London goes after PM’s North Central Windward seat

One of Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalves’ most vocal critics, Margaret London, has accepted the challenge to try to wrest the North Central Windward (NCW) Constituency from him.{{more}}

At a New Democratic Party (NDP) NCW constituency council meeting on Thursday, October 14, London was elected as her party’s candidate for that constituency, less than one month after Cameron ‘Dinky’ Balcombe resigned.

London, a Registered Nurse and former lecturer at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines School of Nursing, scored an overwhelming victory last Thursday evening when she defeated reporter at the Vincentian newspaper, Shimron Daniel, and Ingrid Punnett.

Twenty-six of the 36 delegates eligible to vote turned up and London copped 25. Punnett received one vote and Daniel none.

In her victory remarks, London thanked the people for displaying their confidence and faith in selecting her to face off against the incumbent Gonsalves.

“I do not want to make any vain promises,” London told the people of North Central Windward.

“Representation is not about me, it is about you. So we will be working together to make this happen,” she continued.

“We have been hearing talk about good governance and one of the things that bothered me most is that we, the ordinary citizens are never offered the opportunity to be part of the decision making, but I will come back to you,” she declared.

She said that she will have to come back to constituents because she cannot do it alone. She added that Thursday night’s election was held to give young people hope that they too can serve.

“Tonight, I give God thanks for what He has done remembering that we have a greater task ahead,” she said.

London, appealing for the constituents’ support, promised that she will listen to their concerns. She also gave the assurance that she will be their advocate on all fronts.

London noted that at the Technical College, she had pursued a course in Agriculture and is prepared to get her hands dirty again.

She noted that she has a passion for “servitude and patriotism”.

“That is why I never left you….I could have gone, but I chose to stay with you to share your pain and tonight I feel your pain,” she said.

“Are you happy with the representation you are getting from the great Prime Minister?”

She ended her presentation by quoting a line from the national anthem: “What e’er the future brings, our faith will see us through.”

“I am here to serve you; you asked me and I know when you asked me it was not of your own making, it was a divine calling and I am here to serve you,” London told the people.

“Together we will do it.”

In late August, a protest was launched by four constituents of North Central Windward who called on Balcombe to step aside as the NDP’s candidate.The protestors even journeyed into Kingstown on August 26 to demonstrate against Balcombe’s candidacy. Gonsalves first won the NCW seat in 1994 after defeating Vin Abbott of the NDP. He continued his winning ways over the years, defeating Nolwyn McDowall in 1998, Lloyd Latham in 2001 and Cameron ‘Dinky’ Balcombe in 2005.