Attachment [18]

ADDRESS TO THE 75^" ANNUAL CONFERENCE BARBADOS LABOUR PARTY

By Hon MIA AMOR MOTTLEY Q.C., M.P.

Leader of the Opposition and

Political Leader, Barbados Labour Party

Nine months ago a slender, seemingly minuscule majority of Barbadians said no to the Barbados Labour Party. We accepted the verdict of the people.

Today, less than 40 weeks after going to the polls and returning the Democratic Labour Party to office, seven out of every ten Barbadians are saying "we made a mistake, we need fresh elections, we need

the Barbados Labour Party to assume the reigns of office and rescue this land from social and economic ruin.

Nine months ago the country was told it needed not only an economy but a society as well. Today, we have neither an economy nor a society...of which we can be proud.

We meet today therefore in one of the darkest hours of our time.

Barbados today is not only at the crossroads...today you do not know

whether the country is coming or going. For very few the vessel is in drive, for many it is in neutral and for the vast majority of our citizens and residents the national economic ship of state is in reverse.

What's even more frightening is that there is no one in a position of authority, whose word can be trusted.

Earlier this week, the central bank released a third quarter report on the performance of the economy and for the first time in modern

history, persons were saying openly they did not listen to or read it...

For they no longer know who or what to believe.

(Give brief recap of what the governor and the minister have not been saying or have not been saying accurately....and the implication for Barbados if nothing is done to remedy this situation)

The Report of the Governor will go down as the shortest ever

delivered by this Governor - for even he could not spin something out of nothing. I would be so bold to suggest that Barbadians ought to read it nevertheless. For when they do - they would realise, like me, that it too was another vote of No Confidence in the Minister of

Finance on Tuesday.

Now we know why the Government took the unprecedented step of forcing the debate on Tuesday before Members of Parliament and you the Public could gather the further evidence of guilt!

And what is that evidence?

Every sector - traded and non-traded - in decline. Down says the Governor - NOT ME.

Foreign Reserves - Down to $1 billion - Down says the Governor NOT ME. Put another way - one third of our reserves lost in 6 months! And he did not give us last week's reserves but that of last month's!

Government's fiscal deficit wider; $117 million worse than 2012 -

Down again says the Governor - NOT ME.

Barbados Economy declined by 0.7% - Down says the Governor AND THE IMF-NOT ME.

Yet the propaganda from the Governor and Minister Sinckler continued the next day as if Barbadians cannot read and count.

Reserves have stabilized says the Governor and the Minister. The

Government will be on target with the 5.4% deficit in March says Chris.

But perhaps the most unbelievable statement was that which was

carried both in the Financial Times on Tuesday and the local Nation Newspaper on Thursday from the Governor. And what was that? The

Government does not need the $500 million Bond - it was only an insurance policy.

Given the reality of the admitted steep decline in our reserves over the last 6 months and the inability of Government to meet its expenditure between now and March next year, this is a level of propaganda worthy only of an Apostle of Goebbels. Or for those who

are calypso fans, worthy of being a new verse in that famous calypso "Yuh hear lie - that is lie!"

I must place on record that the BLP deliberately chose not to address

this issue of the Foreign Reserves until it was made an issue locally and internationally by none other than Minister Sincker in the Budget when he confessed that the steep decline was due to the lack of confidence by domestic and international investors.

Regrettably this confession was confirmed by the international investors who chose not to invest in the $500 million Bond.

When the Parliamentary approval came for this Bond - the largest ever to be raised by a Government of Barbados - at 2 o'clock in the morning after the closure of the Budget Debate, we as a responsible

Opposition raised our serious concerns. We did not vote against it but abstained so as not to send the wrong message to international investors. It turned out however that they already had their own views. Some questioned in pejorative language the wisdom of the Government's actions even before the Tender was extended for 24 hours and withdrawn.

Others made us, Barbadians, feel shame when they said bluntly in the Jamaican newspapers that the Barbados bond was not even as

attractive as those from Jamaica under a rigorous IMF programme.

We did not realise that within days that sense of shame we felt would

be eclipsed by the hard judgment of the IMF - that the only country in

the entire Americas that would not see growth this year AND next year would be Barbados. That even Haiti, after the ravages of hurricanes and earthquakes would grow!

