Concern is being expressed in some quarters about the direction and leadership of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP).
After some feverish activity with the Rubbing Shoulders initiative and the People’s Assemblies, Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley seems to have gone into a period of relative quietude, which is unusual for her.
So unusual, in fact, that this new relative silence has given rise to questions about whether all is well within the BLP.
Now, there have always been, and I suspect there will always be, rumours and speculation about rumblings in opposition parties, particularly over who should or should not be the leader. After all, that person is positioned – if all of the ducks line up – to capture the ultimate prize in politics.
That is especially true of the BLP, which at this stage seems poised, once again, to take the reins of Government from a bumbling Democratic Labour Party (DLP), which perversely, seems willing by its ineptitude to hand over its responsibilities once again.
But while the BLP appears willing to oblige, there are those who question whether it is also ready. While in a previous incarnation, the BLP Opposition was able to accept the voluntary resignation of its then leader Henry Forde and coalesce around Owen Arthur, it is becoming increasingly clear that a resolution of its leadership issue this time around won’t be as easy or as straightforward.
For one thing, there are people in the BLP who have made it known that they will never accept Mottley as Prime Minister, a position to which she so obviously aspires and covets with every fibre of her being.
And then there are those like Arthur who have consistently expressed not only doubts about her suitability for leadership but also public dissatisfaction over her performance in two innings so far.
Suddenly, from the void emerges a group of BLP parliamentarians to stage a State Of The Nation meeting – Arthur, Kerrie Symmonds and Dale Marshall.
But even as this motley crew was protesting there was no factionalism in the BLP, Mottley’s absence from the event was troubling to some observers.
Symmonds, from the school of political invective popularized by Tom Adams and David Thompson, described inquiries about the event as stemming from “wickedness” and “obsessive paranoia”.
Noting that factionalism was taking the BLP down “a silly and sorry road”, Symmonds said the Opposition was in danger of squandering its time and legacy and putting itself in a position where it could be unelectable if it did not get its act together.
“This cannot be a politics of personalities, of petty preference . . . . We have the destiny of almost 280 000 people in the palm of our hands and we can either squander it or provide them with direction.”
Ironically, Symmonds’ presence at the event itself seemed deliberately to be a show of unity, designed to snuff out any notions of factionalism since the host, Marshall, was once a Mottley deputy but was also one of the MPs who sided with Arthur in her October 2010 ouster.
On her return to office, she did not reappoint Marshall or any other MP as her deputy, which raised the question as to the reason for Symmonds being at the event.
Officially, he rejoices in the absurd title bestowed upon him by Mottley of Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly. However, it may be closer to the truth that he should be called a “buffer” – a warm body absorbing the tension between the Mottley and Arthur factions (sorry, there are no factions!).
So despite her physical non-appearance, it seemed clear that Mottley still had a presence.
Symmonds is one of the bright young rising stars of the BLP with potential that had been stultified, like so many others who eventually left, by an ambitious few in the DLP.
Then, I was reminded by a colleague that it was for those very reasons that Arthur had faced up to the might of the Duguid clan and its supporters in Christ Church West for Symmonds as his preferred candidate in the 2003 general election.
The finesse with which this matter was played out is worthy of the attention of any student of politics.
While it may augur well for the unity of the BLP, it hardly portends sweetness and light for Mottley. If these are signs of what’s in store for the BLP in the immediate future, then she may well start looking at a party preparing an election run without her at the helm.
True, the next poll may be up to four years away, right down to the last legally available day – and if you doubt me, ask Freundel Stuart – but if that seems a long way off, a week in politics is also a long, long, long time.
• Albert Brandford is an independent political correspondent.
