T
he Democratic Labour Party faces a pivotal leadership choice on Saturday as delegates decide whether former cabinet ministers Dr David Estwick or Stephen Lashley will lead the party’s recovery after three successive 30-0 election defeats since 2018.
The two former cabinet ministers are in a run-off for the party presidency at the three-day annual general conference, which is due to begin on Friday.
Dr Estwick has prepared a “presidential proposition”, under the banner Renewal With Purpose, which he is pitching to members before the conference.
The DLP, which continues to languish in the political wilderness, must choose between two candidates from the “old guard” to lead it into the next general election, constitutionally due in 2031.
Dr Estwick said the party needed renewal rather than reinvention, arguing that its repeated defeats reflected perceived ineffective leadership, shortcomings in policy, public relations and messaging, and doubts about its readiness to govern — rather than the quality of its candidates.
The medical doctor, who was MP for St Philip West, said he would focus on five outcomes if entrusted with the presidency: reuniting the party, restoring its purpose, rebuilding its organisation, restoring it as a credible alternative government, and preparing the next generation of leadership.
Dr Estwick, who held the economic affairs and agriculture portfolios during the 2010-2018 Freundel Stuart administration, pledged not to seek the leadership by “tearing down” the other candidate, nor would he consider that candidate’s supporters as his opponents in the wider struggle to rebuild the DLP.
In framing his strategy to revive the political institution founded by the late National Hero and Father of Independence, Errol Barrow, Dr Estwick reminded party members of the three election defeats, which he said should cause all who love the party to reflect deeply.
He said: “They should not, however, cause us to abandon our faith in the Democratic Labour Party, nor should they become the basis upon which we blame one leader, one candidate, one generation or one group of members.”
“I contested all three of those elections.
“In 2018, I did so as a former member of a DLP cabinet that had governed Barbados for 10 years. I therefore cannot, and will not, stand before this party and pretend that responsibility for our present circumstances belongs only to those who came after me. We have all travelled this road together. We must now find the courage to rebuild together.”
He said the question before members was no longer simply who should occupy an office in the Democratic Labour Party.
“The larger question is: what kind of Democratic Labour Party does Barbados now need, and what must we do together to build it? That is the reason I offer myself for service as president of the Democratic Labour Party,” declared the senior member who represented the St Philip West constituency.
Dr Estwick was adamant that the DLP must continue to exist and must not be a party whose only purpose is to win an election.
He contended that if the sole purpose is to defeat the Barbados Labour Party, “then we have defined ourselves by our opponents rather than by the people we exist to serve”.
Dr Estwick insisted that what the DLP needs right now is renewal, not reinvention.
Stating that this is not an ordinary moment in the life of the party, the presidential candidate told the party faithful that, in the quest for renewal, it would not be enough to change personalities, engage in nostalgia or recrimination, or pretend that everything is working when the evidence tells otherwise.
Lashley, who had been acting president since March 24, following the vacancy left by former party president and opposition leader Ralph Thorne, is contesting the top post under the banner: Renew, Connect, Lead.
He describes his manifesto as one for a stronger, united and people-focused Democratic Labour Party.
The senior counsel and former minister for youth, culture and sport, is also reminding supporters that the work has already started to modernise and professionalise the DLP and make it a force with which to be reckoned.
He said: “We will accelerate efforts to build a DLP that is data-driven, technology-enabled, professionally-managed, financially stronger, election-ready and connected across every constituency.
“Modern membership, financial, electoral and communications systems will help the party operate more effectively, and understand the electorate at the constituency and polling district levels,” he added.
The former Christ Church West MP referenced some of the work which has already begun under his temporary leadership, stating that “five critical working committees have already been established [including] strategic communications and engagement, organisation, branch and youth leadership, finance and resource mobilisation, and organs and overseas coordination; governance”.
He said these committees are already meeting and advancing their mandates.
Reconciliation and new membership is also a key pledge in Lashley’s manifesto.
“We must reach out to members who have left or become disenchanted, while welcoming new members who want to contribute to the next chapter of the DLP. A dedicated reconciliation and healing initiative will help build relationships, strengthen unity, and create a space for renewed participation.
