The rural St Andrew South-east seat held by the Political Leader of the opposition New National Party (NNP) is tense as a Medical doctor giving support to rival candidate Senator David Andrew of Congress clashed verbally with members of her team outside the Parliamentary Electoral Office.
The medical doctor who did not want to be identified told THE NEW TODAY that he got incensed when Belinda Frank, the sister of the Opposition Leader tried to prevent a Trinidadian who has been living in Grenada for the past 10 years from registering to vote on Election Day.
“I am basically a Volunteer assisting David Andrew in terms of mobilising the youths and get them out to vote in St Andrew South-east,” he said.
“So what I have been doing is basically going out through the community for the last 2 or three weeks talking, engaging and getting feedback from the young people about what has been happening.
“I think my problem started with them (Team Emmalin Pierre) when there was a Pocket Meeting in Post Royal and I was asked to host the meeting and then soon after that meeting was held apparently some Police Officers started making some calls to inquire about me and about my whereabouts. I didn’t pay no heed about it.”
According to the Medical Doctor, the situation reached boiling point Wednesday when he was trying to assist some persons, suspected to be supporters of Sen. Andrew, to get registered for the election.
“…What I was doing – I was simply assisting some of those people who are coming to basically get registered because the process is a bit tedious,” he remarked.
He pointed out that there is a problem in St Andrew South-east as a lot of the young people do not have a simple thing such as a Birth Certificate as well as a bill in their name as part of the Registration Process.
“I am simply the Liaison person in the (NDC) office that is responsible for getting whatever they want. So that same day I went down to St George’s to collect the Birth Papers that we would have requested for a number of the young people and I came back up.
“When I came back up I started to fill out a lot of the forms and then I went by the JP (Justice of Peace) to get them stamped and filled out.”
The doctor claimed that he parked his vehicle on the same side of the road used by other drivers.
He said that someone from the Opposition Camp apparently called a Traffic Warden who came and clamped the vehicle but paid no heed to what was done.
He said that at the time, he was assisting a young lady who was in the vehicle to fill up the form to get registered for the election.
“He (Tafawa) started to come and film and make a video so I said, “boss, I have too much of a respect for you – let’s not go down that road. He then said, what I am doing is illegal, so I said explain to me what I am doing is illegal.
“The young lady (sitting in the car) said I don’t want to go on no camera, I didn’t come here for no drama. I went to the back of the vehicle and I helped her to finish up the form.”
According to the Medical Doctor, he moved to de-escalate the situation and called “one of my good friends” to contact a police officer to explain the situation to him.
He said the same police officer apparently called the Warden and asked her to remove the Clamp on the vehicle and she did so.
However, the doctor who runs a private clinic indicated that another encounter soon took place with members of Emmalin Pierre team.
“I was assisting another gentleman. I filled out the form and I was walking to go to the JP to get it stamped and signed. While I was walking up there, he (Tafawa) walked up behind me and said, “young man, you don’t know who I am?”
“I said, let us not go down that road. He said, “Oh, I could have you arrested. So I continued walking and I went up by the JP, got it stamped, signed and I came back down. When I was coming back down he said, I find the Police taking too long to arrest you.”
About two minutes later another young lady came to the doctor and asked for assistance in getting registered.
The doctor said: “That is really what got me pissed off. She is a young lady (born in Trinidad but now) from Crochu who has been living in Grenada for over 10 years. She has one child that is 5 years old.
“And the same Belinda who is the sister of Emmalin Pierre – she has also been in the same line trying to get her people to come out to get registered. But what they are afraid of is the number of persons that are coming in.
“We had a bus load from Crochu, we had another bus load coming in so they are trying to figure out what is taking place. So she (Belinda) point out to the Trinidad young lady and tell her, oh you cannot be in the line here, you cannot get registered.
“I say, excuse me. I say let me put you in your place. I said she is a Commonwealth Citizen, she is a Caricom citizen, she has been living here, she has a Grenadian child, you cannot tell her that. I said, let that be the decision of the Registration Officer who is the Electoral Officer.
“She said, oh, oh, you can’t say that – she is not allowed to be here – all you want to bring all dog and cat. I said, listen, leave that for the Electoral Officer.
“After that she got pissed and walked off and she go and call Tafawa Pierre and he came and say, “I find the Police taking too long to arrest you.”
The medical doctor spoke of a suspected NNP operative in the Parliamentary Office that was turning back a number of people including Rastas who were coming to get registered for the election on the grounds that they did not have birth papers and other related items.
He said that a complaint was lodged and the young lady was removed a few days ago and replaced by someone else which apparently has angered the Emmalin Pierre Camp.