PRIME MINISTER Dr Ralph Gonsalves has called for cooler heads to prevail on the REDjet issue, which has set the Government of Barbados on a collision course with its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) neighbours Trinidad and Jamaica.
The Vincentian head broke his silence on the matter in a SUNDAY SUN exclusive interview in which he revealed that as lead prime minister in the CARICOM quasi-cabinet with responsibility for air transportation, he had been “kept out of the loop” of the regulatory debate surrounding the Barbadian-based low-cost carrier.
However, Gonsalves said he had been actively following the public discussion in the media – in particular recent comments attributed to various spokesmen in the Barbados Government, which he said not only had the effect of making some people “uncomfortable” but spoke to an underlay of “politics”, including protection by the governments of Trinidad and Jamaica of their national airline CAL/Air Jamaica.
It was exactly one week ago that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart threw down the gauntlet, accusing the Trinidad and Tobago government of “second-guessing” the credibility of Barbados’ aviation officials on the safety of REDjet. (KJ)
Full story in today’s SUNDAY SUN.
