BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Feb. 09.2018 – FOLLOWING a brutal loss at the 2015 General Elections and three years of self-examination, Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Dr. Denzil Douglas says 2018 is a year of change for the party.
Currently, the party is in the process of rebranding and making several changes, including changing leaders in several of the constituencies.
At the 2015 elections, the Labour Party, which was in government for 20 years, lost by a 5-3 margin to the Team Unit coalition.
Addressing reporters at his party’s recent press conference, Dr. Douglas said that in keeping with the forward-thinking mandate, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, has over the past three years undergone a lengthy period of self-examination.
He stated that the Party was brutally honest with itself during the period of introspection, and as an organisation of human beings, took time to identify weak points, shortcomings, and past missteps to craft a way forward.
“After a series of painstaking analyses, we instituted some major changes, all of which will be revealed to the country and the world very shortly. Although change is necessary for growth, I remind us all that not all change is good. Our present reality here in St. Kitts and Nevis, living under the failed leadership of Dr. Harris, provides us all with undeniable proof of that fact,” Douglas emphasized.
Though the party has reorganized and implemented changes, Douglas believes that the hierarchy of the party does not have to change – including the leadership.
Douglas acknowledged that the people voted for change in 2015, which ushered in the PAM/CCM/PLP coalition.
He lamented that they took office on the grounds that their combined status would have enabled them to bring a better overall quality of life to our Federation, which he stated, “is blindingly evident that this tripartite government has failed on all counts”.
He pointed to the healthcare sector, which he claimed, “is trailing in the dust, crime continues unabated, jobs are few and far between, the citizenship by investment programme is drawing its last few breaths, and the economic health of the country is in decline”.
“Although we in the Labour Party foresaw these maladies befalling our Federation under Dr. Harris’ leadership, we respected and continue to respect the people’s right to exercise their democratic franchise in favour of whichever political party they choose.”
