By: Vigilante
The SKNLP had a leadership race in November 2021. As a party supporter I was amazed at the intensity of the competition, and like many others wondered how come this energy seemed to have been lacking in the 2020 general elections, that saw Labour lose 9-2 to Unity. Dr. Douglas must have been the glue that was holding the Unity government together, because almost as soon as the party chose another leader, Unity imploded. That break-up paved the way for the 2022 general elections — and the rest, as they say, is history.
This was an election that Labour had to win. If we didn’t win this election, if the electorate rejected us again with all that was happening in Unity, we would have been in the political wilderness for a few decades, at the very least. But we rallied. We mobilised. We organised. And with God’s help we won enough seats to form the government ON OUR OWN. Considering all the blows that we had received a mere two years prior, to come back and win every box in six seats was a major accomplishment. Now that we are the government, we must never forget what we did to win.
The SKNLP is the only party that really cares for ordinary people. Look at what was accomplished in the first month. All those students who would have been forced to drop out because they couldn’t afford the cost of a tertiary education don’t have to pay a cent now. While Unity was about shutting down schools, the SKNLP is about opening up educational opportunities for all. Constituencies must continue to hold their monthly branch meetings. Foot soldiers must feel that they have access to their representatives — they must know that if they phone or text them, they will get a response within a day or two. Ministers must never be too busy with government business to attend these meetings. Ministers must never forget that before they were ministers they were candidates. Ministers must never forget that five years will fly by and before they know it, they will be candidates once more, rallying, mobilising and organising again. Together, we can.