Friday, March 29, 2024

From The Archives: Let Lowe go

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THE OPPOSITION Barbados Labour Party wants Dr Denis Lowe fired.

In a highly critical response to Prime Minister David Thompson’s State-Of-The-Nation Address last Saturday, Opposition Leader Mia Mottley said yesterday that some of Thompson’s Cabinet changes defied logic and that he should have sacked former Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Urban Development Denis Lowe.

Lowe has instead been shifted to the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage.

“If he [the Prime Minister] was truly interested in meeting the challenges head-on, [he] ought to have had the courage to dismiss Lowe – and tell the country what compelled him to do it,” Mottley told the DAILY NATION from a prepared speech last night.

“It is clear to us that the reassignment of general secretary of the DLP, Chris Sinckler, to the portfolio previously held by Dr Lowe is an attempt to shore up the DLP’s political fortunes in preparation for the next general election,” she added.

Noting that the designation of some portfolios continued to “defy logic and will further retard any potential progress in certain sectors”, Mottley said the Opposition was not confident that the changes announced would strengthen the country’s ability to meet the tough challenges ahead.

She charged that Thompson seemed to be dealing mainly with the welfare of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) instead of the state of the country in his address; and stressed that in light of the tremendous challenges facing Barbados, it was unfortunate that no stability now existed in the governance of this country.

The Opposition Leader also said that Barbadians did not miss the fact Government’s political advisor Hartley Henry had advised both the prime ministers of Dominica and Barbados “in the same week to reshuffle their cabinets in an attempt to quell public dissatisfaction with the performance of their respective governments”.

“Every Prime Minister has the prerogative to change his Cabinet, especially when he is dissatisfied with the performance of ministers,” she added. “However, the changes announced by the Prime Minister reflect a greater concern for the welfare and political fortunes of the DLP than for the welfare of Barbadians and Barbados.”

Thompson reshuffled his Cabinet in a televised address, appointing a deputy prime minister in Freundel Stuart and naming new ministers of Health, Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs, International Business and the Environment.

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