CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – DEPUTY PREMIER of Nevis, Hon. Hensley Daniel said his Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) is even stronger after Hon. Patrice Nisbett’s appointment as Attorney-General and that it would win the next local election.
“The NRP joining the Federal Cabinet is not a bad decision for the party. In fact, it only strengthens our position. It has not negatively affected our standing in the local election. If anything, it has only broadened our lead. We are not going to lose the election,” Daniel said in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes.
Nisbett was appointed AG and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs on Sunday (Feb. 7) by Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas. The 38-year-old previously served as Legal Advisor in the Nevis Island Administration, contesting and winning Constituency Eleven in the 2004 and 2010 General Elections.
The nine-member Federal Cabinet is comprised of Nisbett and eight St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party representatives, six of whom were victorious in their constituencies following the January 25 Elections. There are no candidates from the People’s Action Movement (PAM) or the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).
The last time a Nevisian representative sat on the Federal Cabinet was in the 1980s when the NRP joined forces with PAM to form a coalition government. With news of its alignment to another St. Kitts party, many have speculated that the NRP would lose it majority in the 2011 local election, a notion the Deputy Premier sought to dispute.
“When we joined with PAM, it was to form a coalition. We are not flip-flopping,” Daniel insisted. “Politics is about making strategic alliances. The party discussed it and we thought it was the best decision for us going forward. We are glad that Nisbett will be representing us in the Federal Cabinet.”
However, noted political scientist Dr. Asyl Warner disagreed with Daniel’s assertion, stressing that Nisbett’s move to AG would be to the party’s detriment.
“A former NRP minister told me he believes it will be a one-term government. It would take a miracle for it not to be. No one expected the NRP to somersault. And you can tell it was designed for a political reason.”
He added, “If the SKNLP had only six elected persons in Parliament and Grant’s challenge in Constituency Four was successful, then that would screw up the numbers for the Labour Party. They still want to effect boundary changes, and the NRP wants to be a part of that so they can make certain the CCM is marginalised in the process. But I still think it was a bad decision for them.”
Led by now-Premier Hon. Joseph Parry, the NRP was victorious in the 2006 Local Election, capturing three of five seats in the island assembly over the incumbent CCM. However, CCM fought back in the 2010 Federal Elections and retained its position in Constituencies Nine and Ten.
