BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOLLOWING closely on the heels of his dismissal letter, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) candidate for Constituency Number One in the 2010 General Elections, Glenroy Blanchette, is in receipt of another letter indicating that the East Basseterre Constituency Group no longer wants him as its representative.
A press release coming out of PAM’s Secretariat today (Jun. 17), states that the party’s East Basseterre Constituency Group has given notice in a letter to Party Chairman Sidney Osborne, copied to Blanchette, that the latter is no longer the group’s choice as representative for the Constituency.
The release reads: “The letter stated that the group vehemently and unanimously disagrees with Mr. Blanchette’s unwarranted allegations in regard to the leadership of Mr. Lindsay Grant as well as the integrity of the recently held Delegate’s Convention.”
The group stressed its unequivocal support for Grant’s leadership and “would like to state categorically that its choice of Mr. Grant at Caucus was made without any pressure or fear, and wishes to distance itself from the offensive comments made in that regard”.
The release further states that the group expressed its disappointment with Blanchette’s post election conduct and its sadness that such a long-standing relationship had come to such an end.
The group wished Blanchette well in his future endeavors and thanked him for his contribution to the development of the communities in East Basseterre. It also expressed its desire for a future amicable relationship with him and hopes he would continue to be available in the future to tap into his resources, wisdom and experience as the group continues the process of community and party development.
“The East Basseterre constituency group is very pleased to announce that it has begun the process of recruitment of a new candidate and is actively considering several outstanding members of the community who have shown their significant interest in the candidacy and are dedicated to supporting the aspirations of the residents of constituency #1,” the release quoted the letter as stating.
On Tuesday, June 15, 2010, Blanchette received a letter informing him that he was dismissed with immediate effect as an employee of the PAM’s official organ, The Democrat.
According to Blanchette, he was handed a letter by Deniece Alleyne, Editor of The Democrat Newspapers. He noted that she was accompanied by Don 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.
SKNVibes learnt that in addition to the termination letter, all locks on the building were changed immediately.
Speaking exclusively to this media house yesterday (Jun. 16), Don Boncamper, who is the Chairman of The Democrat, 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 said.
He added that the immediate change in the locks on the building was a necessary measure to protect the “high-security” area.
Conflict has been brewing in the party since Blanchette and four other candidates signed a letter and sent it to the party chairman on April 21, 2010 calling for Grant to step down as the Political Leader of the PAM.
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. And conflict in the saga peaked on Sunday (Jun. 13) when Grant, unopposed, retained leadership of the party.
