President of the Democratic Labour Party, Verla De Peiza and the party's St. George North candidate, Floyd Reifer, on stage Sunday night as he formally launched his campaign to contest the November 11, 2020 by-election.
The DLP’s St. George North candidate, Floyd Reifer making his way onto the stage Sunday night to deliver his first political speech at The Glebe, St. George Sunday night.
Democratic Labour Party (DLP) President Verla De Peiza is resolute in her party’s decision to go forward with former Barbados and West Indies cricketer Floyd Reifer as they contest the November 11th by-election for the St. George North seat. Speaking during the Lift Up and Praise gospel concert and public meeting on Sunday night at the Glebe, De Peiza said that Reifer was made of the right stuff.
Noting that the election was announced in the midst of their annual conference and that the party took the time and due process to select a candidate, De Peiza said that there was no mistake made in putting Reifer on their ticket. “Part of the exercise was to tap St. George North itself because the branch may not have it right. And as we walked across this constituency touching down at various points, we kept hearing the same two names. If it can’t be one, let it be the other,” she said.
Speaking highly of the professional coach and calling him a gem and a son of the soil, De Peiza told the moderately-sized crowd that he was committed to the cause of his people. “When you think about it, he has given up the possibility of an international career as a coach to represent you, the people of St. George North. When you weigh that alongside what, if anything, his opponent is giving up, then you have all of the ammunition that you need on the 11th of November to walk boldly and confidently into your polling box and mark your X for Floyd Reifer.”
With his loquacity brought into question several times, the party President said that Reifer had just what was needed to get the job done in droves.
“You don’t have to be boisterous and bombastic to lead people. You don’t have to be a bully to lead people. You don’t have to be constantly up front and pushing yourself and your name in everything to lead people. The hallmark of a good leader is to pick up a situation that is dire and make a hand of it. And I don’t have to tell you about that low period in West Indies cricket history when Floyd Reifer picked up what the media was calling a rag-tag team and carried it overseas and performed creditably. That is the hallmark of leadership. And you don’t have to shout down the place, you just get on with it,” she said.
With just about two years gone since the Barbados Labour Party seized power in a landslide victory, De Peiza had heavy criticism for the current administration.
“We are sick and tired of the talk. We want to see something being done. Because whilst all the talk is flowing, the bills are still adding up. All the pretty talk and the words, all we have is debt. Not a single proposal for revenue generation in this country has been brought to the fore, but every moment you’re looking and we are borrowing something and they are talking about ‘maybe we won’t pay them this time, we will ask them for an ease’. It is time, St. George North and Barbados, that we find a model that works for us instead of models that work for our creditors, and that starts with finding work for our people that develops our own country and our people.”
Going on to state that Reifer had plans in mind as it relates to education and entrepreneurship, De Peiza said that it was high time that a new attitude was taken towards education in Barbados.
“What we need in terms of our education is to make sure that whatever is the talent and the aptitude of our people, they have the space to develop it. That is what education needs to be in the 21st century. And for some people, it will be books, but for others it will be what they can do with their hands, what they can do with their feet if they are footballers and runners, what they can do constructively because I am satisfied that everybody has a productive place in society, they just have to be allowed to find it,” she said.
Stating that there was a lot at stake despite a possible change of government not being in the works for the upcoming election, De Peiza impressed the importance of the election on those listening in person and online.
“St. George North, you are the ones that the whole of Barbados will be watching as we examine the wisdom and the reasoning behind sending a senior citizen to Canada in the midst of COVID in the dead of winter when a spike is on and he had two more years to go. Why are we in this? St. George North, Barbados is watching you. You are the ones who get to signal the discontent that we feel in this country on a daily,” she said. (MP)