BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has accused the national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) coalition of using its observer report to pursue the political agenda of opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM).
The coalition, consisting of the Evangelical Association, the Christian Council and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was an observer to the January 25 federal elections and disseminated its formal report on Monday (Feb. 15). In the 22-page document, PM Douglas was heavily criticised for his “disruptive presence” on Election Day and for allowing voters from his constituency to vote wherever they pleased.
The Prime Minister addressed the allegations at his monthly press conference yesterday (Feb. 17), calling the report “false” and “malicious” because it did not suggest any kind of balance.
“If someone reported that I appeared to be disruptive, what was stopping the NGO observers from meeting with me about the matter and asking for my response about why I was in Halfway Tree and if I was seen speaking to a military officer, which did not even happen,” Douglas stressed.
“To simply take one’s reporting, which is false and a lie, and to put it into a document that is a final report of their assessment of the election, it is terribly bad. That section of the report is false, malicious and has been deliberately put as part of the political agenda of the coalition members who seem to be pursuing a political agenda for the PAM party, which lost the election.”
He added that the regional and international observers (CARICOM, OAS and Commonwealth) had met with him before the election to discuss their preliminary reporting and concerns, but that none of the coalition’s members had sought a similar audience with him. Douglas claimed he did not even know who headed the NGO observer team, nor if they had even sent a copy of their final report to his office.
In defending the report, coalition chairman Bishop Ron Dublin-Collins said there was “no truth” about there being any political agenda and noted his organization stood by what it had written.
“The ministers have absolutely no alignment with the political parties in St. Kitts-Nevis. They are not on any kind of political mission. We gave a fair and honest account of our observations of the election. They expressed those concerns because they thought it affected the ability to have a free and fair election.”
The bishop explained that there was no reason to meet with Douglas prior to January 25, as the local observers were already well-informed about the positions and concerns of the electorate and had previously met with leaders of all the political parties.
He also highlighted the significance attached to Douglas’s mention of the coalition report during his opening statement at yesterday’s conference.
“The Prime Minister cannot accept the good and not accept the criticism. In his opening statement, he accepted the glowing comment that in our view the election was free and fair in most instances. But if you’re going to accept the positive, accept the negative parts too.”
