The Clement Payne Movement (CPM) is a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
-based political party named in honour of a
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
-born man who led a
1937 uprising in Barbados. The
Clement Payne Clement Osbourne Payne (1904 – 7 April 1941)"Payne, Clement", in Keith A. P. Sandiford, ''A Black Studies Primer: Heroes and Heroines of the African Diaspora'', Hansib Publications, 2008, p. 363.[Barbados Labour Party
The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), colloquially known as the "Bees", is a social democratic political party in Barbados established in 1938. Led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, it is the governing party of Barbados and the sole ruling party i ...]
(BLP) or
Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
The CPM also seeks the global advancement of
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
, and has a strong base in this area located in Barbados. The president of the party is
David A. Comissiong and the general secretary is Bobby Clarke.
In the past, on several occasions the leaders of the CPM have publicly appealed to other
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
governments not to officially recognize the 2004 US-imposed interim government in
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. The party also officially opposes the process known as the
Free Trade Area of the Americas
The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas, excluding Cuba. Negotiations to establish the FTAA ended in failure, however, with all parties unab ...
.
History
The CPM was formed in 1988, when its leading figures included David Commissiong, Martin Cadogan, Leroy Harewood, Trevor prescod, David Denny and John Howell. The organization is named after Clement Payne, a pioneer in the Caribbean trade union movement, who in 1998 was officially recognized as one of the
National Heroes of Barbados
The Order of National Heroes is the supreme honour within the national honours system of Barbados and was established by the Order of National Heroes Act 1998 by the Parliament of Barbados. Members are referred to as National Heroes, and are ...
.
"Parliament's History"
, The Barbados Parliament website. The CPM annually distributes a "Clement Payne Hero’s Award".
The CPM maintains close contacts with the Communist Party of Cuba
The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26t ...
, and supports normalised relations with the Republic of Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean ...
.
See also
* People's Empowerment Party (CPM electoral front)
* Pan-Caribbean Congress
References
External links
The lesson of Cuba
by David Comissiong
Communist parties in Barbados
Pan-Africanist political parties in the Caribbean
Political parties in Barbados
{{Caribbean-party-stub