“The recent protestations by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur are unworthy of him. His attempts to whip up Press outrage sounds hollow . . . . We expect more from the former Prime Minister and he should seek to remain the statesman that we want him to be.”
– Shantal Munro-Knight; SUNDAY SUN, November 29, 2015
OWEN ARTHUR’S SHOCKING ENTRY into the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) saga involving Maria Agard provided a welcome respite for the BLP. In the days following his venomous sputtering, Barbadians were engaged in discussion on his bitter attack on Mia Mottley.
The big question on everyone’s lips was whether he had forgotten that he was no longer a member of the BLP.
Many openly stated that they felt sorry for Arthur – a former Prime Minister of such outstanding service now come to this. Albert Brandford in his SUNDAY SUN column referred to him as “a bitter former leader” – a view now held by many Barbadians. To many, his emotional outbursts are now beginning to wax hollow.
The sighting of Arthur in the company of some of his former colleagues only served to weaken the sympathy held for Agard. Many are now beginning to think that the debacle is not just about Agard; that there is a bigger plot in which she is simply a pawn.
Many are therefore beginning to see Mottley as a shrewd leader who rather than wish the matter away to avoid fallout and loss of image, allowed the National Council to take decisive action necessary in the interest of the party.
– E. JEROME DAVIS
