Hypocrisy rears it’s ugly head again in Barbados. When a DLP leader is spoken about in the worst way none of the sanctimonious hypocrites from the BLP or otherwise have nothing to say in fact they embrace the comments. The DLP launches an attack on the BLP leader who happens to be a woman and these people want to rush back to a moral code. In all of this the question is was the current BLP leader in charge and responsible for the projects that were identified during the presentations?

– James Paul (DLP Candidate for St. Michael West Central)

The day after the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) delivered a stinging rebuke of Mia Mottley’s leadership  at their kickoff political meeting, it has been interesting to monitor the feedback. Although anecdotal, the blogmaster senses there are many who were turned off by the torrent of invective hurled at Mia Mottley from the DLP platform on Sunday night.

Why should Barbadians be surprised? Politics is a blood sport some say and clearly the DLP will devise the strategy they determine is best suited to win the upcoming general election. If Mia is able to withstand the assault then it will make her worthy of the position she holds as leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). The blogmaster has no issue with the DLP focussing on the capacity of Mia Mottley to lead or on her record of achievement in public life. Attacking the leader is an established tactic adopted in team sport with good result. The fact that Mottley is a woman will encourage the irrelevant emotional argument.

In a press interview with the Prime Minister after he was nominated to contest the St. Michael South seat, he expressed satisfaction at the  level of response the DLP kickoff meeting has aroused in the population. Clearly a key plank in the DLP’s strategy is to focus the campaign on Mottley.  To state the obvious, it will be up to the voters to decide on the 24th May 2018 its effectiveness.

The blogmaster noted the excuses proffered by campaign manager Bobby Morris at the DLP kickoff meeting on behalf of Denis Lowe and Kim Tudor. Denis Lowe is reported to be recovering from a knee operation AND Tudor was said to ‘under the weather’. Inquiring minds want to know if there is a possibility Tudor – the woman – didn’t have the stomach to be present on the DLP platform during an attack against the woman Mottley.

It will also be interesting to observe how the campaign develops now that the kickoff meetings of the weekend are out of the way. So far the BLP has to be given more points for engaging in a lower level of vitriol. However, for the sensible among us, we will be listening to how Mottley and the BLP plan to stabilize and restore prosperity to Barbados in the coming days, the same for the DLP. The DLP will also have the task of defending its record in office for the 2008-2018 period. An incumbent running for a third term is always challenging. Doing so having presided over an extended period of austerity moreso.

In summary, we will have to determine if the government has managed the affairs of state satisfactorily given the hand it was dealt. It will have to be careful in its explanation why it has not implemented Integrity and FOI laws after ten years in government. The blogmaster notes the BLP has promised to make this a priority on the first working day of parliament should they be elected to government.

What is the state of its waste management program? Although Lowe can boast of a spanking new SSA headquarters located at Vaucluse, the island continues to manage waste collection and disposal in the same way its predecessor did prior to 2008.  When the Cahill Energy deal crashed…. Interestingly, the Barbados Water Authority finds itself in a similar position with a spanking new headquarters, BUT, unable to efficiently distribute water to parts of the island. A situation that gave rise to the ‘water warriors’. This is a ministry which also has responsibility for waste water management. Enough has been recorded about leaking sewage on the South Coast.

Other big ticket items is the inability of government to adequately maintain the infrastructure- roads, buildings, vehicles to name a few. Why has Barbados not been able to earn Cat 1 aviation status for the country given its majority holdings in LIAT. An unhealthy NIS Scheme. An unsatisfactory transportation system.

Of course there is the economy stupid where there has been negligible growth in the economy in last decade supported by plummeting foreign reserves and skyrocketing debt. All the above however are symptoms of the lack of vision the country has not been able to benefit from in the last 20 years by implementing a relevant governance framework.

This is not an exhaustive list.