For many months now it has become crystal clear to BU that Dr. Maria Agard, the member of parliament for Christ Church West, is on a hit list of the hierarchy of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Last weekend we learned that the Christ Church West constituency meeting to elect a new Executive had to be suspended because of alleged irregularities to a voting list. Earlier this year the Barbados Today newspaper reported that ”Dr Maria Agard raised strong exception to what she saw as undue interference in the inner workings of her constituency branch. The Shadow Minister of Health expressed particular unease over a proposal by some branch executives to convene, without reference to her, a meeting to discuss the 2013 general election results in Christ Church West, which saw Dr Agard narrowly defeating the ruling Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) candidate Verla DePeiza in what has traditionally been a run away BLP constituency” – read report Unease in BLP’s Christ Church West camp.
To add to the intrigue playing out in Agard’s riding, Barbadians read about an anonymous source who shared an opinion that representative for Christ Church West Dr. Maria Agard does not have the backing of the BLP – see report Agard under fire. So far Agard has not been provoked to comment on the matter and BU will reserve further comment until she does. However, based on our observation we smell a big stink rat!
What the BLP should be concerned about is fielding a slate of ‘fresh faced’ candidates who are enthusiastic to share a message of change relevant to times in which we live. So far we have seen the nomination of the Reverend Joseph Atherley and Attorney-at-law Ralph Thorne has expressed an interest to run when the next general election is called. So far the majority of the nominees are steeped in the a tired old time politics that has led to a large number of Barbadians becoming disengaged from the voting process. What Barbadians are witnessing in 2015 is an inability of the two major political parties to reinvent themselves to remain relevant. Mia Mottley like the late David Thompson promised so much, however, we have not seen her able to cloaked herself in a new narrative to give hope – the audacity of hope.
In 2011 when Mia Mottley withdrew her nomination to run for the Chairmanship of the BLP, she did so on the grounds that the constitution of the BLP was being trampled as it relates to the eligibility of members to vote. Several months later there is a reasonable expectation by BU Mottley would have addressed the issue of democratizing the way business is done by the party. It seems politics in Barbados has been reduced to the politician who can make a promise stick or sound ‘purty’.
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Who will disagree that Barbados has found itself stuck in political neutral. We are going nowhere fast.
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