A strong powerful woman, Mia Mottley epitomizes the contradictions of her paternal grandfather who, whilst championing the cause of the downtrodden, chose the vehicle of the conservative political party as the appropriate, perhaps expedient tool with which to achieve his political goals. – University of the West Indies political scientist Cynthia Barrow-Giles in Women In Caribbean Politics (2011)
The author’s observations were perhaps sharpened by what must have been an enlightening four-hour interview with the subject who made it quite clear that she desired the position of chief executive of Barbados.
And as a senior member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP)?revealed, it is also clear that she will not knowingly permit anyone to “stupidly stand in her way of achieving that goal”.
Barrow-Giles went on to suggest that while Mottley extolled the virtues of a people-centred approach to development which was underscored by her clear appreciation of her constituents, “her seeming arrogance to many and her unwitting tendency to offend and ostracize, her outspokenness and her fearless ability to enter unchartered (sic) controversial areas may hamper her road to her ultimate political ambition”.
“Yet, Mottley has a wealth of experience,” the writer noted. “She has acquired an international reputation and respect among her peers both regionally and internationally which is born of her acumen and hard work.
“A third-generation politician, in the view of several persons, if ever one was moulded to serve and claim the most valued political prize in Barbados, it is Mia Amor Mottley.”
Whatever one thinks about Mia Mottley, her politics, her private life, the manner of her ouster from the job in October 2010, it must be clear to all, even her most perfervid detractors, that this, her second coming as Leader of the Opposition, must be permanent.
Those of you who for whatever reasons were opposed to Mottley’s rise as a potential PM, should now set them aside. It is good politics.
It comes at a very interesting period of transition in the political landscape of Barbados. Her gender creates its own intrigue in an era of growing feminism.
The leader on the other side of the aisle has gained his own mandate in the twilight of his political career. And most fascinatingly, the political divide, in terms of seats in Parliament, is the closest ever.
In the face of all of the above, the environment for assuming leadership of the BLP could not be better for Mottley. She has already spoken about the strength in the numbers where there is an Opposition member to shadow each ministerial portfolio. This gives the new members of Parliament, and they are all on the Opposition benches, the opportunity to cut their political eye teeth in the full glare of the public spotlight.
Further, Mottley is more experienced (in Cabinet) than any of the Government MPs. And while Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has again avoided responsibility for a major ministry in his own Cabinet, there will still be plenty of opportunities for the two leaders to go toe to toe.
In this regard, it was worth the wait to see who would have been chosen by Stuart for the pivotal post of Minister of Finance. The determination to retain Chris Sinckler in the position is going to create its own political machinations.
Given the leadership transition that is of necessity on the Government side, the finance choice is expected to send signals.
In a sense, the new Opposition Leader must know who is her main target across the aisle but must not seek to elevate anyone who has not been elevated within his own party.
There is no doubt that the post of Minister of Finance is still sought after in our political system. It carries with it much influence and a lot of contact with the “investor class”. As a result, there is a political might that can be associated with the post that attracts its own kind of attention among the members of Cabinet.
Indeed, it may be argued that two vulnerable seats on the borders of St Michael North-West survived only because of their perceived loyalty to the holder of the post in the last Cabinet. On the other hand, the post can be a divider in the sense that it equally attracts disloyalty real and imagined. In this vein, the politics of the Eager Eleven is worth revisiting.
The period of transitioning is as much about imaging as it is about performing. An Opposition Leader is a Prime Minister-in-waiting. To that extent, the post is defined by its holder as much as it defines its holder. There is, therefore, no reason to believe that the others are wishing Mottley well or have an interest in making history for a female.
In short, the perceived friendships are a thing of the past, if not the imagination, when once the leadership status is attached to the friend in the game of politics. It truly is, believe me, not Sunday school.
Apart from her feminism, Mottley has nurtured relationships with the youth in her ministerial portfolios of the past. But of equal importance, in recent years, she organized a semi-professional football tournament which gave her direct contact with the “boys on the block”.
In a real sense, part of her political DNA is tied naturally to a growing culture of sports, music and the arts, which involves the youth heavily.
Beyond the walls of Parliament, she is arguably the one most able to reach the youth. This makes Mottley the most feared politician going forward, given her capacity to straddle the various social classes. In addition, there are some sensitive human rights issues, which will require a gentler perspective, that have to be addressed.
Apart from the strength in numbers, the Opposition Leader will have to be clever in picking her battles in the initial stages of the new Parliament. There are some people’s issues, such as CLICO, that must be tackled now that the majority is so slim. The Speaker must not be able to determine that such a matter is not of urgent public importance.
The agenda of the Opposition must be to prosecute the Government on its economic and social policies and programmes. The bread and butter issues of cost of living, jobs and settlement of wages and salaries increases, particularly in the public sector, which were raised in the recent political campaign, are still in play.
Whatever the circumstances, Mottley’s elevation to the post of Opposition Leader and political leader of the BLP again has come with the political stars not lined up in favour of the newly elected Government.
In every sense, it is a period of transition with respect to the economy, the society and political leadership.
• Albert Brandford is an independent political correspondent.