The win, as impressive as those in 1994 and 1999, is, as the Nation newspaper observed yesterday, “a clear vote of confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Owen Arthur.”

We also agree with the Nation that “a happy consequence of this election is a stronger Opposition. The DLP gained five seats, which is a considerable improvement on its performance in 1999.”

The three opinion polls conducted by CADRES on behalf of the Nation newspaper confirmed the pre-eminence of Arthur as the preferred leader of Barbados at this time. And Wednesday night’s result confirmed this.

“There were strong parallels with the 1971 general election when the DLP won its third consecutive victory under the leadership of Prime Minister Errol Barrow. Then, as now, the Opposition under a young leader built its platform for election around the perceived misdeeds of the governing party.

“In a memorable ‘fireside chat’ on television two evenings before the 1971 election, Barrow was most impressive and left no doubt that the country was in good hands.

“Thus it was with Arthur on CBC-TV on Monday evening - a tested leader of international stature, standing by his record. His was a voice of reassurance, presenting a clear vision for Barbados.

“There were no new issues in this campaign. The state of the economy, crime, violence, unemployment and poverty did not loom large as subjects for discussion. Instead, the so-called “FBI Report” and other red herrings took centre stage. It should be understood that in the absence of compelling evidence, scandalous issues do not win elections.”

Yet, for Guyanese, the treatment that their compatriots receive in Barbados by some Barbadians continues to be a burning issue, more-so because Guyanese extend the greatest of courtesies to Bajans on Guyanese soil, and because we are seriously committed to and are working with others in and out of CARICOM to forge regional integration and establish a common Caribbean identity.

We know that at many of the meetings Guyanese officials convened with their Barbadian counterparts, assurances were given that the issue was being addressed.

We hope Mr. Arthur will at least partly interpret his impressive victory as a fresh mandate by the majority of the Barbadian people for him to transmute into reality his commitment to dealing with the unfriendly attitude of some Barbadians to Guyanese.

Beyond that, we look forward to Barbados and Guyana cementing closer bilateral links and working together in regional and international forums to promote regional integration as much as their individual growth.

We see the Democratic Labour Party’s improved showing at Wednesday’s election as an important reminder that the opposition is much a part of the process of governance as is the government and hope that the two parties in the Barbados congress will address the interests of the people who have given them their mandates ahead of partisan interests.