By C. ben-David
“We go forward with the legal battle, but we can clear the air of doubt about the 2015 elections by calling fresh elections now! This is what the people want!” (Godwin Friday, leader of the New Democratic Party [NDP], replying to the decision that the election petitions can proceed to trial)
“In my book, as I have said before and I will say it again: elections are won on election night. Name me the time that elections were won in the court. It doesn’t happen.” (Sir James F. Mitchell, longest serving Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
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Dr. Friday’s frontier justice response to his party’s July 7 court victory ironically corresponds, if only in spirit, to Sir James’ Feb. 28 statement: in a free and independent country like our own, election results are determined by the democratic decision of the people.
This, of course, is also the view of ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) which has resolutely and repeatedly declaring that the Dec. 9, 2015 elections were free and fair, a position supported by the findings of three respected and impartial external bodies: the Organization of American States (OAS); the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); and the Commonwealth of Nations.
The OAS Observers declared that they, “… did not discern any fraudulent or other activities at the final count which could have materially affected the outcome of the vote”; the CARICOM report said that, “… the results of the elections reflect the will of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines”; and the detailed Commonwealth study stated that, “… overall the polling process was credible and voters appeared free to exercise their franchise.”
More specifically, though these objective bodies made procedural recommendations for future electoral improvement, none remotely claimed that the election was “stolen” by the ULP, a position impossible to reconcile with Dr. Friday’s potentially libellous claim that the Honourable Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves’ regime was guilty of “electoral illegality, theft, impropriety, dishonesty, and skulduggery” in the conduct of the election.
Again, this unproven, likely unprovable, claim reinforces Dr. Friday’s preference for “free elections now” based on the vigilante mentality of an unlettered NDP rabble hell bent by an unquenchable thirst for political power.
Equally disconcerting are comments allegedly made by Ben Exeter who decisively lost the now contested Central Leeward race to Sir Louis “The Terminator” Straker that cheaper, albeit less competent, local lawyers should have been hired by the defence rather than the three expensive and highly skilled foreign barristers just recruited so as to save our taxpayers from paying their much higher legal fees.
Mr. Exeter’s complaint conveniently tries to conflate party politics with the act of governance by downplaying the elementary fact that the election petitions are not a legal battle between opposing political parties but rather a contest between the NDP and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines acting in support of its duly appointed electoral officials in the conduct of their administrative duties. The legally elected government of SVG has a right to hire the best legal minds possible, on behalf of all the citizens of the State, to defend the 2015 elections results, an outcome they and three disinterested teams of observers have deemed freely reflected the will of the voters.
Anything short of this could be interpreted as an egregious dereliction of duty, a short step from an act of treason.
The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinions or editorial position of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected]
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I strongly disagree with what you wrote. It was also proven by experts and independent observers that Saddam had numerous Weapons of Mass Destruction and that Hillary Clinton would win with 82% of the vote. Instead there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction and Hillary lost in spite of the most Election Fraud ever in US History. Mitchel is probably right. No election has ever been won in court. It is also undeniable that there were gross irregularities in the last National SVG elections. Whether cheating or total incompetence the election in at least those two constituencies should be considered null and void. If the NDP does nothing, the ULP can either continue being arrogant and totally incompetent or cheating the people. Also:
if the ULP is so interested in Justice, why are they doing everything in their power to keep the petitions from being heard?
Lost Pet I agree, but this really an attack on Marki Spring who is C ben-Davids superior. Marki uses is own name and David uses a stolen identity instead of an assumed name. David once stated when asked by Peter Binose why he continually attacks Marki Spring, his reply was “because he is weak and I am strong” David is such a nasty horrible little non-entity who pretends to be a retired university PhD proffessor, but is little more than a spiteful ignorant fifth rate twerp.
Peter, don’t you believe in “rest in peace” when people die? You continual comments using false identities is just more proof that you faked your own intellectual suicide because you were proven wrong about Argyle airport.
As for Markie Spring, he is an exemplar of people the Comrade rightly called “Internet crazies,” a label you also deserve because of all the untruths you wrote about Argyle airport being unsafe for landing because of faked wind studies, poor runway construction, inadequate drainage, etc.
When are you going to apologize for inventing a shitload of falsehoods and sending them to various airlines just to score cheap political points because you despise Ralph Gonsalves who prevented you from gaining some privilege you wrongly thought you deserved?
You are such a silly boy I wouldn’t even employ you to sweep my yard. You have the audacity to come here using a stolen identity, pretending to be white Jewish professor and the holder of a PhD degree.
When I think of you I see a pile of dung. You even told us 95% of everything you write is untrue BS. What a total Pratt you are for sure.
All the repetitive essays you wrote and the venom you hold against the airport being any success at all. You have written so much irrelevant crap that the read count has dropped to the hundreds instead of the thousands that read what Peter wrote.
Everything Peter wrote about the airport engineering is fact, I know you just hate that because you are a jealous spiteful fraud.
Now go and sit in the corner and put on the dunces hat.
May I apologise on behalf of storm Don who bypassed us and dissapointed the government by not causing extensive damage that they could have made political profit from.