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Stuart optimistic that his policies will reverse Barbados’ economic troubles
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart insisted that he was “not for sale” and stated that his administration’s pledge to implement policies that would help Barbados overcome its present economic crisis. At an event for Democratic Labour Party supporters, he advised, “We are doing what we think we need to do to get Barbados back to where it should be.”
Prime Minister Stuart was critical of the opposition whom he said had been giving the impression to the outside world that his administration was the worst ever in the island’s history.
He said, “You imagine that a government of men and women that have navigated Barbados through the longest economic downturn since the great depression and the deepest economic crisis in the last 100 years and Barbados is still standing; children are still going to school; people are still getting their healthcare; we still have a public transport system that is functioning; you can still sleep comfortably at night without fear of molestation; and it all has to do with the fact that the wrong set of people, according to them, are responsible for the administration of this country.”
Stuart also advised that despite the ongoing economic situation, that led to his administration implementing a program that would result in the layoff of 3,000 public workers in the coming months, “a civilized discourse has to take place in Barbados”. However, a senior member of the Cabinet has been critical of the government’s policy and public sector trade unions have called for a review of the retrenchment program.
Stuart, on the other hand, said that he cannot be bribed nor bought and would always insist on principles and codes of ethics. He went on to say, “I just want to make it clear though for the record. Freundel Jerome Stuart is not for sale. I do not know of any of the Ministers around me who are for sale. We insist on the pursuit of the highest standards of public administration in Barbados.”
