Article Image Alt Text

Former UK High Commissioner, Rev. Guy Hewitt, says he is ready and willing to take the DLP forward.

Hewitt vows that DLP will be ready

Reverend Guy Hewitt is taking issue with how the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Government has been running this country over the last three years, and he is vowing that should he get the nod to lead the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), it will be ready to present itself as a credible alternative to the BLP whenever the bell is rung.

Hewitt, the former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, made the pledge in a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate, as he maintained that contesting the election to win a few seats cannot be the goal going into the next General Election, which is constitutionally due in 2023. In that vein, he dismissed the notion from some quarters that winning a few seats or forming the official Opposition is enough.

The former UK High Commissioner is adamant that if the DLP does not offer itself as a credible alternative to the Government, it will not be taken seriously at the polls and will find it difficult to secure the votes of not only the unattached electorate, but its members as well. He made the point while noting that the by-election last November was a dry run for the General Election, and it is imperative that the Party is able to better mobilise financial resources and support across constituencies than it did then.

“We can’t be committed to making somebody a Leader of the Opposition, we have to be committed to forming a government. Political organisations, their primary task is to win elections, and so we have to become ready for the election when it is called and most people are anticipating it’s going to be called early,” he said.

Hewitt’s remarks came as he argued that Barbados is in a precarious economic situation and the current Administration should not remain at the helm. He asserted that the country is in no better position economically than when the Government took office, and they are “simply borrowing money to pay bills”. The reverend added that even as efforts are made to help tourism rebound, that will not be enough, and is adamant that COVID-19 has underscored the need to truly diversify the economy, to guarantee the country can be in a much better position in the future.

“Their solution for employment for young people is for them to clean the public road. There has been some spending on construction projects and small projects to circulate money and yes COVID happened, but the reality is there is nothing that they have done to show that they have moved the economy, structurally, from where it was before 2018 to where it should be,” he stated.

Hewitt ready to lead

As he readies himself for the potential leadership role in the DLP and to lead the Party to victory, Hewitt said he has been in receipt of “sound economic advice” on how to move Barbados’ economy forward, as he acknowledged that the DLP has often been criticised for not having the economic knowledge capacity to speak on such matters. His remarks came as he said that with the “politically charged” environment that currently exists, persons are wary to come forward publicly to offer support, for fear that it will cost them work. But, he pledged to continue to let his voice be heard.

“We need to hold the economy and the society together, and so I would say between now and when we get to an election, I have every intention, if I’m leading the Democratic Labour Party, to give people confidence that we have an economic team, and we understand what is needed going forward. I respect people’s need for that reassurance and it is a commitment that I will give tangibly, and substantively by speaking to these issues going forward. Over time, and as we get closer to an election, there will be an opportunity to bring that team forward, but the reality is that this time, it is hard to do that because of the culture of fear that exists,” Hewitt said. (JRT)

Barbados Advocate

Mailing Address:
Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc
Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados

Phone: (246) 467-2000
Fax: (246) 434-2020 / (246) 434-1000