BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – BISHOP Ron Dublin-Collins will meet with officials from the Ministry of Finance later this afternoon (Feb. 18), a move set to end the feud existing between him and the Customs Department.
Afterwards, the Evangelical Association (EA) will hold a 9 a.m. press conference tomorrow (Feb. 19) at a yet-to-be announced location. This joint action comes after both Dublin-Collins and the Finance Ministry have taken to the airwaves over the past weeks to give their own versions of the incident.
Speaking to SKNVibes, the bishop disclosed that Financial Secretary Janet Harris extended the invitation yesterday (Feb. 17) to himself, EA executive members, representatives from the Customs and Excise Department and the presidents of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Mark Wilkin) and Christian Council (Rev. Isaiah Phillip).
He explained that the meeting is meant to finally reconcile differing accounts of a clash that has dragged on since late last year.
“The idea is to address the inconsistencies that are in our mind, and for them to see upfront all the players involved because that has not been done. It is our view that their press conference did not address what was requested from them by the other two partners. We want to be able to get to the bottom of what happened – for each side to express their truth and go forward from there.”
The dispute stems from a customs service charge Dublin-Collins was required to pay in mid-December for a shipment of toys the department had pre-released to his association. He gave them a post-dated cheque, which was not accepted due to insufficient funds and the absence of another signature.
The stories diverge from there, as department officials claim Dublin-Collins was given a 10-day extension, during which he still failed to settle the debt. According to Harris, the bishop exhibited “rude and threatening” behaviour that resulted in a five-man contingent visiting his workplace to convince him to pay the charge.
However, Dublin-Collins said he was never told of such an extension, and insisted he had not used threatening language with customs officials. He and the national NGO coalition, which he leads along with Wilkin and Phillip, both issued statements condemning the move.
The department did not officially respond until a press conference on Tuesday (Feb. 16) at government headquarters where Harris decried the “unjustified attack” by Dublin-Collins.
She also criticised Wilkin and Phillip for not speaking to her before they used their NGO coalition platform to “tarnish” the good name of the Customs Department.
