It has never been proven, or tested, in East Kingstown that religion and/or morality prevented a political candidate being elected to the national assembly, but Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has advanced the notion that voters rejected Luke Browne three consecutive times at the polls because of his marital status.
“Last election, you know why they say Luke didn’t win? They say Luke was living by his mother and father. He wasn’t married. They want to see him get married and have responsibility. Well, he is married. He has a child. His wife is a professional,” Gonsalves told his Unity Labour Party supporters at a rally at Calliaqua Playing Field last Sunday night.
Gonsalves, in advancing the theory about Browne’s unsuccessful bids, took a swipe at East Kingstown MP Fitz Bramble who defeated Browne at the polls in 2020.
Gonsalves claimed that Bramble, at age 64 and a former diplomat, never as much as “knock up a plywood” house for himself and was still living at his mother’s home which she built on her salary working as an office attendant.
“He come back. He ain’t married. He ain’t got no responsibility… When man don’t got no ambition, how they gonna represent you?” Gonsalves said, a comment that raises the question of why would East Kingstown vote for an opposition candidate who is not married and seemingly has not responsibility but reject a ruling party candidate who also is not married and seemingly has no responsibility?
The late Michael Hamlet, a candidate for the Unity Labour Party, was married, had responsibility, was respected and respectable, had his own home but lost the election in 2001.
The East Kingstown seat has been with the New Democratic Party since the party took office in 1984.
When the government changed in the March 28, 2001, elections, the Unity Labour Party winning 12-3, the East Kingstown seat was the only one that survived on the mainland for the NDP with former leader Arnhim Eustace as MP.
