‘Vote No’ campaign a major turn off

13.NOV.09

EDITOR: I am ashamed of the “NO” Campaign run by the NDP. I say so as a life-long supporter of Sir James Mitchell and the NDP. They have insulted my intelligence and shamed my country.{{more}}

I cannot fault the way in which the Government, the CRC, CRSC, Parnel Campbell and the Prime Minister have led this constitutional reform process. They have acted as genuine patriots who want a new and better constitution. I believe that they have given us a much better constitution. So, I am voting “YES”.

I have been listening carefully to the speakers on both platforms. Every single one on the “YES” platform addresses the issues in the Constitution. This is not the case with the “NO” platform. They have verbally abused practically everyone in their partisan “NO to Ralph, NO to Parnel, NO to ULP” campaign. They have turned a good opportunity for education, upliftment and change into a rant. Even Linton Lewis and Ms. Baptiste who attempt to discuss the Constitution are twisting plain language in the new Constitution for their own political and religious agendas. It is an absolute disgrace.

The final nail in their coffin for me is the terrible insults, for no good reason, heaped upon Reverend Job by Arnhim Eustace. Mr. Eustace has followed Eldwardo Lynch, Matthew Thomas and others in making politics ugly and nasty. As a Methodist I will not stand this descent into the gutter.

The question is simple. Is this new Constitution a significant improvement on the old one? The answer is “YES” and I shall so vote. I will put my country before my party on Referendum Day. The NDP has a big job in getting me back into the fold for the next elections. Ralph is looking better to me with every passing day.

Linden Thomas