Indeed, the ill-crafted Independence Message from David Thompson suffered from a prejudicial quagmire that resonated in a desperate attempt to sway voters into a sense of guilt because the electorate in their wisdom did not see it fit to oust an administration in 2003, which is still taking socio-economic development to unprecedented levels in 2007. Thompson got it wrong because he does not recognise occasion and neither does he respect national symbols – this was not the political platform. The Leader of the Opposition’s critical message complained that Barbadians failed to follow a post-independent political trend of “renewing and re-energizing itself every ten years.” The message seemed to suggest that “peaceful regime change” ought to be a matter of compromise rather than a victory based upon competitive politicking, merit, and the people’s vote. One must wonder to what extent ‘change for the sake of change’ sits solidly in the mind of Thompson since his focus is not on the fact that we as a country have witnessed many areas that deserve commendation. It is the gravity of the achievements both by the government and the people of Barbados that Barbadians from all walks of society can be proud and therefore reject the empty inundation by the Leader of the Opposition. For sure, the unemployment rate has been consistently reduced at this volatile time in global political economy to all time lows, a greater number of persons have access to universal education, and healthcare has remained a social priority for the Arthur administration. Beyond the centralising of Barbados’ development agenda on people, Barbados has successfully hosted the Golf and Cricket World Cup fixtures, and there is a growing reputation for Barbados at regional and international levels in relation to good governance. The small island-nation is making strides in diplomatic arenas and it engages in a proactive way to enhance many agreements on trade and other issues that have implications for all Barbadians. Barbados continues to unfold its developmental agenda to take it to the next higher stage of development, and even if there was a doubt to this fact, the recent HDI ranking of 31st and the gaining of the number one (1) spot for the fight against poverty (HPI) as indicated in the Human Development report 2007/2008 confirms that reality and our reason as a people why we must be proud of our collective achievements. More of Thompson’s shameful display of non-statesmanship jumped out at me from several other distorted sentiments which included the fallacious contention that “for the majority of Barbadians, hopes and dreams have been overshadowed by fear and despair.” Surely this type of generalisation was uncalled for and the assumption cannot be substantiated in the absence of any scientific evidence (qualitative or qualitative). I am not even sure why Thompson would end his message by reminding Barbadians to be celebratory while yet calling upon them to be “statesmen and women and do what is right for our people’s future.” There appears to be some confusion because he clearly refuses to set an example of what is a reasonable demonstration of statesmanship while creating a gender split as if to say that statesmen are the reserve of men only. Nevertheless, it is important for us to contemplate what David Thompson really considers to be an exemplary portrayal of a ‘statesman’ and what will he do to encourage Barbadians to uplift themselves. I hope that Barbadians learn from Thompson’s error that they should never make the poor judgement of being clouded by one’s innate ambitions for grandeur without proceeding on a course of genuine service. Barbadians are matured, sophisticated, and they are usually quite demanding upon its servants for high standards and excellence. Rather than David Thompson the political leader of the Democratic Labour Party descending to the doldrums of partisan by-play, he should make an incisive and substantial comment on how to further the current administration’s drive towards poverty eradication, a fairer distribution of wealth, and the socio-economic empowerment so as to safeguard a better life for all Barbadians. As on many occasions before, Thompson has come up empty because he delivered nothing. There were no “new ideas and new energy” entering the public domain from Thompson. What a tragic shame! The Father of Independence and National Hero in Barbados, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow invested sacrificially in the future of David Thompson. Little did the national hero know that Thompson would one day be best and appropriately characterised as a politician so blinded by his own vanity and self-created innuendoes that people matter less to him than the magic of becoming Prime Minister. Thompson is choking on his own words and he is suffering from the very gains he may have accomplished by way of “private and sometimes conflicting aspirations.” In essence, Thompson’s ego and dispositions have become his own perils and put in the position of leadership, he now remains his biggest adversary.
Back To News