Cleric urges Dems unite, lead with humility

Reverend Canon Dr Monrelle Williams. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham / Barbados TODAY) In a sermon to Democratic Labour Party supporters a day after Dr David Estwick was announced as the party’s new president, Reverend Canon Dr Monrelle Williams urged the DLP to confront internal divisions, practise humility and use its time outside Parliament to rebuild public trust. The Anglican cleric, priest-in-charge of the St Barnabas Church, made an impassioned appeal to the party faithful at their anniversary church service on Sunday morning, held at party headquarters on George Street. Canon Williams told party members that, after three election cycles with little representation, there was a need for an honest assessment of both the external obstacles and the internal choices within the party. DLP officials and supporters. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham / Barbados TODAY) “Have we listened carefully enough? Have we organised effectively and ethically? Have we served consistently? Welcome new voices. Healed old wounds and chosen unity over ego. Canon Williams said humility required the party to recognise that public office was not a possession, but a trust and stewardship entrusted to politicians for a time. He warned that personal ambition and ego could get in the way of doing what was best for Barbados. You Might Be Interested In “Part of the problem is that sometimes our egos get in the way of our doing what is best for this country that we seek to serve. A humble party is not a weak party. A humble party is a party that can still challenge injustice. It can still expose failure. It can still speak truth to power, but it does so with clean hands and a steady heart.” He also urged the party to heal divisions and put aside personal vendettas, warning that failure to do so would have consequences for the country. “We need to heal the divisions that exist in our midst. We need to put aside our own personal vendettas and try and bring healing in the midst of this burden, because you see, if we do not do that, then this country will suffer.” Canon Williams said unity within the organisation would require work, sacrifice, patience, forgiveness and discipline. “Unity within any organisation does not happen by accident. We need to make the effort to bring that unity. Political organisations often fracture not because the mission is unclear, but because pride becomes louder than purpose.” He also rejected the notion that party members who disagree with each other should be forced out. “Unity means that every voice will join in singing the same song, but all the voices might be different. It is not about telling people that if you disagree with me, you have to leave my party. It is about recognising that diversity is important and that we all can’t be the same. We might be singing from the same sheet, but we might be singing different parts. But the harmony is important.” Canon Williams said leadership should not be about one person dominating others, but about preparing and equipping people to serve. He urged the DLP to mentor and train people, prepare candidates of character, develop serious policy and listen to communities before speaking on political platforms. He also challenged the party not to underestimate its influence while outside Parliament. “A party with no seats in the Lower House may be tempted to believe that has no real influence. That temptation will always be there, but hear this clearly: influence is larger than office, and purpose is larger than position.” Canon Williams said the DLP still had the power to shape consciences, raise standards, defend vulnerable people, educate citizens and model integrity. “Before a party can lead from parliament, it must show that it can lead from the community; before it can sit in seats of power, it must stand faithfully in the places of need,” she said. He called on the party to embrace servant leadership, urging people to take precedence over the ambitions of those seeking political power. “This party must ask not only how do we win, but how do we serve. Not only how do we return to parliament, but how do we return to the people? Not only how do we gain power, but how do we become trustworthy stewards of that power when it is given to us??” Williams asked. He also appealed for honesty in the party’s political messaging, warning against making promises that cannot be delivered or using people’s pain for political gain. “We must not promise what we cannot deliver, we must not stir anger without offering serious solutions. We must not use the pain of the people as a political instrument.” He said the party should use its time in opposition to prepare for any future opportunity to govern. “Do not despise smallness. Do not mistake absence from Parliament for absence from purpose; do not confuse electoral defeat with divine rejection.” He encouraged members to turn their disappointment into discipline and their losses into learning. Canon Williams also cautioned the party against announcing plans before they had been properly thought through, pointing to what he described as a tendency in the country to begin initiatives before having fully considered their consequences. “You need to know what your purpose is. You need to know that when you say we are going to do X, you have thought it through and you have looked at all the consequences and the possible ramifications, because you do not want to look as though you don’t know what you’re doing.” Canon Williams made a further appeal for truthfulness, telling the DLP that its promises must be matched by delivery. “If you can do it, say you can do it. But don’t say you can do it and then don’t do it.” He reminded the party that its responsibilities did not end while it remained outside government. “I wish you well in the future, but remember, be humble, seek to unite, and try to realise that you have, even in opposition, you have a responsibility to the people of Barbados “For if there is no opposition, the government will always do as it likes.” (LG)