#BTSpeakingOut – An open letter to Khaleel Kothdiwala

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

by Roderick P. Harris

Dear Chap,

I must state that I admire your zeal and passion for politics. It is to be commended given all the other vices in society that can distract the youth.

However, your submissions are often misguided, lack depth and real understanding of some major issues which you choose to speak on. It would be wise for you when attempting a man’s job to fully furnish yourself with facts and not half-truths or fiction.

You were way off target in your recent submission last Friday, October 22, in Barbados TODAY E-paper. You clearly miss the point that made your assessment skewed.

Many of your previous submissions show where your admiration, awe and loyalty lie. You are starstruck by the ruling party and you are always quick to praise whatever they put on the table.

You are the same youngster who penned a series of articles in the same Barbados TODAY following the 2018 General Election under the headline: The Dead Labour Party referring to the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). Your opinion is yours to have and hold. But, sometimes if you take off your blinkers you would better see facts and truth.

Might I also remind you that politics and happenings in the House of Assembly did not start in 2018. If you want to make solid and objective commentary of current day affairs it would be wise to do some research and get an idea of what obtained before.

In case you did not know there was a 24 to 3 victory in a General Election in the DLP’s favour and a 26 to 2 in the BLP’s favour.

These two political institutions have a rich history so to suggest that defeat, even awful defeat at the polls, means they are dead is to be sadly misinformed and misguided.

This is why the argument about a third party’s survival in Barbados will go on and on. The Barbadian electorate is BLP or DLP – simple. Not sure why you would want others to believe that an institution of 66 years would keel over and die after defeat at the polls.

You can certainly feel the political temperature in Barbados now exhibited toward the current Government that secured all 30 seats only three years ago. Bajans don’t vote in Governments, they tend to vote out the Government they have had enough of. Even one as “good” as Owen Arthur’s historic three-term Government 1994 to 2008 was voted out.

Back to Friday. Senator Caswell Franklyn was right and within his rights as Opposition Senator to vote against and to walk out if he felt he was not being heard or acknowledged by the House’s presiding officer. By the way, both the BLP and DLP while in Opposition have walked out of Parliament. Not sure if you know this since it was pre-2018.

Senator Franklyn even engaged the media to explain why he had taken the position. He repeatedly said he was not opposing the election of the new President but the way it was done. He insisted it was done under a British constitution.

He pointed out the ballot only had an option for voting yes. He maintained there were no current rules in place to regulate what was taking place. Can you answer these questions young Kothdiwala? Maybe you should take an objective listen to his interview on Barbados TODAY’s Facebook page.

For you to call for his resignation because he opposed is absolutely ludicrous. If the Opposition does not oppose who will? You? I doubt it. We are not in a totalitarian regime. We live in a democracy. Democracy means we have different opinions and are free to express them without fear or favour. And in this case Senator Franklyn’s stance was based on procedure and rule of law.

You called for the goodly senator to step down. I am now calling on you to put down your pen and only pick it up and comment on issues you are better versed in.