ANY EFFORT by the Barbados Labour Party [BLP] to foist any one other than incumbent MPs?Rawle eastmond as candidate on St James North constituents could meet with stout resistance.
That was the sentiment expressed by several residents when the DAILY NATION visited the constituency last Sunday.
It came in the wake of reported efforts to undermine Eastmond’s branch membership selection process and his efforts to represent the constituency in the next general election.
Last Sunday, Eastmond was seen canvassing several sections of St James North with branch members and loyal supporter Edmund Hinkson, an attorney-at-law.
Small entrepreneur Movel Hinds, of Upper Carlton No. 2, was adamant that she wanted Eastmond to be her representative as long as there was life in his body. She said he had always been someone on whom she could depend.
The sentiment was similar with 28-year-old Upper Carlton technician Dale Ellis. The young man, who voted on one previous occasion, said he had no problems with Eastmond’s stewardship.
Young footballer Adrian Payne spoke of the assistance which his team had received from Eastmond and said no one else would be getting his support.
Charlie Kellman, of South Cemetery Lane, was on the same page as Payne, noting Eastmond had been a credit to the constituency.
Eastmond said despite certain manoeuvrings emanating outside of the constituency, he intended to contest the next general election, constitutionally due by January 2013.
Last month, he had unearthed a plot in which some people were padding his branch with membership without his knowledge or that of his executive. In many instances, those being registered as members of his branch were unaware that they were being made members and in some instances were not resident in the constituency.
Eastmond has called on his party’s national executive council to investigate what has been happening in his branch but so far this has not been done. It is expected that this will be one of the hot issues to be discussed at the BLP’s 72nd annual general conference slated for November 12-14.
