Arthur: Disservice done to the BLP

FORMER PRIME MINISTER Owen Arthur did not attend Monday night's vote-off at the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) headquarters, because he saw it as an ultimatum leading to an "oath of allegiance" to Mia Mottley - both of which did a disservice to the BLP.

In response to his absence from the parliamentary group meeting, which saw Mottley reaffirmed as political leader and Leader of the Opposition, Arthur said yesterday he could not attend based on the way Mottley had sought to deal with the evident leadership challenge within the BLP.

"I could not possibly attend the meeting to deal with a [leadership] problem that she said doesn't exist, that I have told the public does not exist, and that the party is aware does not exist.

"It was a disservice to the party that it had to take place by way of a n ultimatum by Ms Mottley. It has also put the members of the parliamentary group in an invidious and unfavourable light in the public domain," he told the media at his University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus office yesterday.

Arthur said he had "no interest or desire in leading the country or the party", noting that Mottley herself had gone on record saying there was no power struggle in the BLP.

However, he added, there was an issue pertaining to the BLP's leadership in the wider community, and Mottley had handled it in a way that "does a great disservice to the BLP".

Arthur said the leadership issue "cannot be confronted by the issue of a public ultimatum for members of the parliamentary party to assemble at short notice to swear what I can only call oaths of allegiance! It has to be dealt with in a constructive manner".

"And that's why I feel the manner in which it has been dealt with, and that it has been brought to the public at all, is a disservice to the BLP because the parliamentary party . . . would have been convened to deal with an issue and a problem that the leader said does not exist.

"In such circumstances, I could not possibly attend Monday's meeting," Arthur stated, adding that his attendance would have been unnecessary.

Arthur also said he had spoken to colleagues early on Monday and asked for the parliamentary group meeting to be postponed until tomorrow (Thursday), thereby giving members time to consult beforehand. (RJ)