By Robert A Emmanuel
In less than 120 days, the battle for St Mary’s South will return for a sequel after the constituency’s MP Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon resigned, triggering a by-election.
In a press release issued yesterday, Simon said he had written to the Speaker of the House Sir Gerald Watt informing him of his decision to vacate his seat in Parliament.
The 43-year-old first-time politician has been the subject of an election petition following his victory at the January 18 polls, calling into question his legitimacy to serve as a parliamentarian.
The petition centred around whether Simon was eligible to run for office as he was a civil servant at the time of being officially nominated.
Simon resigned from his post as a guidance counsellor within the Ministry of Education a fortnight before the January 18 election.
The United Progressive Party (UPP) MP wrote, “It is unfair to the people of St Mary’s South to have this uncertainty hanging over their heads. This situation needs to be resolved without further delay.
“I want this matter to be settled by the people, not by the court. The constituents of St Mary’s South elected me convincingly before, and I am confident that they will do so again in a by-election.”
Simon appeared on social media shortly after the announcement, alongside St George MP Algernon Watts, to elaborate on his rationale.
“It is creating a lot of hindrances for me in terms of getting a lot of the projects I want to get done, because there are a lot of people that are willing to invest and better the community.
“We know how long appeals can take and I am not prepared as an MP to sit and wait on a court for years while I cannot get anything done for the people of St Mary’s South,” he said.
The petition was due to be heard during the first week of July, but Simon argued that “while my lawyers believe in the strength of my case, the outcome is entirely in the hands of the trial judge”.
According to the 2002 Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, “…In the case of a by-election, the writ shall be issued as soon as practicable after the seat has become vacant.”
Meanwhile, Simon said that he is confident of his victory at the polls, stating that this will create conditions for a “clean break and reset”.
He wrote that, “Prime Minister Gaston Browne has boasted several times, including in the House of Representatives, that he is confident of an outcome in [Senator Samantha] Marshall’s favour.
“The ABLP has returned to their 2009 playbook and are trying to use the courts to circumvent the will of the people.
“I have the full support of the leadership of the United Progressive Party, St Mary’s South Party Branch and my legal team.
“We are committed to defending the people’s choice and we will not allow this undemocratic assault on the will of the people to happen.”
He later said on social media that it was now “war time,” and implored his supporters to “come out in their numbers” for the by-elections.