(Barbados Nation) – Owen Arthur has been sworn in as Leader of the Opposition.
He was sworn in yesterday by Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands.
Arthur was returned to the helm of the Barbados Labour Party earlier yesterday when some members of the parliamentary group met at party headquarters at Roebuck Street St Michael.
Present were Arthur, George Payne, William Duguid, Dale Marshall, Gline Clarke and Ronald Toppin.
Mia Mottley, the former leader of the party, as well as Cynthia Forde and Rawle Eastmond did not attend that meeting. Payne told the press after that meeting that Mottley no longer commands the confidence of the majority of members in the parliamentary group.
Yesterday shortly after she was toppled, Mottley said she would continue to put her country first.
Mottley said she struggled and prayed about attending the meeting, which she first learned about via Facebook and the media. She said if members wanted a meeting they just had to ask and it would have been convened.
“What message are you sending to young people? They should never feel that this is the way to solve differences,” she said. “Right is right and wrong is wrong.”
Mottley, who was surrounded by supporters, said principles and ethics have been her compass “all my life. I know no other way.”
Mottley said her ultimate purpose is to serve her constituency and the people of Barbados and this has been her firm belief since entering public life in July 1989.
Mottley, who had been BLP political leader for the last 33 months, said Barbados needs a new direction. “It has been an honour to lead the Barbados Labour Party,” she said.
She thanked her constituents, parliamentary colleagues and those in and outside of BLP.
Meanwhile, Arthur in accepting his selection by the group said no one had done more than him to facilitate Mottley, pointing out it was he who had first appointed her to his Cabinet serving as Minister of Education and Culture, Attorney General and Minister of Economic Affairs and later elevating to Leader of Government Business and Deputy Prime Minister.
Arthur said “I really wished Mia Mottley would have led the people of Barbados to so cause them to forget about me”.
He promised to give his full attention to the leadership of the BLP. “I will give this my undivided attention. I will not be going to Antigua. I will not be doing any more consultancies. I will give this my undivided attention”.
