Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
That’s not who we are as a people.
“I personally, in fact, my Cabinet have all agreed that we should not mandate vaccines. We are philosophically opposed to the mandating of vaccines. That’s not who we are as a people,” Mottley announced.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley made this declaration while addressing the country in a virtual broadcast from Ilaro Court this afternoon (Saturday August 21, 2021).
While stating that the safety of the country is one of the “overriding objectives”, the Prime Minister stressed that is also to “equally to keep this country united”.
In stressing the pandemic has done “enough damage”, Mottley was resolute in her sentiments, denouncing any demographical division amongst the public on mandatory vaccination.
She stated: “It has threatened too many of us. It has taken, regrettably, those 48 persons but COVID-19 must not be allowed to divide us as a people or as a nation. That is the commitment I give you as the Prime Minister of this country.”
Touting that respect was at the core of being Bajan, she suggested that this principle be acknowledged going forward.
“Yesterday when the social partnership met, we all agreed that this is the way for us to go. We have to do better by our people and that before we start talking about legal opinion and the legislative framework, those things are not us and our first thing next week is for me to go to understand those who may still be ambivalent.”
Conversely, the Prime Minister indicated that she understood those who may have already “made up their mind” concerning their stance on vaccination, revealing that even within her own family she had relatives who believed in alternative medicine and were not inclined to be vaccinated.
“In every household, there are always divisions that are possible…that happens, but the family is still one,” the Prime Minister acknowledged while making analogies between the differences which may exist in diets and religious beliefs among family members.
“These are the things that we need to recognise. We have never allowed these things to divide us as a people and whether we support vaccinations or we don’t support vaccinations, must not be allowed to divide us,” Mottley declared.
She went on to suggest that while COVID-19 has affected two per cent of Barbadians health-wise, the viral illness has impacted the mental, physical and financial well-being of 98 per cent of Barbadians, if not all.
“What it must not be allowed to do is to divide us, and to that extent my friends, we now have to work together,” Prime Minister Mottley continued.
Mottley promised that the vaccination dialogue will continue for those who remain ambivalent or have medical concerns while respecting those who remain opposed to being vaccinated.
The discussion at the level of the social partnership is set to recommence later this month on August 30.
SOURCE: https://barbados.loopnews.com/content/pm-mottley-no-mandatory-vaccine
Comments
Does the government’s ruling carry over to corporate Barbados, and hotels or are they allowed to make their own rules regarding vaccination. If those entities are allowed to make up their own rules then it goes without saying that the PM is passing the buck on this major decision and the government ruling is strictly made with politics in mind.
The unvaccinated has been anathematized as politically opposed to vaccination by the righteous among those of us who have been vaccinated. Ms Mottley is desperately trying to hold her nation together, even though this virus thinks otherwise. Call her what we like, but it takes a lot of GRIT to make such decision. The world has become a very uncomfortable place since this pandemic.
Worst-case scenario-
The choice people have to make is one of life and death- or years of health complications if they survived serious infection requiring intubation and ventilation.
The Barbados PM is on the right track. The world is a long way from emancipation from this pandemic. If you are able to be inoculated, take it. Don’t wait to become a statistic.