Outspoken critic of the Mia Mottley administration, Senator Caswell Franklyn will not be contesting next month’s general elections.
However, he has assured Barbadians they will continue to hear his voice on important issues.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Franklyn, who is a member of the Bishop Joseph Atherley-led People’s Party for Democracy and Development (PdP) said he did not believe he could balance his job as general secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) and a Member of Parliament at the same time, as they were both very demanding.
“I’ve been saying ‘no’ for the last three years. People sometimes have a change of heart but not me. I have no interest in elective politics and I’ve been saying that for a long time. I have a job to do in the Senate and I did it to the best of my ability. That was the job, the job was not running anywhere,” he said.
“…. My responsibility as general secretary of the UWU would not allow me the luxury of running and even representing people in the House, because both are going to be very demanding if you are going to do them well and I don’t think that I would do two half of jobs. I have to do one and complete one, so somebody else will have to do that other one because I know what both entail and I can’t do both. Most people can’t do both but they still try.”
Franklyn, who was chosen as a Senator by Opposition Leader Bishop Atherley, acknowledged there was a possibility his stint in the Upper Chamber was at an end.
However, he gave the assurance that he would continue to speak out for Barbadians at any opportunity.
“I will still be able to make those same points, just that I will not be making them from the floor of the Senate. Those points will still be made.
“Why do you think I was selected to go into the Senate? Because I was making those points and [Bishop] Atherley wanted to give me an opportunity to put them on that level and that is why I was selected, but people will still continue to hear my voice,” Franklyn said. (RB)
