Denis Kellman: DLP will be back

THE Democratic Labour Party (DLP) will be back, says former Cabinet Minister Denis Kellman. Kellman, who was one of the losing DLP candidates in the recent general elections, said the party had recovered from the 26-2 loss it sustained in the 1999 general elections and still re-emerged to hold office.

He made the comments while addressing the fact that Bishop Joseph Atherley’s switch from the Barbados Labour Party to become Opposition Leader in Paliament will have no effect on the DLP.

“We were able to rebuild the party and by 2003 there were seven of us in the House of Assembly,” recalled Kellman, who served as MP for St. Lucy for a number of years and was the Minister of Housing and Lands in the last DLP Government. He lost the seat to the BLP’s Peter Phillips in the recent elections.

Bishop Atherley, who defeated the DLP’s St. Michael West candidate and former House of Assembly Speaker, Michael Carrington, stunned everyone with his decision to leave the BLP and become the Leader of the Opposition.

He was sworn into that position yesterday.

Kellman believed that as a senior BLP MP, Atherley got nothing in terms of a Cabinet pick in the new Mia Mottley administration, whereas the junior members of that party did.

On the DLP not being represented in Parliament, Kellman said that while it is good for a party to have a presence in the House of Assembly, it does not mean you are unable to do things when you are outside of Parliament.

The party will speak on issues and the people will get a chance to analyse the party’s message, he believes, adding “This is a great party and it is a wake up call for us.” He recalled that during the recent elections party members told the public the truth, what could happen and what could not happen.

“The future for me is to help in the rebuilding of the DLP,” he added.