#BTColumn – A call for transparency

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.

by Guy Hewitt 

Some hold that the contest for the presidency of the DLP is an internal matter and as such should be kept in the confines of George Street. I disagree.

The leadership of the DLP is a national issue as we are still seen as the only viable alternative to the BLP and soon expect to be going to the country to ask them for a vote of confidence and the right to manage the affairs of this fair land of ours. As such the leadership of the DLP is a matter of public importance and should attract national attention.

From the inception of my campaign for the presidency of the Democratic Labour Party, I publicly commended our comrade president taking the reins of the party after the catastrophic defeat in 2018. However, I believe at this juncture there is a need for leadership to be able to project a vision and policies to the electorate and mobilise the resources needed to win elections and ultimately form a government.

I expected that the leadership of the Democratic Labour Party would have been true to its name and adhere to principles of democracy and transparency in our elections, but that regrettably has not been the case.

I made a request for a membership list so that I could reach out to those whom I am seeking to lead. That request was ignored. I made a request for a meeting to discuss the procedures for the elections having received reliable reports about highly suspect practices in the presidential election last year. That request was ignored.

Dozens of persons who recently sought to join the DLP, who submitted applications and paid membership fees, were not confirmed and thereby disenfranchised from voting at the Annual Conference. How can we unite behind any leader of the DLP if there is no guarantee that elections will be free and fair?

I have asked that this election abide by a code of conduct, but this has been ignored as persons have attacked me personally and spread disinformation about my purported demand for a particular rural nomination, and those who I believe in a bout of blind loyalty sought to defame me by suggesting I sought to do a deal with them.

I protested this behaviour but got no meaningful response from the current leadership of the DLP. However, I tell those supporting me, when they go low, we must go high. It doesn’t always happen, but this must be the standard.

I abide by due process, and don’t want to be treated as if I’m special but all of us deserve consideration. I was disappointed after bringing more energy and focus to the DLP in the past three months than we have seen in the past three years, not to have been given any consideration for the Christ Church East Central constituency.

Someone recently opined that candidates are not being selected solely on their ability to win a constituency but significantly on their loyalty to the current leadership. I must say I am now more inclined to believe that to be true.Most recently, an anonymous message has been circulating within the DLP but whose writing style is familiar to many. It asks if I can raise money why don’t I give it to the DLP. My answer to that is simple, that is my intention.

I stated publicly my commitment to raising $250,000 in 100 days for candidates, that is where we must invest as a political organisation. I am not focused on raising money to pay land tax or a water bill or a light bill or for rewiring.

This is a political organisation not a social club and as such our focus must be on winning seats and money raised must be focused towards making this party a viable alternative to govern at the next general election. Moreover, the question shouldn’t be about how I raise funds or what I do with them but why can’t others attract funding to the DLP.

There is a saying in sales that if you can’t sell a product, it may not be that the product is wrong, but it may be that the wrong person is trying to sell it. Members of the DLP and country have convinced me that I’m the right guy to do the job. But what I found most offensive in the negative assaults on me is that members of the DLP are attacking their comrades: referring to those in my team as “wood ants crawling out” behind me.

Could you imagine any member of an organisation being so twisted and warped in their thinking, so perverted in their politics that they would seek to insult fellow comrades.
I protested this despicable behaviour but got no public condemnation.

How are we able to critique a government and call for transparency and accountability, for decency and fair play, when there are those in the DLP who will not guarantee a transparent internal election process? A major reason why I got into this leadership contest is because I disagreed with a dominant sentiment in the DLP of seeking to become the next official opposition. That is not good enough. We must never accept being anyone’s second choice.

I will not accept it and I encourage members of the DLP not to either. The DLP must strive to be the country’s first choice not second best.

Barbados is DLP country: Errol Walton Barrow, the Father of Independence and the island’s greatest economic and social reformer, created a legacy such that persons only turn away from us as they did when we let them down. We must not let that happen at the next election. We must give

Bajans the confidence to rally behind us again; to rally behind democratic, legitimate and participatory leadership. That is what a reenergised DLP must stand for: democratic, legitimate and participatory leadership.

In the last three month there is new wind in our sails and I offer to the DLP leadership that can take us to victory through the articulation of a credible vision for the future and a road map to peace, progress, and prosperity.

I ask members of the DLP to join me in refining and shaping that winning vision and to journey with me on to a path to victory. May the Lord continue to be the people’s guide.

Guy Hewitt announced his candidature for the leadership of the DLP. He currently lives and works between Barbados and Florida and can be contacted at guyhewitt@gmail.com