The 2005 general elections and after

by Oscar Allen



The election congratulations must go to the citizens. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, you did not go overboard.

Some of those who did not vote took the elections more seriously then those who voted, but all sides made their mark, and it is good that, barring the irregularity instances which will go to the court, we can say that this Horror Movie of an elections is over. I made a judicious decision to vote.{{more}}

I watched the thing from a distance, and it seemed to me that Prime Minister Gonsalves personally handed the elections over to the NDP at one point. Do you remember those days when the main matter on people’s lips was the body antics and verbal crudity of the Prime Minister. That was a gift to the NDP.

The constituency of listeners who like to hear the “bad john talk” and the loose references, they are already in the bag, so, less of that, Prime Minister.

Reconciliation

Listening to some remarks, it comes over that healing the party-divided nation is a simple matter. Nonsense. Peace has a high cost. For example, can the NamCom (NMCM) arrange for the 6 persons who face each other in the irregularities arena to sit down at a Dinner Table of Peace (without the media)? They could then speak plainly, coolly and concretely of the issues that divide them, not to resolve the issues, but to respectfully listen to each other.

Consider this too. If we apportion sects to the parties, based on the % share of the popular vote, the result would be an 8:7 or a 9:6 election result, a far cry from 12:3. A revolutionary peace initiative would be for one or two ULP winners to step down and make way for reasonably fought bye-elections. To produce peace is not a chatter matter.

Representation

What about the matter of closer contact between parliamentary representatives and the people they represent? The proposal from the king is that he will control that. He will take up the weekly reports from the men and women on his side.

Perhaps we could have monthly sessions in three different communities, to be followed in the fourth month with an interactive video feed event with people in the three centres taking part, the representative will focus on what I have heard from you, and what I have done. This is just one idea from many others which bypasses the king and his control. The Ministry of National Mobilisation may be the suitable agency for this task involving the 15 parliamentary representatives.

I would really like our parliamentarians to get serious about their mandate to lead and to serve. Apply your minds to the task and open your mouths to the PM. The recourse only to Ralph’s ideas will lead a lot more ULP people to stay away from the polls next time – and a lot less creativity coming out from this government in the second term.

Bad mindedness

Bassie has reported an act of spite by a ULP member who at the time was not a Member of Parliament. The nine mornings committee had employed the BDS of Dougie Defreitas to be the sounds provider for the events, when this man came and ordered BDS to take down their sound system and go home!

This early act of spite and victimisation is the one we must confront and turn back. This man must apologise to the nine mornings committee for being out of order. You must compensate BDS for the loss of their earnings, you must cool your arrogance and take on board a process of reconciliation. Cut out the spite and the bad mind, be a man.