Weekly Column

In October 1938, Orson Welles struck fear into the heart of a nation in the now infamous radio drama The War of the Worlds by announcing that the Martians had landed. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were panic stricken, believing the news bulletin format of the drama to be the real thing. Despite the ensuing furore the episode shot Welles to fame.

Two weeks ago the Government landed with an equally ominous thud on some of our prime agricultural land. Bajans were treated to yet another episode of the Dems’ election promises being little more than theatrics, cloaked in a Manifesto format. And the Minister of Housing, buoyed by his lead role as postman, delivering promises in white envelopes to hapless NHC tenants, succeeded only in shooting himself in the foot.

But why would a new government so abuse its honeymoon with the electorate to abandon its own land use vows with such earnest? Why would it take 38 acres of productive arable land out of agriculture to plant houses after entreating people to grow more food? Why would it further compromise our food security? Our most charitable answer lies in the ‘e’ word – expediency.

Listen to what they say in their Manifesto: “Provide 500 lots of land in five (5) months at $5 per sq foot for first time homeowners. These lots have been identified and land will be acquired by private treaty where necessary to speed up the process.” Is this the same party that was opposed to the purchase of land in Barbarees Hill by private treaty to re-locate the good people of Emmerton, who incidentally are still waiting to receive their house keys? Is this the same land that the Minister spoke of having identified within weeks of assuming office? It would provide 500 lots of 3,300 square feet each. It is always easy to identify land for housing in Barbados if you can choose from prime agricultural land, but this is the same government that decried the use of agricultural land for housing. Again, listen to their Manifesto theatrics: “The Democratic Labour Party is committed to creating a new Land Use Policy for Barbados. In the first 100 days introduce the Agriculture Protection Act that will require a 2/3 majority of both houses of parliament for a change of use of land from agriculture. We will reserve 30,000 acres for agricultural use.” This is in spite of the 45,000 acres committed to agricultural use in the Physical Development Plan developed by the BLP.

Apparently the only member of the government who believes in protecting agricultural land and who is prepared to say so is backbencher James Paul. He sounded this rallying cry in an interview with the Nation on the acquisition of the 38 acres for housing: “Barbadians have got to lend their own voices to land protection. It’s not enough for a Minister in Parliament to say not to sell agricultural land. Barbadians themselves have got to demonstrate to the Government what is priority.” How telling, when a member of the government does not trust his own party to get their priorities right and elicits the help of Barbadian landowners to protect the future of our country.

But who is surprised given the Dems’ past dismissal of a manifesto as a social contract or their more recent failure to keep the 100-day promises in the 2007 version. This is merely another lamentable example of the repudiation of their promises to the Barbadian electorate. What else in the document will fall victim to their studious avoidance of trust?

H.G. Wells, author of The War of the Worlds once described advertising as legalized lying. We wonder what ascription he would give to the Dems’ Manifesto?