IT SEEMS THAT the NATION’s Editorial writer does not read the newspaper he writes for, or the newspaper deliberately ignored printed information to be mischievous.
That is the only conclusion I can come to after reading the October 7, 2016 editorial in the WEEKEND NATION titled Names, Numbers Against Gill, in which the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) was accused of not being transparent with regard to the election of our St Michael South Central candidate, Marsha Caddle, on Sunday, October 2, 2016.
Ms Caddle defeated David Gill 132 votes to 103 to win the nomination. Mr Gill, in his speech on the conclusion of the vote, wrongly suggested that he was denied 60 votes by the party machinery.
Immediately I pointed out that he had submitted 71 forms on August 26 – of those, 23 were incomplete and in some instances, unsigned. Besides that, the BLP’s constitution stipulates inter alia that new membership is not recognised until six weeks have elapsed after the membership forms have been received.
Membership forms
After this period, once the forms have been approved, individuals are allowed to vote in nominations and other internal elections. As the nomination was slated for October 2, those membership forms submitted on August 26, 2016 by Mr Gill, clearly could not be considered for the nomination.
My statement along with Mr Gill’s charges were carried in the article, Newcomer Caddle Beats Gill To Get BLP Nod on Page 4 of the October 3, 2016 DAILY NATION.
The Editorial is therefore wrong in stating that the accusations made by Mr Gill have only been met by silence.
The BLP does not intend to engage Mr Gill in any public shouting match on the other spurious charges he has levelled. We only wish him well in his future endeavours.
Subsequent to her nomination victory, Ms Caddle – who was introduced to the St Michael South Central branch at its annual general meeting on August 28, 2016, when Mr Gill was seated at the head table, was overwhelmingly ratified by the party’s National Council as our candidate for that constituency on Thursday, October 6, 2016.
– JEROME WALCOTT, BLP general secretary
