Days after becoming the political leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), enabling its return to Parliament, Ralph Thorne has signalled that the party will not be dependent on a government subvention under a law the DLP passed 35 years ago.
This latest development follows his crossover from the ruling Barbados Labour Party to the opposition, followed by his confirmation as the DLP’s political leader on Monday.
In the absence of campaign finance laws in Barbados, Parliament allocated $300 000 to be divided among all parties with a parliamentary presence under the Parliament (Administration) Act of 1989 – passed during the then Erskine Sandiford administration. This would mean the DLP is now entitled to again receive $150 000 a year.
Speaking at the DLP’s the People’s House discussion programme on Wednesday night, the DLP leader declared a shift toward financial self-reliance for the DLP.
“At 69 years old, the party is not going to die for want of a subvention,” he said. “Fundraising will be a necessary thing.
Thorne’s focus on the party’s ability to thrive without government support takes centre stage as the DLP faces the BLP’s two-thirds majority with 29 seats in the House of Assembly.
Despite this numerical mismatch, Thorne remained steadfast in his belief that the DLP could forge its own path.
“I wouldn’t like the members of the party to feel that our lives will end if they don’t give us a subvention. If they don’t give us, they don’t give us. We [still] intend to do what we intend to do,” Thorne said.
Thorne indicated he was drawing inspiration from former US President Barack Obama’s grassroots fundraising strategies, expressing confidence in leveraging the public’s benevolence in similar fashion.
“There is a lot of goodwill out there, and you know how Obama ran his campaign,” he said, hinting at a strategy to connect with voters on a more personal level.
However, Thorne also acknowledged some apprehension over how his move would be perceived by the public, saying that “crossing in Barbados seems to be associated with political trauma”.
But according to him, the influx of positive messages he has received suggested that Barbadians may be more receptive to his decision to switch parties than anticipated. (SM)
