BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AT afternoons when he concludes his duties as an electronics engineer at the TDC Group of Companies, this man hits the rugged campaign terrain of the Eighth Constituency in St. Kitts.
People’s Action Movement’s (PAM) representative for Constituency Number Eight, Eugene Hamilton has entrusted his campaign for the upcoming general elections to David ‘Dave’ Saunders.
Sometime during the latter months of last year, Saunders took on the task – which seems daunting to many - of supervising Hamilton’s 2009/2010 political campaign.
Saunders was born and raised in Cayon and as he matured, he began demonstrating an avid interest in politics. His involvement in politics stretches beyond the past 15 years when he represented the PAM as a polling officer. However, he said that his dedication to the PAM has nothing to do with his father’s support for the party but rather to their philosophies and ideologies.
Saunders explained to SKNVibes that he took interest in Hamilton’s campaign and was playing an active role in its advancement but, after discussion with him, he thought it best to make that major move by taking on the position of his Campaign Manager.
“One reason is that I was approached by Mr. Hamilton, not as a campaign manager at first, but to play a more active role in assisting him with the campaign. Then eventually I decided it doesn’t make sense to be assisting, it makes sense to take on the role fully. Since the start of this campaign, I was really deep into the campaign but I think I got deeper into it probably in the late part of last year. Mr. Hamilton and I discussed it and I took on the position.”
Tasks
As can be imagined, the job of a campaign manager is by no means an easy one and demands a great deal of dedication, commitment and foresight. According to Saunders’ outline of his duties as Hamilton’s Campaign Manager, his responsibilities are wide-ranged; from making appointments to having acute knowledge of the voters’ list.
“First of all, I have to make sure that the candidate knows exactly what his daily routines are in terms of the constituents. On a daily basis, I have to remind the candidate of his appointments…sometimes I make these appointments. I have to also point the candidate into the direction of where in the constituency he should visit, where he is weak in the constituency. Also, when it comes to the voters’ list, he has to be very vigilant in terms of the new registrants that come onto the list. We have to make sure that the poll clerks or the persons who are canvassing along with the candidate know exactly who these persons are.”
Every afternoon, as Saunders explained, Hamilton goes “canvassing” through his constituency, an exercise for which he says he must be present.
“Knowing the voters’ list is another of my tasks. Not only knowing the voters’ list but knowing the new registrants, who they are, where they are living and how long they are living in a specific spot, because we have found people on the list who are not living in that specific area. Then when there is an objection, I have to present Mr. Hamilton with a list of the persons to whom we are objecting. Knowing the list is not easy.”
Listening to and acting upon the needs of his candidate, relative to his constituency and constituents and knowing his candidate’s chance of winning the elections should they be called tomorrow, are also integral parts of Saunders’ duties, he explained.
Goals
Simply put, “the goal, as everybody would know, is to bring Mr. Eugene Hamilton to victory at the next elections”. Easier said than done however, is the axiom Saunders applied to this goal, noting that people’s impulsive nature makes his job even all the more difficult.
“The goal, as everybody would know, is to bring Mr. Eugene Hamilton to victory at the next elections. The hardest part is to have, on Election Day, whatever we put in place that is not operating properly. A perfect example would be getting the people, who have promised to give Mr. Hamilton their vote, to vote. That is the hardest part because people are very unpredictable. They can change with just a click of the finger. That is the hardest part in this campaign.”
Challenges
The “British American situation” which has been a hot topic for the past several months, surrounds Hamilton who was the General Manager when it began facing difficult times. Many have called for the PAM candidate to “come clean” especially having been accused of misappropriation of funds.
Hamilton’s Campaign Manager suggested that once “people research on the BA situation, they will know that Mr. Hamilton is just the General Manager,” and was not involved in any wrongdoings as some believe.
He said the Labour Party has used that situation as a political gimmick to secure mileage during the upcoming elections, and as for hurting Hamilton’s chance of tasting victory, Saunders does not envision that it would.
From crossing paths with “arrogant and rude” people to receiving “death threats”, Saunders reiterated that his job is nothing short of challenging, requiring much tenacity. He said, however, with the overall goal in sight, he is not awed but uses difficulties he faces to fuel his momentum.
Hamilton, in endorsing his Campaign Manager, said he is comfortable working with someone who is as dedicated as Saunders is and believes that this confidence is a key ingredient in achieving their goals.
