The Elections are over

By G.A.Dwyer Astaphan

In St.Kitts, Labour took approximately 60% of the popular vote and 6 of the 8 St.Kitts seats while the CCM, with 53.8% of the popular vote on Nevis, retained its two of the 3 Nevis seats.

Dr. Douglas will know that the dynamics of leading a 6:2 government are different from those of a 6:2 , a 7:1, or an 8:0 government. At least, in 2010, if not before.

And we shall see, even with what appears to have been a massive endorsement by the electorate, if and how his leadership style is affected.

Thanks are in order to all who offered their names for the elections, and to the political parties and the independent candidates for providing the people of this country with options.

That, after all, is the essence of democracy.

Of course, we may not have  heard the end of the story. Claims of cheating and irregularity will be made, possibly in a court of law and definitely elsewhere And in time we shall be able to test the validity and the usefulness of such claims.

Meanwhile, I congratulate Marcella Liburd and Glenn Phillip, both first-time candidates who ran in two very strategically critical and high-profiled constituencies where the Party wanted good victories.

Marcella had succeeded me as Labour’s candidate for Central Basseterre. And she had done so in challenging circumstances.

To her credit, she organized herself and her team, set about her task resolutely, and pressed home .

In the end, she claimed a big 431-vote over  PAM’s Roy Flemming.

Some comments have been made regarding my alleged negative attitude towards Marcella and her candidacy. There was never any such negative attitude. She and I have had a number of one-on-one conversations with regard to all relevant matters, and the understanding is there.

Plus, it is obvious that had I not been faithful to the cause of Labour and  had I wanted to create difficulties, I could have resigned my parliamentary seat at any time after leaving government, thereby forcing a by-election and putting extra pressure on the Party, and its defence of the Constituency, at a time when the Party and Marcella could least tolerate it.

Plus, I could have gone on a political platform, whether my own or some other.

But none of that happened.

In addition, I consistently reiterated my loyalty to the cause of Labour and encouraged people to vote for Marcella and other Labour candidates.

But now is Marcella’s time. May God bless and guide her as she takes up the awesome honour and responsibility of representing Central Basseterre. She is capable.

I also want to give a special salute to Glenn Phillip, who is a nice man with a strong and willing heart and the desire to serve.

I love Glenn. I was one of the persons who had encouraged him to take up this challenge. Indeed, the very last thing that I did on Labour’s platform was to serve as chairperson of Glenn’s ceremony to open his Constituency Office in Old Road.

I believe that he will do a great job and that he will grow to become a very beloved political giant in his Constituency and the nation.

Congratulations are also in order to Eugene Hamilton, who after decades in politics and two failed previous tries, finally managed to unseat Cedric Liburd who made a sterling contribution  to Constituency Number 8 and to the nation during his nearly 15 years in government.

Now, it seems to me that we are at a defining moment in our history.

Labour has just won a fourth consecutive term, doing so with three new candidates, two of whom won, while the third, Dr. Wilson of Sandy Point, has good reason to feel optimistic about his chances next time around.

Meanwhile, Dr. Douglas, Sam Condor and Cedric Liburd will have to be replaced for the next general elections, which means that the process of selecting and preparing new candidates needs to begin now.

Likewise, the  transitioning to new leadership merits the early and deliberate attention of the Labour Party, as it learns that issues raised during and before the just-concluded elections will not be swept away by Labour’s victory, and that it can in no way continue to be business as usual.

We must not squander this defining moment in which we are now placed by failing to raise our levels of vigilance and inquiry as citizens. We must demand nothing but the highest standards of comportment, accountability, transparency and good governance from those whom we elect or appoint to lead and serve us.

Of course, we must first do so in relation to ourselves, which, as I have been saying all along, is where the real change must take place.

So this is also a defining moment for us, for our hearts, our souls, our minds, our attitudes, our outlooks, and our standards.

And as it is a defining moment for Labour and for us, it is also a defining moment for PAM,

Will Messrs. Blanchette, Flemming, Welsh and Grant be allowed to run for a seat again?

(I do not include Mr. Junie Hodge and Mr. Louie Williams in this equation because they were given impossible tasks to perform and they cannot be blamed for the results. And I include Mr.Welsh, not because he had much of a chance, but because he has now taken two shots at elective office and has fallen far short of the mark both times).

All four( Blancette, Flemming, Welsh and Grant) have had two tries, and although it can be argued that their colleague, Mr. Hamilton, succeeded only now, on his third try, I would counter by suggesting that a third try in 2010 may not be the same as the wish to make a third try in 2015.

There will be young PAMites looking to make their way up the leadership ladder who will see all of the present ones, both elected and others, as part and parcel of the reason why their Party has failed to win these past two elections.

And they will want to make a change, and to do so early enough so that the general public might become acquainted with the new personalities and with PAM’s new image and energy coming forward.

The case of Mr. Grant is particularly pressing.

He was given the mantle of leadership of his party in 2001. He contested, and lost, two elections, in his capacity both as Party leader, and as a candidate, the first loss being to a fading Rupert Herbert, and the second to a newcomer, Glenn Phillip.

Will PAM tolerate a leader who, after 14 years( which is what it would be if he were kept on until 2015) has little or nothing in the victory column to show for it?

Will PAMites not rightly argue, quite apart from the hue and cry that we will hear about cheating, that Mr Grant has had his chance and that he needs to be thanked and replaced?

Indeed, I will suggest that he should tender his resignation within the next 14 days, effective at his party’s next annual conference.

And who would replace him? Shawn Richards? Eugene Hamilton? I don’t think that either would be considered acceptable to those who have the final say.

And if PAM chooses someone else, Messrs. Richards and Hamilton might form an alliance against the new leader and cause further cracks in the Party.

Mr. Richards himself might get fed up, chuck it in, and migrate to the USA, forcing a by-election in Sandy Point.

Also, with these two now in Parliament, and having an additional forum to stretch their wings and flex their muscles, a power struggle could manifest itself sooner rather than later.

PAM could be very fragile right now, if you ask me.

So as much as it is a defining moment for Labour, it is equally so for PAM.

In the midst of all of this, who will be the new Leader of the Opposition? PAM has 2 seats, as does CCM.

Will either be willing to concede to post to the other, in exchange, say, for the senatorial seat? Or, would NRP do a deal with either of the two?

And who might be Deputy Speaker?

We shall see how they go about it.

A defining moment, indeed.