Poor political judgement. This term sums up the current strategy of the Opposition.
It is evident that people in glass houses should not throw stones. This is what has unfolded over the last couple of days on the part of the Opposition Leader.
He sought to castigate the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) for its choice of Mara Thompson by referencing her origin. Oh please, Mr Opposition Leader! Why not tell the nation that your candidate was born in St Vincent and moved here at the age of four? Oops !!! Forgive me. I forgot that in the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) the rules don’t apply across the gender lines.
Owen Arthur’s political posture goes through some contortions when it applies judgement across gender lines. Arthur has been on a train of “de-mottlising” the BLP. It is no wonder that Dale Marshall was reduced to Owen’s errand boy by calling his former boss and asking her to speak in the St John by-election at her convenience. Of course, we on this side know that Dale and Mia have not said a word to each other since the coup of Roebuck Street 2010.
Mia’s absence from the spot meeting launched at Edgecliff spoke volumes of the Owen-led team. The usual Mottley supporters did not show up to wave their rags in support of their former leader and so the launch was a flop. The comments made at the launch and further enunciations from the BLP platforms have once against assisted the public to identify the difference in the fabric of the two parties.
Owen Arthur has not changed. The two years in Opposition have taught him nothing. He has gone from bad to worse as he stumbles through St John on a political frolic. One thing for sure, he is not taking the blame for the poorly strategized efforts of the Labour Party candidate. It is clear that Dale has been set up as the fall guy.
As a matter of fact, word is that Owen constantly called the candidate by the incorrect name. What do we have here? A leader who clearly does not know the party’s candidate of choice. He goes out on a limb stirring emotion about the origins of our Mara Thompson but fails to tell the people of St John that history is about to be created in this by-election.
For the first time in post-Independence Barbados, we will have two people of Barbadian citizenship but of different origin facing the poles.
They both made Barbados their home. The only distinction to be made is that Mara is proud of her origin while the other has allowed disparaging remarks to be made that would have questioned his sense of right and wrong. It cannot be a crime to be born one place and make a life in another. After all, Owen must have enjoyed some aspect of Jamaican life.
Oops !!! We will not go there.
This by-election has has rejected the political machinations of the Arthur era and said no more of Arthur’s fear tactics, as he had become infamous for no longer having any bite or bark. The lure of occupying big office has become Arthur’s worst enemy. The past week has cemented in the minds of voters that Arthur does not deserve to be Prime Minister again. The callous comments and innuendoes have confirmed in the minds of all right thinking Barbadians, that he does not care. Barbadians, you have a clear choice to continue to allow the DLP to exercise judgement on your part.
