Mere empty words.
This accusation came from Opposition member for St Joseph Dale Marshall as he made his contribution to the Budget debate in the House of Assembly today.
Marshall said at least two of the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) promises had been broken – that of university education remaining free and that there would be no layoffs.
“The fact is the Prime Minister said university education would remain free and this demonstrated that what he said, then, was using words as words without any serious intention to hold true to those words,” Marshall charged.
The Opposition member also accused the Minister of Finance of “saying one thing and meaning something else”.
“The Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister said there will be no layoffs, but 36 people have been laid off from the Barbados Water Authority. I believe if we had to prosecute the DLP for saying one thing and doing another, they would have been found guilty,” Marshall told the Lower Chamber.
In addition, he said the House of Assembly was told that if there were going to be layoffs, they would be as a last resort, which he said meant that the island was at the point of last resort.“We have come to the sad conclusion that the Government is using words as words. Mere empty words and more empty words,” he said.
Marshall also said that reducing the work week of employees would also reduce their spending power.
“It will see a diminution of the spending power of the average Barbadian and when that happens it will mean fewer people to go in the shops and buy corned beef and cheese.”
The reduction in spending power will impact on minimarts, supermarkets and those who sell goods and services, he said. He predicted less growth in the economy and less revenue collected by Ministry of Finance through taxation. (HLE)
