Five days to go to the 2018 General Election in Barbados and the speculation is rife who will win and the margin of the victory. The platform discussion has not ignited hope in the blogmaster that there will be significant change to how a new government will improve the lot of the people. What is certain is that the state of the economy will possibly get worse before it improves, IF it improves.
What factors will influence how the blogmaster cast his X on Thursday?
How have the key economic indicators moved since 2013?
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international reserves
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domestic borrowing
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foreign borrowing
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amount of fossil imports
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unemployment
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deficit
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exports
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imports
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inflation
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food bill*
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greater sector integration
What about the crime situation since 2013?
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murder rate
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violence crime
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drug related
Has the infrastructure improved since 2013?
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state of the highways and byways
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stadia
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public buildings (health and safety)
Small island developing states because of the size must have an efficient waste management and policies attuned to a maintaining a pristine environment. Have we seen advancement in this space since 2013?
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adequate number of garbage trucks
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frequent garbage collection
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effective public education about waste disposal
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effective policing
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management of sewage
Have we observed change in the Governance model since 2013?
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effectiveness of the working committees of parliament
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adherence to financial rules
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delivering justice to all citizens
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holding public officials accountable
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term limits
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republican system
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etc
Last but as important is whether the confidence of a people is higher (or lower) compared to 2013.
How can we create a more relevant regional and international outreach to sustain quality of life for citizens?
There are many other issues the blogmaster could have listed to point to the fact- if one is honest- that there has been a deterioration in the Barbados space since 2013. We can debate if the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the 3rd parties are ready to led the country if elected. Clearly based on performance the DLP has fallen short by the simple measure if the questions posed are answered honestly.
The electorate will have to decide if despite a poor performance by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) whether it merits a third term when compared to the alternatives. Does the electorate have the capacity to logically weight the issues to inform the vote?
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.