OPPOSITION SENATOR FREUNDEL STUART has exposed a strategy he says has been used for 12 years by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in an attempt to destabilise the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

At a political meeting at Quakers Road, Carrington Village, St Michael on Sunday night, Stuart told a large crowd the BLP had thrived on creating artificial tensions within the DLP.

He noted that between 1994 and 1999, his former teacher at Foundation Boys' School, Ronnie Hughes, had written a number of articles in the Press in which he regularly hinted that he [Stuart] and not David Thompson, should be leading the DLP.

"He along with others kept sowing these seeds of dissension in the DLP and the result was that in 1999 they could talk about leadership problems and we were nearly wiped out as a political party," he said.

Stuart added that between 1999 and 2003 the BLP systematically sought to create tension between St Lucy MP Denis Kellman and Thompson. The DLP suffered as a result, he said.

"More recently supporters of our organisation allowed themselves to be duped by the creation of artificial tension between Thompson and the former Leader of the Opposition, [Clyde] Mascoll, creating other tensions in the party, so they [BLP] could talk about leadership problems," he said.

Stuart revealed that once again attempts were being made to create artificial tension between himself and Thompson.

But he added that despite the BLP subterfuge, Thompson had his 100 per cent support as the DLP set out to create a just society for Barbadians and to rid the people of the miasma that was the BLP.

"My only objective in politics is to get rid of the BLP so that the DLP can form the Government to provide opportunities and a just Barbadian society. The BLP cannot do it and we, the DLP, have to," he said. (WG)