BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Thursday 4th June 2020)- Jason ‘Grabbament’ Thomas of Constituency Four, a first time independent candidate in the 2020 General Elections race, is expecting strong support in his favour after the polls close on Friday 5th June 2020.

“Well I’m very confident that the people of Constituency Number Four is going to vote overwhelmingly for or a newcomer; it’s not just a new comer; it’s an individual of whom is very well known; one of who is a people’s person; one of their very own from the community of Half Way Tree and so with all that said and done I do on tomorrow night when the ballots are counted I’m going to be very victorious by the polls.”

So said during an exclusive chit-chat with this media house when asked about his confidence level.

Additionally, in commenting on what inspired him to enter the political arena, he had this to say: “A lot emulate based on politics over the past thirty (30) years. I have seen the constituents of Number four have been ignored brushed aside and that really saddened my heart deeply and by this I have decided to offer my good service to the people of the Constituency Number Four. In an effort to provide solid decent honest representation of which they properly deserve.”

Thomas will go up against two other runners namely incumbent Lindsay Grant of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and first time candidate Steve Wrensford of the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29^th May 2020) – Dr. Geoffrey Hanley of Constituency One (East Basseterre), has dismissed rumours that challenged his eligibility to run as a first time candidate of the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) in the upcoming general elections.

Such information, according to a social media video, claimed that he is a citizen of the United States of America.

Showing details of his passport during a live broadcast of SKNLP Nomination highlights on Wednesday 27^th May 2020, following nomination ceremonies held earlier that day, Dr. Hanley commented: “I ask a question of the entire Federation: Can someone with a US citizenship hold a visitor’s Visa? Camera man make sure you zoom in.”

Addressing those guilty of putting out such false information, he said further: “They [already] know what the results will be in Number One. Let them come with something different tomorrow comrades, and I will say that no weapon that form against me will be able to prosper. No fake videos will stop the licks that they are going to get on June 5^th in Constituency Number One.

“So my people in East Basseterre, I say to you. Let us get ready. We just have a few more days to go. Do not be weary in well doing because great will be our reward on June 5^th, and on June 6^th, we will be able to run and jump and shout through the streets of east Basseterre ‘Free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last,” Dr. Hanley added.

He has called on party supporters not be distracted.

Comrades, it’s a few days to go. We cannot afford to lose focus or be distracted at this time. The race is almost over and we cannot afford to drop the baton at this time. We must put on the whole armor of God. I have said to you before [that] this is a spiritual warfare…”

Dr. Hanley will go up against Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) which is part of the Team Unity construct.

The SKNLP is the only party that has a nomination of a full slate of eight candidates in St.Kitts.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29th May 2020) – “You can’t have people questioning your integrity after five years and think that’s ok. That’s not ok and my father will not be a part of that. He will not, not, not be a part of that… My father will not die a hypocrite.”

So said 33-year-old Terrence Zikomo ‘Ziko’ Condor, son of well-known public figure Sam Condor, who has publicly supported and touched the hot topic of his father’s decision to leave the Team Unity administration and returning his support towards the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).

The junior condor made an appearance on a live edition of Freedom FM’s ‘Issues’ programme aired on Tuesday 26th May 2020 which spanned over one and a half hours and told listeners that his presentation “is rooted in my father’s belief “ and that  “I will never let anything compromise my father’s integrity.”

Condor also shared with listeners details of a near six-hour meeting between his father and SKNLP opposition leader and immediate former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas which he also had attended two years after the Team Unity took office following the February 2015 general elections.

“We could have stayed out and that is a position that a lot of people have taken that ‘you guys are flip… flopping’ but as I said at the end of the day…every five years you look at where the country is, where we are going. You look at the two sides …who gives us the best chance of doing this. If you ask me, it is a question of competence and ability to accomplish things.”

According to him: “I have never been engaged this close to politics and I’m only being engaged because I decided I was going to the father to the meeting when he went and met with Dr. Douglas because he asked me to come. I am the architect of this too which a lot of people don’t know…”

Condor gave his view that the Team Unity construct will not last another five years citing the differences among its members.

