Barbados has a new PM

Mia Amor Mottley is now the Prime Minister of Barbados – the eighth person and first female to hold that office in this land, and she has hit the ground running as her new Government seeks to stabilise the economy.

The 52-year old attorney-at-law has taken over as this country’s leader, following a resounding victory at the polls on Thursday, and she along with the duly elected representative for St. Joseph, Dale Marshall, the country’s new Attorney General, were sworn in by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason during a ceremony at Government House yesterday afternoon. Mottley took the oath just before 12:30 p.m., after which she signed her instrument and Marshall did the same immediately after.

The historic event was witnessed by several family members including Mottley’s parents, Elliot and Amor Mottley, brothers Warren and Stewart and sister Élan Mottley Harris; and Marshall’s wife Michelle as well as the parliamentary representative for St. Andrew, George Payne. Also on hand were several friends as well as officials of government, including Cabinet Secretary Andrew Cox and Clerk of Parliament, Pedro Eastmond.

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, the newly elected Prime Minister again gave the assurance that her Government is keen and ready for business. Given that, the PM revealed that she hopes by today to address the nation as to the structure of the new Cabinet, which she indicated Dame Sandra has agreed to swear in on Sunday afternoon. That development, she said, would pave the way for the new Government to start work on Monday morning.

Her comments came as she disclosed that she was expected to meet yesterday evening with top government officials – the Governor of the Central Bank, the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Director of National Insurance, to receive briefings on the economy.

In that vein, she revealed she is also hoping to put in place a financial discovery team, which will be tasked with getting a clearer picture of the true state of the Government’s finances. Such, Mottley maintained, would help to better inform their decision-making.

“I hope over the course of the next week to be able to set the tone. We are deeply humbled by the mandate which the people of Barbados have given us [and] we are conscious that what lies before this nation is a set of programmes which we would have to undertake first to be able to stabilise the country,” she told reporters.

PM Mottley added, “We have referred to those in our manifesto as mission critical ideas, and then we are also conscious that were we only to stabilise Barbados and not transform it, we would be doing a disservice to our country and we have therefore to ensure that we leapfrog those who have passed us out and transform such that the opportunities are there for our young people and our country as a whole.”

She spoke to that while revealing that she had already made contact with some of the Social Partnership leaders, expressing a desire to meet with them on Monday morning. That meeting, she disclosed, would be to set the framework which will be used to take that grouping and Barbados forward. Mottley made the comments while indicating that she still intends to meet with the Social Partners twice a month to, with their help, work on “getting the mission critical issues right”.

“Above all else, Barbados needs consensus to move forward. Barbados needs to be spoken through and talked through the difficult decisions, so that everyone can play their part. My mantra has been many hands make light work and it shall continue to be that way,” she added.
(JRT)