Sen. Linton Lewis of opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) says the speech his contender for the East St. George seat in the next general elections, Sen. Camillo Gonsalves of the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP), delivered in Calliaqua two weeks ago was the worst maiden address he has heard from an election candidate.
“Do you know that for a debut, for someone who is speaking for the first time, first public political presentation, it is the worst I have heard?” Lewis, a lawyer, said on radio last week.
“Not because he is opposing me… It was terrible,” he said of the speech, which was delivered at a rally to mark the ULP’s 14th anniversary in office.
“There was nothing inspiring about it. There was nothing was said that he is going to do for the people of East St. George, nothing was said that he has done for the people of East St. George, and all that he is saying is that he should vote him, because when you vote him you are voting for a leader and you must vote for Ralph Gonsalves as the leader and then vote for him as a result of that,” Lewis said.
“So he is saying to you and the people of East St. George that he doesn’t have to do anything at all. He doesn’t have to the ability to do anything. He doesn’t have to have a track record, just vote for the prime minister, vote for Ralph Gonsalves.
“So, he believes that the people in East St. George are stupid. People aren’t that stupid that you will tell them that and expect them to go along with you. What is your track record? What has he done? What has he ever done for Vincentians in St. Vincent and the Grenadines of any community nature, of any national nature, of any public nature? What has he done? And what does he intend to do, that wasn’t mention at all,” Lewis said.
Related: Camillo says he’s not running against Linton (scroll for video)
In his address, Gonsalves, a lawyer and first time candidate, told party supporters that he was not running against Lewis, who he portrayed as a loser who has failed to win a seat in the two St. Georges constituency in three attempts.
“And then he says he is not running against anyone, which is very true. He says he is not running against anyone. He is absolutely correct about that. He’s absolutely correct. He is certainly running against himself, and we will see it at the end of the day, because if he believes that the people of East St. George will go and vote for him who they don’t know, who has never done anything in the area, and anything that is being done is done by taxpayers’ money because he personally never make any contribution, not only to East St. Gorge but to the country as a whole, none whatsoever, something I have been doing since I was a little boy,” Lewis said.
Linton Lewis, this is your very last chance to get elected. You also have to up your game if you expect to beat the PM’s son and heir apparent.
What are you going to do to create meaningful and well paid employment for your constituents?
How are you going to reduce the crime rate?
How are you going to deal with the fall-out of a failed airport?
How are you going to protect women from various forms of exploitation and degradation?
How are you going to professionalize the police and public service?
How are you going to ensure that people pay their fair share of taxes?
How are you going to eliminate or at least reduce political patronage and victimization?
How are you going to ensure the roads are safe and the drains and beachs cleaned?
My good friend Linton Lewis will likely do all those things….but it will help if he not only wins his seat but finds his party back in government.
Like I said in a related post…this is going to be the most interesting electoral contest in the next elections…here we have a seasoned politician albeit a not so successful one, against a political neophyte,whose claim to fame was being mistaken for a “terrorist” and duly manhandled and handcuffed by NYPD security detail.
Let me say for the record, I don’t like Linton Lewis, I think he is an arseh*le…but that being said, I also think that Camillo is really out of his league here. Folks not voting for class president here, this is people lives you dealing with. And it would appear Camillo, lack the necessary gravitas and maturity to be his own man; still clinging to his father’s coattail and seemingly incapable of articulating a narrative of his own making.
If Linton loses this contest, he should call it a day in the political arena. But I suspect, four time is the charm, lol…If I have to put my hard earned money…I am going with Linton…if we betting a butter bread and a glass of mauby…well, mm…am…ah still gwine wid Linton..LOL.
The latest polling results conducted by Ms Muggy School of Higher Learning
FAVORABILITY:
Gonsalves-35%
Eustace-44%
Trustworthy and honest:
Gonsalves-31%
Eustace-57%
Treatment of violence against women
ULP-23%
NDP-54%
If elections were today, who would you vote for:
ULP-41%
NDP-38%
Wouldn’t vote-21
848 voters from Kingstown with a margin of error +/-3.2 percentage points
949 voters from the Windward side with a margin of error+/-3.3 percentage points
579 voters from the Leeward side with a margin of error +/-3.2 percentage points