With rain drifting across Orange Hill last Friday night, the message from the Barbados Labour Party platform was one of continuity, caution and confidence.
This was the refrain from St James Central candidate Kerrie Symmonds, St Andrew candidate Dr Romel Springer and St Joseph candidate Ryan Brathwaite, as they cautioned voters to reject what they deemed reckless election promises and instead back experienced leadership in uncertain global times.
Symmonds warned that Barbados could not afford experimentation as geopolitical tensions, climate shocks and economic headwinds intensify.
“Make no mistake, these are changing times. These are times that call for steady hands. These are times that call for experience. These are times that call for leadership that does not panic when things get hard, but leadership that stands firm and leads,” he said.
Symmonds challenged Opposition rhetoric, warning that sweeping promises without clear funding plans could unravel hard-won economic stability.
“If you’re going to give back this and give back that, then you must tell the people where the replacement money is coming from,” he said. “A country is like a household. You still have water bills to pay, light bills to pay, schools to run, hospitals to staff. You cannot run a country on sweet talk.”
Springer, seeking re-election in St Andrew, pointed to road works through Orange Hill, water-main replacement and long-promised infrastructure upgrades as evidence of persistent advocacy on residents’ behalf.
“The truth is, some things took longer than we wanted,” Springer acknowledged. “But what matters is that the work is happening, that your MP did not disappear, and that when services, roads and water were being planned, the people of St Andrew had a voice at the table.”
He also reminded residents of the broader national context in which those projects unfolded, citing economic recovery after near-bankruptcy, the COVID-19 pandemic and global disruptions.
“When COVID came, businesses shut, hotels closed, people were sent home,” he said. “But this administration still found a way to get food to families, to protect lives, and to hold the country together. That is not luck; that is leadership.”
Brathwaite, speaking in support of Springer, drew strong parallels between St Andrew and neighbouring St Joseph, particularly within the Scotland District, where terrain and climate vulnerability have long complicated development.
“We share borders, we share families, and we share challenges,” Brathwaite said. “And that is why when the Barbados Labour Party invested over $230 million in the Scotland District road rehabilitation programme, roads in St Andrew and roads in St Joseph were done side by side.” (CLM)
