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Posted: Tuesday 11 November, 2014 at 1:40 PM

Dr. Harris files Constitutional Motion against the Speaker and AG

The Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris making the declaration in Independence Square
By: Stanford Conway, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of the tri-party Team Unity, the Hon. Dr. Timothy declared that this morning (Nov. 11) he has filed a Constitutional Motion against the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon. Curtis Martin, and the Federation’s Attorney General, the Hon. Jason Hamilton.

     

    Dr. Harris made the disclosure to a small gathering of his supporters at the Independence Square in Basseterre.

    Speaking with this media house, he said: “Today, I have filed a Constitutional Motion against the Speaker and the Attorney General, largely in relation to the Motion of No Confidence which I filed on the 15th of September this year. 

    “Recall that this is a new Motion and the substance of it is materially different from those two went before. Nonetheless, with respect to this particular Motion, we need to ensure that the Speaker move expeditiously to deal with this matter. And having regard to their delay and having regard to the precedent in terms of urgency in other jurisdictions, whether it is in Guyana, Trinidad, St. Maarten or the Cayman Islands, we believe there is a need now for the Court to intervene. We cannot depend on the Government anymore to obey the law and to uphold the Constitution.”

    Harris is of the view that the Court is the only other institution available to pronounce on the impasse, noting that the Government did not respond when civil society, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Evangelical Association and a number of other groups, over time, spoke to the Motion of No Confidence. 

    From this backdrop, Harris said: “So we have gone to the Court, which is only the other institution in a civilised society, to get justice.”

    He told the gathering that the Dr. Douglas-led Labour Party Administration would soon be out of office.

    “Poll after poll has indicated that Team Unity is ahead. Whatever the mix, whatever the combination, the critical number of seats to form the Government will be six. By no stretch of imagination could the illegitimate Government obtain six seats.

    “Indeed, it (St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party) is starting the elections, for the first time since 1995, not having a majority of seats to start with. So it is starting on the sliding escalator going downwards. It is starting as in flat road! In 2000 all eight and thereafter in every election the Labour Party has lost a seat. In 2004 it lost Jacinth Henry-Martin, 2010 it lost Cedric Liburd and in 2014 or 2015 it will lose at least three seats, including those that they had conceded, like Marcella Liburd, Glen Ghost and Asim Martin.” 

    Dr. Harris contended that Team Unity would be starting the election with the possibility of three seats from the Concerned Citizens Movement in Nevis.

    “We are starting this election with our partners in Nevis already with two seats with the every expectation that we will bring three seats home from Nevis and we will bring the remainder to ensure that we form a government of national unity with a majority of the elected representatives.”

    Asked if Prime Minister Douglas may take a page out of President Donald Ramotar’s book in the prorogation of Guyana’s Parliament in the face of the No Confidence Motion filed by the Opposition, which has the majority in Parliament, Dr. Harris stressed that he does not want to predict what the Federation’s Political Leader would do.

    “Dr. Douglas is the most irresponsible leader now within the Commonwealth of democracy and, therefore, I don’t want to predict or guess what he will do. What I would say confidently, what he does is not in the best interest of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. Because, using our example now, it can’t be in the best interest of the country to have the country become the pariah nation of CARICOM.

    “Every other country, including Guyana, faced with a Motion of No Confidence, has responded to it appropriately and in a timely manner. None of them had it drawn out for nigh two years! It is unheard of! None of them had to be taken to court for the Court to tell them you should keep a Motion of No Confidence. The proroguing of Parliament is one response, but look how quickly that has come in Guyana So you bring some sense of finality and determination to the matter.”  
     
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