By Tony Deyal
The Lunar New Year galloped in last Tuesday. This year of the Fire Horse, according to Chinese beliefs, symbolises energy, independence, endurance, and loyalty, reflecting the qualities of the noble creature. The Chinese zodiac cycles through 12 animals each year and rotates between the five traditional Chinese elements earth, wood, fire, metal and water every two years. So, for the first time in 60 years, the distinct Fire Horse is back with the traditional lucky red colour dominating the tableau. Representing joy, prosperity and protection against evil, red is used for celebratory lanterns, clothing, couplets and money envelopes. According to the experts, this Lunar Year is the right time to take bold steps, embrace change, and pursue new opportunities.
Just as important is the concept of the “Lady of the Lamp.” It started with “Florence Nightingale,” the founder of modern nursing who became an icon of compassion and care. Subsequently, other outstanding women from different areas of the world also became metaphorical but inspirational “Ladies of the Lamp” because they embodied the core values of leadership, dedication, and service. The title, “Ladies of the Lamp,” can also mean steely determination, a pioneering spirit, charisma and often a willingness to step up, particularly during crises.
Such icons may include Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean; Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), a Mexican painter for her deeply personal surrealist, and distinctive artwork; Cleopatra (69-30 BC), the last active ruler of Egypt, known for her political acumen, and Mary Kom (1982-present), an Indian boxer and the only woman to win eight Worlds Championship medals, marking immense resilience. Now, we in the Caribbean have one of our own. She is the famous tough-talking prime minister Mia Mottley of Barbados.
The first Barbadian to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine in May, 2022, what makes this lady a leading luminary, is not only her top global profile as perhaps Caricom’s most recognised leader, prompting Forbes to include her in its 2023 list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” but what she has achieved as the early “Fire Horse” of 2026.
Incredibly, PM Mottley, the leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the first woman to head the party both in government and in the opposition, recently swept back into power, in another 30-0 victory, for a historic third consecutive time, taking all the seats in the Barbados House of Assembly. In a bright blaze of red, the party’s colour, the BLP even unseated the opposition leader Ralph Thorne, a former BLP representative who switched to the rival Democratic Labour Party (DLP). This categorical wipe-out, by itself, is rare in Commonwealth countries, but three times is legendary and must have left the stunned Thorne of the blue and yellow DLP really seeing red and feeling green.
She declared in her victory speech, “Our mission first and foremost is to stop poor people from being poor and to remove injustice wherever it exists to create opportunities for people.” Surrounded by supporters wearing bright red, she announced that Friday, February 13, would be a public bank holiday, just before Valentine’s Day. In 2021, under the BLP, Barbados finally became a Republic, and last year it celebrated 75 years since its people clinched the decisive right to vote without owning property.
As one colleague observed: “This is what caused the opposition leader, Ralph Thorne, to lose every seat, including his own. All the time, he was a thorn in the side of the PM. This time, he got caught in a clean sweep.”
Thorne, however disappointed and in pain, advised the PM to focus on the country’s domestic priorities, even as someone needled him, “So why you didn’t do it yourself?” However, a few Bajans were upset and angry, charging that the PM was “stern” and always trying to “fix” Barbadians with a “mixture of serious speeches and folksy addresses.” Then there were the one-liners, including, “Mia travels so much, I think she’s trying to rename the prime minister residence ‘Flight 246’.”
And, “You know things serious, when Mia takes off her glasses to look at you through the TV screen.” Or, “Other leaders talk to their people; Mia gives a stern talking-to and tells you to ‘Get up, Stand up’.” A passionate orator, PM Mottley famously invoked the Jamaican superstar, Bob Marley’s classic song “Get up, Stand up” in her hallmark 2021address to the United Nations (UN) Assembly, calling on world leaders to act against climate change, poverty and COVID-19 vaccine inequity. And she didn’t even need to add, “Don’t give up the fight.”
The Chinese believe that those born in 1965, the Wood Year of the Snake, like Miss Mottley, are characterised by a blend of ambition, intelligence, strategic thinking, and a growth-oriented nature and are flexible, empathetic, and communicative, often displaying strong leadership skills and creative energy in problem solving. Adaptable and resilient, they persevere through challenges, possess a deep, inner confidence and have a remarkable capacity for planning and analysing complex situations making them loved and respected.
At the helm of the Caribbean’s Climate Change fight, and against the background of alarming increases in global temperatures that threaten the very existence of especially vulnerable small island states like her homeland, she warned, “Our world knows not what it is gambling with, and if we don’t control this fire, it will burn us all down.” Indeed, as she observes, “The law of the jungle does not guarantee any of us a future or a livable planet.”
In fact, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global average temperatures hitting 1.55 degrees Celsius over the pre-industrial baseline, with last year being one of the three warmest on record, continuing the streak of extraordinary global temperatures. The decade 2015-2024 is the hottest ever on record – and ocean heating continues unabated. Gradual rises are forecast this year, and if factors like a potential El Nino develops later, 2026 could easily outperform 2025. With my four now adult children, the two youngest being Bajans, any parent can understand why I am deeply worried about them and any potential grands.
At a UN climate summit in Glassgow, Scotland she made it clear, “We must act in the interests of all our people. If we don’t, we will allow the path of greed and selfishness to sow the seeds of our common destruction.” Just last month, the PM, referring to the global recognition the singer Rihanna had brought to Barbados, quipped, in a wide-ranging podcast interview with the comedian and commentator, Trevor Noah, that “I wish she was (prime minister). Then I’d be able to spend more time on the beach.” Don’t ride off into the sunset just yet, Mia Mottley. Barbados and the world need you more than ever.
*Tony Deyal was pleased to hear that PM Mottley encouraged women never to let anyone limit their ambitions because respect for people, regardless of gender, is the only way to eliminate the inequality that exists across the world. He then added, “It would be great if men did the same!”
