(Barbados Nation) The vote to return Owen Arthur as leader of the Barbados Labour Party was a unanimous one.
George Payne told the press today that Mia Mottley, the former leader, no longer commands the confidence of the majority of members in the parliamentary group. “Owen Seymour Arthur is the person we support…the necessary letter has gone to the Governor General and we await his decision with respect to that”.
Arthur in accepting his selection by the group says 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 says “I really wished Mia Mottley would have led the people of Barbados to so cause them to forget about me”.
He promises 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”.
The meeting to decide on the leadership of the BLP was held just after 10 am. Mia Mottley, the MP for St Michael North East, MP for St Thomas Cynthia Forde and MP for St James North Rawle Eastmond did not attend the meeting.
Along with Arthur, present were former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, George Payne, Ronald Toppin, Gline Clarke, William Duguid and Dale Marshall.