Byer-Suckoo: Set the record straight!

The voters of St. George South were misled.

This is the charge of Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate Esther Byer-Suckoo, who launched an impassioned defence of her record in the St. George South constituency and as Minister of Labour, at the Ellerton Playing Field on Tuesday night.

Byer-Suckoo, who was welcomed on-stage by placard-waving supporters, said she was coming armed with the truth about her performance, especially since it appears others are taking credit for her work or suggesting she has not helped constituents.

Saying that members of the constituency elected the BLP candidate in 2013 because he was from the community just like Byer-Suckoo, she argued that, “He had a chance. Because you gave me a chance and because you gave him a chance...you can now compare the records that both of us have.”

Byer-Suckoo echoed Prime Minister Freundel Stuart’s sentiments that she acted as de facto representative for the area despite not being elected in 2013. She defended her all-round track record, citing a plethora of accomplishments at the constituency and national level, including procuring hundreds of jobs for persons from St. George South; housing solutions at Greens and low land prices in Brighton and Todds; resource facilities at Greens; schools such as Blackman & Gollop Primary and Thelma Berry Nursery; refurbishing the day nursery at Ellerton; and the introduction of legislation to help workers, such as the Employment Rights Act, among many others.

In addition to filling the gaps left behind by the former BLP administration, she outlined other reasons why she was compelled to push for social services within the constituency: “St. George South is one of the fastest growing constituencies. People are leaving town and coming into the country area, so that where we were once a rural constituency we are now considered sub-urban because everybody is coming back this way...On the voter’s list this year, we have over 10 300 people registered to vote in St. George South. What that means is we need to have more services, we need to have better infrastructure, more schools, our schools need to be serviced better...More people are living in St. George and so we need to have more facilities.”

The Minister of Labour admitted that the DLP was not able to generate as many jobs as they would have liked because of the country’s difficult economic position over the last ten years. However, she noted that they created new industries where Barbadians could now get jobs, and the country's economy had grown over the last three years. She defended the DLP's accomplishments around the country, including investing in the multi-faceted polyclinic in St. John, creating new sixth forms, and myriad other projects to help meet the needs of the wider population.

Making reference to biblical and mythological stories, Byer-Suckoo warned listeners that the country may end up wondering in a “political, social and economic wilderness” as a result of changes to taxation as outlined by the BLP.