DLP to launch by-election campaign this weekend

Vowing not to be restricted by the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has announced that its mass political meetings will be carried live on social media, starting this weekend.

The promise comes ahead of a “mega” weekend of activities starting on Friday to officially launch the campaign of the party’s St George North by-election candidate Floyd Reifer.

Reifer’s campaign manager George Pilgrim told Barbados TODAY that activities will include a “shop crawl” on Friday followed by a tour of the constituency on Saturday and a motorcade.

The events will culminate with a massive gospel concert at the Glebe, St George, along with a featured address delivered by Reifer.

“We understand what is happening, so our meetings will be streamed live….  The party intends to ensure that those who fear coming out would have access to our meetings and activities,” Pilgrim said.

The ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has already hosted a number of mass meetings featuring the party’s candidate, Senator Toni Moore, that have also been streamed at a high standard. It follows on from a 2018 victorious election campaign in which virtual access to most political meetings was readily available.

Meanwhile, Pilgrim revealed that the theme and tone of this weekend’s activities are intended to provide hope for the “burdened” communities in the rural constituency.

“What the candidate is reporting to the team is that the constituents are burdened. The feedback coming to [Floyd Reifer] is that the youth are looking for opportunities. There seems to be an almost sterile environment in St George North and his intervention is a clear act of fortitude because people are looking for someone like Floyd,” Pilgrim explained.

“So the weekend activity really reflects what is coming out of the canvas, and that is that people are looking for hope and the period of unemployment and crime that has struck many people is real,” the campaign manager added. (KS)