BARBADOS | "Bajan Strong": Ambassador Comissiong Maps the Soul of Barbadian Social Democracy

As Mia Mottley calls snap elections, a veteran diplomat articulates what's truly at stake on February 11

When Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that Barbadians would return to the polls on February 11, 2026—a full year ahead of constitutional requirement—the decision carried an implicit question: What kind of nation do Bajans wish to be?

Ambassador David Comissiong, one of Barbados's most articulate voices on sovereignty and Caribbean self-determination, has offered a compelling answer. His interpretation of the Barbados Labour Party's "Bajan Strong" slogan reads less like a campaign platform and more like a manifesto for the preservation of Barbadian civilization itself.

The Social Democratic Compact

At the heart of Comissiong's vision lies an unapologetic embrace of social democracy—not as foreign import, but as indigenous Barbadian tradition. Free education from primary school through university.

Free public healthcare anchored by a first-class general hospital, a network of polyclinics, and a National Drug Service that ensures no Bajan must choose between medicine and meals. Social protection for the most vulnerable that recognizes the measure of a society in how it treats those with the least.

These are not merely policy positions. They represent, in Comissiong's framing, a social compact forged across generations—the understanding that Barbadian strength derives not from individual accumulation but from collective provision. The BLP, he suggests, stands as guardian of this compact against forces that would unravel it.

Economics for the People

Comissiong's economic vision is pointedly described as "Republican"—a deliberate invocation of Barbados's 2021 transition from constitutional monarchy to republic. This is economics rooted in the ingenuity and labour power of Barbadians themselves, oriented toward their fundamental needs rather than external interests.

Central to this vision is land ownership. In a Caribbean context where colonial patterns of land concentration persist generations after independence, the commitment to facilitating Barbadian ownership of Barbadian land carries profound significance.

Paired with the insistence that all beaches remain public—that no Bajan can be denied access to their own shoreline—this represents an economics of belonging, of birthright, of home.

Currency stability, maintained through the Barbados dollar's peg to the US dollar, provides the foundation upon which this economic sovereignty rests. It is a recognition that independence means little if a nation cannot protect its people from monetary chaos.

Governance by the People

Democracy, in Comissiong's telling, extends far beyond the ballot box. He envisions consultative and participatory governance—citizens engaged not merely as voters but as active shapers of national direction.

Trade union organization "in virtually every component of society" ensures that workers possess collective voice. A non-partisan public service, characterized by professionalism and minimal corruption, guarantees that state machinery serves the nation rather than narrow interests.

This is democracy as daily practice, not quadrennial ritual.

Culture as Sovereignty

Perhaps most striking is the cultural dimension of Comissiong's vision. National arts programmes to safeguard indigenous heritage. Beautiful public spaces and inspirational monuments. A cricket culture that inculcates "communal artistic aesthetic and sense of pride." Indigenous church organization, deeply rooted and self-managed.

These are not ornaments to governance but its very substance. A people disconnected from their history, their art, their spiritual traditions, and their communal rituals cannot be truly sovereign, regardless of what flag flies above parliament.

Comissiong's insistence on "a Sense of History that equips our people with knowledge of their pre-colonial origins and the heroic struggles and achievements of their forebears" is a direct challenge to the cultural amnesia that colonialism sought to impose.

Caribbean and Global Vision

Comissiong's Barbados does not stand alone. Caribbean integration and "the construction of an independent Caribbean Civilization" position the island within a regional project of collective self-determination.

The foreign policy doctrine of "Friends of All: Satellites of None" echoes the non-aligned traditions that guided newly independent nations through Cold War pressures—and remains equally relevant as great power competition intensifies in the 21st century.

Gender equality, framed as "women's emancipation and full participation in society," and commitment to providing children with "multiple opportunities to develop their innate potential" complete a vision oriented toward the future even as it honours the past.

The Choice Before Barbados

When Barbadians enter polling stations on February 11, they will ostensibly choose between political parties and candidates. But Comissiong's articulation suggests the stakes run deeper.

The question is whether the social democratic consensus that has shaped modern Barbados—the free education, the public healthcare, the worker protections, the cultural institutions, the commitment to collective wellbeing—will be affirmed and strengthened, or whether it will be permitted to erode.

"Bajan Strong," in this reading, is not merely a slogan. It is a declaration that Barbadian strength lies in Barbadian traditions of solidarity, sovereignty, and shared prosperity. Whether voters embrace that vision will determine not just who governs, but what kind of nation Barbados intends to be.

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