The Leader of the Opposition and political leader of the Democratic Labour Party, the Honourable Ralph Thorne has made a commitment to be a responsible opposition, and not to oppose for the sake of opposing. The party has ensured that any statement it makes, any complaint raised, and any suggestion offered is covered by research, good intent and with the nation’s interest at heart.
It was therefore a surprise to hear the response made by the MP for St. Lucy on Down to Brass Tacks a few weeks ago. The representative was responding to a call made by the Leader of the Opposition, and supported yours truly, the DLP’s spokesman on culture and the creative arts, and prospective candidate for St Lucy, to have water charges imposed by the Barbados Water Authority, discontinued, given the situation of discoloured water in that parish.
Phillips stated on the programme that to encourage people not to pay their water bills is “reckless” and made it clear that he was satisfied that the government and the Barbados Water Authority were doing all they could.
In the first place, what the Leader of the Opposition said was that the water authority had broken its contract to provide potable water, and it should stop sending bills to those affected. Mr Thorne further asserted that the matter was a clear breach of contract. The water is now brown and the likelihood of health challenges arising cannot be ignored.
Let me be abundantly clear and say that at no time did Mr Thorne or myself encourage residents not to pay their water bills.
Party loyalty is expected, but when a matter challenges the health and well-being of the people one serves, then any representative who is worth the clothes he or she wears would have taken the statement made by the Leader of the Opposition and researched its legal strength, and provide representation for his constituents.
Alvin R. Toppin