“They do not get along…so many things that they don’t want to be associated with so I find it very hypocritical- especially the Prime minister- to talk like my father is confused about something or don’t know what he stands for or don’t know what he wants. We know exactly what we want, we know exactly where we stand and we know what we are about. This aion’t nothing personal with anybody; I don’t have anything personal with anybody.”

Grading the Team Unity’s government performance over the past five years, he highlighted the intent of work displayed.

“…you can’t let my father’s sacrifice be attached to a con; that wouldn’t suffice for me. The only thing that would suffice for me if they had come in here, put their head down [and] do the work. Put down your head for five years and show the intent. I’m not saying that you’re going to accomplish everything but at least show us intent. At the end of the five years, we must look back and say ‘boy they ain’t get to accomplish everything but I see the direction that they were going.’ That first term should have reminded me of Labour’s first term in 1995-2000.”

Addressing comments by critics levelled against Dr. Douglas in regard to his family’s renewed relationship with him, Condor commented: “The last five years, Dr. Douglas has shown my family more respect, empathy and consideration, and it’s going to be very difficult for me for you to convince me that a man like that is. It’s going to be difficult to convince me that a man that has had so much of a positive influence on a whole country and so many people have benefitted directly from him, small business owners.”

Condor who describes Dr. Douglas as a “political genius” continued: “He has looked after people; you can’t negate that. You can say whatever you want about politics right but I think people try to negate the fact that he did do what he did; the history is around you-the jobs, the hotels, the infrastructure is there for you to see…and so you can’t negate that because you feel like he’s somebody that you don’t like personally.”

Pertaining to the meeting with Dr. Douglas, he outlined: “He (Douglas) is somebody who has shown up. Two years after the election, he reached out to my father and said that he wanted to have a conversation. He was never comfortable about how things ended and they thought that with the way they came from and the relationship that they had and the legacy that they have built together –that they deserved to have conversation, and that conversation was almost a six-hour conversation between two real comrades, friends; they started this thing together. A six-hour conversation, my father walked with his pastor…”

Condor went on to say: [Douglas] was pursuing that [conversation]; he wanted to look across from him and say ‘Sam, whatever happened, it happened but we got too much history and we got too much respect for one another for us to not even have a conversation. There is honour in that.  There is honour in a man that says ‘Boy Ziko, I went through ever possible emotion after the last election. I was hurt, I was depressed, I was angry at you and your family because for a long time I blamed you guys for what happened  because I knew that movement only got validity and credibility when you guys went over there so I was disappointed that you did that but I found acceptance while I was in depression. Acceptance in two things – (1) That this did actually happen to me  and I need to realise that and accept that and (2) I had a part  to play in it; this didn’t happen by accident…I am a man too I have to take responsibility for my actions and what brought me to this point’.”

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29^th May 2020)-Well-known protestor Curtis Crooke of Constituency Three (West Basseterre) has been taking to the streets again ahead of the next general elections slated for  Friday 5^th June 2020.

This media house recently caught up with him in the vicinity of the Electoral Office on Central Street in Basseterre. He wore a face mask and maintained social distancing amidst health measures regarding the novelcoronavirus (COVID-19).

Notably, to date-since Monday 18^th May-there are been no new cases reported following information on the full recovery of all fifteen individuals who had tested positive.  

Commenting on his reason for protesting in that area, Crooke pointed to the placard he carried concerning the misappropriation of client’s fund matter that is before the court involving candidates of the People’s Action Movement who are lawyers and the defendants in the case- Lindsay Grant and Jonel Powell of Constituencies Four and Two, respectively.

According to him: “They have no right to be putting up themselves to the people of this country to be elected. How can these guys put up themselves to the nation to want to be in politics? It’s a disgrace to my country and my flag. This is wrong.”

Crooke who was dressed in non-political clothing on that occasion was quizzed about such, to which he said: “I chose to wear my own clothes because this is not about politics; it’s about my country and it’s about my children’s future. As you see here, nothing says Labour, nothing says PAM. The children of tomorrow, their future is in jeopardy. How long are we going to let this go on?”

