FIRE YOURSELVES or be fired by the people!

Former Christ Church East Central MP, Robert "Bobby" Morris, sent that strong message to the ruling Barbados Labour Party on Sunday night in Oistins, as he spoke at the launch of the candidacy of John Boyce as the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) representative for Christ Church South.

Morris accused the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) of unkept promises and breaching the "social contract" with the people.

"Any Government that said to you thatit would carry this country from being a monarchy and become a republic, and that it must havea referendum and then reverses itself, has broken the social contract and should be fired," Morris declared.

"I am saying to you that governments cannot play with your concept of yourselves."

Morris, a senior trade unionist who represented the DLP in the Houseof Assembly for two terms from 1986 to 1994, added that a Government which said it had the possibility of "carrying you to the next level of constitutional development and then ran away from its own claim, must be fired".

Secondly, he said, a Government which recognised the discussions of the 1980s and 1990s and the feeling that people wanted to establish themselves fully as owners of these fields, hills and lands, and who responded to that by saying that there would be a Heroes' Square in which certain persons should not be present and then ran from that, "has brokenthe social contract and should fire itself".

Morris said he listened as a spokesperson for the BLP made it clear that land was for the highest bidder. That person, he added, "cannot understand that land, which a short time ago was selling for $3 a square foot [is now] selling for $33 a square foot and getting worse, and that they are responsiblefor that [and] shouldfire themselves or you should fire them".

"They have broken the social contract because they are squandering not only your presentbut your future also."

Morris noted thatin terms of the health of the country, there was a disaster happening at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) but Government was in denial.

"I am saying that the QEH is tired and wants an overall redo,"he declared.

Finally, Morris said, in the last 13 years, he expected the Employment Rights Bill to have been passed, but it has not; the Safety and Health Act has been passed butnot the regulations; the Public Service Bill is still-born; and on the Occupations Pensions Act, Government has not further engaged the unions.

"Do you think they are going to be looking at a Minimum Wage Act? Do you think they are going to give poor people that $7.50 an hour that Dr [Andrew] Downes asked for?

"I am saying that because they have shown that they are incapable of meeting the social contract in terms of these promises, they should fire themselves." (AB)