Dr. Ronnie Yearwood Criticizes Democratic Labour Party Ouster Process | Saturday Sun

There was nothing above board about the process in which he was ousted from the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), a downbeat Dr Ronnie Yearwood claimed last night.

The law lecturer’s tenure at the helm of the party came crashing down Thursday night after a Zoom meeting of the party’s general council led to him and general secretary Steve Blackett being expelled.

Yearwood said the move marked a low point in the history of the Dems.

“I think what happened Thursday night was a dark day for democracy in Barbados and for the party, and it’s a historic moment. They will look back on this moment in a couple of years and recognise we were at a fork in the road,” he said.

Noting that yesterday was a long, long day, the former DLP leader said he was inundated with calls from friends and well-wishers and he thanked them all for their support.

However, he was far from satisfied with how his expulsion played out.

“It is clear that it was not above board. It doesn’t pass the basic smell test. It doesn’t explain the nature of the disciplinary committee that had in people who were obviously biased. How can you expect justice of any kind? What are the bases of the charges? None of it stacks up,” Yearwood told the Saturday Sun.

“No right-thinking person can say that looks okay,” he added.

He said the DLP had a choice to determine its proper future “The party and the country have a choice. The question is, do we do politics the normal way or do we want something new? Do we want opportunities for new leadership for youth, for women, for that millennial generation to come into our cycle?” the former president asked.

Yearwood said he wasn’t even contemplating legal redress at this stage, but hoped the membership would recognise its power when the DLP’s annual general conference is held in two weeks.

Michael Lashley, the party’s first vice-president, chose not to comment on Thursday night’s expulsions but outlined what he believed the DLP had to do to win back Barbadians in a General Election constitutionally due in three years.

“Bajans are looking for a united Democratic Labour Party. We have to do all that is necessary to ensure that the party presents a united front to the public entirely and to deal with our matters internally. I won’t comment on what happened last night [Thursday],” he said.

Lashley said he believed the party should be focused on moving in a certain direction.

“The party must start to look at alternative solutions and bring them to the public. The various sectors of the party need to sit down, formulate and come back with viable options. We have to go to the public and get their input and their feedback. We have to get their buy-in. We have to plan town hall meetings. We have to go into communities. We have to go on the ground,” he stressed.

Blackett, in a lengthy contribution to a media house, said he felt hurt by Thursday night’s expulsion from the party he dearly loves and urged the membership to rise up to make wrong things right during the DLP’s Annual General Conference, slated for August 23 and 24.

He suggested that the party was doomed as presently constructed and bemoaned the fact that the old guard, which had been rejected by the populace in the first 30-0 blanking at the polls in 2018, had still not understood Barbadians were no longer interested in them.

He was one such loser in that election and said that was why he had chosen, as general secretary, to focus on bringing a fresh-looking DLP, led by Yearwood and a number of young people who had shown interest in joining the party.

“I want to apologise to the members of the party. The executive council has the sole responsibility of approving membership in this party. The general council does not approve any membership. All they have to do is to be notified.”

He said the future of the party was dim.