Submitted by Barbados Election Watch
Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart
One can now be left in no doubt that the Nation Newspaper has set itself the agenda of getting rid of Prime Minister Stuart at all cost. On more than one occasion, contributors to this blog have drawn attention to the unmistakably biased approach of that paper towards the Prime Minister of Barbados. It would seem that whatever he does, or fails to do, no matter that he conducts himself with the highest level of decorum, and honesty he can be the subject of some form of ridicule . Very recently noted historian and veteran trade unionist Mr Robert Bobby Morris drew attention to the way the Prime Minister was depicted by the paper when it sought to comment in a front page article on the results of the CADRES poll . Mr Stuart the tallest of the persons presented in a form of picture chart , was made to look like some puny midget in a straight-jacket while the others , of shorter stature , were much more favourably presented. Other persons have been commenting on the kinds of photos of Mr Stuart that the paper has been recently using in its efforts to ridicule him in some form or fashion .
Today however, the newspaper has done its worst. The BIG BOLD HEADLINES IN RED SCREAMED …” NOT A WORD”. BHTA head says PM has not responded to request for meeting “It was a story by a Gercine Carter in which the paper has outdone itself in its efforts at vilification . The Prime Minister was being ” rapped for failing to respond to a Barbados Hotel Association ( BHTA ) request for an urgent meeting to discuss the plight of the Island’s vital tourism industry “. It went further to state that “the Prime Minister’s priorities were yesterday called into question by the outgoing president of the BHTA, Colin Jordan, who pointed to Stuart’s promptness in meeting with Cuban ex-convict Raul Garcia at Dodds Prison recently, while a letter requesting the meeting more than two months ago had not been acknowledged to date “.
Mr. Adam Harris
The Sunday Sun of January 3rd 1999 presented an article entitled “The New Politics of Inclusion” which sought to critique an apparent “programme” of the Arthur administration which was apparently intended to allow for greater participation in the governance of our country. This article took the position that the politics of inclusion represented a development that was not only good but absolutely necessary for the proper development of a country like Barbados which is both small and resource deficient. This perspective was, however, a theoretical argument which assumed much about this programme of inclusion which this author presumed would take democracy beyond the right to vote in elections and allow Barbadians the opportunity to play a role in a government that is open, accountable and participatory.
Over the years the Barbados Labour Party has sent mixed signals on whether there is a plan to increase bus fares in the face of increasing petroleum prices. Barbadians remember when the then Minister of Transport Anthony “Too Silent” Wood indicated in a bold pronouncement that he would propose that bus fares be increased. Little did he know that he was being set-up by his boss, Prime Minister Arthur, to test “the waters”. The hue and cry which ensued put paid to that proposal and prompted this response from Democratic Labour Party strategist Hartley Henry in his recent Nation Newspaper piece: “Anthony Wood’s “moment in time” was the stillbirth he gave to an increase in bus fares”.
BU was heartened today to hear David Ellis of STARCOM Network speak-out against the recent attack on the Press which occurred at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. As Barbados leading journalist he has had to suffer a battering in recent times; especially at the hands of the Barbados Labour Party politicians with a general on the horizon. Much of what he said suggested to us that he reads the Blogs-that being the case he needs to go that step closer and mention that we too are playing a part to protect freedom of expression in Barbados.
The story quoted is about Leader of the Opposition of Barbados David Thompson lamenting the fact that the school meals workers who worked around the clock to ensure the “who is who” that attended the CWC 2007 were fed, HAVE NOT BEEN PAID! BU will not even bother to flog a dead horse on this issue except to say that the longer it persists it signifies a callousness on the part of the persons responsible to remedy the matter.
The Nation Newspaper has reported this morning that members of the media were arrested and charged yesterday (27 May 2007). The transgression is reported to be that the cameraman was deemed to be trespassing on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) compound. Let BU add its voice to those in recent times which have shown concern at the way the media is being manhandled in Barbados. BU has written exhaustively in its short existence about the ramifications of an ineffective media in Barbados. This recent attack on the Barbados media has come days after Amnesty International released its 
