Barbados Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne Advised to Focus on Constituency Matters Amid Political Criticism

Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne has been told to stop minding other people’s business and mind his own.

The advice came from Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams during a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Christ Church South nomination meeting at St Christopher Primary School on Saturday night.

Last Friday during a press conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office, Thorne – the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christ Church who crossed the floor in February and is political leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) – criticised the current administration, including giving it a failing grade on its handling of the gun violence problem.

However, Abrahams, like Thorne an attorney, blasted his former colleague for leaving his constituency in the lurch.

“More people came out to vote for your replacement than for your entire annual general conference (held the previous weekend),” Abrahams said moments after Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight was endorsed as the new BLP candidate for Christ Church South who won 135-5 in a two-person race.

Open to all

“This party threw the floor open to all. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Christopher Alleyne (Munro-Knight’s opponent on Sunday).

Democracy was served here today.”

Abrahams, the Christ Church East MP, praised Munro-Knight and her team for the work they did in the last few months.

“Shantal, I’m so glad to have you as my sister, on my right arm as we go into elections. I don’t have to look over my shoulder. I don’t have to look behind me. We in Christ Church South will back you,” he declared.

He said he walked with Thorne a few years ago canvassing in Christ Church South: “I hope he is watching. The count on election night will be the same as it was tonight. Munro-Knight, Munro-Knight, Munro-Knight.”

Abrahams said that unlike the DLP’s chaotic scenes during the annual general conference last week, democracy was the clear feature of the BLP’s meeting.

Time to wake up

“This was good for the BLP. It is time for us to wake up. We are now in election mode. The DLP is trying to be in election mode. Ralph Thorne will never rise again in Christ Church South,” he said to loud applause.

“We have our factions in the BLP too. Some people are closer to others. When Shantal came to run, I knew there was a representing vacuum in Christ Church South. I offered people from my branch. Whoever wins I have to work with. I was amazed at the amount of people from Christ Church East who jumped on the Munro-Knight bandwagon.

They brought people from the south into the fold.

You have a full branch. You have a core to revitalise this branch,” he told Munro-Knight.

He added that the BLP remains well poised to continue being the Government of the day.

“I love the BLP. I believe in my heart this is the party for Barbados at this time.

There was one space missing.

There is no longer a vacuum.

Thank you, Ralph (Thorne).

Thank you for giving us some more members. Those are the voters that will now vote against you. Instead of minding the business of the BLP, mind the business in George Street. You are in big, big trouble.”

(BA)