Astaphan served the people of St. Christopher and Nevis as Minister of National Security, Tourism and Labour (among others) and was the Labour representative for Constituency No. 2 and in 2009, he resigned from the Denzil Douglas-led Cabinet and did not contest the 2010 General Elections.
Since his resigning, Astaphan has vocalised his thoughts and feelings about the running of the country and what he feels its poor management by Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.
During the 79th Convention of the SKNLP which was held on Sunday, 15th May, 2011 at the St. Kitts Marriott, a resolution was moved by the National Executive, officially removing Astaphan from the party.
Section No. 7 of the National Executive’s resolutions reads: “Whereas former political candidate for the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and former Minister in the Labour Party Administration, Dwyer Astaphan, since January 2009 has been holding policies of the Labour Party Government under constant political attack and whereas many of the policies he is attacking were not only supported by but also recommended by Dwyer Astaphan when he was a member of the government, and Whereas the said Dwyer Astaphan further has been attempting to undermine the Labour Party by his unrelenting political attacks on our National Political Leader, Cdr. Denzil Douglas, and
“Whereas the said Dwyer Astaphan has been colluding with Richard Caines, a very influential member and former Minister of the PAM Party, and other members and supporters of that Party to undermine the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and government and promote PAM’s chances to form the next government; and Whereas it is believed that Dwyer Astaphan is positioning himself to take over the leadership of the PAM Party, and Whereas the National Conference is the supreme governing body of the Party and shall have the final decision in ALL matters before the Party, and Whereas Dwyer Astaphan is not abiding by the aims, objects, policies and programme of the Party, which provides ground for expulsion, be it resolved that Dwyer Astaphan be expelled with due process, from the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party.”
Responding to his expulsion (which he predicted in his commentary “The Conference” could be found at http://www.miyvue.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2228&catid=53), Astaphan told MiyVue.com that “it’s not something that I would lose sleep over”, noting that, if the founding fathers of Labour were to leave their graves and walk the earth again, they would banish SKNLP leader St. Douglas from the party for his abandonment of the principles and policies upon which the party is based.
“So, being expelled from Denzil Douglas’ party – which to me is a far cry from the foundation principles and philosophies of the Labour Party and the Labour movement – is not for me an expulsion from the principles that I support. So that to me is not something that I lose sleep over.”
Astaphan told MiyVue.com that he has no intention of mounting a challenge to the decision to expel him but question whether the procedures which were employed in doing so, were done in accordance with the constitution of the party.