BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IT seems the Prime Minister’s suggestion of implementing term limits for politicians retrospectively does not sit well with his former Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Sam T. Condor.
In his New Year’s Address to the nation, Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas declared that the people of the land must be afforded the opportunity to make a decision on whether or not term limits should be imposed.
Not only did the Prime Minister state that he is open to the option of term limits, he also expressed that the imposition of such “should be applied retrospectively to periods already served”.
Condor classifies this as nothing more than “foolishness” as term limits could not be applied retrospectively.
“How could you implement something like that retroactively? That doesn’t make any sense. How could you implement term limits retroactively? It means that anybody who comes to office (who has served before) is out of office...It is nonsense...He has not only lost his way, he has lost him mind, he has lost his head.
“You all need to tell the Prime Minister hurry up and call the elections and go out. He can’t do anything for this country anymore. He has expired. How could you introduce term limits retroactively? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Member of the Unity Movement and Deputy Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) Jonel Powell said his party has been advocating for the implementation of term limits for quite some time.
Powell however explained that he does not believe that legally that legislation - with the retrospective stipulation - could be enacted.
“We in Team Unity and certainly those of us who are from the People’s Action Movement have been for years advocating for term limits in particular for the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister continues to say a lot of things but never actually done them. So until he actually puts legislation before the Parliament to that effect, I take what he says with a grain of salt.
“...From a legal standpoint I don’t think that he can make legislation that like retroactive.”
