Another call for Eugene Hamilton to break his silence

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, NOVEMBER 1ST 2009 (CUOPM) – Former Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, Ms. Marcella Liburd, is calling on the General Manager of the St. Kitts and Nevis Branch of British American to break his silence on the financial situation facing local investors.
 
Speaking at a recent public meeting on the issue, Ms. Liburd also chided Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Hon. Mark Brantley for blaming the government for the British American debacle.
 
Ms. Liburd recalled that when the sugar industry was being closed, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas urged the sugar workers who were sharing millions of dollars in redundancy, holiday pay and other benefits to invest their money in Treasury Bills and to purchase shares in Cable and Wireless and National Bank.
 
“The People’s Action Movement (PAM) went the full length and breadth of this country telling the sugar workers not to let Douglas tell the sugar workers how to spend their money,” recalled Ms. Liburd.
 
“One of his candidates urged people to close their Treasury Bills where they were getting six percent on their investments and the local British American representatives advised them to invest with them for 8 percent interest. People went and closed down their Treasury Bills. Now the people can’t get any money at all,” said Ms. Liburd.
 
She said that the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mark Brantley is one of the hundreds of persons in St. Kitts and Nevis who stand to lose his investment in British American, but instead to asking questions of the General Manager, Mr. Eugene Hamilton, he chooses to blame the Government.
 
“Mark Brantley believes that it is the Government‘s fault. Mark Brantley has money in British American and I want to ask Mark Brantley if he ever gave Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, or the Minister of Finance, Dr. Timothy Harris his money to invest in British American,” asked Ms. Liburd, a lawyer.
 
“I thought is British American he put the money in. When they were getting their eight percent nobody was blaming or complimenting the Government. Now, from the minute the company begin to experience financial problems, they are blaming the Government. They are complaining that the Government should not have allowed them to invest their money in British American, when it was at the suggestions of British American Insurance Company representatives they decided to invest their money in British American,” said Ms. Liburd, adding: “At the same time they feel that no one is to hold the General Manager and former Board Director Mr. Eugene Hamilton accountable.”
 
“Where you ever hear that in the world, where Mr. Eugene Hamilton who is responsible for EC$130 million of investments and who collected a commission on every single investment that went into British American coffers should not be answering the questions posed by those who invested in the local company that he managed?” asked Ms. Liburd.
 
“What has Mr. Hamilton said to the people of this county? What has Mr. Hamilton said to the people who cannot get their money? What has he said? Mr. Hamilton has said nothing to date and then the opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) comes to the general public and invites you to vote for Mr. Hamilton and to put him in charge of Social Security,” said Ms. Liburd.
 
“You all must be crazy. Something would be wrong, because Hamilton cannot account for the EC$130 million in British American. PAM is saying to you vote for Hamilton and we will put him in charge of our Social Security money,” she added.
 
“Instead Mr. Eugene Hamilton should come forward and give back the commission he has collected to all those persons who are losing weight as a result of not knowing what is happening to their investments. Hamilton says that the government must step up to pay the people their money when he was the one who collected millions of dollars in commission,” said Liburd.