DNA to launch final slate of candidates on Thursday

The National Democratic Alliance (DNA) will unveil on Thursday night its five remaining candidates who will contest the next general elections on March 21.
The party, which was launched in April last year with a promise to advocate for transactional leadership and change the way politics is practised in Antigua and Barbuda, has so far presented 11 candidates to the public.
A founding member of the DNA, Bruce Goodwin, said the party was moving away from the normal practice of introducing one candidate at a time in the constituency in which they will be representing because of the short time period.
“The launch will be held at the Irene B. Williams School in Swetes Village, so anybody who wants to know who the other candidates are. We are happy to invite you to come at 7:30 p.m. to the launch,” Goodwin said during an interview on the Voice of the People programme.
It was also widely rumoured that Goodwin will be among the political hopefuls who will be introduced to the public. He did not confirm or deny this during the radio interview yesterday.
The DNA member was also asked whether the party was “caught off-guard” by the early election announcement.
He said that the signals were very clear that residents will have to go to poll earlier than expected.
Goodwin also explained that while the Westminster system provides for a snap election, but “It is not to be invoked in a frivolous and cavalier manner by a desperate and frighten leader. It is too important. Its meaning is too transcendental to the system from him [the prime minister] to deal with it in a manner as we are seeing here in Antigua today.
“This very sacred measure was put there to give the government an opportunity to respond to crisis and to invoke the support of the people if there is a perception that there is a crisis facing the nation,” Goodwin said.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)