News

With time running out for the January 15 general elections in Barbados, Campaign Manager of the Barbados Labour Party, Dame Billie Miller, is suggesting that the two parties agree to two television debates, one with the two leaders and the other with the two deputy leaders.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Dame Billie noted that the debates, which have been the subject of some controversy, are still unsettled. She said the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporations (CBC) had offered to have four debates (one more that in the last election), three dealing with various subject matters and one larger debate at the end with the two leaders.

She noted: “The Democratic Labour Party has not accepted that. From the very inception, Mr. Thompson insisted that he wanted all the debates to be leadership debates and there have been arguments forward and backwards with the result that the debates are not getting off the ground.

“This concerns me because I think the Barbadian public liked the TV debates last time and looked forwards to having them again this year. In an effort to arrive at some kind of compromise, the BLP, which had taken an early position that we would simply accept what CBC offered, is suggesting that given the time remaining, two debates be considered, one where the deputy leaders meet and debate each other and the second where the leaders meet and debate each other.

“In the time that’s left I don’t imagine that they can fit in more than that. CBC is now slotting in five TV broadcasts and with just over a week to go, let us settle on the two, one for the deputies and one for the leaders.”