BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-ST. KITTS opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM) officially nominated a candidate in each of the island’s eight constituencies on Friday (Jan. 15).
Beginning just after 10 a.m. in Constituency # 3 at the St. Johnston Village Police Station, the party gathered their candidates and supporters to back the nomination of Bernard Welsh for the area.
After pledging his oath to the Returning Officer, Welsh emerged from the police station with his documentation in hand and was greeted be festive celebration from his supporters.
Welsh is facing 20-year incumbent candidate from the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Hon. Sam Condor, but said that the “deteriorating community life” in his constituency gives him a viable chance of winning the seat.
“I’m feeling the change. Just as how the people of the United States voted for change with Obama, the people of west Basseterre for 57 years have always voted Labour and we have been outside of economic activity and social change. Now I think we are going to do like the Americans, cast aside cynicism, fear and doubt, and vote change.
“It is time to vote for a PAM candidate who is born and grown in the Village,” Welsh said.
From there, the PAM party gathered in a motorcade and picked up supporters in central Basseterre before heading to register their next two candidates, Glenroy Blanchette in Constituency #1 and Roy Fleming in Constituency #2.
Though the Labour candidate for those constituencies, Hon. Earl Asim Martin and Marcella Liburd respectively, were in the same area with their supporters at the time, both parties were able to register their candidates without any conflict taking place.
PAM continued with its motorcade then and drove to the Cayon Police Station to register their Constituency #8 candidate, PAM Deputy Leader Eugene Hamilton, who was nominated by Lennox Liburd and David Saunders.
Winding through the villages of Constituency #7, the PAM supporters loudly proclaimed that “change is coming” to area, which has strongly backed incumbent representative Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris in the past.
PAM candidate for number seven Ronald ‘Luis’ Williams stated his confidence in his constituents to elect him as their next representative after he was nominated by Vashney Williams and Ronette James.
In Constituency #6, Junie ‘Scrape’ Hodge was officially nominated for the PAM party by Delka Leader and Gary Brookes. Hodge said that he and the rest of the PAM candidates were highly motivated for the January 25 elections by the “awesome” energy that came out of the motorcade.
Hodge faces perhaps the most challenging race out of all of the PAM candidates as he runs against the incumbent representative and Political Leader of the Labour Party Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas. Despite this, Hodge said he is optimistic at his chances for victory.
“The feeling on the ground is that the possibility is great, despite the fact that forces on the other side are trying to make sure otherwise. I can tell you this: this is the first time ever in the history of St. Kitts and Nevis where you have a candidate for the other side campaigning vigorously in number six. Before, it was never like that,” he said, adding that he hopes to improve agriculture infrastructure and bring the proposed indoor sporting facility to the area if elected.
PAM supporters next turned out in their numbers in Constituency #5, declaring that their current parliamentary representative, Hon. Shawn Richards, would once again claim his seat.
Leading up to the elections, several Labour Party representatives had argued that Richards and PAM Political Leader Lindsay Grant were ineligible to contest the general elections because they held dual citizenship. However, the issue did not seem to arise on Friday as Richards was nominated.
“There were absolutely no problems. I have registered in Sandy Point—no gimmicks, no tricks, next election Shawn sharing more licks. If they want to challenge [the citizenship issue] later, they can challenge it because they will have to pay my legal fees,” Richards said on the steps of the Sandy Point Police Station.
Nomination Day concluded for the PAM party in Constituency #4, where Party Leader Grant was nominated by John Francis and Shirley Gumbs.
Upon exciting the Old Road Police Station, Grant was lifted up on the shoulders of his supporters and declared to be the “the next Prime Minister” of the country. The throng of gold clad voters from around the island then moved to Grant’s constituency office where they festively partied to the successful nomination of their candidates with food, music and drinks.
Though the dual citizenship issue did not prove to be an issue for Grant at his nomination either, the Labour Party Secretariat later the same day issued a statement declaring that they “protested the candidacies of Lindsay Grant and Shawn Richards who have said they are American citizens but whom the Labour Party says have not to date revealed that they have renounced such citizenship”.
