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Statement by Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon on the Challenge to his Election to Parliament

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As a proud son of the soil from humble beginnings in the village of Bolans, I was proud to be nominated as the United Progressive Party (UPP) Candidate to contest the St. Mary’s South Constituency on 28th December 2022.

Three weeks later, in the 18th January 2023 General Election, I was overwhelmingly elected, defeating incumbent Samantha Marshall, the Antigua Labour Party candidate, by 199 votes.  However, on January 31, 2023, I was served with a Petition challenging my right to sit in Parliament as the Representative for St. Mary’s South.  This challenge was premised solely on the grounds that I was disqualified because I was a public servant.

The Petitioner and the Antigua Labour Party first sought to prevent me from being sworn in as a Member of Parliament by seeking an injunction from the Court.  This was refused by the Court on February 14, 2023.  Since that date, I have been consumed by the litigation and the media controversy. This has created an unwarranted hindrance to the proper execution of my duties as the representative for the constituency of St. Mary’s South.

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The matter is due to be heard by the Court during the first week of July, and while my lawyers believe in the strength of my case, the outcome is entirely in the hands of the trial judge.  Whoever loses the case will appeal to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.  This will delay the final outcome even further, as the appeal will have to be heard and a decision given.

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In the meantime, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has boasted several times, including in the House of Representatives, that he is confident of an outcome in 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. While in Opposition, the ABLP challenged the election of four United Progressive Party (UPP) members of Parliament. The appeal process took over 12 months and this crippled the UPP’s ability to govern during the appeal process.

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.   Therefore, my decision, today, June 7, 2023, is that 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.

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After careful consideration and prayers, I have submitted my letter of resignation to the Speaker of the House, Sir Gerald Watt, KC, informing him of my decision to vacate the seat in Parliament, so that a by-election can be held within the next 120 days, as the law mandates.

This will create conditions for a clean break and reset and allow the people of St. Mary’s South to reaffirm me as their MP.  To allow this matter to drag on for another 12 months will only distract and diminish the desire of constituents in St. Mary’s South.  The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Defending the choice of the people requires immediate action to show the ABLP administration that we will not allow legal trickery to hold our democracy hostage.

I have the full support of the Leadership of the United Progressive Party, St. Mary’s South Party Branch and my legal team – to whom I am forever indebted for their support, counsel and professionalism.  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. I want to thank the constituents of St. Mary’s South for their support over the past few months.  Let us head back to the People’s Court to create a future that we all can believe in.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]