"The politics of buying silence," DLP says

Barbados: In the midst of strident talk of major constitutional change we continue to watch as persons who speak out get neutralised.

Key independent voices are being silenced at the expense of the public purse. A purse that already is stretched by a bloated Cabinet, a barrifle of high-priced consultants and far too many resident ambassadors at Bay Street. David Ellis is the most recent casualty.

Just a few months ago, a new politically-coloured Public Affairs Department was layered on top the work of the Government Information Service (GIS), a Press Secretary and a high priced regional Communications Consultant.

This Public Affairs Department, nothing more than a political propaganda machine, was formed mere weeks after Ambassador Liz Thompson was named as head of a Covid Communications Unit, with an unknown number of staff.

Now we are notified of another appointment, this time a Covid Public Advisor. What is the overall cost of silence? Millions of dollars of taxpayers money at a time of significant economic and social hardship.

What does it mean when an advisor is appointed by the Prime Minister to "report to the people"? How does that advance the fight against Covid? Why is Prime Minister Mottley not channelling those funds towards various civic groups on the ground who can enhance the efforts of the Covid Unit in communities?

Barbados is again at a critical stage in our fight against this awful pandemic and I urge all Barbadians to wear your masks, wash and sanitise your hands, physically distance, keep away from discretionary social gatherings and get vaccinated! Do not depend on the authorities to protect you or your families. Do your part.

One of the first orders of business for the Mottley administration when it came to office three years ago was to send home thousands of low income public officers.

After complaining about the size of the Cabinet and the very few consultants in 2018, we now see a bloated non-performing Cabinet, dozens of high-priced consultants, and scores of political friends and family being employed off the backs of taxpayers. The budget for consultants alone is in the millions.

Barbadians are being forced to watch political largesse handed out to elites while the livelihoods of the underprivileged are put on the line by a government that refuses to muster the same urgency to extend unemployment benefits; refuses to ensure severance is paid; and refuses to reduce excise taxes and duties to ease the rising costs of living even though one of their own economists let it slip recently that they have the fiscal space to reduce those onerous taxes.

In response to a comment made during the press briefing: Let me make it clear here that the DLP was never consulted on this recent decision to hire Mr. Ellis. We are never consulted on any matters related to the administration of this country. This Government would wish to give that impression and it is time the air is cleared.

Our Party would attend meetings of the Social Partnership when invited. Just as all other groups do. But more often than not the issues have already been decided upon.

We have noted a trend of the Prime Minister to call upon the name of the DLP whenever questionable decisions-of which we have had no part- are lambasted. It has to stop. She must take full responsibility for whatever position her Government finds itself in. The blame game has become stale.

We do wish Mr. Ellis well and hope that his objectivity will not be tainted. Rest assured we will hold him to his reputation for integrity if he oversteps.

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