BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—The main opposition, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), ended its controversial 69th Annual Conference on Sunday. The expelled members, including the party’s former leader, Dr. Ronnie Yearwood, were not reinstated, and the new leader, Ralph Thorne, announced a new team of spokespersons during his maiden address.
Thorne, who left the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) earlier this year, urged his new team of spokespersons to fully commit to their roles and respond to the government on behalf of the people.
Thorne also announced that a new opposition legislator will be appointed to The Senate when it resumes business in September.
“If I did not hear myself above your applause, I repeat. I announced that Senator (Ryan) Walters would be joined by a new Senator when the Honourable Senate resumes its business in September 2024,” he said.
The new senator will replace Tricia Watson, the opposition business leader in the Upper House, and Thorne gave no reason to replace her.
The weekend conference was highlighted by the decision to prevent Yearwood and former general secretary Steve Blackett from participating in the event. The former leader told reporters that the party’s inability to resolve its internal issues could hinder the country’s progress.
“If we cannot fix the Democratic Labour Party, the expectations of fixing the country will be low,” he said, describing the lockout as “a regrettable day for democracy in our country.
“We have legitimate, fully paid-up members of the Democratic Labour Party who are being barred from entering the headquarters, which truly belongs to the members of the party,” the law lecturer told reporters.
On Sunday, Acting DLP President Andre Worrell said several ongoing issues existed, but the party was committed to maintaining order and safety for its members.
“We had volatile and extremely disruptive behavior by some party members. The safety and conduct of an orderly conference are paramount to the Democratic Labour Party,” Worrell said.
Worrell says the DLP plans to keep its members informed and will soon announce a new date for the ballot voting.
“We will come back to the members with the date for voting by ballot,” he told reporters at a press conference, adding that the party decided to suspend the voting process.
“We are voting for six persons to sit on the general council,” he said.
However, the second vice president, Walter Maloney, accused specific individuals of undermining the democratic process within the party.
Maloney complained of the sudden switch from in-person council meetings to Zoom sessions, suggesting this change disenfranchised some members from attending.
“We are accustomed to having council meetings in person, then all of a sudden, council meetings must be held by Zoom,” he said. “I tried to get on Zoom, and it was blocked.”
He also criticized the introduction of online voting, claiming it was implemented without proper discussion with members. This voting initiative, which has since been shelved, has also caused concern among members.
“The idea is to delegitimize the members of this organization by… persons, not more than about 40, who are making decisions that are not in the interest of the membership,” Maloney told reporters, expressing solidarity with fellow members who were denied entry to the conference.
He also criticized labeling members as “renegades,” saying these individuals were essential to the party and should not be marginalized.
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