On Friday 21st September, 2012, the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill was approved in Parliament. The proceedings concluded well after 11:00 PM that evening, with the introduction of the Bill, its lengthy debates and ultimate passage squeezing all three readings into one day. This, to my mind, was truly historic in many different aspects. It was quite unfortunate that a Bill of such importance was processed with such urgency, all without the nation having the benefit of being consulted.
As a result, some 1, 200 acres of land were parceled out as collaterals, in an effort to clear some XCD $900,000,000 debt owed by the Government to the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank. These are lands that our ancestors toiled on over 400 years under the harsh conditions of slavery; they are washed with our ancestors’ blood. In fact, these are the same lands that the late Hon. Robert L. Bradshaw fought for, and the lands the Rt. Hon. Sir Kennedy A. Simmonds paid for, for the people of this wonderful Federation.
This law has essentially robbed the citizens of this federation. And soon no more lands will be available for housing, recreation and certainly no lands for agriculture.
But if this is not enough to ignite an island-wide confrontation, readers I wish to indulge you for a few more minutes.
If the great sacrifice of our ancestors and former leaders was again not enough to convince the Prime Minister that lands acquired for the people ought to be cherished, one can only hope that the threat to our sovereignty as Kittitians and Nevisians will be the benchmark set for massive resistance. Many will allude to the idea that only few communities will suffer directly by the decision made to transfer 1, 200 acres of lands to a private institution and it will only hit home for areas such as: Sandy Point, Lamberts, Lodge, Cayon and Bath Village in Nevis. But, the Act makes provision for future vesting of lands, thus, other lands could vanish and other areas will suffer.
And if Kittitians and Nevisians were to assess the Act and understand it, it is quite clear that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will certainly face the harsh reality of being landless, and eventually homeless in their native land. Therefore, any decision concerning the distribution or selling of lands within the Federation that stands to affect the future development of our country without due consultation is an issue of great concern! This was apparent when both Senior Ministers on the Government benches and MPs on the Opposition benches expressed that position as a major concern.
However, the Bill was passed and much debate would soon hit the airwaves. A regular caller on the radio programme Voices continuously voiced his opinion that the “Prime Minister acted like a thief in the night”. If we were to acknowledge that caller’s opinion as the true representation of what became apparent that night, why did our Parliamentary Representatives both on the Government and Opposition did nothing to stop him?
They all stated that the implication of such a Bill would pose detrimental consequences for the ordinary citizen, but when it was time to vote they all were missing in action. Ultimately, voting is the only voice a parliamentarian has within the House of Assembly and the mere fact that they did not vote, the nation should perceive their silence as a form of consent. Furthermore, I must emphasize that this type of behavior displayed by our parliamentary representatives in Parliament should not be tolerated!
In light of what transpired on that night, every citizen has the right to be outraged, but the irony is that most NGOs including SKNYPA, Churches and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce have remained silent. Again if we were to acknowledge that caller’s opinion as the true representation of what became apparent that night, why was this so? For those prestigious institutions to remain silent on such a national issue, not only should it raise some level of concern, but we should take their silence as a form of consent.
Therefore, I believe that a matter of such importance, that stands to affect the entire federation, it is critical for us as people to carve our disapproval of this bill in the pages of history. And we cannot afford to squander this great opportunity to speak out, rally and protest against such a malicious decision. So I’m calling on the Senior Ministers, Opposition, churches, private sector and NGOs to stand up and join the three Sandy Point groups (SPIRIT, SPACS, and CIPEO) in an effort to fight against this bill.
And fight we must fight………….
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