Williams says he’s not pulling out of race against PM’s wife, senate president

An Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) hopeful in the St John’s Rural East race said he will not back out if requests are made of him to do so.

Neil Williams, who said he was asked to pull out of the St Phillip’s South race in 2004 by then prime minister Sir Lester Bird, said it is his time now.

Williams joins Senate President Alincia Williams Grant and Maria Bird-Browne, the prime minister’s wife, as contenders for the Rural East seat. A fourth person, Senator Shenella Govia, apparently withdrew her interest in contesting the seat.

Williams said he made a pledge to the party and not to any particular individual so if asked to step aside it is unlikely that he would.

“I think I have obliged the party in that regard once already and at this point in time it’s probably my turn to see this course through, and it is. Whatever the party would deem necessary in determining the suitable candidate for the constituents of Rural East that would be the final decision.

“The people of Rural East will have to determine and move away from all this sensationalism and the commotions that are going on and really look at themselves as to where they’re at, what they know of the three of us in terms of our candidacy and what we all bring to the table and make a more informed decision about their future,” Williams, who has worked with the party for the past 20 years serving as president of the Youth for Labour, a senior liaison officer between the government and the people and who helped to manage the 2004 election campaign for the ABLP, said on Observer radio.

Williams did not seem intimidated by the fact that he was contesting the seat against the prime minister’s wife.

He said the race is really against the prime minister and not his wife.

Williams, the site and project supervisor for the National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company Ltd (the government housing project), has worked closely with former prime minister Sir Lester Bird, and is knowledgeable in finance, data entry and real estate.

He lived in Canada for many years and was arrested and served time in prison for a domestic dispute (a fight) there, at a time, he said, when Caribbean nationals were quite rowdy in Canada.

Williams has admitted that he made a mistake in terms of his conduct over 30 years ago, but said he had grown and is a better person and a model citizen today.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]