One question that keeps popping up and gets tougher and tougher for me to answer is; “who will win the next local election?” The obvious answer of course is, “Whichever party wins the most seats will form the next government of Nevis.” Having said that though, I must remind you that in recent articles I warned the electorate not to vote for any candidate with the characteristics of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Or “a dog in the manger”.
I realize of course, that if I’m taken seriously, that this would drastically affect a goodly number of candidates, as the electorate already looks at most politicians with a good deal of skepticism, generally speaking. And under such stringent scrutiny by such a large number of people, I imagine it would be very difficult for either of the two political parties in Nevis to emerge with “an edge.”
Of course there will always be a number of people won’t take my advice and will vote for “a dog in the manger” anyway. And probably even more will rush right out to vote for “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” when the time comes. And to tell the absolute truth, I will probably be among them! There really isn’t much choice, unless you’d prefer to vote for a character who would kill “the goose that lays the golden eggs”, or the one who falsely cries “wolf!” all the time.
A large part of the problem is that when we go to the polls around here, we seldom think of voting for the most upright, incorruptible and unimpeachable person. Instead, we most often vote for the person whose party’s stated policies are more compatible with our own personal views and ideas. The candidate who ultimately wins a seat then, may in some cases not really be personally worthy of the honour and trust conferred by those who cast their votes in his party’s favour.
On the other hand, there may be some cases where a truly worthy, winning candidate is thwarted in his efforts to be and do what he feels he was elected for, by the intransigence of some of the others in his party, when it comes to strategizing and implementing the various party policies. If such a person does not win enough support within his party to work for the ideas and policies that helped propel him into office, then he must either go along with the others, or resign. The previous leader of one of our political parties chose the latter course some years ago. I think we need to hear something from the other soon.
The idea of secession for Nevis was a great asset for the political party that raised it in 1996. And it was a great asset for the political party that first raised it before then. There is absolutely no excuse for turning an asset in a deadweight – or a liability. There is no strategic value in such a move. Yet that is what both of the political parties that will be vying for votes in the next election in Nevis, have managed to do during their terms in office. They are both guilty of mismanaging and wasting one of our most valuable assets!
I’ve been told before that I have a funny way of looking at things, and frequently I inject a little levity in my writings on purpose, because some of the things that go on around here are so outrageous that they are hard to swallow in undiluted form. That’s why my book is titled “Nonsense In Nevis”, and not something like “Nevis – A Sociological Study.” But there is really nothing funny about the wasting of one of our most precious assets, and so I hope it is understood that whatever levity appears is to help make this piece more understandable, because it is so difficult to swallow.
At the moment, I have no idea how I will cast my vote in the upcoming election. But I expect I’ll be casting it for the candidate who can convince me the most, that he and his party will do more than the other to move Nevis into a better relationship with St.Kitts through either Secession or Constitutional Reform. I do not intend to waste my vote on a party that intends to go on “playing possum” on this matter. The issue has been held in abeyance for far too long, and the lack of insistence and determination by the two parties and their leaders displays a sad lack of courage and worthy leadership in my opinion.
If the electorate takes my suggestion seriously – to not vote for anyone with certain undesirable characteristics, there would likely be an extremely low turnout at the polls. I don’t really want to see that happen, because it would mean that only a very few would vote into power, those who would govern the great majority. Things have become too muddled already without adding, lethargy, confusion, and a serious lack of voter participation to the mix. But my idea was to try to prod people in general, and our leaders in particular, into movement on the relationship between St.Kitts and Nevis.
I would like to see more people discussing this issue and forcing our two political parties and their leaders, to either stand up and stand tall with clear enunciations of the relevant plans and policies to clear up this issue, or to step aside and leave the field for others. The idea of, and reason for, an independent Nevis, was born before this haphazard federation ever came into being. If we are expected to give up that goal completely, then there must be a comprehensive explanation of why, and how it can be done in a manner that is equitable and acceptable to all concerned. If that isn’t what is contemplated, then we need to know what is.
Everybody in Nevis knows that an election is coming up soon – “just around the corner”, as the saying goes. But I haven’t come across anyone who even pretends to know where our two political parties stand on the biggest political issue in our short history. I’m sure one of the political parties will win the election. But unless both parties get out there pronto and clarify their positions in a manner that leaves no stone unturned, we may be handicapped in our voting, and may all wind up losers!
