What an admission by Shawn
By Earle Clarke
On Monday 5th November 2007, Mr. Shawn Richards, the People’s Action Movement lone representative in Parliament admitted that the right of every Kittitian and Nevisian living outside of the Federation was correctly done when PAM was in power, but, now that Labour is in Power, it should be discarded, finished away with, changed, because it is now working against the People’s Action Movement political party.
Shawn definitely did not know what he was saying at the time. Shawn could not have heard himself while he was talking. I am sure that when he left Parliament and returned home, upon sober reflection, he must have cursed himself for admitting to something like that.
I remember when I used to be on WIN FM radio programme, “Inside the News,” I told Mr. Sydney Osbourne that PAM can not clamour for Electoral Reform because they are the ones who crafted the present law.
His reply to me was that it is time to change it. Mr. Sydney represented PAM on the radio panel and I represented Labour.
I said and will always continue to say that the shame box for PAM has been smashed up, because the party does not have any shame at all. Here’s a party which was in power from 1980-1995.
When they governed the country in 1980, it was Labour with four (4) seats, the People’s Action Movement with three (3) seats. For PAM to govern and eject the Labour Party out of power, they had to join with the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP). This gave the PAM-NRP Government 5 Seats to Labour’s 4.
No one can or should ever forget the hostility of the Government towards the Labour Party and to supporters, who were vindictively dismissed, while the supporters of the Government jumped up and rejoiced at each dismissal. Those Labour supporters who remained employed, were under constant threat of dismissal.
I worked as an inspector down at Social Security and every day, the supporters of the Government would come to the institution and enquire for Earle Clarke. When I came out to the person’s, they would laugh in my face and tell me that I should not be working for their Government.
Right after the 1984 elections, I was unceremoniously dismissed, along with Dr. Timothy Harris, Labour’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. To show you how the utter contempt PAM had for Labour supporters, in 1980 I was sent to Dr. Simmonds because he had a problem with Social Security. Even though he was my first cousin, I call his mother aunt and he was my father-uncle, I approached him with utmost humility, almost subservience. We were on opposite sides of the political fence.
He was speaking to one of his supporters on the steps of Government Headquarters. I stood a little distance away and when our eyes met, I indicated that I wanted to see him. I was kept for almost an hour until he finished speaking. Despite the fact that I indicated that I wanted to speak to him, he still turned off.
I had to run behind him shouting, “Dr. Simmonds Sir, Dr. Simmonds Sir, I would like to speak to you!” My first cousin turned around to my face with utter contempt and demanded what I wanted to see him for.
I told him about my mission and he shouted at me, “Is that all you have to do at Social Security?” He turned around and left me in mid air. This was the attitude of the People’s Action Movement leaders and supporters.
In 1995, the Government changed and Dr. Simmonds was out of office. He was confronted by some very difficult circumstances. The same first cousin, whom he insulted, whom he treated like trash, took a lot of stick from supporters of Labour for running to the defense of the same Dr. Simmonds.
I pointed out all this to show that we can not see the next minute, the next hour, the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year. We cannot see beyond this minute, I do not know what will happen to me when I finish writing this article.
The People’s Action Movement, in their term of office was rude, arrogant and did not care a damn about tomorrow. They were the rulers of the day and they rode rough shod over everyday and everything which did not support them. They acquired Government land for themselves, their children, their grand children and their great grands who are unborn up until this day.
Three years after being in power, they amended the Electoral Laws of the land. They changed it to ensure that they remained in office forever and ever, Amen!
They forgot the Biblical passage of Scripture-that when you dig a whole for your enemy, you must dig two (2). It means that you must always be good to those who oppose you. Those whom you do not consider to be your friends or acquaintances, because, the evil you plan or intend to mete out to them, could very well fall back on you.
This is what has happened in the case of the Electoral Law of 1983. PAM gave the right to vote to those Kittitians and Nevisians living abroad. They even enshrined that right in our Constitution.
PAM Ministers of Government, when they visited St. Thomas, Canada, the USA, the United Kingdom, would return laden with names of their supporters and would distribute those names to constituencies which were weak in support of PAM in order for them to win additional Seats in the Elections after 1983.
The Embassies of the Government submitted names to the Government on a regular basis. These Embassies were staffed by supporters of the PAM-NRP Government. It was good to have those overseas missions with supporters of PAM, but it is now wrong for the Labour Government to staff those with staff who will look after the interest of the country and their policies.
The 1984, 1989, 1993 Elections were won by the People’s Action Movement under the new Electoral Laws. There were huge motor cades, there were grave destruction of property and humiliation of Labour supporters after each election victory of PAM. All of these things happened under the new Electoral Law enacted by PAM.
These people saw nothing wrong then. It worked in their favour. But, you, see as I said before, when you are digging a hole, you must dig two. PAM was voted out of power in 1995 and, from the day they were voted out of power, they have been decrying the Electoral Law which they imposed on the country. You know what PAM is say?
1) We are out of power, but we should still call the shots about Laws which are passed by the country.
2) What does not work in our favour should be scrapped and condemned. We are still in control.
3) Whatever Electoral Reforms are instituted now must enable us to return to power.
4) Whatever worked for us when we were in power, should not work for you now. It must only work for us.
I refer to a reference I made earlier in this article which amounts to doing good at all times. The Kittitians who are returning from overseas to vote for the Labour Party, are the sons and daughters of those parents who had flee the country during the brutal reign of the People’s Action Movement. If you think that I am wrong about doing good and digging a hole for two?
Look at Dr. Kennedy Simmonds. A doctor by profession and the very first Prime Minister of our Federation. An outstanding person like him can not find employment in his own country. Nobody is hounding him like how his Government hounded people who supported the Labour Government1980-1995.
You spit up in the air, it falls back in your face. The new Electoral Laws are transparent. They have been on the table for a long time all political parties were invited to take part. Real mirror-like transparency.
Shawn should be ashamed to utter those sentiments. But that is the Nature of PAM. Their shame box has been smashed. No repentance for enacting such a law. Instead we have pure and undiluted arrogance coming from them. They passed a law, and now they are criticizing that law, saying that it is time for that law to be changed. Is this the height of arrogance or sheer shamelessness?
If PAM believes that the Law was bad, let them get down on their knees in all humility and confess to the Federation that they erred and stayed and they now ask for forgiveness. You passed a law and you now condemn the same law that you passed?
The voter’s abroad know what was done to their parents. Thanks to PAM and enshrining in our constitution, the Right of those citizens to return at election time to ensure that the families of PAM and Labour do not have to run out of their country to seek bread and livelihood.
They want to ensure that the Labour Party, the Party which has the interest of the ordinary folks at heart, remains in power so that the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis will prosper abundantly. Everybody must have the right to live in this paradise of ours.
No Labour Minister has appropriated any Government land since in office. Contrast this to the PAM administration where huge chunks of land were taken in Cayon and Tabernacle. We can not return to that era. We can not return to that era of hatred. PAM, true to form is taking pictures of Government Ministers’ homes and displaying them in their paper. They are trying to heap scorn on the Labour Ministers. Take a peek in East Basseterre, Ponds Extension and you will see who are building mansions.
I notice that the Chamber of Commerce is singing the Christian hymn, “Up from the grave He Arose.” They were entombed in 1983 when the Electoral Laws were passed by the People’s Action Movement. The grave was dark. They could not envisage the time of day that that Electoral Law was passed. When you are entombed, time is of no importance. A few hours in Parliament in daylight, could seem like an eternity in darkness.
This is not Easter time. There is still some four months to go before Easter. It is almost Christmas and we should be singing Christmas carols. But the Chamber of Commerce is not interested in Carols. They are only interested in Easter songs and one in particular, “Up from the Grave He Arose.” The have been liberated, suddenly, from their entombment. They are seeing the light of day now. They are looking into the mirror of transparency when they look at the new Electoral Reforms. They are catching up from the time that they were entombed, so they, in the glaring light of 2006-2007 New Electoral Reform Legislation is making all kinds of recommendations.
Their errand boys are experiencing great difficulties. Their chances of possessing the economic and the political power fade into twilight with this transparency and all inclusive Electoral Reform. They are troubled. One only has to look at the so-called March for Democracy, to see how neutral the Chamber of Commerce is and how sincere they are. Don’t allow them to fool you.
