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.