BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 8th 2009 (PAM Secretariat) - Constituency Three Representative for the People’s Action Movement (PAM) Bernard Welch issued an appeal to the Douglas-led administration to wake up and face the current economic crisis that is affecting the Federation.
The PAM candidate stated that St. Kitts and Nevis’s record high homicide rate should be the Federation’s number one political issue even though some may argue that the figure is small compared to that of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
However, Welch said what has to be noted is that St. Kitts and Nevis’s population is too small for such a high murder rate, with the country falling among the region’s top three in gang-related violence.
“I must say that I am very concerned that this society in which I live has a problem of violence. The question that some may want to ask is whether they are politically motivated, but I strongly do not think that it is. You also have to seriously look at the fact that the numbers proportionally are even higher than countries like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and even Antigua and Barbuda and, therefore, it must be a cause of great and immediate concern and it should be the subject of the highest political and policy attention in order to try and diagnose the cause and find solutions very quickly,’ Welch said.
“Tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis will continue to die rapidly if Government continues to fail to seriously and aggressively address the problem. An island so small having so many murders per year certainly is saying that they are not serious and concerned about tourism. So, to have 17, 21, 23 and now 26 murders thus far is a dilemma that needs urgent and immediate attention,” he stressed.
The PAM Candidate also pointed out that the Federation suffered 23 homicides last year, mostly due to gang violence fuelled by the beliefs and activities of the warring gangs. To date, there have been 26 homicides in St. Kitts and Nevis with 22 being committed by way of guns. “I must say that at a regional Police Commissioners’ meeting earlier this year, it was reiterated that St. Kitts and Nevis is among the region’s top three murder rates. Now isn’t that extraordinary? Is that not the most important political issue?” Welch asked.
“The citizens and residents of this Federation need to ask themselves if they will continue to be governed by an administration that is not genuine in addressing crime and violence and seems more interested in their personal gains, rather than lifting the economic and social standard of all,” Welch said.
When quizzed as to what message he would give to the opinion formers and decision makers in the Federation regarding the homicide rate, the PAM Constituency Three Representative said, “Wake up now, as it is very critical that you realize that you have a crisis and you need all hands on deck to address it.”
