Dr. Lloyd Richardson might be a rookie in the political arena, but he has set himself up as a man of conscience and integrity within the generally rough and unforgiving world of competitive party politics.
In a statement Friday in which he emphasised his desire to remain “fetter-free,” he explained that he would not be accepting big campaign donations. He said he would accept whatever support his party (the National Alliance) provided and whatever his extended family could spare, but would not be accepting monies to spend on temporal things – monies he said could better be spent to help the people he seeks to represent.
“My campaign is not about how many posters I can put up or stuffing people’s pockets with gadgets, but I would rather invest the time with the people, working on solutions to our collective struggles,” he asserted.
In a society alive with murmurs and rumours about “bags” and “bundles” of money being offered, about vote-buying and candidate-buying, and about the giving of gifts of BlackBerrys, laptops and hampers, Dr. Richardson must be applauded for his courageous – even if controversial – decision to “keep it pure.”
No doubt his sentiments will resonate well with many in the society who question the wisdom of what they see as the exorbitant spending on election paraphernalia such as message-less billboards and posters, and who question what the big financiers of such grandiose displays are expecting – and are probably being promised – in return.
We note with interest, though, Dr. Richardson’s decision to accept whatever support his party provides. We find that interesting, for, while not implying any wrongdoing by his party, we cannot help but wonder whether he is satisfied that his party has been able to screen its donors adequately “to ensure there are no hidden agendas.”
Regardless of the answer to that question, the doctor’s courageous stand should be seen as the planting of yet another healthy seed that will germinate and bloom someday and help to alter the election campaign finance landscape in this Sweet St. Maarten Land.