SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – The Party for Progress closed off the first part of its campaign program with a full house at Fleming’s Café in Cay Hill on Friday, December 20. The Cay Hill and Belair communities, as well as others, were invited to attend the party’s final townhall meeting and engage with the candidates to learn more about them, their manifesto and their plans if elected to Parliament.
“We set out to run our campaign in a different way than we’ve all been accustomed to,” Party Leader Melissa Gumbs stated. “Having grown up in the heyday of rallies held on large open fields, we quickly decided that this wasn’t the way we wanted to engage with the people of the communities.”
When asked if PFP was not worried that their message did not reach enough people without the rally setting, Gumbs stated that the party wanted ‘no barriers’ to their engagement sessions with the community. From the field itself, to the stage and the overbearing noise generated by the sound system, PFP wanted no hindrances in place when it came to rolling out their plan of community engagement.
“It is only an unwelcome twist of fate,” Gumbs continued, “that these sessions are branded as campaign meetings. PFP had the districts we’ve visited on our calendar prior to even announcing our launch on September 21st, including those touched by our TURF community clean-up project. We wanted smaller, more intimate and productive sessions with the people, and that has worked. It’s been amusing to see this method replicated by other parties this campaign season, but we welcome the following of the trends we’ve worked hard to set.”
At their townhall meetings, PFP has introduced each candidate to those gathered and taken often hard-hitting questions from the crowd. The party manifesto has been shared in great detail, with many questions already answered in the document, which PFP has branded as a ‘living’ document, to allow for updates to be made throughout the campaign and, once elected, throughout the governing term. The party states that this is important, as there should be continual communication between the community and the parties seeking to represent them. Their Cay Hill townhall meeting was no different, with all candidates expressing the party’s ideas and goals they would aim to carry out once elected. The manifesto is a point of Party pride, as it contains the fruits of their meetings with the community and with key contributors within the public and private sector.
“We made it a point to ask the people what is important to them,” Gumbs concluded. “For almost 30 years, we’ve been told what is important to us. That practice continues today; we’re told what is important to us, but no one’s thought to ask. Party for Progress set out to do that, we have done that and we will continue to do that, as we mention in the St. Maarten @ 25 section of the manifesto.”
From December 20th to January 4th, PFP has opted to take a break from public campaigning, stating that the holiday season is no time to disturb families celebrating with one another. Their program resumes on January 4th, 2020 with a return to their Path to Postulation meeting spots, starting with the Rupert Maynard Community Center in St. Peter’s, followed by TJ’s Cassava Coal Pot on January 5th, the Simpson Bay Community Center on January 6th, and the Dutch Quarter Community Center on January 7th. On January 8th, the day before elections, the public is invited to spend time with candidates and members at their party headquarters in Peterson Plaza, Cole Bay. PFP wishes everyone a safe, enjoyable and happy holiday season and looks forward to continuing its mission of community engagement in 2020.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com-k2&view=item&id=28959:pfp-closes-program-for-the-season,-wishes-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-holidays&Itemid=450
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