
President Irfaan Ali has been conferred with the Order of Freedom of Barbados, the country’s highest national award.
President Ali was among the list of Independence Day honourees revealed on Thursday and it includes Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
President Ali was named for “strong commitment to enhancing cooperation” to achieve regional integration and deeper social and economic partnerships for the upliftment of the people of Barbados and the region.
While mostly given to Bajans, the Honourary Award can be given to a distinguished person who is not a citizen of Barbados.
While I commend President Ali on his most activist role in pursuing most vigorously Guyana’s multi- faceted -interests this Bajan Award I hope is not meant to compensate Dr Ali of Guyana for Mrs Mottley faux pas and ambivalence with respect to her lukewarm response to the existential threat that is posed by Venezuela’s proposed invasion agenda and annexation of the Essequibo.
PM Mottley is under some heavy manners from the Barbados Labour Party and others for not making strong condemnatory statements in support of Guyana’s position as a sovereign state facing a threat from Venezuela as well as distancing herself from the Caricom Statement.
If this Award is intended or being used to repair ex post facto and achieve damage control then it must be accepted as such.
But I cannot help but feel that there is more in the mortar than the pestle.
Dr Ali should delay travelling to Barbados to receive this accolade to a much later date until the waters of the Caribbean Sea become less tempestuous and more predictable with no rip tides to allure Dr Ali out to sea even if the waters are quite inviting and tourqoise blue.