BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WINNER of the race to capture the Constituency Number Eight Seat in the Federal Parliament, Eugene Hamilton, is extending words of gratitude to those who were instrumental in his success.
The victor triumphed over the 14-year holder of the Seat, Cedric Roy Liburd, by a mere 31 votes in the January 25, 2010 Federal Elections.
Speaking exclusively with SKNVibes, Hamilton described the race as an uphill struggle and noted that man’s dastardly efforts could not supersede the will of God.
“As you know, not only did my opponent Cedric Liburd campaign against me, but he used the occasion to defame me on so many occasions. He used the occasion to tell lies, I am told, on so many occasions. And not only him but the entire government and the Labour Party went after me with all the forces they had, every bit of ammunition they had. Prime Minister Douglas from the very start in Conaree with the ‘revolution statement’; even people who support Labour who carried out the wishes of the Labour Party and threw stones at a public meeting which knocked out my teeth, even that. They could not do anything else with me except kill me, but I have gone through all of that.
“And you know what this vote means? It means that God is in the midst of things and God speaks and that the will of man will not ever be superior to the will of God, and God has done what He has done.”
Hamilton explained that he did not waste too much time reacting to comments made against him by his opposition, but recognised that there was a need to address other pressing issues, should he want to be victorious.
“(I) was paying attention to my voter’s list. For example, the fact that I was able to get the court to agree to remove some names of persons,…which means that my claim against them was correct and it also tells me – and this is going to be my next mission – that I am going to get my voters’ list cleaned up next month…because what it means is, they are winning an election every time by fraud but it will happen no more now that I have an opportunity and a voice in Parliament.”
The Constituency Number Eight Representative expressed thanks to those who in some way, shape or form, contributed to his victory; particularly, individuals who opposed him.
“I say special special thank you to all of them, even to those who were in opposition. Those who were in opposition to me made me a little sharper...more focused on the things that I needed to do, because if you pay attention only to those who are saying good things about you, you miss the forest for the trees. And so those who say things about you, not necessarily opposition leadership…but the people on the ground who are in opposition, what they were saying was of importance to me. And so I also want to thank them for their opposition to me that made me more alert to the things that are important, because that is what guided me in this election.
“I was to add a special thank you to anybody who gave of their time and money to travel home on their own to say its time for a change…despite the fact that they had to use their own resources to do so.”
Hamilton has attributed his victory to the team with which he worked, adding that now that he has been elected his intention is to serve the people with every fiber of his being.
“The victory is not mine to really cherish as if it is something for me. My victory is to be attributed to the team with which I have worked and also the people who came out and supported me in this election. The people spoke. The people are the ones who I want to give much credit to for seeing through all of the loose talk and to be able to still make a clear decision that you need a change in the constituency. The people spoke and, so really and truly, I credit this victory to the people of my constituency whom I intend to serve with every bit of energy that I have. My stewardship during this time is going to be working for them…those who have put their trust in me.”
