BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 20th 2009 (PAM Secretariat) - Political Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) Lindsay Grant has said that the antics of the Prime Minister and some of his Ministers over the past several weeks are as a result of in-fighting within the Labour Party. Grant noted that many of the members within the party are dissatisfied with the leadership of Dr. Denzil Douglas and have been openly expressing their dissent.
This, Grant said, is increasing immensely as the members recognize that under the leadership of Douglas the party is incapable of returning to office in the face of an exceptionally strong opposition.
This firm view was supported by PAM’s lone parliamentarian and Deputy Political Leader, the Hon. Shawn Richards, and also representative for Constituency Eight and Deputy Political Leader Eugene Hamilton.
As Richards noted, with the Labour Party continuously losing political grounds and the crisis of leadership within the party in which Chairman and Minister Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris has been expressing his dissent to the leadership of the Prime Minister, it was necessary for Dr. Douglas to be seen as being militant and belligerent. This, Richards explained, would embellish his credentials for the party’s leadership in the face of stiff competition from many within the party who have grown tired with his leadership.
Also, the Labour Party is trying to be more militant after realizing that they have significantly lost political ground while the general public continues to express distrust, no faith and confidence in the leadership, which Richards said would serve to be the grounds on which the party will loose the upcoming elections.
The PAM parliamentarian pointed out that because of the growing popularity of Minister Harris within the Labour Party, the Prime Minister is very fearful of the possible challenges that he poses to him and has resorted to several suppressive tactics.
The antics being demonstrated in and out of Parliament, where Dr. Douglas have sought to put aside the business of that House to meddle and unanimously decide without properly consulting with the public on a number of issues, among them being the Boundaries Report, were politically expedient, Richards stressed.
PM Douglas, after his failed attempts to disrupt the current boundaries in order to manipulate it and enhance his party’s chances at the polls, was forced to abort due to the courts intervention and the other two opposition parties demonstrating they would in no way tolerate such actions by him.
Compounding the woes of the government in which the Labour Party has seen how the PM has determined and manipulated the lives of Kittitians and Nevisians, Hamilton explained that they are faced by an exceptionally strong opposition. The Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Eight and Minister of government, the Hon. Cedric Liburd, has resorted to unprofessional political maneuvering as he desperately seeks another term like the PM. “They (government) have failed to handle the economy properly, especially in the face of the current global financial and economic crisis, thus resulting in continuously growing challenges and difficulties for the people,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton explained that while several of St. Kitts and Nevis’s sister CARICOM countries have been able to effectively cope with the current financial crisis, the Federation has failed miserably, resulting in several nationals being forced to migrate in an attempt to improve their economic standings. Noting that several sectors continue to decline rapidly, he pointed to social spending, especially in the area of healthcare where he noted the many growing difficulties being experienced by the public.
“It is under the current Labour Party that we are seeing, whereby patients are forced to bring their own toiletries to the hospital and the unavailability of a number of basic drugs and medicines at hospitals and health centers,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton made further referenced to the housing and education needs of Kittitians and Nevisians, stressing that despite the many promises of houses to the public nothing tangible has been done in that sector. He added that the educational level continues to decline due to the failure of the current administration’s ability to maintain creative and innovative programmes and initiatives that were once in place.
Hamilton also passionately spoke about programmes and projects for the poor and vulnerable in the society, declaring that despite the many arguments and suggestions that have been tabled by the PAM, they are still not being met.
Grant noted that the writings are on the walls regarding the leadership of the Labour Party, stressing that it is in disarray, which he said is supported by their dirty laundry being continuously aired in public. He said that the current political climate that is being perpetuated by the government is toxic and such political instability is often associated with crime and violence, noting is being manifested with already 23 homicides for the year.
