and his New National Party in Grenada
in the past 20 years.
Lambasted by opposition parties,
some civil society elements and commentators
for “irresponsibly” calling
the vote in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic, Mottley had argued that she
needed a new mandate to help heal
divisions in government and the wider
society, hence the need for a political
rebooting of the country. Locals
rewarded her by voting overwhelmingly
to retain the BLP. Mottley at the
end of November had led the country
to transition from a mere independent
nation to a republic with its own
native head of state rather than Britain’s
Queen Elizabeth. She had also
been pilloried for ignoring calls for a
referendum to switch to a republic,
inducing criticisms about her alleged
autocratic style. Instead, she used the
overwhelming parliamentary majority
to do so, much to the chagrin of some
in opposition to her and the BLP.
The wipeout means that Joseph
Atherley who had won his seat on
the BLP ticket in 2018 but had opted
to leave the party and become the
voice of the opposition will disappear
from the house, rejected by voters who
Caribbean L 14 ife, JANUARY 21-27, 2022
had loved him in the last elections.
Similarly, DLP Leader Verla De Peiza
is already facing internal party calls
for her to go home, retire and allow
the party to rebuild. She conceded
defeat as results trickled in late into
Wednesday. In many cases, the numbers
matched what incumbent candidates
had received in 2018.
“I thank you, you, the people of Barbados
for accepting us at our word that
if we do not fix our problems starting
from tomorrow we will not be able
to guarantee safety to our people in
the next 10 to 15 years. We wanted to
start 2022 as far as possible on a fresh
guard. You have given us that opportunity,”
the PM said as she addressed
supporters.
She continues in term two with
stringent austerity measures in placethanks
to an arrangement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) to
bolster central bank foreign exchange
reserves, rebuild investor confidence
in the economy stabilize a country
whose economy has been ravaged by
lockdowns associated with the pandemic,
shuttered airports and harbored
cruise ships. Youth unemployment
is slated at 30 percent and there
is increasing worry about gun crime
in a country that needs low rates to
make tourists comfortable.
Meanwhile, Hartley Henry, a
respected regional political strategist
and advisor to several governments,
said the DLP was disorganized, spoke
with many different voices, pitted dozens
of unknown candidates against
familiar BLP rivals and was simply not
ready for a snap poll.
“Only one party showed up. We have
to come to terms with that reality. The
DLP was all over the place. What we
are seeing here is a vote of confidence
for a government and the leadership
of a government and a repudiation of
the opposition,” he said on a television
panel as results came in.
Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1
“We cannot defer the promise of real
lasting immigration reform, again,” he
added. “The cost of inaction is too high
for families who have already experienced
the virulent attacks of four years
of the most anti-immigrant President in
recent history.”
Awawdeh said Schumer has the power
“to build a better vision of our country
and secure a true recovery.
“It’s time he and his caucus listened
to the majority of the American people
and deliver on their promise of a roadmap
to citizenship,” he urged.
Awawdeh said NYIC’s mission is to
unite immigrants, members, and allies
“so all New Yorkers can thrive.”
“We represent the collective interests
of New York’s diverse immigrant communities
and organizations and devise
solutions to advance them; advocate
for laws, policies, and programs that
lead to justice and opportunity for all
immigrant groups; and build the power
of immigrants and the organizations
that serve them to ensure their sustainability,
to improve people’s lives, and to
strengthen our state,” he added.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley
arrives to cast her ballot to vote
in the country’s fi rst election since
it became a republic by removing
the British Queen as its sovereign,
at Eden Lodge Primary School
in St. Michael, Barbados, Jan. 19,
2022. REUTERS/Nigel R. Browne
NIGEL R BROWNE
Nothing less
than green
cards: NYIC
BLP MAKES
CLEAN SWEEP
Digital transformations mean even more competition for digital talent–A Linkedin Report
WE ARE THE
PUBLIC PATH
TO SUCCESS 61 career-focused degree programs in Architectural Technology,
Computer Related Fields, Design & Entertainment,
Business & Marketing, Hospitality & Culinary Arts, Engineering
Technologies, Healthcare Professions, Public Service,
Law-related Professions, Career Teacher Education and more
SPRING 2022 ADMISSIONS
WWW.CITYTECH.CUNY.EDU/APPLYNOW
/APPLYNOW
