AGAINST THE BACKDROP of an Opposition boycott from yesterday’s celebrations to mark the 375th anniversary of Barbados’ Parliament, several stalwarts of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) turned out in full force to mark the occasion.
Among those mingling with scores of Barbadians invited to the courtyard of Parliament yesterday evening were former Deputy Prime Minister Dame Billie Miller, former Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, former president of the Senate Sir Fred Gollop, former Speaker of the House of Assembly Ishmael Roett, former Member of Parliament (MP) Aaron Truss and the current chairman of the Opposition BLP, George Griffith.
Some of these indicated, on the heels of the boycott by Opposition Leader Mia Mottley, that this event went beyond partisan concerns and that it would have been disrespectful for them not to attend.
Roett, who sat as Speaker from 1994 to 2008 under the Owen Arthur administration, said he had honoured a special invitation from the Royal Commonwealth Society.
“I am here because I was specially invited to meet the royal family, because I am the longest serving Speaker since Independence; that’s why I’m here, not in any political vein or anything like it. I would not want to disrespect the invitation that I got,” he told the SATURDAY SUN.
Roett said, however, that Mottley’s stance had value. “I think Mia has a very valid point in terms of the money spent, but as I said I am here because I felt it would’ve been the honourable thing to do . . . . ”
