ON THEIS OCCASION, People & Things will stray from the custom of addressing a single issue at a time largely because this week, there are several issues that deserve an urgent comment.
The first of these relates to our neighbour St Vincent and the Grenadines, which was sadly hit by tragedy last week. This type of motor vehicle accident is thankfully rare in the Caribbean and as such is a great shock to us, especially as several of the victims were young children travelling in pursuit of an education. Certainly, this is the most unfortunate of circumstances and it is therefore important that our brothers and sisters across the seas know our thoughts are with them at this time.
Two weeks ago this column made reference to an election being “due” in St Vincent and the Grenadines by March 2015, which was incorrect.
As author I take full responsibility for this error, which arose from my catalogue of election dates, which is more dependent on the year and less the month. As such, references to the St Kitts and Nevis election, which is due shortly, appeared relevant to the St Vincent and the Grenadines election, based on the fact that the anniversaries fell in the same year.
In discussing the issue, I correctly stated that the last election was held in St Vincent in December of 2010, but incorrectly projected a due date for March of 2015 and NOT 2016 as it should have been. This, of course, means that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has ample time to complete his new airport, which is projected to be ready by mid-year, and while he has threatened to call elections early, one presumes he will await his strategic advantage and the election will not happen until the latter part of this year or early in 2016.
We now come home to Barbados where there have been rumours of a reshuffle on one side and an actual reshuffle on the other.
Taking the rumours first, the practice and culture of the only individual who can move any minister has been one of extreme conservatism; hence a reshuffle would be entirely out of character. The Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) majority is such that its leader cannot risk upsetting any single person and it would be difficult for him to address the most “squeaky hinges” without offending some DLP MP.
The fact that this Prime Minister has survived considerable adverse criticism and an attempted palace coup demonstrates the wisdom of inaction in the face of political challenges and one could therefore argue that action now would be unusual and unwise. Suffice to say, this political expediency clashes with the need to speak urgently to an economic programme which has thus far has not achieved promised objectives.
On the other side of the House there has been a reshuffle; however, it is clear that there has only been one significant casualty, namely Mr Kerrie Symmonds, who could certainly not have been surprised. We recall that he was given the peculiar post of Leader of Opposition Business, despite the fact that his loyalty to the Leader of the Opposition has in the past been less than obvious. At this time one presumed that this post was awarded to both test his loyalty and recognise his political promise at a time when Ms Mia Mottley appeared inclined to accommodate the different interests within the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).
As one evaluates the manner in which Symmonds has exploited this political opportunity, it is not difficult to see how it could be said that he has managed it badly. He has been openly critical of his leader at a time when she was under attack and while Prime Minister Freundel Stuart’s detractors within are shielded from action by the delicate political balance on that side. Mottley has no such concerns. Symmonds is politically astute enough to have been able to understand this fundamental difference and therefore has now paid the price for a posture that has not always been as helpful to Mottley as it could have been.
Thus far, the main critic of Mottley’s new choice for this post has been MP Owen Arthur, who likened the preference for Bradshaw unto John McCain’s preference for Sarah Palin in his presidential bid. This comparison is an unfortunate one since, unlike Palin, Bradshaw’s suitability for the post goes well beyond her personal attractiveness and speaks to a political attractiveness.
While the reasons for her suitability could be detailed elsewhere, one presumes that Symmonds was preferred previously because of his superior political attractiveness at the time, much of which was related to his gender and proximity to Arthur.
As is often the case with politics, the passage of time alters the relevance of politicians and the fact that the parliamentary leadership of the BLP is now dominated by women is presumably a less pertinent concern.
Peter W. Wickham ([email protected]) is a political consultant and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).
