Election Day in Barbados always makes me pause. All citizens have a right – and a duty – to vote.
For me, it is also deeply personal; voting “hits different.”
As a descendant of enslaved people, voting is an ode – if not a eulogy – to my grandparents, who were possibly unable to vote when my parents were born.
Barbados removed its deliberately exclusionary property and income requirements only in 1951, under the political leadership of Grantley Adams and the BLP, still within living memory. I feel I owe it to my grandparents, to our enslaved ancestors before them, and to those who lived through the systemic injustices of post-emancipation Barbados, to exercise a right they were denied and would have given anything to possess.
Our rights were fought for with blood, sweat, and tears.
People sacrificed and died: from the centuries since 1627 preceding the 1816 Bussa Rebellion, through the cruelty and deprivation that persisted after emancipation, the 1930s riots, and beyond. Voting honours their bravery, resilience, dignity, and their indefatigable pursuit of excellence under unimaginable conditions. To willingly relinquish what our forefathers struggled for is a tragedy. That history shapes my sense of duty; I recognise my debt to them.
Transformative policies redefined Barbados
We should remember what our past governments have achieved. Through 60 years of Independence, administrations from both major political parties reshaped the very systems once used to oppress our forefathers, transforming them to serve the majority rather than the privileged few. They built a country I am proud to call home, and in which I was proud to raise our children.
The introduction of free education in the early 1960s, including tertiary education, remains one of the most transformative government policies in our history. It facilitated merit-based social mobility and the national stability of a large middle class, unique in CARICOM and rare globally.
Errol Barrow, as DLP leader and head of government from 1961 to 1976, rightly stands as the Father of our Nation. The BLP government led by Owen Arthur from 1994 to 2008 revitalised our economy and strengthened CARICOM/CSME.
Mia Mottley’s administration since 2018 has led national economic and infrastructural recovery while weathering the triple blows to the nation after the “Lost Decade”: economic downgrades, the devastation of the pandemic, and the volcanic ashfall, while elevating Barbados’ global stature as a climatevulnerable small island advocating for justice.
Both political parties that have governed Barbados must continue to learn from past administrations and apply those lessons to improve governance. But too many of us have become complacent with our country’s progress. I fear we are stagnating, if not regressing. Crime and violence threaten social stability. Inequities in health and education access are widening. Accounting must be not just a noun, but a verb – an action word.
The importance of a strong democracy
From a non-partisan perspective, it is painful to see how some DLP members (at the time) failed to prioritise long-term strategic political thinking, apparently sacrificing party best interest to personal ego, thus contributing to the self-destruction of the DLP and, by extension, weakening our democracy.
A healthy democracy requires strong official opposition to provide checks and balances. But the electorate must be convinced that the alternative presented is viable, credible, and ready to govern.
Growing disillusionment
We cannot expect young people to value voting if we have not taught them its historical context and why it matters. Many young Barbadians feel disconnected from politics because they do not see themselves reflected in the process.
They also absorb the cynicism of those who mentor and influence them. They are frustrated by slow progress, by the perception of broken promises, and by systems that feel outdated and unresponsive to their realities.
Apathy is real: some feel that their vote cannot change anything; others believe that political parties do not speak to their concerns: crime, education inequities, limited income opportunities, the cost of living, mental health challenges. Their disillusionment is not baseless and cannot be left unaddressed.
Every election season, I hear the familiar refrain: there is no point in voting; politicians are “ethically challenged”; all parties are the same. The ease with which some switch political allegiances reinforces the belief that voting is futile. Many – especially younger people – are disillusioned by the status quo and see no reason to participate.
Frankly, recent developments where two of the architects of the “Lost Decade” have been bestowed prominent Cabinet appointments appear to have increased disenchantment – and not just that of the youth – with the political process.
Bajan Twitter, largely youth-driven, is rife with outrage relating to this decision.
Many of the majority 60 per cent who did not vote feel that not voting is a form of voting: it sends a message that the system has failed them.
A new kind of inequity
We can remind the youth how far we have come through the power of elective representation. Barbados’ plantation society, until very recently in living memory, was built on the near-total exclusion of Black people from power. The all-powerful planter and merchant classes controlled the economy, governance, and social hierarchy, and those adjacent to that domination were rewarded for maintaining it.
However, young people may respond by saying that time is long past, voting has served its purpose, and how does voting help their current lived reality. We must also confront the uncomfortable truth that our current society – still shaped by slavery’s entrenched socio-economic legacy – now perpetuates a different kind of class inequity. We must ask whether this is a new iteration of the plantation society of old, how we allowed it, and what transformative change is required to finally dismantle it.
Fixing what discourages participation
We must meet young people where they are. Civic education cannot be a once-every-five-years conversation. It must be embedded in our schools, our homes, our churches, our youth groups, and our community spaces.
We must teach the next generation that voting is not a favour to politicians: it is a tool of empowerment. It is how they shape the society they will inherit. It is how they honour the sacrifices of those who fought for freedoms they now enjoy: freedoms they may not fully understand were earned only relatively recently.
Structural flaws in our electoral system contribute to voter apathy. One issue worth addressing is the lack of a fixed election date. Legally setting the voting date would allow for predictable planning, smoother electoral logistics, and fairer preparation for political parties seeking to contest elections. It would take a brave government to relinquish that advantage.
It is unfortunate that this was not among the Constitutional Reform Commission’s final recommendations.
The responsibility we carry
We must ask ourselves: What society and opportunities are we leaving for our children? Voting remains one of the few official mechanisms – imperfect though it is – through which we hold our government accountable. We must hold fast to it and be brave enough to engage in our numbers with the avenues for representation that exist outside of Election Day.
Congratulations to Mia Mottley and the BLP on their third consecutive victory. Commendation is also extended to the DLP and to all candidates who had the bravery and commitment to public service to contest the elections. In the face of a third 30-0 government, it is even more imperative for us as Bajans to have the courage to press for accountability.
Let us speak out. Let us stay engaged. Let us demonstrate to young people that their voice matters.
Not voting is not the solution. We get the government we deserve. The struggle continues for a more perfect country.
Let us not give up.
Paula-Anne Moore is spokesperson and coordinator of the Caribbean Coalition for Exam Redress and the Group of Concerned Parents of Barbados.
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