BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A young Cuban-trained medical practitioner, Dr. Vance Gilbert, has been widely touted to be the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) candidate for Constituency Number Seven in the seemingly imminent general elections, replacing the fired Dr. Timothy Harris.
This belief has its genesis in statements made by the medical practitioner during an interview with this media house and, most recently, by the response given to a female caller to Tuesday’s (Mar. 19) radio programme ‘Ask the Prime Minister’.
The caller expressed her views on the mannerism exhibited by callers to Juni Liburd’s Freedom FM’s ‘Issues’ talk show when he had hosted former Minister Hubert Herbert and Earl Clarke.
She also stated her position on the No Confidence Motion and noted that she is just waiting on Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas to launch Dr. Vance Gilbert “because everybody gon know wha used to go on inna Constituency Number Seven. Everybody gon know because I will open my mouth and I will speak. Because you know many times I come to you, and you know that what they do me. You know because I come to you and I tell you what they do me and how they treat me, and now they want to say they so good and you so bad? They had all kinds of bad things to say about you, but what about dem? When they pointing one finger at you, how much coming back on dem? …You just launch Vance and you gon hear ’bout me”.
In his response, the Prime Minister, who is also the Leader of the SKNLP, thanked the caller for her comments and noted that he believed she was referring to Dr. Vance Gilbert.
“Who is Vance really? I believe she is referring to a young medical doctor, trained in Cuba, by the name of Dr. Vance Gilbert. He was born in the tiny, nestled village of Tabernacle. Dr. Vance Gilbert, his name has emerged recently as one of the potential candidates for Labour in the Constituency #7, but at the moment is being held in Parliament by Dr. Timothy Harris.
“And this caller is saying she can’t wait for the day, when the launching of Vance will take place. I too can’t wait for that day, because I believe it will be a day of rejoicing, jubilation, happiness and gladness. I am sure it will be a day when the people of Tabernacle would be so proud; the people of Belle Vue, the people of Mansions, the people of Christ Church, the people of Phillip’s and Molineux, the people of Boureyeaux, the people of Lodge...Lodge Project, Village, the people of Ottley’s, when they would have shown their jubilation as they would have moved on from Dr. Harris, who has turned his back on Labour, who has been one, sucking Labour’s breast for all these years and turned his back on Labour and now the people are ready to turn their backs on him and move on to another representative.
“I believe the people are saying, as this caller, they can’t wait for that day to take place. I hope that the people of Constituency Number Seven would be wise enough to choose a man, a true man, a man who befits what a true representative of the people should be. And I believe from what they are saying, Vance Gilbert will be that man,” Prime Minister Douglas said.
On Friday (Mar. 8), this media house published an article headlined ‘Dr. Gilbert signals intention of representing people of Const. #7, within which he said his decision is “based on everything that is going on in the political arena”.
“…specifically as it relates to Number Seven where Dr. Harris is now saying he is going independent and talks about a Unity Government...of course there is a void within the Constituency as it relates to a representative for the Labour Party. And the people have called upon me to fill that void.
“So it is definitely my intention to be the next Labour candidate for Constituency Number Seven so I can continue serving the people and do the best that I can for the area, the people and the country on a whole”.
The Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris is the current Parliamentary Representative for that Constituency and had held that position under the SKNLP since 1993.
However, recent rifts between his ideologies and those of Dr. Douglas have led to a chain of events which ended in him being fired from the ruling Party’s Cabinet.
And according to the Deputy Chairman of the SKNLP, the Hon. Nigel Carty, plans were afoot to replace Harris as the Party’s representative of Constituency Number Seven.
