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The primary goals of the Barbados Labour Party
will continue to be:-
• the alleviation of poverty;
• the empowerment of our young
people, elderly and people with
disabilities;
• the protection of our children and
other vulnerable citizens; and
• the strengthening of our families and
communities.
Poverty for the first time since Independence has
increased in our land. Our middle class is at risk of
pauperisation. Violence of all types , particularly
gender-based violence, is scarring our society.
We must urgently and aggressively reverse these
unfortunate developments.
We pledge to preserve, expand and effectively
integrate our social policy architecture such that
our delivery of services become people-centred
and NOT focussed on the Department fromwhich
they are delivered.
We also commit to relying on the full powers of
a Government (namely legislating, regulating,
investing, facilitating and empowering) as we
chart a bold new course for education, health,
housing, and other social services which will
further transform Barbadian society.
In the past, the two primary areas in which
Barbados scores highest in respect of the Global
Competitiveness Index are education (among
the top 20 countries) and health (in the top third
of the countries of the world). We must build on
this competitiveness, not squander it. We must
use this comparative advantage to promote
Barbados as a hemispheric hub for investment in
the provision of educational and health services.
These assets also make a critical contribution in
our fight against poverty as well as preserving
our social stability.
Wemust complete the quiet revolution started by
our Party to expand land ownership with respect
to both plantation and non-plantation tenantries.
As a natural progression from these earlier
initiatives, we will continue to develop creative
policies to foster greater home ownership and
access to land island wide.
The empowerment of people is also central to our
mission. Greater responsibility must be passed on
to our citizens and communities in ways which
foster fairness and deepen democracy.
We pledge to create more opportunities for
the participation of citizens in the governance
of our communities, especially as it relates to
public spaces. We will pursue a programme of
local governance that will not be subject to the
arbitrary dictates of politicians. Volunteerism and
public service will be strongly promoted.
In addition, we will encourage the revitalization
of Non-Governmental and Community Based
Organisations by giving fiscal incentives for novel
ideas that address needs at the community level
tobetter promote social entrepreneurship.Wewill
alsodeepen the requirement for transparency and
accountability of these civil society organisations.
The Barbados Labour Party is committed to the
right of our people to decent and rewarding
work. Workers and their Unions must be treated
fairly and with respect at all times. We will seek
to negotiate for greater mobility of our workers,
in and out of CARICOM, so as to continuously
expand their opportunities.
We commit to expanding opportunities for all
and creating greater equity in our society. The
success of our people must NOT depend on who
they know or where they were born BUT what
they know and how hard, how creatively and how
fairly they are prepared to work.
