9
WHO WE ARE
We, the Barbados Labour Party, are the
oldest political party in the English-speaking
Caribbean. We have transformed this country
into the modern, democratic and socially
just society that is admired and respected
worldwide.
We are the Party that
delivered to all Barbadians,
universal adult suffrage – the right to vote - which
is the cornerstone of our democracy.
We are the Party that
transformed Barbados
from a society in which the majority enjoyed very
limited rights, to the land owning democracy that
our citizens so value today.
We are the Party that
initiated mass-based
access to high quality health care, education and
access to housing and land.
We are the Party that
laid the infrastructure
of modern Barbados - with airport, seaport,
major highways, improved road networks and
international telecommunication systems - that
allowed us, as a small country, to compete with
the rest of the world.
We are the Party that
has always protected the
poor and vulnerable. We revolutionised Barbados’
industrial relations by fighting to protect workers,
founding the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) and
enacting legislation which gave rights and benefits
to all levels of workers .
We are the Party that
created the social and
economic environment that led to the expansion
of the middle class, exemplified by the Tenantries
Freehold Purchase Act which gave tens of
thousands of Barbadians the right to own land.
We are the Party that
led the transformation
of Barbados from an agrarian society to a
modern services-driven economy, more recently
exemplified with the establishment of the
international business sector.
As a result of our vision and initiatives,
Barbados reached the enviable position as
one of the world’s leading small island states,
renowned for its political stability, progressive
social policies, protected environment and
high levels of human development.
Past and present members of the
Parliamentary Party attending
the 78th Annual Founders’ Day
Service - April 2016
