Parry welcomes international Christian Mission but critical of local TBN protocol oversight
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Premier Joseph Parry and Don Tipton, Executive Director, Friend Ships, Port Mercy |
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - THE Premier of Nevis, Hon. Joseph Parry, yesterday welcomed the ongoing medical outreach to Kittitians and Nevisians by Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Friend Ships, but declared there was a breakdown of protocol tantamount to disrespect of the government of the day.
Premier Parry made the pronouncement when he officially opened the TBN and Friend Ships state-of-the-art medical outreach that started yesterday on Nevis and is scheduled to end on Saturday.
Parry informed the gathering that as late as Monday night the Minister of Health, Hon. Hensley Daniel, had not received an invitation to the opening ceremony and he took umbrage to the protocol anomaly.
The Premier explained that about 9:00 p.m. on the said day [Monday, May 199], he met with leaders of the medical outreach at the Four Seasons Resort and the situation was rectified. He also insinuated that the protocol anomaly was initiated by the local representative of the TBN.
He said the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP)-led government would not tolerate further embarrassment. “It is time it stops.”
Premier Parry said his intervention into the matter was to ensure that his Health Minister was one of the main speakers during the opening ceremony, and protocol requires that the Ministry of Health is consulted and properly informed about medical activities on the island.
The General Manager of TBN Nevis branch, Andre Gilbert, is on record thanking the NIA for facilitating the success of the historical medical outreach in various ways, including duty concessions. It was however not clear by yesterday why Minister Daniel was initially sidelined.
Parry said the NIA welcomed all Christian denominations but did not want Nevisians to be manipulated. He alleged that the local TBN staff had given bracelets [patient’s identity tags] to the nominated Opposition’s Member of Parliament, Hon. Mark Brantley, but had not given any to the Minister of Health. Parry also announced that some churches were sidelined as well.
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| Hon. Hensley Daniel, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health |
Contacted immediately after the opening ceremony, Brantley, who sat on the front row, declined to comment, but Gilbert however revealed in an interview that Brantley is the local TBN branch’s lawyer.
The TBN’s local General Manager said his staff had helped in the distribution of 2,500 bracelets, mainly through churches, and denied any orchestrated plan to exclude any section of the Nevis society.
Earlier, Premier Parry had showered TBN with praises for being instrumental in the emergence of media in Nevis, as this had enabled a 24-hour television viewing by residents on the island.
“For the first time we were able to reach people with news. TBN was able to provide jobs,” Parry said, adding a cross section of Nevis’ populace was taught technical skills by the Christian organisation. “TBN,” he said, “made a major contribution to our society.”
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A section of the crowd during the opening ceremony
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