BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), Evangelical Association (EA) and the Christian Council (CC) have come under very strong criticism for what has been described as their deafening silence prior to the launch of their recently released, Code of Conduct (COC).
Controversial social commentator and educator Washington ‘Washie’ Archibald in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes expressed very strong sentiments on the three entities, their COC and the rhetoric, which is disgorged from the politicians at political meetings.
He expressed his main contention as being the silence of these entities for the five-year period which elapsed between the 2004 elections and the present, noting that during that period the people of the country have been subjected to “vulgarity from the platform”.
“When they wait until an election is coming up to talk about them trying to chart a code of conduct for the parties. I think they are wasting time because they have been looking on at Douglas raping the country, bringing the country into all kind of disrepute, making us look like fools to the rest of the world and they said nothing. They have not voiced one sound of protest…They look at…vulgarity on the platform and they wait until the election is coming up to talk about Code of Conduct.”
Archibald declared that it is the silence of the CIC, EA and CC that engenders his lack of faith in them and their COC.
“These men who are educated, all of them are professional men. They are men of the Christian Council, they are men of the cloth, men who study theology…where were they when Douglas was inflicting indignities on the people of St. Kitts? What kind of Code of Conduct do they expect to impose just before an election? I have no faith in the Code of Conduct. I have no faith in the Christian Council, the Evangelical Association is worse. It is based on their total silence…their resounding silence for the past five years in material things; things which affect the country in good governance.
“The fact that they had nothing to say all the time, all when Douglas was talking about he is 10-man-in-one and he will have a revolution, they did not come out and rebuke him and say this is not according to our COC for political meetings. They waited until he planted those things to come and talk about a COC for election. They have lost credibility.”
Further cementing his point, Archibald made reference to an incident where one politician referred to another’s wife as an “invalid”, and also to allegations of misappropriation being levelled against People’s Action Movement Deputy Chairman Eugene Hamilton.
“These are against any Code of Conduct. But where was the Christian Council when these utterances were made?”
Archibald suggested that had this been “a civilised country”, intervention from organisations from entities such at the EA, CC and CIC would not have been necessary.
“If we were a civilised country, the opposition and the government candidates would be talking together. There is no reason for enmity between people who belong to the same country. And there should be man-to-man talking so that whatever code of conduct is necessary for the holding of an election, it should be worked out by the party activists - either the party leaders or the surrogates of the party. It shouldn’t be the Christian Council having to intervene there.”
