Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 14, 2015 (SKNIS): The Federation's first prime minister, now national hero, Dr. the Right Honourable Sir Kennedy Simmonds, was forced to wait some two years and two and a half months before he was paid his gratuity after leaving office in 1995. The former prime minister, in a press release dated September 30, 1997, revealed that he did not receive any payment until September 26, 1997.
“On September 26, 1997, 2 years and 2 ½ months after leaving office, I finally received my pension benefits from the Administration of Dr. Denzil Douglas, consisting of my gratuity, pension for the current month and 26 months arrears of pension,” Sir Kennedy said, adding that he had written "to the clerk of the National Assembly in July 1995" for his benefits.
"I was reliably informed that my benefits had been calculated by the Accountant General, sent on file to the Auditor-General who certified them as correct, and returned the file to the Accountant General," he said.
According to Sir Kennedy, the then prime minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas “sent for the file and kept that file in his office with expressed intention of withholding my benefits for over 2 years."
The Federation's first Prime Minister, who served in that post from 1983 to 1995, in recounting the humility he suffered said “while the support of friends and well-wishers was a welcome lifeline, I should not have had to suffer this embarrassment and indignity of depending on that support, of having bank managers writing to me, of having to put my family home up for sale. It is clear that this was targeted malice against me by Dr. Douglas and his Government.”
According to Sir Kennedy "this blatant act of malice and victimization by Dr. Douglas and his administration should not "simply be swept under the carpet."
This press release of Dr. Simmonds was brought to light by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris in Parliament on December 11, in the wake of a legal claim made by former SKNLP Senator Richard Skerritt against the prime minister and Attorney General, Honourable Vincent Byron Jr, for withholding payments of his outstanding gratuity and pension, although they say he has not answered a letter sent to him asking him to clear up perceived irregularities in relation to subsistence before such monies can be settled.
“Even as they released my benefits, Dr. Douglas and his Government sought to injure me further. They made sure they deducted land and house taxes for 1996 which I was unable to pay because they were withholding my money, but they went further and deducted interest at 11%, while refusing to pay me interest on my long overdue pensions benefits,” Sir Kennedy said.
Sir Kennedy further reiterated that he had to seek the intervention of the CARICOM Heads of Government and former Commonwealth Secretary- General, His Excellency Chief Emeka Anyaoku, to persuade Dr. Douglas to pay this gratuity and pension.
The Team Unity Administration has vowed not to allow such a repeat of disregard for justice and many former parliamentarians under the defeated Douglas Administration have already received their entitlements.
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