Thorne picks ‘D’ two

TWO DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) members are new Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne’s pick for senators, and they say they are ready to get cracking.

Consumer advocate and attorney Tricia Watson and businessman Ryan Walters were sworn in yesterday during a brief ceremony at State House.

Walters, who contested the St Michael North West seat on the DLP ticket in the last election, made it clear he did not foresee a conflict of interest. Neither senator stated whether their appointment was with the blessing of DLP president Dr Ronnie Yearwood.

“I am a card-carrying member of the Democratic Labour Party. I do not hold office and I do not hold executive office. I am the vice-chairman of the St Michael North West branch. I see my role in the Senate as complementary to any opposing voice or any other interest groups in Barbados,” Walters told the media.

“I remain committed to the Democratic Labour Party. I joined in 2018 after the first 30-0 defeat, and between 2018 and 2022 I served as the first vice-president and third vicepresident. I was also the spokesperson on business, and I responded to the Budget of 2022.

Still stands

“This commitment still stands today. I am looking forward to not only working on behalf of the people of St Michael North West, but also for the people of Barbados as we go forward in this new journey,” he added.

Watson, who rose to prominence in her role as an intervenor in the Barbados Light & Power/Fair Trading Commission rate hearing, said her appointment provides a larger platform from which she could advocate for the rights of Barbadians.

“This is a furtherance of service, and it is a service to the people of Barbados and to the country as an entity. So, it naturally dovetails to what I intended to do in public advocacy, which is to represent the interest of the people who put me here.

Service motto

“I am here by virtue of what Barbadians give to Barbados. They pay for our education and my service motto is ‘From each according to his ability’. I think it is imperative that I use my ability, both God-given and by the people of Barbados, to serve,” she said.

The two are replacing Independent Senators Dr Kristina Hinds and Dr Chelston Brathwaite, who had been sworn in on April 8, 2022, to fill the two slots that would have traditionally been allocated to the Opposition, which was non-existent following another 30-0 victory in the January 2022 General Election by the Barbados Labour Party.

Clerk of Parliament Pedro Eastmond told the MIDWEEK NATION last night: “Their seats were declared vacant and on the recommendation of the Leader of the Opposition, the President appointed Tricia Watson and Ryan Walters. They will be the two senators when the Senate meets [today].”

Watson gave the assurance that despite her added responsibilities, her fight for energy justice will continue.

“We must first do some team strategy. Energy justice is my platform and I will continue to do so. The rate cases continue; there are two – one in court and one presently before the Fair Trading Commission. Generally, I will be advocating for the interest of consumers. Protection of the constitutional rights of Barbadians will be at the heart of what I do,” she said.

Walters said he will place special focus on the advancement of entrepreneurship. He added this was important as the country searches for solutions to enfranchise some of society’s most vulnerable.

Thorne spoke glowingly of his two selections.

“I am extremely delighted to be able to introduce two young Barbadians of merit. These are two young Barbadians educated in the best Barbadian traditions. They are both spouses, they are both parents and they are both children of good parents . . . .

“Watson has distinguished herself in this country for a number of years fighting for the rights of consumers at utilities hearings, while Ryan is involved in corporate Barbados. They spring from the best Barbados has to offer,” the Opposition Leader stated.

(CLM)

Please see also Page 5

THE APPOINTMENT of Ryan Walters and Tricia Watson as Opposition senators has received a stamp of approval from one of the senators they are replacing.

Political scientist Dr Kristina Hinds, who along with fellow Independent Senator Dr Chelston Brathwaite had to vacate their seats to make way for the appointments, said the decision by new Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne to enlist two Democratic Labour Party (DLP) members was a sign that he is angling for an alignment with that party.

Fellow political scientists Dr George Belle, Devaron Bruce and Peter Wickham said it was perhaps the clearest indication of the direction in which Thorne intends to go. They believe he will be joining the DLP in the near future, but such a move would push president Dr Ronnie Yearwood down the pecking order.

“I believe that Tricia Watson and Ryan Walters are two excellent selections,” Hinds, a University of the West Indies and talk show moderator, told the MIDWEEK NATION

yesterday. “We know Watson as one of the intervenors in the Barbados Light & Power rate hearing case. She is well known and well respected for the work she did in that capacity. There is nothing that I could say that could provide any kind of reservation about her selection.

“I think that Ryan Walters was a good choice as well and I thought it was unfortunate that the DLP left him out of their shadow cabinet. I believe him to be one of the stronger candidates they ran in the last general election, so his selection is a very good choice as well,” she added.

Both Hinds and Brathwaite were appointed back in April 2022 to fill the two seats normally selected by an Opposition Leader. However, because the Barbados Labour Party swept both General Elections in 2018 and 2022, there was no Opposition Leader.

Hinds said the appointments “certainly gives us some clues about Mr Thorne’s leanings. Either he is going to join the Democratic Labour Party or he is making some kind of alliance with the party. This may be viewed as a step in that direction”.

Subvention

She noted that such a union would mean the DLP will finally have access to the $150 000 subvention, for which it has been ineligible since 2018 due to the failure to secure a single seat in the two polls.

“If he sits in Parliament as a DLP Member of Parliament, then it opens the door for them to receive that subvention because it is only available to political parties that contested the last General Election. So that would be a very handy relationship for the DLP to form,” she said.

However, she warned that such an alliance will likely mean that DLP president Dr Ronnie Yearwood will be required to cede the reins of leadership to Thorne.

“Having Mr Thorne as the Opposition Leader and part of the DLP will effectively make him the party’s political leader. In the eyes of the public, he would be the leader of the DLP as he will be the one sitting in Parliament and that would have implications for the entire power dynamics of the Democratic Labour Party,” she said.

For Belle, a retired University of the West Indies lecturer, “the two appointments . . . suggests that [Thorne] is going to join the Democratic Labour Party as well. Once that happens, he becomes [its] parliamentary political leader”. He added this could have an impact on the political leadership within the DLP, something that would have to be solved internally.

Bruce expressed similar sentiments, adding: “If we look at what [Bishop] Joseph Atherley did, he selected Caswell Franklyn and Crystal Drakes who were not members of the DLP and Atherley formed his own party. The current Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne choosing prominent DLP members means he might likely join the DLP going forward.”

Wickham said there was no conflict because once Thorne joined, he would automatically be the political leader because the constitution of the DLP recognises the person with the parliamentary majority while the role of president becomes administrative.

“We have been here before. You would recall the David Thompson/ Clyde Mascoll scenario. It is just a question after that happened of Ronnie Yearwood making some kind of accommodation within the whole thing, but to me Ralph holds all of the cards. The only influence that Ronnie could exercise over him is by not approving his membership,” he explained. (CLM/SAT)