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Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he is not afraid to call the general elections, contrary to the taunts of his political opponents.
He told his Unity Labour Party (ULP) Women’s Arm Convention on Sunday that the elections will be this year, ahead of the March 2016 constitutional deadline, and listed the seats he thinks his party will win.
Gonsalves further described two opposition candidates as “fool” and “joke”, adding that the New Democratic Party (NDP) cannot win in those districts with these candidates.
“When the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines elected us in December 2010, they say you have five years and you have three months grace.
“Well, unless there are some special reasons, I don’t want that three months grace in time, because in our hearts is the grace of love, and watch for me between now and the end of the year.
“And when they say what is the date, I put my hand up, my voting finger up to my father who is in heaven, following the advice of the ancient prophet who is Eli, speak lord, your servant Ralph is listening,” Gonsalves said to loud cheers at the convention.
“What we are seeing in the Labour Party is that the people, the members, the supporters, the country as a whole rallying behind Labour, and there is a mood, a rising mood,” he told the convention at which guest speaker former Member of Parliament Rene Baptiste said “the tides of the time are shifting” and called on party supporters to respond.
“But I want to tell you something: the mood, has to be organised, the mood has to be channelled and that mood, that good mood, has to be grounded in organisational strength to bring out everybody to vote. We have to register everybody and we have to bring out everybody,” Gonsalves said.
He again repeated the analogy of the Jews choosing Barabbas over Jesus.
“So you have to be organised. You have to make sure that the spirit which you have does not get dampened until up to the election and beyond, and you have to be organised in every single constituency,” he said.
Gonsalves said ULP supporters must ensure that young people in their home are registered to vote.
He said that the Supervisor of Elections has made it public that there are 9,000 new voters since the December 2010 general elections.
There are still more to be registered, Gonsalves said, adding that the NDP might have registered a maximum of 1,500 of these new voters, hence Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace’s concern about the growth of the voter’s list since the last election.
“I see the NDP has some candidates, they running, they running as NDP. But when I see the fella up in North Windward, I say he running as a fool; he ain’t running as NDP. And when I go to Central Leeward and I see Ben Exeter, he ain’t running as NDP, he running as joke,” Gonsalves said to loud cheering.
“Politics is arithmetic, but politics is also geometry,” he said.
To win general elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a political party must amass at least eight of the 15 seats.
The ULP holds eight seats while the NDP won the remaining seven.
“In order to get eight, you have to come for it, and the eight which we have, nothing like NDP can take them,” Gonsalves said.
“They said they were coming for North Windward. You could run fool and come for North Windward? They say they are coming for Central Leeward, yo’ could run joke and get Central Leeward? So, in relation to those eight, the Unity Labour has put a sanitary cordon around them, where no virus from the NDP –” he said, the last of his words drown out by the loud response of the crowd.
“And that is why I tell you that it’s arithmetic. And then, in North Leeward and in South, we have excellent candidates and we are taking back those seats come this election,” he said.
Gonsalves said that in 2001 and 2005 the ULP won all the seats from North Windward to West St. George and North Leeward to West South Leeward, the “influence an impact of those 10” cause the party to win two of the West and Central Kingstown also.
“That’s where the geometry comes in. and I tell you, we are taking back central Kingstown, we are taking back West Kingstown,” he said, adding that Luke Browne will also defeat Leader of the Opposition in East Kingstown.
“Ah want all thirteen on St. Vincent; ah want all thirteen. And I am telling you this, down in the Southern Grenadines, you know we beat them on Union Island, but they normally win us in Canouan and in Mayreau and get a small victory.
“But, this time, with the Canouan project coming back and with the Comrade’s role in bringing back that project, I am sure the people of Canouan will show their appreciation for the Comrade…” Gonsalves said.
He talks about a God many people have always said he doesn’t believe in; he talks about love but then calls his political opponents fools and jokers.
Are there any contradictions here?
David you are spot on right. The man just cannot help injecting malice into everything he can when it comes to any opposition to the evil ULP regime.
Continually using Gods name, taking Gods name in vain, its a joke seeing as he is a Marxist, and its against Marxist doctrine to be Christian or of any other Religion. Marx encouraged a pretend of belief if it gets political results, anything that can be done to get elected including serial lying was OK with Marx.
Look like a beaten broken mad man using God name to say he is a Godly man, just remember God no like ugly. Don’t see how the ULP could win this Election unless they steal it. First thing he did nothing for the NDP supporters but to marginalize them so you know the NDP people going to stay with NDP. Second he turn off so much of his own supporters that they are skipping ship. Life have gotten so hard for the average man on the street under the ULP that they are crying for change. Even in South Rivers his strong hold people there are crying, some of them are saying under NDP we use to have a dollar but not even a penny they seeing now.
C. Ben or D. Ben,
You are sounding so childish. I am so sorry for you.
Luther it never ceases to amaze me how people like you just cannot stand the truth. It’s not David who is being childish; all he did was tell the truth. Its you who are mentally and politically immature, its you who needs to grow up and understand the truth is more important than your support for an immoral and wicked, spiteful and evil party.
Listen to this disrespectful guy at it again calling people names.At least Shearer nor Exeter,s name has not been associated with rape.You called Sir James Mitchell a wind bag but right now you are a bigger wind bag making a lot of empty noises.If you already have the date why not just announce it.Sooner or later you have to announce it.Who are you trying to catch off guard?The NDP is already prepared and waiting for you.You cant even catch the green party nor Anesia,s party off guard.Stop wasting time trying to look confident in the eyes of your supporters because deep inside you are afraid of what you and Julian already know is going to happen.The polls you have conducted have left you all in a state of panic so your empty grand standing is not going to work.Do yourself and the Vincentian populace a favour.This is not a kids,s game on disney channel.This is people,s survival.their future depends on it.Your empty rhetorics on sunday did not put food on their tables on Monday neither did it make them able to comfortable send their kids to school nor pay their utIility bills.You are just giving them basket to carry water.They did not have any luxury to go home to like you.All they have is the deplorable state of this economy.