(Barbados Nation) – Don’t panic! This is the advice Prime Minister David Thompson gave countrymen yesterday, as he spoke in the House of Assembly during debate of the 2009-2010 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
Despite the gloomy assessment painted by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur of the state of the economy and of the island’s economic prospects, there was no need for Barbadians to be fearful, Thompson said.
The Prime Minister promised that his government would be adopting “a practical and pragmatic approach” to the management of the finances of this country. “There is no reference document for dealing with the challenges that we confront,” he said. “None in this chamber or anywhere else in this region has been exposed to the challenges that we confront. There is none who has walked this road before.”
Thompson spent much of his time, while responding to members’ comments, answering some of the statements made on Thursday by Arthur, who was also Minister of Finance.
He described as outlandish, some of Arthur’s assertions and conclusions, stating that he had to ask the Central Bank to give details on the comments.
