“Unless you intend to genuinely fight for the people . . . ‘Joey’ . . . stay out of it, the sharks are already circling; in their warped minds masses is only one letter away from asses beasts of burden with no mission.”
– Eric Sealy’s advice to David “Joey” Harper on whether to run for parliament
I SEARCHED my records for this quote after listening to the Prime Minister of Barbados emerging from his well protected and well- used silent zone, to give another of his uninspiring talks to the people waiting for a message of hope in these frightening times.
I walked away from the television, feeling a hard-to-explain emptiness that left one wondering how long would it be allowed to last and where do we go from here.
Prime Minister Stuart, while talking to young reporters, launched an attack on a young man who, unlike the Prime Minister, did not have office thrust upon him but worked to attain a position of leadership. Stuart’s attack was insulting and showed a contempt for young people that must never be forgotten.
The president of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) carries out the mandate extended to him by majority vote in a well- run election, whose campaign was centred around a rallying call for change; old and young members voted for this man to lead them out of the stagnation that was happening within the trade union movements in Barbados.
The opportunity arose when a number of people 60 years old and over were given walking papers by an entity associated with the Government.
There were national objections and the NUPW responded in defence of its affected constituents; this matter needed immediate attention and a clearly defined approach, not the hesitant waffling the unions had recently been displaying.
This positive decisive approach angered the Democratic Labour Party’s hierarchy, and the Prime Minister now seeks to abuse the NUPW leader in an uncalled for personal attack on a young leader standing up for the rights of competent, older workers, simply asking that they be given the right to work.
Stuart, the less than competent over 60-year-old Prime Minister, seeks to deny them this right.
The question is . . . . What am I missing?
– DAVID “JOEY” HARPER