Well Mr Sinckler, following the shutdown, the US Government is up and running again - unemployment we are told is down to 7.2 per cent. The big question now is when will Barbados get up and get going again?

But, as I said in the Budget - we will wait and seel

We will see where the reserves will be at the end of the year. We will wait and see where Government's deficit will be in March - and more

to the point how they will finance it. We will wait and see how the

Government will pay the over $700 million it owes in arrears all across Barbados, the region and internationally, while it struggles to pay current bills and is now among the 10 most indebted countries in the world.

We will see if all of a sudden tourism will turn around after 20 straight months of decline -

or manufacturing ~ or agriculture -

or

international business; which, incidentally, has seen 2 established

offshore banks close this year and another major one leave our shores.

We know what we expect - and it is not what they have trumpeted to the public of Barbados. But we will wait and see. We know that there

is literally no room anymore for error. In that context let me pay tribute to Clyde Mascoll - or should I say Dr. Clyde Mascoll - Clyde received his doctorate on Friday but more importantly the model that he developed in his thesis has more accurately projected since 2011 the key data in our economy than the Governor has!

But what does all of this mean for the ordinary Barbadian across all sectors?

Not everyone in this audience today or in the country as a whole is trained in the discipline of economics, but what we all know is that

something is not right with sweet Barbados.

People liken the feeling to nausea, bloating, dizziness, light headed ness...they say it's as if the country is shutting down and grinding to a halt...yet, those in positions of influence and with the capacity to make positive change are indifferent and for the most part, appear overwhelmed by the magnitude of the assignment at hand.

In the tourism sector, hoteliers, restauranteurs, owners of attractions and car rental agencies and travel agencies hold their head in despair praying and begging the Government for ACTION and NOT MORE PROMISES AND RHETORIC!

THEY -

NOT US -HAVE GIVEN THE MINISTER ZERO OUT OF

TEN FOR his hurriedly announced 10 Point Plan on July 18th! That plan was announced about a month before the Budget as the

Government realized that it could not wait for the Budget to stem the massive criticism that was being heaped upon the Minister of Tourism and the Government. It was a plea for mercy to stay the hand of the executioner (the hoteliers) - praying upon their civility yet again.

But let us look at the other issues in tourism. Barbados has had

virtually little or no presence in the market place since 2011. The

marketing Budget of the BTA has dropped off a cliff from $88 million in 2011 to $59 million in both 2012 and 2013 while this Government

maintained its political spend! And all of this while the BTA owes,

according to Minister Sinckler, $26 million to all and sundry across the world. No wonder the Small Hotels of Barbados have had no real

marketing since 2011 and continue to cry as they struggle to keep

their businesses open!

No wonder all of the taxi drivers and beach vendors are despondent.

We have heard their voices directly, as has the rest of the country, as we rubbed shoulders with them throughout the year!

To date, there has been no announcement of when the promised additional marketing funds needed from September this year to March 2015 will come. This to be had from the IDB US $100 million

Policy Based Loan? What are the conditionalities for accessing this loan? Are these conditionalities a stumbling block to progress on the loan? Have the negotiations broken down until there can be an

independent

macro-economic

assessment

of

the

Barbados

economy? Tell us Chris tell us the facts - not the bravado and

invective which you have perfected. What happened in that meeting with the IDE at the beginning of this month in Washington D.C.? Is

this why you refused to attend the bilateral meeting with the IMF and sent the Director of Finance and the Governor instead?

And all of this before the shocking news Friday of the cancellation of the Rihanna show. NOT EVEN RIHANNA'S UMBRELLA COULD

WITHSTAND THE DEVASTATION OF HURRICANE FREUNDEL, TROPICAL STORM CHRIS AND TSUAMI RICHARD!

Other major obstacles so confront the profitability of the sector such that the private sector remains reluctant to risk its money in new product that is urgently needed to build out the tourism sector!

High operating costs from electricity to water and the inability to raise affordable loans especially since the country risk and interest rates have increased appreciably.

As a country we have attained Junk bond status! And when we do

attract brands what have we given away to get them? I can do no

better than quote as Ronald Toppin brilliantly did on Tuesday the lyrics from that Caribbean Genius (The Mighty Sparrow in his first

Road March "Jean and Dinah") - "when you catch them broken you can get it all for nothin'!" That is how the hoteliers (who have stayed the course with us through thick and thin, good and bad) feel at the announcement of the duty free and VAT free treatment of Food and

Beverage for the Sandals Group at their intended operations at

Casuarina and 3 to 4 years from now at Almond Beach Village. Not to mention the distributors and retailers of food.

