Wood says he hasn’t joined the Dems

Almost six months after resigning from the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) where he was a member for 35 years, former St Philip South Member of Parliament Anthony Wood has not found a new political home.

Wood has dismissed swirling chatter suggesting that he is now a member of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). The former government minister indicated to Barbados TODAY that any such talk was “rumour-mongering designed to just excite the public” but it was far from the truth.

The rumour mill seemingly went into overdrive when Wood made an appearance at the Lift Up and Praise gospel concert and public meeting presented by DLP St George North candidate Floyd Reifer at The Glebe, St George on Sunday night. Standing off to the side of the stage but in front row of the large gathering, Wood’s tall stature made him impossible not to be seen.

For just over two hours Barbados TODAY observed as he, wearing a blue shirt paired with grey pants and a face mask, with arms folded paid rapt attention to the happenings on stage, which included several performances from some of the island’s best gospel stars. Wood remained past 11 o’clock when he was seen engaged in a brief conversation with the first-time DLP hopeful Reifer after his address.

“I am not a member of the Democratic Labour Party,” Wood maintained adamantly.

“All that I have done, which has been made public is that I have resigned from the Barbados Labour Party. I am a very independent member of Barbadian society, who will lend my voice to any forum that I think it ought to be heard, but I am not a member of the Democratic Labour Party,” he reiterated.

“I am a very independent Barbadian who is free to go to any public forum and to participate in any public forum that I see fit but I am a member of no political party. So don’t make any quantum leap that being seen out at a particular event means that you are associated. It is just what the public can see.”

While the former chairman of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation did not reveal his future political aspirations, if any, he gave the assurance that any further moves he makes the public of Barbados would be informed of directly from him.

“I don’t need any help from anybody to do that – none whatsoever. I am a very brave and open fellow, nothing to hide,” Wood added.

This past May, Wood had a public fallout with the BLP and Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir, when after assisting him in winning the St Philip South seat in the last election, he publicly disavowed himself from Weir.

Wood went as far as to issue an apology to the constituents forever throwing his support behind Weir.

“I am not too big to apologise to the residents of St. Philip South who obviously are still dear to my heart for making a grave error in judgment in endorsing and supporting Mr. Weir and I apologise to them,” Wood said at the time. (KC)