Former opposition leader Bishop Joseph Atherley is keeping his party’s election plans close to his chest, while a new conservative party prepares to enter the fray in an attempt to challenge the status quo.
Atherley’s silence regarding his intentions comes amid the emergence of the Conservative Barbados Loyalist (CBL) Party.
“[The next election] is constitutionally due in 2027 so, on this 23rd of January, 2025, I would not necessarily want to be saying whether or not that is the case,” Atherley said when asked about his plans. “Yes, there’s also the possibility of it being called earlier, as was the case in 2022. And, in due course, I will say to Barbados what my intentions are.”
The CBL Party, which is set to officially launch on Saturday, has described itself as a conservative movement committed to Barbados’ social, economic and political development.
Vice-President Anthony Hinds declared that the party “will not just ‘make up the numbers’ or mislead the Barbadian public” but will work to effect “real change” for the nation.
Although the formation of the CBL was news to Atherley, he welcomed the participation of new political players.
“We live in a free and democratic society, relatively speaking, and therefore persons are free to come together, and I support any interest that comes together in the cause of Barbados,” he said. “I think if people are pursuing narrow political interests, narrow self-interest, and advancement, I have no issue with that. But if anybody is seriously committed to pursuing Barbados’ interests as a priority, I support that.”
He added: “The more people who actively engage in the process of offering themselves for office in Barbados, for leadership of Barbados, again, once they’re sincere and genuine about this, committing to it selflessly, I support that. It can’t hurt.”
Bishop Atherley also noted the need to continue improving Barbados’ democratic framework.
“We are defective in certain areas,” he said. “And that is a number one priority for me—pursuing the interests of Barbados in the context of the development of a mature democracy. So, anybody who’s contributing to that, whatever means they’re using, I applaud that.”
Bishop Atherley, a former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) parliamentarian who crossed the floor to become the lone occupant of the opposition bench following the May 2018 capture of all 30 parliamentary seats in a shutout of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), also weighed in on the opposition party’s announcement of 15 candidates, including some fresh faces, calling it a positive sign for political engagement.
“I don’t know if I can speak with respect to Democratic Labour Party business,” he said. “It is good to know that there are new people who are expressing that interest.”
He further noted the importance of strong political organisations: “The context of the party, or the party as a conduit for expressing that interest, has been something we have been culturally accustomed to and historically accustomed to in Barbados. We need strong political parties.
“Some of those differences of opinion within parties might come to the fore but to the extent that, maturely, we are able to manage them properly and deal with conflict, as we have to deal with conflict in any aspect of life, to the extent that we can do that successfully and effectively, again, that works for Barbados and for the building of the structure of democracy in which we live politically.”
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