The attempt to use criteria to link these unprecedented and generous concessions for the operation of an all-inclusive hotel in food and

beverage to the scale of investment of $500 million when the operator is not investing in the construction of the hotel is viewed as a charade by many in the sector. If Sandals or the private sector was investing

in buying, demolishing and rebuilding a hotel, as is being done in Grenada when Sandals opens by this winter season, there might even be an inclination to listen!

But for those concessions to be given when it is the Government of Barbados investing what will be in the range of $500 to $600 million

of our money (as taxpayers and pensioners) then we have to wonder what next will they give away now that it is all broken!

But what did Richard Sealy say about the work permits? Why did he not tell the country in his ministerial statement on Tuesday last that

Government has agreed to give Sandals 150 work permits at a time when there are so many unemployed and underemployed persons in the tourism industry. Surely they could have insisted that Barbadians be trained by Sandals in the long interval before the hotel is opened!

Government has not yet completed the purchase; the construction will not start for another 9 to 12 months and it will take at least 2

years to build! And in case they tell you they have done it because

they anticipate that they will bring 130 000 tourists per year, remind them that we already have a group bringing 150 000 per year!

And now today we read of the interim arrangement of which Santia Bradshaw as Shadow Minister of Tourism had already spoken two weeks ago. We need the facts - the date of the tender from the BTII

for that management contract; the MOD signed with Sandals; the

details of the financing arrangements both for the acquisition at an

inflated value of the Almond Beach Village property from Neal and Massey (who are smiling all the way to the Bank as the NIS will lose money on its shares held in Almod Resorts) and the construction of the

hotel from

the Chinese.

This is what must come

before

Parliament. Neither Chris Sinckler nor Richard Sealy is spending their own money. Indeed they are committing the resources of current and unborn Barbadians!

I have spent the time on tourism as the BLR is clear clear that tourism is the sector that must lead us out of this recession and back to

growth. We are equally clear that a Minister who has distinguished himself by taking us from the top of the class to the bottom - to be

exceeded in the Caribbean in our decline only by a country where two-thirds of the population was evacuated because of volcanic

eruptions (Monteserrat) - cannot do the job! Richard Sealy has been rewarded by his reappointment earlier this year for his unparalleled, monumental failure in tourism (AND LEST WE FORGET FOR NOT

BEING A MEMBER OF THE EAGER 11). His re-appointment has

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ensured that our performance as a country in tourism has been a nightmare - just beyond your imagination!

But as I indicated earlier, International Business and Manufacturing are faring no better. Our continued drop in corporation taxes reflects not only the decline of the local business sector but the decline of international businesses and off shore banks. Barbados continues to

face serious challenges to our reputation and to our competitiveness in the Canadian market especially.

And let us not talk about the challenges to our rum industry - a stout

refusal to find US$500 000 over 3 years to defend our BDS $80 million per year rum industry. It would allow us to bring a case against

the US Government for their unfair and illegal subsidies to their rum industry in the Caribbean making our own industry uncompetitive.

Mount Gay Refinery closed a few weeks ago - to leave the hands of a Barbadian family for the first time in 310 years as it is to be sold!

Why is Donville - sorry Kellman Part 2 - not speaking on this in his daily press interviews and comments? He is quick to comment on other people's business but does not realize that his own back yard is

on fire! He would do well to follow Edwin's lyrics not just in "Last Man Standing" (which he wants to be) but "Wet me! Wet me! Bring de water!" For he is truly insane, insane!!!

And what of ordinary Barbadians?

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Tuesday I reminded the Government of the panic and real suffering in the public service from people not being paid and not knowing if they will have a job next month or next year to pay rent or mortgages or car loans. The Government tried to shout me down but lo and behold

the next day the Assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) was complaining yet again about the many workers in the public service and statutory boards who had not been paid.

We have heard the despair emanating from the Budget from more taxes and fees being taken from people who have less money in their pockets - from Municipal taxes to UWI fees. We have seen the

stories of the Transport Board keeping people who have no other transport waiting because one-third of the Board's buses are down.

