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by Ralph Jemmott
Politics is defined as “the management of human affairs.” I think it was George Gordon, Lord Byron, who famously said that, “the best politics is no politics.” But human society is complex and it has to be managed. This is true whether we are talking about the small Greek City-State or a modern post-industrial polity.
It is easy to be cynical about party politics, whether we are referring to the Conservatives and Labour in Britain, the Democrats and Republicans in the US or the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party in our own Barbados. But Party politics has been and remains a central feature of Western democracy.
It gives the electorate a choice even where there is no significant, consequential difference in party ideology or socio-economic outcomes. It would be catastrophic for Barbados to ever become a one-party state. Historically, the peaceful transfer of governments and observably free and fair elections have been hallowed trademarks of the efficacy of Barbadian governance. The system is not perfect, but as they say, let not the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Just before the 2018 elections, Education Minister Mr. Ronald Jones stated that Barbados needed the Democratic Labour Party more than ever. The people replied resoundingly, ‘Hell No!’ The 30-0 defeat not only crushed the party, but cast a shadow on those who as members of that organisation, had managed the affairs of government over the past ten years. Perhaps more significantly the defeat threatened the two party system as the DLP had no representation in the House of Assembly.
Even when he was at his best, I was not an admirer of Errol Walton Barrow, because I grew up an admirer of Grantley Herbert Adams. My first memory of politics is recovering and handing to my father a BLP pamphlet marked Orrie Bryan and Mencea Cox which someone had thrown through our front-window.
They were the Party’s contestants for the double member constituency of which Lower Bank Hall was a part. Like many of that time, my father admired Grantley Adams and so did I, for as he explained Adams was “fighting for the workers”, including those working at William Fogerty Ltd.
I have come to accept that Errol Barrow was a great leader and that the DLP under Errol Barrow was a great political organisation. Since his passing in June 1987 that party has never been the same and has not produced a leader comparable to the great man.
Two aspects of his life now endears me to Mr. Barrow, one is his commitment to Education, an area in which the DLP has an extremely remarkable record. The other is Mr. Barrow’s reaffirmation of the moral positivity and perdurance of Barbados’ democratic political culture. In 1976 he refused to accept the exhortation of malevolent elements in the DLP to reject the transfer of power to the Tom Adams-led BLP which had won the poll of that year.
Given its sterling record, it would be a pity if the Democratic Labour Party vanished from Barbados’ political landscape and it would be disastrous not to have a viable opposition to the ruling BLP. As Lord Acton observed, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” However, the DLP cannot live off of its past record.
The repetitious calling on Barrow’s name will not suffice. What is needed is a refreshed vision of a refreshed leadership and refreshed membership. Enter the Reverend Guy Hewitt and Ms. Verla DePeiza fighting to revive the DLP. It is an uphill struggle, given the scope of the party’s 2018 defeat, the discredited reputation of some in the party’s old guard and the combative energy, charisma and political acumen of the BLP’s Mia Amor Mottley.
Mr. Hewitt has announced his intention to challenge Ms. De Peiza for the presidency of The DLP when elections are held in August. The announcement has come rather suddenly. Articulate and forceful the Anglican cleric has emerged as one of the government’s more vocal critics. A few weeks earlier he had asserted his reluctance to assume leadership and had even declared that he lacked “the psyche of the politician”.
One does not question the sincerity of Hewitt’s patriotism or, as a man of the cloth, his concern for what he calls “the soul of Barbados”. Most Barbadians have serious concerns about the wellbeing of the country. Similarly one does not question his genuine desire to revive a once great political force.
He is clearly unhappy with what he sees as De Peiza’s failure or inability to take on the Mottley team with the zest he feels is required.
In fact he promises to be the Government’s “first nightmare”, and is not contented with simply winning one or two or three seats at the next poll. Most Barbadians would welcome the return of a DLP presence in the Barbados parliament.
I like Hewitt, would like to see Verla De Peiza take a seat in House of Assembly. However, there is little chance of the party doing as well as Hewitt would wish. For that to happen the DLP would have to be ‘election ready’. Similarly it does not appear to be attracting candidates of quality to its ranks. The would-be DLP president hints at another disadvantage when he notes that the party is paying off debts incurred in the St. George North bye election, where would it secure the finances to fight an election in two or less years?
For a person who lacks the psyche of the politician, Guy Hewitt certainly assumes the role rather well. This has led him to make some alarming claims. One such is that the BLP has neglected education. This as Dan Carter has pointed out is a ridiculous assertion.
Although the DLP has been at the centre of much of this country post-1961 schooling initiatives, education is one area that reflects continuous bi-partisan advancement. A review of the figures would show that both parties, BLP and DLP, have historically allocated very much the same proportion of revenues to public education.
Hewitt is critical of the BLP‘s performance over the past three years. No objective assessment of that performance can ignore two realities. One is the party’s inheritance on assuming office in 2018 and secondly, the damage incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. But Mr. Hewitt, having thrown his mitre into the ring, is now first and foremost a politician.
One important question emerged from his Monday 21 June chat with David Ellis. If he fails to win the August election for the presidency of the Democratic Labour Party, is he prepared to stick around and fight the good fight for the soul of the country? Leadership of the kind he seems to imagine, is for the committed and for those prepared to endure to the end.
Ralph Jemmott is a respected retired educator.
