By @vincypatriotic
Are you a long time Labour supporter, but something doesn’t feel the same and you feel like staying out this election? Please go out and vote. Vote NDP
Your family is Labour? You or your family got help from Labour in the past? But something just doesn’t feel the same this election? Please go out and vote. Vote NDP.
I am Labour. My parents and grandparents are born Labour. But within the last two terms of this ULP government I have seen some things progress in a positive way, and some things evolve — but in a negative way. And the negatives have become too much to ignore. Because of my beliefs and my own conscience I decided I would not vote for Labour this election, but I could never picture myself voting for the NDP. That was until one day my neighbour, another big forever-Labour supporter said to me, ‘You know you can vote for the other side and still be Labour?’ And she confided in me her reasons why she is voting the other side this election, but still waving her red jersey. And I wasn’t planning to vote in this election – but I made up my mind after that conversation – I am a Labour man at heart – but this election I will vote the NDP.
1. I’m tired of seeing people beg — old people, young people, my COUNTRY people especially — having to go to this minister or that, having to go ask an area custodian for help for jobs, land and every little pull string and come up. I’m tired of the dependency on party support. I want to see us come up where we are able to stand on our own feet and our children and grandchildren can stand on their own feet without depending on favours. And, after four terms there is still too much dependency on the party. It is as if they want to keep us dependent on the party. And because of this dependency we have nepotism — we end up seeing some get and some don’t get because of who is more friends with who, who is better connected or whose family is better known — and people cry out for years of the unfairness within the party, but we still vote to keep them there. It is time for a change!
2. I’m tired of seeing people being afraid! Afraid to speak out against internal administrative wrongs, afraid to speak out against governmental wrongs, afraid to speak out against injustices within the party, speak out against certain governmental and ministerial policies. I’m tired of seeing people afraid to speak up and voice their concerns and have and their opinions because they are afraid of being maligned but other ULP supporters, because they are afraid of being spited, because they are afraid their children or they family will be spited because they have differing opinions or because they speak up at the ills within the party. It is time for a change!
3. I am tired of seeing so many (I said many, not all) of our children perform poorly in school and nothing being done to help them improve because the constituency seat is a sure seat. Parents are not stepping up to help the children or motivate them as they need to do well in school. And the education system, though it now says universal access to secondary education, has not changed or improved to help the multitude of struggling children from rural communities. They just get promoted, go up, and out of the system. No improvement in the system, no changes to benefit the children, no focus on improving parental involvement. I am tired of seeing the cycle repeat itself of fresh graduates — boys on the block and females roaming the community restlessly until they get a link to join the YES Programme, or some connection to the hold a temporary position in a ministry — solely because of political allegiance — not because of skills or qualification. It is time for a change!
4. I’m tired of sitting back and watching while people I know who are non-ULP supporters get victimised, hurt and intentionally bullied by the Labour government and fellow Labour supporters in high positions, while we all sit back and watch and do nothing. Government acquiring lands while mistreating the rightful property owners: legal yes — but right? No. Government refusing to pay persons court ordered monies for their lands and refusing to pay market price for some acquired lands. Government refusing to honour agreements forged with trade unions and refusing to honour their word to re-employ teachers who contested general elections for the opposition party — while we sit back and watch. Government and government supporters intentionally giving opposition supporters in our communities a hard time — our friends, our friends’ children — just because they support the opposition. A prime minister threatening to file lawsuits on any layman who says anything against him — and we know that is wrong. All this while we sit back and watch. It is time for a change!
5. I am tired of seeing one of the greatest minds of the Unity Labour Party, a proud son of the soil, national scholar and rising star being continually devalued over the last few years in the Labour party so that a different son could gain favourability to rise in ranks; propelling him for the inevitable act of taking the party reins as leader and prime minister. A few years ago, our beloved son of the soil was primed to be a forerunner for leadership of the ULP, then this prodigal son was brought home and given a position which was poised to propel him instead into the highest rank of the ULP. It is not fair that our first choice has been side-lined because of genealogy and he is now relegated to a back burner so that the prodigal son could gain as much spotlight as possible. That is not right. And that is not fair for the boy that we watched grow up into an impeccable young man and a hard-working, self-earned minister. We have to change that!
I can go on and on with more examples. I know more. You know more. And those of us who sit in some meetings when some matters arise know all too well the one line that comes up: “This can’t get out cause it will make the party look bad.” Enough is enough, comrades. This is not true freedom. And if we let things stay as they are now it will get even more out of hand. It is time for a change, comrades. It is time for a change. The NDP may not be the change we want — but it is the change we have — and I know and you know it will be easier for us to keep the NDP on track and hold them accountable than we can ever keep this ULP government on track. Support your party all you want. But please VOTE FOR YOUR COUNTRY this election — vote NDP!
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Thanks for some honesty about the dishonesty of the ULP. I am glad you recognised how things have gone wrong with the ULP. You kept on talking Labour. But this is not the Labour Party of Milton Cato. Where Labour meant caring for all Vincentians. Ralph has changed the Labour party into the ULP. And the ULP produces a NASTY brand of politics, that has changed politics in SVG, as we used to know politics.
SVG needs to get back to a more concilatory brand of politics, where all Vincentians are appreciated. I think we will get this kind of politics under Dr Friday and I wish you well in getting back, the old values of your Labour party. You won’t get such values with the leadership of the name GONSALVES.
Thanks for your courage in putting country before party and thanks for giving your vote to NDP, or shall I say SVG.
You and others like you are HEROES for your country.
Vote them out if you want all our youth to get a job, the alternative is sitting on the wall doing nothing.
This really is the most crucial election ever, go and vote NDP because all Vincentians deserve better and you will get better everything from the NDP.
This article brings out many unfortunate elements in SVG Society. Most striking is that the majority of Vincentians feel they have to vote for a particular party, no matter what the policy of that party is. We just had Independence Day but it seems the people ARE NOT INDEPENDENT BY CHOICE. they cannot think independently when they are shackled to a belief they have to vote for a party and maybe even make up reasons why, only because their minds are enslaved.
I have spoken-out about things I do not like about the current government but I have only been victimized one time by a “wanna-be” ULP Representative acting independently, I believe. Fortunately he was not chosen to run in our district this year. Great! The ULP got rid of one corrupt politician!
One problem is that too many people do not speak-out. Many of them are afraid they will be victimized as many have been in the past.
I have seen signs that the current PM does want people to inform him about what they want to see improved and I have seen some things improved because of that. I was cheated badly by Customs a few times and it was rectified! I got my money back! At the same time many wrong things continue and there seems to be no action to change them. There is so much wrong and so much needing to be changed in SVG that the task is daunting for whatever party comes to office. It is just that if the ULP has not been changing enough fast enough, what makes one think they will do so now?
A crucial thing about Mr Friday is that he is emphasizing that the victimization will stop. It seems like this is winning him votes. The current PM should have addressed this problem much earlier.
You are a fake and a phony person, if you are voting for NDP you are a NDP supporter. Don’t sully Labor name with your fake “I’m labour, but”. With people like you (if you are for real) Labour could do without.
I feel your pain, now the choice is yours.