DLP annual conference descends into chaos

The 69th Annual Conference of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) aims to The party’s future was thrown into disarray as an internal dispute over the leadership escalated into suspending work for the day without a full session.

The conference, which opened with a celebration on Friday evening, was severely disrupted on the first day as factions within the party clashed over the legitimacy of its leadership and the way the conference proceedings should be conducted.

The root of this internal conflict is the recent expulsion of Dr. Ronnie Yearwood and Steve Blackett from Their dismissal came in controversial circumstances and their move Supporters consider it unfair and repressive.

DLP members attend the second day of the conference at the George Street Hall.

The suspensions led to a deepening split within the SDLP between those who supported the current leadership, including acting secretary general Pedro Shepherd and chairman Andre Worrell, and those who were loyal to Yearwood and Blackett and pushed for their reinstatement. This split set the stage for the drama at the conference.

Walter Maloney, the party’s second vice chairman, told Barbados Today Party members tabled a motion to disqualify the fourth vice president from chairing the meeting, citing a violation of the party’s constitution. Maloney explained: “This is a meeting of the members of the DLP where the members decide how they want their party to be run and how it should be run.” He said the DLP constitution lays out the order of succession for leadership roles, stressing that in the absence of the first vice president, the second vice president should chair the meeting.

From left to right are Dr. Ronnie Yearwood and Walter Maloney.

The second vice-president said: “The members decided that in order to comply with the bylaws, in the absence of the first vice-president, the next executive committee member is the second vice-president.” A motion to reinstate the secretary general and the previously expelled president was also passed by a vote of 78 in favor to four against, with two abstentions. Maloney described the vote as a reaffirmation of members’ rights, noting: “The members of this conference have the right to decide whether they want them to remain outside of the conference or within it, and they made that decision.” As a result, he said, a motion was passed to suspend the meeting to give the reinstated leadership time to assess the situation and plan their next steps.

Maloney stressed the importance of abiding by the party constitution and respecting the wishes of party members: “This party needs to settle down, and we have to understand that a small group of people within the party cannot dictate how the party operates outside of its membership.”

However, at the first press conference of the day, SDLP acting secretary general Pedro Shepherd gave a different account of events, accusing a group of “traitors” of disrupting the meeting before it had officially begun.

“They claim to have proposed some motions on the floor. Of course, since the meeting hadn’t even started, there was no way that motions could be entertained,” Sheppard said. The acting secretary-general went on to refute opposition claims of reinstatement of expelled members, calling the reports “fake news” and “disinformation.” He insisted that the current leadership, including himself as secretary-general and Andrea Worrell as chairperson, remained secure in place.

From left to right, Acting Chairman Andre Worrell and Acting Secretary General Pedro Shepherd attended today’s meeting. Former Chairman Dr. Ronnie Yearwood looked on.

Sheppard also refuted statements by individuals claiming to hold positions such as public relations officers or envoys, claiming that the party does not recognize such positions.

As tensions mounted, Shepherd said the meeting would resume once police removed the disruptive elements from the venue. Shepherd declared: “We will resume the meeting today once the police approve the removal of these traitors from the venue and we will be back here tomorrow to finish the work of the SLP.”RG）