Prime Minister Hints At Cabinet Shake-Up

Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur has hinted at a Cabinet shake-up.

And he has also sent a warning to party supporters that he will not tolerate their delinquency and impropriety in the various government departments simply because they back his ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

News of possible changes in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet came as he addressed scores of people attending one of his party’s constituency branch meetings.

The BLP is now midway into its third consecutive term of government and Mr. Arthur says at this stage, the party cannot rest on its laurels, and all Ministers need to conduct reviews of the performance of their respective ministries. 

Arthur stated "where there is underperformance, I’m going to deal with it. Where there is need for greater energy, I’m going to address it. There’s going to be change. But what we must come up with is a candid review at the middle of the term as to where we are in delivering the programs we asked the public to allow us to deliver, and we will go into the second half of the term with that review behind us with such changes as required to enable us to fully deliver. ”

Mr. Arthur also suggested that governing has become much harder, with achievements which were once extraordinary now not impressing Barbadians.

He says initiatives like reforms which have cut thousands of people off the income tax and land tax rolls; and the removal of VAT from computers and software and hardware have now become the norm for Barbadians.

“We are now living in a society, where a culture of contentment is taking root and as we reach a certain level of development and a certainty quality of life, what in other environments would be a major success, is being treated as routine,” Mr. Arthur contended. “We’ve got to reach not for the ordinary, but for the extraordinary.” 

“I want to send the word, especially to people who work in the statutory corporations, that rules must be respected and that I’m giving nobody in any department of government any latitude to break any rules in the name of this party because you will pay a very high, savage price if you do it.”

Try Blogging for FREE