ST. VINCENT:- The Director of Public Prosecutor in Kingstown is expected to receive today, Monday, Nov. 29, a request to prosecute Vynnette Frederick, the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) public relations officer and candidate for West St. George in the Dec. 13 general elections.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said on Sunday that the request would be sent on the heels of illegal voter registration accusation levelled by Frederick against Luke Browne, the ruling Unity labour Party’s (ULP) candidate for East Kingstown.
It is the latest development in what was supposed to be a discussion of the youth policies and programmes of the two major political parties in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on Hitz FM last Thursday.
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Frederick accused Browne and his family and of being involved in alleged illegal registration of voters in East Kingstown, which is represented by NDP president and Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace.
The NDP in a press statement has detailed what it said are instances in which Browne allegedly facilitated the registration in East Kingstown of non-residents of the constituency.
Browne has denied the allegations, saying, “…there are attempts by the opposition to frustrate the registration exercise in East Kingstown upon the suspicion that anyone going to register supports Luke”.
Gonsalves also defended Browne on Sunday as he delivered a speech at an event to officially launch his party’s candidates for the general elections.
“…Luke Browne has done nothing wrong in East Kingstown but Vynnette Frederick opens herself to possible problems,” said Gonsalves, who is also political leader of the ULP.
“The matter tomorrow will be reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions…”Gonsalves said.
“She made false allegations against Luke Browne and she will pay for them,” Gonsalves said of Frederick, a lawyer.
Gonsalves, who is also a lawyer, said that the statement which Frederick read on radio “clearly could not have been written by a lawyer”.
“If her statement was written by a lawyer, that lawyer needs to go back to law school. But she is a lawyer, she read it, but clearly it was written by somebody else,” Gonsalves said.
Both the ULP and the NDP have cited constitutional and electoral laws under which, they say, the opposing party can be prosecuted.
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The NDP has further said that it will deploy lawyers on Election Day to observe voters and to take photographs of cue to check for illegal voters.
But Gonsalves said that this is “foolishness”, adding, “Lawyers can’t go in polling stations unless they are agents”.
“You got over 200 polling stations in St. Vincent. You have 200 NDP lawyers? You know it is the kind of rubbish — you know this girl is already a joker. She is making herself sound more and more ridiculous. Her childishness — and they can’t go and take photographs of people in any line. They will be breaching people’s privacy and it will be behaviour intended to breach the peace and disturb elections,” Gonsalves said.
He said that Eustace, who has been representing East Kingstown since 1998, “is panicking”.
“He ‘fraid Luke! He ‘fraid Luke because he know[s] that he [is] going lose [his] seat. … The pressure is telling on all [of] them,” Gonsalves said.