An Official Website of the Barbados Government.
Good afternoon my fellow Barbadians, there is no avoidance in delay when treating with the economic and financial position in which we find ourselves. Our national rescue and rebuilding starts TODAY! We set course, not on the easy or quick path, but the right path.
Our destination is one where our society, economy and Government ensure that every citizen can fulfill their promise, and has the courage to do so, here in Barbados, whatever that promise may be. To get there we need to invest in our people, our education, our health, our safety and our public infrastructure – the roads, the buses, water, sewage systems and garbage collection.
Hope must be matched with real opportunities, opportunities to learn new skills, to find new jobs, to make new investments, to create new art and new music.
We believe your Government can achieve these things by spending more wisely, in greater openness with the people, not by spending and taxing more. This approach to our development for the last fifty-two (52) years will NOT be as readily available as we must now deconstruct what Government does and reconstruct it to fit our needs and today’s technologies. Your Government must be open 24/7 making citizens’ lives easier and expanding their opportunities.
There are new things to be done. Old things to do better and some things my friends, that we should have ceased long ago. We must rid ourselves of the corruption of the past and put in place arrangements that ensure that we are never ever, ever in this place again.
We need schools and colleges and first jobs initiatives organized to bring out the best in all Barbadians. We need to better spark the energy, the innovation and the resources of our people, not to douse their fire. We need laws protecting our people and our environment that also promote our development not chase Barbadians abroad and chase foreign investors away.
That is the transformative path that we are now embarked upon as was mapped out in the People’s Manifesto. This my friends, is a marathon, not a sprint and WE ARE READY TO GO!
To read the full statement, please click here.
