BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GOING into 2009, the nation was eagerly anticipating the imminent general election, but as the year came to a close they are still waiting.
The question of when an election would be called was the constant factor in a year that saw the intensification of political rhetoric, parties ramping up their campaign platforms and even some bloodshed.
Although political stories dominated the headlines, individuals and events not named Douglas or Grant managed to make their mark. There was the opening of a brand new medical centre and high school, the launch of a work programme that gave hope to hundreds of young people, and the revelation of significant progress towards poverty reduction.
SKNVibes presents the most notable moments of 2009 in education, health, social development and politics.
The year began auspiciously with the January 10 landing of the inaugural British Airways flight at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. By December, the flight’s success caused the government to announce a second weekly service beginning in 2010.
Despite that promising start, things quickly took a turn for the worse when a January 10 article in Britain’s The Daily Mail referred to St. Kitts-Nevis as “the murder capital of the world”. The story was in response to the December 19, 2009 hanging of Charles Laplace - the Federation’s first execution in 10 years.
As the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) dealt with the fallout, it took another blow when former government minister Hon. Dwyer Astaphan accused Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas of running a “one-man Cabinet” and called for his resignation.
The government bounced back in February with the establishment of the Youth Empowerment through Skills (YES) programme; an initiative that resulted in the temporary employment of hundreds of the nation’s youth.
March saw the heightening of political tension and conflict between the SKNLP and St. Kitts’ main opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM).
On March 25, PAM Candidate Glenroy Blanchette alleged he had been assaulted by PM Douglas and his bodyguards during an event at Project Strong. Douglas denied the claim and he and Blanchette later filed opposing complaints.
Less than 48 hours after that incident, an assailant(s) threw stones at a PAM political meeting in Old Road, striking the party’s Deputy Leader Eugene Hamilton in his face and mouth. He was taken to the Joseph N. France Hospital and eventually sought treatment abroad.
Also in March, residents of Sandy Point were cheered with the commissioning of the Pogson Medical Centre, which brought the myriad services of the former Pogson Hospital and the Sandy Point Community Health Centre under one roof.
Due to the increasingly charged political atmosphere, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), the Evangelical Association and the Christian Council organised a march and rally against crime at the beginning of April.
The rally famously featured a handshake between Douglas and his PAM counterpart, Lindsay Grant; a move many thought would be a prelude to softer political rhetoric. However, the theory was proven wrong that very same evening after the PM threatened to “uppercut and punch” the PAM leader, which was later explained to be intended for his rival in Constituency Six regarding the upcoming elections.
The findings of a 2007/08 Country Poverty Assessment by the Caribbean Development Bank were published in April. Researchers disclosed that poverty in St. Kitts had decreased from 30 percent to 23.7 percent, while sister isle Nevis recorded a drop from 32 percent to 15.9 percent.
In May, motorists were forced to buckle up, as police began enforcing a new law stipulating mandatory seatbelt usage.
Both political parties took steps towards readiness for the impending election. PAM launched its Shadow Cabinet during a press conference while Douglas was re-elected as the SKLNP’s Political Leader at its annual conference.
June was the month in which the Federation opened its doors to its regional and international partners.
The sixth PetroCaribe Summit was held at the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino on June 12, and was followed by a regional crime conference on June 22 at the same venue. Coming out of PetroCaribe, the Federation received a US$50M loan from Venezuela that PM Douglas said would be used to finance the US$150M sugar industry debt.
Also in June, PAM officially launched its 2009 election campaign with its “On the road to Victory” rally at Greenlands pasture.
By July, PAM’s Lindsay Grant and Shawn Richards were no longer US citizens, as they claimed to have travelled to the US Embassy in Barbados to sign renunciation documents. Parliament passed an amendment requiring political candidates to swear an oath of single nationality just days later.
July was notable for the start of the ongoing legal drama surrounding the report of the Constituency Boundaries Commission (CBC), which contained changes to the electoral constituency boundaries.
A few weeks later, the CIC and its partners released their Code of Conduct for the Political Process, which at press time, had only been signed by PAM representatives. The month came to a saddening close with Ministry of Health confirmation that St. Kitts-Nevis had suffered its first death from the H1N1 virus.
Attorney-General Hon. Dennis Merchant was found in contempt of court on August 7 for the role he played in advising PM Douglas on the CBC Report. This led to demands by Leader of the Federal Opposition Hon. Mark Brantley that Merchant should immediately resign from his post.
The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College took its first step towards becoming an autonomous university-level institution when its inaugural Board of Governors was sworn in later that month.
September began with the passage of a law aimed at cracking down on gangs and gang violence. The Community (Protection from Certain Crimes) Bill was speedily adopted by lawmakers, who were faced with rising gang-related gunplay and aggression in their communities.
Sashia Godet made Nevis proud on September 21 when she was named the 2009 State Scholar, becoming the third consecutive student from the sister isle to accomplish the feat.
As the boundary changes case dragged on that month, PAM dealt the government another legal blow with its challenge to the National Assembly Elections Amendment 2009, commonly referred to as the dual citizenship legislation.
Electricity consumers across St. Kitts uttered a collective groan in October when the Electricity Department announced a temporary load-shedding period facilitated by engine repairs at the Needsmust Power Station.
The month took an ugly turn when the wife of PAM candidate Bernard Welsh was attacked and assaulted and the children terrorised by an armed intruder in their Shadwell Gardens home.
During a national address on October 14, PM Douglas voiced his impatience with the ongoing boundaries saga and implied he would not set an election date until the court resolved the matter. The Kittitian leader got his wish on October 19 when Justice Errol Thomas ruled that the CBC Report was an “ illegality, and as such null and void and of no effect”.
In November, Parliament revised the National Assembly Bill, effectively conceding to the majority of PAM’s complaints. Just as persons thought the courts would finally get a rest, Hon. Richards and Hon. Brantley asked for a judicial review of the composition and work of the CBC.
Education in St. Kitts soared to new heights with the official opening of the “high-tech” Saddlers Secondary School on November 11. And as many primary school students were absent later that month because of suspected H1N1 contraction, Ministry of Health officials made the worrying announcement that the necessary vaccine would not arrive until March 2010 at the earliest.
Public servants were overjoyed at the news of a December double salary, while the entire populace was similarly happy over an announced relaxation on the electricity fuel surcharge.
PAM obtained an injunction preventing the CBC from producing another Report, forcing PM Douglas to dissolve Parliament on the evening of December 15, only hours before it would have automatically dissolved.
The road network in St. Peters underwent a major change, to the frustration of many motorists. However, they were able to get some satisfaction with the long-awaited opening of the segment of the West Basseterre Bypass Road from the Camps roundabout to the Kim Collins roundabout.
Though the H1N1 virus had claimed its second victim by mid-December, the year closed with some measure of promise, as regional leaders and dignitaries converged in St. Kitts for the signing of the draft treaty establishing the OECS Economic Union.
Looking forward to 2010, there are only two certainties. One is that the election must definitely be held before March 15.
Persons should also expect to see a new community-driven healthcare plan and continued transformation of the education sector, as the Ministry of Education further implements its white paper on reform.
The other certainty is that with all these upcoming developments, life in the Federation will never be boring.
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