For the second time in less than three years Prime Minister David Thompson has reshuffled his Cabinet, ostensibly to divest himself of some of his portfolio as a result of his continuing medical situation. Evidently, the most striking change has been the elevation of the former Minister of Social Care to the post of Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.
Despite all the emotion that has been displayed on the public airways and in the Press about which ministers should have been appointed to which ministries, I believe, like the Opposition leader, that a golden opportunity was lost to bring new people with fresh ideas and enthusiasm into the fold.
My position is based on the fact that Barbados is at a crossroads in its social and economic development. The challenges we face dictate that we make tough choices based not only on perceived short-term political gains but on their potential to sustain us over time.
We recall that the first Cabinet reshuffle moved the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment, Urban and Rural Development. That change of responsibility was predicated on the desire to generate greater efficiency in the delivery of Government’s social programme.
Social programme
On many occasions we have heard the Prime Minister as well as the Deputy Prime Minister touting the significance of Government’s social programme and their resolve to continue giving a tremendous amount of attention to that cause.
Recently, the former Minister of Economic Affairs admitted that Government was not prepared to reduce its social programmes to the extent suggested by the International Monetary Fund.
Extrapolating from the positions taken by these high-ranking members of Cabinet, one can conclude that there is definitely an ideological bias in favour of the social development of the country. The problem, however, is that social development, by its very nature, requires a strong economic base.
Fresh talent
Hence, Government ought to be focusing on implementing policies and programmes designed to strengthen the economy (getting the fundamentals right) rather than continuing to engage in its over-ambitious social agenda. It is from that perspective that fresh talent could have been injected into the Cabinet. Let us hope that an opportunity missed is not an opportunity lost.
In the present environment, one could only hope that the new Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs is up to the challenges of his job and will be bold and innovative enough to surround himself with the requisite talent to allow him to design and implement policies and programmes that will return the country to sustained growth and development.
Interestingly, the new Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs is placing God at the forefront of his endeavours. As admirable as that is, he must also recognise that he has to have the vision, the fortitude, and the know-how to get the job done. Is he the right fit for the job? Only time will tell!