Not backing down, says ABLP St. John’s Rural South prospective candidate

One of the prospective candidates in the St. John’s Rural South constituency on the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party’s (ABLP) ticket, has accused the prime minister of going against the party’s constitution, by not holding a primary to choose the best candidate.
Banker Sharon Kentish said she will not back down, and is demanding that the proper procedure be followed.
Kentish, told OBSERVER media yesterday, that about two weeks ago, she was asked by Prime Minister Gaston Browne to step aside to make way for his preferred candidate Daryl Matthew.
 “I will not step down. All I want is a fair chance to either be polled or a chance at a primary within the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party. I have dedicated my time, and I have put myself, and my job on the line,” Kentish said.
“I believe, according to the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party constitution, that once you have more than one candidate vying for the same position, you are entitled to have a primary and let the people choose who they want to represent them,” she added.
While he did not speak specifically on the matter, the nation’s leader has gone on record to declare, “I have no comment, other than to say that the Rural South candidacy is a settled issue. Daryl Matthew is the candidate.”
Kentish, mother of one, said that she has been an active member of the party for the past nine years, serving as president of the ABLP’s youth arm and assisting the youth of the community to achieve their goals.
She said that the party’s constitution is clear about how a constituency representative is chosen.
She pointed to Article 12 and Regulation 14 of the “Revised constitution of the ABLP” which deals with the role of the constituency branch and the selection of a candidate.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)