Bernard Welch

The main opposition party in St. Kitts and Nevis is now short three candidates after Bernard Welch was given the boot by his constituency.

The Observer spoke exclusively with People’s Action Movement (PAM) Chairman Sydney Osborne, who confirmed that Welch had received a letter from the Constituency #3 Executive informing him that he was no longer their political representative.

This comes on the heels of Constituency #1 candidate Glenroy Blanchette being removed as the East Basseterre representative, and Roy Fleming of Constituency #2 resigning his candidacy.

Blanchette, Fleming, Welch, along with Junie Hodge of Constituency #6, and Ronald ‘Louie’ Williams of Constituency #7 were the five PAM candidates who signed a letter calling for party leader Lindsay F. Grant to immediately step down. The letter cited several reasons for the request, chief of which was Grant’s connection to a bribery scandal.

The Observer learned that the fates of Williams and Hodge were still undetermined, as their individual constituencies pondered whether the two would be allowed to continue to represent the party.

“I know about Blanchette and Welch getting their letters from their constituencies, but I am not sure what is happening with Hodge and Welch. Fleming resigned after he was verbally informed that he was no longer the Constituency #2 representative,” Osbourne said.

Blanchette recently received another dismissal, this time from his employer The Democrat Newspaper, which the party owns and operates. His removal from candidacy came as a result of the East Basseterre group “vehemently and unanimously” disagreeing with Blanchette’s “unwarranted allegations in regard to the leadership of Mr. Lindsay Grant,” as a PAM release stated.

The Labour Spokesman, the newspaper of the incumbent Labour Party, claimed Blanchette was sacked for “criticizing” Grant, especially after Blanchette said Grant’s July re-election as leader was “an endorsement of political corruption.”

The Observer questioned Osborne as to whether PAM had been severely weakened by the departure of three candidates at one time.

“I don’t think that is the case, because how it should be is that after an election you are not really a candidate until you are re-elected by your constituency - even candidates who are elected. What has happened is that we have not really done that recently,” he said.

Osbourne noted that seeking replacement candidates is the job of the constituency members, and that together with input from the PAM executive a decision would be made.

“The constituency group makes recommendations and the party can also make recommendations, and of course the leader of the party can do so as well. If there is more than one person nominated for candidacy then there would be an internal constituency election to determine who would represent that voting district at the next general elections,” he informed.

The PAM party chairman said some persons had already started looking at possible candidates to fill the three vacancies, and speculated that the positions would not be left unfilled for any extended period.

“You never know what can happen, and this is not something I foresee being left hanging for any long period,” he said.