Democratic Labour Party (DLP) president Verla De Peiza could face at least one more challenge for leadership ahead of the next general election.
Barbados TODAY has been reliably informed of a developing plot to present Richard Sealy, a former member of parliament and minister of tourism, as the leader of the party.
Well-placed sources have also confirmed that 13 of the DLP’s 24 publicly declared election candidates are supporting the move.
When asked to comment on the development, De Peiza said: “This is better addressed by your source.”
Meanwhile, Sealy, who served in consecutive cabinets of the late David Thompson and Freundel Stuart administrations, has not provided a direct answer.
“I’m driving at the moment. I will talk back with you. Call me back at 1 o’clock,” he told this newspaper on Friday morning. However, multiple efforts to reach him between 1 p.m. and the time of publication have been unsuccessful.
But sources say that on December 3rd, hours before De Peiza introduced them to the country, the 13 candidates were meeting at an establishment in Yearwood Road, Black Rock, St Michael to discuss numerous pressing issues. The establishment is owned by attorney-at-law, Curtis Cave, a former president of the Young Democrats, who is the DLP’s candidate for St Michael West Central.
Whilst there is general satisfaction with the president’s internal management of the organisation, the sources say there are serious concerns about her national appeal.
“The main concern is that she is not resonating with Barbadians. That is the number one thing, meaning that Barbadians just don’t see her as an alternative leader. Can we secure victory with her at the helm? Those are the main questions,” the source explained.
Months ago, De Peiza overcame a strong challenge to the presidency from Barbados’ former U.K ambassador, the Reverend Guy Hewitt, paving the way for her to move forward as party leader with a clear mandate.
And while the candidates are generally still satisfied that the St Lucy candidate was still the better choice, they now believe that Sealy should be presented as the face of the party.
“We would be going into the election with Sealy as the political leader, although De Peiza remains the president. So you would no longer see the president bringing down the curtains on political meetings when the political leader is there. You would be rallying around the political leader as opposed to the president,” said the source.
“For this to happen, the candidates would have to choose a ‘first among equals’ where the candidate chooses this person as our political leader. This could also be approved by the executive and general council of the party, which are the two decision-making bodies of the party,” the official added.
The drama is unfolding mere weeks after political scientist Dr George Belle warned that De Peiza needed to strengthen her appeal as a political leader.
“There is an underlying challenge to her with the re-appearance of Mr Sealy, because Mr Sealy has a deeper standing as a potential leader of the DLP than she would have and some of the said people that would support her are also supporters of Mr Sealy,” said Dr Belle.
“So that is where that could be problematic in relation to the consolidation of the leadership of the Democratic Labour Party, but in every case, that has to be achieved by victory. In other words, if you don’t have a seat, you are not a leader that can have any gravitas and that is where that problem is present,” the former university lecturer concluded.
De Peiza, an attorney, is a former president of the Young Democrats and has held numerous positions on the DLP’s St James North branch. Though never holding a seat in the Lower House of Parliament, the current president served as assistant general secretary and in 2012, was appointed a government senator.
On the other hand, Sealy, a civil engineer, threw his hat into the political ring in 1991, speaking on Young Democrat platforms and serving as president from 1995 to 1997. Sealy has also served as vice president of the political party. In 2003 he won the St Michael South Central constituency after losing in 1999 and held it continuously until 2018 when the Dems were ousted.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb
