Political scientist examines President’s Senate picks

The exclusion of a representative from this country’s trade union movement from the list of independent Senators and the inclusion of a former Opposition Senator have both been identified as interesting political developments.

“This is probably one of the first occasions that we don’t have labour represented in the Upper House,” said political analyst Peter Wickham.

Referencing President Dame Sandra Mason, Wickham noted, “There is no obligation for her to represent any sector, because ultimately it is her own discretion, but I just found that a bit odd that labour is entirely unrepresented although it is represented in the Lower House,” he added.

On Wednesday, seven opposition senators were named by President Sandra Mason and sworn in at State House. Only one of them, businessman Andrew Mallalieu, was a new face in the Upper House.

Over the previous parliamentary term, Barbados Workers’ Union General Secretary, Toni Moore was appointed an independent senator before being elected to serve in the Lower House as the representative for St George North under the flag of the Barbados Labour Party.

When she left the Upper Chamber in late 2020, she was replaced by Julian Hunte, another trade union voice.

It also appears that calls by the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), who requested a seat in the Senate, have fallen on deaf ears.

“That was significant for me and I think unfortunate, because I actually thought that Julian had a good contribution to make,” said Wickham.

“You would recall that Sir Roy Trotman [retired BWU General Secretary] had said that the two leading lights in that union were Julian and this lady who ultimately became the MP,” he said.

The other “interesting” development was the Crystal Drakes factor. Drakes was last an opposition senator affiliated with the People’s Party for Democracy and Development but has now been appointed an Independent senator.

“She seems to be a very respectable senator, in that she has always engaged very clinically and she doesn’t appear to be interested in the politics, which, I guess would reflect the fact that the President saw her as a suitable person to sit up there,” said Wickham.

“She has a mind of her own but her political origins are curious, in that she clearly is an opposition face and it is also significant that the President chose her and not Caswell [Franklyn] as the other independent senator when choosing from the ranks of the PdP.” kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb