Phillips to challenge result of ULP Central Kingstown poll?

Controversy has hit the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) following the selection of the party’s candidate for Central Kingstown at the Lodge Village Government School, Tuesday evening, August 24.{{more}}

SEARCHLIGHT understands that teacher Elvis Charles defeated insurance broker Berisford Phillips, 65 votes to 63, to become the ULP’s candidate for Central Kingstown in the upcoming general elections. Eligible voters in the poll were card carrying members of the ULP, registered to vote in the Central Kingstown constituency.

But the following day, Wednesday, August 25, Phillips called into the ULP’s radio station, Star FM, saying he was “terribly upset” and “intend(s) to challenge the result”.

“People were on the streets very unhappy about the results. Senator [Julian] Francis called me last night and indicated to me that as far as he is concerned, there was no clear winner. I don’t know what [drew] him to that conclusion, but that is what he indicated to me,” Phillips said.

“So, I think we ought to carefully deal with this matter and, as a matter of fact, I am going to challenge the results. … We are all party people. Let’s be honest, we had problems last night. [Redemption] Sharpes was in uproar.”

Anthony Dennie, an announcer at Star FM, curtailed Phillips’ comments, saying, “… I don’t think this is the forum for … ventilating on what probably transpired last night.”

However, a caller, who identified herself as Iona Nichols of Kingstown Park, told WE FM on Thursday morning, August 26, she was surprised at Phillips’s statements.

Nichols said she was at the meeting and drove through Sharpes Tuesday night, but did not see what Phillips described.

“I don’t know what he is talking about. It surprised me,” she said, adding that Charles and Phillips had both said they would support the winner of the internal elections.

“I was shocked. I haven’t seen any quarrel at the Lodge Village School,” the caller said.

Charles told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday, August 25, that he was “disappointed” with Phillips, saying Phillips was “rather individualistic in expressing – venting his emotions”.

“There should never have been that kind of expression of emotion after the voting process to give talk show hosts things to talk about for the whole day,” Charles said.

Charles, a teacher at the Bethel High School and the current president of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) said he was confident of victory in the national polls.

He will come up against Senator St. Clair Leacock of the New Democratic Party (NDP) who fell 14 votes short of deposing the incumbent Conrad Sayers of the ULP in the December 2005 elections.

“I fancy my chances, I am very optimistic and happy,” Charles said.

“I am not going to say that [Leacock] is not a stiff opponent but I do believe that he will crumble,” Charles said.

“I know … he is confident – you can hear it in his expression… but I am not intimidated in anyway. In fact, I am not afraid, I think at the end of the day people will select Elvis Charles because I am a people person,” Charles told SEARCHLIGHT. (KXC)