Former New Democratic Party (NDP) chairman Linton Lewis, who criticised the party and endorsed the Unity Labour Party (ULP) four days before the Nov. 27 general election, began singing the NDP’s praises as the party’s landslide victory emerged election night.
“The problem with the party is that there’s hardly any love in there for anyone,” Linton Lewis, a lawyer who failed in his four bids to be elected to Parliament, told St. Vincent Times in an interview published on Nov. 23.
Parts of the video interview, as well as other footage, apparently recorded separately, were used in the ULP’s social media campaign as it bid for a sixth consecutive five-year term in office.
Lewis was the NDP’s chairman until 2016 and a party senator from 2012 to 2015.
He ran and lost once in West St. George and three times in East St. George on an NDP ticket before falling out of favour with the party sometime after 2016.
Lewis was NDP chairman and a senator for the NDP when the party was led by Arnhim Eustace, who gave up the party leadership in 2016 and was replaced by Godwin Friday, who led the NDP to the 14-1 victory on Nov. 27, after the party’s first outing with him at the helm ended in its fifth consecutive defeat in 2020.
“When he (Friday) took over the party, the party needed a radical change,” Lewis said, adding that he knows Friday well, because Friday and his family used to stay at his house.
“He continued from where Arnhim left off,” Lewis said. “So, all the bitterness in the party that he inherited, he didn’t do anything much to change that.
“You can see the bitterness on Facebook and so on. At one time, I said to him, ‘You have to do something to stop it because it gave the wrong impression to the electorate.’ But he is unable to deal with the tide of hate and animosity,” Lewis said.
“It’s difficult. You see how they threat St. Clair Leacock from time to time. There’s too much hate, and the problem is this — and too much bitterness. What is going to happen if the New Democratic Party gets into office?”
Lewis spoke of his contribution to NDP policy, including its emphasis on meritocracy, adding, “What I did for NDP, you put all these people together now they haven’t done anything close to that…”
He questioned Friday’s ability to stop what he described as the bitterness among members of the NDP.
“So, you find that he is unable to stop that when there is no power, if he gets into office, he will not be able to stop that hatred, that bitterness that they have for one another. These people, the rank and file, may not know much of it, but they don’t like one another.”
Lewis said he had to fight to ensure that some people, including Roland “Patel” Mattews, Nigel “Nature” Stephenson and Lauron “Sharer” Baptiste, became or remained NDP candidates.
Matthews, a former NDP vice-president, was MP for North Leeward between 2010 and 2020, after failing in his first two bids at the polls, while Stephenson has been representing South Leeward since 2010, having lost on his first outing in 2005.
Baptiste failed in his bid to win North Windward for the NDP in 2015. Both he and Matthews have remained close to the NDP and participated in the campaign for the 2025 general election.
“You see that some new people are coming on stream now, and they’re hoping that NDP would win, so they’ll benefit. But this division and bitterness, it has to be healed,” Lewis said.
“So, the issue is this: there’s a lot of bitterness. There will be problems. There’ll be problems for the leader of that party.”
He said he was told that some people in the NDP were happy that he wrote an analysis showing that Friday and East Kingstown MP Fitz Bramble would be in legal trouble if petitions were brought challenging their candidacy because they also hold Canadian citizenship.
The ULP has filed two petitions, challenging both MP’s election.
‘I believe that they will come together’
Lewis was a member of the panel on the national broadcast of the election results and was the first to indicate that the ULP had lost, saying around 7:10 p.m., “It is not looking well for the ULP at all.”
After the preliminary results were fully announced, Friday addressed the nation via the broadcast on which Lewis was a panellist.
“Still the same person as you know, still calm, and he has the same demeanour I’ve known since I was 17,” Lewis said after Friday left the programme, adding that Friday had been given “a very strong mandate.
“When you have a mandate as strong as that, it augurs well for unity and a very quick unity, because whatever difference is worked out very quickly because you have the strength. And unity is also strength,” Lewis said.
“So, I believe that they will come together. I know that people like St. Clair Leacock, who has all these ideas and so on, he has a lot of ideas. Understandably, he will bring them to the fore. They will work along very quickly,” Lewis further said, adding that he could not wait to hear how the ministerial portfolios are assigned.
He noted that Leacock had already indicated that he wanted to be the minister of national security.
During the election campaign, Friday announced that Leacock would be the national security minister in an NDP government.
Leacock, who was elected to a fourth consecutive five-year term as MP for Central Kingstown, has been appointed deputy prime minister and minister of national security, disaster management and immigration.
“Together, they will be able to make a very, very good team in moulding the other candidates and the other ministers. They have been together for a very long time, for years working together in the party, so it is nothing new. They didn’t just come to meet each other. Now they have to work together in government,” Lewis said of Friday and Leacock.
Lewis expressed the view that the NDP “has a platform that they have left there that they can build upon, which is very good as well, and it is mainly the issue of personalities and being able to be the prime minister for the entire country.
“I think that is going to be the greatest challenge, especially coming on the heels of having been in opposition for so long, and so many people have been in opposition for so long and then have to introduce a concept of meritocracy, as we spoke about in the party.
“All of those things are very challenging, and it will take some time to be implemented effectively. But as I say, with this mandate, calling others to give him the relevant advice as to how they move forward, and I think they will succeed as a group,” Lewis said.
I thought he could have beaten Camillo, but he had something hanging over his head and came up during that election. He’s still bitter and I was surprise of his views during the dialog before the election. He had the ULP beating the NDP and it shows he was wrong about Friday.
I am wondering about that fire at that school, especially since Ralph visited the area. He wants to start another 4 years of fighting. Is this why he’s looking for the security he had as a leader? He should let the NDP run the government so they can repay the $3Billion he left when he skipped town. SVG left a note for him and he’s crying.
Crying Ralph
Linton Lewis uou should change your name to Linton Bartemus Judas Iscarot. The NDP should be weay of this man. He is a failed politician, a cricketer, a father. a friend and a patriot. Linton is all gor himself. NDP should be aware.
This guy is a shameless cocobay. His color and view changes with the weather!
Poor thing, seems confused 😕