BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RESPONDING to news that the Government had lost the injunction/boundaries case at the Privy Council level, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas told his supporters that it is time to tell the People’s Action Movement (PAM) that their legal maneuverings would not be successful in securing them a win at the polls on Monday (Feb. 16).
Prime Minister Douglas stood at the front of Masses House, the St. Kitts Labour Party’s headquarters, just hours after the verdict was given and addressed a sizeable crowd on his thoughts of the ruling.
“It is time for the people to show PAM that their legal tricks will not work. Labour supporters and the inspirational SKNY movement will all be at the polling stations on Monday and win this Election for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. We, the Labour Party, will not allow PAM to violate democracy! We will ensure that the public’s will is expressed through the ballot box.
“And that is the important thing, that you get the chance to have your say on the future direction of the country, that you have a chance to pick your representative, that you can make the judgment about which party is best for your children and their future.”
The Prime Minister declared his assurance that the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) would emerge victorious at the Elections.
“I am confident that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis will decide in the ballot box that Labour is the only party with the policies and record to continue the progress and growth for which St. Kitts and Nevis is now known.”
Commenting on the judgment, Dr. Douglas said he is in disagreement with the interim injunction that the Privy Council had restored.
“The English law Lords have ordered the electoral commission to use the unfair and unequal boundaries in the Election, which will take place on Monday, February 16th 2015. While I profoundly disagree with this interim injunction, we have to remember that it is only a temporary measure and the issue of permanently establishing fair boundaries will be decided on a future date.
“The Labour Government has prepared the country so that it has enough time to properly consider the matter, and you the people of St. Kitts and Nevis can exercise your constitutional rights in the ballot box on Monday.”
He added: “It is clear that the Privy Council has failed to take into account the democratic will and the sentiments of the people. We in Labour feel there is a real gulf of misunderstanding between what has gone on in a courtroom in London and the mood of the ordinary man and woman on the streets here in St Kitts-Nevis.
“Let us see this as an opportunity. We all know that the Opposition, with their love of obscure legal proceedings, would challenge the outcome of the Election anyway. The people of St. Kitts and Nevis however do not trust them with their lives or their future.”
Dr. Douglas reminded that the SKNLP has been successful at the polls on the current boundaries (old boundaries) for four consecutive times “and we shall win with them again”.
