BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HOURS after lamenting the re-election of Lindsay Grant as Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), Assistant Managing Director and unsuccessful candidate for the party Glenroy Blanchette was yesterday (Jun. 15) booted out from party’s official organ, The Democrat.
Conflict has been brewing in the party since Blanchette, candidate for Constituency One, and four other failed candidates signed a letter to the party chairman in early April calling for Grant to step down from his leadership position.
The letter cited problems of poor judgment in an alleged land deal scandal at the Marriott resort and problems of financial mismanagement in the party leading up to the January 25 General Elections.
Conflict in the saga peaked on Sunday (Jun. 13) when Grant, unopposed, retained leadership of the party. Information received by SKNVibes suggests that Blanchette was given his termination letter yesterday afternoon (Jun. 15) and locks on the building were changed immediately.
Speaking to this media house, Chairman of The Democrat Don Boncamper explained that Blanchette’s conduct in recent times has not been conducive to the function of the paper as the mouthpiece of the party, and so the decision to let him go was made.
“The Democrat is a private company. The board met and it took that decision...Yes, it had to do with statements that [Blanchette] made about the party and that he would not work with Grant.
“You cannot be in the engine room and working against the leader of the party,” Boncamper stated in an exclusive interview.
He added that the immediate change in the locks on the building was a necessary measure to protect the “high-security” area.
Following Grant’s return as party leader, Blanchette made a number of hard-hitting statements to the press. He has been the most outspoken of the five failed candidates and the result of Sunday’s caucus seemed to fan the flames of internal party politics.
“The re-election of Lindsay Grant as political leader of PAM may be perceived as an endorsement of political corruption,” Blanchette said. “The Marriott bribery scandal will not go away and will continue to hurt the party until Mr. Grant accepts full responsibility for his action and steps down.”
In a press release, received shortly before press time, Blanchette confirmed his dismissal, stating that he was handed a letter by Deniece Alleyne, Editor of The Democrat Newspapers. He noted that Alleyne was accompanied by Boncamper, the Financial Comptroller of PAM, and the party’s Chairman, Sidney Osborne.
"I have been summarily dismissed as an employee of the Democrat Printing Co. Ltd with immediate effect. The letter did not give any reason why my services were terminated. The letter was signed by Mr. Don Boncamper and Mr. Sidney Osborne.
“This incident now begs the question, ‘What if the People’s Action Movement had won the General Elections? Is this the way that members and supporters of the Party would have been treated?’
“In all of this, my resolve has been strengthened. The God we serve is a good God. He looks out for all of us. I will continue to pray for the workers at The Democrat who have been through so much for the past several years. I wish them well, Blanchette said.
Blanchette also stated that he would now be actively seeking employment in the private or public sector so that “I can help take care of my family”.
Glenroy Blanchette, married with two children, worked at the Democrat for about six years, prior to which he served over 15 years in public education.
