The blogmaster read Nation newspaper Barry Alleyne’s report De Peiza sticking with the process and was finally convinced the raison d’être the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) continues to go about a methodical candidate selection process. The system of governance and politics practised in Barbados makes it the business if ALL Barbadians to want a strong political Opposition. Say what we will about the need for a third party movement the DLP is the only current credible option in our political orbit.

The article reminded Barbadians that the DLP is sticking with a vetting process that sees ALL members of the party being “eligible to apply and all are subject to the same vetting process – no exceptions, not even for me” [Verla]. To date the DLP has announced only three candidates to run in the upcoming general election constitutionally due in 2023 – Verla De Peiza, Andre Worrell and Ryan Walters. Political pundits agree the DLP will not win the next general election and the leadership of that party is correctly playing a long game, that is; taking the necessary steps, now, to set yourself up for long-term success.

Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the UK is quoted that a week is a long time in politics. There are two years to go until 2023 if Prime Minister Mottley goes the full distance. President Verla De Peiza and the DLP has a rapidly closing window to line up the political ducks and allow sufficient time for those candidates with a legitimate chance of winning to deploy effective ground strategies. The raging pandemic will not help.

It should be obvious the biggest campaign issue in the next election will be the economy and jobs. By the time the bell is rung public transportation, garbage collection and water challenges in the North will be non issues. Coincidentally Chairman of the SSA reported yesterday the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) and the waste management arm of Barbadian company Innotech Services Limited will be implementing a ten-month project to change how garbage is collected and processed in Barbados.

For too long the blogmaster has been commenting about the lack of a credible DLP spokesperson on financial matters. The best research indicates President of the DLP Verla De Peiza is the ‘shadow minister’ of finance. This is a key area the DLP as it prepares for the next election will have to address. There is a reason the label Lost Decade has stuck to the DLP. It is widely accepted by the public the last DLP administration badly mismanaged the economy and for this reason former Minister of Finance Christopher Sinckler seems to be reluctant to show his face in public with any frequency.

This brings us to the other point to note in the Barry Alleyne article. David Estwick, Stephen Lashley and Dennis Lowe appear to be more than mildly interested in returning to the political fray. The blogmaster has commented many times were those candidates to be selected it will be a mistake. It would open the floodgates for the BLP to rehash 2018 talking points.

In the last thirty six hours the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) had reason to retract a declaration of some candidates to contest the next general election. With the election constitutionally due by 2023 political pundits have suggested the DLP should have completed the task by now. We understand President Verla De Peiza’s explanation that the selection of candidates is involved and requires time to ensure a task is well done. That said, a learning entity will transform as required to ensure adaptability in the space in which it has to successfully operate. The sloth and deliberate way the DLP continues to operate mirrors former prime minister Fruendel Stuart as leader and continues to haunt the DLP.

The importance of a strident dissenting voice in the type of democracy practiced by Barbados has been robustly discussed on BU’s pages. Whether some like it or not the DLP despite the shellacking in the 2018 general election is still perceived as the legitimate political opposition. Although Senator Caswell Franklyn has done his darnest to fill the role, the political party he represents does not have the legitimacy to be perceived as a legit political contender. in fact savvy political pundits accept that the creation of the People’s Development Party was contrived to avoid a constitutional crisis. History is expectant with revelations.

The challenge for the DLP will be making an impact during a pandemic where candidates making themselves known through traditional methods have to be curtailed. Accept that the effect of COVID 19 will be with us best case for the balance of the year. More importantly is the opportunity for new candidates to get comfortable in the role. It is not good enough Barbadians continue to elect governments by ‘default’. We need our governments in waiting to be forced to advocate alternative and relevant programs designed to catapult the country’s economic and social development.

The list of candidates hurriedly withdrawn by the DLP revealed an unhealthy sighting of old candidates. Some of the old names triggered a flood of bad memories in the mind of the blogmaster who understands it is more about winning for political parties, not trying to satisfy political utopianists.

It boggles the mind that a government after being given an overwhelming mandate in 2018 whose first task was to administer a ‘’haircut’ to domestic and foreign bond holders – followed by a few missteps managing the pandemic has not created the opportunity for opposition politics to thrive. Instead we have witnessed one of the most lackluster performances by the political opposition as far as the blogmaster is concerned since 2018. The BLP and specifically Prime Minister Mottley continues to suck the energy from the Barbados political landscape. So much so that if a general election were to be called tomorrow a solid prediction would be another BLP victory albeit with a reduced majority.

It is important Barbadians elevate our level of awareness about civics matters to appreciate the importance of pressuring political parties to transform. Delivering public service must be accepted as serious business, a sacred honour. So far the DLP as the only game in town has done nothing post 2018 to justify the label of government in waiting.

