Those monitoring current political developments in Guyana may find it instructive, if not amusing, how the two Opposition parliamentary parties are competing with each other for media headlines in a frenzied campaign to use a combined one-seat parliamentary majority to obstruct and embarrass the minority administration of President Donald Ramotar.
There is, of course, a fundamental difference in an Opposition coalition competing to grab media coverage and that of Cabinet ministers in a Government with a parliamentary majority of ten engaging in such an apparent self-serving exercise.
This seems to be the political scenario in Barbados, and has been for some time.
While the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is understandably maintaining its political offensive against the governing Democratic Labour Party (DLP), what is quite surprising, and amusing, is the perception of such a competition among some Cabinet ministers.
In this Cabinet mix one could easily count, without prejudice, Minister of Industry Denis Kellman; Minister of Health Donville Inniss; and Minister of Agriculture Dr David Estwick. But the big surprise of late is that of Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite.
Kellman’s penchant for attracting media coverage by getting involved in any topic of his fancy was to quickly result in his startling response to the recent downgrading of Barbados’ credit rating to junk status by the rating agency, Standard and Poor’s.
While Prime Minister Freundel Stuart was still keeping his silence Kellman was offering this advice.
“Don’t mind what you hear from the rating agencies. They can rate, but we have to perform . . . .”
Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler was, on the other hand, cautious with the observation that the S&P downgrade could have “negative consequences” for Barbados.
But the Cabinet minister to emerge as most surprising with his media intervention earlier this week was the Attorney General.
Brathwaite made a page-one Hands-Off headline in Tuesday’s DAILY NATION with the bold and baffling boast that if he had his way he would not have committed the Government to investing in the stalled Four Seasons hotel project.
Well, Mr Brathwaite, did you ever convey that perspective to either Stuart or Sinckler before going public? And why now – after so much tension, political and otherwise, and a variety of interventions – had already occurred, including the strong endorsement from the Inter-American Development Bank?
It is to be wondered why, with so much at stake for his own party, the Government and Barbados in the face of prevailing social, economic and political uncertainties, Brathwaite should have considered it important and relevant to go public with his personal disapproval of state investment in the project?
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.