Asked if he had concerns like the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) that the upcoming general elections would not take place on a level playing field, he had this to say: “These guys are doing as they like; they have no respect for the country and no respect for the people. You have an election but we’re in lockdown. You keeping all kind of function but the opposition can’t keep no function. Five years to get this [electoral] boundaries things sorted out; it’s not sorted out as yet. You take off hundreds of name off the voters list; that needs sorting out. All these things are wrong; it must be a level playing field. The playing field is not levelled, and the government is getting away with too much of things in this country.”

On the topic of Sam Condor leaving Team Unity and returning to the SKNLP, Crooke remarked:

“I always believed that Sam has no call joining with PAM; that was my big problem, and Timothy [Harris] the same thing but again they choose that. The only problem I tell people that I had with Sam leaving is that you cannot leave with my vote. Anybody free to vote PAM or Labour but you cannot tell me vote for you and then you leave. It’s good that he came out and stand up for principles because he sees where he went was wrong; I applaud him for that. What he is also saying is that ‘I will give Douglas a second chance’. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Condor and Harris had formed the People’s Labour Party (PLP) in July 2013; one of the parties of the Team Unity coalition that won the 2015 February general elections. “I’ve said that for years. An apology can be done. Nothing is wrong with him saying, he apologizes to the people of West Basseterre. I think the people deserve an apology. That is in order,” Crooke said when he was questioned about whether or not he holds the view -like some of his fellow constituents- that Condor should offer an apology.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29th May 2020)– Following official Nominations held on Wednesday 27th May 2020, a total of nine (9) newcomers to the political race arena are among the  twenty-three (23) General Elections runners this time around including independent. 

There are four (4) from the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), two (2) from the People’s Labour Party (PLP) headed by Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, two (2) from the opposition Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and also an independent.

This media house understands that another independent candidate was expected in the person of Joan Challenger-Baeta of Constituency Two (Central Basseterre) but there was no information up to press time on what her situation is. 

Friday 29th May 2020) officially marks one week before the June 5thJune 2020 general elections in St.Kitts-Nevis with the Team Unity construct-featuring PLP, PAM (People’s Action Movement) and  also CCM (Concerned Citizens Movement ) in Nevis- seeking a second term while the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour attempts to regain office after being oust after its fourth term.

The NRP and the SKNLP has close relations in federal elections.

Political parties have conducted their virtual campaign launches in light of measures concerning the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) under the state of emergency that has seen: NRP on Friday 22nd May with ‘NRP Visionary Ready To Transform Nevis’, SKNLP NextGenSKN ‘It’s All About You!’ on Saturday 23^rd May and Team Unity on Sunday 24^th May under the banner ‘Stronger Safer Future’.

The breakdown of the candidates in the constituencies of St.Kitts and Nevis are as follows:

Constituency One: SKNLP newcomer Dr. Geoffrey Hanley will be challenging PAM Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd who will be contesting the seat for the second time.

Constituency Two: SKNLP Marcella Liburd to be challenged by PAM Chairman Jonel Powell who is also contesting for a second time.

Constituency three: PLP newcomer Alkilah Byron- Nisbett to challenge SKNLP Konris Maynard on his second go.

Constituency Four: PAM Deputy Leader Lindsay Grant to be challenged by SKNLP Steve Wrensford and independent first time runner Jason Thomas known as ‘Grabament’.

Constituency Five: [Deputy Prime Minister] PAM leader Shawn Richards versus SKNLP newcomer Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Douglas.

Constituency Six: SKNLP leader Denzil Douglas and PLP newcomer Kevin ‘Ninky Williams’. Notably, this is the first time that PAM is not challenging this SKNLP seat.

Constituency Seven: [Prime Minister] PLP leader Dr. Timothy Harris to go up against SKNLP newcomer Leon Nata -Nelson.

Constituency Eight: SKNLP Chairman and second time runner Dr. Terrance Drew challenging PAM Eugene Hamilton.

Constituency Nine: [Nevis Premier] CCM Leader Mark Brantley versus NRP newcomer Dr. Kelvin Daley.

Constituency Ten: Eric Evelyn of the CCM going up against NRP newcomer Bjorn Hanley.

Constituency Eleven: [Deputy Premier]CCM Alexis Jeffers versus NRP Patrice Nisbett.

