ULP postpones convention out of respect for Mandela’s funeral

The Ruling Unity Labour Party has postponed it annual convention, originally scheduled for Sunday, as a mark of respect for the funeral of former South Africa president, Nelson Mandela, slated to take place that same day.

The convention will now take place Feb. 2, 2014.

Party leader, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, made the announcement in Parliament this week and said he will try to attend the funeral in South Africa, but had challenges securing flights.

Gonsalves also said that the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has decided to fly the National Flag at half-mast last Tuesday, when and official memorial service was being held in South African and on Sunday, the day of the funeral.

The Caribbean Community was represented at Tuesday’s memorial by a delegation headed by CARICOM’s chair, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and included President of Haiti, Michel Martelly, Prime Minister of Bahamas, Perry Christie, and representatives of the Governments of Grenada, St. Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Separately, the Governments of Guyana and Jamaica were also being represented at the memorial service.

Gonsalves said that he and his St. Kitts-Nevis counterpart, Dr. Denzel Douglas, were trying to get to South African for the funeral on Sunday.

“It is proving to be quite difficult. All the arrangements are sought to be made,” he said, adding that they can get flight to Cape Town, but it will take about four hours to drive to Qunu, where the funeral is being held.

Some 70 foreign heads of state are expected at the ceremony on Sunday.

Both SVG and St. Kitts-Nevis had the presentation of their Estimates of Income and Expenditure on Tuesday.

“So we have our own scheduling issues. The business of government has put us in this situation,” Gonsalves said.