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
