Weekly Column

It is becoming clearer with every sitting of this still young Parliament that the Democratic Labour Party led by the Prime Minister has confused its electoral majority with a license to disregard legitimate questions asked on behalf of the people of Barbados on the floor of the House.

We saw it in relation to the Prime Minister’s use of private jet travel supplied by a commercial entity with which the Government does business. We saw it when he was questioned about the hiring of Hartley Henry as a political advisor to the Government. And we saw it when he was asked about the functioning of his Party’s proposed constituency councils.

Whenever he gets a ball on the stumps, the Prime Minister’s boyish predilection to swipe rather than play it straight results in more red herrings than would satisfy a large bowl of cou-cou at a well known watering hole in St. John.

Let there be no mistake that this Barbados Labour Party will not resile from asking tough and legitimate questions on the peoples’ behalf no matter how many times the Prime Minister shouts “I do not have to tell you anything.” His is clearly not an arrogance born of knowledge or he surely would have answered the simple and straightforward questions put to him by the Opposition on the Government’s proposed constituency councils during Tuesday’s sitting of the House. The irony of course is that the Government’s proposals for the establishment of these state-funded constituency councils fall within the section on “Governance” in their Manifesto – a term that the Prime Minister now says is nothing but a “fancy imported term” from the international community. What an example the Prime Minister sets on the avoidance of legitimate answers to legitimate questions.

Ordinary Barbadians all across the thirty constituencies of this country want to know how they can serve their communities on the proposed constituency councils. Will they be appointed and if so by whom? Will they be elected and if so how? Who will keep the accounts for how the $100,000 is spent? How many members will sit on each council? What is the procedure for removing members from the council in the event of non-performance, or questionable practices? What will be the role of the Member of Parliament? Will there be any duplication of the services currently offered by established state agencies? Will members be required to declare their assets under the proposed Integrity Legislation?

Had the Prime Minister been able to answer even one of these questions we would have had some assurance that the Democratic Labour Party knew exactly what it intended by its own Manifesto promises. Despite this shortcoming, there is no diminution in explaining that the policy is still being worked out within the legislative and accounting framework of government. It certainly would have been a more credible response than the display of bluffing and bravado adopted by the Prime Minister and his Minister of Constituency Empowerment.

Barbadians know that the current Thompson Cabinet is largely inexperienced and they have indicated that they are prepared to give them a chance, but there really is no need to undermine the peoples’ patience and good will by such a studied lack of forthrightness and arrogance on the floor of the House. Right now the Prime Minister is chancing his hand in the belief that he is on a good wicket. We know that it does not take much for the wicket to deteriorate. Triple digit prices for a barrel of oil, another rise in the price of wheat and corn, the failure of the US economy to respond to the Fed’s interest rate cuts – any of these can lead to a sudden and appreciable quickening of the wicket.

Will chance be viewed as an opportunity then or a gamble gone bad?