United DLP

Ahead of the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) 67th annual general conference this weekend the assurance has been given that all is well within the party.

It has come from member of the planning committee Irene Sandiford-Garner, who said with Dr Ronnie Yearwood having been elected as its president on May 1, the party had come together and was operating in unison.

“There is no leadership race this time because remember we installed a new president in May so that new president will have a tenure of two years. Everything always happens in its time so everything now is coalescing.

“We’ve had the leadership races where you would have had competition and the sort of activity you would have had almost in a general election. You won’t have that this year so yes, we will have a quieter election period. We are coalescing, things are coming together very quietly, but deliberately…everything now is working in consonance,” Garner-Sandiford said.

“That internal restructuring was necessary, everybody knows that but nothing happens before its time. This is the time where we are all coming together and attempting to rebuild without any other distractions.”

Sandiford-Garner said the conference would start on Friday night with a gala, which would see the induction of several new members.

The highlight of Saturday will be the new president’s maiden speech as president at an annual conference along with a presentation by the Senator Clement Marcellin Jr of Dominica’s Opposition United Workers Party.

There will also be a DLP picnic on Sunday at Bath, St John.

Additionally, there will be elections for the posts of General Secretary and 4th vice president on Friday and Saturday.

Speaking about the ceremony at which several members will be inducted, 1st vice-president Steve Blackett said 10 members would be rewarded for their stellar contribution to the party.

“Ever since we lost the government in 2018 the party has not been receiving the subvention from central Government and therefore, we have had to rely on our membership, on the philanthropy of our membership and the volunteerism of our membership and we thought that in this special awards we would single out 10 of our deserving members who would have risen to the cause and we are calling this the Above and Beyond awards,” Blackett explained.

randybennett@barbadostoday.bb