BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 21st 2014 (CUOPM) – The leader of the PAM-PLP construct, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, has been called upon to denounce incidents of violence that took place in the constituency of St. Christopher 7.
The Labour Party candidate in the next general election, Dr. Vance Gilbert made the call following two incidents during a week of activities last week.
“It was our hope that the message of ‘One Love’ would serve to continue the process of healing the divisions that have divided brothers and sisters, neighbours and friends,” said Dr. Gilbert in a statement.
Dr. Gilbert said those in Constituency #7 “who seek to benefit from keeping these divisions alive, have used profane and inflammatory language, menacing threats and outright acts of violence as weapons to inflame hostilities among our people.”
“This is not the way of the people in Constituency #7 and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. Such vicious and reprehensible actions taken against the residents and friends of Constituency #7 represent an attack on our culture, our way of life and are an affront to law and good order. We are peace-loving and friendly, and despite the passion and enthusiasm of our political beliefs, we have always respected the God-given rights and freedoms of others,” said Dr. Gilbert, who added that the membership of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and in Constituency # 7 “will never, never, allow violence to overwhelm our political discourse and interactions.”
Stating that this despicable and criminal behaviour must be stamped out before it grows, worsens and becomes normal and acceptable, Dr. Gilbert said there is already a clear message that violence and intimidation have no place in Constituency #7 and in the Federation.
“One perpetrator has been arrested as a result of an incident at a rally held last Saturday in Molineux, and we hope that those who are considering acting in a similar manner will now understand that actions such as these have consequences,” said Dr. Gilbert.
He pointed out that it was noteworthy that these despicable acts are taking place in the constituency in which the leader of the so-called PAM-PLP construct is seeking to cling onto his seat.
“And it is noteworthy, also, that the escalation in violence is directly proportional to the increasing desperation of that candidate to hold on to the leadership of the construct at a time when, I am told, other members of that coalition are demanding that the time for them to lead has come,” Dr. Gilbert said.
“The behavior of the supporters of that discredited and ignoble campaign is a direct reflection on this desperate candidate’s blatant disregard for the democratic processes and his determination to win at all costs. These are the tactics of a discredited construct that lacks a plan, an idea, or a vision capable of capturing the hearts and imagination of our beloved people,” said Dr. Gilbert.
He continued: “These tactics will not work. These reprehensible acts will not be tolerated and must be condemned by the people of our country. We will not allow anyone to derail our democratic processes or change the tenor with which Kittitians have been conducting peaceful elections for as long as there have been elections. We will not allow politics in St. Kitts-Nevis to degenerate to the abhorrent levels that we have witnessed in other countries.”
“I call on him to put the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and the island that we love, before his quest for power and publicly denounce the actions taken by his supporters. He must repudiate this desperate, destabilizing agenda and encourage civility,” said Dr. Gilbert.
He said the upcoming elections, whenever they are held, will be fought in a spirit of peace, respect, and acceptance of debate.
“Of that, I have no doubt. This is the creed by which we have always conducted our politics in St. Kitts and Nevis and this is how we always will.
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