We have read with pain the stories coming from the Doctors and

others at the QEH. These are the worst for none of us can escape the

reality of this situation in an accident - rich or poor! How can you not pay for medicine to save people's lives but give hand picked

Constituency Councils the sum of $5 milllion - and yes almost a million dollars for football? Or $3 million for summer camps and caterers who are party supporters? Or reductions to the welfare vote

by over $2 million from 2011 as the cost of living continues to increase and more people lose their jobs or worse still their entitlement to Unemployment Benefit.

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Last Sunday in the Park a young man who had not worked for more

than a year but is a skilled Barbadian expressed his frustration and his desire not to live - not only because of no work but because he and his daughter were sleeping in a boat for months now. Where are our priorities? Government is about choices - nothing more, nothing less! People or party? When money is scarce - choices! Country or pension?

I do not need on this occasion to chronicle the other errors and

omissions of this administration. We all know them and pay their price every day. I do not need to speak to the negative, arrogant contemptuous attitude and behavior of the Prime Minister and his

Ministers - we are all on the receiving end day in and and day out.

What I wish to introduce into the national discussion this morning is the aspect of competence or lack thereof. It is one thing to have an unfavorable attitude....it is one thing to take the wrong turn and make ill-advised decisions...BUT it is a totally different scenario when one is paralyzed by the reality of not knowing what to do. In Barbados today, we Barbadians find ourselves, in this our darkest economic hour,

saddled with a government that is in an almost comatose state; not knowing what to do or where to turn for help.

So Comrades and friends, nine months after an election therefore,

while normally we would be meeting here as a losing party to console, comfort and reassure each other, this afternoon I am saying

to the family of the BLP - prepare yourself for the Rescue Mission.

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We are not going to draw arms, we will not crack any heads but as sure as night follows day, the rapid decline of this our fair land cannot

continue. And it is not treasonous Freundel to say so! Something will have to give and I believe that before very long the people of this

country are going to say Loudly and unanimously "enough is enough - we need a government that is competent, a government that is

connected, a government that is visionary...a government that will get the job done!"

I am confident, comrades and friends, that before very long, the people of Barbados shall say in one voice - we need the Barbados

Labour Party back at the helm of government and governance in this

country!! It won't be long. Comrades and friends...it won't be long!

Nine months after general elections, we find ourselves in election

mode, comrades and friends, not only because of the failings of Freundel Stuart, Chris Sinckler and this bunch of administrative

misfits. This country is calling for fresh elections because of the

dynamic parliamentary group the BLR has formulated and which has blossomed in just nine short months.

Anyone monitoring debates in Parliament of late would attest to the

fact that amazingly 14 is qualitatively about four times the depth,

knowledge and wisdom of 16. I wish today to salute and applaud my 13 fellow elected parliamentarians in the lower house and our two

esteemed senators in the upper house for the tremendous job they have done and continue to do in parliament, in the media, in the 14

rubbing shoulders program, in their respective communities and in

the country as a whole to highlight the short comings of this DIP administration.

We are anchored by the solid experience of our former Prime Minister

Owen Arthur who as a leader distinguished himself in Barbados and

in CARICOM with the CSME (a project that is sleeping as hard as the Prime Minister who now leads it). We have all sought to reinforce in the minds and psyche of all Barbados that there is a better way

That life for the majority does not have to be as dread as the

Dems are making it.

Someone pulled me aside last week and asked the million dollar

question - Mia, had any of them stood in that no confidence debate

last week, what realistically could they have said? Which of them is competent and

credible to debate the

issues impacting this

economy?

The sad, sorry answer ladies and gentlemen, is not a single one of them!

This is the most frightening aspect of the challenge we confront as a nation today. No one in this DLP administration has taken the time to

study and carefully analyze the intricate working of the Barbados economy. No one in the Cabinet of Barbados could easily step in

tomorrow to take the place of a failed and faltering minister of finance.They did not remain in their seats last week because of any strategy...they remained in their seats partially because of how they 15

feel about Sinckler but moreso they were not capable of addressing the issues in an informed and reassuring manner. That is what is most worrisome about Barbados today

That is why I said last week in Queens Park that THE PASSAGE OF TIME WILL NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS EQUATION!

