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‘The people were bribed to vote NDP'- Edmund G. Maduro
“I believe what made the big difference in the elections is the money,” Maduro said to this news site. “There was a big division between those who have and those who didn’t have and you could tell that from the size of the posters and billboards that were put up,” he added.
Maduro noted as well that a few things did not go right such as the elections being a snap election and the time that was so short for people to fully launch their campaign. Maduro garnered 86 votes as an Independent At Large candidate.
People were bribed?
According to Maduro, the larger billboard and posters weren’t the only result of the deeper pockets of some parties. “It is a known fact that [some parties] were [allegedly] giving out money to bribe people,” he said. “Thousands of dollars were [allegedly] given out and I hope that the Commonwealth Observers have made a note of that,” he said.
The outspoke Maduro said that in the final analysis it is the people who are responsible for returning the NDP to office. “They voted for them and for whatever reason they made their decision,” he said.
Maduro continues to be concerned about the NDP Government’s “mishandling” of funds on certain projects and their handling of the cruise ship pier which he believes warranted a Commission of Inquiry and is still concerned that Governor John S. Duncan OBE has not seen it fit to have one. “The Governor did wrong when he refused to name a Commission of Inquiry…he refused to carry out a Constitutional order,” said Maduro.
Fraser is the problem?
Speaking to this news site, social and political commentator Donald E. de Castro said he was not surprised at the outcome of the elections in terms of the Virgin Islands Party losing by such a wide margin – 11 – 2 seats in the House of Assembly.
“Fraser is the problem,” he said, referring to Chairman of the VIP Honourable Julian Fraser RA (R3). “The moment that the party elected Julian Fraser was the moment they lost the election as nobody wants Fraser as Premier,” said de Castro.
Hon Fraser did manage to hold on to his seat in the Third District, beating out NDP candidate Kevin C. Smith by one of the narrowest margins in the race, gaining 561 votes to Honourable Fraser’s 596.
de Castro is of the view that for the party to move forward they need to have a Chairman who isn’t named Julian Fraser.
Parties, candidates should have boycotted
Political commentator and the only person to go on record as boycotting the snap election, Alred ‘AC’ Frett, said that what he had predicted has happened.
Speaking to this news site, he said that the only way for the people to have made their voices heard loud and clear was to have boycotted the elections as he had advocated in his previous articles in the media.
He said, however, while he intends to continue his political advocacy and career he is not hungry for power. Frett reserved further comment saying that he intends to address the issue at length on his radio programme this weekend.
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55 Responses to “‘The people were bribed to vote NDP'- Edmund G. Maduro”
However, it does need a set date for election to be passed in the HOA so all parties to be well prepared. Example 4 years on the 8th of June or second Monday in June. Two term for any premier so even if your party win for a third term with a different leader.No election results especially for a small country should be taken into a next day, electronic voting should be a good option . These and more should be put forward to take the country forward
election should be a set date so people can prepare.
allowing government in power to set date is advantageous to that party and allows them time for big billboards and radio/ media spots before others have a chance.
The size of billboards should be standardized so they are the same size. tourists don't want to see billboards either.
There should be debates so people can hear who has ideas and understanding of the issues, who speaks well and can represent overseas.
I would like to see a list of candidate bios like schooling, business, experience, who is qualified
Transparency on Campaign finance contribution with a limit
Electronic count for same-day results- but sometimes it happens in other countries like US too.
I think who holds the strings has the advantage.
I am sorry to say that I also agree that Fraser helped lose some of the election bids of some very good candidates which would have added to a balanced discussion and debate in legislature.
True, the election is over; but political election is not that simple a thing as a domino game or game of darts, that we should simply move on and forget what happen, calling it fair and square. What happened on Monday may very well determine whether its necessary to hold another election, (4 years from now), or throw our hands up into the air, and saying: "S**it happens".
