BASSETERRE St.Kitts, March 9th 2011 - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Security, Hon. Sam T. Condor, was presented with a twenty-five (25) page public policy document which was authored by doctoral candidate Mutryce A. Williams. The document which is entitled, “St. Kitts and Nevis Counter-Terrorism Initiative,” assesses the psychological impact of criminal activity; in particular armed robberies within the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and cites the November 14th 2010 Brimstone Hill Incident as an Act of Domestic Terror.
Williams who is pursuing studies in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Terrorism, Mediation and Peace, noted that in the November 15th 2010 Address to the Nation, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Security Condor condemned the November 14th 2010 attack and aptly described the unprecedented incident as an Act of Treason. She noted that in an analysis of the attack, and also borrowing from the Nacos (2010) definition of what constitutes domestic terror, that this incident was not only an Act of Treason but succinctly an Act of Domestic Terror.
Amending Nacos (2010) definition of domestic terrorism (replacing the word United States of America with St. Kitts and Nevis) Williams said, “domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within St. Kitts and Nevis, without foreign direction, committed against persons or property, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”
She said, “According to Hall, Norwood, Ursano, Fullerton and Levinson (2002) the primary goal of terrorism is to disrupt society by provoking intense fear and shattering all sense of personal and community safety. The target is the entire nation, not only those who are killed, injured, or even directly affected.
Additionally, I am in agreement with Minister Condor that there was a great sense of betrayal to the nation, as it has been alleged that the offense was perpetrated from within, however given the nature of the crime, which resulted in St. Kitts and Nevis making international headlines, cruise carriers cancelling stops to the nation, and most importantly a state of shock and alarm amongst the populace, this was an Act of Domestic Terror. Immense fear was central to this attack. In further analysis of the situation let’s look take a look at the targets of the attack, the time of day when the act was perpetrated, the weapons used, and also the site. This happening occurred at the Gibraltar of the West Indies-a UNESCO heritage site-Brimstone Hill, our national landmark.
Williams said that the public policy document which was derived from her Psychology of Terrorism final course project, for which she received a letter grade of an A, is intended to not only inform public policy but to also provide an in depth understanding of the psychological impact of the Brimstone Hill Incident, the spate of armed robberies, and the surge of criminal activity within the federation.
The thirty-two year old mother of two who holds a Masters of Politics degree and is a social commentator with written work published internationally, regionally and locally, said that her goal is to conduct research, that would add to the body of knowledge, and ultimately effect public policy decisions in the area of Terrorism, Mediation and Peace, as it relates to the Caribbean region, as this is still a new phenomenon.
Williams represented the federation on the UNESCO Executive Board (Paris) serving on the Group of Experts on Financial and Administrative Matters. She was also a member of the St. Kitts Electoral Reform Consultative Electoral Reform Committee, SSMC Transition Management Team, UNESCO Youth PATH National Coordinator, and is the Founder of LYLAA.