You can give people more time if they are likely to get better as time goes by...but with this current bunch, no amount of time will soften

the impact of their bungling, drift and inertia because none if them is taking the time to study, learn and understand the functioning of the economy. They are held together by common self interest. Each of

them is motivated by the desire not to leave politics the same way he or she entered. I believe that each wants to make sure he or she

qualifies for a pension...that they can sail away into the sunset never

having to worry about anything again as they did before entering politics! At a time when Barbados needs a few good men and women

to roll up their shirt sleeves and work to turn around this economy, we

find ourselves saddled with an administration that essentially does not care - hardened to the core as our grandparents would say ....an administration that for the most part does not know and does not

know that it does not know what it is doing.

The startling reality in Barbados today, therefore, is that life for the vast majority will not get better under this DLP administration. I know

that.You know that and a growing number of independent, objective thinkers know that, as is evidenced by the thousands and thousands 16

of signatures on the Petition that we have already garnered before the Petition closes on Tuesday....BUT we need as Her Majesty's

Loyal Opposition, and as an Alternative Government in waiting, to sensitize and get more Barbadians and indeed more DLP supporters and well wishers to come around to embracing that reality. For themselves and FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY.

The motion last week was brought against the Minister of Finance, comrades and friends. However, the more you observe the rapid freefall in all spheres of social and economic activity in Barbados

today, the more it becomes apparent that the entire Cabinet of Barbados is out of its depth in attempting to reverse current trends. It is not to say that the Minister of Finance is doing bad but another

individual or group of individuals is doing better. His Ministry and his

decisions (or lack thereof) are just those that touch all other ministries and all groups of Barbadians. BUT each Minister, to the last man or

woman is underperforming in this government today. There are no bright sparks.

Let us start first with the nominated members of the cabinet - Maxine

McClean - indisputably and with distinction the worst minister of foreign affairs ever - here and in the Commonwealth! Ask Shanique

Myrie! There is no agency, entity or individual in regional or international diplomacy who has a positive word of assessment for the work of Maxine McClean.

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Then there is Patrick Todd - his sole reason for being in the Cabinet

of Barbados is to be in a position to take care of an old aunt whonn I am told was a fierce supporter of Freundel Stuart in his known battles

with David Thompson. We are paying a minister $15 000 a month to take care of his aunt.

Freundel's loyalty even exceeds his

compassion for the new born babies at the QEH!

Then there is Esther Byer Suckoo; again, the worst minister of Labour

ever! She has divided the Labour Movement and has shown us by

her own actions on the eve of Xmas two years ago, how NOT to treat employees! As Minister of National Insurance we should afford her

the courtesy to be the first to draw Unemployment Benefit.

Dennis Kellman has made known to the public his priorities - Moon

Town, Brass Tacks, Facebook, North Stars and then the Ministry - in that order. Not even the still born housing project at Pickering, St Lucy can command his time as Minister of Housing.

Ronald Jones is in need of a Guidance Counsellor or better still any help from a behavioral psychologist!

Michael Lashley needs to tell us about the Valentine's Day Sweetheart Package? Enough said about that today! We will wait and see if the PAC legislation is repealed before we speak more on this!

And while he is at it I would like him to tell us when next he will be

travelling to Florida to see THE VILLAGES?

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Stephen Lashley so only listens to himself that while he was

announcing the postponement of the Lighting Ceremony from November 1st to the 3rd, VOB was announcing the cancellation of the Rihanna Show! But then again he led the Cultural Industries Bill

at the very same 10 am two Tuesdays ago to create a new statutory board when the Ministry of Public Service was meeting to collapse and rationalize a large number of other Statutory Boards as announced in the Budget!

Dennis Lowe is busy responding to letters of resignation from his Board Member at Sanitation Services Authority for his involvement in

the Board's business of the award of tenders...to explain why the NCC truck was seen with workers two Saturdays ago paving outside his Constituency office!

The rest range from a booming empty vessel in the form of John Boyce (an appropriate addition to any Tuk Band) to an Attorney General who is missing in action when we look at his record.

Most Barbadians cannot even name the rest of the Cabinet as they are seldomly seen and far less heard!

So there is merit in the observations by those who say there is need for a no-confidence motion against the entire administration. None of them is inspiring and none is standing to be counted as willing to put country above self in my view.

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But we will not bring such a motion until we are satisfied the country is ready to act and let its voice be heard.

Last Tuesday was a dry run. We tested the mindset of those on the Government side and we see clearly that they are intent on marking time and holding out for the qualification of pension entitlements. So we will not bring a motion again, the outcome of which will be determined by them alone.

