REVOLVING DOOR POLITICS – where the defeated political party's supporters are replaced by the victorious party's followers – is ingrained in Barbados.

And a reminder of just how deep rooted it is was provided by Father Errington Massiah at the Democratic Labour Party's (DLP) weekly lunchtime lecture last Friday.

Massiah told the DLP leadership that they should look after their own first. He complained that they had appointed some people who were not highly visible in the election campaign or in other political activities when the party was in Opposition.

Massiah's statement can be viewed from a number of perspectives. The most important, though, is that it was a cry from a rank and file party member that the leadership has not sufficiently rewarded their vociferous and unwavering loyalty through the dark years of opposition politics now that they are in power.

As Massiah noted: "When you're in opposition, you can't do anything for people so people aren't coming. But now they are in Government I hear some names who [are] heading boards across the country that were unheard of . . . .

"It's like grass in the rain now. Now the rain falling, you see all the grass spring up."

The Anglican priest's views are consistent with several assertions made by politicians from both the DLP and Barbados Labour Party (BLP) through the years.

The most biting and controversial of these statements came from Lionel Craig in July 1979, when, as Minister of Labour, he was incensed by accusations of victimisation against the then ruling BLP, while DLP supporters were bragging that they were still working.

Craig told the House of Assembly inter alia on July 11, 1979:

"Now let me tell you this. Anything with DLP, if you breathe, you cannot eat as far as I am concerned. It is as simple as that. This is a war.

"If your name is Douglas Leopold Phillips, by accident DLP, and you miss and approach me and I see it just in your face; no dice.

"This is the ball game which we on this side must play now, and I will tell you why. We have been accused unfairly in this country of victimising people."

A much gentler statement on how the most faithful would be rewarded when the DLP came to power came from then DLP leader and Leader of the Opposition David Thompson in his speech delivered to the 45th annual conference on August 20, 2000.

He said: "We have learnt our lesson as a party. The fatted calf under David Thompson's watch will be slaughtered and shared among those of you who have stood this course.

"The fatted calf will be slaughtered and shared among those of you who have fought the battles and who will have won for us a glorious victory at the polls."

The views of both gentlemen would be understood by their party's supporters as the natural course of action on winning an election. But whether this winner-take-all policy is good for Barbados is another matter.

A country of a mere 270 000 people is too small and our skills' bank too low for us to go through a tribal-like ritual of replacing qualified people from boards and other areas of Government every time another party takes over.

Though we understand the need for any administration to want their its people in place to execute its enunciated programmes, political tribalism can only lead to greater divisiveness in any society.

As a maturing democracy and a country on a quest for first world status, it's time our political leaders recognise that the winner-takes-all attitude only alienates a large segment of the voting population, and deepens voters' apathy about politics and distrust of politicians. Put another way, this attitude is self-defeating for politicians and the country.