Miss Violet writes from St Philip, Barbados, where she taught primary school for 34 years, knows everybody’s business, and has voted BLP since she was old enough to hold a pencil.
Good morning, Barbados. Miss Violet speaking.
Well. Three terms. Thirty seats. Three times. If you did not feel something when those results came in, then you were not paying attention. Mia Mottley has done what no Caribbean leader has done before her — three consecutive clean sweeps — and she is now the longest-serving female head of state or government in the world. Let that settle. Let it settle properly.
Miss Violet retired from teaching thirty-four years of Barbadian children to read and write and think. She knows what leadership looks like. It looks like a woman who gets up every morning and does the work even when the world is difficult, even when Trump is imposing tariffs, even when CWI is being ridiculous about Kensington Oval.
Speaking of which — CWI has some explaining to do. Kensington Oval is the home of West Indies cricket. It is where Garfield Sobers played. It is hallowed ground. And they have the audacity to drop it from the 2026 schedule while Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad, and even Guyana host matches? Miss Violet is not impressed. PM Mottley was right to say what she said. CWI needs to remember who built this game.
Now — the voter turnout. Miss Violet is not going to pretend 42% is a good number. It is not a good number. It is a disappointing number. Every Barbadian who stayed home on election day should ask themselves: who built the institutions that allow you to not vote and still be safe, housed, and governed? Who fought for that right? Miss Violet taught those children history. Somebody forgot the lesson.
The new youth facility at Holders Hill is exactly the kind of investment this government makes while others talk. Twelve to eighteen year olds with somewhere structured to go, with guidance, with care. Miss Violet taught many children who needed exactly that and had nowhere to get it. This matters.
The gun violence — it is real and it must be addressed. PM Mottley said so herself on Good Friday. She does not hide from hard truths. That is the mark of a serious leader.
Enjoy your Easter Monday, Barbados. And if you did not vote — register for next time. Miss Violet will be watching.
— Miss Violet, St Philip, Barbados
[Miss Violet is a fictional character representing the kind of civic pride that keeps democracies functioning even when turnout falls to 42%. Her views are her own. The Guyana Daily Brief respects Miss Violet enormously.]