BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29th 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 5th 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 18th 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.