BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PARLIAMENTARY Representative for Constituency Number Two, Hon. Dwyer Astaphan, has criticised Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas for his statement regarding two regional Prime Ministers.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister was acting at his highest level of prudence when he said he consulted with Prime Ministers Dr. Ralph Gonsalves (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and David Thompson (Barbados),” Astaphan said. “It is true they are both able lawyers, but both gentlemen are serving Prime Ministers and neither they nor their governments deserve to be drawn into this uncomfortable situation.”
Last month, Dr. Douglas was summonsed as a witness in Contempt of Court proceedings brought against Attorney-General Hon. Dr. Dennis Merchant by main opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM). He divulged during cross-examination that he sought advice from Thompson and Gonsalves, as well as former St. Lucian Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony.
Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes, Astaphan said his former Cabinet leader had not fully considered the repercussions of his action.
“He was under no obligation to say their names. They are Prime Ministers not practicing attorneys. To say you consulted them is to say what? You have validation because other leaders said to go ahead? Have we heard anything from them to corroborate what Douglas said?
“Any incident that will create friction among the three branches of government is a setback. And to openly bring those two Prime Ministers into the picture can risk the battle lines being drawn on a wider regional scale, when no lines should exist in the first place,” he stressed.
Last Friday (Aug 7), Merchant was found in contempt of court, and censured and reprimanded for his failure to properly advise the government that the Constituency Boundaries Report (CBR) was barred from being laid in Parliament, which occurred on July 8 and 9. Government lawyers have appealed the ruling, although it is unknown when their appeal will be heard.
Calling it “avoidable”, Astaphan expressed sympathy for Merchant’s situation.
“The reconfirmation process ended in October 2008. The Boundaries Technical Committee could have completed its work by November and reported to the Boundaries Commission by January. They could have held town hall meetings in February, submitted the report a couple of months later and it could have been debated in Parliament in May.
“It would have been smooth sailing. The election bell would have been the Prime Minister’s alone to ring. But now he has one hand on the bell and the court has the other. He’s effectively lost all control of the situation. The government and the Labour Party find themselves on the receiving end of pressure that was quite avoidable.”
