Fri, Sep 25, 2020
In its weekly column in THE VINCENTIAN newspaper, dated Friday 18 September 2020, the ULP regime says that it is committed to free and fair elections in SVG. History does not suggest that this is true.
Questions abound about the general elections held in SVG in 2005, 2010 and 2015 being free and fair.
The ULP regime had passed regulations banning customs duty exemptions on motor vehicles and other general elections equipment for all political parties other than the ULP and NDP regimes. This was just one of the ways that the ULP regime showed the nation that it was not interested in free and fair elections in SVG.
This was a nasty and gross act of discrimination and a breach of Section 13 of the SVG Constitution. SVG Green Party pointed out that this was wrong; that all political parties should be treated equally. It was pointed out also, that all political parties should receive the same amount of tax and duty-free allowances for the general election.
This very serious matter was reported to The SVG Christian Council in the 2010 and in 2015 by the Leader of SVG Green Party, Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA. Meetings were held involving representatives of the ULP Regime, SVG Green Party and the SVG Christian Council. The ULP Regime representative told the SVG Christian Council that the ULP Regime does not want an increase in small political parties in SVG, and the Cabinet decision to ban customs relief on motor vehicles and other elections equipment will remain as applied to small political parties in SVG.
The ULP regime did not reverse this gross wrongdoing and the 2005, 2010 and 2015 general elections were not free and fair. This was a sick approach by the ULP regime to hold on to power in SVG.
Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA very strongly contends that the SVG Christian Council and The National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism should take an ice cold bath on general election matters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They have been ineffective in ensuring free and fair elections in SVG. Their failure to resolve this issue and publicly denounce this breach of the SVG Constitution only serves to legitimise these serious wrongdoings by the ULP regime.
Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA strongly contends that our democracy in SVG is under threat when we do not have free and fair general elections in SVG. In the interest of democracy, all political parties should be treated equally. SVG is not a two-party state and all political parties registered with the Supervisor of Elections have a right to be treated fairly.
Vote SVG Green Party for free and fair elections and to secure the democracy of our great and blessed nation.
