DLP infighting prompts Hewitt’s unity call

Unsettled by the bitter division in the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Reverend Guy Hewitt, who contested the top leadership post in 2021, wants the party to get its house in order – and fast.

“The fact that public debate is on leadership in the DLP and not the leadership of Barbados is a serious blow to democracy in Barbados and the public perception of the DLP,” he told Barbados TODAY, declaring that he is not taking any side in the dispute.

The DLP is embroiled in an internal dispute, with veteran member Hartley Reid filing a no confidence motion calling for the removal of general secretary Steve Blackett and president Dr Ronnie Yearwood, and Blackett following that up this past weekend with a resolution for the expulsion of newly installed DLP political leader Ralph Thorne while endorsing
Dr Yearwood to lead the party.

Reverend Hewitt, who lost the 2021 leadership contest to Verla DePeiza, said he believes the DLP president and Thorne both have valuable contributions to make to the party.

“I am reminded of Errol Walton Barrow’s comments…that ‘two boar rats can’t live in one hole’ but that need not be the case among committed leaders,” declared the former diplomat who is based in London where he is an advocate on racial justice and inclusion issues.

He contended there is no reason to exclude Thorne, who left the ruling Barbados Labour Party, as long as he adheres to the party’s philosophy and principles.

“All Barbadians and residents should be welcomed in the DLP,” Hewitt said, recalling a prominent White Barbadian, Douglas Lynch, becoming a DLP member as an act of inclusion.

“[I] recall that Douglas Lynch, who went on to become chairman of BS&T [the former Barbados Shipping and Trading], was the first joining member. A political party by nature is mass-based and should never seek to exclude any voter. That was a deliberate act by Errol Barrow that actually caused some to leave the DLP.”

Emphasising the need for unity, Hewitt referred to a letter he wrote to senior party members, including Dr Yearwood, Richard Sealy, Dr David Estwick and Ryan Walters last August that urged his comrades to “look beyond self, beyond George Street, and beyond the DLP and find strength in unity”.

“I have come to appreciate that often the battle of life is an uphill fight and that victory is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the courage to persevere against overwhelming odds,” he said.

“The most effective leaders that I know have been those who have known defeat, suffering, and struggle, and have found their way up from those depths.”

He encouraged party members to “keep faith and find the means of combining your energies, for I believe that conscientious people who work hard get their rewards. There will be struggles at times but in the end, if you stick together and to a true path, you will prevail.”

Reverend Hewitt also insisted the DLP needs someone with political acumen who has “a commitment to Barbados, leadership competence, integrity, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to unite what seems to be a clearly fragmented party” to defend democracy.

Hewitt, who declared that he was a lifelong supporter of the DLP, said he was prepared to do what he could to bring about the stability needed. He also urged party “elders” to provide guidance.

“There is a need for elders – those senior members of the party with parliamentary and leadership experience – to come together and support the current leaders and aspiring parliamentary representatives to appreciate that politics must transcend personal ambitions and be rooted in unity, duty, sacrifice, and the national good.”

Dr Yearwood has not yet directly addressed the current turmoil. But, in a statement last week, he reaffirmed his commitment to “rebuilding and rebranding” the party.

In interviews with Barbados TODAY, political analysts have noted that while internal conflicts are not uncommon in political parties, a protracted public feud could further erode the DLP’s electoral fortunes ahead of the next poll, constitutionally set for 2027. The experts warned that the DLP risks being seen as a house divided against itself should the rift at the top persist.

sandydeane@barbadostoday.bb