Nevis Clergyman calls on electoral officials to resign

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Published on Wednesday, 29 August 2012 12:49

Written by Toni Frederick

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St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN):  A former member of the executive of Nevis’ Evangelical Association is calling on the Supervisor of Elections and Nevis’ Registration Officer to resign their posts in the wake of a Court ruling that condemned their conduct in the July 2011 elections.

“[The] Supervisor of Elections and Registration Officer should resign voluntarily without anybody asking them to, because they have failed in their responsibilities and they have broken the laws,” Pastor Eric Maynard of the Shiloh Baptist Church said Wednesday, speaking on WINN FM’s Breakfast Show.

“They did not do what they were supposed to do and they violated people’s rights in moving them from the Voters List without due process…and therefore with the verdict from the Judges they should voluntarily step down,” he said.

In its ruling handed down on Monday, the Appeal Court used strong language to chastise the Supervisor of Elections Leroy Benjamin and Registration Officer Bernadette Lawrence, and upheld the earlier ruling of the Lower Court that invalidated the election of former Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel in the District of St. John’s.

“If they do not step down within 12 to 24 hours the Governor or the Prime Minister should ask them to remove themselves.  They should not wait.  It is embarrassing and the island is going under serious stress and bleeding,” Pastor Maynard told WINN FM, calling for the by-election to be held as soon as possible.

He urged the island’s Evangelical Association and Christian Council to call on the Premier to hold the poll within the minimum 21 days.

“The 90 days for a by-election should be in the case where perhaps a person [dies] or stepped down, but where you have a caretaker government, in that you have two parties on both sides, you cannot run this thing for 90 days.  By then the island would be totally ruined!  They have to try to save…what is left of the name of Nevis,” the Pastor said Wednesday.

Before last year’s poll, Pastor Maynard resigned from the Evangelical Association he said in principle, charging that it had failed to issue a joint statement with the Christian Council ahead of elections.  He said the two organizations had agreed to issue a statement prior to the election expressing its concerns about the electoral process and intolerance among the electorate.

Wednesday he told WINN FM that he remained on good terms with the Premier, the former Deputy Premier and the claimant in the election petition Mr. Mark Brantley and he thanked them for their maturity in that regard.

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