No adverse incidents reported as morning vote gets underway in St. Mary’s South

Voting is underway in the St. Mary’s South constituency, where three
persons are vying for the parliamentary seat left vacant by the
United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate, Kelvin “Shugy” Simon.

Simon tendered his resignation from the House of Representatives
on June 7, triggering a by-election that Prime Minister Gaston
Browne is desperate to win to increase his majority in the Lower
House.

Residents began to line up at the respective polling stations very
early on Tuesday morning, October 24, for the 6 a.m. opening.
Voting will continue throughout the day and close at 6 p.m. to
prepare for the count.

There are three stations in the constituency: Polling Division A is
located at the Bolans Primary School; Polling Division B at the

Johnsons Point Health Centre; and Polling Division C at the Urlings
Primary School.

So far, there have been no reports of any adverse incidents, as the
Police have been deployed to oversee the activities. Rather, voting
has been orderly and the process appears to be seamless.

Meanwhile, ahead of today’s exercise, Simon shared a message with
the constituents of St. Mary’s South, calling on them to use this by-
election to send an even stronger message to PM Browne – that they
will no longer be taken for granted after nine years of neglect by his
administration.

Simon’s message highlighted the many shortcomings of the Labour
Party Government, including the closure and general neglect of
several clinics in the constituency.

He pointed out that the Bolans Clinic is still closed, some six months
after its “grand opening,” and the pharmacy at the neglected
Johnsons Point Clinic has also been closed for months, limiting
healthcare access for the most vulnerable residents.

Even law enforcement in the constituency has been neglected,
Simon said, as the Bolans Police Station still is not operating from its
original home.

The sporting facilities, he added, have been left in a sad state, as has
the road network, with the Administration showing little concern
for the safety of constituents.

Telling the Browne Administration that the people of St. Mary’s
South deserve better, the UPP candidate also highlighted the neglect
of the farmers, fisherfolk, and the Cades Bay Pineapple Farm, once
home to the  Antigua Black Pineapple, and the irregular supply of
pipe-borne water.

Simon also touched on the unemployment and underemployment
rate, especially among the youth, as families continue to struggle to
make ends meet, crushed by the sky-high cost of living, he said.

After re-stating his plans for the constituency, Simon ended by
saying, “I humbly ask for your vote so we can continue working
together to achieve a brighter future for St. Mary’s South and our
nation.”