The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net 

AFTER a lacklustre performance in the 2021 election, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) officials said the party has been “intentionally” silent due to executive issues following the resignation of its former leader but plans to return to the spotlight before the Christmas holidays.

Steven Nesbitt, the party’s interim leader, said the DNA will also unveil its election strategy before the holidays.

The future of the DNA has been uncertain since the 2021 resignation of former leader Arinthia Komolafe and its poor performance in the 2021 general election, which was worse than its 2012 and 2017 election performances.

Mrs Komolafe said her resignation was largely due to the party’s financial difficulties, noting that the DNA had no major donors, and many candidates, including herself, funded their campaigns.

Mr Nesbitt declined to publicly discuss the party’s internal problems but attributed its silence to ongoing issues.

“It’s been intentional for us to be quiet during this particular time as we rebuild,” he said yesterday. “Everybody understand how the party disintegrated after election.”

“There’s a lot of things that we had to deal with, and we’re still dealing with after the resignation of Arinthia, so this is something that we have to sit down and kind of navigate properly so when we present it to the main public, it’s going to be ironclad. You don’t want to go out there without your facts being together.”

He said the DNA has been working behind the scenes to revamp its image, including appearing on talk shows and conducting community outreach.

He claimed that the party had about 13,000 members, some of whom had left.

He said the focus is on re-engaging former team members and returning them to the fold. He claimed the effort recently saw as many as 125 individuals return, many waiting to be approached.

He said the party has been discussing possibilities with other third parties.

“Every time you turn around, there’s another party,” he said. “That don’t make no sense. So we’re definitely looking to be viable and to connect ourselves with some very interesting persons who’ve been in the forefront.”

Mr Nesbitt denied speculation that active politicians had reached out to join the DNA but noted that some former members had expressed interest in returning.

The DNA’s leadership team consists of Mr Nesbitt, the interim leader; Dr Carnille Farquharson, the chairwoman; and Derek Smith, the acting deputy leader.

Mr Nesbitt said leadership positions will be open at the party’s next convention.

He said the goal is to gather at least 300 to 400 delegates eligible to vote. He said the convention will be held when that target is reached, and all leadership positions will be up for election.