The following is an extract from what is being circulated:

The nominated are as follows:

St. Lucy        Verla De Peiza
St. Andrew   Oldwin Skeete
St. Joseph     Randall Rouse
St. John         Andre Worrell
St. Thomas   Khadija Collymore
SJN                 Charles Worrell
SPN                Michael Lashley
SPW               Dr David Estwick
SPS                 Neil Marshall
CCE                Dr Denis Lowe
SMNW           Ryan Walters
SMWC           Curtis Cave
SMN              B. Ricardo Harrison

Submitted by Ziggy Greene

Voter annihilation
The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) was wiped out in the 2018 general elections in Barbados. It lost all 30 seats that constitute the House of Assembly. So devastating was the defeat that the DLP won only one or two of individual constituency voting boxes. Previous strongholds of St John and St Lucy were swept away like coastal lands in a tsunami. Many pundits, political and otherwise, have prophesied, more in hope than serious thought, that the DLP is now dead and defunct. It is deceased they declare; it cannot rise again. Good riddance to bad rubbish was how one Barbados Labour Party supporter, a friend, framed it.

And so it seems after the election if one drove along George Street, Belleville, the headquarters of the DLP affected a forlorn and shabby appearance, a reflection of the state of the party. For weeks nothing was heard from former Cabinet Members. Not even from the former PM Freundel Stuart; he remained as silent after the loss as he had been during his leadership.

The show must go on
Nevertheless after sometime, an election for party leadership was held. It pitted Guy Hewitt, former UK High Commissioner from 2014-2018 against Verla De Peiza, a previous unsuccessful candidate for the party. Hewitt represented a break from the past and De Peiza a continuation thereof albeit one who was never in government. Without going into the reasons why, De Peiza won.

Can DePeiza make the DLP viable again?
That is question on the lips of party faithful and Barbadians who want to see a robust opposition. After two years in the leadership role it is difficult to tell if the question has been answered. What comes out of George Street is an amalgam of worn out political utterances and defensive statements that give no clue to the personal political underpinnings of Miss De Peiza or what a DLP Administration under her leadership would portend. There is no inkling on where she stands on the pressing issues that plagued Barbados, whether it is crime, social or economic concerns.

Every party suffers defeat
At some point a party will lose an election. At some point the political philosophies of a party will clash with the wishes of voters. Between 1932 and 1952 during and after the great depression, and the Second World War Americans favoured the Democratic Party for its social policies. Between 1980 and 1992 the Democratic Party was in opposition to the Republicans in presidential elections when Americans opted for the conservative policies of Ronald Reagan. At home, the DLP won 24-3 over the BLP in 1986. In 1999 the BLP defeated the DLP 26- 2 and in 2018 30-0.

It ought to be pointed that the Democratic Party in the US began life as a conservative party and the Republicans as more liberal per the America definitions of those terms. They flipped ideologies around the 1970s although it can be argued that the change started around 1932 when FDR instituted social and welfare reforms to combat the great depression. In Barbados, there is no defined political ideological demarcation between the DLP and the BLP. Demonstrably, political parties form and reform or reinvent themselves according to the philosophies of their leaders and members, and the voting tendencies of the public.

The DLP Party must reform
Without doubt it must. But how is that to be achieved? My advice would be to first apologise to the citizens of Barbados and to DLP members if there is a distinction or if such a specific apology is warranted. Sorry for not living up to expectations of those who voted for the DLP, Sorry for besmirching the values and name of Errol Walton Barrow and those who started the Party and carried its banner for many a year, Sorry for the failures of the past 8 or so years. Pledge that it would never be repeated. That would represent a break from the past and signal a new dispensation. One rightfully may argue that it may anger some members not least the old guard from the previous administration and that may be true. I say so what? But an apology is not the end all.

Political reform – a review
Jose Moroni in a 2009 paper about Brazilian politics considered the question of political reform and advanced seven basic but fundamental challenges, that any serious attempt at political reform must overcome.

There are to quote Maroni:-

• Male dominance: Any system of political, economic, industrial, financial, religious or social organization in which the vast majority of the senior positions in the hierarchy are held by men.
• Patrimonialism: Political conduct on the part of dominant elites in the exercise of public government functions whereby public resources (of the State and/or its institutions) are appropriated as if they belonged to these elites.
• Oligarchy: A form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals who are in many cases united by family ties or political connections, and who belong to privileged social classes. Typically, oligarchies tend to be dominated by men and to function in a patrimonialist way.
• Nepotism: The practice of individuals in positions of executive power in the State apparatus granting favours by awarding jobs to their relatives.
• Cronyism: The exchange of favours and mutual preferential treatment by individuals in executive positions in State structures and public services.
• Personality cults: Creating cult status for individuals in the political sphere, which leads to the devaluation of political debate and the de-politicizing of conflicts.
• Corruption: When individuals appropriate or re-allocate public resources for private ends and are able to act with impunity and maintain themselves in power. Another aspect of corruption is that it is a way of usurping the power that rightly belongs to the people.

