It is time to “recalibrate as a people behind one Government and one leader”, says Prime Minister Mia Mottley, so Barbadians will go to the polls on January 19, 2022 to determine who will take the nation forward.
Mottley made the announcement on Monday evening during an address to the nation that was streamed live across various platforms.
Nomination Day will be next Monday, January 3, 2022. This election comes a mere three years and eight months into the Barbados Labour Party term, after winning all 30 seats in May 2018.
“I need for us to unite around a common cause, unite behind a single Government, unite behind a single leader and let us unite to fight the threats to our safety, our development and our prosperity,” Mottley said.
The Prime Minister said she visited President Dame Sandra Mason earlier in the day to start the process.
She vowed to support “whoever emerges as this leader”.
Earlier, Mottley said she had taken a look at Barbados and was not happy with some of what she was seeing.
She was concerned over what she called the “silly season” which seemed to be affecting many actions and believes because the General Election was “behind us” in 2018 and 2019, Barbados was able to unite and fight the fiscal and economic challenges the country faced and then the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the election will be taking place during the pandemic, Mottley says some modifications will have to be put in place.
During the address which lasted just over 30 minutes, the Prime Minister said there were accusations that the Government was too Draconian on one hand, and too timid on the other, but she believed “we are too mature and intelligent not to find a way”.
She also announced several private sector projects which are scheduled to get under way between January and June. These include:
Royalton Hotel, Holetown, St James
Hyatt in Bridgetown, St Michael
Pierhead project in Bridgetown
Town houses at Porters, St James
Cineplex and commercial complex at Welches, St James
Green Energy park at Vaucluse, St Thomas
Redevelopment of Apes Hill, St James
Completion of Sam Lord’s Castle, St Philip
A civic centre and hotel project at Holetown
Also on the horizon are the Beaches project in Heywoods, St Peter, which is being redesigned and Margaritaville at Hastings, Christ Church.
She also chastised those we were critical of Government hiring, pointing out that in the absence of private sector-driven projects, it was the role of the state to provide employment where it could. (SAT)