President of the DLP and Prime Minister of Barbados, the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart arriving yesterday at the Party's headquarters to a resounding round of applause.
President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is rallying the troops for the next general election constitutionally due in 2018.
While not giving a date for this country to return to the polls to choose the next government, DLP President and Prime Minister of Barbados, the Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart, called on party faithfuls and candidates gathered in the auditorium at the Party’s headquarters yesterday, to “agree to meet at the rendezvous of victory” and secure the re-election of the DLP. He issued the call as he outlined various initiatives undertaken by the Party while in power, which he contended have been for the good of Barbados and its people.
Stuart maintained that any objective evaluation of the DLP’s stewardship since January 2008 would show that they have performed creditably in government, against daunting odds. To that end, he said, that as they campaign to have their mandate renewed, it is imperative that they recognise that the upcoming campaign will not be for
the “weak-kneed or the fainthearted”.
“Being a candidate for the Democratic Labour Party is a serious responsibility. It is a serious responsibility because the call to political service requires of us the pursuit of the highest possible standards. The stakes in politics are always high because they always involve making life better for those without political voice or economic muscle. As we go into the next general election campaign, every candidate and every member of the Democratic Labour Party must be clear in his or her mind what we are fighting for and what we are fighting against,” he insisted.
He made point while contending that the Party must also stand and fight for equal opportunities for all people. He explained that while persons may not be equally blessed with talent, wealth, or influence, every man, woman and child must have the opportunity to realise his or her dreams and personal aspirations. That, he maintained, has been the struggle of the DLP for the past 62 years and there can be “no retreating now”.
“We have also stood and fought for the existence of a secure and viable social safety net for those without political voice, or economic or financial muscle. Nowhere is this commitment better exemplified than in our National Insurance Scheme, which is now celebrating 50 successful years of existence. The quality of a society is determined by the provision it makes for its most vulnerable citizens.
That conviction inspired the Democratic Labour Party in its approach to social security. We do not believe that the weak should be left to go to the wall,” the PM stated.
He added, “We have set our faces against the existence of a Barbados in which the humble and the meek have to content themselves with the crumbs that fall from the tables of the mighty in their seats. We have stood and fought for a fair deal for our youth, upon whom the future of Barbados depends.”
Promoting the mantra that Barbados is more than an economy, it is a society, the Prime Minister said the DLP has fought for a brand of development that goes beyond dry lifeless concepts, and touches and enhances the quality of people’s lives. That development, he indicated, is about equipping the nation with the capacity and flexibility to respond to the varied dreams and aspirations of its people.
“It is not just the gross domestic product that matters. Of equal importance, is gross domestic faith, gross domestic hope, gross domestic happiness, gross domestic fairness, gross domestic stability, and gross domestic comfort,” he stated.
With that in mind, PM Stuart drew reference to the election charge given by Party Leader Errol Barrow in 1985, which he contended had not lost its freshness, and issued it again:
“We have no space on board this shuttle for people who are looking for social status or economic benefit. The money is on the other side. The sacrifices are on our side. No candidate for the DLP is to consider that he is taking a shot at being an MP like it is some kind of ‘Lucky Dip’ or ‘Let’s Go to the Races Sweep’. We shall have to evaluate our performances day by day and week by week. Those who are weary, those who are languid, should go to the Lord and be at rest. There will be no rest for the valiant. No turning back. No time for self-doubt, no time for self-pity. No time for mistakes.”
(JRT)