Mia Mottley: No one defended me
OPPOSITION Leader Mia Mottley says she has been “abused” over the years in her political life and no one came to her defense.
Her comments came during a Barbados Labour Party public meeting held on Sunday night in Bank Hall where she addressed a large crowd on the topic of leadership and the economic situation facing the island.
Mottley told the party faithful that the DLP used comments made by Member of Parliament for St. James Central Kerrie Symmonds against Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as a distraction from the observations made by the Central Bank Governor and the International Monetary Fund about Barbados’ dwindling foreign reserves.
“The media who should be exhibiting in my view a larger responsibility in guiding the people in this country, bought into the distraction of the DLP. I may not have used the language of Kerrie – we all use different language. But that cannot be more important than the substance of what Barbados is facing with the IMF and the Central Bank governor speaking to us this week with our reserves down in the bottom of the barrel where it is.”
According to the Opposition Leader, “I am not here to bash anybody. I respect the Archbishop, I respect the Canon, I respect all that have spoken. But let us call a spade a spade. I have been abused in this country more than any other public official. I didn’t hear any of them come to my defense, and I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t ask even the media to defend me.”
“I have been abused at the foot of Parliament, I have been abused in the corridors of the University of the West Indies I have had to endure posts on lampposts but when the BLP, because we cannot get access to CBC [Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation], put posts of our candidates on lampposts then I hear nonsense from people, but nobody says anything when for two years posters go on lampposts cursing and vilifying Mia Mottley.”
“They want to discuss standards of speech, I want to discuss standards of living in Barbados. They want to discuss Codes of Conduct for politicians on the platform, I say we will subject to it yes, we agree to Codes of Conduct for politicians on the platform. But we also want to see Codes of Conduct for Ministers, and Ministers’ wives….”
Mottley says she expects the abuse and allegations to continue, but assured that “nothing can faze me”. “But I want you the people of St. Michael to know, I will taken any blow and I will take any lash and nothing shall deter me from your defence because what matters is that you should be able to live in this country; what matters is that you should be able to send your children to school….”
“I would have expected the media today Sunday would have been more focused on directing the country to discuss the implications of where Barbados is at, how we will be able to find the level of reserves to conduct the level of business.”
Mottley gave the DLP administration an “F” for its failure in managing the country, saying that Prime Minister Stuart “does not understand that leadership is about making things happen.” (JH)