Two frontrunners emerge in pundit’s view of BLP contest

With the next general election due in three years, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) may be facing a two-person battle to determine who contests the Christ Church South constituency, according to political scientist Dr Kristina Hinds. And name recognition and past service to the party have emerged as likely key indicators of the winning candidate’s success.

Four prospective candidates have put their names forward: Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, Kurt Haynes, Janal Browne and Rommel Parris.

But Dr Hinds, the head of University of the West Indies Cave Hill’s Department of Government, sees Senator Munro-Knight, a minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, and Haynes, a top party official, as the frontrunners for the nomination.

She acknowledged that she is unfamiliar with Browne and Parris, despite accepting they may be hard workers with useful and worthwhile histories within the BLP.

“Within the branch, I do not know of the internal dynamics. I don’t know of Jamal Browne or Rommel Parris,” she said.

Dr Hinds, a former independent senator, recalled reports that Senator Munro-Knight had been canvassing in the constituency which she strongly denied. “Be that as it may, she is known, and she has some experience. So, the question is whether the branch finds favour with him. This is a decision that needs to be taken at the branch level,”  Dr Hinds told Barbados TODAY.

“For Kurt Haynes, he also has some experience. He was assistant to the Opposition Leader when the Barbados Labour Party was in opposition, and he has functioned as Minister [of Health] Jerome Walcott’s assistant, to my knowledge, since 2018, first, in [the Ministry of] Foreign Affairs and subsequently or at present in the Ministry of Health.”

The political scientist added that both Senator Munro-Knight and Haynes appear to have strong party support, making the constituency’s decision a tough one.

“It would really then be up to the constituency to decide since both of these are quite strong, and the fact that Minister of State Senator Shantal Munro-Knight has been selected to that position shows that she has the support of the party behind her,” the political scientist said.

Haynes, a BLP vice chairman, seemed to be “a strong prospect” who has climbed the ranks and worked “quite hard” with the party, having won that post by beating Minister Marsha Caddle in 2022, Dr Hinds noted.

“The roles that Kurt Haynes has played shows also he has quite a bit of party support behind him. So, it is to be seen.”

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb