Nicholls set for debate

Barbados’ newest Senator Attorney-at-Law Gregory Nicholls has been sworn in by President Dame Sandra Mason and is ready to make his contribution to the Appropriation Bill which is currently before the Upper House for consideration.

Minutes after the brief ceremony at State House attended by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, Attorney General Dale Marshall, Nicholl’s mother Norma Nicholls and wife Nesha Raja, the new senator thanked the Prime Minister for allowing him to fill the space following Government’s withdrawal of its bid to amend the Constitution of Barbados to permit 18-year-old Khalil Kothdiwala to serve in the Senate.

“We all know the circumstances in which the Prime Minister and Government’s wish to have another senator in place has not come to pass. So, I am reflective about the whole process. I have been given my remit to speak on issues on which the Government would want stronger representation. I have been here in the past and I think that I should say thanks again to Prime Minister Mottley because were it not for her, on the first occasion I wouldn’t be appointed in the Senate.

“I know a lot of people would credit the late Prime Minister [Owen] Arthur, but Miss Mottley had asked me as General Secretary then in 2003 to be the Chairman of the northern zone of the party during that election. It was that opportunity that she gave me which I turned down on that occasion because I thought I was not experienced enough. But she threw me in the deep end and brought me to the attention of Prime Minister Arthur and I was able to go to the Senate,” Nicholls said.

Senator Nicholls recalled that when he served in the Senate between 2003 and 2008, the issue of the day was moving towards a single market and economy. He said since that time, the world went into a financial crisis in the late 2000s, leading to significant changes, including climate change, resulting in the government having to change its attitude to governing in order to build consensus across political lines all over the world.

“You are now seeing war and the effects of war and tactical aggression by states. And the issues of small island states still are on the forefront. I mean, sustainable development is going to be a much harder task for countries like Barbados. We still have to grapple with issues of economic growth, how do we pull people out of poverty, how do we protect rights of vulnerable people in the country and in society and also be a champion for vulnerable groups and people elsewhere in the world. So it’s much more complex, but it’s a lot more easy by technology and the reach of technology and how we use technology to do what we have to do,” he said.

The attorney-at-law has also assured his clients that his appointment to the Senate does not take him out of the fight for workers’ rights in Barbados.

“It is something I will address in the Estimates as I seek to deal with some of the issues and to help Government craft and shape policies that will improve working conditions of people in Barbados,” he said.

Senator Nicholls said he is now scanning through documents handed to him on the weekend in preparation for his contribution to the Appropriation Bill, the fifth time he will be undertaking this task as a senator. (AH)