BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AS lawmakers were set to debate eight bills in the Parliament yesterday morning (Oct. 24), a protest was brewing on Church Street outside of Government Headquarters, where some members of the Parliamentary Opposition were present.
They were initially allowed to stand directly in front of Government Headquarters, but when the meeting of Parliament was set to commence, officers on the scene urged the protestor to stand behind some barriers that were put in place.
Some of the protestors refused to move citing that the police were infringing on their rights and that they were not breaking any law.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vaughan Henderson explained to the media his reasons for trying to move the crowd from directly in front of Government Headquarters.
“What we are here to do is to prevent something from happening and so in the interest of national security and the security of all, we have decided as an arm of national security that it is prudent that persons do not congregate on Church Street.
“The Law has been infringed if persons are asked to disperse from a restricted are and are refuse to do so.”
In an interview with SKNVibes, Parliamentary Opposition Member and Leader of Team Unity Dr. Timothy Harris explained why they did not attend the sitting of Parliament and he explained the reason for their absence in the House.
“Basically we are here again challenging and making it clear that this government has no constitutional basis to govern. That was made clear in the judgment of Justice Rhamdahni delivered on the 12th February 2014.
“The Parliament, in the words of Brian Alleyne, has been reduced to a state of uselessness and the point is we are here with our supporters to highlight the tragedy that is taking place in the country where a government without legitimacy is proposing to call the Parliament.”
He added that the government had no constitutional authority to be making any new laws.
“The government that does not have the support of the majority of elected members has no basis for passing laws in a constitutional democracy, so that absurdity of a Government without legitimacy parading is one which we want to highlight not only for the good citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis but for the people all over the world.
“What is happening here is irregular. The majority of the MPs determine who forms the government and then the government has the legitimacy. The constitutional basis in which to preside. You can say we are here highlighting the travesty in the Parliamentary positions that ought to take place in a constitutional democracy.”
Harris was also asked to give his thoughts about the new bills being proposed by the government.
“All of them are tainted with the same issue of legitimacy, it has no basis to function and so those things that it is purporting they all are part of the charade. They are offensive to the democratic order and we consider them to be as such. In our view they are bad bills which seek to undermine public confidence in the democratic order.”
