General Elections — Barbados 2022
I am by no means a political scientist, and while I completed a few courses in Politics and Governance as part of my undergraduate degree, I have little interest or knowledge in the field. With that being made clear, please understand that this submission is made by a well-educated Bajan layman. For those who are unaware, Bajan is the colloquial term used by Barbadian citizens to identify themselves as locals.
It was on December 27th, 2021, that the Prime Minister (PM) of the island of Barbados made the somewhat surprising and somewhat not, announcement that general elections are to be held on January 19th, 2022. This date is about a year and a half before elections are constitutionally due. Why would a PM short herself by a year and a half to “rule”? The best I can do is speculate because she alone knows what her intentions are by doing this. However, it is only fair and reasonable that people will question her motives.
If we have been paying attention to what has been going on politically and socioeconomically on the island of Barbados for the last fifteen years, give or take, then we know that with the PM’s party having won the last election 30/0, there was no way that any other party could overtake that advantage within five years. Surely, in five years some seats may be lost, but it would take an act of God to lose sixteen seats and in so doing give up the executive leadership of the island. So why a year and a half early during a pandemic?
In a year and a half from now, we are sure to have a much better understanding of Covid-19 and by then it may be nothing less than a not so fond memory. We can be hopeful, can we not? With the announcement that Covid-19 positive people will be unable to vote in the upcoming election, that alone should inspire reconsideration of going to the polls at this time. At the time of writing this, they are over 2,900 people in home isolation on the island and more than 3,000 people with current positive Covid-19 test results. These numbers may seem small to some, but when we consider that there are 264,940 eligible voters on the island, and the last election had a 59.56% voter turnout, it should be easy to comprehend how barring 3,000 from voting could impact an election.
There is an argument being made that states that people in hospitals do not usually vote. That is an unreasonable submission because a significant majority of Covid-19 positive cases on the island are not hospitalized, and moreover, they do not show any symptoms. Furthermore, there is an ongoing spike in cases so there is no telling how many positive cases there will be on January 19th. Additionally, in the name of democracy and transparency, some measures should have been put in place that will allow people who are physically able and constitutionally eligible to vote, to do so safely, if they so desire. There will be no mail-in ballots. There will not be a separate entrance or voting booths at each polling station specifically for Covid-19 positive people. There was no consideration given, only the decision made.
It must be understood that polling stations in Barbados are generally within ten minutes walk of each person’s residence. I really wish that someone in authority could explain to me how it puts the public at risk to allow people to vote when it can be done safely. They are many protocols in place now that were unheard of in 2018 but we have adapted. What are a few more protocols and a little more adaptation when it comes to protecting democracy and people’s human and constitutional rights?
Allow me to break it down a little bit more. The matter the authorities seem to be taking issue with relate to safety and health and while I may know little about politics and governance, I have at least five local and international Occupational Safety and Health qualifications, so this is an area that I can speak on. Covid-19 is not an atmospheric disease, it is a virus, while it may be suspended in the air for some time, we are most likely to pick it up from surfaces. It is also often dispelled and contracted through the respiratory system. So, eliminate the possibility of a Covid-19 positive person from either causing the virus’ suspension in the air or leaving it on surfaces. You may be thinking that if that were possible Covid-19 would have been eliminated by now. I agree, kind of. However, while we cannot control what people do generally, we can easily put systems in place in a controlled environment to prevent any spread or transfer of the virus. One such method is outlined in the steps below, but I am sure they are others who can think of other safe ways.
Proposed January 19th Election Day Safety Protocols for Covid-19 Positive People in Barbados. One major requirement is that people reside in the polling district in which they are registered (as they should be, but too many people are not).
1. A requirement to walk to and from the polling station: alone or only in the company of another Covid-19 positive person who resides in the same house.
2. Make double masks and a face shield mandatory for entry at polling stations.
3. Polling stations are usually churches and schools or buildings where physical distancing is very easy to achieve. Have the person(s) who are checking people in behind a screen as in supermarkets, and do not allow any physical contact at any time.
