Stuart: Guard your minds
Acting Prime Minister Freundel Stuart: Barbados in the midst of a mind game.
Mon, July 26, 2010 - 12:37 AM
BARBADOS is in the midst of a battle of the mind.
Acting Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said the public had to safeguard itself against detractors whose purpose was to poison their minds.
“Since the battle is for your minds, people will come with all sorts of stories to try to destabilise your abilities in the hope they can destabilise your Government; prove the people of Barbados were wrong in January 2008 and try to get power back so they can continue the maladministration to which this country was subjected between 1994 and 2008,” he said.
Stuart was addressing the inaugural luncheon and awards ceremony of the Christ Church West branch of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) yesterday at Almond Bay, Hastings, Christ Church.
Stuart said the major thrust of this attempted destabilisation was concerning the economic crisis.
“If it is raining, it is not breaking news to say the road surfaces are wet. If a cane field is burning, it is not breaking news to say ash is flying around. If the world is going through the worst recession in 100 years, it is not breaking news to say there is economic stagnation because what recession means is precisely that.
“So all the talk about the country about to collapse and all the dismal prophecies of gloom and doom and all of the dingy attempts to spread alarm and despondency across Barbados, are foredoomed to failure because the character and the moral strength and the insight and foresight of Barbadians will see that we get through this recession successfully,” he said.
Stuart said there were certain “political poseurs” who were saying Government was to somehow find a way to turn around the dwindling number of visitors flying in from Britain.
“The economy of Britain is going through its worst recession since the 1930’s . . . The people who are coming as tourists have to be [willing and] able to spend and travel but even if we say our tourism product targets the higher end of the British market, it does not mean they would be willing to travel and that is where our marketing has to come in but that does not mean you can force anybody to come here,” he said, adding it all depended on the restoration of the British economy.
Stuart then urged the audience and the public not to be “hoodwinked” by those who practised double-speak or to be side-tracked by empty talk. (CA)
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Nice words Mr. Stuart, but when are you and your Government going to admit that you made some critical mistakes that made our situation worse.
All of the economic analysts now agree that the 2008 Budget was ill conceived and that your Government needs to get the productive sectors working and cut down on spending by Government.
Why aren’t you telling us how you intend to achieve these things instead of making snide remarks about your detractors, who for the most part have been proven right.
We are all ears.
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Comment LinkThe acting PM is correct. The BLP had fourteen years (three terms) and what little good they did was insignificant compared to: $750 000 000 in overruns; the financial fiasco with the building belonging to Mr. Barack and the state of housing, health, the roads and schools along with public transportation all in a mess. The opposition has no solutions -all they want is power and they are praying for the country to collapse but it will not.
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Comment LinkI am not affiliated with any political party, and I am NOT saying that the current political status quo is the right direction for our country. However, the acting Prime Minister statement (my opinion), is right on target. It is the strongest and the most effective attempt to communicate “THE SAD REALITY OF THE HUMAN MIND SET” as it applies to political pundits and their unpatriotic attempts to influence the electorate of Barbados.
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Comment LinkI am glad that I have no political affiliation. I have heard your comments Mr Stuart, but BLP and DLP have the same philosophy: Party before country. While we had reached the point where we needed relief from the choke hold of the BLP, yet ‘barring the recession’ we have begun to suffocate under your regime with no apparent relief in sight. Let me draw the similarities: Nobody understands why Mr Barrack did not pursue the last administration before they exited office. What an albatross this has become! Nobody understands why the P.M, and Central Bank Governors, past and present have been tight-lipped on $10 million bailout and even CLICO issues seemed to have halted. We are guarding our minds.
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Comment LinkThe Acting Prime Minister must have eaten a lot of red herrings for breakfast. There is no dispute that there is a severe international recession. The question is: how has the government reacted to it? The answer: inadequately. The reason: neither the substantive minister of finance, Mr. Thompson, nor the Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Estwick, are [professionally trained and certified in] either economics or finance. All the information provided by the Central Bank, and questioned by Mr. Mascoll, cannot hide the fact that this has been an [unsuccessful] administration for which Barbadians are already beginning to pay a heavy price. Lord, how long till we can kick this bunch out?
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Comment LinkTell me something new; isn’t that how politics work all over the world? All politicians try to influence people’s minds in an attempt to wrestle power from their opponents.
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Comment LinkPage 1 of 1 pages