When we return to the Parliament of this country with the ultimate motion

of

no confidence in this Government,

there are two

prerequisites that must be met. One, we must have the country - the people of Barbados - demonstrabiy ready to influence and determine

the outcome of the motion and second, the Barbados Labour Party must be seen and embraced by the vast majority of Barbadians as ready to govern.

And as far as the readiness of the people goes ordinary people we

what are the

rub shoulders with saying? The Labour

Movement must stop sending confusing signals to the workers of Barbados, especially in central Government; some businesses must

stop currying favor with decision makers for selfish gain if they want to secure their medium to long term survival; organizations set up to protect sectoral interests across all areas must do that and not be

swayed or hijacked by a handful of elected officers with different agendas; the media must not allow itself to be intimidated and the

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church must speak out objectively and independently as it did in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Above all else, the public wonders why many complaints from

persons in these bodies, are made in private? Why all the sighs of frustration directed as off record comments? Why only in emails and texts and not in the daylight so that all may gauge the true state of

hopelessness and panic gripping them as much as ordinary Barbadians? We must not allow the institutional integrity of our

democracy to decay - not in Government nor civil society. That is

what has distinguished us from others and allowed us previously to punch above our weight.

And as for us in the Barbados Labour Party, we must stop letting our detractors define us. There are those who wish to pass us off as

better for the economy but not strong on social policy and social reform. Absolute nonsense!! Our work speaks volumes: Tens of thousands of Barbadians across rural and urban Barbados own

homes and land today because of policies we introduced from the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act to 100% Mortgages. The wide

network of polyclinics developed across Barbados and a National Drug Service that has saved many a life of Barbadian and allowed

them to be productive citizens while facing health challenges.

The expansion of education and the reform of our education system to prepare all Barbadians for the twenty first century while lifting them and their families out of inter-generational poverty. The focussed 21

relief for elderly and indigent Barbadians in their homes became a priority for Government.

A road programme that was not only focussed on highways but tenantry roads to ease the burden of thousands of Barbadians across

the patchwork of tenantries in Barbados from which ordinary people

must traverse to work or the hospital. A real programme for our young

people through the creation of a Ministry of Youth Affairs and a belief that we must strengthen the identity of our people and create in real terms opportunities for our artists who were able in the 1990s and the

first part of this century to rely on their talent for a living without having to keep down a second job as they are being forced to do now again in recent years.

Basketballers and footballers could play on fields and courts provided

for them with lights such that they could still remain active even if they were working at night.

Under the Barbados Labour Party home ownership rose, more people were educated and more people accessed health care than

ever before and crime dropped significantly between 1994 and 2008, with burglaries at 1/3 of what they were at their height and poverty fell to 13%.

Under the Democratic Labour Party poverty has risen by half to about 20% and more and more people are counting themselves as members of the working poor. Many fear eviction or foreclosure. And

many worry about their safety with an increase in property crimes and 22

the advent of stray bullets in communities as we witnessed across St. Michael in the last month.

We must challenge this misrepresentation of the facts. Members of

the Barbados Labour Party family must stand in defense of its legacy and enviable track record in the areas of social and economic reform.

It is second to none!

And when they are finished with our policy record they then ask the tongue in cheek question of who do we have....we must let them know!!! We have a team of candidates and a network of support

structures once again second to none in Barbados.

I have already indicated that we are anchored by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur whose intellect and experience continue to buttress us. But equally those who served in the Tom Adams Cabinet continue to play a vital role in both national affairs and party matters -

from Sir Henry Forde to Sir Richard Cheltenham (who trained members of this party as recent as yesterday); the regional and international experience of Dame Billie Miller and Sir Louis lull; the indomitable Lionel Craig and Delisle Bradshaw and Vic Johnson and

Nigel Barrow who all provide counsel at all levels of this party - in policy and party affairs.

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The tremendous debating and communication skills of Kerrie

Symmonds to the tremendous organisational acumen of George Payne; the clinical and dry-witted prosecution of Ronald Toppin to the affable and congenial nature of Gline Clarke; the earthy and common sense wisdom and apathy of Cynthia Forde to the legal knowledge of Dale Marshall; the passion for the people of St. Michael, in particular of those who have not tasted the sweets of the land or who have

been the victims of injustice from a Trevor Prescod; the youthful enthusiasm bridging the gap with the young and creative people of our land from a Santia Bradshaw to the technical engineering and teaching skills of a Dwight Sutherland; the strong sense of service of

an Edmund Hinkson to the detailed eye of a Maria Agard - the officer

and a gentleman (an empathetic one at that) of Jeffrey Bostic.

