But Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is telling voters that his ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) ,which won the 2008 general election by an 20-10 margin, is still the best party to take the country forward.
“In the final analysis, the assignment in this election is coming down to a government that once again can be trusted,” he said in a television broadcast on Tuesday night.
History seems to be on the side of the DLP. Noted Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh said “the second chance syndrome is perhaps a most crucial consideration for voters since there is no precedence for restricting an incumbent party to just one term.
“And although pollsters and social commentators continue to give the edge to the BLP, both Bees and Dems are attracting significant levels ofsupport at campaign meetings and lingering speculation about “swing votes” in indentified marginal constituencies,” he wrote..
But the latest opinion poll by the Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES) this week, shows that the BLP, led by former prime minister Owen Arthur could win between 17 and 20 of the 30 seats to be contested in Thursday’s general election.
The pollsters found that the DLP “will occupy the opposition benches with between 10 and 13 seats”.
Last weekend CADRES published a poll in which it said that voters had preferred Prime Minister Stuart to lead the country as against Arthur by a 39 to 36 per cent.
“On this occasion, Stuart’s approval rating has risen from 39 to 41 per cent while Arthur’s has remained constant at exactly 37 per cent. The disapproval rates for both leaders have increased marginally with Stuart’s moving from 40 to 41 per cent and Arthur’s moving from 38 to 41 per cent. In both instances the movement came from the uncommitted cohort which is somewhat smaller for both leaders.”
But the DLP is downplaying the results of the polls and instead are urging their supporters to go out in numbers to ensure that the party is returned to government.
“It is not on the ground, we are not feeling any desire to get rid of this government. The only place we are finding that is the BLP, the polls and some areas of the news media,” BLP campaign manager, Robert “Bobby” Morris told a news conference.
“I am therefore saying to Barbadians, hold faith with your own feelings. All members of the DLP must come out and vote on Thursday,” he added.
The BLP, for its part, is calling on its supporters not to allow Barbados to stop the winds of changing now blowing through the Caribbean.
“We are on the home stretch and when you are on the home stretch, you keep the pace. Tonight, there is a cool wind blowing from the west, and tonight in Grenada, the people said ‘yes we are suffering too badly,” former Opposition Leader Mia Mottley told supporters at a public meeting on Tuesday night.
Tourism specialist Noel Lynch, who is challenging Prime Minster Stuart for the St. Michael South seat, told supporters that they should relegate the DLP to a one-term government.
“One term governments are sweeping the Caribbean. It has happened in Trinidad, Jamaica, Bahamas and St. Lucia and come February 21, we will have the first one term government in Barbados,” he predicted.
The two parties have issued their manifestos ahead of the elections, both claiming to have within the pages of the documents, most, if not all, of the answers to the socio-economic woes facing the island.
They have also sought to downplay each other’s policies, with Prime Minister Stuart, sarcastically noting that if the BLP wins the elections, then Barbados could look forward to Arthur and the opposition party’s spokesman on finance, Clyde Mascoll becoming Nobel Peace Prize winning laureates.
“This country does not face problems that are different from the problems besetting richer and better resourced countries. If they have the solutions to Barbados’ problems, then they also have the solutions to the rest of thy world,” he added.
But Arthur, a former finance minister, has hit back, claiming that Prime Minister Stuart has absolutely no clue on how to run an economy.
He told supporters that if Stuart is returned to office, the economic problems, high unemployment would persist “especially if you put in charge of the economy somebody who does not know what he is doing.
“Barbados therefore has become the victim of a false philosophy that causes you to believe that the economy does not matter and in your own personal circumstances you are in a position to contradict Freundel Stuart and tell him you are hurting,” Arthur added.
The Electoral and Boundaries Commission says 247, 211 voters are eligible to cast ballots on Thursday, as compared with 243, 501 in 2008.
The polling stations will open at 6.00 am (local time) and close 12 hours later.
CMC/pr/2013