Mr. Hensley Daniel is the declared NRP candidate for the St John's Constituency in the July 10 local elections. He is a consultant by profession but also spent many years as a teacher at the Charlestown Secondary School and Director of Community Affairs. Ron Daniel sat down with this visionary candidate to discuss his reason for entry into politics, what the people of St John's can expect if he is elected, why one should elect him and how his life in politics has been so far.
Q:- You are in a race which will always be keenly watched. You are taking on who many people call the big man in St John. Are you scared at all by the daunting task of beating Malcom Guishard?
A:-Not at all. Mr. Guishard is a human just like me and you. I honestly believe that I can beat Mr. Guishard and I believe that my supporters feel the same way. I am not scared in the least by him, because at the end of the day God is in control and I believe that good will always triumph over evil.
Q:-How long ago did you decide that you wanted to enter representative politics and why did you choose to side with the Nevis Reformation Party?
A:-Well I don't think I ever said that I should run. I remember very vividly after the 1997 local elections when the NRP lost the elections that some guys from Cole Hill and Cox came up to me and bluntly advised me that I had no choice but to run and that they would support me. All my life I have been helping people whether or not it has been in teaching or as a social worker so I saw it as a natural progression to enter politics. I think it was after those guys spoke to me and after consultation with those closest to me that I decided that I would enter politics. As for siding with NRP, I do not think that was ever up for discussion. I grew up in NRP. My father was one of the greatest supporters of the NRP and my entire family it always supported the NRP. I have always been on the green team. If you cut me right now I would bleed green so I was always going to be with the NRP. I do not want to be singing the blues with the CCM.
Q:- You have been many things in your short life. You are fluent in both Spanish and French and taught both at the High School level and you also served as Director of Community Affairs. How do you move from teacher and Social Worker to Politician?
A:-As I said earlier Ron, I see it as a natural progression. As a teacher you made a sacrifice to teach the nation's youth for minimal pay and maximum work. As a social worker I had to work tirelessly to ensure that the little resources we had were stretched to accommodate as many as possible. I have a heart for people Ron. As a social worker I have always been involved in assisting the poor and preventing that vicious circle of poverty. I have been accustomed to going beyond the call of duty for people. In politics you have to do the same thing. I think that I can offer so much more to the dispossessed and distressed in society as a Minister. That is what I want to accomplish as a Minister. That is the legacy I would want to leave; that after my term in office is done, the poor in our land would be uplifted and empowered.
Q:-In all your speeches and presentations you continue to make the point for the need for education, training and the development of youth. Very briefly what would you do if elected to advance these causes?
A:-. I continue to make the point because I am passionate about it Ron. I don't say things just for so. I believe the distinction between the NRP and the CCM is that the CCM believes that a country can be developed without any emphasis on the development of people. I believe differently. If you look at so many of the people in our society who now hold big jobs they hold them because they are educated and or trained. It was the former American President, Thomas Jefferson that said that "our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education." If I am elected, I would like to spearhead a program where our people whether young or old are exposed to vocational training whether it be in auto-mechanics, electricity etc. I would also like to see us filling certain potholes in our human resource development. We have an urgent need for Librarians, Scientists, Engineers, Technicians, Surveyors, Mathematicians, Architects and Welders. We want to fill these potholes by providing scholarships to ensure that our people are trained. When you have something in your head it is impossible for it to come out and with that training you can make a better life for you and your family. It is important for politicians to free people from being dependent on them. With them being trained they do not need to be dependent on me or anyone because they can make life for themselves. Education helps to empower a people and that is what I want to be able to do. They must be rulers in their own land. We as politicians are supposed to be there simply to provide a platform for them to excel.
~~Adz:Right~~Q:- This is the second time that you are running in the Nevis Local Elections. I have seen you making the rounds and doing house to house campaigning dating back to early last year. How has the response been from the people of St. John's to your candidacy as you meet with them and speak with them?
A:-Well Ron I have been encouraged. Of course you still have people who are die hard CCM supporters but you expect that and you have to respect that. As a matter of fact some of the same CCM supporters are my good friends. However all in all the support has been very encouraging. I can tell you that the most inspiring thing is the response from the youths. They have been rallying behind me hard and have even been helping me to register others. As a matter of fact on Nomination Day I was nominated by two young people both under 25 one being from Bath Village and the other a female from Church Ground. I like that because I feel that once the youth are behind me I know that I am on the right track when it comes to the future of Nevis.
Q:- Your opponent recently attacked you saying that your family members got lands at reduced prices while NRP was in power. Can you briefly respond to this?
