Get your house in order, Wickham urges Dems’ seniors

Political scientist Peter Wickham has urged the ‘old guard’ and executive arm of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to bring a swift end to party in-fighting if the political organisation is to mount an effective challenge to the current administration in a future general election.  

Wickham expressed this view to Barbados TODAY in response to the first public statement made by Dr Ronnie Yearwood, the DLP’s suspended president, since internal party strife started to spill over into the public sphere and subsequently led to the High Court issuing an interim ruling on the matter last week.

A general election is constitutionally due in January 2027.

In a post headlined ‘Gratitude and Commitment’, Yeawood characterised the last five months as a time of reflection for him as DLP leader and as a turbulent moment for the party in a statement he issued on social media.

He added: “Barbados and the DLP are at a crossroads, facing a choice of direction. As the DLP reflects the nation’s struggles, we both strive for renewal and a redefined purpose. The time has come for a new chapter, where innovation drives our economy, education empowers every Bajan, and our heritage is safeguarded with pride.

“In the journey of life and leadership, it’s the youth, armed with knowledge and fresh ideas, who are the catalysts for growth and rebirth. They are the ones who will adapt and shape our nation, preparing us for the future. This natural progression is the essence of life.”

But Wickham was not impressed.

He said: “If one reads between the lines, with some difficulty, it’s fairly clear that he is trying to suggest that he represents the future of the Democratic Labour Party, and there is an attempt to usurp his role by the old guard, and he is saying that when his time comes to become the old guard, he will go gracefully. To me, it’s that though there is an elephant in the room, what exactly is going on in terms of their negotiation behind the scenes, [and] are they coming to a place where they agree?

“My feeling is that Ronnie is the future of the Democratic Labour Party, and the DLP has had a president and a
political leader before, and it worked. They went into an election in which they did not win, but they actually achieved more seats with a president and political leader that were two different people – 2003 election; what is the big deal now, what exactly is Ronnie trying to hold on to? I think that if he is going to say anything, I prefer for him to say what is his intention and what is he trying to hold onto. Ultimately, the DLP has to make some serious decisions in terms of the way forward.”

The political scientist highlighted that the party’s internal division was taking attention away from the important issues that needed to be resolved, specifically the choice of strong candidates to go up against the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in the next general election.

“It’s almost an open secret that there are members on the BLP side who probably did not want to run in the last election, that might want to relieve themselves of the office early. They saw it, in terms of Gline Clarke, that [Prime Minister] Mia [Mottley] does have the capacity if she feels so inclined to make changes midstream…. 

“If she drops a by-election in them now, what are they going to do? They don’t have a single candidate and that is my main criticism of Ronnie Yearwood. After [all of this time] of him being in office for the Democratic Labour Party, they have not nominated a single candidate. Which means they are woefully unprepared; they are spending their time attacking Mia believing that is achieving something, when in the final analysis what they need to do is put some candidates in place so that people would see what they have to offer.”

He further stated that though the Dems’ political leader, Ralph Thorne, may have expressed interest in fostering party unity going forward, all players involved in the current impasse must sit at the table and understand what is at stake.

The regional pollster said: “How do you sit down and plan party unity, how do you assume your role as the political leader of a party where the executive response to you is that you should be removed by way of a vote of no confidence? That is the challenge. I understand what he wants to do but he can’t clap with one hand, and he needs the cooperation of the others to be able to get this done.

“Realistically, Ralph must also understand that for him, this is essentially a last stand, [and] if Ralph does not deliver a government in five years, if he is political leader he is toast. I think he understands that. If he understands the reality that somebody else is likely to lead the DLP into government in the future, [and] Ronnie understands that reality, what exactly is the problem?” 

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb