Former Senator Dwayne George is blaming his defeat in the St Mary’s South by-election on Tuesday on a ‘lack of time’ to galvanise the necessary support from the electorate.
George, representing the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), amassed 891 votes, but that was not enough to beat the 1065 votes secured by the United Progressive Party’s (UPP) Kelvin Simon, who won the seat for the second time this year, following victory in the January 18 general election.
“If I had more time, I would have taken [Simon] out…we lost that by-election because the ABLP supporters didn’t show up, they didn’t turn up. If I had more time to ‘touch the flesh’ and to garner the trust and confidence of the ABLP supporters, it would have been a done deal”, the first runner-up told our newsroom.
George, a career educator – like his one-time colleague and then-election foe, Simon – was drafted in to replace the former Member of Parliament, Samantha Marshall, who lost in the general election and then withdrew her by-election candidacy for personal reasons.
He was then named a government senator, replacing outgoing senator and the youngest-ever, Caleb Gardiner, who was promoted to a diplomatic role in Washington, DC.
George’s candidacy and campaign, though robust with the backing of the ruling party, was hit with accusations of deception, as he only months prior served on his primary opponent’s campaign team during the general elections.
However, he insisted that he decided to ‘switch sides’ due to a lack of support from within the UPP, and a realisation that being a part of the ruling party would mean greater opportunities for the people of St Mary’s South.
Despite the loss, he said, he remains adamant about his prospects of eventually winning the seat and serving the people of the constituency as an ABLP MP.
“You know it’s a thing that the politics in small islands is a very intimate type of politics where you have to meet [and] create relationships with people for them to vote for you. With the time that I’d been given, coming from the opposition side [as] an outsider, I had to garner the trust of the ABLP supporters.
“So, I know after I manage to get the trust of the ABLP supporters – which I’m going to do – I would be in a position to win this seat over for the ABLP…[in] no way, shape or form is the opposition going to be able to hold me off after four years, my work ethic is way too high,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gaston Browne – who campaigned heavily on George’s behalf in the months, weeks and days leading up to the by-election, posted on social media that despite the loss, his party has gained support, positioning itself to take the seat at the next general election.
PM Browne also thanked the people of St Mary’s South who voted for George and those who assisted in his campaign.
And while much of the nation’s focus is understandably on the two ‘heavyweights’ that contested the by-election, the valiant efforts of the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) Andrew Antonio should not be ignored.
Despite limited resources and the misfortune of representing the ‘minor’ party, Antonio secured eight votes, albeit four down from the 12 he garnered in the general election.
With a spirit of fearlessness and optimism, Antonio maintains that he will continue to work for the good of his constituency.
“I mentioned multiple times before that, no matter what the results were, I’m going to continue fighting and working within St Mary’s South, continue developing my plans and policies, and then implementing them in any way I can.
“The people made their choice; I have no complaints about how the by-election was handled.”
A fourth candidate – the leader of the Missing Link-Voice of the People (MLVOP) Party, Nigel Bascus – was intent on contesting the by-election, but failed to secure nomination.
