BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – POLITICAL Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and Parliamentary Representative of Constituency Five, the Hon. Shawn Richards is calling on the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) to stop their supporters from peddling “malicious lies” about him.
Richards claimed to have earlier today (Oct. 13) received a BlackBerry message accusing him of taking PAM’s supporters from his Constituency and Cayon to register in the St. John’s Constituency in Nevis to vote for the Deputy Leader of the Concerned Citizen’s Movement (CCM), the Hon. Mark Brantley.
Earlier today I received a very disturbing BBM broadcast message. This BBM came from supporters of the NRP stating that I was in Nevis with supporters from my Constituency and supporters from Cayon to register people in St. John’s to vote for the Honourable Mark Brantley,” Richards said in a press release that originated from his party’s Public relations Office.
Richards declared that he had always condemned individuals who had registered where they do not reside and that his trip to Nevis was to visit a friend.
“Let me be clear. First of all, this is illegal and I have always condemned those that have registered where they do not live. Secondly, I was in Nevis this week and I made a visit to my friend, Ms. Deli Caines, who is Press Secretary to the Premier, Mr. Parry.
“I am surprised the NRP operatives did not report this but felt the need to report the rubbish from earlier today. I am asking NRP to rein in your supporters and tell them to stop the malicious lies. I trust this is the last time I will have to respond to such a monstrous lie.”
Brantley will soon be contesting against former Nevis Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel for the St. John’s Constituency, following the August 27, 2012 ruling of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) that the election of Daniel in that Constituency was null and void.
The July 2011 Nevis Local Elections had seen the NRP winning three seats against the CCM’s two, and an election petition was launched by Brantley who claimed that Daniel had won by the illegal removal of 203 names from the Voters’ List in the St. John’s Constituency.
Brantley had lost his seat to Daniel by a mere 14 votes.
Since the ECSC’s ruling in which the behaviour of the then Supervisor of Elections, Pastor Leroy Benjamin, and then Registration Officer Bernadette in conducting the 2011 Elections was described as deliberate and biased for the political benefit of a particular party, voters in Nevis will have to return to the polls.
They [voters] will either return to the polls to vote at a by-election or general elections on Nevis.
If it is a by-election, then there are only a few more weeks remaining, because it is stated that such an election gets on the way on or before 90 days since the court’s ruling. However, should it be general elections, then the currently Nevis Island Administration-led NRP has 179 to announce the election date following the court’s ruling.
To date, Nevis Premier and Leader of the NRP, the Hon. Joseph Parry has not indicated what form the election will take and the date, but both parties are currently in election mode.
