Veteran St Kitts-nevis politician, diplomat returns to Opposition

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Seven years after he quit the then-ruling St Kitts-nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) to form the People’s Labour Party (PLP), Sam Condor has again called it quits and is returning to the now-opposition SKNLP.

He said he is disappointed that “my dream of a better St Kitts-nevis has not been realised by once-idealistic colleagues”.

Condor, who served as the federation’s ambassador to the United Nations until Thursday, said that members of the Team Unity Government “in five short years have forgotten why the unity construct and its agenda appeal to so many of our people.

“Regrettably they have failed to implement the good governance agenda that was our mantra of 2015,” said Condor, who had once served as deputy prime minister in a Denzil Douglas-led SKNLP Administration.

He told reporters that “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 has become more divided now than it has ever been,” said Condor, who quit the SKNLP Administration in 2013 in a show of support for Harris, who had then been removed by Douglas from the Cabinet.

The coalition, Team Unity, comprises Harris’s PLP, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).

Condor told reporters that he has had much time to reflect on his affiliations past and present.

“I have concluded it is more prudent to be part of a movement, the St Kitts-nevis Labour Party that has shown contrition for its missteps and is prepared to censure itself. Honesty, humility and selfless service have always been my watchword[s] and I will never, never compromise them for anything or anyone”.

Condor said he was at peace with all his decisions “and more importantly, I am at peace with my God”.

He added: “I ask that every citizen do a similar, sober soul searching, introspection and retrospection. I urge all to approach the coming poll with an open mind and seriously scrutinise every candidate and every party (and) I implore you to make wise decisions for the future of the next generation and the country as a whole.”

Voters in this dual-island federation will go to the polls on June 5 to elect a new government, with nomination day set for May 27. In the last general election Team Unity won seven of the 11 seats, with the remainder going to SKNLP.

Harris has told voters that they should re-elect his Administration, saying “you can move forward with Team Unity to a stronger and safer future.

“Our federation is and always will be safer with Team Unity. Our record has shown that when faced with adversity we have responded well,” he said.

But Douglas has said that the SKNLP is fully mobilised to contest the elections, predicting “the St Kitts-nevis Unity Administration will lose the election and the St Kitts-nevis labour Party will emerge with a mandate to lead our people into a new POST-COVID-19 era where we will fix a lot of the problems that have existed”.

Meanwhile, the St Kitts Christian Council is appealing for peace and Christian values in the campaign leading up to and during the election.

Canon P Alister Rawlins, of the St Kitts Christian Council, told radio listeners that that the Church should not be involved in partisan politics.

“I don’t believe that clergy, preachers should preach partisan politics, but I believe that clergy should always give guidance to both the Government and to folks in Opposition.

“In terms of the elections coming up, well the church council will have a part to play, we believe. That is yet to be fully determined but hopefully, we should [have] a couple of meetings with the relevant authorities soon,” he added.