BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GLENN 'GHOST' PHILLIP, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s (SKNLP) successful Constituency Four candidate, said he is not worried about a legal challenge by his opponent from the People’s Action Movement (PAM), Lindsay Grant.
“I have nothing to do with what he wants to do. He can do what he wants within the legal parameters,” Phillip told SKNVibes in an exclusive interview. “I know I won the seat. I’m not worried about what he’s doing. I’m worried about taking the people’s agenda forward.”
Phillip and Grant contested the tightest race in last week’s election, with the former emerging as the victor by 29 votes. Phillip’s triumph was part of an overall SKNLP victory that saw the incumbent party winning six electoral Seats on St. Kitts.
Immediately after the results were announced, PAM, which claimed the remaining two St. Kitts Seats, said it would mount a legal challenge to the outcomes in Constituencies One, Two and Four.
Grant, the PAM Political Leader, alleged that the Labour Party enabled hundreds of its supporters from other constituencies to vote in Number Four, skewing the results in its favour. Phillip denied what he said and stated that it was “a misleading and false” claim.
“Before we started the voting process, each party received a complete list of voters’ registration within the community and constituency. Lindsay Grant did not object then. I would think it’s sour grapes that he has a problem now.
“There were 56 persons [the SKNLP] already acknowledged on the platform that are known PAM persons who planned to vote in Constituency Four and didn’t live there. But we didn’t get to object in time, so we looked forward to the election and were still able to win.”
In subsequent interviews with the press, Grant said he had registered objections with the electoral office in February 2009, but since no headway was made he would now use the High Court.
Meanwhile, Phillip outlined some of his plans for the next five years, admitting it was “extremely exciting” but he was also aware of the “huge responsibility” he now has.
“We have to continue the housing programme in the constituency. In the last six months, I’ve worked with [former representative Rupert Herbert] to give out 300 lots of land. There will be some persons who can’t afford to build houses for themselves and that is one of my top priorities...assisting those persons through the National Housing Corporation.
“In the Halfway Tree area, we still have to fence and light the playing field. In Old Road, we have to start reviving the football league. And it’s very important to me that the people of Middle Island get their own community centre housed with a library and computers,” he revealed.
The new representative informed that another of his major goals was to refit Old Road Bay so it would be less impacted by natural disasters.
Returning Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas is set to name his new Cabinet on Sunday (Feb. 7) at Warner Park Cricket Stadium. While Phillip was hesitant to disclose what position he would hold in that body, he noted he would not mind receiving the portfolios of Sports and Communication.
