BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOLLOWING the promulgation of calls for the resignation of the Attorney General, Dr. the Hon. Dennis Merchant, a myriad of speculative comments has flooded the local media, but none has provided a distinct factual end to the issue. While the likelihood of his resignation is still a hot topic, interests have shifted some to whether or not he should resign.
On August 7, 2009, Dr. Merchant was found in contempt of court by the High Court of Justice and was censured and reprimanded. Shortly after the court’s decision was read, Leader of the Opposition Benches in St. Kitts Nevis National Assembly Hon. Mark Brantley and Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) Lindsay Grant called for his immediate resignation.
Following on the heels of these calls, comments were posted across the World Wide Web suggesting that as early as this week, Dr. Merchant would abnegate his post as Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs.
SKNVibes made attempts to contact Dr. Merchant as a means of substantiating the claims of his resignation, but he was unavailable.
Prominent social commentator and historian Washington ‘Washie’ Archibald, on Monday’s edition of his radio programme, “Ask Washie”, said he too has caught wind of information suggesting that the AG would “be announcing his resignation from the Douglas Cabinet” by this weekend.
Archibald noted that if what he was hearing holds truth, “I would like to be among the first to congratulate Mr. Merchant on taking what I believe is the first important step towards regaining his self-respect and the respect of his well-wishers and the administration of those who do not wish him so well. Mr. Merchant’s resignation would begin a process of decontamination from the corruption of the present Labour government.
“It has been heart-breaking for everybody, I believe, to see this brilliant young professional used as a tool and scapegoat by the Prime Minister and taking responsibility and suffering the consequences for the stupid and unruly actions and behaviour of the Prime Minister.”
Leader of the Federation and the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLKP), Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas briefly addressed the issue on Tuesday (Aug. 11) during his weekly radio programme, “Ask the PM”. Dr. Douglas said he heard of Brantley’s call for the AG to resign but has not received any official correspondence indicating such. He further explained that he sees no need for the AG to resign.
“The call from the Leader of the Opposition for the Attorney-General to step down - I have not seen that at all. I think the Leader of the Opposition knows that if he is calling for the resignation of the Attorney-General in an official way, then I would expect that he would write to me, to the government or to the Attorney-General, making that type of demand. I have not seen anything official. I hear the people saying that the Leader of the Opposition has been writing on the internet, but I have not seen it and I have not heard it. In any case, I really do not think that this is a matter that is before us. I think that the Attorney-General is his own person.
“The Attorney-General has lodged an immediate appeal…to the findings of the judge in this matter, and so it is therefore back in the court. I would be very surprised if the Attorney-General even contemplates resigning, because, in my opinion, there is no need for that. As I said, it has not come to my attention.”
Just last month, former Attorney-General to Grenada James Bristol was asked by the Prime Minister of that country, the Hon. Tillman Thomas, to resign from that post after admitting that he erred in using stationary which bore the letterhead of the AG’s office to correspond with a United States prosecutor, seeking clemency for his stepson.
SKNVibes spoke with Grenada’s present Attorney-General, the Hon. Rohan Phillip, who indicated that he is unaware of any standard protocol that governs under what circumstances an Attorney-General should resign. He however explained it is his personal view that after careful review of the situation, the AG himself or the Prime Minister should make that decision.
“I suspect that each country would have its own requirement. I don’t know what it is in St. Kitts, but what I can say…it would have to be the individual’s personal position as to if he or she warrants or considers that whatever the situation is, warrants him stepping down as Attorney-General; or the Prime Minister, if the Prime Minister determines that the situation is such that the persons should step down. In most countries where the Attorney-General is a political Attorney-General, there it’s really a matter for, I would think, the individual and his Prime Minister.”
Subsequent attempts to contact Dr. Merchant yielded success and, after a brief interview, the question of whether or not he would resign remains unanswered as he neither refuted nor affirmed the rumours.
“I’ve heard what they have to say. I have no comments to make in relation to what they’ve said.”
To resign or not to resign? That still remains the question!•
