Opposition Senator Ryan Walters has vowed to remain active in St Michael North West following his narrow defeat in the recent General Election, telling supporters on Saturday that their backing represented “a significant show of confidence” in the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) despite the loss.
He was speaking at his constituency office in Free Hill, Black Rock, where he and his team hosted supporters and began distributing hampers to vulnerable residents through local churches.
The DLP candidate obtained 46.5 per cent of the vote in the constituency, a result he described as encouraging.
“Although we were not victorious at the polls, the facts remain the same that we did garner a significant amount of support in the constituency. That means we have a lot to be thankful for,” he said.
Walters pointed out that the event was organised to recognise those who worked on and supported the campaign – from attending meetings and motorcades to casting their ballots on election day. He added it showed that support had not diminished after the defeat.
“Persons were waving their shirts, bringing out their posters from their bedrooms and their calendars. We were warmly received and it feels good to be warmly received even after the election . . . .
“It says to us that the residents want us to continue the work that we’ve been doing, and we intend to continue our programme in this constituency.”
Walters said hampers would be distributed to vulnerable residents – an initiative first outlined during the campaign but intentionally deferred until after the election.
“We wanted to use the institution of the church as the distribution point to strip out any political interference, or perception of political interference, from the distribution of hampers,” he explained. “That is one reason we waited until after the election, and secondly, we decided to use the churches to carry out that outreach.
“Everything is not politics. This constituency branch existed before I became a member of it, and long after I’m gone there will still be a branch carrying out such activities. We have always made sure that we include churches and community outreach without political bias.”
Walters said he was moved by the outpouring of support after the campaign.
“Our cellphone crashed from the amount of calls and well wishes. There were hugs and, in some instances, tears where persons were very emotional about what happened. We are really thankful.”
(CLM)
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