Nomination Day: Third parties are viable option, says Phillips

The political winds are changing, says leader of Solutions Barbados Grenville Phillips II, but it is up to Barbadians to choose wisely.

After his nomination process on Monday at the Valley Resource Centre, The Glebe, St George, which was slightly delayed due to the lateness of his delegation, Phillips said he was certain the Barbadian electorate was now mature enough to see beyond red and blue.

“I think the system was so politically abused, you could run the carcass of a dead sheep and put a ‘B’ or a ‘D’ on it and people would vote that way, but I believe the current set of voters are a lot more mature, so I’m expecting a different result.

“I think this is an excellent opportunity to see if third parties are really viable in modern Barbados, but this experiment will only work if the press allows all sides to let their voices be heard to the public,” he said.

As for the issues in the constituency, Phillips said there were the “typical roads”, which were not being repaired properly. Another was housing.

“There are drainage issues, housing issues – dilapidated, abandoned houses – and as an engineer, I can look and see most of their roofs are vulnerable to being taken off during a hurricane,” he said.

Phillips, a structural engineer, said there were “quite a few” engineering problems in the constituency and he was uniquely qualified to deal with that issue, so the people needed to vote for what was in their best interests instead of for party.

“Maybe for a general election, they may want to put their party in Government but in this by-election, they have a chance to vote for their own interests. We plan to start a no-profit construction company and employ every unemployed person in St George North who wants to work in construction,” he said.

Phillips said they would also offer free classes, teaching people how to start their own businesses as he had training in this field. He said the plan would be to have the classes at St Jude’s, St Augustine and The Glebe.

“Our aim is to make St George the most prosperous constituency in Barbados, and I can do it. We tried to save Barbados in the General Election [in 2018]; we had a very good economic growth plan . . . but the people voted to suck salt, so they sucked salt,” he said.

However, he said political life had taken a toll on his professional and personal life and, win or lose, this should be his last time running. (CA)