BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Barbadians have elected a new administration to govern this country’s affairs for the next four to five years. Once again, Barbadians can congratulate themselves on a peaceful elections period, devoid of the violence, rifts and fierce territorial demarcations that characterise other jurisdictions in the region and beyond. Bees, Dems, independent or apathetic, we all have to live on this same little rock, and we must continue to co-exist when the dust settles after elections. Many have commented on the increased prominence of party colours this time around – to the extent that many persons who did not wish to be seen as having any particular affiliation resorted to wearing neutral colours. Some are understandably concerned about what implications this may have for future generations and fear that Barbados may become like other countries where wearing the wrong colours in the wrong place is a risk to personal safety. However, though persons should continue to keep an eye on the trend, for now they can be reasonably assured that at the end of the day, the sentiment remains ‘Barbados first’. A video making the rounds online in the waning days of the campaign showed two motorcades – one BLP, the other DLP – intersecting in a neighbourhood, only to see the supporters from each side mix together in one big ‘jump up’. In the height of the election battle, it was a heart-warming sight.