For ease of reference, Moroni succinctly explains those challenges. To varying degrees and deferring terms, these are comparable issues that plagued Barbados.. Nevertheless this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are other issues like encouraging a more broad-based economy, debt and debt financing, the welfare state, civil service reform, crime, targeted free university education, technical and vocational schools or studies, same sex marriage, school zoning, legal reform, and single sex schools. Coterminously, there is the matter of in- house DLP recalibration surrounding attracting new members, candidate selection restructuring, and maintenance of party headquarters.

Back to Moroni
Addressing the political scene in Brazil, Moroni offers up more incisive guidance for reform, which on examination has exogenous appeal. He advises reformers to-

1. Strengthen direct democracy;
2. Strengthen participative democracy;
3. Improve representative democracy (the electoral system and political parties);
4. Democratize information and communications;
5. Democratize the judicial system

How germane, given what has been trending in Barbados. The President of the Senate recently resigned and has been replaced by a party insider, with no reason given for the particular appointment. The Chief Justice has retired and advertisement for a replacement has been broadcasted. Despite that, critics are confident that a party affiliate is a surety for the post.

And with the recent Throne Speech and the intent of the Government to implement measures towards same sex civil unions and republicanism, there has been some furore over whether Government should proceed unilaterally in the case of becoming a Republic or by way of referendum, as it has for same sex marriage notwithstanding the civil union stop gap.

Such political angst is ubiquitous in democratic forms of government but there are lesson to be learnt here for the DLP. Changes are not easy. They are disruptive and divisive, but they are inevitable.

My Advice to DePeiza
Scrutinize these political reforms posited by Maroni. Juxtapose them against the political landscape of Barbados and your ideals for the DLP. In detail, pen how you would realign the political principles of the DLP taking into account this framework. Promulgate it to the public along with any other reforms that you deem necessary under the circumstances.

Above all, mean it, and demonstrate that you do. We must know where you stand. We must know where you intend to take us and above all we must believe you. You may not win the next election and you may not win any election but you would have propelled the DLP into the future and perhaps ensure its existence.

Verla De Peiza, Leader of the DLP

@David,what rot are you talking? the DLP will be out of govt for at least 10 years. do we really think any person from the last bunch will be around politically at that time? your admonishment is a nonsense under those circumstances. Barrow and others were rejected too. politics is a strange game and the rejected can become the chosen in a wink of an eye politically

The comment quoted was posted by Greene in response to criticism of Verla De Peiza’s leadership of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). It reveals the electorate’s biggest problem.

There has been a lot of chatter about the decision by former prime minister Freundel Stuart to speak after two years of silence. One of the characteristics of Stuart’s tenure was his unwillingness – some suggest reluctance – to engage the public on the many issues of the day. This detachment from an electorate he was elected to serve permeated his team. The ethos which shrouded his tenure provoked his reference to a sleeping giant who others should be fearful about awakening.

This blogmaster has no intention to be prolix on this matter, the BU family has sliced and diced Stuart matters to bits over the years. Those who prefer to drag a political carcass across the trail to stink up dispassionate analysis, it will not work.

For some time progressive BU pundits have opined that the Bajan electorate has ceded its civic responsibility to the political class.  Key tenets upon which our so called democracy is built require a strident advocacy by the PEOPLE to act as a whip to the political class. What we have is a situation – referred to as the duopoly –  where the Opposition party pays its penance for two terms and is re-elected as the de facto government in waiting.  Some of us have exposed the fault line in our governance system, however, the majority of people have become intoxicated by the games politicians play and do not know B from bull’s foot as it relates to civic engagement.

The last two prime ministers Freundel Stuart and Owen Arthur represent about 25 years in office between them. Is it too much for the electorate to expect them to add value to the governance landscape – post prime ministership – with the objective of making our democratic systems better? For this reason elders in ancient societies have been allocated pride of place and  were pivotal transferring knowledge to mould societies for the better. Instead what we have had is Arthur demonstrating a level of bitterness not worthy of mention AND one Stuart outburst labelled by political pundits as froth over substance.

Some of us have had enough!

it is in this context the blogmaster states categorically there is no merit to Stuart given airtime under the banner of the DLP, if it wants to be taken seriously as being in the vanguard of change. Stuart is free to mirror De Lisle Worrell by posting his thoughts on a website or vblogging on YouTube. The political class has no problem disrespecting the electorate by demonstrating arrogance in office, breaking promises (manifestos), however, the electorate – according to some – must extend all courtesies to Stuart by being receptive to his mouthings on his descension from Mount Olympus. This blogmaster says no!

Two years on it is evident no credible third party movement has emerged. Although disappointing, it is a reflection of the scant regard quality citizens hold for aspiring to be members of the political class. We are what we eat, our governments are composed of poorakey members.

A reinvigorated and reborn DLP is important to a well functioning governance setup in Barbados. One does not have to be blessed with the acuity of the best political pundit to know Verla De Peiza lacks the gravitas in personality to lead the emergence of the DLP.  To have allowed Denis Lowe, Ronald Jones, Adreil Brathwaite et al to hijack her agenda- if there is one -is the biggest indication she does not have control of the party.

Three more years to go Verla, or less!