Atherley slammed

Attorney General Dale Marshall made it abundantly clear today that his colleagues on the Government’s bench are in no way involved with this country’s drug-dealing criminal element.

Marshall was responding to recent comments made by Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley, who fearlessly declared in Parliament during debate on the Award of the Pride of Barbados Bill 2019, that criminal elements were also being facilitated by “some who are involved in the political process”.

Attorney General Dale Marshall and Bishop Joseph Atherley

“Since 2008 that has been clear to me, that there are people involved in the practice of politics [at the] elective level in Barbados who are attaching themselves to persons involved in illegal drug activity in Barbados, to help their cause and I dare anybody in here to stand and say that is not true,” Atherley charged.

However, during a post-Cabinet press briefing convened at Government Headquarters this afternoon, Marshall vouched for the integrity of his Barbados Labour Party Parliamentary colleagues, stressing that Atherley can “only speak for his side of the bench”.

“I am extremely disappointed that Bishop Atherley could take this course especially since in this current Parliament there are 30 members and 29 of which belong to the Barbados Labour Party and one belongs to the Opposition. Bishop Atherley can certainly speak for his side but let me say that as Attorney General of Barbados and as a member of our National Security Council, there are no members of this current administration who are involved or connected in any way to any drug lords, to any drug trade or to any illicit activity,” Marshall declared.

As proof of the administration’s uncompromising nature, Marshall noted that since coming to office last year, Government has done all within its power to stamp out criminal elements.

“Since coming to office we have applied our every energy to stamping out the associated gun violence. We have strengthened our laws, we have given the police more resources than ever before, so as to be able to fight the scourge of criminal activity. We have deployed the police along with the Barbados Defence Force in the trouble spots. There is no doubt that in some communities that there are drug lords who exert influence but for the Leader of the Opposition to go on to suggest that this is somehow allied or associated with this administration is not just wrong, it is completely untruthful,” he said.

Marshall added: “This is to impugn the good name of the current crop of Parliamentarians, individuals who are working hard in the interest of Barbados, but it is also to impugn the efforts and dedication of our judges and to impugn the efforts and dedication of our Royal Barbados Police Force. It is a shameful thing that the Leader of the Opposition could feel that it is a useful tactic to try to demoralise Barbadians by suggesting that its leaders, without any evidence, are involved in dealings with drug lords.”

He pointed out that up until May last year, Atherley was a vibrant member of the BLP and shared in the same ideals, which got the party elected.

“I speak on behalf of a political movement that Bishop Atherley was a part of [until quite recently]. Bishop Atherley stood on the political platform alongside every single one of us, he embraced us, he may have even kissed some of us. We spoke from the same message, sang from the same hymn sheet and supported the same manifesto,” he stressed.

However, the AG acknowledged that it was par for the course in political life, to encounter unsavoury characters in each constituency, noting that it was the duty of a Member of Parliament to serve all constituents.

“Once you are involved in public life, you are not ever going to be a able to sequester yourself from a segment of your electorate and say ‘I will have no dealings with you.’ When I open my constituency office there is no reject button at the door to determine who to let in. We are here to represent all… I certainly do not differentiate in that way because I came to public life to serve and I do not ask persons what they do or what their job is, I simply ask what they need from the Government,” he stressed.
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb