Public opinion pollster and political scientist Peter Wickham says yesterday’s controversial meeting of Barbados Labour Party (BLP) officials to discuss the leadership of the opposition “created even more speculation and confusion”.
In a TV appearance last night, he said: “It hasn’t really settled very much.”
Press reports said the meeting was to vote on who would lead the opposition, with former Prime Minister Owen Arthur expected to oust Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley.
However, no voting took place at the meeting held in the BLP’s Roebuck Street headquarters.
Wickham told CBC-TV: “It [the in-fighting] is not something that the Barbados Labour Party needs at this time. It has sent a clear signal to the nation at large that there is an issue of leadership and that there is a divide as far as leadership is concerned.”
He reasoned that all the two factions of the BLP had succeeded in doing was to demonstrate to the public that this is an issue which continues to be unresolved.
“My feeling is that the BLP is sensing that a general election might be close,” he explained. “I think that the Barbados Labour Party is also sensing that they may have a political opportunity presented by an option within the DLP (Democratic Labour Party) that appears to be short on economics.
“I think that the BLP is trying to exploit that political opportunity.”
He warned that the BLP could be facing the risk of damaging itself in the long run.
Wickham raised the issue of whether relieving herself of the leadership of the BLP would not be in Mottley’s best interest politically at this stage.
His advice to the BLP leaders was to “come together”, decide whether they will support Mottley or Arthur “and kiss and make up publicly”. (TY)
