Democratic Labour Party Seeks Unity in Meeting Amid Internal Discord and Suspensions

In a bid to stall escalating internal discord within the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), First Vice President Michael Lashley convened a meeting on Monday aimed at fostering unity and reconciliation.

The gathering, which lasted over three hours at the party’s George Street headquarters, comes amid the suspensions of key party figures.

“I think as a senior member of the party and as first vice president, I think it was my duty to bring this body together and really to seek unity. And that was the basis of the meeting tonight,” Lashley told reporters after the meeting.

The DLP has been embroiled in conflict following the suspension of president Dr Ronnie Yearwood and general secretary Steve Blackett by the party’s disciplinary committee. This move resulted in court action brought by DLP member Ricardo Williams, who later withdrew his challenge to the suspensions.

Andre Worrell and Pedro Shepherd, currently serving as acting president and general secretary respectively, issued a statement prior to the meeting questioning Lashley’s authority to convene it. They asserted that “only Mr Shepherd is authorised to call any lawful meeting of the Executive Council”.

Responding to concerns about the legality of the meeting, Lashley said: “If we are speaking about issues of legality, everyone will have a legal opinion on whether it is legal or whether it is illegal. The courts will have to make a decision on that. I might have an opinion on it. The other person might have an opinion on it. But I want to get around that.”

The former DLP Cabinet minister under the David Thompson and Freundel Stuart administrations emphasised the need for the party to move forward with activities such as candidate selection and manifesto development. “This is a meeting to discuss where we are for this party. Not an executive meeting of the party. I seek to bring about some normalcy. I seek to settle grievances. A process of settling grievances. That is it. We have to come together,” he explained.

Lashley expressed his belief in the party’s potential to contribute significantly to the country, stating, “I believe I can bring this party together. I have tremendous respect for the leader of the opposition. I have tremendous respect for the suspended president.”

He also outlined plans to engage with the acting president and general secretary, though he did not specify a timeline for these talks.

When asked about the possibility of lifting suspensions within the party, Lashley remained non-committal but reiterated the goal of presenting a unified front to the public.

As the DLP grapples with its internal divisions, the party faces the challenge of resolving its disputes ahead of the annual party conference scheduled for August. The ongoing turmoil has raised questions about the party’s ability to present a united front in opposition to the Barbados Labour Party administration. The Dems sustained two unprecedented election defeats that shut the 66-year-old party out of Parliament until Christ Church South MP Ralph Thorne’s defection.

The DLP VP urged the public to be patient and have faith in the DLP’s reconciliation process. “The message I would say to them is to have faith in the Democratic Party. Have faith in this process,” he declared. (RG)