“We will strengthen communication between party headquarters, branches and members through improved digital systems and a reliable national membership data base. Election preparation must be continue, not something that begins shortly before polling day.”
Estwick’s manifesto – What to Know
If elected to the DLP presidency, David Estwick said he would concentrate on five outcomes:
- Reunite the party
“My first responsibility will be to help create a political culture in which Democrats can work together again. Factional loyalty must never become more important than Party purpose. Every member must know that contribution, ability, commitment and integrity, not membership of a particular camp, will determine the opportunity to serve. We must create a culture in which disagreement is respected, decisions are made, and once decisions are made, the party moves forward together.”
- Restore our purpose
“The DLP must again be able to explain clearly what it believes, whom it exists to serve and what distinguishes it from every other political organisation in Barbados. Our values must not exist only in historical documents. They must guide our response to the modern challenges facing Barbadians. Our members must understand those values. Our young people must understand them. And the country must once again be able to recognise what a Democratic Labour Party approach to national development means.”
- Rebuild the organisation
“A political party cannot become strong at election time if it is weak between elections. Our branches must matter. Our members must matter. Our constituencies must matter. Political education must matter. Accountability and performance must matter. The DLP must become a living political organisation operating throughout Barbados every day, not an organisation that becomes active primarily when an election approaches. We must rebuild from the community upward.”
- Restore the DLP as credible alternative government
“Opposition cannot consist only of telling Barbadians what the Government is doing wrong. The public is entitled to ask us: What would you do differently? How would your approach improve my life? Why should I trust you with responsibility again? The Democratic Labour Party must become known once more for ideas, policy, informed political discussion and credible alternatives. We must speak with authority on the economy, health, education, housing, cost of living, agriculture, business, technology, social development, governance and every major issue affecting Barbadians. We must not merely react to the national conversation. The DLP must help lead it. The BLP built its cabinet around senior experience and youth while absorbing proven political figures, even the “Old Guard”.”
“In 2018, the DLP suffered a 30-0 loss at the polls. In 2022, with 25 new candidates and only 5 candidates from 2018, the DLP again lost 30-0. In 2026, with 27 new candidates and only 3 candidates from the 2018 crop of parliamentarians, the DLP again lost 30-0. This strongly suggests that these losses were about the perception of ineffective leadership and a lack of the party’s readiness to govern, its policies, its public relations and its messaging and not about the quality of the candidates.”
- Prepare the next generation
“The success of my presidency will not be measured by how much authority I can concentrate around myself.
“It will be measured partly by how many capable Democrats are better prepared to lead when my period of service is finished.
“Younger members must receive genuine responsibility. They must have opportunities to develop political judgement, policy knowledge, organisational skills and constituency experience. Senior members must become mentors rather than gatekeepers.
“Experience and youth are not opposing forces. The strongest Democratic Labour Party will combine both. Our responsibility is not merely to find the next candidate. It is to prepare the next generation of democratic leadership.”
Lashley’s manifesto – What to know
If elected as DLP president Stephen Lashley says one of his first priorities will be a party retreat to translate his banner – Renew, Connect, Lead – into collective action and establish a clear roadmap for the party’s future.
RENEW
- Re-energise, reshape, modernise the party through discipline, hard work, reconciliation and healing.
CONNECT
- Listen before we speak. Understand the concerns of Barbadians and engage communities meaningfully.
LEAD
- Build the organisational, political and policy capacity to lead Barbados again. The DLP must develop the expertise, policies and organisational strength required to govern effectively. We will strengthen our economic and financial capacity and assemble expert teams to develop credible alternatives for a more diversified and resilient Barbados.
COMMITMENTS
People first
Find out the needs of Barbadians at the centre of every decision
Transparency and accountability
Govern with integrity, openness and full accountability
Economic growth
Create jobs, support businesses, and grow our economy together
Community empowerment
Invest in communities and empower citizens to build their future
Care and respect
Treat each Barbadian dignity, fairness and respect
(EJ)
