With the Barbados Labour Party’s constant changes in policy and positions, principally aimed at cajoling and attracting votes like Mitt Romney, the electorate is now seeing through their several thoughtless twists and turns – classic political chameleons.
They are promising everything possible under the sun. Maybe, a piece of the moon will be next. The good thing is that Barbadians recognize poppycock when they hear it.
The Leader of the Opposition Owen Arthur has gone from promising to give back all allowances to privatizing almost everything Government owns. It looks as if the whole public sector will be on the chopping block. Nothing is off the table – education, health, housing, transport, communications, social services – the works!
There are certain areas that fall within the sphere of essential social services and will be protected by a caring Freundel Stuart–led DLP Government. We understand the importance of primary and secondary education, primary health care, housing and transportation, since there are those among us who must be assisted from falling through the cracks by providing a lifeline.
Today, we will zero in on one area – transportation, which must remain within the reach and affordability of the masses. To do otherwise would be to take Barbadians back to the BLP pre-1960s era.
If transportation is privatized, it stands to reason the true economic cost would be levied by the private sector concessionaire. The current cost $2 per trip would ballon to just around $10. This is what private concessionaires would have to charge to make the Transport Broad profitable as opposed to it being a public service supported by the state. This translates to $40 a day for travelling on four buses.
That computes at $200 for a five-day work week, just to get to and from work. An untenable situation, as bus commuters would suddenly become dawn to dusk pedestrians, and easy prey for rapists and robbers.
Only those who could afford at least a $170 weekly fare would survive. Additionally, thousands, including all bus drivers would lose their jobs, many routes would have to be abandoned, the “last bus” from town would be a thing of the past, and worst of all, schoolchildren and those attending the Samuel?Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) and the Barbados Community College (BCC) would have to start paying high bus fares again, causing scores of them to miss classes some days. Chaos would reign! We will not return to those days!
But, here is the interesting part. Many of us remember the days of the private bus concessionaires, when the Elite, Rocklyn, Birch, Weatherhead, Gaskin and over a dozen other bus companies experienced financial difficulty year after year, and Government had to rescue them. State intervention in the transportation sector was a necessity.
Too often, some advocate the virtues of privatization as the panacea for all our economic ills. It doesn’t always work.
We wonder, where would the Transport Board drivers find the wherewithal to purchase, service, maintain and manage the expensive rolling stock?
Talk is cheap! Barbadians are not gullible. They know that the Freundel Stuart administration has their interests at heart, and is working for them. We have been emphasizing skilful management, streamlining of operations, efficiency and the elimination of any semblance of wastage in public enterprises.
Stick with the Dems.
• Douglas Leopold Phillips is a pseudonym for the Democratic Labour Party.
