An unsigned letter making the rounds on social and conventional media was the subject of much discourse as its contents purported that an undisclosed number of the New Democratic Party’s Marriaqua Constituency Division executive members tendered their “resignation from the Constituency Division with immediate effect.”
The latest scuttlebutt to surface on Thursday September 3, reportedly on local radio, was that Kirk Da Silva, one of 3 other persons who vied to be the NDP’s area representative, leaked the supposed mass resignation letter.
Dated August 27, 2020 the supposed 2 paged document was addressed to the NDP’s president Dr. Godwin Friday and read in part, “we have lost all confidence in our party’s leadership. As a result, we are uneasy in continuing our work as members of the Marriaqua Constituency Division in such a toxic and biased environment.”
The letter, though unsigned, provided a space for Berisford George, chairman, to affix his signature. Although it referenced other executive members no proof as to who they were was shown.
Speaking with Asbert News Network on Thursday September 3 Da Silva denied having any previous knowledge of the document. “People will make those assumptions; I am not a member of the committee. Somebody actually WhatsApped me the letter, I think I got it this morning.
“It was unsigned and so forth and I actually told somebody that I – in fact the person asked if I thought it is genuine, I said ‘I think so’ but I don’t know who all signed it. I haven’t seen the letter but I guess that’s politics,” he said.
According to Da Silva although he spoke, informally, to former chairman George there has been no formal meetings of the Constituency Division since the primaries which selected him as their candidate of choice. He also said, “I heard – I was told that the committee was planning to resign, by a member of the committee, I was told that they were planning to resign; but to say I – to know about the letter or to help draft it or to be there or to see it or to be copied, nah. That’s not so at all.”
In 2015 Da Silva offered his constituency stewardship services on the governing Unity Labour Party’s ticket and was rejected in place of the area incumbent St. Clair Jimmy Prince.
Having conceded to Bernard Wyllie’s 2020 candidacy, Da Silva, on Thursday, affirmed his support for the New Democratic Party. “I am a supporter of the New Democratic Party. I haven’t left the membership of the party… I would do what I can for the Party.”
He however reported that no one from the NDP hierarchy has spoken with him since Wyllie’s ratification last month. “I don’t think they spoke to me even the night after the elections,” Da Silva said with a chuckle.
Asked whether any member of the Unity Labour Party leadership has contacted him in recent times, the chartered accountant responded, “no, no, no, I’m no longer a member of that Party I don’t think they would be obligated to contact me.” He also denied claims that he has struck out on his on to form a new political entity or that he changed allegiances to align with Ivan O’Neal’s SVG Green Party.
Meanwhile Party public relations officer Lavern King described the development as a non-issue and said, “the Central Committee of the New Democratic Party – representing Members of Parliament, the Executive and membership – unanimously voted to endorse our candidates for the 2020 election. We do not comment on any internal matters leaked to the media.
“Our sole focus is on putting the best team forward to represent every constituency, win the next election and getting Saint Vincent and the Grenadines working. Our first, second and third priorities is job creation – as 46 percent of young people are not working and over 26 percent of Vincentians are employed.”
The recently resigned Beresford George was said to have been seen on the NDP’s latest constituency walk around with other members of the NDP team.