#BTColumn –An open letter to Verla DePeiza

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

First, let me congratulate you on a much deserved victory to lead the Democratic Labour Party for another year. With the elections over, you and your executive have to get down to the important business of readying the party for the next General Election. You must know that our country cannot afford another lopsided parliament, and you must do whatever it takes to win seats.

You must embrace those who supported the Reverend Guy Hewitt in the party elections and learn from the concerns they have expressed about your leadership style.

Bring in the defeated candidates of 2018 from the cold, for the DLP can benefit much from their experience. As demonstrated by how

Miss Mottley is utilising the expertise of the previously maligned Chris Sinckler, the previous government ministers must not be treated like pariahs.

Having completed the selection of candidates, you must turn your undivided attention to the preparation of a progressive programme for a 21st century Barbados. You have the boldness and foresight of The Right Excellent Errol Barrow to guide, but not restrict you. In this regard, I wish to make a few suggestions which are directed also at the present ruling party.

First, tourism has served us well, but needs to be expanded, and new industries developed. Educational tourism has room for development.

Apart from the encouragement of off shore universities, private citizens can be given incentives to establish boarding schools catering to secondary students from all over the world. When I was a schoolboy, there were three such schools accommodating both dayboys and boarders: The Lodge School, Mapps College and Presentation College.

Those of us who attended such institutions learnt to be tolerant and to appreciate different cultures. Very importantly, the island earned much needed foreign exchange and Bajans found work providing cooking, laundering and cleaning services. I suspect that with a reformed educational system, we could attract wealthy foreign students looking for a new educational experience.

Moving from education, I wish to turn to sports and culture. Any serious government must see the enormous benefits of investing in sports and culture. If our athletes are to reach world class standard, we must first provide adequate resources, starting with a brand new national stadium.

A Democratic Labour Party government built the first National Stadium and must plan to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our athletes are provided with a facility that would motivate them to do their best.

Secondly, more must be done to promote sports at primary and secondary schools. At present, Physical Education is the Cinderella subject in our schools. That attitude must be brought to a screeching halt.

In the same way that we view skipping classes in Maths seriously, we must adopt the same attitude to Physical Education. There must no longer be excuses for children not wearing games uniforms or hiding elsewhere on the compound during Phys Ed periods.

Encouragement must be given to parents to let their children with sporting ability continue playing sports even in senior school. The idea that academics and sports don’t mix has been debunked ages ago.

In fact, when I was a schoolboy, the brightest boys were also the top cricketers, footballers and track athletes.

On the issue of culture, there is no doubt that this small island is blessed with an abundance of talent. What our artistes need is support. There is no point having a Cultural Industries Act, if it is not going to be fully used to develop those we now refer to as creatives.

If our musicians, singers, dramatists, visual artists, craftsmen and women, food specialists among others receive the help they deserve, the world market is open to them and Barbados will benefit from a new and lucrative industry.

With regard to funding, I know that the lottery presently provides some financial help, but that is not nearly enough.

I think it is necessary to have the Lottery run by the state, so that the profits can be used to finance Sports and Culture.

And while we are at it, sports persons and creatives ought to be benefitting from duty free items that are necessary for their businesses.

There is a lot more I can say, Madam President, but for now, I urge you to reflect on these few suggestions. Barbados deserves to have at least two strong political parties which have modern ideas for the development of the country.

We have been running on one cylinder for too long.

John Goddard, retired but still an educator.