There is the valid argument that Barbados cannot afford the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to win another 30–0 general election. It must be about ensuring our already cannibalized Westminster system functions at some efficient level. In our model of government, the dissenting voice of an opposition is an important constitutional check and balance. It is necessary to scrutinize legislation. It is also needed to demand transparency from the government side. If the BLP wins 30-0 again, we will be left with one sided debates. Select committees will operate without dissenting views. This outcome would not align with how the framers designed the system to function. Some commentators have expressed the view that there are other channels outside of parliament that support opposing views to be represented.
Already Prime Minister Mia Mottley has been labeled a de facto dictator. This is because of the BLP’s dominance at the polls in 2018 and 2022. The dilemma facing the citizenry is that we do not vote for an opposition. Generally political opposition parties promote issues affecting the country, and offer alternatives to win favour with the electorate. The party on the government side does the opposite. It promotes accomplishments with promises to continue the same. However, in Barbados, we have a nuanced situation. Confidence in the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is low because of the two heavy defeats. And there have been subsequent unflattering events that occurred at George Street. The blogmaster is of the view the upcoming general election is about whether the public has sufficient confidence in the DLP to deserve to be returned to government.
There is good reason why cynicism and voter apathy is believed to have taken deep root in Barbados. When a significant number of voters feel their voice is like that of John De Baptist” crying in the wilderness, our type of democracy has become dysfunctional. If a democratic government, as explained by Abraham Lincoln, is to be “a government of the people, by the people, for the people” – another DLP shellacking at the polls will not be of value to facilitating a healthy democracy.
For Barbados to thrive, we have to find a path. We must ensure that a single political party does not monopolise the halls of parliament. It would not bode well for a healthy democracy. What a pickle Barbados now finds itself. A small, predominantly Black country that used to be the doyen of the region, held up as a model for others to follow.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.