Despite rumbling that a General Election is on the horizon, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley says she is focused on more pressing issues.
She said her administration had more work to do and was committed to getting more buses and sanitation trucks on the road, improving the education and health care sectors, as well as the state of the roads.
She was speaking to the media at State House yesterday after President The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason presented several St Lucy residents with Pride of Barbados Awards as part of We Gatherin’ 2025 activities. “I came here this morning to honour ten distinguished parishioners of St Lucy. I can assure you that if I came here to ask Her Excellency to issue a writ and to deal with an election, you would not have to be asking me that question.
“I can’t tell you who told you, I can’t tell you what was going through the mind of who told you. I can only tell you that under the Constitution, I think I am the only person who can make that judgement and the fact that I have not made it publicly should say and speak volumes to you,” Mottley said in response to a question from The Nation
Recent assessment
She cited the Central Bank Governor’s recent assessment of the economy and the unemployment rate.
“When I saw his press release, it is clear that this economy is doing well. All of the indices are going in the right direction. Growth last year was four per cent. We have unemployment down to 7.1 per cent. The reserves are strong.
“Even with all of that, this Government is focused on getting some of the basic things right we are still trying to deal with, “she said.
The Prime Minister reiterated her plans to improve public transportation and garbage collection.
“At Estimates this week, we have now committed to the last tranche of 31 buses. Between the 59 that we have, the 30 that are coming from the Chinese and the 31 we are buying, we believe we will put the Transport Board along with the private operators on a solid footing to be able to give good service to Bajans.
“We have bought a number of garbage trucks but in order for us to go
back to two collections a week, I am told there is the last tranche that we will have to buy over the next few months. Once we do that, we will look to see how we can put things back there.”
She said the Ministry of Transport and Works was continuing its work on road rehabilitation, education reform was under way and Government still had plans to enhance the public health care system.
“The Government is buoyed by the fact that certainly, the economy is strong enough to allow us to be able to take on certain things. It is not strong enough for us to get into largesse, but it is strong enough for us to say, ‘How are we going to make the collection of garbage better? How are we going to make the transport system better? How are we continuing to strengthen the hospital and that the polyclinics work better?’” Although pleased with improvements, she said more had to be done.
“I am comfortable with where we are but I am not complete with what we have to do. If we have work to do, then I am not in any need for us to go and have the conversation behind that door [at State House with the President].
“At this point in time, let us stay focused. It is other people’s business to want to speculate, conjecture, to want to do all kinds of things but I regrettably don’t have that luxury. I have to stay focused on delivering for the people of the country,” she said.
Recently, Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne charged that We Gatherin’ 2025
was a partisan exercise and the Barbados Labour Party’s way to usher in a General Election.
(TG)
