FORMER leader of the United Workers Party, Stephenson King has called on his party to end candidate selection via run-offs saying that such rules “must to be thrown out of the window.”
King made his comments after he was ratified as the party’s candidate for the Castries North Constituency for the upcoming general elections at the party’s National Council Meeting held last Sunday.
“What exists as rules are certainly unconstitutional, sitting members of parliament who have proven themselves and who continue to service their constituencies should not be put to any run-off; whatever rules that now guide that process must be thrown out of the window,” King said.
However the party’s executive has given no indication that it would adhere to King’s suggestion.
Lionel Ellis, the party’s Communications Manager regarded King’s comments as “puzzling” but refrained from commenting on them until the party’s executive had a chance to discuss the comments.
“I cannot comment on what King said. It’s the party’s executive that have to speak on that,” Ellis said.
The party’s constitution makes it clear that the nomination of a person, who is a registered member of the party, for any elected office of the party can only be made by a duly recognized Constituency Branch of the party and seconded by another duly recognized Constituency Branch.
The constitution further states that it is the Constituency Branch that recommends to the party’s national Executive such persons as the Constituency Branch decides to be suitable party candidates for the constituency.
King’s comments came in the wake of a series of run-offs conducted by the party in various constituencies.
Seven persons were ratified as the party’s candidates for the upcoming general elections last Sunday. They are the political leader, Allen Chastanet for Micoud South; the opposition leader, Dr. Gale Rigobeth for Micoud North; Dominic Fedee for the Anse-la-Raye/Canaries Constituency; Guy Joseph for Castries South East; Stephenson King for Castries North; Ezechiel Joseph for Babonneau and Mary Isaac for Castries South.
Mr. King. you displayed such weak leadership as leader and now you continue right along. Why didn’t you make these changes when you were leader ? You didn’t have one press conference during your term as PM…but now you talking. You know the drill, so why take to the media with this crap.
MY DEAR MR. KING:
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT I FIND MYSELF DUTY BOUND AS A LUCIAN TO ADVISE YOU. WALK SOFTLY, BECA– USE FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE PLACED YOURSELF IN A POSITION ALIENATED FROM THE MAINSTREAM OF YOUR PARTY. IT WAS YOUR FAULT SIR, AND YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF. THE CONSTITUTION IS WHAT IT IS, RULES ARE RULES, AND THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO OBJECT TO ANYTHING. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL ALONG, LISTING TO TYPES LIKE R.F. AND RUFUS AND MONDESIR? I DID CREDIT YOU WITH BETTER SENSE THAN THAT. THESE MEN ARE NOT CREDIBLE; THE WORSE IS THAT ONE FROM CASTRIES, SO BE CAREFUL. MR. KING GET BACK TO WORK, HELP THE PARTY TO GET BACK THE RESPECT IT ONCE ENJOYED UNDER YOUR FORMER BOSS, JOHN COMPTON. FAILURE TO DO JUST THAT, HISTORY WILL NOT TREAT YOU VERY WELL. — USE WISDOM, FORGET THE ONCE WHO HAVE AXES TO GRIND AND THE ONCE WHO HAVE NO POLITICAL FUTURE IN ST. LUCIA, THEY KNOW IT AND ARE ONLY OUT TO DO MISCHIEF. LOOK AT THEM, THEY WEAR THE CROWN OF JEALOUSY AND HATE , BUT AS A CHRISTIAN , PLEASE RISE ABOVE THAT SIR….GOD BLESS.