Former Minister of Social Transformation, Trevor Prescod, has called on Barbadians to break their silence as the country continues to grapple with seemingly insurmountable economic and social problems.

Prescod made this call on Sunday night while addressing the monthly meeting of the St Philip North branch of the Barbados Labour Party at the Philip Primary School in Church Village, St Philip.

The former St Michael East MP said that under some circumstances silence can be destructive and he suggested that the current situation was one such when Barbadians should be more vocal on current issues.
“Most of us discuss our economic situation behind closed doors because we fear victimisation. However, under the current situation we must break our silence,” Prescod argued.

He noted that even though Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler, engaged in self-congratulation on the 0.3 per cent growth recorded by the economy, people across the country cannot buy basic food items and over 1000 children line up every morning to get a cheese cutter and a cup of tea under Marilyn Rice-Bowen’s Breakfast Feeding Programme.

The former minister asked: “In spite of the 0.3 per cent growth in the economy how many disconnections were carried out by the Barbados Water Authority and the Barbados Light and Power Co. How many small contractors failed to secure a contract under the present Minister of Housing and Lands? It is time for Barbadians to speak out on these issues and take action where necessary.”

Subscribing to the view expressed by former Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Clyde Mascoll, who had earlier spoken on the issue of power-brokers and institutions which determine who should assume leadership in the country, a fiery Prescod said: “During the 2008 general election my opponent Kenny Best had money because his leader the late David Thompson was awash with cash. On the other hand, I was starved for cash because the business sector had shifted its allegiance to the Democratic Labour Party under Thompson. The financiers and certain institutions and more recently religious fundamentalists determine the leadership of Barbados.”

Prescod charged that every time a political figure addressed class and especially race he or she is accused of being a racist and a destabilising force.

He further charged that institutions within the society leave no stone unturned to rid the society of leaders who seek to expose injustices in society.

Prescod argued that in a situation where these competing forces were struggling for supremacy, the question must be asked: Who or What constitutes the state? {DATA COURTESY – PR}