BLP Solutions Aplenty The resurgence of the call made last year by BLP Leader Mia Mottley of the need for a gathering of expertise and extracting of the vast knowledge among Barbadian citizens is but one of the many solutions the BLP has been putting to the blind, deaf and dumb Freundel Stuart DLP since 2008. Call it eminent persons, coalition of government and civil society, best brains, if only the DLP would listen and take heed, it is unlikely Barbados would be in the hapless situation the Government has placed it in. With insurmountable evidence that Stuart and cronies lack the capacity to find solutions, this call, made by Mottley in December last year, supported by editorials and diverse independent experts and Barbadians of all stripes in all sectors, and most recently endorsed by a man who made it a habit to seek opinions, Owen Arthur, remains relevant. The great divide between the BLP and the DLP has been our facility to be decisive and generate workable solutions to issues with implementation as a policy to ward off a possibility becoming a problem, and a problem a crisis. This clear departure between the BLP and DLP in the execution of stewardship as the Government has never been so obviously evident since 2008. Clear thinking, quick action and an approach of bold consensus that automatically embraced the desires and hopes of the majority have been replaced with stifling sloth, muddled indecision and a singular quality of overbearing arrogance without the requisite unequivocal knowledge or confidence serving a few. This ongoing parody amounts to a self mutiny of Government - Pirates of Barbados - that has all but destroyed the distinctive BLP - and Barbados’ ability to maintain economic viability while driving the country to new levels of achievement across the board, guarding the system of governance that has been the essential connective tissue in the countrys stability and reputation, and inspiring confidence leading to highs of investment and realisation of dreams. In the midst of this nightmare, the BLP has been clear, consistent and resolute in the advice it has given and the solutions it has offered. There has been a wide range: curbing spending on the unnecessary, that burdening citizens with taxes would only dampen spending and have multiple deleterious effects, that increasing VAT would lead to less intake, that sending home people in itself would not solve the DLPs dilemma of spending too much; that cutting critical areas such as Health would only lead to more costly fixes; that instead of crimping education a focus should be on realising the potential of the UWI, BCC and SJPP as foreign exchange earners. Time and time again, the BLP has provided the DLP with a dissertation on the commonsense of lowering energy costs for productive sectors - the head start in lowering the cost of living. This remains an unfilled promise of the DLP, testimony to its emptiness. Unfortunately, Stuart has staked his future on Harry Potter government and ignored all advice and possible solutions that did not emanate from his superior and fertile brain. The result? Worsening conditions and anguished lives. At this stage, six years of a DLP whose lack of ambition outstretched its reach, immediate solutions are required to deal with daily falling apart of lives devastated with incomes cut off but bills for the very basics still coming. For the 6000 plus sent home since last year, unemployment benefits have evaporated. Of course, Stuart, who is not going to be deterred from his path - never mind it is littered with destruction - has lost sight of those who have been sent packing but not received any monies as yet and those still working but not getting paid for months on end. This is why Mottley has again put forward three solutions, providing land for farming, aiding vending and working with lending institutions to restructure mortgage payments and other major loans. All can be implemented with speed, and each has immediate impact for families and country. The releasing of some of the thousands of acres of land for those who wish to have this opportunity is not only an extension of the natural Barbadian tendency to kitchen garden and explore agriculture in hard times, but a number of people now unemployed in this field will bring them back into economic activity, and aid the countrys productive capacity in reducing food imports and providing healthier produce. Clearly, too, Mottleys vision on vending also includes an attempt to bring proper regulation to an activity to which many turn as a means of earning. The evidence across Barbados as people try to sell food and clothes and all else is clear, with an obvious correlation to job terminations by Stuart and co. You would think that people, many of whom were raised by mothers who vended one way or another, would somehow find it in their portly newfound pretentiousness and wealth to reflect on their past and work to remove archaic laws that criminalise people who are not thieving, robbing, but trying to make an honest living. The complete revamp of this area is long overdue, from the issuance of more permits, to the promotion of more open vending - a norm in every major city in the world - and a removal of criminal penalties for illegal vending. There is no shortchanging the suffering of those suddenly left without an income, but the marauding of Stuart and his crew has also left what used to be the middle class in Barbados clinging by their nails. The raft of new taxes, increases in old taxes, utility rates, removal of allowances, salary cuts, freezes, so-called reverting, new studying fees and relentless increases in food prices have pushed Barbados into a country of rich and poor. Mottleys solution of restructuring loans, especially mortgages, to give homeowners breathing space is essential in maintaining a critical social balance in this society. That it would also remove the psychological terror of the impeding loan call is no less important. Three simple but important solutions. Workable. Implementable now. Will the DLP take heed? Doubtful. Which is why the best solution for Barbados is still a referendum on Dem. HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY v The St. Michael North branch invites you to a meeting this Sunday June 22, 4.30 p.m at the Grazettes Primary School, Grazettes, St Michael. Guest Speakers are Dr. Clyde Mascoll and Ian Gooding-Edghill. v The St Joseph branch invites you to a meeting this Sunday June 22, 4.30 p.m at the Grantley Adams School, Blackmans, St. Joseph. Speakers are Kerrie Symmonds, Rt Hon. Owen Arthur and member of Parliament Dale Marshall. v Tourism will be the main focus of at a Panel Discussion being held by the St. Michael South Central Constituency branch of the BLP on Sunday June 22, 2014. The Topic for the Panel Discussion: “Tourism the Goose, or the Golden Egg”. Panelist will be Noel Lynch, Indar Weir and Wayne Lovell. David Gill will be the Moderator. The meeting will be held at the George Lamming Primary School, Welches, St. Michael and starts at 5.00 p.m. UPCOMING EVENTS The Christ Church East Central branch of the BLP invites you to a Fish Fry & Lime on Friday June 27 at the Constituency Office Corner Lodge & Best Road, Christ Church.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 14:55:29 +0000
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