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Election Observers could affect perception of VI – Skelton
Ronnie Skelton, At Large candidate under the NDP’s umbrella, made this disclosure at a tent meeting held last evening November 1, 2011 at Hope Hill, East End.
He was at the time questioning the “real” justification of international observers needed in the Virgin Islands (VI) charging that the ramifications it would have for the VI is dire.
“The only place observers went was when there was corruption, no trust in the Government to run an honest election and mismanagement and all sort of illicit activities,” he told supporters making reference to Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Kenya.
“What is the reason that the Governor feels that observers should come here. He needs to give a reason because the Queen’s representative is dissing Cabinet. He knows something that we don’t know. .. this could do us more harm. We deal with the financial services sector. It’s about the reputation of the country therefore if a signal is sent that something is wrong then people start getting scared because perception becomes reality,” the former Finance Minister pointed out.
He continued: “Is the Queen representative trying to destroy the financial services sector...if there is no need for them [observers] to come, why are you sending this signal? We are interested in building our country and we need that money to run into our treasury so that we can build these things for our people. And if we send the wrong signal, we may have a problem so ladies and gentlemen don’t take this lightly.”
NDP is not objecting
Meanwhile, another At Large candidate, Myron Walwyn, stated that contrary to belief, the NDP is not objecting to the observers but just concerned how the Territory will be viewed externally.
“If we cannot be trusted to hold our own elections, what does that say for our country,” he declared.
He also wondered how long the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government knew about the decision and why did they keep it from the voters. According to Walwyn, it seems it’s a trend with the incumbent Government to keep “people in the dark about important things that we should know”.
Furthermore, the statement issued by Carvin Malone, Consultant to the VIP, on not having a problem with the observers struck a chord with Walwyn. “I know consultants to be quietly working in the back, but the VIP Consultant Carvin Malone is at the forefront like he has something personal to protect and stated he has no problem with the observers to give voters the impression is the NDP may have a problem with the elections being free and fair,” the At Large candidate added.
He further stated, if one of the VIP’s outstanding politicians, H. Lavity Stoutt was alive “those observers would not have been able to set one foot on Beef Island”.
The candidate also charged that observers are here to determine if the wishes of the people are adhered to, hence the importance of free and fair elections.
“Observers come in when the sitting Government is not trusted because they are in full control of the elections apparatus. Observers don’t come into a country to make sure that the opposition does not steal the election because the opposition has absolutely no access or control of the election.”
Leader of the party Dr. D Orlando Smith and At Large candidate Archibald Christian also made similar remarks.
The VI’s General Elections is schedule for November 7, 2011.
A joint Observer Mission has been organised by CARICOM and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands & Mediterranean Region (BIMR) to observe the elections.
The Mission will be led by Ambassador Rudolph Collins, former Chairman of the Elections Commissions in Guyana and will include Eugene Petty, former Supervisor of Elections, St Kitts and Nevis, Mignon Bowen from the CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana, Conor Burns, Member of Parliament (MP) and Thomas Docherty MP from Westminster, UK, Alex Downie OBE Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), Isle of Man, and Leon Gallienne, Deputy from Guernsey.
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