OUTSPOKEN TEACHER and Anglican priest?Charles Morris has launched a verbal attack against the church, the government and the trade unions over the recent announcement that over 3 000 public workers will be losing their jobs next year.
He telephoned the SUNDAY?SUN to say that Government now had no moral authority to lead Barbados adding that he was also disappointed over what he called the lack of response from the church to the situation and how the trade unions were handling the matter.
“I am really surprised and disappointed that at this time of the year with over 3 000 people facing the prospects of being unemployed next year that the church has not yet come out and said anything,”?he said. “Their silence is very deafening. These are the people on whom the church would depend for offerings and I?am asking the question if the church may not be interested in them because they would not have any offerings to pay.”
In reference to the Government, Morris charged that as recent as last November “the government was saying nobody would be sent home”.
“The Government has no moral authority to rule the country,” he said. “They have betrayed the people and Barbados and I am saying this betrayal by the Government is worse than the betrayal by Judas Iscariot because Judas Iscariot betrayed one person but the Government has betrayed almost 300 000. So therefore it is wrong and they have no moral right to rule the country anymore.
The head of the Caribbean studies department at Combermere School also queried if next year’s layoffs had come about after Government had ensured that its supporters were placed in certain positions.
He recalled a recent situation where he sat on an interview panel for a job which was given to a Government supporter, who Morris claimed was unqualified for the job.
“He was the only person that did not fit the qualification for the position I was at the interview and I interviewed him. He did not have a qualification in the subject matter.” When he was asked questions relating to the syllabus he said if he knew that he was going to be quizzed he would have brought his notes. He never answered a question relating to the syllabus during that meeting and I challenge anybody from the board to deny it,” Morris said.
He added that during the interview “a note was passed around stating that the man worked for the DLP in the last election”.
“That happened and I am saying that these things are wrong and he got the job ahead of persons who were qualified for the position and who did a better interview than him. It is a betrayal of trust and that is why I say it is one that is worst than Judas Iscariot. However, I would not want to recommend to the Government that it does the same thing as Judas because they say Judas went and hanged himself. I would not want to recommend the Government to hang itself because I would not want people to rejoice other than at the birth of Jesus Christ around this time of the year.
The outspoken priest also lambasted the trade unions saying they had betrayed the workers.
“I heard the president of a union saying they knew all along that people were being sent home. That could not be true because the Government was saying all along that nobody was going home. So the union, too, by the actions that they are portraying have no moral right to lead the workers of this country. These things are wrong and now the people of this country are like sheep without a shepherd”.
Morris also claimed that a political party’s manifesto should be legally, socially and morally binding.
“And therefore if you are going to make a drastic turn from your manifesto and the promises you made to the people then you need to go back to the people to seek a mandate,” he said. (MB)
