The United Democratic Party officially began its general elections campaign yesterday with a media blitz, but the party's standard bearer in the Freetown division Michael Peyrefitte got a jump start over a week ago. That's when Peyrefitte and his Freetown Committee flooded the division with red flags on just about every available lamppost. While most of them are now gone due to the weather, political observers say the move was strategic on Peyrefitte's part to pre-empt his party from removing him from Freetown. It's been rumored for months but today Peyrefitte told us he isn't afraid of being removed because he cannot be removed.
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Standard Bearer - Freetown
"I never thought that so much would be read into cloth and paint. I am a politician, I am running for the Freetown Division and the UDP Freetown Committee made a decision that we wanted to officially start our campaign now."
Keith Swift,
Is this in anyway Mike an attempt to ward off your own party, to preempt any attempt to remove you as the UDP standard bearer for Freetown?
Michael Peyrefitte,
"That's a hell of a statement Keith. I don't know that there is any attempt to remove me as the standard bearer for Freetown and I am not aware of any attempts to remove me as the standard for Freetown. It is not something that can happen. There was a convention and I was the only one who offered myself at the convention and so therefore I am the candidate period. There is no two ways about it."
Keith Swift,
You don't feel that your candidacy is in anyway threatened, you don't feel that you might be removed?
Michael Peyrefitte,
"I can't be removed. It is not something that is possible. There was a convention, I was the only one, so once the convention has passed, there is nothing that anyone can do, according to the constitution of the party, to remove a person who has been elected as the person who will be the standard bearer at the convention. So any analysis of it would simply be academic. It's not possible so it is not even an issue."
Keith Swift,
The UDP is always complaining that the PUP has money but with this kind of flash months before an election, can we take it that the UDP has serious money?
Michael Peyrefitte,
"It depends on what you call money and not only the PUP are allowed to have money and we don't necessarily have money. There are people in this country who are willing to see a change and people who make contributions to candidates and to parties and cloth is not that expensive, paint is not that expensive. We don't pay people, we have volunteers who help us.
I read on the news that there was a tropical wave coming in. I am surprised that so many of them survived and the people who are responsible are willing and able to put them right up back so I don't see a difficulty in that area at all."
Peyrefitte says they put up about 1,000 flags.
