In recent weeks we have seen the fire in the belly of Owen Arthur. He has not missed an opportunity to make public comments on all matters. Reports from Prior Park, where the Men’s Club meets, is that Arthur is beginning to feel himself again as he makes statements and promises regarding his intentions upon return to power.
It was recently revealed that members of the Opposition were seen in St James North canvassing people with the promise of house spots and land upon return to power. They were even taking names. Shame!
These actions are typical of a has-been politician trying to regain some relevance. We on this side are aware of the misrepresentation of the facts at all times. The most recent was the attempt to give the public the impression that the recently released poverty data was a reflection of the last four years of Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration. Shame!
The facts tell us, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) survey done in 1996/7 and released in 1998 utilized a different methodology which renders it comparison-flawed. But, what can you get from a Government who does business in United States dollars while telling the public it was Barbadian currency?
The IADB data revealed that of all those households surveyed then, 8.7 per cent fell into the poverty bracket while the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute Of Social And Economic Studies data indicated 15 per cent of the people surveyed fell into the poverty bracket.
At the level of the individual, where each person in the household was also surveyed, the figure was 13.9 per cent then and now it’s 19.3 per cent. Imagine 12 years of maladministration by Owen Arthur-style leadership compared to four years of the DLP’s astute governance being apportioned blame.
The historical facts of our four-year-old policy agenda revealed, in times of scarcity and shrinking resources, that this DLP Government found creative means of strengthening the social safety net. Let anyone on the Opposition side stand and order a Commission Of Inquiry into the free bus rides for schoolchildren, Constituency Councils, an expanded summer camp programme, extended unemployment benefits, BDS$10 million training fund, BDS$25 million tourism relief fund or the introduction of additional sixth forms, improved working conditions for public servants or the construction of hundreds of homes for Barbadians.
Maybe the Arthur-style Opposition should hold a commission of inquiry into the total emasculation of anything female in the Barbados Labour Party. Arthur should hold an inquiry into the Gems Project. How about the unsigned contract with 3S? Of course, no one wants to take the blame for the American converted to Bajan currency Dodds Prisons.
While we are here, someone should stand up and ask why St Leonard’s had to have so many subcontractors and who received the largest mobilization fee for a Government contract. How about the seven-year Warrens Complex or the secret tax on fuel?
Don’t these things warrant Opposition members “offering some of their taxpayers’ funds . . . in buying blue denim . . . ”? Of course, these are state-funded projects and not private companies.
There is no doubt that politics of malice has followed the BLP into Opposition. The Opposition BLP members are the only class of people who jump for joy and clap hands at the possibility of bad news. It is quite sad for the sake of acquiring power, people can see no wrong in seeking to corrupt public minds by engaging in political dishonesty. Voters be warned!