And to them will be some old familiar faces and I do believe some

new ones as well! Some are even here with us today.

When we

finish we will have a team that is reflective of the best of Barbados to

work with others in this country to fix Barbados. We are equally supported by a cadre of professionals in every sphere of social and economic activity.

We also have a clear vision and an unbridled concept of how true and

meaningful development in this country can take place. And why we must engage in serious business to meet the unprecedented

challenges that lie before our people....not by rhetoric and spectacle as has been the practice of this Government. Our record is there.

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And for those who keep calling for solutions to the national crisis

permit me to remind you that we have not reached this stage by sudden alarm. Since 2009 both myself and Owen Arthur have offered

to cooperate with this Government - sometimes even to the chagrin of some of our Party Members and newspaper columnists. I believe I have even been referred to earlier this year as 'soft' for so doing.

Mind you that is an allegation that may more disturb others than myself. These offers have been spurned - led by the Prime Minister and ably assisted in this one upmanship by Sinckler.

The Prime Minister has not and does not consult on any matters other than those he is required to do so under the Constitution. That

in and of itself may be a sign of his own insecurity. I served in Owen Arthur's Cabinet for 14 years. We consulted with David Thompson and the DLP on matters of clear national importance - the decision to establish a Caribbean Court of Justice; the conduct of our foreign trade policy; the briefing of the Opposition (and the Social Partnership

and civil society) on the matter of the commencement of proceedings against Trinidad and Tobago. I well remember one of the first things we did as an Opposition in 2008 was to make available the services of Sir Henry Forde to brief the Negotiation Team for the Fishing Agreement with Trinidad and Tobago. It never happened.

So friends we in the Barbados Labour Party not only dare to dream but we are determined to do.

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I stated in our Call to Arms at the beginning of our 75th Anniversary Celebrations that our philosophy to improve the lives of all

Barbadians to allow them to be the best that they can be and to protect those most vulnerable among us remains our guiding light.

Our ability to adapt and to face the reality of our times has guaranteed our survival and our ability to change for the better the lives of Barbadians. But we know that our mission remains.

We say that we will continue to be the voice and the defender of

those who have not made the journey to prosperity as yet; to those whose gains are now being threatened by the unrelenting assault on

the stability of Barbados; to those whose dreams to conquer the regional and global stage are being deferred and to those who simply want to have the essential luxury of freedom and independence. We

will give you back that independence, that freedom and that hope for a brighter future.

As we recommit to Barbados and to our philosophy and principles, I say to all of you as Chairman and Political Leader - our members and

our supporters - we will work with each and every one of you.

But as that is done we must equally become more to our country and to our people. And to that extent we are committed to changing how

we relate to our people in this the second decade of the twenty first century. What we do matters as much as how we do it. We cannot

assume what people want - that is why we are committed to Rubbing

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Shoulders - now and whenever we direct the affairs of this country again. That is why we started this programme.

That is why we can never support the handpicking of Constituency Councils to extend to a few the bounty of the State. That is why we started the petition to give voice to Barbadians of all backgrounds and loyalties to express their views. And we will continue to do so for it is

fundamental to the new governance of the country and the party. Lip service to the letter of our Constitution and NOT its spirit will not allow our democracy to thrive.

As I said then at the Wesleyan Church in April, we do not simply want to be the alternative - we must strive to be the Answer to the needs and the dreams of all Barbadians. And I know we have what it takes.

We must be active not just in our words but in our good works to ease the burdens of our people in whatever way we can and in this regard we shall shortly be announcing a "Love thy Neighbour" programme as we approach Independence and the Christmas season.

We will labour with all who share our vision and our objectives for

Barbados, even if they are not our members and supporters but believe in our cause. We have given expression to this through

creating a movement "For Love of Country", where a coalition of conscience can stand in the breach for Barbados.

And we ask you to own this party of yours through your time and your contributions - for our future as a country and as a party and our

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voice must NEVER be determined by a few to the detriment of the many!

