IT SEEMS THAT the leadership of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has decided, somewhat like the Republican Party in the United States, that the public is more interested in hype and bluster than in sense and substance.
It also seems that they have come to the conclusion that tough talk and aggressive behaviour equates to leadership.
How else are we to understand the political lunacy that just took place in that party where a member, in what is considered a safe seat, is expelled for issues if they are to be believed, which should be ironed out over a bowl (or bowls if necessary) of soup? (To borrow from a late Prime Minister).
The BLP seems to have bought into the narrative which says that Prime Minister Stuart is weak and indecisive as a leader because he does not talk a lot and because he does not act when they think he should.
They seem to believe that Barbadians are so fed up with the Government that the outcome of the next election has already been decided. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Politicians of every stripe need to know that many Barbadians are so concerned about their future and that of Barbados, that for a great many Barbadians party affiliation is now secondary to performance.
In other words Barbadians are quietly evaluating the performance of both Government and Opposition.
I somehow feel that the Prime Minister understands that. In fact I feel he is a man who plays and understands the game of chess. He plays for the checkmate and has been quietly setting up for it. I wonder if anyone has noticed that the Democratic Labour Party has been quietly growing in maturity and confidence and has managed, for the most part, to shed the “wild boy” image that had once been attached to it.
The actions of the BLP leadership have done far more to undermine its image than the actions of the person they seek to discipline. I write this letter, not because I am concerned about matters in the BLP, but to suggest that at this critical juncture in our history, Barbados needs a higher level of critical thinking and responsible action from people who seek to lead us.
We need steady and sensible, thinking persons, who have sound judgement and more important, who are willing to put country first.
– REV. LUTHER JOHNSON