Election results

The campaign is ended, and for many it will be a return to sanity, for others it will be a period of deflation after the entertainment and the excitement of the past weeks. The election results are out. The people have spoken loudly and clearly with a result of 8/7 in favour of the ruling party, which has been given a third term.{{more}} Let us hope for the good of the country that there would be a return to normalcy and the healing process will begin, for the intensity of the campaign has divided the country in so many ways. Many had surmised that it would have been the mother of all elections, meaning that it was going to be different to other elections, as persons were expecting violence. Now that we have passed over it, you can judge for your self.

Respect the right to vote

Every one exercised their right to vote or even their right not to vote, and these rights have to be respected. The campaign divided many friends and neighbours and created many enemies. It is time to build the country and to continue our every day activities without the hate and suspicion. Both sides made many negative comments during the campaign, but we have to leave the campaign behind, switch off the election mode and focus on things that are more uplifting. Many promises were made, and we hope that they were not merely election gimmicks or wild promises, and that programmes would be developed to solve some of our urgent problems.

Christmas cheer

The success of a people depends on a caring and considerate government that places high emphasis on development in all areas, alleviation of poverty and reduction in crime. Let us go on now to celebrate Christmas in the spirit of love, forgiveness and compassion. Your representative will not be in your neighborhood as often as he or she was during the campaign, but your friends and neighbors will be there. Make your peace this Christmas. Send a Christmas card or invite him or her over for a drink. You cannot undo the election results. They are done and over. Move on and be at peace with everyone.

Post-mortem

For the major parties it should be a time of reflection. Gather your elders, advisors and consultants to examine your organization and its policies more closely. There must be some reasons why those magical results you were forecasting did not materialize. Examine both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Try not to blame others. The answers might be closer than you expect. One of the most useful tasks to perform at this stage is to get supporters to settle down and accept the will of the people. This will help to make you a better neighbour or friend in these difficult economic times.

Congratulations to those who won in the individual constituencies, and to the winning party. Be generous, let St. Vincent and the Grenadines be the winner!

Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.
E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com