THE RESULTS OF the latest CADRES poll, which shows a general dissatisfaction with the Government and its leadership, would not have taken most Barbadians by surprise, as it reflects the prevailing mood across the country.
Since Barbadians from all walks of life have been complaining about how hard life is, and many of them blame the Government for this, they would obviously express their frustration when they got a chance to do it anonymously.
That is also consistent with the frustrations of other people in countries where austerity measures are in place. Diehard supporters of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) would therefore do well to shut up and listen to Barbadians’ cries and not wildly shoot off their mouths, and continue to mistake people’s genuine fears and concern for opposition.
The Dems need to recognize the poll also indicates that a sizeable percentage of voters are still not comfortable with the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).
Let’s face facts: since voters unceremoniously kicked the Bees out of office just over four years ago, many are still not convinced that they were wrong. And therein lies some hope for the DLP to turn its fortunes around.
But first let’s look at how we reached here. The Dems’ poor management of the economy is a major factor contributing to their predicament. They have been telling average Barbadians and employers to hold strain, yet each month they borrow millions of dollars to pay salaries and wages in the public sector.
They cut Barbadians’ spending power by robbing us of our once tax-free entertainment and travel allowances, while at the same time prescribing measures that led to sharp hikes in the cost of living, like the spike in electricity rates and petrol prices, a 2.5 per cent increase in VAT to 17.5 per cent, and seemingly daily escalating food costs, along with instituting charges for prescription drugs at private pharmacies.
They compounded this by, for example, not having a clear policy on how to effectively deal with the congestion on our roads and their worsening condition.
And they continue to insult Barbadians’ intelligence by not coming with solutions, but instead blaming the global economic recession and the BLP (for wasting money in the years of plenty).
There are other reasons, too, for the public’s dissatisfaction. Barbadians voted for this Government because we expected positive change. We were tired of the arrogant Bees and the victimization based on partisan political lines. Yet, with the tremendous goodwill of voters, this regime came into office and started doing the same thing as the BLP.
This behaviour has reached such asinine levels that just last week the launch for this year’s popular Socaholics by the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) staff was cancelled because the colour red was chosen. Red is the colour associated with the BLP.
No Government can continue functioning like this and expect voters will stand for it!
That’s why the poll showed “a majority of Barbadians believe that we are presently on the wrong track or heading in the wrong direction, in addition to being worse off now than we were four years ago”.
As to the performance of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, the poll clearly shows that he has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
So emphatic did voters make this point that CADRES director Peter Wickham in his analysis concluded: “Barbadians are not only clear about their difficulties with this leader, but they are equally clear on the reasons why they would prefer not to retain him. The impact of this has clearly damaged the DLP’s chances in the next election.”
Stuart looks even more like a lame duck leader now and desperately needs to recast his image if he hopes to be in the good graces of a disillusioned public.
We’re not being derogatory to the Prime Minister. The term lame duck is an American one that generally describes one who holds power when that power is certain to end in the near future. That person is generally thought to be ineffective in his role.
But all may not be lost for the Government. Depending on the election date chosen, the Dems may still have a few months to right some of the economic wrongs they perpetrated. And the Budget next month would be a great place to start.
If they do, they may still have time left to begin effectively tackling the high energy costs and food prices by re-examining their policies. They may be able to please hundreds of middle income voters in particular by returning their tax-free allowances. And they may still have enough time to appropriately outline and articulate their vision for a path to progress.
Whether the public will buy such last ditch measures is another matter. We shall see.
• Sanka Price is the SATURDAY SUN Editor. Email [email protected].
