Little glitter…no substance!

By: Mike Rudon Jr.

As long as I’ve been in this political game I’ve believed that Mr. Barrow is a man who cannot be trusted. He has done nothing of recent to convince me that I am wrong and much in fact to convince me that maybe my criticism of him hasn’t been harsh enough. I have been an avid subscriber to our Prime Minister’s well-deserved ‘all glitter and no substance’ characterization, but on that front and after a performance last week I am forced to revisit my subscription. Don’t get me wrong – the ‘no substance’ part holds as true as ever. But damned if some of Mr. Barrow’s glitters and flashy sequins haven’t fallen by the wayside!

The consummate actor paid a visit to the Leader of the Opposition last week in what was most certainly a carefully crafted scene in Act 2 of his soap opera entitled – making people think that I am serious about crime. Hell, the fellow even made his way to the offices of the PUP Party Leader, a gesture to demonstrate his humility and largesse and commitment to a bipartisan approach on crime – no room for protocol and prime ministerial arrogance when this crime issue is so big. Ha…what a crock! Realizing that I’m a cynic where Mr. Barrow is concerned I was determined to try my best to give him the benefit of the doubt. That sure didn’t work. Boss, Dean Barrow is not serious about crime. Dean Barrow is not serious about working with any other body or organization to tackle crime. Dean Barrow has no vision or plan when it comes to dealing with the crime situation. And finally, Dean Barrow is still wholly and completely convinced that he can twirl around this huge issue in a gossamer tutu, wave his magic wand and conjure it away with his golden tongue.

Don’t take my cynical word for it because I dislike the Prime Minister immensely and find it hard pressed to say anything good about him. Hours after his meeting with the PUP Leader last week, his UDP rag carried the most stupid headline ever (which is saying a lot). Just hours after he looked into the figurative eyes of the nation and spouted his spiel about bi-partisan cooperation and the like, the Guardian’s headline proved that it was nothing but a game created by a man who used to be known as the Master of the Game but who is now a sad parody of his former self. Follow the leader, my bottom. Any man who would follow Dean Barrow blindly is a fool, and the PUP Leader definitely ain’t no fool!

Look at the facts. After more than two years of trying to convince Belizeans that crime was way down and we were living in a good country, Mr. Barrow finally, finally was forced to admit that crime and violence had risen to crisis proportions. Trust me he didn’t want to admit it. If he could have continued to hoodwink the people he would have. For months Belizeans clamoured for the removal of the Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo…months. Dean Barrow ignored every cry, every plea, every demand. Long after the evidence was clear that Perdomo was a complete failure, Mr. Barrow couldn’t have given less of a damn. Does this seem like the manner of a man who is serious about dealing with crime?

When it became clear that to continue to play deaf, dumb and blind could mean his own demise, Mr. Barrow pretended to reshuffle his Cabinet. Ain’t nobody stupid enough to believe that what Mr. Barrow did is going to solve anything. In one move he rewarded ministers for non-performance by giving them less work for the same pay. In that same move he expanded his Cabinet which means that we taxpayers will now need to find hundreds of thousands of dollars more to pay two more UDP cronies at a time when we simply don’t have the money. And of course, in that same move he rewarded two UDP cronies with critical jobs for which they possess no qualification. Now does this seem like the actions of a man who is serious about crime?

Let me state this very clearly for those not getting sense. Dean Barrow is playing games. He is not serious about dealing with crime. Yeah we can jump up and shout hurray for any initiative which does anything at all because we haven’t been getting much of anything from this government…any sign of life is welcome. The PUP Leader has a constitutional obligation to offer his support and the support of his Party in resolving any of the critical issues which affect all of us. That doesn’t mean that he’s shouting ‘glory hallelujah’ from the rafters. Far from it! Mr. Barrow needs to come a lot better than this. When Mr. Barrow is serious about crime, hell yeah we’ll be there to lend support. Until then, boss, save your antics for the fools in your camp who scamper at your every word. You won’t find any like that over here.

| | | | | |