Six months after a historic 30-0 general election wipeout that left the Barbados Labour Party in complete control of the House of Assembly, the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has entered a new phase of internal restructuring, with key figures outlining clear priorities for rebuilding and reclaiming political relevance.
Senator Ryan Walters, who stepped into critical interim leadership roles for the DLP in the turbulent aftermath of the February 11 general election defeat, has announced he will step back from party leadership duties to focus exclusively on his Senate mandate. Speaking to reporters Sunday at the DLP’s George Street headquarters, Walters emphasized that the current political landscape leaves the Upper Chamber as the only space for constitutional opposition to the ruling administration, and he is committed to filling that gap.
Following the February election, constitutional amendments passed by the ruling party eliminated provisions that would allow a lawmaker to cross the floor to form an official opposition bloc in the House of Assembly, leaving no opposition representation in the lower chamber entirely. “Combined with the fact that the constitution has been amended to ensure that there’s no opposition voice downstairs [in the House of Assembly] and that no one crosses the floor to form an opposition and to give another alternative to the people of Barbados against this government, that is where my focus is right now,” Walters explained.
“My new mandate is to serve as an opposition senator in the Senate, given that no party outside the Barbados Labour Party won a single seat in the House of Assembly. That is where my focus will be for the time being, and I want to just focus on sitting down and doing an exceptional job in that role,” he added.
Walters used the press opportunity to congratulate all DLP candidates who stood in the February election, highlighting several newer political newcomers who exceeded expectations in their campaigns. He specifically called out Ian Griffith, Simon Clarke, and newly appointed DLP General Secretary Corey Greenidge, noting that the three ran strong, well-received campaigns that resonated with Barbadian voters. He also encouraged other candidates, including Pedro Greaves, who ran in the St James South constituency, to play an active role in the party’s rebuilding process.
A member of the DLP executive since 2019 who has held multiple senior leadership positions within the party, Walters reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the DLP and called for unity among party members as the restructuring process gets underway. “I continue to be committed to the Democratic Labour Party as I have been, and I look forward for us pulling together,” he said. “It’s early days yet — it’s just been six months after the general election. I ask Barbadians to be patient if they are not seeing all of the changes that they want to see; I am sure that in the years to come, there will be more changes and more evolutions as we rebuild the party. If we build a strong party, it will become a political force to be reckoned with.”
Newly elected General Secretary Corey Greenidge, for his part, laid out his own immediate priorities, centered on grassroots rebuilding and reconnecting the DLP with ordinary Barbadians. Greenidge called his election to the top administrative post of the party a “very humbling experience” and acknowledged that the DLP faces a steep road to recovery, with significant work ahead both internally and in its efforts to earn back the trust of voters.
“We’re ready. We’re willing to roll our sleeves up and get to work branch by branch to show Barbados that the Democratic Labour Party is one united force prepared to serve the needs of the Barbadian people,” Greenidge said.
He confirmed that targeted membership drives will be a core pillar of his early tenure, an open acknowledgment that DLP membership numbers have declined steadily over recent years. “We know it’s not a secret that a lot of our membership has fallen off over the years. So we’re going to be concentrating heavily on being in the community, meeting the people, encouraging persons who want to be part of the Democratic Labour Party to join us,” he explained.
Greenidge also pushed back on what he described as a culture of self-censorship among Barbadians who disagree with the Mia Mottley-led administration. “We are now in an environment where Barbadians are afraid to speak out. We are afraid to declare that we are not happy with what’s happening under the current government,” he said. “One of the things that we want to reassure Barbadians of is that this is an opportunity and this is the time to take a position.”
Stressing that the DLP’s elected representatives must center public service over personal gain, Greenidge added: “Because at the end of the day, we as politicians are here to serve the people. We are not here to serve our own interests.”
Greenidge outlined his first order of business: traveling across Barbados to engage with local communities, listen to residents’ concerns, and revitalize dormant local party branches. He also extended an open invitation to former DLP members to rejoin the rebuilding effort, urging past party members to set aside internal differences to work toward a common goal of serving the Barbadian people.