PM NOT FAZED

PRIME MINISTER the Right Honourable Freundel Stuart is not at all fazed by the “sea of red” that touched down at the Ermie Bourne Highway, last Saturday, as the thousands attended the annual Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) Heroes Day picnic and rally.

Speaking to the media, following the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) 63rd anniversary church service at the Church of Christ the King, yesterday, Prime Minister Stuart said he had not yet seen the images showing the massive crowd that attended the event.

However, Stuart, who is leading the DLP in the battle to win back the government, indicated that he is familiar with the “tactics of the Barbados Labour Party in this regard”.

“History can help us here,” he said, in his usual calm tone.

“These same tactics were used in 1971 General Election. Bernard St. John was leading the Barbados Labour Party and they were in the business of trying to give the impression that everybody in Barbados was supporting them, and nobody was supporting the Democratic Labour Party under Errol Barrow.

“We allowed them to continue with that impression while we met people quietly in school rooms and that kind of thing. When the Election came, we got 18 seats and they got six and Tom Adams memorably commented that ‘the people followed us in their thousands, but they voted for us in their hundreds’,” he informed.

The Prime Minister made it clear that his party was not into any “gimmicks”. He suggested that transportation was provided, and people were commanded to get on board, to be transported to the event, “just tcreate the impression that you have a lot of national support”.
He said, in that case, what happened at East Coast road was expected.

“Eating, and drinking, and jollification,” he said.

Stuart noted that the truth about which party has the majority of support will be determined on May 24 when Barbadians head to the polls to exercise wise judgement.

“It takes a lot of work than that to unearth us. As the people say, ‘We ain’t now come town, we have seen all of this already,’” he said.

Prime Minister Stuart, who will be fighting to keep his St. Michael South seat in the upcoming General Election, said he is not taking his opponent, BLP candidate Kirk Humphrey for granted.

Stuart said both he and Humphrey have their work cut out.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister said he has faith that the people of St. Michael South will exercise good judgement, and stressed that he feels comfortable committing his future to their care.

“I am not really bothered… He has his work to do. I didn’t expect that the Barbados Labour Party would put no candidate in St. Michael South, they had to put somebody. And the person had to work, go and do some house to house, and indulge in all the tactics that opponents indulge in. But when all is said and done, these issues are settled on election day, there is nothing to worry about,” Prime Minister Stuart declared. (AH)