POLITICS IS ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT PERSONALITIES
DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN – THE DEBATE
DECEMBER 17, 2005
Last Tuesday, I had the opportunity to listen to some acting by two political neophytes who pretended as if the Political Leader and his Deputy are so incompetent that they do not know the Constitution of the Party they have been given the charge to lead. This is the second consecutive week that persons claiming to have the interest of the DLP have called the called-in programme seeking our removal from a party, while we are at work, representing the interest of the party. It is frustrating to hear people who claim to represent the interest of the DLP attacking those members who insist that the Constitution should be followed.
I would like our accusers including the Editorial writer in another section of the press to tell us which section of the Constitution we have broken. If these charges continue, we will have to seek redress, as they are saying that we as Sitting Members of Parliament are not capable of knowing how to change a Constitution and that we are not suitable to be representatives. As Sitting Members of the House, we understand how to make changes to persons who hold Constitutional Positions. We know that no Ordinary Resolution can create Constitutional Change; and we also know that even when the Constitution is changed, those Rights, before the change are protected. Somebody should tell Mr. Wickham how the Constitution of the country and party work and how you must pass power to someone else.
Listening to some moderators, I sometimes wonder whether we are still in a democracy. I can now better understand why I do not want Barbados to become a “Banana Republic”, because if they are calling for our expulsion for protecting our party’s Constitution, one has to wonder what they would do if we were talking in a country that does not believe in the Constitution. This type of behavior frightens me, since it is being meted out to lawmakers by lawbreakers and it occurred at the same time we are discussing Law and Order.
These persons must be told that the Attorney General is legally obligated to protect the Constitution of Barbados, which includes the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Any illegal attack on that office must be defended by the Attorney General’s office. The office of the Political Leader is protected by the Office of the General Secretary and the Councils of the Party. All sitting members of Parliament must support the office of Political Leader once that position is done constitutionally. The holder of that office must understand the mandate given with this office and he must do everything not to bring this office into disrepute.
The only Constitutional position of authority as it relates to Leadership is that of Political Leader and we have respected that position. No one can accuse us of withholding our services from the party. Every Tuesday, the three that have been accused of trying to break up the party can be found defending the party from the other side. Messrs Jones, Lashley and Sealy are obligated to tell us how we have failed the party and what wrong we have done, and why they do not want to be in our company. It is clear to me that we are not embarrassments to the party and that we have done nothing wrong.
One question that must be asked is how come under Mr. Barrow and Mr. Sandiford, freedom of speech was allowed? And now non-members of the party are dictating to persons who continue to create longevity for the party? It seems to me that seats do not matter to political parties anymore and once politicians can behave like robots by using a memory box that has been created to suit somebody else, all is well.
Somebody should tell persons purporting to be speaking in the name of the DLP that the Office of the Leader of the Opposition is continuous and is only changed when the holder resigns, dies or is replaced, and the Office of Political Leader follows suit. The calling of elections is a Constitutional problem for the country. The same way that the Prime Minister remains in office, the Leader of the Opposition remains in office until he is replaced.
The Parliament of Barbados needs to get it officers to conduct a course in Parliamentary Procedure for all Political Parties that have over 100 years of service to the Country. I was shocked to hear a former Senator and Minister who should have procedure agreeing with moderators and others who do not know the Constitution of the parties taking sides, even though they have not read the Constitution.
I am challenging all moderators who feel I am breaching the Constitution of my Party to arm themselves with the Constitution and debate me. If they are not prepared to show the public how I am breaching the party’s Constitution, they should shut up and stop trying to keep this great party in Opposition. For the caller who felt that I did a bad job in St. Thomas, he should tell the public what was the outcome of the “Hot Potato” that I was given. If he felt that it was a bad job, he should ask Mr. Robert Morris for his opinion. Was the caller aware that the present Deputy Prime Minister was replaced by the Prime Minister as Campaign Manager and that 50 per cent of our campaign team was pulled? That was not my information but this was given to me by a person close to both sides of the DLP Campaign Team.
People should get and know their facts before seeking to espouse information or impressions that cannot be substantiated. Each man has a mind of his own and should not allow promises to cloud his vision. Politics is about the people and not for a personality, because when a personality comes before the institution, when that personality goes, the institution dies.
The local master has taught us that, “If the press makes you, it can break you.” I wonder what our critics would have done to Christ if they were living in His time. Would they have crucified Him, Herod, Pontius Pilate or Caesar because they thought that he was wrong in not following blindly? I am asking all Christian minded persons to pray for us to continue to protect this great party that is being hijacked by persons who do not wish it to go forward. These persons who are beneficiaries of the bounty from elsewhere are now joining or returning to make sure that the bounty is kept intact.
I am happy that Mr. Barrow built an institution and not a personality, because after 18 years of his death, the institution is still being protected by his disciples.
I have been wondering lately if the Private Sector still believes that I was making sport when I said during the last elections that the Government will have to consult the Private Sector of Trinidad before presenting the Budget. I never thought I would have lived to see Barbados having the same imbalance as Guyana and Trinidad, and that the Drug Trade would have played such a major role. I have to take the advice given to me by my Branch members and stop making predictions, because it seems that what I have predicted is occurring at a faster rate than expected.
It is regrettable that the CARICOM plan that has been hatched to deal with Barbados in a negative way could not have been implemented in Guyana positively, so that we would see a harvesting of the resources in Guyana to the benefit of all. Why would Trinidadians continue to dilute the Shareholdership of Barbados, and attract the workers of Guyana to dilute the workers of Barbados when the Capital of Trinidad could be invested in Guyana, tapping the resources to help Guyanese remain at home to build a better country for themselves and the Caribbean. The Trinidadians have deprived Guyana of investments and have destabilized Barbados. With all the investments that they have brought, can anyone show me the new companies they have brought to increase the foreign exchange capacity of the country?
Peace, love, unity, fairness, truth and understanding. Barbados is being destroyed by its partners aided by some of its own. These persons have enriched themselves at the expense of the country and would do anything to destroy those who want to protect what Mr. Barrow fought for. We need to give Pine Hill incentives to help local farmers to correct the Current Account Deficit.
(Denis Kellman is the Member of Parliament for St. Lucy, Barbados)