This is a vow to our country and to our party.

We believe that this philosophy, these policies and the clearly growing attractiveness of the talent, commitment and heart of our

team are another Great Combination for the people of Barbados.

The BLP is what is trending in Barbados today and we need to let that be known and demonstrated.

So the big question now is what do we do going forth from this place?

We prepare ourselves for Government and governance. And we continue to prosecute the DLP administration for its continued acts of

aggression, callousness, omission and insensitivity against the people of Barbados - holding them accountable as is our duty.

For those who believe that we must be silent and help to keep the lid on the closures of businesses, the destruction of families and

households and regrettably even the loss of life simply because the Government has taken us to the brink, I say to you that not only would we be failing in our duty but it would be seditious for an

Opposition as legislators who are duty bound to place a check on the Government as the Executive.

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To those who say we should not criticize and by extension should not highlight the ills of this administration, my simple question is which piece of advice have we given that has not been in the best interest of Barbados? Also, which observation have we made that has not

been substantiated by fact or experience? Which warning have we given that was ignored by the government and that did not go on to negatively impact Barbadians? If the Barbados Labour Party Party should not criticize, then who should? Should there be no criticism at

all/ should we all sit in silence as our country slips further and further down the drain? How can we work together as government and opposition when we are so diametrically opposed to what they are

doing? How can we change course as an opposition party when all that we fear and forecast is coming to past, much to the pain and

shame of Barbadians? It is not for the opposition Barbados Labour

Party to stop talking...it is for the ruling Democratic Labour Party to start listening and acting. I challenge those who say we should not be critical of what is going on, to tell me what is going on that we should be supportive of? We all need to put the interest of Barbados first,

and this Barbados Labour Party, under my watch, will not be silenced in deference to those who would wish at this crucial point in our

country's history to straddle the fence. Barbados needs each and every one of us at this point to stand in its defense. To say wrong is

wrong and right is right....to say 'I support this, in the interest of Barbados and I oppose that in the interest of Barbados'. At this point in our country's history we must each do what we do and say what we say FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY!!

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Our Constitution and our conventions in our system of Government demand that of us. The cries for solutions are understandable, given the desperation that Bajans feel.

But believe you me after 23 years in both Houses of Parliament I tell you there is only one entity and one entity now (whether we like it or not) that can make decisions or act - that is the Democratic Labour

Party Government.

However, we can and will keep hope alive among Barbadians of a

brighter and better way. We will not get into the nitty gritty of what a BLP administration will do....we have talked, we have advised, we have suggested and it has all fallen on deaf ears.

We are now at the stage where if Barbadians want better they have first to get rid of this administration. A change of government in this country is now non-negotiable. Positive, meaningful change will not come about with them....so we have to change themll

The big question, the answer to which rests in the hands of the

people of Barbados, is when? When do we change them?

Can we afford to wait five years or do we indicate to them from now

that we are not satisfied? Or to contextualise it more appropriately does the country - does the Barbados we know and love have 4

years or is it only the Government that has 4 years remaining?

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That is the question that the private sector has to answer; it is the

question that the Labour Movement has to answer; it is the question that civil society has to answer; it is the question that the Church has to answer; it is the question that the media has to answer, it is the

question that Barbadians from all walks of life have got to answer in the weeks and months ahead.

How long can we afford a helpless, hapless, drifting administration that is doing untold damage of eroding the gains we have made as a country and a people over the years? As one member of the public wrote recently, "how short is too short, if it's no good!"

My call today is for the family of the BLP to respond to the concerns of well-wishers and tens of thousands of Barbadians to ready itself for the reins of office. My call today is for social partners and civil society

to come to terms with the reality that time will not help or heal this situation and that current conditions call for urgent action on their part to steer the economic ship of state clear of destruction.

None of us can afford the luxury of sitting back and wishing and

hoping...we have each got to act to rescue this land. This government is not only arrogant and indifferent...it is incompetent and that is where the real danger lies!!!!

This great party offers to the people of Barbados a record of 75 years

of service, experience, competence, energy and is truly the hope for the future.

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This is the great combination for the 21st century - for the rescue of Barbados - at your service.

We vow to thee our country and our people that you shall not walk alone.

We will walk with you, we will hold your hands, we will guide you and one day coming soon, with God as our guide, together we will restore this great land of ours.

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