BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ASSAULT allegedly perpetrated by Leader of the country Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas, has been condemned by Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) Lindsay Fitz-Patrick Grant and a public apology was requested.
Yesterday afternoon (Mar. 26), PAM held an emergency press conference to brief the nation on a “very unfortunate and ugly situation” which transpired on Wednesday (Mar. 25) evening.
According to PAM’s Constituency Number One representative Glenroy Blanchette, he was at Project Strong on the night in question at its “Fish Fry” function when he saw the Prime Minister exiting the building and he took the opportunity to take a photo of him. Blanchette said he was approached by a hostile Prime Minister who, with a raised voice, inquired as to why he took his photo and proceeded to grab a hold of his camera.
The Constituency representative said he pulled his camera away from the PM and while walking to his vehicle he was shoved by the PM’s bodyguard. He said he filed a complaint at the Basseterre Police Station that evening.
Grant described Douglas’ alleged actions as “behaviour not befitting of any decent private citizen, let alone a head of government”.
PAM’s Leader noted that, especially in a time when the tide of crime is high, leaders ought to continually display exemplary behaviour as the public’s watchful eye is ever open.
“I think it is important for me to state that as leaders, the onus is on us to set the correct example and tone in the nation. In that, the Prime Minister failed – again – last night. As Leader of the People’s Action Movement, I condemn the behaviour of the Prime Minister...The tone we as leaders set is crucial at any time, by particularly today, in a society where violence has become the norm and the issue of conflict resolution is found wanting in so many of our youths.
“When we have a Prime Minister who can behave in the way this Prime Minister did last night, we are once again sending the wrong message to our youths. We are at the beginning of what could be a long and strongly fought election campaign and we surely will have many robust debates between the two contending sides. But no matter how hard the campaign gets, our behaviour must be exemplary at all times. We must not succumb to hot headedness and temper tantrums and we must not conduct ourselves in a way that will bring confusion and chaos to the process.”
The PAM, a resolute Grant said, would not be bullied nor would it yield to the pressures of intimidation.
“...the Prime Minister...must be made to understand no amount of threats will stop a people’s peaceful march on the road to change, neither will they be derailed.
Douglas’s alleged actions, as Grant explained, have “made the case for us last night on why this country is in dire need of new, fresh and more disciplined leadership...We already have too many bad-johns roaming the streets.”
He however called on the country’s Leader and Minister of National Security, Dr. Douglas, to apologise to the nation “for his behaviour”.
“So given what transpired, we want to call on the Prime Minister to issue a public apology for his behaviour and commit himself and his party to agree with us on a code of good conduct under which the upcoming general elections will be contested.”
