President: Decision on opposition senators came after ‘sleepless night’ of wide consultation  

President Jeffrey Bostic has revealed that his decision to appoint Ryan Walters and Karina Goodridge as opposition senators came only after hours of late-night deliberation and a careful review of candidates from several political groups, amid the continuing absence of a formal parliamentary opposition.  

He also confirmed that the appointment extended beyond the two names submitted by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony at State House on Friday, Bostic said the decision to appoint DLP’s Ryan Walters and Friends Of Democracy political leader Karina Goodridge came only after careful consideration of a wider pool of potential nominees, noting that the constitutional responsibility now rested solely with the President.  

Hours before the ceremony, public anticipation mounted over who would occupy the opposition benches in the Senate.  

“I thank you first of all for accepting my invitation. And secondly, for coming here at such short notice,” Bostic said. “I do apologise for that, but that resulted from the fact that I spent several hours into the early hours of this morning deliberating, because I had a number of other persons from other groups that I was looking at before making my decision.”  

He explained that the unusual circumstances created by the lack of an opposition leader meant that the normal process could not apply.  

“As a result of the situation that we have at the moment where there is no parliamentary opposition, therefore no opposition leader, and so the proceeds that we normally would normally be available to the opposition party in Parliament, those two seats, the appointments according to the Constitution of Barbados Section 75, rest with the President,” he said. “So that is something that I took very seriously, and I had a lot of thinking to do before arriving at the decision.”  

The ceremony, scheduled for a 10 a.m. start, began shortly after 11 a.m. Walters, who contested St Michael North West in the general election, attended with his wife and son, with no other party officials present. Goodridge, was accompanied by her husband and parents, along with FOD general secretary Steve Blackett.  

In his remarks, President Bostic acknowledged that other candidates of merit had been considered.  

“There are other people of merit that came under consideration. Regrettably, I could only appoint two,” he said. “I decided that you two were the ones that would be senators, so congratulations on that.”  

Addressing Senator Walters directly, the President noted his previous experience in the upper chamber, while offering reassurance to Goodridge, who enters Parliament for the first time.  

“What I can say to you Senator Walters, you are now a seasoned senator, so I don’t have to say anything to you. But her first time, expect that the first few sessions, you will be full of nerves,” he said. “Understand that there are others as well who will be in a similar situation to yours. Every single senator that has entered the hallowed chamber had to start just as you are starting. The good thing, however, is that the presiding officers and the members of the staff of Parliament are there to assist, so you will not be alone.”  

He urged both senators to approach their roles with commitment and national pride.  

“I wish both of you every success in your season of service to this country. Give it your best shot. Represent well and make the nation proud. Good luck,” President Bostic said.

The appointments follow controversy over who should fill the opposition seats in the Senate after the governing Barbados Labour Party secured a third consecutive clean sweep at the polls, leaving Barbados without a parliamentary opposition or opposition leader. The Democratic Labour Party announced its president Ralph Thorne – who, after losing the general election, indicated he would step down but has yet to do so – and Walters as its nominees, even though the President had asked for four names.  

At the same time, reports emerged that both the Friends of Democracy and the People’s Coalition for Progress had been contacted as word spread that the President was considering candidates beyond the DLP slate and had not confirmed that the party’s two nominees would automatically be appointed.  

A proposed change to the appointment process, contained in the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022, would have allowed the President to invite the political party with the next highest number of votes to submit names for the Senate. However, the bill was withdrawn in August 2022, leaving Section 75 unchanged.  

Sen Goodridge’s elevation marks the first time a third-party representative has been appointed to parliamentary office in Barbados, a country traditionally dominated by the two-party system led by the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party.