West St. George Council removes Baptiste as NDP candidate

Anesia Baptiste is no longer the candidate for the New Democratic Party (NDP) in West St. George.{{more}}

A caller to the WE FM morning show yesterday, where NDP Chairman Dr Linton Lewis was guest, said that on Wednesday evening, 100 per cent of the members of the West St. George Constituency Council present voted to remove her as their candidate.

The caller identified himself as the deputy chairman of the Council. Lewis did not refute the caller’s claim.

In November 2011, 100 per cent of the West St. George Constituency Council’s Executive and members selected Baptiste to contest the seat on their behalf, in the next general elections.

On April 27, Leader of the Opposition and President of the NDP Arnhim Eustace wrote to the Governor General, requesting that Baptiste’s appointment as a senator be revoked, following a letter from Baptiste, which chastised him for a decision made during an NDP executive meeting.

Eustace has not yet announced who will replace Baptiste in Parliament.

Baptiste told SEARCHLIGHT on Thursday that she found out about her removal as the candidate for West St George when she was contacted by a journalist to comment, on what appears to be the latest setback in her political career.

She said that she subsequently called one of the officers of the West St George Constituency Division of the NDP who confirmed it.

“Why did I have to do that? They didn’t have the courtesy to tell me. I had to hear it from a journalist and then had to call someone from the division office to hear it,” Baptiste told SEARCHLIGHT.

The former NDP senator further explained that according to the NDP constitution, once a person gets at least three quarter of the majority of the votes, the president of the party then has to submit the name to the central committee for ratification.

This never took place she contended.

“I cannot answer as to why this did not happen since being selected by the division,” she said.

Baptiste further explained that she did not know the details of what took place at Wednesday night’s meeting of the West St George Constituency Council, but when she called to confirm she was told that a resolution had been taken which indicated that the council was no longer going to recommend her to the central committee for ratification to take place.

She told SEARCHLIGHT that she was not going to let this latest development stop her work in the constituency.

“I will continue with my plans as originally planned. This development would not stop me from carrying out my work among the people, particularly the work I had originally planned to do in certain areas.”

She however remained tight lipped on her future plans saying that she was not prepared to speak about that at present.

“But this certainly wouldn’t stop me from carrying out the plans I had,” Baptiste contended. (DD)