#BTColumn – No democracy in DLP?

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by Comrade Lloyd Taylor

It has been well over two months since I wrote this newspaper expressing my support and consideration of Mr. Guy Hewitt for President of the Democratic Labour Party and that position I am pleased to say has not wavered despite some of the muck I see and hear in the media about the young man.

When I proposed Mr. Hewitt for President I did so out of a love for democracy and to see the Democratic Labour Party return to some measure of relevance for the voice of the working class of which we so desperately need these days.

I never in my wildest imagination would have expected that his own party after suffering a massive 30-0 defeat at the last General Elections would use the very tactics they accused the Barbados Labour Party to derail them; on their own.

Mr. Hewitt based on his comments and published articles cannot even see a membership list of the party, nor has been provided with a clear explanation of the election procedures at the upcoming annual conference.

This echoes the comments and concerns made by last year’s presidential hopeful George Pilgrim whose team encountered the same problems and also questioned the counting of the ballots. Again there was no clear explanation of who these vote counters were and why the same persons who issued the ballots remained in the room with the ballot boxes during the election process and seemingly at the count.

What is amazing about this travesty is that all of them were at the time known supporters of Ms. Depieza. Hewitt also alleged that “dozens of people who submitted applications” to join the DLP and paid membership fees were “disenfranchised because they are not being allowed to vote at the

annual conference.
This one baffles me as I would think that a party struggling to rebuild itself after a massive defeat would do all in its power to recruit new members whether they be supporters of Mr. Hewitt or Ms.

Depieza. I have not heard Ms. Depieza or the DLP General Secretary refute these claims which is also worrying.

While I hope Mr. Hewitt is successful in his bid I wonder at what cost as the loyalist to Ms. Depieza seem intent on rushing through inept and unworthy candidates to challenge Ms. Mottley and her team at the next General Elections.

I mean when you analyse some of these persons named as DLP candidates you can safely predict another 30-0 red wash against what I believe is the poorest cabinet in the history of Barbados at present. Funny thing about life Ms. Depieza is that you sometimes get what you ask for and if you and your minions continue to operate with your questionable tactics, you will be handed another crushing defeat at the polls.

This I assure you.