DLP ready: Campaign to launch Sunday

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) will officially launch its 2018 General Election Campaign this coming Sunday and will be in high gear thereafter.

So says Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who added that the DLP cannot be accused of having a low-key campaign as they have not started as yet. He made the point while responding to a question from the media yesterday regarding comments attributed to Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate, George Payne, who expressed concern about the DLP’s seemingly quiet approach to the elections. But, the DLP President made it clear that the DLP was not running its campaign on BLP’s schedule, but its own.

The Prime Minister was speaking as he and fellow candidates in the St. Michael South Zone and the candidate for Christ Church East, Dr. Denis Lowe, exited the National Housing Corporation building on Country Road yesterday morning after paying their deposits to contest the election.

“…They had about three campaign launches already and they are now on their fourth. We always intended to fight only one campaign and that’s the campaign that resulted from the fixing of a polling date by the Prime Minister of Barbados. They fixed their own polling dates in the past and had their own campaigns and so on, and I suppose having created a lot of excitement for themselves, they are now depending on us to create some excitement for them, because a fatigue factor has taken over with them,” he said to the media.

Stuart added, “All the claims of being subdued and so on will change on Sunday night, because the Labour Party will have some questions to answer and the country will have a few things to think about.”

An upbeat Stuart said the DLP team is ready and is looking forward to the upcoming campaign, which kicks off in the area of the National Stadium on Sunday night. He spoke to that as he said they will have a positive, upbeat, clear message for the people of Barbados and are “quite optimistic” about their chances in the upcoming poll.

“We’ve done all the preparatory work and the team is working very hard on the ground doing the house-to-house and other work necessary for polling day. I do not know that the same could be said for our opponents,” he stated, added wryly “I learnt only today they have not yet made up their minds as to whether Lt. Col. Bostic will be the candidate for The City or the candidate for St. Michael South. I hope they resolve that issue as soon as possible for their sake and his too.”

Questioned about the Barbados Labour Party’s chances in the St. John constituency, PM Stuart said there is nothing wrong with the BLP thinking it can take that seat from the DLP, but he does not think they mean in the 21st Century. He made the comments while noting that St. John has been a stronghold for the DLP for the last 60 years, first being won by Errol Barrow in 1958, and since being represented by the late Prime Minister David Thompson and then his widow, Mara Thompson. Come May 24, General Secretary of the DLP, George Pilgrim will contest the seat for the party, and PM Stuart said they “confidently expect” that he will win the seat again for the DLP.

“But I do not by so saying want to give the impression that I do not applaud the optimism of the Barbados Labour Party. But as I said if they are going to take it they mean in the 23rd Century not in the 21st or in the 22nd,” he said. (JRT)