The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate in the St George North by-election Floyd Reifer has asked voters to send a strong message to the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and reject “pedigree politics” when they go to the polls next Wednesday.
He charged at a political mass meeting at Flat Rock, St George on Sunday night that the priorities of this Government continue to demonstrate that “all people are equal but some are more equal than others”.
Reifer made specific reference to the $81 700 approved by the House of Assembly last week to pay former Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) economist Dr Justin Ram for providing economic/technical advisor services.
“Pedigree politics is the Government being able to find $81 000 to pay a former director of economics at CDB, a Trinidadian, as advisor to the Government for three months. Divide $81 000 by three; so that is $27 000 a month,” he said.
“Now let me tell you what I can do with $27 000 . . . . We can help 192 [people] with bus fares for a month. We could buy $500 in groceries for 54 people a month. We could pay water bills for 403 households at an average of $67. It can also pay for Internet service for at least 200 households so school children can access Wi-Fi for online learning. The $81 000 can purchase 162 tablets for our children to participate in online classes.”
Reifer told the meeting that the masses were not a priority for this Government and urged them to go to the polls and say a resounding “no” to the BLP.
“In August, they voted $314 000 to pay Dr Kevin Greenidge for a year. That is just over $26 000 a month; $26 000 a month to look for ways to pinch pennies from poor people. So far, that is all these consultants have done.
“But we can have children in St George North without Wi-Fi; we can have children without laptops and tablets; we can have our elderly struggling to replace a little siding board by the house. That is called pedigree politics. We must say ‘no, no more and no pedigree politics’.”
Reifer said that even recent comments by Attorney General Dale Marshall about the fatal shooting of a young man in The City showed that “certain lives did not matter” to the administration.
“Pedigree politics is when a young man is pumped with bullets and his body lies in the street motionless and the only response from the Attorney General is to speculate that he is a criminal. The lives of our young men don’t matter to the Barbados Labour Party. The lives of the families they leave to mourn don’t matter for the Barbados Labour Party because they don’t have the desired pedigree for this Government to care,” the international cricket coach said.
Reifer said that the issue of “pedigree politics” hit close to home for him as he accused the Government of neglecting the St George Primary School.
“Pedigree politics is the state of affairs at St George Primary – not enough janitorial staff so the school cannot be cleaned properly. Last week, one janitor was at work and she had to clean both the Parish Church hall and the school compound. The parents had to come out and help. No matter how the school begs, no matter how they plead, they can’t get an additional janitor. But we can give Dr Ram $27 000 and we can give Dr Greenidge $26 000 a month. But there is no janitor at the school,” he lamented.
Reifer further claimed that COVID-19 protocols were not in full operation at the school because classrooms were only sanitised on mornings.
“The children’s bathrooms are filthy and birds have taken up residence in the hall and most days the hall is covered with bird droppings. But it was more important for Ms Mottley and my opponent to lead an entourage and descend on the Class 4s at the Church Hall to exploit our children for a cheap political gimmick. We must say ‘no’ to pedigree politics,” he insisted.
The political hopeful said his team had mobilised some parents and volunteers who were awaiting permission from the principal to go in and clean the school. (IMC)
