AT A TIME when Barbados cries out for leadership, polls and popularity contests have no place, says leader of the People’s Empowerment Party (PEP), David Comissiong.
Comissiong thinks that Barbadians should attach little importance to the latest CADRES survey commissioned by the NATION.
He said it was more important to focus on what was required to take this country forward, and that when one did so, it was clear that neither the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) nor the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) “possesses the leadership talent and intellectual resources to adequately do so in this very difficult period”.
“The bitter truth is that a country of our small size and limited human resources need a more inclusive system of governance – a politics of inclusion, if you like.
“Owen Arthur initially had the right idea when he spoke about a politics of inclusion, but unfortunately he himself damaged and tarnished that idea when he bastardised with his effort to denude the Opposition party of talent by pulling over people like Clyde Mascoll and Kerrie Symmonds,” he said.
Comissiong took a dim view of the significance of last weekend’s poll which indicated that Minister of Social Care Christopher Sinckler was the people’s pick to take charge if severely ailing Prime Minister David Thompson had to demit office.
“The real issues that we are facing are what we need to address and not to titilate ourselves over whether Sinckler is more popular than Freundel Stuart or whether Owen [Arthur] is more popular than Mia [Mottley].
“The real issue for us should be how can we bring a different approach to the system of governance, how can we modify our national political system to make full use of the leadership and intellectual resources of Barbados.
“This is not a time for divisiveness, for disunity, for one upmanship, for narrow personal ambitions. This is not the time for that. This is a very difficult era that calls for national unity and an overriding sense of national duty.”
The former Government senator told the DAILY NATION, this was not the time for popularity polls.
“The original concept of the politics of inclusion was the right concept. I think this is what Barbados should be focusing on now . . . how can we bring to the table the collective talent that exists in this country to chart a path forward, instead of these childish popularity games of pitting one individual against another.
“I don’t think that is the real issue and I don’t think it is taking us anywhere,” he said.
