BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – All Barbadians will breathe a huge sigh of relief now that there has been a settlement in the LIME dispute, and all parties at the negotiating table should be commended for their willingness to sit down and calmly, if perhaps a little belatedly, look at the issues and search for compromise. Our Prime Minister deserves kudos for using the prestige and respect due to his office to bring the parties together so that he could assist them in searching for compromise and settlement in the national interest. Often we take these national positions for granted but ministers and prime ministers in particular carry heavy burdens, for the buck stops at their desks. There is no hiding place for any responsible public servant when the exigencies of the state demand that problems be solved, for in the last resort they are answerable to the people.
