Ten year Term limits for the Barbados Prime Minister

The time has come, and long pass in Barbados, for a change in the Prime Ministership after ten years of consecutive leadership by an individual person, which should be imposed by term limits.

At this present time, a prime minister of Barbados can hold the office indefinitely until his death, unless his political party losses an election, or the majority of elected members of parliament decides otherwise.

This is in light of the many accusations of corruption metered out against the Barbados Labour Party after it had held the reins of governance under Mr. Owen Arthur. These accusations were chiefly made by the now governing Democratic Labour Party.

Corruption, whether small or large, is something one might suspect to occur after a government assumes power for long periods of time.

Long periods of power allows a government to learn the ropes, and it sometimes begins to do whatever it desires.

The United States of America, which is the world's super power, allows an individual to hold the position of president if re-elected a total of eight years, whether that president was a very good one , or a bad one.

What is needed in Barbados, and by extension its other English-speaking Caribbean neighbours who are based on British system of doing things, is for a political party to select a new leader every ten years of consecutive leadership, or three consecutive losses at the polls.

Political parties should also consider keeping a leader for a total of fifteen years. The last five year period should be spent grooming the next person(s) who is expected to hold the reins.

This will not only benefit the country as a whole, but will also benefit the individual parties as well.

Scenarios where there exist contentions because an individual who has lead the party for more than fifteen years believes he or she should lead the party despite what the other members of that party might be thinking, is not fair.

A case appears to be existing in Trinidad and Tobago, where Mr. Basdeo Panday probably does not see it fit to give way to Kamla Persad-Bissessar as leader despite leading for many years.

Another scenario has also occurred in Barbados where former Prime Minister Mr. Owen Arthur having relinquishing himself of leadership after losing the last general election, has recently possibly challenged the leadership of Miss Mia Mottley.

The time has certainly come for some positive change to reign, and credit should always be given where it is due.