BLP defends poster placements amid safety concerns

The Barbados Labour Party on Monday defended its use of utility poles for political posters, insisting it has followed the Barbados Light & Power Company’s guidelines and that such advertisements are a normal feature of election campaigns.

Jerome Walcott, BLP general secretary and campaign manager, stressed that the party is managing the practice without compromising public safety or order.

Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters on Roebuck St, Walcott addressed Light & Power’s concerns regarding the use of utility poles for campaign materials.  

He said: “We have been trying. We’ve sent out the notices to the branches and I think you will see a number of branches have been using tape. In fact, this morning I was seeing that some of them were not even getting the transparent tape. They were using the brown tape, which of course is difficult to manoeuvre. We’ve been adhering to that. 

“Having said that, people have been putting up posters for years. People put up posters for dances and all sorts of things. And I’ll be interested in seeing what some of the opposition’s posters are being put up with, because I see some along the way and I don’t see any tape. So I’m just curious. But we do take the advice of the Light & Power and, as far as possible, we are following the guidelines and indeed I believe some of the hardware stores have run out of tape based on the volumes that we’ve been purchasing.”

The electric company, in a statement last week, reiterated the safety risks posed by election paraphernalia on utility poles. Posters, signs, nails, staples and tacks “create serious safety hazards for our linemen and can also put members of the public at risk”, it noted. “From punctured protective gear to dangerous falls, even small objects left behind can lead to severe injury. Posting on poles also interferes with routine work, delays emergency response when pole numbers are covered, and exposes non-utility workers to potentially fatal electrical hazards.”  

Walcott also responded to concerns about posters being torn down, which has attracted viral attention online. He said such incidents are a routine part of election campaigns. He added that, unlike in countries such as Jamaica where rival party posters are frequently torn down within hours, Barbados maintains a higher level of decency, though most posters are eventually removed as part of the electoral process.