Although CCM’s Evelyn is not a newcomer to the political arena, he is new to the federal race.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 22nd May 2020) – Well-known public figure Sam Condor has quit his relationship with the Team Unity government and is asking voters to be guided by their conscience in the upcoming 5th June 2020 General Elections as a turn of events on the political scene has now seen him now refreshing his support for the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) whose administration and political organisation he left in January 2013.

“Honesty, humility and selfless service have always been my watch words and I will never, never compromise them for anything or anyone. That is why I am at peace with all my decisions past and present, and more importantly, I’m at peace with my God,” he has said.

Two weeks ahead of polling day, at a press conference held at the held on Thursday 21st May 2020 OOJJ’s Conference Center in Camps, he made an address as “citizen Sam Condor” having announced his resignation as St.Kitts-Nevis Ambassador to the United Nations, an appointment of October 2015.

To date, for him, the government has failed to implement the good governance agenda.

“The last election cycle, I advocated for a change that would revert our focus to the values and ideas that have been part of me since my childhood. I was passionate and resolute in my advocacy for a better St.Kitts and Nevis. My decision to break with the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party was not made lightly as its stellar leaders over the years have been my mentors but I believe then and still do that I must be true to my ideals and principles; I must be consistent. That was why I co-founded the People’s Labour Party [PLP] and pledged to work hard to instill in it the values and principles of a true people’s Labour party.”

The PLP-headed by Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris who was fired from the SKNLP administration in January 2013- was founded in June 2015.

“Unfortunately, the PLP has deviated from founding principles and I can no longer influence its direction. This issue is so dear to my heart that I’ve determined that I must remain resolute and consistent and so I stand here today before the citizens of St.Kitts and Nevis and my Almighty God very disappointed that my dream of a better St.Kitts and Nevis is not being realized by once idealistic colleagues who in five short years have forgotten why the unity construct and its agenda appealed to so many of our people,” Condor noted.

According to him: “Regrettably, they have failed to implement the good governance agenda that was our mantra of 2015. These good governance measures were deemed urgent and necessary to strengthen our democracy and to end the vicious cycle of recrimination, hostility and tribalism among our people. Unfortunately, we have not seen the focus necessary to address this level of divisiveness in our society and if anything our society is more divided now than it has ever been. I therefore intend to challenge any status quo that does not accord to the principles of fairness and justice; this I’ve done all my life for I deem it essential, indispensable to our continued progress and development and as society and people.”

Condor pointed to issues affecting St.Kitts-Nevis including electoral reform and good governance stability.

“Amidst the unprecedented challenge of the COVID pandemic, we find ourselves struggling with a myriad of problems; some of which should have long been behind us. These include the electoral and constitutional reform, unifying our fractured nation, good governance sustainability and our very survival in a hostile world.”

He went on to say: “Fellow citizens, our ability to rise to the challenge is about to be tested once again. Shall we triumph or will we flounder and perish like so many other once great nations? Today, I challenge each and every citizen to examine his or her conscience and summon the innate strength and courage necessary to make the right and wise decision in the upcoming watershed elections. This is pivotal to our future as we are at the crossroads and must make wise choices on leadership, policy directions and the kind of country we want to live in post COVID-19 and beyond.”

“It is my considered view that this period offers us a fresh start; a new beginning to right the wrongs to a tone , to renew time honoured principles and to keep faith with our ancestors whose sacrifices and struggles we have somehow betrayed,” Condor added.

Additionally, he highlighted that he has been engaged in soul searching.

“I myself have been engaged in serious soul-searching over the past several months, undergoing painstaking introspection and retrospection. The COVID-19 lockdown has afforded me time to pause to reflect and renew my sense of duty and purpose. This introspection confirmed for me that my task is yet unfinished.”

Of his ambassadorial post, he shared: “Indeed, it was for me an honour and privilege to have been afforded the opportunity to serve my country in the said capacity. It is my considered view that a lifetime of public service is the least I can do to give back to St.Kitts and Nevis my country that I owe and love so much,” he commented.

As a former senior SKNLP official, Condor has served as Member of Parliament for Constituency Three (West Basseterre) and Deputy Prime Minister of the Dr. Denzil Douglas-led administration.

Following, the February 2015 General Elections, the fresh three-party Team Unity organisation comprising of the PLP, People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) formed the new government ousting the SKNLP.