THE OPPOSITION Barbados Labour Party (BLP) launched its 73rd Annual Conference in an upbeat mood last night, with members and supporters saying it needs to “rescue” the country from disaster.
Former Senator Tyrone Barker, who took the BLP’s top award for his outstanding contribution to party and country, said Barbadians were asking the Bees to rescue them from “a quagmire of despair”.
Addressing an estimated 300 party faithfuls at the Grantley Adams Memorial School in St Joseph, he said people found that once again under a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration prosperity had taken “a back seat”.
The recipient of the Grantley Adams Award said he and his colleagues were “reporting for duty” as the party sought to recapture power lost in the January, 2008 general election.
Veteran entertainer Mark Lord, who received the party’s Cultural Award, said Barbadians were “tired of suffering” and that the BLP’s Political Leader and former Prime Minister Owen “is going to run this country again”.
On a night when the party listed awards to 40 people, BLP supporters spoke of the need for unity while underscoring the perceived disenchantment with the DEES.
The theme of the three-day conference is “Rescue, Rebuild, Restore”.
