Our Prime Ministers

 

 

Prime Ministers of Barbados

Make an interesting list,

Beginning with PM Errol Barrow

It went like this.

1966-1976

Well, Barrow was the first

As afore stated

And he was the best ever PM

By a majority rated.

 

Free secondary education

And National Insurance Security

Were two major policies

Facilitating social mobility.

 

Father of Independence,

An appellation given to him

When on November 30th, 1966,

The Monarchy was trimmed.

 

England’s flag was lowered

And our national flag was raised

And to Prime Minister Barrow

Was given the praise.

 

 

1976 -1985

 

Next in line was PM Tom Adams,

The son of Sir Grantley,

Who built on Barrow’s foundation

Bringing more prosperity.

 

Barrow had two terms

With Tom Adams also two

Before Barrow took over again

And his endeavor renewed.

 

1986-1987

 

Tom Adams died in office

And so too did Errol Barrow

Bringing to the people of Barbados

Two occasions to sorrow.

 

Barbados was privileged

To have two of the best

In Prime Ministers Barrow and Adam

To be followed by the rest.

 

PM Bernard St. John was next

After Prime Minister Adams’ demise

But with Barrow’s renewed endeavor,

His efforts were brushed aside.

 

 

 

1985-1986

 

St. John, our first caretaker PM,

Was unable to sustain Adam’s momentum

And lost his seat to a virtual unknown

In the very next general election.

 

I986-1987

 

This saw Barrow at the helm again

But only into his second year,

The country was thrown into mourning

When he suddenly passed away.

 

Not as distinctive as PM’s 1 & 2

Was PM Erskine Sandiford’s tenure,

He took over from PM Errol Barrow

As caretaker Prime Minister.

 

 

1987-1994

 

He went on to win at the polls

In the general election of 1991

But before the five years were up,

He and the Dems were gone.

 

Losing a no-confidence motion,

PM Sandiford called a general election,

There ended his political career

Via the electorate’s rejection.

 

Next up was PM Owen Arthur:

He too had a long stint,

He served three consecutive terms

With a resolve like flint.

 

 

1994-2008

Arthur was immensely popular

And very down to earth,

Like Barrow he was a regionalist

Protecting the Caribbean turf.

 

Some described PM Arthur

As Barrow & Adams morphed into one

And with him at the helm

There was much national reform.

 

Unlike PM Barrow, he failed

To get a fourth bite at the cherry

But his were two very strong terms

And the third fell away gradually.

 

This opened the door for the PM

With a very unenviable run,

I refer to Prime Minister David Thompson

Whose tenure was so soon done.

 

 

2008-2010

Two years were assigned to him

And after that he was gone,

The shortest term for an elected PM

And PM Thompson was that one.

 

The third PM to die in office:

In October, 2010, he passed away,

And so too began the Dems’ demise

From that very day.

 

It signaled the fall of the Dems

As a competitive political party

For, though they won the next election,

It was the narrowest of majorities.

 

It was a 16 to 14 close call

That could have gone the other way

In a very close St Philip battle

That had saved the day.

 

 

 

And so, PM Freundel Stuart,

Who became our third caretaker PM,

Eked out a second term for the Dems

But this was fraught with problems.

 

2010-2018

 

Not least was his leadership,

Once refer to as the sleeping giant,

His Cabinet Ministers were in disarray

And few of them seemed compliant.

 

His tenure was the most unenviable

Culminating in the Dems’ worst defeat

When in that 2018 general election,

None of his candidates won a seat.

 

Mia Mottley’s BLP ran rampant

Taking all thirty available seats

Making her our first female PM

And she still is even as we speak.

 

 

2018-

 

This was not a one-off feat

As PM Mia Mottley did it again in 2022

Whereupon the Dems are wondering

If there is anything they can do.

 

One of PM Mottley’s achievements

Was during the COVID-19 pandemic,

Not afraid to take unpopular decisions

She used a brake and gas mix.

 

In her oft repeated words,

I know how to use brakes and gas,

At times she would yield a little

But pressed the brakes just as fast.

 

That Barbados is now a republic

Is an accomplishment of PM Mottley

And not only is she recognized locally

But regionally and internationally.

 

From PM Barrow to PM Adams,

From PM St. John to PM Sandiford,

The ship of state, at different rates,

Has been marching onward.

 

From PM Arthur to PM Thompson

From PM Stuart to PM Mottley;

A total of eight Prime Ministers thus far,

Crafting our country’s destiny.

 

We received sad news just yesterday

Of the passing of Prime Minister # 4,

As you would observe from my poem’s list,

This is PM Erskine Sandiford.

 

 

Only PM Stuart remains alive

Of all our former Prime Ministers,

The last before PM Erskine Sandiford,

Was PM Owen Arthur.

 

Condolences to Sir Lloyd's family

And all of his far-flung friends,

We thank God for him and all the rest

 And with that this poem ends.

 

Stewart Russell © June 27, 2023