BOSTIC BACKS HINKSON

BARBADOS Labour Party candidate for St. James North, Edmund Hinkson, has been described as the best parliamentary representative in Barbados.
The vote of confidence came during a spot meeting in Rock Dundo St. James on Wednesday night by Lt. Col. the Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, who encouraged the constituents of St. James North to re-elect Hinkson in the upcoming January 19 election. He revealed that he knew Hinkson from their teenage years.
“When Edmund, during the reshuffle, was moved from the Cabinet, I personally felt it. And I felt it because I worked very, very closely with Eddie. But then I saw another side of Edmund Hinkson. This man was no longer a Cabinet minister. But the man redoubled his effort to be a parliamentary representative for his constituents and Eddie didn’t sulk and become absent. Edmund fought and he was still inquiring, he was still questioning, as a cabinet Edmund was still asking you about the impact on constituents and constituencies.”
Bostic, who will not be contesting his City of Bridgetown seat, reiterated that he was not pushed to make that decision. “I didn’t have any arguments, have any falling out with Mia Mottley. When I was asked to come and run by the Barbados Labour Party, I did so for one reason and one reason only, because I wasn’t a politician, I don’t ever consider myself a ‘true, true’ politician... I’m a sol- dier. I am an officer. A mil- itary man. I came into pol- itics because it was the City of Bridgetown and that’s where I came from... Chapman Lane made me whoIamandthatiswhy I decided to run for office.
“And then I made the decision and discussed it with Dame Billie Miller. Because I have spent 26- plus years in the BDF (Barbados Defence Force) and my age at the time, I decided that I will do about 15 years. And why? Because there’s life after all of this... Honestly, I miss my friends and my family and liming by the shop and doing things I am accustomed to doing. And I’m 61 now, in an- other five years I’m 66. I want to be able to enjoy a different side of life. I’ve made my contribution. And I was not pushed.
“But when I decided and I told Eddie that I was going to leave, of course, he tried to persuade me. And then when he re- alised that I was defi- nitely going to go, he [seemed] like he wanted to go too, I said, Eddie uh-uh, you got to stay because you still have some service to give.
“And this man is an out- standing representative. And so all I could do is to ask the kind and good people of St. James North to re-elect Edmund, the par- liamentary representative for this constituency, not because I like him or any- thing of this sort, but be- cause he worked hard. He has proven himself and he deserves to be re-elected,” Bostic said.