Often accused of being silent on issues, the Prime Minister told members of the media yesterday he was prepared “to make sure that the politics of explanation catches some root here in this country and replaces the politics of harangue and bombast”.
– More Of PM, by Gercine Carter, Saturday SUN, Page 1, August 24, 2013.
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart had an excellent opportunity to promote the politics of explanation late last week as the policy of cutting temporary posts in the public service, announced by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler during his Budget Speech, began to find its individual targets.
The front page of last Friday’s WEEKEND NATION showed a photo of people in shock and dismay. The caption noted that “more than 300 temporary workers expressed their concerns to union officials over their future and other matters such as the recent non-payment of wages”.
On Page 3 of the same issue, a story, Temp Workers Gone, by Sanka Price, gave details of two specific cases where budget cuts were implemented without prior warning.
In the first case, “40 auxiliary postal workers and clerical staffers employed with the Barbados Postal Service” were called to a meeting at 2 p.m., at which “the department’s hierarchy dropped the bombshell”.
In the second, the “top brass” of the Royal Barbados Police Force called in senior officers from the island’s police stations and told them that budget cuts totalling ten per cent had to be made immediately.
Cuts would be made to overtime, stationery, electricity and gasoline consumption, among other things.
The two separate dramas played out on Thursday were but the latest announcements in a week which, according to the same article, had already brought “complaints from postal workers, Customs and Immigration officers about their acting allowances being summarily cut”, as well as the news that the Ministry of Health “had reduced the (milk) quota needed for schools”, leading to the Pine Hill Dairy in turn telling dairy farmers they would be taking less of their milk, and instilling fears that the dairy industry would contract and perhaps even collapse.
Now, one could argue that all these events, taken as a whole, could have done with a bit of “the politics of explanation”.
In its absence, citizens were left to wonder what was happening in their country, how far things were going to go. You might have thought to yourself, “Oh, here’s a good moment for our Prime Minister to come and do some explaining.”
Alas, the Prime Minister was busy, mainly it seems, with SIDS, that is, the third or fourth follow-up meeting (who’s counting anymore) to the original Small Island Developing States conference held in Barbados in 1993.
He certainly did a lot of explaining there, but it was on the importance of SIDS, which appears to have become yet another must-go-to event on the busy jet-setting calendars of Government ministers and technocrats wherever in the world you find small islands that are also developing.
But, you know, it is never too late. The Prime Minister could come on MyTV any time and get on with his mission of banishing “the politics of harangue and bombast” to the netherworld where it belongs. The people affected by them need to know how deep the cuts will go, and what arrangements, if any, will be made for them in terms of getting unemployment benefits, financial counselling and opportunities for retraining.
I am not going to use this column to criticise the administration on the actual retrenchment itself, because the Government will either spend less or we will face further downgrades of our already junk-bond debt and the very real prospect of having to invite the International Monetary Fund in. If and when that does happen, you can expect the D-word to loom large.
But the Stuart administration dithered for too long – and knew the consequences of waiting – and it is not to Mr Stuart’s credit as a leader for people to now be called in by their immediate bosses and summarily told they have to go home in a few days or that their department’s spending is being cut.
The public needs to be given an overall outline of how this programme of cutbacks will be implemented and as much encouragement and uplifting of spirit as possible. That is what leaders are for.
We are in serious times. It is not “bombastic” (as in “high-sounding but with little meaning”) or indulging in a “harangue” (as in “lecture at length in an aggressive and critical manner”) to say that it is time for Mr Stuart to produce the kind of leadership he promised just a week ago, and do some “explaining” to the people.
If you don’t define events, Prime Minister, events will define you.
Pat Hoyos is a publisher and business writer. Email pathoyos@gmail.com