Gov’t committed to transformative agenda

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight is adamant that the government is addressing the public’s concerns about the rising cost of goods.

She told the Upper House on Wednesday that the price compact with the private sector is one part of the current administration’s transformative agenda and called for the public’s patience regarding outstanding issues.

“I understand that people want to be able to see immediacy. They want to feel that what the government is doing is going to deliver direct benefits now for them, whether that results in immediate jobs, more money, lowered prices, and that is extremely important and the government has been attempting to do that, in a myriad of ways.

“The government signed a compact as well as the private sector in order to make sure that we can keep prices within the supermarket to a reasonable level. We are, as much as possible, attending to those things that are immediate and having to do with the direct welfare of citizens. But there are other things such as the contents of transformation that may take a little bit longer, but are no less fundamental to addressing the critical challenges that we face as individuals and as a nation,” she said. 

Leading off the debate on the Plant Protection Bill 2023, the senator said the legislation will establish a framework to reduce the introduction of pests and ensure that international standards are met as the island moves toward protecting its food security. 

Highlighting the island’s limited land space and daily plant loss, Munro-Knight added: “We recognise that there are threats to our plant stock which we have to be able to address particularly for Barbados…So, having a comprehensive framework for the protection of our plants is perfect for us. Even as we say that this legislation is ensuring that we are able to trade and meet international standards of the World Trade Organisation, fundamentally, this legislation is also about protecting us.”  

(JB)