THIS country needs to hear the Government address issues of fundamental importance to the economy, says Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley.
In her contribution to the debate on the Banks Tax on Assets Bill, she insisted that downgrades do matter, noting that the Freundel Stuart-led administration continues to rubbish the issue of credit ratings by the various institutions.
“Last week we had CariCRIS and we had no words of assurance, no words of calm and we have given the Government a wide berth on these matters… We gave them the benefit of Christmas, the benefit of the vacation, but we are now fully into 2017 and people want to plan.
“The Barbados Labour Party is therefore taking a very clear and principle position – it cannot be business in Barbados as usual,” she stated.
Stressing the need to “fight devaluation”, Mottley said: “We must fight with every fibre in our body against any form of devaluation because Barbados has only one asset and that is stability.
“The day we lose stability is the day we can no longer command the value-added that we command in tourism or in international business or in other aspects of our economic output. Therefore, if it is necessary to bind this House as one and to bind this country as one to confront the realities that face us, then I say to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Finance, ‘Let us do it. Let us stop the drift, let us confront that reality.’”
The Opposition Leader further stressed that there should not be any whispering, concern, anxiety and downgrades by agencies.
“We can’t have it,” she said, insisting that Barbadians deserve better.
“The first thing we must know is what do we face and what is the new plan because the current plan is clearly not working if the reserves continue to dwindle.”
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