Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.
by Guy Hewitt
I believe in democracy. In a democracy, people are free to speak their minds, choose their leaders, uphold notions and systems of liberty, equality and fraternity. At least, that’s the ideal.
I believe western democracy is in jeopardy. Government, designed by the people for the people, is increasingly falling into the hands of elites and special interests.
Elected officials too often fail to prioritise the interests of their constituents; no longer are they responsive to needs.
Too often, we forget fundamentally that Government is composed of us, not those we put in power. As epitomised in a republic, we the voters are the ultimate rulers of our democracy.
I also believe in the Democratic Labour Party. I believe in the Party of the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, of free secondary education, of Independence, of servant leadership, of economic diversification, of CARICOM and of social mobility. Barrow gave us Barbadians the ability to hold their heads high and proud in this world, as a people worthy of respect.
I am disappointed that in this Centenary Year, there was no fitting monument: no airport, no conference centre, no university, no tribute to the legacy the our Father of Independence and founder of the Caribbean Community. Because of my belief in democracy, I am even more dismayed that the Party he founded, the DLP, is a shadow of its former itself.
After its recent election devastation, the DLP has a long but not impossible road back. The 2018 general election was profound not just because of the result but the voting dynamic; the country seemingly voted as a single constituency.
In every box, in every district, in every constituency, in every parish, save two, Barbadians acted in unison against the erstwhile political administration.
As I previously opined, between 2008 when the DLP was elected to office and 2018 when they were routed at the polls, while still “of the people” and “by the people” there was a general view that the Party was no longer “for the people”. Alas, that now is water under the bridge.
Winston Churchill stated that, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Nelson Mandela endorsed this viewpoint noting that, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
As a party member but more so as a concerned citizen, I hope that the DLP will rise; from the ashes of defeat a spark ignites and a flame emerges from the embers.
Failure should be our teacher but not our undertaker, a temporary detour not a dead end.
My Kingdom for a Horse. This famous Richard III phrase, used to underscore how the presence or absence of little things make a real difference, should read “my democracy for a leader.”
The leadership quotient that brought the DLP to power and led Barbados upwards and onward time and time again, is now severely lacking.
A capable leader needs to have the wisdom to devise a plan, the consideration to listen to others, the courage to make tough decisions, and the confidence to stand alone. Often, they aren’t born, but forged through pressure and effort. My Kingdom for a Horse.
This weekend, as members of the DLP prepare for the undercard election event at George Street Auditorium, urgent action is required for the main-event to take place shortly in St. George North.
The recent vacating of this parliamentary seat demands that the DLP not only find a leader, more importantly mount a credible platform for the impending by-election.
Despite the likely outcome of the constituency poll, the DLP needs to come up with a strategy to engage this microcosm of what in 2018 was an unprecedented national constituency vote.
To have any modicum of success in recovering lost ground, the DLP will need to address widely held notions of failed leadership and a “lost decade”, articulate its aspirations and future vision, bring reconciliation to its badly-bruised base, engage new voters, and ultimately find a candidate able to project all this.
Given the prevailing situation and current leader skirmishes, this may seem daunting. However, in the interest of democracy, I do and we all should wish them well.
If rumour is correct, for the second time in two years an independent senator would have acted in a partisan manner with impunity; such action is constitutionally abhorrent and places our precarious democracy in further jeopardy.
Guy Hewitt is a servant of God and a proud and loyal Bajan.
