BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Commissioner of Police (COP), Austin Williams, has categorically denied that the overbooking that led to the People’s Action Movement (PAM) relocating its public meeting was as a result of or part of a politically-motivated strategy.
SKNVibes understands that on Sunday, October 15, 2009, the PAM was scheduled to hold a public meeting in the Saddlers area, an area which was also to see a Labour Party public meeting on the same evening.
Rumours reaching this media house suggested that the PAM was granted permission to hold the meeting there and that permission was rescinded to allow the Labour Party to hold theirs.
SKNVibes contacted leader of the PAM Lindsay F. Grant, who explained that on Monday, November 9, 2009, his party sought permission from the police to hold a public meeting in Saddlers, which was granted two or three days later. He further explained that after hearing about the colliding Labour Party meeting, he made contact with the police who explained to him that the Labour Party sought permission after the PAM and would be given up until 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2009 to decide on an alternative venue to the Saddlers area.
Grant’s further account of the incident suggested that the Commissioner of Police contacted a member of his party, Sydney Osbourne, on the day the meeting was to have been held and suggested that the PAM would have to find another location to hold its public meeting. The PAM leader said he opted not to fight the issue and resorted to relocating to the Boyds area.
Commissioner Williams, in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, explained that the situation is far simpler than persons are making it out to be, adding that, initially, he saw nothing wrong with granting both parties permission to have their meetings in the same area on the same night.
“It is as simple as this…that the two parties applied to hold a meeting in Saddlers. I thought, at the time, that it would have been okay for both parties to have their meeting. Then on reflection, after persons brought to my attention their concerns about the two meetings, I realised the village was too small and the appropriate distance needed would not be available for both parties to have a meeting in the same area.”
Asked if the PAM did seek and was granted permission as Grant claimed, the Commissioner declined to comment on that specifically, but noted “both parties applied and both were granted. I don’t care to comment on which party applied first. I did contact Sydney Osbourne and I was proposing a new location but that location, in the end, would have been closer (to the area) where the Labour Party was proposing to have their meeting. I did not contact anyone from the Labour Party.”
The Commissioner denied suggestions that the incident was devised to cause political mischief to the benefit of the Labour Party.
“It was not a politically motivated move. There were concerns raised by the police in the district…I told them I would consider. I also got complaints from residents and I made the decision that it is unwise to have both meetings in the same place.”