A:- There is really not much to respond to. The records will show that my family members all bought lands at the same price of others in the same area. We all got half an acre plot of land for the same price as 75 other landowners in the area. This comment by Minister Guishard was simply a desperate attempt to try to take the focus off of his wrongdoing and put it on someone else. However the facts are clear for all to see. Plus I was never a government minister like him.
Q:- There has been a lot of talk about the 80 acre deal. Can you tell us in a nutshell what is wrong with the 80 acre deal and what would you have done differently if you were in power?
A:- Well in a nutshell Ron the 80 acres was there to be possessed for the people of Nevis. It is supposed to be the people's land. Government was supposed to acquire 2.3 million US dollars worth of land from PIC who owed this money in back taxes. They took 150 acres of land valued at some 1.5 million dollars. The land cost some 10,000 dollars per acre which means that the government should have really acquired 230 acres of land and not 150. However somehow they did not acquire 80 acres of the 230 acres leaving some US 800,000.00 owed to them outstanding. Lo and behold the same 80 acres that should have been acquired by government now goes to the brother of Malcom Guishard and he goes through the trouble of putting it in a company's name instead of just his name. The facts speak for themselves. The questions that the electorate must ponder is how come only Malcom Guishard's brother got 80 acres? Why wasn't this 80 acres ever acquired by government when PIC owed them at least 80 acres more in the value of back taxes owed to government? Why is it that government could not take that land and then re-sell it on the open market to Nevisians? How is it that only Minister Guishard's brother can get to buy part of that particular estate? I smell a rat Ron. Don't you?
Q:-Why should one vote for you as opposed to Minister Guishard?
A:-.Well I think that people are generally fed up with the present representative and his lack of regard for them while he has lots of regard for his family members. I believe that I have a genuine passion for people and their development. I want to empower people through the ownership of cheap lands, by putting young people on boards of all statutory corporations, by providing assistance to them to start their own businesses and by giving them a new lease on life. I want to bring back consultative governance where everyone has a say in how their country is run and people know what is going on before it happens. Roads should not just be thrown down without consultation with the people. I believe government should be decentralized and power once again be restored to the hands of the people. It is the people who elect us and we should show them more respect. Also I want to bring a new vigour and zeal to governance. Sometimes I think our representative takes a holiday and then returns to work at elections time. He is deaf just after elections then miraculously has time to sit and meet with people just before elections.
Q:-The Observer Newspaper recently reported that you would beat Malcom Guishard. Did that surprise you?
A:- No not at all. I was surprised that the Observer was bold enough to report it. It is not hard to fathom. I believe that people are genuinely ready for a change. However that poll doesn't give me time to be complacent. I still have to continue to canvass right until election day. You cannot take anything for granted. I wont even entirely rely on the poll. Anything can happen. It is important that everybody votes and seek to take back their country. This election is not about me. It is about the people.
~~Adz:Left~~Q:-Can you briefly outline some of the specific things that you would implement in St. John's if elected?
A:-.Very briefly Ron I would like to implement Parish councils, I would also like to build public parks around the constituency. The Ivor Walters Primary School is in need of a serious upgrade. I want to be able to attend to that. I would also like us to implement Village Renewal Committees which would be responsible for keeping the villages clean. The implementation of hot lunches at all primary schools, homework centers and remedial reading programs will also be at the heart of the vision for St Johns. There is also the urgent need for bus stops in major areas of St John's.
Q:-How has the experience of the election campaign been so far? How have you been able to juggle being a politician, father, husband and consultant?
A:- It has not always been easy. I have a very supportive wife and family though and they understand that sometimes I would not be home as much as I would like. The truth is though that my wife has been accustomed to me being out and taking calls from people seeking assistance due to my past in social work so it's not that different. However I really have to thank my wife for her support while I have been busy with politics.
Q:- Government and governance mean many things to many different people. What does government and governance mean to you?
A:- I believe simply Ron that governance has to do with the empowerment of people. For me I want to be known as a Minister who played a role in the development of a people so much so that they are at a level where they too can empower others and help to move them up the social ladder.
Q:-If you were to use three words to describe Hensley Daniel, what would they be and why?
A:-I would prefer others describe me. Three words though would be "heart for people".
Q:- Is there anyone you would like to thank and anything else that you would like to say before we end this interview?
A:-Of course Ron I would like to thank all my constituents for sticking with me through the years. They have been very patient with me and I want to thank them. I would also like to thank everyone in my campaign team for working extra-ordinarily hard over the past 18 months. They have given me the inspiration to keep going even when I am tired. They are an energetic bunch with a good mix of young and not so young and they have given me that oxygen I need to keep it up. I also would like to implore all the constituents of ST John to invest their X in me on July 10. Vote NRP&.Better for all Nevisians.
