and confusion! Hardly anyone believes the Governor of the Central bank any more! And the leaders of the two major trade unions have become ineffective political playthings!
What we have in Barbados today is a broken system. And there is no way that a broken and dysfunctional Government can lead our country out of crisis! And yet we know that within the mass of the Barbadian population – within our broad, largely non- partisan Civil Society – there exists the talent and leadership ability to rescue our country.
We are therefore marching and demanding that the “political class” put aside their narrow partisan blinkers, and engage with the people and the community based Civil Society organisations of Barbados to establish a broad based Patriotic National Unity Administration as an immediate emergency measure to deal with the crisis that our nation faces, and to initiate a process of long over-due Constitutional Reform.
On this march we raise the slogan:- “Let the Discussions about a broad based Patriotic National Unity Administration start now!” Barbados simply cannot continue like how it is now for the next four years! We therefore say to the powers that be:- “Either rise up to the challenge of voluntarily restructuring the Government in order to transform it into a broad based Patriotic National Unity Administration, or history and the people of Barbados will surely indict you!”
We are marching and calling for an Administration that will institute measures to ease the unconscionable pressure that has been placed on the mass of workers and ordinary citizens: an Administration that will reverse the QEH budget cut, and instead reduce Ministerial salaries by 40 per cent. We are marching for a Government that will stop spending untold millions of dollars on fancy office buildings, and will invest in people instead – a Government that will invest in production; invest in our talented and committed entrepreneurs; and in our artists and young people.
We are calling for a National Food Production Programme; a National Energy Conservation Programme; a National Incomes And Prices Programme; a National Employee Share Ownership Programme; and a new Developmental Agenda based on production- production for ourselves and production for export. We are marching for Integrity Legislation, and against the partisan control of trade unions! We are marching for a just and equal sharing of the resources of our country, and against a handful of big white companies monopolising Government contracts. We are marching for free education, and against partisan interference in our Statutory Corporations. We are marching for a responsible approach to Government spending, and against the Municipal Solid Waste Tax.
We are marching for truth and integrity, and against lies and corruption in high places! But most of all we are marching for our country – for its future, for our future, for our children and grandchildren.
We are aware that silence – in the face of injustice, ineptitude and corruption – signifies consent. And we do not intend to be silent any longer!
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