#BTSpeakingOut – In tears for my country

by Roderick P. Harris

It saddens me to see the depths to which the Barbados Labour Party has sunk. I have stated previously that it is the only political party I have supported in more than five decades.

I supported it before leaving this country, I supported while in England and I have continued since my retirement and return to this country. I rated Owen Arthur among the best prime ministers to ever lead this country, if not the best, and I took his warnings about the current leadership very seriously when he made them a few years ago from the precincts of Parliament. He was right.

Let me say from the outset that I have never met the current Prime Minister nor do I want to meet her. If God permits my sojourn on this earth to last up to the next general election I will either not vote, or begrudgingly vote for the party of Grantley Adams. But the management of this country’s affairs grieves me.

What I see constantly under Miss Mottley’s leadership runs contrary to commonsense, and consistently to my mind, insults the intelligence of even the dumbest of Barbadians.

I once told a friend at a pub in Bristol many years ago that I admired Arthur’s pragmatism.

He had come under much pressure for his land use policy in terms of encouraging real estate development at the expense of agriculture. But his pragmatism led to our local coffers being flooded with foreign exchange.

It was a balancing act and though agriculturists might go to their graves condemning him, Barbados was a success story under his astute leadership. He was taken from us much too soon.

I am relatively new to social media but I understand, appreciate and to be honest, love it. It is the true voice of the people. But it also exposes the lack of thought, brainless adulation and perplexing loyalties which we Barbadians grant politicians even when they are undeserving of it.

The situation with Mark Maloney, the Prime Minister and members of the Ministry of Health, is something that should attract widespread condemnation. Serious members of the party should have already approached Dame Sandra Mason. It is only because Mr Maloney was conned that this unsavoury blot on Barbados was even brought to the attention of the general public.

In the interest of public health and the public purse, it may be a good thing that he was conned. Who knows what might have been shipped to Barbados?

I cringed on Saturday as Miss Mottley took a belligerent attitude to this sordid affair during her press conference, rather than be contrite, apologetic, and fully explanatory to the people who reposed their confidence in her in 2018 and must now be wondering what the hell have they done.

What would lead anyone to go through an intermediary that is unnecessary, to acquire vaccines and one who has no known experience in the acquisition of pharmaceuticals?

Why would a company seek to purchase drugs at an inflated price outside the range of what they are being generally sold to other countries?

These are questions that have gone unanswered while Miss Mottley speaks rubbish about “red herrings” being raised. Are Barbadians seen as such intellectual eunuchs and drifting dimwits that the obvious questions that should be answered are not, but aggressive utterances about “red herrings” are the main responses?

The explanation given about Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic not knowing about what was going on in his ministry is what you tell children while reading tales from Enid Blyton’s Red Story Book.

And while I am on the subject of Mr Bostic, let me say that I am one of his staunchest supporters. He strikes me as honest and a man of immense integrity. He could have easily played ball with his political colleagues but he was truthful about his knowledge of the transactions.

Perhaps, there is a reason that this deal with Mr Maloney was being orchestrated and he was not told. Mr Bostic is prime ministerial material and I fervently wish that such an occurrence comes to pass for the benefit of Grantley Adams’ party and the country as a whole.

We are in the throes of a pandemic and a recession but one would not believe that, with the way money is being thrown at a plethora of consultants and hangers-on. For those who have the time to do the research, check the level of development in Barbados between 1976 and 1985 under another great man in Tom Adams.

Research the size of his Cabinet and indeed those before and after him, and see what achievements they made without so many cooks over one bowl of soup.

Mr Adams was not only about the ABC Highway or the Central Bank of Barbados, he brought so much more to leadership of this country.

Leadership in Barbados today is seemingly strictly about positioning people in the pursuit of power retention. I cry for this country.