By Shamar Blunt
Political scientist Devaron Bruce has questioned the efficiency and effectiveness of Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s minor Cabinet reshuffle.
He pushed back directly on the PM’s claims that the ministerial troop movements were geared towards an efficient and effective government. Special Advisor to the Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Ambassador Chad Blackman returns home to join the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment. Backbench MP Marsha Caddle returns to the Cabinet to lead the Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, while Davidson Ishmael leaves that ministry for the Ministry of Health as a Minister of State on the resignation of Dr Sonia Browne.
Bruce reserved praise for a single appointment – Caddle’s return to Cabinet – but also questioned the choice of post for the backbencher.
Though such changes are normal in the administrative life of any administration, Bruce said, they are only part of the story as the current Cabinet has once again grown larger, much to the displeasure of many Barbadians who have long seen Mottley’s administration as being too big and ineffective.
He told Barbados TODAY: “The reality is that I think most Barbadians would agree, it is almost a bit of buyer’s remorse because we are spending quite a bit of money but you are not getting the quality in return, so the issues continue to plague us. You have the Minister of Infrastructure but yet the roads are terrible and poor; we have the health ministry and the QEH [Queen Elizabeth Hospital] in particular; water resources and delivering water continue to be a problem; we have the educational system which has been plagued with several issues regarding sick buildings and mould… so the list continues.
“So the idea that this large Cabinet is one which produces efficiency and effectiveness clearly is not the case.”
Bruce focused on the Ministry of Health which, after being under the helm of Lieutenant Colonel the Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen four separate ministers – Ian Gooding-Edghill, the Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, Dr Browne, and now Ishmael – leading the charge over the health sector or the QEH in some capacity since the 2022 general elections.
Suggesting that the multiple changes have failed the government’s healthcare policy, the political scientist explained: “Jeffrey Bostic, we would consider him a success, but since then we have had Ian Gooding-Edghill who was moved, you have had Sonia Browne who resigned, we have a current minister in Jerome Walcott who we frankly don’t hear much from, to be honest, and now we have Davidson Ishmael. Those are several individuals who have been thrown at the hospital, and the situation seemingly has gotten worse.
“It’s a situation of throwing the spaghetti at the wall and hoping that it sticks. The reality is that these are persons’ lives that we are dealing with. Clearly, there needs to be a more serious intervention with the QEH.”
Given the mounting issues still being seen within the health sector and the QEH, despite millions spent on the hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department, Bruce said the country deserves more stable leadership in the ministry.
“If we have had a situation where you have had Jeffrey Bostic, you’ve had Edghill, you’ve had Jerome, You’ve had Sonia, and now you have Davidson Ishmael, that is really a question of judgement,” Bruce declared. “Is the Prime Minister able to convince herself really that these are the individuals that are suited [for] the ministry?”
The political scientist praised Caddle’s appointment, stating that her previous work in the Ministry of Economic Affairs after the 2018 general elections should be commended given the island’s daunting financial situation at the time.
He did, however, question why she was not returned to the economic area this time around and Ambassador Blackman left the ILO to take over her previous ministry.
“I don’t think anyone can tell me that as it relates to the Barbadian economy that Chad Blackman would have expertise and experience beyond Marsha Caddle,” said Bruce. “Marsha Caddle was there from the 2018 period, and she was part of the financial management of Barbados through an extremely tough time. So I would think that if the purpose is economic management, Marsha Caddle would be the person for that role.”
He added: “Given her expertise is in the economic space, and she has the experience of dealing with headwinds in Barbados’ economy, it is now quite interesting that Chad Blackman is now filling that role as opposed to Marsha Caddle. I would say the reason that that is the case is maybe less about economics and more so about politics. It may be a situation whereby the Prime Minister is thinking about succession and bringing new faces and new persons to the political space, possibly with the idea of electoral prospects going forward for Mr Blackman.”
