There were several issues that featured prominently in the news in 2024, from the agitation against the Cybercrime Bill that went all the way to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the destruction of the fishing fleet by early weather system Hurricane Beryl, the warring within the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and, naturally, the rising tide of homicides.
The DLP and its wrangling and the sometimes casual taking of lives often traded the headlines.
Once a powerful institution that brought independence to Barbados and developed the country through a number of social programmes, the DLP seemed unable to rise above the clash of personalities in its midst. Since the 2018 defeat at the polls the party has struggled to unite under one person and the second month into 2024 appeared to bring hope when Ralph Thorne defected from the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and sought out the Dems. Rather than consolidating under one leader to challenge the BLP, as the public anticipated, that development led to even greater conflict and the expulsion and resignation of some of its stalwarts.
Meanwhile, the Government was unable to bring under control the number of homicides, a recordtying 50 killings, as the previously touted truce among gang members crumbled and the peace programme lost any traction that it might have been gaining.
The mass killings in September, two separate shoot-ups that left two children injured and the gunning down of men in front their homes all shook the conscience of a nation and brought tremendous pressure down on those involved in the justice system to find a solution.
The police did manage to restore some public confidence with swift arrests, but the trauma from the deadly violence of 2024 still persists. (AC)
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