Stuart critiques govt, urges party to refocus on ‘human’ development

Former Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has thrown his weight behind Ralph Thorne, the political leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), in a rallying call for party unity and a return to core values.

Speaking at a DLP St Michael South East Branch meeting at the Parkinson Memorial School on Sunday, Stuart praised Thorne’s character and leadership qualities, urging party members to support him as the DLP seeks to rebuild after crushing, back-to-back defeats at the polls.

“Ralph has the character, the capacity and the courage,” Stuart declared. “Those three Cs: character, capacity, and courage. And to be not only the political leader of the Democratic Labour Party but whatever else flows from that.”

Stuart, prime minister from 2010 to 2018, recounted his long-standing friendship with Thorne, which began during their time together as law students at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in 1982. He praised Thorne’s integrity: “All the years I’ve known him, in Ralph Anthony Thorne, I’ve never found any guile.”

The former prime minister’s endorsement comes at a crucial time for the DLP, which has faced internal strife and electoral defeat. Stuart lost re-election in 2018, losing all 30 parliamentary seats in the Dems’ worst-ever election defeat, followed by another complete shut-out from Parliament in the 2022 poll. Stuart emphasised the need for unity, saying: “I hope that coming out of meetings like this . . . we’ll get past the old childish and silly personal debates and get around to dealing with the real version of ourselves.”

Stuart criticised those within the party who he believes have disregarded the DLP’s constitution and rules. 

“Nobody can cherry-pick the rules in the Democratic Labour Party’s constitution — the ones that they are going to obey, the ones by which they feel bound, and the ones that they can reject,” he asserted.

The speech also touched on broader policy issues, with Stuart contrasting the DLP’s approach to governance with that of the current administration. He argued that the DLP has always focused on “smaller and more personal and more human projects in Barbados,” such as building schools, which benefit every household “either directly or indirectly”.

Stuart criticised what he perceives as the current government’s focus on large-scale projects that do not benefit the average Barbadian.

“Our priorities are human and personal,” he stated. “Our concept of development is personal and human—social and economic in quantity, but personal and human in quality.”

Acting DLP President Pedro Shepherd and Political Leader Ralph Thorne.

The lawyer and former prime minister expressed confidence in Thorne’s ability to lead the DLP back to prominence, not just in Barbados but across the Caribbean. He urged party members to reject “misleading narratives” that have undermined the party’s confidence and to focus on the serious work ahead.

“Politics is about power and the use of that power to lift people up,” Stuart declared.

Stuart’s address highlighted the DLP’s duty to its supporters, even in the face of recent challenges.

“If one person voted for us in 2022 – one person – we owe that person a duty for sticking their neck out and standing with us in a difficult situation,” he said.

He argued that the DLP’s approach has always been about using political power to uplift the disadvantaged, contrasting this with what he sees as the current administration’s focus on benefiting the elite.

“The presence of the Democratic Labour Party has been felt not only here in Barbados but across the Caribbean as well. And we have a lot to be proud of in that regard,” Stuart said.

He repeatedly returned to the theme of unity and the need for the DLP to move past what he termed the “pettiness and childishness” that have plagued it in recent years. He urged the party to focus on the serious work that lies ahead, stressing that the DLP’s success has always been built on its commitment to improving the lives of Barbadians.

Stuart issued a call to action, urging DLP members to rally behind Thorne and embrace what he called “a real version of ourselves, and I shared it or attempted to share it with you here this evening under the P’s. And the time has come for us to turn the corner now.” (RG)