What Divides Us?

Posted on January 6, 2022 by David 108 comments

Submitted by Observing

“In her address explaining the decision to hold the election, Mottley called on the people of Barbados to “unite around a common cause, unite behind a single government, unite behind a single leader.” She added that she did not want Barbados to be a “divided nation.”

But what divides us?

Calling a snap election 18 months before time, knowing for sure that a Covid wave was starting and that thousands would contract it.
Laying in a king sized bed with all Unions to blunt their voices, link hands with Capital and disadvantage workers at will
Not consulting with the professionals at BAMP on travel protocols, election protocols or any other recent protocols
Staging a puppet show called a Social Partnership meeting to pillory, criticise and condemn ordinary hard working nurses AND THEN docking their salaries despite recent precedent.
Paying late salaries, no severance, and arrears to the average man and pensioners in bonds…while Mark Maloney gets a 10 million blank check, Abeds gets all of his stock bought and all Ministers, consultants, special advisors, Parliamentary Secretaries, “Ministers in the Ministries of” and Permanent Secretaries in the largest Cabinet ever get paid on time with perks and allowances
Introducing medical marijuana for Herbert’s Redland Farms and Canadians, but leaving out the rasta and the Afro-Barbadians who suffered, were fined and locked up most for it
Giving no-tender contracts to “a certain Mark” and then claiming “special circumstances”
Silencing opposing or critical voices by appointing them as advisors through the politics of inclusion and delusion
Talking down to the average man because he can’t spell “remdesivir”
Rushing to a Republic without a referendum, without a revised constitution and with “a Creator” instead of “God”
Blaming “Brandy and Punany” for Covid when it was the unnamed Platinum Coast that deserved the blame
Telling 6 year olds to tell their parents if they don’t vaccinate them then they don’t care about them
Refusing to give a budget statement to explain to the average man where we are and where we are going given everything that is going on
Disenfranchising the constitutional right of 2000-4000 people who now cannot vote, because they have Covid through no fault of theirs.

There are many more general and personal examples but time is short. It is abundantly clear that with a 30-0 / 29-1 government any tough decisions that need to be made can be made. It is also clear that the apathy, frustration, mistrust and disillusionment among enough of the electorate is very real. It is even more clear that we are where we are on January 6 with 1000+ new cases and climbing out of political expediency and individual concern, rather than the same national concern that was stated. We get the government (and opposition) that we deserve.

Will the real leaders please stand up?

108 comments

« Older Comments

Tron
January 8, 2022 10:38 PM

Is Armstong genetically related to Chris Sinckler? She has the same mental outbursts, the same vulgar language and screams on stage.

She is perfect proof that there is a lot wrong with education in Barbados.

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Hants
January 8, 2022 11:52 PM

Nurses, teachers and police officers will be among those benefiting from a transformation in home ownership under a newly elected Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Administration.

https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/01/08/blp-promises-housing-revolution-in-2022-manifesto/

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555dubstreet
January 9, 2022 6:00 AM

People need to remain positive especially during hardships and hard times as worrying is the most damaging cause of complications and issues in a feedback loop.

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angela cox
January 9, 2022 6:52 AM

What divides us are words to this effect

With a buzzing rumor that some electors intend to place their ‘X’ in an effort to secure an opposition in parliament, prime minister Mia Amor Mottley is warning against this type of thinking and behaviour.

Cautioning persons against making this move, she said:

“There is much talk of voting for Opposition and I hear it and I understand Barbadians’ sense of fairness, but I warn you that when you vote for an Opposition you may end up with a government you didn’t want. Can the country afford that at this time? I say not.

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555dubstreet
January 9, 2022 7:00 AM

Probably the biggest factor in 2022 that will make any difference will be if those who didn’t vote in 2018 are mobilised to vote in 2022. Non-voters emerging can swing the freak results like the Trump presidency, which needs an even bigger turnout to swing it back.

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African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2021. All Rights Reserved
January 10, 2022 5:37 AM

Not likely to vote for anyone again, but no one should allow lying corrupt politicians to coerce them on HOW THEY SHOULD VOTE and WHO THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR…..the intelligent move would be spreading the votes around to new comer political parties, let some new voices be heard and some new faces seen.

..throw out the despicable old wretches who believe voters owe them something, no one owes deceitful politicians anything…..they already get paid and tief more than their fair share..

and watch all newcomers very closely..

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David
January 11, 2022 4:19 AM

Isolated not X-pendable!

State should find a way to let them vote, panellist says
A CALL HAS BEEN MADE for governments to find ways to allow the infirm, including people with the COVID-19 virus, to exercise their rights to vote in a general election.
Addressing an online town hall panel discussion Sunday on the topic Pandemic Democracy: COVID-19 And Election Management, St Lucia’s Speaker of the House of Assembly Claudius Francis said: “There is no reason people who are in isolation (with COVID-19) cannot vote.”
Francis, a former member of St Lucia’s Electoral Commission, said just as special accommodation is made for the military to vote, a similar thing is done for the elderly in St Lucia. It was suggested that national electoral commissions have the authority to establish polling stations where they consider them to be appropriate, which could include a hospital.
The snap election called in Barbados for January 19 has led to public concerns about whether COVID-19 and other patients will be barred from voting and their constitutional right to do so denied.
Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles, moderator of the session, said: “We are operating in an environment that is unique for election management officials.
“What those of us who observed elections in the last two years would in fact agree is that managing elections during a pandemic does pose a number of risks and the potential to disrupt, not enhance, democracy, though quite clearly there are opportunities which can be seized to enhance democratic participation in the future.”
She continued: “One of the greatest risks, of course, is to voter turnout and participation. While there is a need to ensure that the society is safe, globally, governments have adopted various and mixed responses to the pandemic. But what is clear is there are important implications for the conduct of genuine elections for the foreseeable future,” said the University of the West Indies Cave Hill political scientist.
Panellists were in agreement that with new variants of COVID-19 it was expected Caribbean citizens would be living with the pandemic for a while.
Fern Narcis-Scope, Trinidad and Tobago’s chief elections officer, said: “We need to look at our processes to see how things can be done better.” Adopting technology, including digitisation, was acknowledged as important.
“It really does start sometime with the young people. That is the direction we are going to have to go,” Narcis-Scope said.
Dora James, supervisor of elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines, said the elderly were using technology such as cell phones.
“COVID is not going anywhere. We have to move with the times and we have to adopt the technology on a piecemeal basis,” she said. “We must not be fearful.”
Cybersecurity specialist Niel Harper said the recent publication by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission of personal information from the Barbados voters’ list was a privacy concern. The electoral list, with personal information such as identification numbers and addresses, was put on the Internet, which resulted in some public outcry. Harper also queried how many electoral commissions had a chief information officer or a chief security officer. He called for technology policies to be designed for security and privacy of the electorate and for training of electoral staff.
“We have to invest in training and recruitment,” he said.
Sase Gunraj, a lawyer and member of the Guyana Elections Commission, disagreed with Harper on implementing Internet voting.
He said Caribbean elections were governed by legislation.
“Elections are based on law. Every single aspect of the electoral process is prescribed in that
Act,” he said.
“In any process there is room for error,” he said, adding that pragmatism and common sense needed to be exercised at all times. ( HH)

Source: Nation

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