“Now the hurly burly’s done, now the battle’s lost and won.” – Shakespeare
I congratulate the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) on coming out on top after a frenetic and bruising campaign. I commiserate with the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) seemingly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Surprisingly, judging from the Cadres poll, word on the ground and the turnout at meetings, its campaign promoting hope for a better tomorrow failed to capture majority electorate support.
The international financial and economic situations remain stressed out and it is not going to be easy to turn around Barbados. Much thought, expertise and new strategies must emerge to tackle the numerous problems this country faces daily in the new fluid political environment.
The DLP, which promised so much in 2008 and found it impossible to keep 92 manifesto promises, took refuge in the international economic recession, never convincing the hurting population that it was prepared to think creatively and offer plausible answers to the new wave of problems.
After identifying the cost of living in 2008 as three times the most important problem the country faced, we saw a 33 per cent increase in five years. The pain was pervasive and all Barbadians look forward to the early declaration of creative, sustainable ways and means of reducing it.
The electorate felt their hopes derailed as the Government elevated the paramountcy of society above the primacy of the economy, ignoring the reality that they are not mutually exclusive. It is in the national interest that in the new dispensation equal attention be paid to both.
I congratulate the BLP on expeditiously electing Mia Mottley as its new leader. Owen Arthur’s contribution to the growth and development of Barbados and its regional and international respect is indelibly engraved on history’s page. In politics, like in so much else in life, it is critical to know when to hang up your boots.
After his irregular participation in debates of the last Parliament which he denigrated as “poor rakey”, it is most pleasing to hear that he will be “a full and vibrant member of the Opposition bench” with five new representatives of great promise and potential.
On the general level, as “the father of the House”, he still has much to offer and it is hoped that he will serve out his full term lending his academic training and vast experience to debates while initiating the new generation into the finer points of parliamentary debating.
Looking back at the campaign, there were some admirable features which emerged on the one hand and something rotten on the other. Some Barbadians have always shared in corned beef and rum at election time but 2013 saw a new level of mendicancy, with some electors reportedly demanding $200 or more for their votes.
Rumours of vote buying, especially among organized groups of young men, are widespread. It is illegal and disappointing to hear people who know that saying publicly they were eyewitnesses. Why did they not call the police? Also disappointing was that 40 per cent of the registered electorate did not vote. Also troubling is the allegation of a $2.5 million offered inducement.
Also on the negative side, too many personal attacks came from the platform, some disgustingly vulgar. Politicians must understand that denigrating an individual for personal satisfaction or political gain reverberates among the nuclear, extended families and associates and after the laughs come sober reflection, loss of respect and votes.
It is to the credit of all Barbadians that on Polling Day, no incidents were reported to the police. This fact should make all Barbadians proud. Unlike other Caribbean countries, the election took place without the presence of regional and international observers. This speaks eloquently to the trust of the political parties and electorate in the honesty and integrity of our electoral system.
Also most satisfying was the large number of young people who braved the chilly breezes to attend political meetings. This is a promising portent for the future.
Both parties had dedicated acolytes bombarding the call-in programmes, such as “Relentless Rawle”. This hardy perennial emerged on CBC TV from his deep, delusional fog predicting a 25-5 DLP landslide. The day after the poll he was on again completely unruffled. He reminds me of Dick Morris, former Fox News contributor, who predicted a Romney landslide and was subsequently fired.
He was not the only one who got something very wrong. After the BLP’s first major rally at Haggatt Hall, Mr Freundel Stuart expressed concern at funding of the local entertainers and promised to investigate. The DLP outspent the BLP by importing Jamaican superstars Luciano and Beenie Man. They don’t come cheap. Who provided the foreign exchange?
Finally, the Government granting that radio broadcast licence in the dying days of the campaign was a distasteful precedent and brazen assault on media rights, threatening a fundamental aspect of our cherished democracy.
• Peter Simmons, a social scientist, is a former diplomat.