BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, January 2nd 2010 (PAM Secretariat) - The issue of corruption within a number of Government offices and agencies will be one of top priority should a People’s Action Movement (PAM) Government be elected to office.
This is according to the Leader of PAM, Lindsay Grant, who stressed that his administration intends to aggressively and systematically address corruption. He said that one of his Government’s new and top priorities is to improve governance in St. Kitts and Nevis by restoring public trust and confidence.
Grant questions why under the Denzil Douglas administration the issue of corruption is hardly spoken about, noting that the current administration has too much to hide.
“There are hardly many reports of corruption being revealed despite the evident numerous numbers of corruptions,” he said. He however, pointed out that the issue of corruption is a very serious one that needs to be addressed urgently.
According to Grant, he would implement systems and policies to aggressively address corruption, adding that accountability and transparency among senior Government officials is of paramount importance.
“It is important to ensure that the relevant agencies are established in order to address corruption, as it’s important for those responsible to face the consequences of their actions and interest in it…and the minister usually deploys a committee to deal with those aspects,” Grant explained.
He added that his administration would seek to address any and all complaints received in a very systematic way.
The PAM Leader stressed that in 2010 his Government would ensure significant emphases are placed on improving governance, making them ready to be accountable to the public.
He further explained that there is need for the public to recognize the importance of ensuring that transparency and accountability form a major part of the government’s responsibility, noting that failure to ensure such could and would result in increased challenges and difficulties.
Grant declared it is evident that the current leaders in Government are still unprepared to take on an efficient and effective leadership role. He said he is confident that the Denzil Douglas-led administration is not ready to take on the huge burden of managing the Federation and his party should be given the opportunity to effectively and efficiently do so.
