The “real reason” for the Constitution Amendment Bill 2022 being laid in Parliament is to create opportunities for Barbadians.
So says Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly, Santia Bradshaw, who has maintained that the new legislation goes past giving a party the power to appoint two senators or allowing someone to serve in Parliament at the age of 18.
Bradshaw said it had become a hallmark of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to do the best for its citizenry.
“What we are really doing here is not uncharted waters but rather it is really continuing what the BLP stands for and certainly what we as a Government stand for and it simply isn’t just about amending the Constitution just to make way for a young man to enter politics or it’s not simply about being able to give the Opposition an opportunity to have a voice.
“I believe that this is very significant because it also speaks to the underlying philosophy of the BLP in being able to create opportunities for people to serve, to give people who may not ordinarily have a voice the opportunity to be heard. It allows us to be able to ensure that we preserve our democracy in a way that allows us even though we have a 30-seat majority in this House that we are still able to send a message that we are not pompous, we are not above ourselves, we don’t feel that we know everything or that we can solve everything, but therefore that we are able to almost extend the olive branch to others to keep us on our toes and certainly to be that other voice sometimes that we need to hear in a Chamber such as this as we proceed to make policy in the interest of the people,” she said during debate on the bill today.
Bradshaw, who is also Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, pointed out that the BLP had a track record of giving opportunities to young people.
She said persons such as herself and new Member of Parliament Corey Lane were among many who had benefited greatly as a result.
“This party has been consistent and it has been consistent in creating opportunities, it has been consistent even with the member for The City, giving him opportunities as well through the Youth Parliament.
“We have been consistent in the way that we have worked with our young people to develop a youth manifesto to be able to have them to weigh in on different aspects of policy and policy-making and we have also been consistent in this particular amendment, in that there is a recognition by the party that we cannot simply talk the talk but not walk the walk…” Bradshaw said.
(RB)
