By Charminae George
Nigel Bascus, leader of the Missing Link-Voice of the People (MLVOP) Party will be contesting the upcoming St Mary’s South by-election.
Bascus told Observer on Friday that he decided to run as the candidate for MLVOP after the by-elections presented another opportunity to represent the Constituency.
Previously, the Party did not have a candidate for the Constituency in the January 18 general elections due to the intended candidate resigning from the role, according to Bascus.
“When the elections were held out there, I had somebody who was supposed to run out there for me, and at the last minute, the person backed out,” he shared.
One of his main passions as a fisherman by trade is aquaculture—also known as fish farming—which is something he would like to see done more in Antigua and Barbuda.
“We have to work with what we have [and] we are blessed to have the sea. Aquaculture can be a big thing. We can make tens of millions of dollars… [and] it also can also strengthen our food security,” he said.
Should Bascus be successful in his bid to become the St Mary’s South parliamentary representative, he intends to donate his salary to the Constituency for a year. However, should his goal not materialise, he indicated that he will remain willing to contribute towards nation building.
“I’m willing to work along with anyone of the Parties, any one of the candidates that is elected, no problem,” he stated.
According to Bascus, the MLVOP was started in 2003 with the goal of increasing collaboration between the country’s two major parties: the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
Bascus of the MLVOP, Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon of the UPP, Senator Dwayne George of the ABLP and Andrew Antonio of the Democratic National Alliance Candidate (DNA) will all contest the upcoming by-election.
In the January 18 election, Simon won the Constituency’s seat, however he resigned as the Parliamentary Representative on June 7. His decision triggered the by-election, due within 120 days from the resignation, as mandated by law.
He indicated that he vacated the seat to prevent the Constituents from being negatively impacted by a lengthy legal battle, resulting from an election petition filed on behalf of the ruling ABLP. The petition questioned Simon’s eligibility for office.