The Constitution of Barbados specifically states that there shall be a Leader of the Opposition who is appointed by the President of Barbados. That Opposition Leader must:
- Be member of the House of Assembly (They must have been contested and won an election to become a constituency representative)
- Command the support the majority of those members who are in the opposition; or if there is no such person
- Commands the support of the largest single group of such members who are prepared to support one leader
Since 2018 to present there has been no candidate contesting the general elections outside of the Barbados Labour Party was elected to sit in the House of Assembly. Therefore, there was no opposition in 2018 and no opposition in 2022. However, nature abhors a vacuum and Barbados’ political structure also abhors an ‘Opposition Leadership vacuum’. In other words, for Barbados’ political system to operate effectively, there must be a Leader of the Opposition.
The Leader of the Opposition is not only present in Parliament to oppose everything the Barbados government does, but the Leader of the Opposition is constitutionally responsible for assisting the Prime Minister in making certain decisions.
For example, the President elects the Chairman and some members of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, But the Prime Minister can only make that recommendation AFTER consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. In other words, several important decisions in Barbados are supposed to be made with the knowledge and input of the Leader of the Opposition.
It follows that the Office of the Leader of Opposition is important. The Opposition Leader must not only be fighting for his own political party and its agenda, the Opposition Leader must be fighting for all Barbadians
Therefore, Opposition Leaders must realise that a fight for all Barbadians is not a fight for their own political agenda or party agenda. A fight for all Barbadians is a fight to preserve the health and wealth of ALL Barbadians, whether at home or abroad.
Source of Featured image: https://advomag.com/barbados-celebrates-errol-barrow-day/