From one leader to another: former Prime Minister Owen Arthur (right) congratulating Mia Mottley, the new political leader of the Barbados Labour Party and the incoming Leader of the Opposition. (Picture by Charles Pitt-Grant.)

by TREVOR YEARWOOD

BARBADOS has a new Opposition Leader and the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), a new political leader.

She is former Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley who becomes the first woman to hold those posts.

As political leader, the 43-year-old Mottley replaces former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who said yesterday he was looking forward to being "just an ordinary citizen", but will serve the full five years as a Member of Parliament.

In making the announcement, four days after the BLP's 10-20 seat defeat in the general election, Arthur told the media and about 22 other successful and unsuccessful BLP candidates, at BLP headquarters, Roebuck Street, The City:

"I have made a decision to lay down the mantle of leadership of the Barbados Labour Party.

"I believe that it would be in the very best interest of the future development of the party and also the development of democracy in our country if the transition to a new leadership in the Barbados Labour Party is made immediately.

"I have therefore . . . demitted the office of political leader of the Barbados Labour Party . . . ."

The BLP's parliamentary group had earlier decided on Mottley's appointment as party leader and agreed to recommend to Governor-General Sir Clifford Husbands that she be appointed Leader of the Opposition.

The group also picked former Attorney-General Dale Marshall, one of the successful candidates, as deputy leader of the party.

"This effectively brings to an end my involvement in Barbados' political affairs at the national and at the party level in a leadership capacity," Arthur said.

Mottley pledged that Barbados would have a "very vigilant", "very active" Opposition.

"We have a responsibility to continue to work in the cause of all Barbadians to keep democracy strong and alive and at the same time to ensure that the prosperity to which [Barbadians] have become accustomed is not in any way withered away over the course of the next few years," she told reporters.

She spoke about continuing the party's "aggressive communications stance through our website and through other media", as well as moves
"to rebuild a party that will continue to be relevant to its times".

Mottley was first elected to Parliament in September 1994. One of the youngest persons ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio at age 29, she was appointed to the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture.

After a Cabinet reshuffle in February of 2006, she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs and Development.