BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 16, 2009 (Labour Secretariat) - Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has said that his ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party is set to win a fourth historic election when the elections are held sometime next year.
“We will win the election because we are ready. Labour has now become mobilized in every constituency in this island, in every nook and cranny, in every street and highway, at the workplace, wherever you are,” Dr. Douglas said to hundreds of jubilant supporters at a public meeting in Upper Cayon on December 15.
The Prime Minister said that his Government’s policies and programmes have progressed the country over the past 15 years as one of “the most sought after destinations in the whole world”.
Labour has championed the cause of landless nationals, provided housing and education, with a track record never known before, Dr. Douglas said. Extreme poverty has been reduced from 11 percent to 1.4 percent, according to the United Nations, he said.
Tourism, which now forms the major part of the new economy, since the country finished with the sugar industry in 2005, is booming and bringing a lot of revenue to the country, Dr. Douglas highlighted.
“It is too risky to change from Labour to PAM” he said, especially at a time when the “world is demanding serious and mature leadership” at a time of financial crisis.
“Labour brings maturity. Labour brings understanding but Labour also brings the mix of the young and the mix of gender together with our leadership,” Dr. Douglas said.
The general election, which should have been held earlier this year, has been entangled in a court battle since the Opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) challenged the Government over the realignment of constituency boundaries, which had been deemed grossly unequal by election observers in the 2004 election.
Recommendations from election observer missions suggested that the constituency boundaries be realigned as part of a comprehensive electoral reform process before the upcoming elections in the interest of a free and fair election, but the PAM has charged that the government is trying to gerrymander the boundaries on “the eve of an election” so as to win at the polls despite popular opinion and polls that have indicated that Labour is predicted to win.
A recent poll conducted by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) out of Barbados has shown that 50 percent of the electorate did not wish to see a change of government at this time, while 32 percent expressed a desire to see the government changed in the upcoming elections; 48 percent of persons indicated that they would support the Labour Party, while 29 percent promised to support the People’s Action Movement (PAM); the poll also suggested that the Labour Party would win 7 seats, while PAM would win one.
The court battle over the realignment of the constituency boundaries is still tied up in court and there is no end in sight when it will be completed.
However, Dr. Douglas has indicated that he is not depending on the realignment of the constituency boundaries to win the upcoming election because his government has won the past three elections on the existing boundaries.
On December 15, Prime Minister Douglas dissolved Parliament one day before it was due to be dissolved and has signaled that “the countdown has begun”. The election is due to be held within 90 days of the dissolution of Parliament.
A date is yet to be set for the election.