4. Rather than hand over the ID card as in previous years, people entering the polling station should hold their ID cards up to the screen long enough for the person checking to note the ID number and mark their name off the list.
5. There should be a system in place for visitors to the polling station to sanitize after being checked in, collect the ballot paper without physical contact, and then proceed to the booth to vote. The pencil will be already in the booth and remember that the individual has just thoroughly sanitized their hands and are double-masked and wearing a face shield so even if they are Covid-19 positive they will not be transferring the virus to the pencil.
6. After casting one’s ballot they should leave the pencil next to the box where they found it and sanitize their hands again as they exit the polling station.
We have been able to adapt to so many other things. The curfew can be suspended for election night, and that does not create the opportunity for the virus to spread, so why can’t people who can vote safely do so? Anyone in Barbados or who understands the culture of the island knows that on election night there will be a lot of alcohol being drunk and before, during the count and after a winner is announced. Islanders love to party, and people look for any opportunity to fete. We can be sure that Covid-19 is more likely to be spread after the polls are closed than by allowing Covid-19 positive people to vote.
With all that being said, we can be certain that the Barbados Labour Party, the current administration, will retain the government. There is no other option at this time. The other major party did not even have a full cadre of representatives before the election was called, and was left scrambling to meet the nomination date. There is a combination of other opposition members who have come together as a coalition in an attempt to unseat the current administration, and while a local prophet (or puppet) has predicted a victory for that coalition, I am certain that such a prediction will bear no fruit.
We are decades away from seeing the day when a political party other than the Barbados Labour Party or the Democratic Labour party (DLP) forms the governmental administration of Barbados. The BLP has again put out a stellar manifesto as they did for the 2018 general election, and we await the publication of the DLP’s manifesto. Under the most recent BLP government, the cost of living has continued to rise on the island and is the single most significant issue other than the potential impact of climate change.
One promise that stands out in my mind from the last BLP manifesto was to return VAT to 15% within eighteen months. Three and a half years later VAT remains at 17.5%. It seems as if prices on the island are rising every week. Yes, pensioners got the increase promised. The minimum wage was increased. The government subsidizes tuition fees at the University of the West Indies (UWI) on behalf of locals. There are enough garbage trucks on the roads. Adequate numbers of buses service the island now. Many roads have been resurfaced, regardless of the quality of paving being done. Many development projects are in the works. Reserves have been restored to acceptable levels despite a pandemic that could have crippled this nation. Many of the promises made have come to fruition. Clearly, work has been done!
Least we forget that this island was in dire straits before the most recent administration took over. I do not want this to be true, but it is. I wish there were two or more strong parties with excellent candidates who have a worthwhile vision of a way forward for this island, but we simply do not have that. I do not wish to seem as though I support one party over another, however, because I am by no means political, I am open to seeing things as they are. As they are, the pickings are too slim. This may well be the reason why the PM called the election at this time. She understands that timing is everything.
A year from now there is an excellent chance of her winning, right now there is an even better chance, and the way I see it, she is going to make some very unpopular decisions soon that will likely reduce her chances of winning in the future. It makes better strategic sense to guarantee yourself eight and a half years out of a possible ten than to hold on to the initial five and only get one term. This is not to say that the possibility does not exist for three or four straight term wins.
The choice looks like a simple one from the outside looking in. The entire Caribbean sees Barbados’ PM as their own. Everyone who has heard her speak internationally on behalf of SIDS and the global south will respect her leadership, passion, and intelligence. Many on the island, however, are seeing the emergence of traits that indicate potential problems.
My concern is that once the election result is confirmed, the people will have no recourse if or when there are decisions made that are not in their interest. So much can happen in a year, but after casting those votes on January 19th, it will be five years before there is a chance to make a change if the people want one. There is no requirement for any parliamentary representative to answer to the people periodically. After two years if no one has seen their representative within the community and has heard of nothing that that person has done, there is no way for that “representative” to be recalled and replaced.
So, here we are, at a crossroad, time alone will determine our fate.
Originally published at https://theeafrikan.substack.com on January 11, 2022.
