BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RECENTLY appointed Leader of the Opposition benches in the Federal Parliament, the Hon. Mark Brantley has vowed to work with the government in addressing issues of national interest and to advance the people’s legislative agenda.
Since his appointment as Leader of the Opposition in 2007, Brantley has been lamenting over the level of crime and the potentially devastating effect it could have on the Federation if checks and balances are not operationalised. Brantley informed that his stance, since then, has not changed and he still views crime as an issue which requires an immediate and collective response.
“I have been calling on the Federal government - which has the responsibility for national security - since I entered parliament in 2007, to make security a number one priority. They have not responded to that call with any alacrity, and the result has been carnage in our streets. So it is my hope that with the new dispensation now, a new Minister of National Security, that we should see the government marshalling the necessary resources to ensure that people, once again, can be safe in their homes and in their businesses and our visitors can feel safe coming to our shores and helping to build our economy.
“I continue to say the same thing…crime has to be our number one priority as a country. A situation where we cannot guarantee the safety of our residents, the safety of our citizens, the safety of our visitors, is a recipe for disaster. And crime, if it continues in this fashion, threatens to derail all the gains that we would have made as a country. We cannot have any meaningful allotment in our country unless we can guarantee the safety of our residents and the safety of our visitors. And so that for me has to be the number one priority.”
The Opposition Leader said once afforded the opportunity, he would be meeting with the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security to hold discussions on crime, noting he and his team have resolved to work with the government.
“I plan to meet with the Minister of National Security, if afforded the opportunity. I also plan to meet with the Hon. Prime Minister. I plan to, once again, set our plans and our programme and our suggestions and recommendations. I think that we have some core proposals which, if implemented, could certainly see a turn around. I think that crime and the whole issue of our nation’s security, those have to be our number one priority. And I think that for the next at least two to three years, our resources should be marshalled principally in that direction.
“I believe that a short to medium term injection of resources - very much akin to the surge that George Bush would have done in Iraq where he sent in masses of troupes into troubled areas to bring matters – I think that that has become critical. And we must start to think outside the box, start to understand that some of the things that we have been doing have not been working, and change them. But I think what I want to see is a commitment, and I extend my hand to the new Minister of National Security and indicate to him that I am willing to work hard with him and the Opposition is willing to work hard with the government to ensure these types of issues are addressed, and addressed urgently…”
The Opposition could and would, according to Brantley, forward its suggestions and recommendations to the government. But he noted that the responsibility of prioritisation and execution rest squarely on the shoulders of the government, as it has the power to effect the necessary change.
“We in the Opposition can make recommendations…but it has to be for the government to implement, and what I am asking the government to do is to see this as a priority. It has not, to date, been a priority. I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination it has been a priority, and it is high time that we take our heads out of the sand and we understand that this has to be the number one issue facing our nation.”
Brantley, who served as Leader of the Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition during the period 2007-2009, received unanimous support from his Opposition colleagues to return to that post. The Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) Constituency Number Nine Representative explained to SKNVibes that the task ahead, albeit challenging, is one that he believes he could manage, especially in light of his previous experience.
