If my reading of Barbadians is correct, their readiness to vote out the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Government is more an indictment on that party’s management of the country than an endorsement of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP).
Barbadians dismissed the Owen Arthur regime four years ago primarily because they had become aloof and needed to be reminded that they were servants of the people and not the other way around. People had grown tired of Prime Minister Arthur’s muscular language and dismissive style, in particular.
Furthermore, Arthur would not have endeared himself to some people by the manner in which he regained the leadership of the BLP. For though the majority of BLP parliamentarians preferred him at the helm, it is clear that many members of the public – both BLP and DLP supporters – thought then leader Mia Mottley should not have been dumped in the way she was.
Despite these misgivings about Arthur, a mere four years on he is seen as the person preferred to lead this country. Voters would not have such a change of heart unless they recognized that those they put their trust in were not fulfilling their expectations.
This is the raw reality that the DLP Government has to contend with. This, effectively, is what the results of THE NATION’s public opinion poll, released on Sunday, are saying: the majority of Barbadians no longer have confidence in the DLP at this time to manage this country.
How did the euphoria over the DLP’s victory deteriorate to this situation in just four years?
The DLP with David Thompson at the helm in 2008 presented a fresh, creditable alternative to the BLP. The party understood the issues impacting Barbadians and articulated in a simple, sincere manner how they would make a difference. They were irresistible!
On this platform of hope on which the DLP was elected, the public expected them to keep to their pledges. These were, among other things, transparency in Government, more efficient use of resources and less wastage, and better communication of government’s policies and actions.
However, in each of these, Government has been unable to live up to expectations for various reasons. The most recent example of this being the poor handling of the Bagatelle Metal Dump deal – a good idea poorly executed and explained.
Among the most significant things adversely affecting the DLP ability to satisfy the public’s thirst for change was the death of Thompson, and prior to that, the near paralysis of Government decision-making for about a year or more while he was ailing.
Secondly, there is the matter of Government incurring greater expense through their hiring policies at statutory corporations, as well as the provision of free bus fares for school children and Constituency Councils. This resulted in a spike in transfers and subsidies and led to the administration needing to borrow money to pay its monthly bills.
This point was emphatically made by the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) last year when that group told Government to “swiftly” cut its spending and take decisive action to deal with fiscal problems before an external agency had to step in and dictate what must be done.
In making a case against more Government borrowing, the BPSA noted that the national debt was $2.5 billion in 1995; by 2007, it had moved to $5.6 billion, and in 2010 it had ballooned to $8.2 billion – which works out at a debt of $30 000 for each Barbadian.
“We do not believe that widespread layoffs, whether in the public or private sector is the answer, but the Government of Barbados cannot get away from immediately taking serious and likely unpopular decisions on reforming those ineffective and wasteful areas of public spending that plague us,” the BPSA statement said.
The other major reason was the economic policies pursued by Government. Its policy of higher taxation would have aggravated the effect of the worldwide crisis on our economy, deepening the recession and occasioning loss of both revenue and confidence in the economy. This, to some extent, was what the BPSA was saying. It certainly was what the International Monetary Fund said in its prognosis of our economy.
The DLP Government should therefore not be surprised at Barbadians’ disaffection with them and their eagerness for a general election to vote them out.
As to what the DLP can do to be more electable, based on THE NATION poll the party should have discussions on whether their chances would improve with Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler at the helm. For the second successive poll, he ranks third as the most preferred leader after Arthur and Mottley. On the other hand, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is a distant fourth.
But whether Stuart should step aside to improve his party’s chances or if Sinckler would inspire greater confidence in voters for the DLP is a matter for another article.
• Sanka Price is the SATURDAY SUN editor.
