still when I go into the supermarkets or see the prices at the restaurants in bim I always wonder how the average person can afford some of this stuff

The declaration of assets was just a political stunt. As you pointed out they are basically all free to declare what they want. It means absolutely nothing.

I’ve had a couple of thoughts about the declarations of worth. One, a declaration and a balance sheet doesn’t give any insight into how those assets were obtained, and whether everything was on the up-and-up, especially if the declaration is made well into your career in active politics. This is why I think the DLP should bite the bullet and get their MPs to declare assets ASAP, because most of them are new MPs/Ministers and we would therefore have some confidence that they haven’t used, directly or indirectly, their political positions and associated clout as a means of padding their bank accounts. Two, if you have a bank account (that you’re using for your father’s medical care or whatever) and you don’t tell us how much money is in it, then you haven’t declared your assets, you’ve declared the assets you feel like telling us about. Three, what about assets held overseas? Fourth, have the declarations been audited or in any way independently verified?

Kami, the former Prime Minister also declared his assets of around 1.5 million I think. Considering how expensive property is in Barbados i think these numbers are quite conservative.

what for me was most striking was that for future generations of politicians what is most likely to stand in your way is not gender or sexuality identity/preference but wealth. i don’t want to be alarmist here but it seems that gap between the haves and the have nots is widening and we seem not to think it necessary to redistribute wealth.