BASSETERRE, ST. Kitts – ALTHOUGH Lindsay Fitzpatrick Grant has always loved politics, he never considered pursuing it as a career. During his childhood years in West Farm and Sandy Point, the self-proclaimed “student of politics” never imagined he would one day contest the highest political office in the land. That is the situation he now finds himself in, as he plans to lead St. Kitts’ main opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM) to victory in the upcoming general elections.
Born on November 1, 1964, Lindsay was the second of four children (two brothers, one sister) born to Sybil and Warrington Grant. After graduating from the Basseterre Senior High School in 1983, he worked on his father’s egg farm until his matriculation to the University of the West Indies-Cave Hill (UWI).
While at UWI (1985 to 1988), Grant obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (Upper Second Class Honours) and went on to the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica to receive his Legal Certificate of Education. He then attended Harvard Law School (1990 to 1991), where he attained a Master’s of Law degree with a specialisation in International Finance and Banking.
Grant returned to the Federation in 1992 with the intention of establishing himself as a respected law practitioner. However, it was at that time the young lawyer first began to realise the contribution he could make to his country.
“When I returned home and saw the direction the country was going in, I thought I could make a meaningful contribution. At that time my party had been in government for a number of years. I saw it at a point when it was losing ground to then-opposition party the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP). However, my contribution really came after we lost the government in 1995 and we were in a rebuilding mode,” Grant said.
Despite his involvement in the party, Grant was still surprised when he was tapped to become Dr. Sir Kennedy Simmond’s successor as PAM Political Leader. He decided to accept the position after several months of consultation with his family.
It is a decision that, in hindsight, he never would have made.
“Honestly, I didn’t think politics would be like this. Our politics is too divisive, bitter and personal. I thought politics was about developing a platform and having the electorate decide who they want to lead.
“If I could re-do my decision, I would. But I don’t plan to step out of the race now. I love my country. I want to make a contribution to it, but I know that contribution doesn’t necessarily have to be in the political arena.”
Nonetheless, Grant remains worried about the welfare of the Federation’s citizens and residents, and pointed to the five areas of most concern to him – crime, cost of living, land and housing distribution, the economy, and transparency and accountability in government.
According to the PAM Political Leader, his party has solutions for tackling all the aforementioned issues.
“We have proposed a plan that proposes short, medium and long-term measures we feel would significantly reduce crime within the Federation. They include the upgrading of police stations, making sure the force is properly equipped and mandating that children between the ages of five to 16 become involved in a government-controlled institution such as the Boys Brigade or Girl Guides.”
In relation to the economy, Grant said the national debt and its terms of payment would be renegotiated so the government could have more breathing room to allocate funds towards social services. He also revealed his plans to introduce a policy document to ensure the land and housing distribution process was fair and transparent.
Though he was coy about what PAM would do to reduce cost of living, Grant hinted he would soon announce a programme that would ease the burden on every Kittitian and Nevisian at no additional cost. Additionally, he disclosed intentions to introduce a number of legislative reforms.
“Integrity in Public Life, Campaign Finance, Freedom of Information, Term Limits – these are all legislative items PAM would introduce. There needs to be more accountability and transparency in government actions. For instance, we cannot get a report on the fire at the power station. The same goes for the bypass road bridge collapse. These things happen and no one is held accountable. We cannot continue like this,” he asserted.
Turning his eyes towards the 2009/10 elections, the married father of two and Sandy Point resident said he was confident that, based on statistics, a PAM victory was inevitable.
“Take a look at the voting patterns in this country. You will see that the SKNLP has peaked. In most of the constituencies we lost, PAM gained more votes with each subsequent election and the SKNLP lost more votes.
“If these trends continue, PAM is definitely stronger in 2009 than it was in 2004. All things being equal, we will win the majority of seats.”
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