#BTColumn – Create a new DLP

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Chris de Caires

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has suffered two consecutive devastating defeats at the general elections in 2018 and 2022. This has relegated the party into the shadows of the political arena and has put tremendous strain on its organisational resources.

The organisational structure that lies behind each political party is extremely important. After all, once elected to govern, it will become the foundation that manages the entire country.

Both of our major political parties have complex structures that ranges from the national committee that oversees everything to an army of volunteers that make up the boots on the ground.

In the world of business, a company that loses its appeal to customers will either be reorganised, or it will go under. The same applies to a political party, except that the consequences of the DLP going under will have a huge impact on democracy in Barbados.

The complex structure required to create and maintain a political party makes it prohibitive for new parties to be established. This is borne out by the lack of success from numerous new parties that have been created over the years. It is therefore unlikely that a new party would be developed very easily to replace the void created from the loss of the DLP.

“Change is difficult but not changing is fatal”. The current DLP executive team should be conscious of the need for change at this time. It will need the courage to make the significant changes necessary to disrupt the status quo that underlies the current predicament of the party.

It is highly unlikely that all the existing members of the executive team will be relevant for the future. Ironically, they are the ones that control the decisions that must now be made.

Their legacy will be the creation of a new DLP that makes a difference to Barbadians in the future. In this case, access to external advice is essential to create a new approach and avoid being stuck in the past.

There appears to be strong support for the DLP across the island. This, no doubt, reflects acknowledgement of the party’s major contribution to our national development over the years.

It may also reflect the desire to retain an important “other half” to our two-party political system. The end result is that the DLP is an important institution to Barbados and we will all benefit from its resurgence. Long live the King.