BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN yet another attack against the leadership capabilities of Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Member of Parliament Dwyer Astaphan has criticised the PM and negatively compared him with past Labour leaders.
Astaphan made these comments during a press conference at his Port Zante office on Tuesday (Jan. 27) where he stated firmly that imperiousness and dictatorship were not compatible with the traditions of leadership in the Labour Party.
“Robert Bradshaw was not imperious and he was not dictatorial. He worked with his Ministers, not unilaterally. He strengthened them; he did not weaken them. He empowered them; he did not marginalise them.
“He was a strong leader, the strongest by far that we have had in modern times in this country. Bradshaw was highly revered and respected here, in the region, and beyond,” said Astaphan.
The Representative for Constituency Number Two drew a comparison between former leaders of the country and Douglas, saying, “Unlike Bradshaw and C.A. Paul Southwell, whose stature and credibility loomed steadfastly large throughout their lifetimes and whose legacies are nothing short of gigantic, the stature and image of Dr. Douglas have diminished significantly both at home and abroad and he has become the centre of much negative attention.”
He pointed to Douglas’s statement that he was the “Minister of Everything” as an example of the “disrespectful approach” that the PM had demonstrated to “elected persons, to the thousands of people who voted for them and against them, to unelected persons, to the Labour Party and to democracy”.
“It is a fundamental breach and betrayal of the cornerstone covenant of Labour, which is that the rank and file, the ordinary folks, must always be included, enlightened, embraced and empowered.
“Dr. Douglas’ intention was always to make sure that the Party was more of him than he was of the Party. For him, it is to be the so-called Denzil Douglas Labour Party more than the Labour Party, and the Denzil Douglas government more than the Labour Party government,” said Astaphan.
“He has not done justice to the legacy of Labour’s leaders of yesteryear. And were it not for a strong basic fabric, and for the commitment, faithfulness and dedication of a number of persons, the party could have been in worse shape.”
