Submitted by Anthony Davis
“Sanctimonious hypocrites!”
That’s how Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has described some of those who disapproved of his advice to Speaker of the House Michael Carrington to ‘get a lawyer’ during his publicized legal dispute with a former client. “Speaking as tough to critics of Government’s University of the West Indies (UWI) tuition fee policy, Stuart today made it clear that his administration would not be changing course on that matter to please any minority group, even in the face of a letter from the president of the Cave Hill Campus Guild of Students Damani Parrish, ‘threatening’ action if the decision was not reversed” – Barbados Today
Well, well, well, what a tirade!
The question here is: who is being a sanctimonious hypocrite?
The Speaker of the House should resign, or be made to do so. You and your party came to this country with all kinds of promises just to win an election, because you have reneged on all of them – especially the one about “our children”. It turns out that you really meant YOUR children, and not those of our country. You have sold them down the river, by refusing to look after them at UWI. You have also put their lives in jeopardy by cutting the welfare some of their parents have to collect. You have deprived many of a tertiary education by making them pay tuition fees – even if only a part. Those who wanted to study certain subjects cannot even afford the 20% they have to pay for them.
What value should we place in the word of a Prime Minister. Should we dismiss Prime Minister Stuart’s promise as election campaign rhetoric? Should we dismiss the promise the late Prime Minister David Thompson made to CLICO policyholders? Are we finally willing to say to politicians, ENOUGH!
Read Nation article PM’s Word
You state that there are people who can afford to pay for their scion’s UWI tuition, yet you are giving the said people’s progeny the advantage because the children of the poor, the needy and the vulnerable cannot pay for the subjects they would like to study – even if they could borrow it. Borrowing entails paying back, and so they are left between a rock and a hard place. When it comes to where people in this country live, what type of vehicle some people drive, having water-borne facilities, where people take their scions on holiday and whether they have electricity, pray tell me, my dear PM:
Do you expect us still to be living in slave huts?
Do you know how long those people who go to Disneyland have to save from the little money your Minister of Finance has left them after the myriad of taxes which they have to pay, or if someone overseas is paying for their trip as is often the case? Do you know how many people in this country still use pit latrines? Did you include those high-end vehicles which your Government bought recently, and for which the populace of Barbados has to pay?
Seeing that it seems that you want to take us back to the days of slavery, I guess that we would have to do without the electricity in our slave huts!
You noted that the country had created “the largest body of executive class”, and said that your Government does not owe them anything. Really, Mr. Prime Minister? Did not your party help put some of them there? Are you saying that none of the “executive class” voted for the DLP in any of the recent elections?
You should not bite the hands that feed you, seeing that those people also have to pay taxes – especially the VAT hike which was to be for one year and this increase has not been rescinded yet. Have they received their VAT returns or whatever else you owe people in this country who are suffering like never before, whereas we have a Minister of Education who seems to spend more time out of the country than in?
Does Barbados still have a middle class?
I cannot conceive of anyone in this country to whom your Government doesn’t owe anything! You say that truth is not like milk, because it does not spoil and your truth will prevail.
What do we know of your truth?
Does it include the promises you made during the elections, or was that a different truth?
The Municipal Solid Waste Income Tax is really a waste. How can you be making people pay this tax according to the type of house which they own? Those countries which have such taxes collect them according to how many people live in the home. A garbage bin is included in the tax.
Here people are paying that tax, but still have to run around and beg someone for some kind of container in which to place their garbage. Also the garbage collection is made every week on a specific day, and the truck comes on the relevant date – whether it is snowing, raining, or the sun is shining – on time. So, you should supply the households with garbage bins if they have to pay you so much money. The garbage bins at the bus stops are overflowing and the cats/dogs have spread some of it around. I guess that the tourism industry is not of your concern either, because this unsightly mess is what tourists will see as they traverse the island, and will make the necessary comments when they return home.
During all of his years at the helm of the last Government, former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Owen Arthur never reacted to his critics in such a violent and hostile manner – even after the criticism he received when he introduced VAT to Barbados and we did not want it. Do you really expect us to give your programmes a chance after you hurled such invective at us?
I am a Barbadian citizen, and I will give my opinion on any topic I choose whenever I want to and if I find that it should be commented on.
That is my right!
Truth be told, it seems that you will not be standing for election the next time around because you have rolled over all of the echelons in our country like a political juggernaut!
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