Brewing political contest for candidates in South Leeward

The campaign appears to be well and truly on for key seats in the upcoming general elections among candidates of the  ruling Unity Labour Party.{{more}}

One of the prospective candidates for the South Leeward seat, Head of the Financial Services Unit Grenville Williams has stepped up his campaign with a newspaper advertisement (which appears elsewhere in this newspaper).  Williams campaign ad touts his strong leadership as ‘the backbone that shapes our communities and lives’.

He is contesting the ULP candidacy against lawyer and government senator Jomo Thomas who announced his intention to seek the party’s endorsement in January this year.

Reports indicate that another battle is also building up for the North Leeward constituency where former parliamentarian and defeated candidate in the last election Dr. Jerrol Thompson is seeking to beat off a challenge from first timer, lawyer Carlos James.

Although the ULP has not declared candidates in several other constituencies, the two Leeward seats held by the New Democratic Party seems to be of particular importance.

“You take North Leeward and South Leeward, these are very marginal constituencies which the NDP won. These are easy to come back home” ULP leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told his party’s convention earlier this year. The South Leeward seat is held by Nigel “Nature” Stephenson who won the seat for the first time in the 2010 elections by 2,593 to 2,394 for ULP candidate David Browne.  Roland ‘Patel’ Mathews won the North Leeward seat from Dr. Thompson by 2,187 to 2,009 to reverse the outcome of the 2005 elections.

The ULP Leader  in acknowledging the brewing contests had used the convention to urge contesting candidates to avoid ‘bassa bassa’ in the campaign.

“It will be more difficult to bring them (North and South Leeward) back home if we have confusion as to who is the candidate” Gonsalves said.

“I don’t want us to have a big bassa bassa in any constituency. Ah don’t want that,” 

“And early o clock, when I get the feel, I will go to persons and say, I think Comrade, that this one – this person is the better person or the best person to run,” he said.