One of the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) newest members firmly believes that party has a good chance of defeating the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in the next general elections constitutionally due in 2023.
Paul Gibson, who last week resigned from the People’s Party for Democracy and Development (PdP), is of the view that the DLP is a feasible alternative for Barbadians and suggests smaller parties unite with the party which formed the previous Government.
“The DLP is a good party that is more than capable of running the country and being the suitable alternative for the future. We have the experience and if you look at what’s happening right now, all the major initiatives, the Dos Los Santos Lab, the Hyatt Ziva, any significant project that the Government is looking at was actually initiated by the DLP,” Gibson told Barbados TODAY in an interview.
“There are many initiatives that are being used by the current Government that were initiatives of the DLP. The DLP does add value to Barbados.”
In explaining his reason for leaving Reverend Joseph Atherley and the PdP, Gibson said the newer parties were not gaining traction with Barbadians.
The pharmacist, who contested the 2018 general elections as a Solutions Barbados candidate for St Michael South, received 104 votes.
And with the majority of the DLP candidates from the 2018 general election having expressed no desire to run again, Gibson said he was willing to help the party through its rebuilding process.
“Having gone through a general election and having gone through the St George North by-election, I realized from that experience that there was an issue with Barbadians getting into their psyche the smaller, newer parties and at this time and season they were not ready for new parties.
“And so with that thinking and that understanding I made the decision to assist in the rebuilding of the DLP, so I’ve gone home pretty much,” Gibson said.
Gibson called for all of the smaller parties to unite with the DLP in order to present voters with a much stronger alternative.
“Everybody should pretty much line up behind the DLP to ensure that this very good party with so many different people, that has so much to offer, begins to prepare for generations to come and have an impact on generations to come. I am thinking that this is the logical thing because it is a mass-based party. There are doctors, there are pharmacists, there are nurses, prison officers, teachers, police officers and large groups that have a voice in this country and the DLP is really the party that should articulate the issues surrounding these large groups of workers,” Gibson maintained. (RB)
