The People’s Action Movement held an emergency press conference on Wednesday 1st July to inform the citizens of the Federation about a legal case that has been instituted in anticipation of the immanent change in constituency boundaries that is expected just prior to the upcoming General Election. Political Leader Mr. Lindsay Grant was emphatic that the obvious political ploy to intimidate the largest opposition party in St. Kitts will not succeed but that he would ensure that the principles of natural justice will not be trampled.
The 11th hour changes have been expected since 2004 when both the Prime Minister and his Deputy threatened that the PAM would regret that it demanded electoral reform. However despite declaring that this important matter was on its agenda since the very beginning of the term the Labour Government waited until the very last moment before taking any action. This very questionable move leaves very few with any confidence in the motives of the highly unpopular and entrenched Labour Administration.
All the signs are in place that this will be the worst campaign since independence. The use of civil servants as Labour Party campaign workers, the use of the Treasury to fund the Labour Party campaign, the use of vicious personal smear campaigns against PAM candidates and an attempt to prevent access by the PAM to the airways are just some of the troubling developments that have caused concern both locally and regionally.
Yet, despite the atmosphere of fear that the ruling Labour Party Government is trying to instill ahead of the poll that is widely believed to be just weeks away the irrevocable swing towards the PAM is irreversible. The momentum behind the young and dynamic People’s Action Movement that has swept St. Kitts has been picked up by the regional press that is increasingly reporting that a change is inevitable.
“This legal challenge is not about fear” a confident Grant told the press but rather it is about the upholding of right over wrong. This king of moral clarity is desperately needed in the face of leadership that has long ago lost any credibility it may have had. The change cannot come a moment too soon.