It may be constitutionally right to shut down a country after just spending $60+-millions on the cruise pier expansion, $15 borrowed millions on road damage from 2010, and the borrowing of another $16-million from SS for more spending on roads and contracts, on the eve of an election, without giving account of those moneys to the legal opposition and the people of the country. Not to mention not having balanced or audited the country's books for the past several years.
Who in their right mind can say that those actions, "were in the best interest of the country"?.
The election Monitors might have been here and noticed a peaceful election process; but I'm sure they have no idea
how those sponsored those massive billboards were paid for, who sponsored the campaigns, at how much it cost to dominate the airways and the blogs, nor know anything about the many contracts that were signed just prior to the election, nor the 60-plus promissory notes given out to supposedly land awardees.
It is not democratic to simply say: "the elections are over; now suck it up".
There were several good candidates; (great actually) that I am sure would have served us well, and with integrity, honesty, and "in the best interest of the country. Why aren't hey heading for the house of assembly?. With only weeks to campaign and get their message and vision before the electorate, without being able to access the predominant TV stations and other media houses, how could they?
It is said that God takes care of Infants and fools. I pray that he consider the good people of the Virgin Islands as well.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British Virgin Islands general election, 1986
British Virgin Islands
1983 ←
17 November 1986 → 1990
All seats in the British Virgin Islands Legislative Council
5 seats needed for a majority
Turnout
67.6%
First party
Second party
Leader
H.L. Stoutt Ralph T. O'Neal
Party
Virgin Islands Party BVI United Party
Leader since
1971 1986
Leader's seat
1st District 9th District
Last election
4 seats, 43.8% 4 seats, 42.3%
Seats before
4 4
Seats won
5 2
Seat change
+1 -2
Popular vote
1,838 977
Percentage
45.7% 24.3%
Swing
+1.9% -18.0%
Chief Minister before election
Cyril Romney
BVI United Party (Coalition)
Elected Chief Minister
Lavity Stoutt
Virgin Islands Party
The British Virgin Islands general election, 1986 was a "snap" election held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 November 1986. The result was a victory for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the United Party (UP). Subsequent to the election Ralph T. O'Neal became leader of the opposition despite not being head of the UP.
The VIP won 5 of the available 9 seats giving it an absolute majority. Conrad Maduro and Ralph O'Neal were the only members of the UP to win a seat. Maduro only won by a single vote, and O'Neal would change allegiance to the Virgin Islands Party before the next general election. Two candidates running as independents, Walwyn Brewley and former Chief Minister Cyril Romney, were elected. The election victory would make the start of 17 consecutive years in power for the VIP, which would only end in the 2003 general election.
Although Stoutt had lost the previous election, former Chief Minister Cyril Romney had been forced to step down on 1 October 1986 by Governor David Barwick, and so Stoutt had assumed Premiership by virtue of leadership of the largest party in the house prior to the election.
Janice George-Creque served as the supervisor of elections.[1] The turnout was 67.6% across the Territory, although this masked regional variations in the individual district seats. Turnout was highest in the 9th District (81.3%) and lowest in the 2nd (60.3%) and 3rd (60.6%) Districts. The low turnout in the 2nd District proved ironic, as that seat was decided by a single vote.
The International Election Observers in their "Preliminary Report" mentioned having heard of huge sums of moneys being donated to parties. They also talked about the need to know about campaign spending. The full report is due in August. Even the governor recognizes it apparently. Why would he make such a statement as the following at swearing in of the new government?:
"The time for Backroom and Opaque Decisions are a thing of the past, “Particularly in this 21st century age, with social and online media, a number of territories are now ahead of us in this agenda".
Elections are serious business, that can have far reaching consequences on the lives of yet unborn generations. No one has a right to interfere in the Democratic process of an election; whatever the method used.
I am suggesting that buying votes is a serious matter; a matter that destabilizes democracies, causing them to crumble. Anyone with evidence of having received an offer of money or a contract, (the same thing), in order to get them to vote for a candidate should report it to the governor. Further, if this has happened to a number of persons, a petition could/should be sought to annul the election. ..