BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOR many years party politics has been an integral part of Kittitian/Nevisian existence. Today, social commentator and teacher Washington ‘Washie’ Archibald is advising that for the upcoming general elections, voters must put their seal of approval on an individual based on what he/she brings to the table rather than on the party they represent.
“My word of wisdom to the young voters is to look at the candidates who we are asked to vote for, and regardless of what party that candidate supports, if we know that candidate well enough and know that he or she is a good person in whom we could entrust our future for five years, vote for that person,” Archibald told SKNVibes in an exclusive interview.
Archibald, a confessed supporter of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party, explained that party politics is “divisive” and, more often than not, it allows for the election of the individual who may be the least fit to handle the affairs of a particular constituency.
“I believe that what we must do is to ignore the party and vote for the candidate. For instance, as they use to say in the old days, if Robert Bradshaw put a jackass and say vote for that jackass because it’s a Labour jackass, St. Kitts people would vote for the jackass. But that time has gone.
“Don’t vote for any Labour jackass because it’s a Labour, and don’t vote for any PAM idiot just because he is a PAM. Vote for the candidate that you think in your judgement is going to give you good service for the next five years. Forget party politics. Party politics is divisive! If you are going to put party politics ahead of every other consideration, it means that you might ignore a very good man and elect a very stupid man, a very corrupt man, simply because he is operating under a particular party banner.”
The teacher of many years noted that with party politics set aside and as citizens of this country, voters would be better able to fulfil their responsibility of voting for the better suited candidate.
“We must get the best men, and sometimes parties do not put forward the best men. So, we must select between the two men or women or three men or whatever number. It is our duty as citizens, since they give us a choice between candidates. It is our duty to vote for the better candidate. That is what I am telling the people of St. Kitts to do.”
All voters, according to Archibald, must do their homework and find out about the plan of each candidate should they be elected. He said after this is done, voters should cast their ballot in accordance with their conscience.
“I am saying that our people should go to the polls and vote according to their consciences. They should listen to the two sides or three sides. They should make their own observations about the candidates who they are asked to vote for because it is still a candidate you are voting for. They tell you it’s a party but, really, in every constituency you have a choice between two or three candidates.”
