Former MP for East St George Camilo Gonsalves says he believes that the voter is always right. “And I believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God. And even in my disappointment tonight, I hold fast to those beliefs as the foundation of our democracy”.
“They say that sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. And I’m learning a lot tonight. I came to representative politics, fancying myself as someone who could transform what voters should expect from a politician in terms of style, in terms of substance, and in terms of what the politician actually delivers in a tangible way, despite my leaders’ frequent warnings that projects don’t win elections; people win elections. I devoted the majority of my waking hours to trying to deliver tangible, lasting, game-changing benefits to the widest possible cross-section of constituents in East St George”.
“I assumed, rather than was assured, that the electorate would notice, take notice, and reward me for this hard work. This approach has proven to be politically foolhardy. I take full responsibility for that and for the defeat that my party has suffered in East Saint George”.
“My priorities and the priorities of the people that I was elected to serve were not aligned, and this defeat is the result of that misalignment. Simultaneously, I take immense pride in the accomplishments I’ve made during my tenure as the representative for East Saint George. Some batsmen occupy the crease for a very long time and score very few runs, while others score plenty of runs during a shorter time at the wicket”.
“I doubt that I would have accomplished more or gained more professional and personal satisfaction if I had taken any other approach”.
“Bob Marley once sang, ‘We refuse to be what you wanted us to be.’ We are who we are, and that’s the way it’s going to be, and for the better. And there’s been a lot better and for worse. Like, now. I have remained true to myself and true to the ideals and the principles that led me to representative politics in the first place”.
